Monthly Archives: May 2020

Dodge retains sales with Charger V-6

The Dodge Charger was just shy of 100,000 sales last year. (Bud Wells photo)

Only a few automotive models had defied the lengthy slump in sedan sales across the country before the coronavirus slowed down the entire industry. One which increased its presence was the Dodge Charger, with or without a Hemi under its hood.

It had been five years since I’d reviewed a Charger when the 2020 GT V-6 all-wheel-drive model was brought my way in late April. In the meantime, though, I had driven five Dodge Challengers and four Chrysler 300s, which share a platform with the Charger.

While sedans generally have been on a sales slide in the U.S. in recent years, Charger has remained strong for Dodge. In the first quarter of 2020, the Charger outsold its well-regarded stablemate, the Chrysler 300, by more than a 3-to-1 margin. And in all of last year, almost 100,000 Chargers were sold.

With all-wheel drive available since 2007, Charger and 300 have claimed an edge in winter driving capability in Colorado against such big-car rivals Impala, Maxima, Avalon, Camry and Accord, which haven’t had the option.

The Charger is a good-sized car on a wheelbase of 120 inches, 198.4 inches in overall length and curb weight of 4,235 pounds.

The GT is equipped with a 300-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive featuring a front-axle disconnect. Those and a hood scoop, spoilers front and rear, sport seats – aesthetics to a gearhead. Optional engines are 5.7, 6.2 and 6.4-liter Hemi V-8s, available only with rear-wheel-drive Chargers.

The Charger GT, with its smooth and quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission, averaged 22.9 miles per gallon in a drive into northern Colorado. Heading south from Glen Haven toward Estes Park, there are two steep, extremely tight switchbacks adding diversion to the drive. Without slowing to an absolute crawl, the concern was keeping the big sedan on its side of the road. With the T-grip shifter handle moved to sport mode, I paddleshifted the transmission into 1st gear, pressured the throttle and maintained tight grip to quickly turn steering wheel to the cruiser’s starboard side. It responded very well, very safely, not as quickly or as loudly as a Hemi, but impressively for a V-6 in a car with 120-inch wheelbase.

The Charger GT AWD carries a relatively modest base price of $34,995; the addition, though, of nearly 50 optional items, ranging from a $30 cargo net to a $1,000 premium Alpine Audio Group, pushed sticker price to $46,385. Among other additions are nappa/alcantra seats heated and cooled in front and heated at the rear, heated steering wheel, memory for radio/driver seat/exterior mirrors, navigation, power sunroof,  adaptive cruise/forward-collision warning/lane-departure warning/automatic high-beam headlamp control.

Those Chargers I drove five years ago were the V-6 AWD in a snowstorm and the 707-hp Charger Hellcat (what a memorable drive that was).

The ’68 Charger was a muscle-car star. (Dodge)

The original Charger showed up in 1965 and by ’68 was competing with Pontiac GTO, Chevy Chevelle and Camaro, Ford Mustang, the Plymouth Cuda and a couple others for muscle-car supremacy. My son Brent in the summer of 1983 guided his ’68 Charger to “king of the hill” trophy for the season at the Julesburg drag strip.

Notes from email: Bud, I enjoyed reading the Dodge Charger review and the reminiscences about the earlier versions. Back in 1967, my Dad bought my older brother a fire-engine-red Charger – I think through his business, the Beacon lounge, on Main Street in Grand Junction. Well, Nick got a few speeding tickets – gotta wonder how anybody would expect to get away with speeding unnoticed in a bright red muscle car in Junction, which had a population of about 20,000 in the 1960s. So, Dad took away the Charger and gave it to our Mom, who taught Latin at Grand Junction Central High. You guessed it: She got caught speeding, too! Is a lead foot hereditary? – Pete C.

GMC boosts trailering with DuraMax/10-speed

The GMC Sierra heavy-duty trucks are all-new for 2020. (Bud Wells photos)

Among the many features set aside by the postponement of the 2020 Denver Auto Show was what would have been an imposing sight in the GMC display – a big, tall four-door truck, the ‘20 GMC heavy-duty Sierra Crew Cab. The 2500HD and 3500HD are all-new this year.

The show dates set for early April were postponed in order that all considerations and regulations be met for dealing with the coronavirus invasion.

Regarding the big, tall trucks, performance on one I drove – the Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab AT4 4WD – was impressive from the 6.6-liter V-8 DuraMax turbodiesel and an Allison 10-speed automatic transmission. That combination delivers 445 horsepower and an astounding 910 lb.-ft. of torque.

