The beautifully styled 2019 Volvo V60 all-wheel-drive wagon, in its second-generation debut, showed up at my place with, of all things – plaid seats.

Pay no attention to what they’re called, Blond City Weave Textile Upholstery; they’re interwoven gray and white cloth stripes over the main cushion and backing, with beige leather sides. I like them.

The redesigned Volvo, built at Gothenburg, Sweden, will go on sale in the U.S. early next year.

With a turbocharged and supercharged, 316-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder under the hood, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the V60 T6 AWD carried Jan and me one evening to Denver and the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) for the annual Christmas party of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press.

As we walked in, Tim Jackson, head of the CADA, was leaving for another meeting; he hesitated long enough to place in my hands and those of Bob Sweeney, publisher of the Villager, a Colorado Auto Outlook publication revealing that sales of trucks and SUVs make up 75 percent of total new vehicles sales in Colorado this year.

Also of interest in the same publication was a look at individual-model sales in Colorado of alternatively fueled vehicles, led by the Toyota RAV4 hybrid.

Of the 157,734 new cars and trucks registered in Colorado through the end of September, 118,580 are trucks and SUVs, representing 75 percent of the market. Registration of passenger cars has declined by almost 15 percent during that period, while light trucks (including SUVs) have increased by 5 percent.

Regarding the Volvo V60, it’s a sweet-performing, five-passenger midsize wagon with a supercharger added to the turbo to develop the 316 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque from the 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine. Low-end torque comes from the supercharger, which does away with normal turbo lag at lower speeds; the turbo power comes into play in higher-rpm demand.

Selecting Dynamic drive mode from the normal Comfort, through use of a small roller wheel on the center console, immediately sharpens throttle response and quickens shift points. An Eco mode will slow things down for improved economy. The mode defaults to Comfort on startup. The Volvo rides on Pirelli 235/40R19 tires.

The Volvo V60 T6 Momentum model I drove carries a base price of $44,395. For $6,000 more, the higher-end Inscription trim is available, but that one can’t be bought with plaid seats. Don’t get into a lather over leather, for the plaid is comfortable and, again, I remind that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Among standard equipment on the Momentum review model are City Safety automatic emergency braking, panoramic moonroof, LED headlamps with Thor’s Hammer design and the larger Sensus Connect touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In its new platform, the Volvo is longer by 3.8 inches in wheelbase and 5 inches in overall length. Yet, it still matches up fairly closely with a prime European all-wheel-drive wagon contender, the Audi A4 allroad. Here are the specs –

Wheelbase
Volvo 112.8 inches,
Audi 110.9;

Length
Volvo 187,
Audi 187;

Width
Volvo 73,
Audi 72.5;

Height
Volvo 56,
Audi 58.8;

Curb Weight
Volvo 3,980 pounds,
Audi 3,850.

The Beetle is going away – again.

Volkswagen said it will discontinue the Beetle following the 2019 model year. Only 13,000 have been sold through the end of October this year.

Special models planned for the finale were featured at the LA Auto Show.

Production was halted on the original Beetle 40 years ago, in 1978, also due to slackened demand for the iconic product.

The Beetle’s absence lasted almost 20 years; and in the spring of 1997 when the ’98 VW concept was unveiled, it was the biggest attraction at the Denver Auto Show.

A New Beetle was sent my way in March of ’98, and after driving it for a week all around the city, I wrote:

“In many years of automotive reviewing, I don’t remember anything that has drawn the attention of the New Beetle. Not the bright red SL500 convertible, nor the NSX; not even the Marathon Electric. When driven, the bright blue Beetle brought smiles and waves from fellow motorists and turned heads of people along the streets. When parked, it was the center of numerous “walk-arounds.” The attention  came from all ages – kids, housewives, retirees. It seems to be an emotional thing, and is creating a healthy dose of fun in the automotive world.”

So, is this truly the end of the lovable Bug, or might it resurface down the road?

