In a direct contrast to last year’s winner, the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid has been named Car of the Year by members of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Style and 52-miles-per-gallon fuel estimate earned this year’s prize for the Corolla Hybrid; the honor a year ago went to the 480-horsepower Ford Mustang Bullitt.

Two other standout models – the Jeep Gladiator and Kia Telluride – were voted Truck of the Year and SUV of the Year, respectively.

The winners were announced on April 1 by Craig Conover, president of RMAP. That would have been the day of the Preview Gala kicking off the 2020 Denver Auto Show, had it not fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

The big, tough-looking ’20 Gladiator, Jeep’s first pickup since the early ‘90s, beat out ’19 Chevy Silverado 1500, the ’20 GMC Sierra 1500 and the ’19 Ram 2500.

Opposing the Kia Telluride for SUV crossover honors were the Subaru Outback, Hyundai Palisade and Fiat 500X Trekking. All are 2020 models.

The sharp-handling ’20 Toyota Corolla Hybrid earned the car crown against the Subaru Legacy, Nissan Versa and ’19 BMW M850i xDrive convertible, a $131,000 premium luxury showpiece that didn’t seem to fit with the others.

The Corolla, powered by a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors, is estimated to produce 52 mile per gallon in overall driving duties.

The Kia Telluride, when it showed up at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2019 was noticeably larger than the established Kia Sorento, a relatively “small midsize entry.” A 292-horsepower, direct-injection 3.8-liter, V-6 engine with 262 lb.-ft. of torque is tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Performance in the Kia gets a boost in Sport mode, and passing power is more than adequate on the highway. Properly equipped, the Telluride can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The Kia has 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind its third row of seats, and by folding down the back row that is expanded to 46 feet. The Kia is built in West Point, Ga.

The Jeep Gladiator, a four-door pickup, has coil springs all around, lending it a “good ride” rating.

Lowering the rear seatback on the passenger side of the Jeep reveals a removable Bluetooth wireless speaker, which can be lifted out and used nearby as a receptor of music.

The Gladiator 4X4 receives strong performance from its 285-horsepower/260 lb.-ft. torque, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission with manual-mode shifting.

Redesigned for the 2020 model year is the Toyota Highlander, now in its fourth generation.  It looks somewhat larger; its wheelbase has been stretched from 109.8 inches to 112.2 and in overall length it has grown from 192.5 inches to 194.9.

Most noticeable is the roominess around the captain’s chairs in the middle of its three rows of seating. The chairs will slide far forward to allow ease of access into the more tightly quartered back row.

The model delivered up my way was the high-end Highlander Platinum with comfortably bolstered front seats of perforated leather.

It carried me on a morning in midweek into the heart of Denver to the “Car Shack,” as some refer to the luxury home offices of the Colorado Auto Dealers Association at Grant and Speer Boulevard. Filming was underway by Bill Reddick and Danielle Klein of 9News in promotion for the scheduled Preview Gala and Denver Auto Show at the Colorado Convention Center.

A dinner preceding the Gala was to feature inaugural inductees into the newly revealed Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame. Both events, of course, were postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The all-wheel-drive Highlander performs adequately, though not particularly impressively, with a 295-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission; even with the 110-mile run to Denver and back, its overall fuel-mileage average was only 20.9.

The Highlander interior materials are of a high grade and there are small storage pockets positioned all over. While Toyota includes the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard equipment in all its trim levels, the most exclusive list of options for the other models goes as standard for the Platinum, including:

• rain-sensing windshield wipers,
• adaptive headlights,
• 10-inch head-up display,
• second-row heated seats,
• panoramic moonroof and
• 20-inch alloy wheels for its Bridgestone 255/55R20 tires.

Cargo space behind the third row of seats is only 16 cubic feet; that expands to 48.4 by folding flat the back row. Handy for shopping trips is a hands-free power liftgate. That pushed sticker price to a whopping $51,112. Pricing for the Highlander L base model begins around $36,000.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 increases safety with precollision warning and braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise and lane-departure assist.

Among competitors for the Highlander are the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX-9, Volkswagen Atlas, Subaru Ascent and others.