Trailering capabilities have jumped with the greater torque, beefed-up chassis, a variable-speed cooling fan and attention to suspension. Trailer weight ratings for the 3500HD with standard bed are maximum 20,000 pounds with conventional hitch and 21,300 with fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch.

The DuraMax/Alison combo in a regular-cab, two-wheel-drive 3500HD with gooseneck hitch is rated at 35,500 pounds.

With GMC’s 6.6-liter naturally aspirated V-8 gas engine on a crew cab, the tow rating drops to 14,500 with conventional hitch and 16,410 with fifth-wheel or gooseneck.

Opting for the turbodiesel and other amenities on the four-door review model raised sticker price to $78,775. The DuraMax turbodiesel added $9,890, the AT4 premium package $4,215, a technology package $2,125, electric sliding sunroof $995, driver-alert package $645, gooseneck/5th wheel preparation $545.

GMC’s innovative MultiPro tailgate has been added to the heavy-duty line.

The Sierra 3500HD was equipped with the fascinating MultiPro tailgate, part of the optional AT4 premium package. A year ago, the tailgate was featured on the Sierra 1500 pickups. The gate offers use as an easy step-up, a workbench, half-open capability, more handy access to the bed or as a seat at a tailgate party.

I received a brief walkaround of the GMC heavy-duty from Milt Brown, new car sales manager at Weld County Garage in Greeley. The tall hoodline on the big, black truck stands 58 inches off ground level; it’s the AT4 trim level – all-terrain four-wheel drive – which rates just above the SLT and below the Denali.

Highlighting the comfortable, roomy interior are leather seating, navigation, wi-fi connectivity, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and wireless charging.

Included in the AT4 build are offroad suspension, Rancho shocks, skid plates and red tow hooks.

Also offered in the GMC heavy-duty line are up to 15 camera views, including the industry-first transparent trailer view and the first-ever heavy-duty in its class with head-up display and rear-camera mirror.

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No door count needed for BMW Gran Coupe

The BMW 228i has similar style  to the 3 series. (Bud Wells photo)

Most of us, at one time or another, have thought how rewarding it would be to own a BMW 3 series auto.

BMW’s newest model offers the opportunity into a similar ride for lesser price and very little sacrifice.

It’s the 228i xDrive Gran Coupe. A coupe won’t do? Gotta have four doors? Well, this coupe is of four-door structure. I know, coupes were always of two-door build, I’ve always believed that, but that was back in the day. Those German factories today turn out such fine premium cars, their designers can describe them however they wish.

That 228i has the look of a 3 series, though at 178.5 inches in overall length, it is 7 inches shorter than a 3 series model, so a bit more limited in legroom and trunk space.

The neat part of the comparison is that base price for the 228 Gran Coupe is about $5,000 cheaper than the starting price for the comparable 3-series with the same 4-cylinder turbo as the “coupe.”

The 228i xDrive’s sticker climbed from $38,495 to $47,845 with the addition of M Sport steering and spoiler, heated front seats and steering wheel, panoramic moonroof, head-up display, ambient lighting and SiriusXM radio.

Performance comes from a 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine developing 228 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive.

Best results come after switching the drive mode from comfort to sport and occasionally using the paddle shifters. As the suspension stiffened in sport mode, the heavier steering put me in much more direct feel of the road.

Brisk shifts occur with the paddles, as the turbocharged 4-cylinder is matched up well with the 8-speed automatic.

We drove on a Sunday to Fort Collins, then followed U.S. 287 to Livermore. Our plan was to reconnect with I-25 via the Owl Canyon Road to the east, but a mile into it convinced us to save that drive for an SUV. The Gran Coupe can be a rough rider.

Back on the highway, the BMW’s lane-guidance system is effective, though it has a bit of ricochet feel to it, not as smooth as Mercedes I’ve driven. Other safety features included automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

Along with handling, fuel-mileage is an attribute for most BMWs; this one averaged 31.1 miles per gallon for 200 miles. Its EPA estimate is 23/33.

The 2 series models are built at Leipzig, Germany, home to one of BMW’s most modern assembly plants. The 228i rides on the same platform as the X1 and X2 SUVs.

BMW’s 2 series entry-level luxury model will compete against Mercedes-Benz’ A-class sedan and Audi’s A3.

