As the 2021 Buick Envision showed up in my driveway, after I’d cleared the snow, I was impressed with its appearance – lower and wider than last year, finished in cinnabar metallic, with dark 20-inch wheels and dark-gloss grille and chrome inserts.

I’d not seen any of the redesigned Envisions on the roads and I was looking forward to one after this e-mail:

“We’d love to give you access for a week in one of our upscale 2021 Buick Envision models,” sent to me from Shauna Sichi of General Motors Communications West Coast in Los Angeles.

It is the 2021 Buick Envision Essence, a luxury compact SUV crossover, with new design, interior and powertrain. But, heck, the one delivered was of front-wheel-drive configuration (all-wheel drive is an $1,800 option). Why send a FWD crossover into Colorado in the middle of the winter?

No matter, though, I said I would drive it and I was happy to do so – 350 miles during the week.

The Envision is built in China, at a General Motors’ plant in Yantail, southeast of Beijing. Buick in the early days of the 20^th century established its legacy in China as a prestigious automobile, and as recent as 2013 sold more than 800,000 vehicles over there.

Highlighting the new Envision is a more fuel-efficient 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder of direct-injection and stop/start technology. Mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission, it develops 228 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque; somewhat slow off the line, it performs with good thrust midrange, and earns an EPA estimate of 24/31 in FWD form. I averaged 26.8 miles per gallon overall; two years ago with a ’19 Envision, my overall average was 20.5. Fuel tank capacity is 16.1 gallons; premium unleaded is recommended.

Builders of the Buick see the major competitors of the Envision here at home as domestic rival Lincoln Corsair and Japanese-based compacts Acura RDX and Infiniti QX50. Three quality compacts from Germany, the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC, are higher-priced.

The new Envision is an inch longer in wheelbase, 2 inches wider and overall height is 3 inches lower than last year. Inside, its center stack is tilted toward the driver, features a 10.2 infotainment center and below that the electronic shifter with push and pull buttons.

The Envision’s rear cargo space of 25 cubic feet tightens somewhat when compared with the three designated rivals – Infiniti with 31.4 feet, Acura with 29.5 and Lincoln 27.6.

The Essence is the middle of three trim levels for Envision; its sticker price reached $41,315 with addition of a technical package of head-up display, Bose audio, navigation and sport touring package of the dark wheels and grille and black roof rails.

Among standard safety features are automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision alert and auto high beams.

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.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, a pinnacle of toughness in the U.S. for 60 years, will be discontinued at the end of the 2021 model year.

That the end of the line for the Land Cruiser is that imminent was confirmed in phone conversations with Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America, and Scott Vazin, group vice president and chief communications officer.

For a farewell in its final year, I drove a 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8-equipped 2021 Land Cruiser Heritage Edition. The old-style SUV of rigid body-on-frame structure uses taut suspension – independent front with solid rear axle and coil springs. Its third-row seats, rather than tumble into the floor, are folded up at each side of the rear cargo area.

Development of the Land Cruiser began in early days of the Korean War, when American forces occupying Japan required additional heavy-duty vehicles to supplement their Jeeps. Toyota created a prototype known as Toyota Jeep BJ. The U.S. team went with another design, but Toyota continued to improve its vehicle, renamed it Land Cruiser, and the rest is history.

Toyota introduced its Land Cruiser to the U.S. shores in the late 1950s. It became a strong seller among SUVs for many years, competing with Jeeps and Range Rovers for “toughest” honors. With not a lot of modernization (the present generation dates back to 2008), sales began slipping as prices continued to rise.

Only 3,147 Land Cruisers were sold in 2020.  Farmers, ranchers and outdoor equipment representatives are primary customers of the big vehicle.

Sticker price on the review model I drove climbed just past $90,000. There are luxury utes cheaper.

We drove the Land Cruiser out east into Morgan County and past small towns of Orchard, Goodrich and Weldona, before turning back and stopping at Jackson Lake State Park. We enjoyed a visit with Luke Stucker, senior ranger for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife at Jackson.

With 8-speed automatic transmission, the near-6,000-pounder cruises easily the 65- and 75-miles-per-hour highways and is equipped with full-time four-wheel drive for offroad detours. It rides on BBS alloy wheels and Dunlop Grandtrek 285/60R18 tires. In 4Lo range and crawl mode, the Land Cruiser will slowly move over or around most any ground obstruction.  

The Land Cruiser’s overall fuel mileage of 15.6 fell near the middle of its EPA estimate (13/17).