“The loss of the Beetle will evoke a host of emotions from its many devoted fans,” said Hinrich J. Woeboken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “There are no immediate plans to replace it, but I would also say ‘Never say never’.” Production will end in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2019.

With its nice, soft lines and a bud vase up front, it’s not surprising that by 2002, in four years of New Beetle production, 60 percent of buyers had been women.

To emphasize a more manly side of the ‘02 Beetle, VW offered a Turbo S package of 180-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and the company’s first 6-speed manual transmission under the hood, and it spurred sales for several years.  More recently, sales have been on a downward spiral for the past five years.

Among special models to join Volkswagen for the Beetle’s final year will be the Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL, both available in coupe and convertible body styles. Pricing for the coupes will start at $23,940 for the SE and $26,890 for the SEL; the convertibles will start at $28,290 for the SE and $30,890 for the SEL.

The post-World War II boom was underway in 1949 when Ben Pon Sr., a Dutch businessman, shipped a Volkswagen Beetle to New York City. From that first Beetle,  priced at $800, sales climbed rapidly. By the mid-1950s, more than 35,000 had been sold. Sales soared in the 1960s, and by the end of the decade, the Beetle was selling 400,000 models a year.

I was a young employe at the Sterling Journal-Advocate in the late 1950s when Sherm Sigler, longtime press foreman and photographer at the paper, bought a new Beetle. For several years, he drove it all over the Logan County countryside while pursuing photos, and became recognized nearly as much for his little car as for the Graflex 4X5 Speed Graphic camera he carried with him.

More than 5.5 million Beetles have been sold in the U.S.

Upgrades were in evidence as I looked over the 2019 Subaru Forester in my driveway one evening. Most obvious was a new color, jasper green metallic, and the Sube looked roomier with a low beltline and tall glass for good vision. The all-new model is built on the Subaru Global Platform, sharing with Impreza and Crosstrek.

The ‘19 Forester is the nicely equipped Touring trim level, on wheelbase of 105.1 inches and overall length of 182.1. Those measurements are 6 and 7 inches longer, respectively, than the original Forester, a ’98, yet the new one is 550 pounds lighter in curb weight than the 1998.

New to the Forester is a DriverFocus system which is designed to identify signs of driver fatigue  and distraction. In fact, as I drove it that night, it twice alerted me, first with “Stay Alert,” then later with “Keep Eyes on Road.” Aw, come on, I glanced down only briefly to determine what one of those buttons was to my lower left.

In its fifth generation, the 2019 model is superior to the earlier Foresters.

It was 21 years ago, in the summer of 1997, that I drove the first ’98 Subaru Forester, a week before the new car was to be unveiled in Subaru showrooms all over Colorado. It was a boxy, little cross between an SUV and station wagon, intended to compete with other small sport utes such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Suzuki Sidekick. Excellent braking was a strength of that early Forester and I could turn it around on narrow mountain roads. It got us to Georgetown  and back home okay, though a bit noisy from beneath the hood.

Ten years ago (almost 11), I was in Cobo Hall for the 2008 North American International Auto Show, where one of the biggest introductory successes of the big event was the unveiling of the 2009 Forester. It thrilled the car crowd – it had size and style; the old one had neither.

Suspension upgrades with the Subaru Global Platform deliver a great ride for the 2019 Forester, which performs with a horizontally opposed, 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine of 182 horsepower/176 lb.-ft. of torque and a continuously variable transmission. Its symmetrical all-wheel-drive setup makes it a strong seller in winter-heavy Colorado. It averaged 28.5 miles per gallon overall (EPA estimate 26/33).

Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, which includes precollision braking and throttle management, lane departure and lane-keep assist, is standard on all trim levels of the Forester.

The Forester Touring review model, built in Japan, carries a sticker price of $35,270.