Back then . . . . . ‘80 Ford LTD wagon

Ford’s first station wagon was a wood-bodied model in 1929. (Ford)

(Forty years ago, in the spring of 1980, a regular weekly automotive column of mine featuring the large Ford LTD station wagon appeared in The Denver Post. The wagon was provided for testing by Goodro Ford, 2121 S. Colorado Blvd. Excerpts follow:)

Wide seating area and large cargo compartment are impressive in the ’80 Ford LTD station wagon, which is 215 inches long, 79 inches wide and weighs 3,900 pounds. (The rear overhang was unsightly.) The big unit contains 89 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seats down, and opening the tailgate allows room for 4-by-8 sheets of paneling or plywood. The six-passenger vehicle can be made into one for eight with the addition of optional dual-facing rear seats.

The 1980 Ford LTD wagon was almost 18 feet in overall length. (Bud Wells photo/1980)

The test model, equipped with a 351-cubic-inch V-8 engine and speed control, was suited for highway travel. Highway mileage averaged 18.4. Standard engine in the wagon is a 302-cubic-inch V-8. Road noise is present, though it has been reduced in recent years.

The bigger engine, automatic transmission, power disc brakes, power steering, speed control, tilt wheel and several other items raised the wagon’s price from a base of $6,148 to $8,982.

Ford’s first station wagon, a Model A, rolled off the assembly line in January 1929.Very square corners marked the lines; natural hard maple and birch paneling were used for the body, and the roof  was supported by hard maple and  covered with a heavy blacktop material. Nearly 5,000 Model A wagons were built and sold at a price of $650.

Roll-up front-door windows appeared for the first time in 1935, and in 1938 canvas curtains were replaced by sliding glass panels.

Other manufacturers began to build wagons in the ‘30s; they were noisy and rough-riding. Ford led sales of wagons in the ‘30s, though they were minimal in comparison to the four-door sedans and two-door coupes.

The wagon really began to catch on as a family vehicle after World War II. Ford introduced the Ranch Wagon – the first two-door all-metal station wagon – in 1952.

Why the name station wagon? The vehicle got its name from the task for which it was designed – transporting passengers and baggage to and from railroad stations.

Rolls-Royce’s 1st-ever SUV reaches Colo.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan finds Colorado snow to its liking. (Bud Wells photo)

That land yacht driven up my way was a brightener on a cloudy day.

The timing, perhaps, could have been better, with the pandemic still alive, as well as the “stay-at-home” directive.

But it is the 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV, the most ultraluxurious model ever delivered to me.

The last time I drove a Rolls was more than 40 years ago, in 1978, and I’ll not pass the opportunity to assume control of this new one, even for just a few days.

The full-sized Cullinan last year became the first sport utility vehicle ever produced under the Rolls-Royce marque, as well as the first all-wheel-drive vehicle. It is named for the Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond discovered.

The $394,275 sticker price on the 2020 Cullinan review model is more than $100,000 higher-priced than the previous top-ticket item I’d driven 10 years ago, the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports at $286,845.

The first Rolls I drove way back in ’78, if I remember correctly, was in the $75,000 to $80,000 range. I was with Bill Stewart, the Rolls-trained mechanic who took over the Rolls-Royce franchise of Kumpf Motor Co. and opened Royal Carriage at My Garage at 4th and Broadway in Denver. He retired a few years ago from an expanded lineup of exotics out on County Line Road.

So, with the many years behind me, this Rolls-Royce is special.

Henry Royce, an electrical and mechanical entrepreneur, built his first motor car in 1904; in May of that year he met Charles Rolls, who sold cars in London, and they formed the Rolls-Royce automobile company.

Rolls-Royce today is fully owned by BMW of Germany. Bentley, Rolls-Royce’s onetime partner and a rival today, is owned by Volkswagen.

Each Rolls-Royce automobile is built by hand at Goodwood, England.

Rolls-Royce’s famed “flying lady” emblem still, after more than 100 years, rests out front at the edge of the hood. When David Polley, driver of the Cullinan to my home, got out of the SUV I noticed he pushed a button on the key fob and the flying lady disappeared beneath the surface of the Rolls. This new feature is responsible for decreasing the rate of thefts of the prized emblem.

Under the huge, long Cullinan hood is a 571-horsepower, 6.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-12 engine (627 lb.-ft. of torque) with 8-speed automatic transmission.

