Bob Hagestad, in his race-enhanced Porsche 924, was featured on the cover of the Denver Post automotive section in May 1980. (Denver Post)
Brake, shift
and hit your point on the curve; it’s a matter of concentration,” Bob Hagestad
advised me as we drove his Porsche race cars against the clock many years ago.
Hagestad, 84,
a former Porsche/Audi dealer on West Colfax Avenue in the Denver metro area and
later a Volkswagen dealer in Irving, Texas, died in late February; services
were March 2 in Irving.
As I read of
his death, it brought back memories of the day I spent back in May 1980 with
Hagestad and his race crew at the Pueblo Motorsports Park, a 2.2-mile track
southwest of Pueblo.
With his race
version of the 924 at Pueblo, Hagestad attained speeds of 110 miles per hour on
short straightaway before one of many curves, then it was “brake, shift, hit
your point.” Hagestad was seeking a national championship in the Sports Car
Club of America competition. His crew chief was Don Jones and mechanic Greg
Johnson.
I drove and
reviewed, in the Post, two Porsches loaned to me by Hagestad in 1980 – a 924
4-cylinder and a 928 V-8. The 928 model carried what was then the
second-highest-priced car of any I had driven, topped only by an ‘80 Maserati
Merak SS at $42,637.
Bob grew up
in the car business, his father Vern was a Volkswagen dealer on West Colfax. He
is survived by three sons, Robb, Brad and Drew, and a sister, Barbara
Schomebaum.
Nissan Murano is stylish midsize crossover. (Bud Wells photos)
Impressive
style is demonstrated by the 2019 Nissan Murano SL midsize SUV crossover, with
its tapered front, raked windshield and floating-roof-look at the rear. It is
one of the better-appearance entries in its class.
Like other
Nissans, the Murano all-wheel-drive model is equipped with a continuously
variable transmission to go with its 260-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine.
The Murano is
a bit larger than the hot-selling Nissan Rogue, which I drove in December. The
Murano is on a wheelbase of 111.2 inches, is 192.4 inches in overall length and
its curb weight is 3,845 pounds. The Murano is 8 inches longer than the Rogue
and is 350 pounds heavier.
Recently I’ve
driven the new Murano, finished in an impressive sunset drift exterior,
somewhat near copper or orange color.
On a drive
from Greeley to Denver and back via U.S. 85 and E470, Jan and I were accompanied
by Cathy Cash and son, Nic Sedam, who liked the roominess and comfort of the
rear-seating area and the fact the seats were heated on a cold, windy afternoon.
Performance
is fairly mild, with the CVT transmission. Riding on Bridgedstone 235/55R20
tires, the Murano averaged 24.2 miles per gallon in overall driving, which
included lots of stop-and-go in-town maneuvers. Its EPA estimate is 21/28 mpg.
A Tech
package of automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, rear automatic
braking, panoramic moonroof and traffic-sign recognition, at a cost of $1,970,
pushed sticker price for the Murano to $44,090.
Among
standard items are 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, intelligent around-view
monitor, motion-activated power liftgate, navigation, Bose premium audio and
heated outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down.
The Murano
was launched in the summer of 2002 as an ’03 model.
As for the
Rogue, tested last month as a well-loaded SL trim level with all-wheel-drive,
sticker price was $36,085.
The smaller Rogue is top-seller for Nissan.
It performs
with a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission. It
boasts a relatively high EPA rating, 25/32, and averaged 26.5 mpg in the week I
drove it.
We drove to
92nd and Wadsworth for a pre-Christmas dinner with Ted and Shirley King, Judy
Garcia and Jodi Black. Jan worked with these friends at Cherry Creek Realty
some years back when we resided in Denver.
A heavy push
in acceleration brings a whine from the Rogue’s CVT transmission, especially
after it is moved into Sport mode with intensified throttle performance.
Brown quilted
leather seats are an interior highlight for the Rogue and padded portions of
the dash are attractive, too.
Poorly
positioned at the far lower left of the dashboard, even lower than knee level,
are four buttons lined horizonally for heated steering wheel, all-wheel drive,
Sport mode and the Eco mode of the transmission. Not only is it a far reach, it
requires an occasional look to determine the driver is pushing the intended
button.
The Murano is
assembled in Canton, Miss., and the Rogue in Smyrna, Tenn.
Honda’s new midsize SUV, the 2019 Passport, in the snow. (Bud Wells photo)
The new 2019
Honda Passport was like a Pilot while driving in the snow and single-digit
temperatures on icy roads to Greeley in the early evening Saturday, March 2,
from a party in Longmont.
The Passport
dropped into slow-down mode in passing one collision and two other cars resting
in deep ditches after they slid off the road along the way north on U.S.287.
The
Passport’s all-wheel drive performed very capably; it’s of front-wheel-drive
configuration which places more power over the drive wheels, while the system
divides torque as needed between the front and rear axles – like a Pilot.
Of course,
it’s like a Pilot, for it is based on the Pilot’s unibody platform, and, in
truth is a two-row version of the three-row Pilot SUV, with few other
differences. The Passport is 6 inches shorter in overall length and is 100
pounds lighter.
The gathering
at Longmont, in the Oak Room at the Oskar Blues Brewery, was a birthday party
for Dale Wells; 100 attended.
The
all-wheel-drive Passport is equipped with a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6
engine and 9-speed automatic transmission, somewhat slow on the downshift as it
constantly seeks cruising pace for higher fuel mileage. Gears are selected
through a push-button shifter; reverse is engaged through a pull, rather than
push. We averaged 22.5 miles per gallon during the week; EPA estimate is 19/24.
The Passport’s push-button shifter. (Honda)
The new
Passport delivers an extremely smooth ride and precise handling. Its AWD isn’t
so offroad capable as the Toyota 4Runner or Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Soft-touch
surfaces highlight the roomy and quiet interior, with heated and ventilated
front seats and heated rear seats (leather). A leather-wrapped steering wheel
is also heated. The rear seats slide fore and aft, and the cargo space behind
the seats is huge – 41.2 cubic feet, with an extra 2.5 feet of underfloor
storage.
Honda
Sensing, safety and driver-assistive technologies, include forward collision
warning, automatic emergency braking, road-departure alert, lane-keep assist
and adaptive cruise control.
The Passport,
built in Lincoln, Ala., alongside the Pilot, carried a sticker price of
$44,725, including paddle shifters on the steering wheel, voice-recognition
navigation, premier audio system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration
and Bluetooth, power moonroof.
The fact Honda
resurrected the Passport name for this new one was a surprise to me. When I
think of Passport, I’m reminded of it as the twin to the old Isuzu Rodeo, when
Isuzu produced it for Honda from 1994 to
2002.
