Items of added concern, in addition to the coronavirus, seem to pop up fairly frequent these days.

For instance, the newest test-drive is a Jeep, and preceding its delivery I receive a note that the parent company is now “Stellantis,” rather than Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). “Stellantis,” with two “l’s,” a result of the combining of Peugeot and FCA groups.

It’s still Jeep, I say of the review model at my door. Stellantis represents 14 brand names, so take pause, perhaps, with Citroen or Vauxhall, but don’t mess with Jeep.

Regarding Stellantis, just how deep will the Chrysler name be buried? My family’s ties to Chrysler date back to 1935, when my father was granted the franchise for Chrysler/Plymouth automobiles at Wray, Colo., four years before receiving the same status for Ford cars and trucks (and tractors).

I was sitting in the newsroom of the old Denver Post building in July 1978, when Henry Ford II fired Lee Iacocca as president of Ford Motor Co. That created the opportunity for Iacocca to step in and save a floundering Chrysler Corp. So many changes with Chrysler in the years since; what would Mr. Iacocca say of Stellantis, were he around today?

The Jeep’s fired up and running and within a couple minutes I hear from its Alpine audio system, “General Motors to go all-electric by 2035.” A powerful statement, but full effect is 14 years down the road, and there will be lots of bends and unexpected detours. Buckle up, hang on and enjoy the ride.

It’s the 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 4X4 pickup, equipped with the Ram/Jeep 3.0-liter V-6 turbocharged diesel engine and 8-speed automatic 8HP75 transmission. Another point of discussion is the fact that the turbodiesel/transmission package adds $6,000 to the cost of the Gladiator. Is it worth that? We’ll see.

I’ve been a fan of the Mopar ecodiesel. It was just a year ago I drove it in the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, prior to that in the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500.

The 3.0-liter diesel delivers 442 lb.-ft. of torque, with 260 horsepower. The Gladiator is a performer with the strong low-end torque. The Rubicon trim adds Fox offroad shocks, locking front and rear axles, electronic sway-bar disconnect, rock rails and skid plates; its Falken Wildpeak 33-inch mud-terrain tires are ultra-grippers.

When you get right down to it, the Gladiator won’t crawl and squeeze through the narrow trails to the extent of the Wrangler for the pickup’s longer wheelbase ‑ 1½ feet longer than that of the four-door Wrangler Unlimited.

Like a Wrangler, the Gladiator’s front-seat overhead panels are removed easily with twisting of latches; remainder of roof and doors are removable, too, and the windshield is the fold-down type.

Fuel economy jumps from 17/22 with the gasoline V-6 to 21/27 with the ecodiesel. My overall average with the Gladiator was 21.7, dominated by some offroading and lots of stop-and-go and turns and twists.

With the ecodiesel price boost, the Gladiator’s sticker climbed to $66,025; beginning price is $43,875. It competes against Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontier and GMC Canyon in the compact/midsize pickup category.

The car-building bosses at Kia from South Korea, perhaps heady from the sales successes with their Telluride and Seltos SUV crossovers in the past year, are taking aim at the midsize sedan market with the 2021 K5. Around 30 grand in price, it replaces the Optima, which has been in the Kia lineup for 20 years.

Kia, cognizant of the continued decline in U.S. sales of sedans, believes adding the new one makes sense with the company’s announcement that it is discontinuing sales here of its two large sedans, the Cadenza and K900.

This leaves Kia’s lineup with the new K5, the Rio, Soul, Forte and Stinger, the Sedona minivan, SUV crossovers Telluride, Seltos, Sorento and Sportage, and Niro hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric.

The K5 is much more sporty-looking than the Optima it replaced; it sits lower, is 2 inches longer and shows off a thin and wide front grille that plays into the modern headlights, which are emphasized with daytime running lights.

The sleekly styled roofline and large rear window extend far back to eliminate all but a hint of rear deck. This adds roominess to the four-door model, which offers 16 cubic feet of trunk space.

Even the exterior color of the review model (K5 GT-Line AWD) is appealing; it’s wolf gray, a hue made famous in the U.S. years ago by the Fordson tractor.

Highlighting performance are a 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and new 8-speed automatic transmission. The small 4 develops 180 horsepower, 195 lb.-ft. of torque, and with the 8-speed tranny includes a “snow” mode, which I tested in snowy weather. Reduced wheelspin was noticeable. Other modes include normal, comfort and sport.

I started the K5 in my garage on a cold morning; while idling it for a few seconds I heard the most relaxing sound, somewhat like a babbling brook. It was the Sound of Nature ambient system offering six peaceful themes. What I heard was rainy day, others are calm sea waves, lively forest, snowy village, warm fireplace and open-air café.

The 8-inch touchscreen display mixes audio, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB multimedia and charging ports.