Saddle-brown-color, stitched leather with comfortably bolstered seats highlight the interior. The liftgate opening at the back has been widened to 51 inches; yes, a 4-by-8 drywall sheet will fit through, but the cargo width between the wheel wells remains at 44 inches, so it won’t lay flat.

Pleasant drives were the norm for a week in late October aboard the redesigned 2019 Toyota Avalon Hybrid.

Performance-wise, it won’t match the gasoline-powered version, but the big sedan has the same cushy ride, and it’s the quietest one I’ve driven in quite some time. With its newly advanced hybrid powertrain, it delivers 43 to 44 miles per gallon, seemingly regardless of how it’s driven – in town, out on the highway, up the hill, down the hill, around the corner.

Toyota says the hybrid will cost only $1,000 above the price of the traditional Avalon.

The fifth-generation Avalon’s improved platform (longer and lower) is the Toyota New Global Architecture, powered by a 2.5-liter Dynamic Force, 4-cylinder engine, two electric motors and continuously variable transmission, with combined horsepower of 215. The battery pack of nickel-metal hydride battery cells now rests under the rear seat, rather than in the trunk. The back-and-forth switch between the two power sources maintains excellent economy. The Avalon Limited Hybrid averaged 44.3 mpg for approximately 300 miles.

Early release of the ’19 Avalon has spurred a 58 percent jump in sales in the U.S. Through the first nine months of this year, sales of Avalon hybrids total 6,095, compared with 3,840 a year ago.

Jan and I one evening drove the Avalon to Cheddars Scratch Kitchen in Thornton, where we shared a table with friends Ted and Shirley King. The Kings had driven their Chrysler 300, a strong competitor of the Avalon, and after dinner they took a short ride with us. The Avalon and 300 are two of the three top-rated large cars by U.S. News & World Report. King liked the ride and quietness in the Avalon and said the high fuel mileage compares with about 25 in his gasoline-powered Chrysler.

Even with the CVT, by opting for the Sport mode button over the comfortable Normal mode, the throttle is more responsive, suspension stiffens for better handling and steering-wheel paddles can be used for six simulated gears. Its acceleration is adequate, except on steep climbs, and it rides very smoothly.

Quilted leather with two-tone stitching and an Entune 3.0 premium audio system are interior highlights.

Pricing begins at $42,800 for the Avalon Hybrid Limited, with cooled/heated front seats and heated rear seats/steering wheel, a head-up display, JBL audio with 14 speakers and navigation. Sticker price was $44,870. Other standard items include Bluetooth, satellite radio, Entune infotainment, five USB ports and Apple CarPlay for improved iPhone functions. Android Auto, which allows stowing of the phone in a pocket while making or taking calls, isn’t yet available in the Avalon.

Among safety advances are adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking.

Interestingly, the Avalon review model most often appeared black in color until bright light shines and turns it brown; its color description on its window sticker, though, is “opulent amber,” (isn’t that gold or orange?).

The Avalon, sized very similar to the Buick LaCrosse, is on a wheelbase of 113 inches, is 195.9 inches in overall length, 72.8 wide and stands 56.5 tall, with a roomy 16 cubic-feet trunk and turn circle of 37.7 feet. It rides on Hankook 235/45R18 tires. It is built in Georgetown, Ky.

While Dodge is running the big NHRA show at Bandimere (July 2018), I’m reviewing two new Jaguars – the E-Pace all-wheel-drive SUV and the long, slick-looking XF Sportbrake AWD wagon.

The side-glance to Dodge comes from a noon luncheon at Simms Steakhouse in Lakewood where the FCA performance division revealed two new race vehicles – the Challenger SRT Demon and Charger Hellcat Super.

They’re being featured at the three-day NHRA Nationals at Bandimere. It is the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar, in reference to that car company’s first year as title sponsor at the Bandimere Speedway.

Dodge Charger NHRA Funny Car driver Matt Hagan and Mopar Dodge Top Fuel pilot Leah Pritchett squared off between qualifying rounds.