The big Rolls rides on a wheelbase of 130 inches, is 210 inches in overall length, 85 inches wide and 72.3 in height. Curb weight is 5,865 pounds, just under three tons.

This may be the quietest luxury car I’ve driven was my thought after a short while in the Cullinan on Tuesday. And then it snowed on Thursday.

In spite of the Cullinan’s brawny size, it’s an exceptional handler.  It has a much lighter feel out on the roads than you’d expect from an ultraluxury showpiece in the three-ton category.

Much of its agility on the curves and climbs can be attributed to its aluminum-inspired space frame, double-wishbone front and five-link rear and self-leveling independent air suspension. I believe, also, it’s assisted by the four-wheel-steering capability. Those rear wheels will turn direction 3 degrees. The air suspension is designed with technology to read the road ahead and adjust itself accordingly.

Out front is the traditional Rolls-style upright grille, and at the front edge of the bonnet (hood) is the Spirit of Ecstasy. Beneath the car’s bonnet (hood) is the Rolls’ impressive 12 cylinders. It’s an upgrade from the 6.6-liter V-12 used in the BMW M760i xDrive and Rolls-Royce Ghost sedan. While horsepower is the same 571 in both the 6.75 and 6.6, the Cullinan develops 627 lb.-ft. of torque. The Cullinan’s acceleration is quick and smooth and effortless. It will sprint 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds.

The all-wheel drive, which can be enhanced with an offroad button, was grip-sure in last Thursday’s 6-inch snowfall and cold temperatures.

Jan and I in the Rolls one morning cruised west on U.S. 34 to I-25, then south to 144th Avenue, where we pulled the big beast off and into a drive-thru line at Starbucks. The young woman cashier, “wowed” by the RR, told us the driver in the car ahead had paid for our drinks. I, in turn, paid for the order from the car behind us – it was son Kurt, in wife Tammy’s Lincoln.

The Cullinan’s beautiful charles blue interior.

The air suspension drops entry level 1 ½ inches, as a welcome to the plush, quiet interior finished in beautiful charles blue with the finest leather on the seats and lambswool at the floor. Hidden inside each of the forward-opening rear doors is an $1,800 umbrella.

The $394,275 hand-built Cullinan competes with the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Range Rover. I was on hand in the fall of 2015 at Bentley of Denver out on East County Line Road for the unveiling of the Bentayga. That ushered in the market for ultraluxury SUVs.

There is scarce need to mention fuel mileage for an auto that weighs 5,900 pounds with all-wheel drive and is driven by a huge, twin-turboed, V-12 engine. I’ll tell anyway; overall average for the Cullinan was 14.9 miles per gallon.

Affordable Nissan Sentra on idle time

The sleek, new 2020 Nissan Sentra compact sedan. (Bud Wells photos)

Bearing a “can’t miss” tag, the 2020 Nissan Sentra showed up in January with excellent styling and revised engine on a new platform and a price that seems “very reasonable,” comparatively speaking ($25k). It is one of the better-looking compact sedans in the U.S. auto market.

Its brightening of showrooms at introduction in late January and early February faded almost overnight upon impact of the coronavirus infection a month later. Few have had opportunity to view the new product, which with closure of showrooms to the pandemic scare, even fewer have had opportunity to buy. New-car showrooms in Colorado are closed (still, in April), though many dealers are open to online business.

The Sentra was to be 2020’s guide in Nissan’s efforts to avoid a third consecutive year of sliding sales. But the fact the ’20 version missed most of the month of January, then suffered from the virus shutdowns the last two-thirds of March, sales for Sentra amounted to only 23,879 units in the U.S. during the first quarter; a year ago, the Sentra at the same time had totaled 56,793 sales.

I took a liking to the Sentra SR model delivered to me, oh, it lacked some in performance, but it looked great, was well-equipped and maintained outstanding fuel mileage.

It was finished in white with a black roof, and Nissan designers continue to tweak the C-pillar window treatment. The newest look gives the small C-window a fine point, and it goes well with the sleekly sloped rear roofline and deck.

The new Sentra sits 2.2 inches lower with a 2.4-inch-wider track, is slightly longer and is 150 pounds heavier in 3,047 curb weight. Handling is impressive from independent front strut and multilink rear suspension.

A look back at the Sentra of 2008.