The well-equipped K5 review model carries a sticker price of $31,300 and includes forward-collision avoidance, blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic assist, lane-keep assist and leading vehicle departure alert.

The 2021 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD specifications:

• Midsize sedan
• Sticker price $31,300
• 5-passenger capacity
• Wheelbase 112.2 inches
• Length 193.1 inches
• Width 73.2 inches
• Height 56.9 inches
• Track 63.7 front, 64 rear
• Ground clearance 5.3 inches
• Curb weight 3,322 pounds
• Engine 1.6-liter turbo 4
• Horsepower 180
• Torque 195 lb.-ft.
• Transmission 8-speed auto
• Mode all-wheel drive
• EPA 26/34 mpg
• Test mileage 28.2 mpg
• Fuel tank 15.8 gallons
• Grade regular unleaded
• Wheels 18-inch
• Tires Pirelli P245/35R18
• Assembly West Point, Ga.
• Also available GT 2.5 turbo

“Is it the electric Mustang?,” I was asked dozens of times while driving the new Ford hatchback.

Yes, it’s the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-e4 all-electric crossover, which had only begun to reach Ford dealer showrooms by early in 2021.

The running-horse emblem front and back of the Mach-e seems to be the Mustang tipoff to other motorists and standby observers; the reaction was the strongest for a car or truck I’ve driven in a few months. Mustang is one of the most readily recognizable model names in the auto industry.

Though it links to the model name Mustang, this pony car is all-different, in addition to all-electric.

From the moment of approach at the driver’s door – pushing a button for opening the door, slipping into the seat and being messaged, “58% and 82 miles of range available,” it’s a new ballgame.

The standard Mach-e AWD comes with an 88 kWh battery pack with 288 lithium-ion cells in a waterproof case beneath the floor between the crossover’s front and rear axles.

A 255-horsepower permanent-magnet electric motor powers the rear wheels. A second motor is added to the front axle to create the all-wheel-drive capability; total horsepower is 332. Power is distributed independently to each axle as needed. The single-speed transmission is smooth and the Mach-e4 performed with good control on snow and ice. The lengthy battery pack adds to platform stiffness and the ride is somewhat rigid and rough at times.

Ford has projected a range of 211 miles for the standard Mach-e4; blame the cold, perhaps, but the review model provided to me showed a range of 160 miles after being fully charged. The electric Mustang performed well in a drive from Greeley to Aurora and back. The early-morning start in 15-degree weather cost us a few miles of range, but by the end of the drive there and back, the 110-mile drive reduced the remaining range by only 101 miles.

While in Aurora, after lunch with grandchildren Hannah and Mike McKenner, we pulled briefly into a charging station, where Dolores Trimble of Vail was restoring energy in her Kia Niro EV. She’s had months of experience at recharging her all-electric Kia and having driven internal-combustion Mustangs in past years, was quite interested in the new look.

Three drive modes offered are Whisper for calm performance with gradual acceleration, Engage for a balance of response and comfort, Unbridled for a sporty feel with increased throttle. Most noticeable difference is in One Pedal Driving feature, in which regenerative braking slows the vehicle down as you lift your foot from the accelerator pedal, very useful in stop-and-go traffic. The slowdown eliminates much of the need for brake-pedal use.

Ford said sticker price on the Mustang Mach-e AWD is $51,200. Purchasers are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $7,500.

I found the panoramic glass roof very comfortable; Ford said a special coating is designed to help keep interior cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Midsummer will tell.

My first drive of the Mustang electric was to the Evangelical Free Church in Eaton for the funeral of Keith L. Brumley, 58, a friend of the family. No sooner had I parked in the church lot than the young man who pulled his pickup in the space beside us jumped out and wanted to know all about “the electric Mustang.”

The Mustang, a foot longer than the Niro at the charge station in Aurora, is on a wheelbase of 117 inches, with 184 inches of overall length and curb weight of around 4,800 pounds. Recharging is as slow as 3 miles per hour with 110-home outlet, twice that fast with 220 and 45 minutes to an hour with some quick-charge stations.

Among rivals for the Mach-e4 are the Tesla Model Y, Audi e-tron, Volvo’s Polestar 2 and Volkswagen ID.4.

Ford is also offering the Mach-e with rear-wheel drive and an extended-range, 98.8-kWh battery pack and a 282-hp electric motor delivering 300 miles of range. The eAWD extended-range version using two motors generates 332 horsepower, and can travel 270 miles on a charge.

Also being developed are a Mustang Mach-e GT and GT Performance Edition boasting 459 horsepower and 612 lb.-ft. of torque.

An alternative to a traditional intelligent access key fob is Phone as a Key, a smartphone for the key, turning the vehicle on and off remotely, unlocking and locking doors, opening liftgate, driving the vehicle.