Bandimere, a quarter-mile drag strip just west of C470, opened 60 years ago near Morrison and Lakewood.

In regards to the new Jaguar E-Pace P250 SE, even with its heavy weight of 4,220 pounds it slipped into the luxury subcompact SUV classification and competes with the Volvo XC40, BMW X2, Mercedes GLA-Class, Range Rover Evoque and Infiniti QX30, among others.

It sits on a wheelbase of 105.6 inches, is 173 inches in overall length, 74.8 wide and 64.9 high. Its relatively wide track is 64.4 inches in front and 64.3 at the rear. Cargo space behind the rear seats is 24 cubic feet.

Positive comments were heard from many of those seeing the E-Pace for the first time, not only a credit to its style but also its azure blue finish which at times seemed almost a purple tint.

The E-Pace carried Jan and me to Strasburg for celebration of the 7^th birthday of great-granddaughter Ava Zink. The Jag, on its return, showed good grip in the rain which deposited fairly deep water on the roadways to the northwest, then onto Colo.  52 at Prospect Valley. It is a fairly rough rider at times.

Performance comes from a 2.0-liter, 246-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine with 9-speed automatic transmission. A bit of hesitation on takeoffs was routine; the Jaguar moved with more pep when the dynamic drive mode was engaged. The E-Pace delivered an overall fuel-mileage average of 25.4. EPA estimate is 21/28. It rides on Pirelli Scorpion Zero 245/45R20 tires. Suspension components are struts, coils and antiroll bars in front, with multilink at the rear.

The interior niceties of the E-Pace aren’t up to Jaguar standards; neither, though, is the sticker price. From a base of $45,295, it climbed to $54,190. A nice feature on exiting the four-door were puddle-lamp silhouettes of a jaguar and its cub projected onto the ground.

If the E-Pace is a subcompact, one look at the elongated roofline of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake wagon tells you this is a midsizer which competes with the Mercedes E-Class wagon, the Volvo V90 and Buick Regal TourX.

The XF Sportbrake is considerably larger than the E-Pace. The new wagon measures 116.5 inches in wheelbase, 195 in overall length, 78.2 wide and 58.9 high, with curb weight of 4,145 pounds, a bit lighter than E-Pace.

It has a sloping hood, the long roof and raked rear glass. Staying with its sleek image, the Sportbrake runs on low-profile 35s – Pirelli Cinturato 255/35R20 tires.

Wagons have long been popular in Europe; not so here, though the new Sportbrake and V90 with AWD might lure a few SUV devotees. Jaguar’s last wagon before the Sportbrake was the X-Type, which ended production in 2009.

Performance is a highlight from the Sportbrake’s 380-horsepower, supercharged, 3.0-liter V-6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Drive-mode selection allows the driver to adapt from normal response to dynamic or economical or adapt to what is being faced in the way of surface conditions. The shifter is a twist dial on the center console.

This car does have a spare, though the wheel is bright orange hidden beneath the cargo floor and it will not match up with the fancy wheels and red brake calipers of original equipment, i.e. get the flat fixed quickly.

Inside the big Jag are white leather seats with black inserts, panoramic roof and motorized covers for closing the dashboard air vents. Cargo space behind the rear seat is a roomy 31.7 cubic feet.

This classy-looking wagon with its power and amenities doesn’t come in the cheaper category of the E-Pace. Sticker on the Sportbrake jumped to $84,245 from a base of $70,450.

Adding $3,495 was a driver-assistance package of adaptive cruise control and speed limiter, 360-degree parking aid, surround camera, blind-spot and park assist. Adding another $3,285 were navigation, Meridian surround sound and interactive driver display. For $2,890 came the four-zone climate control, suedecloth premium headliner, ambient lighting and rear sunblind. That left $1,805 for the heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and soft door-close.

I averaged 22 miles per gallon of premium fuel with the XF Sportbrake, close to the middle of its EPA estimate of 18/25.