For the new platform, the Sentra’s overall length was stretched a half-inch to 182.7 inches. Interestingly, that now measures up the same overall length of the Honda Civic, Kia Forte and Subaru Impreza. Those four at 182.7 are lengthier than the Toyota Corolla at 182.3, the Hyundai Elantra at 181.9, the Mazda3 at 175.6 and the Volkswagen Golf at 167.6.

Sentra’s new engine is a 149-horsepower, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, linked to a continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive, riding on 18-inch Hankooks. It replaces last year’s 124-hp, 1.8-liter engine; a small optional turbocharged engine from 2019 is also no longer available.

Overall fuel mileage in my drives was 32.4 miles per gallon; the Sentra’s EPA estimate is 28/37.

An interior highlight is an 8-inch color touchscreen with Bose audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Rear seating is somewhat snug; trunk space is 15 cubic feet.

The Sentra SR trim level carries base price of $22,355 and climbs to $25,825 sticker price with these optional items:

Power moonroof, heated front leatherette seats, heated steering wheel, thin-type LED headlights, around-view monitor and interior ambient lighting.

Kia strengthens line with turboed Seltos


The Kia Seltos at the Dam Store in Big Thompson Canyon. (Bud Wells photo)

Since Super Bowl Sunday in very early February, interest has grown toward the 2021 Kia Seltos, the flashy little subcompact crossover which drew so much acclaim when it was featured in a commercial with the Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.

Styled similarly, in smaller measure and with a bit more boxiness, to the hot-selling Telluride midsize crossover, the Seltos sizewise is positioned between the Soul and Sportage in the Kia lineup.

What the heck is a “Seltos?” Kia says the name is inspired from Greek mythology and the legend of Celtos, the son of Hercules. Replacing the C with S in Seltos is to signify speed, sportiness and strength, the company says.

Another Seltos SX Turbo AWD finished in starbright yellow. (Bud Wells photos)

“Wow, I like the style of that one,” said Alex, the young man serving in the Starbucks window and referring to the new Seltos. “What is it,” he asked.

I explained that it is the new Kia subcompact crossover, Seltos, then asked Alex, “How about the color, do you like it?” It’s called starbright yellow, kind of a yellow/green mix.

“No, no,” he responded, “I’d want black or a lighter color, but I wouldn’t want this color.” I agreed with him.

Twice I was surprised by messages delivered into the Kia’s driver information center. The first was while sitting in a drive-thru line and after the car in front pulled ahead, the message read: “The leading car is driving away.” The second was while I sat in the idling Kia on a cold morning as Jan went into the pharmacy for a prescription, the message was: “Vehicle will be turned off automatically in 30 minutes.” Plenty of time.

The Kia Seltos is 172 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 103.5 inches, with curb weight of 3,317 pounds. It is 3 inches longer than the key-rival Honda CR-V, 200 pounds heavier and owns a half-inch edge in ground clearance.

Plenty of performance pop came from a 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder that makes 175 horsepower and pairs with a 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. Standard engine on less-expensive models is a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder of 146-hp mated to a continuously variable transmission. The CVTs are good for our times; this quick-shifting 7-speed automatic is better, though, much better.

On a relatively quiet morning in the Big Thompson Canyon west of Loveland, I pushed the drive mode button for Sport, slapped the shifter handle into manual-mode gate and the Seltos gripped the road surfaces and treated very nimbly these curves as though it’d been over them dozens of times. With fewer than 60 miles on the odometer, I knew it was a first-time trial for this Kia.

A roomy interior, including lots of rear-seat legroom, is a plus for the subcompact Seltos. Its cargo space behind the rear seats is 26.6 cubic feet; that’s 3 feet more than available in the Honda HR-V.

Besides the Honda, the Seltos will compete with the Subaru Crosstrek, Buick Encore, Jeep Renegade, Chevy Trax, Ford EcoSport, Mini Cooper Countryman, Nissan Kicks, Toyota C-HR and others.

The drive into the mountains and back averaged 28.3 miles per gallon. EPA rating for the Kia is 25-30 for the turbo engine and 7-speed automatic; for the cheaper AWD models with the non-turbo and CVT transmission the rating is 27/31.

In a walkaround and inspection of the model with Dustin Pew, general sales manger at Peak Kia North at Windsor, he pointed out the high-end equipment level on the SX, including LED headlights, 10.25-inch navigation touchscreen, adaptive cruise control and driving assist which can adjust speed according to the posted limits.

All these features and the Seltos’ sticker price remained below $30,000 – well, barely below at $29,935, which included a $700 sunroof.