With its third-row seats folded, the Toyota’s cargo area expands to 41.4 cubic feet. The rear liftgate can be fully opened or may be split, with only the upper portion being lifted.

Among other features for the final Land Cruiser are perforated leather seats, an inclinometer (angles of slope), a roof basket, navigation and JBL audio system with 14 speakers, subwoofer and amplifier, precollision system with pedestrian detection.

Final price on the Land Cruiser is $90,089. It is built in Aichi, Japan.

As far back as I can remember, GMC has offered the most comfortable ride among the auto industry’s full-sized SUVs.

Following a week with the 2021 GMC Yukon AT4 four-wheel drive, I’d say it continues to hold that distinction.  It offers a smooth ride, good acceleration, easy in-and-out and roomy interior.

The Yukon competes against its sister sibling the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia.

New to the Yukon for ’21 is the AT4 trim level, just below Denali in price and equipment. It adds a  two-speed transfer case and limited-slip differential for offroading and a long list of amenities.

Bill and Kathy Allen joined Jan and me in the Yukon for a post-Christmas drive to Sterling to visit Dave and Norma Wagner (my sister).

Norma and Dave were traveling partners with Jan and me for 20 years or more.

We did the Alaska cruise, preceded by a land tour to Denali, and among other Far North highlights, as far as I was concerned, was finding a Starbucks at Skagway.

We later flew to Mexico, enjoyed the Mayan Ruins in addition to all the water-and-sun fun. We visited Orlando, where we drove a Kia Sorento; traveled to Branson in an Acura, came home from Seattle in an Oldsmobile Silhouette, toured the Santa Fe and Taos areas in a Lincoln LS.

We enjoyed Phoenix and Houston and numerous other shorter destinations.

Driving to Sterling and visiting with them stirs memories of those bygone days. Jana Lock stopped by while we were there.

The Yukon, like the Expedition, Armada and Sequoia, isn’t known for relatively high fuel mileage, though aided by the 200-mile roundtrip, averaged 18 miles per gallon overall for a week. The run down there and back posted a 19.6 reading.

While GMC offers a 6.2-liter V-8 for the Yukon, the AT4 trim uses the 5.3 V-8 with 355 horsepower, 383 lb.-ft. of torque, and tied to a quick-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. An air suspension lowers the vehicle when parked for easier departure, then raises to ride height when placed in gear.

The AT4 Premium Plus package, at an additional cost of $9,145, includes dual-pane sunroof, power-retractable assist steps, air-ride adaptive suspension, trailering system with brake controller and hitch view, surround vision, head-up display, 10.2-inch color touchscreen with navigation/Bluetooth/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear-seat media system.

The well-equipped Yukon offers standard items, such as magnetic ride control, automatic stop/start engine, 20-inch aluminum wheels with all-terrain tires, perforated leather seating with heated and ventilated front buckets and heated steering wheel.

Safety standards include lane-keep assist with departure warning, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear park assist and automatic high beams.

Pricing of 4WD Yukons begins around $55,000; sticker price on the AT4 review model reached $75,455. It is built in Arlington, Texas. An extended-length Yukon XL is available also.

“Merry Christmas” was my 2020 holiday greeting from the open window of the 2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature all-wheel-drive edition.

The message was muffled somewhat by the mask on my face, adhering to suggested practice in the face of the severe pandemic of the past nine or 10 months.

Finished in snowflake white pearl, the Mazda fit perfectly into the winter holiday scene.

The CX-5 holds its own in one of the most competitive fields in the automotive industry, the crowded compact sport utility division. In fact, it is considered one of the best.

One of the rating agencies I follow placed it second-best among top five compacts with Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue.

The well-equipped Signature trim level model provided for my testing performed and handled exceptionally well with the optional 227-horsepower, turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. Moving it into sport mode sharpens responses and eliminates any hint of understeer. It rides on Toyo P225/55R19 tires.

The CX-5’s overall length of 179 inches is 3 inches shorter than the Honda CR-5 and an inch less than the Ford Escape. When it comes to measuring cargo space, Mazda’s 30.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat is noticeably smaller than Honda’s 39 or Ford’s 37.

A couple of highway drives helped the CX-5 to an overall fuel mileage average of 24.9 miles per gallon; its EPA estimate is 22-27.  Base engine for the Mazda compact is a 187-hp, 2.0-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder, which is rated at 24/30 mpg.

An interior highlight is a 10.25-inch touchscreen serving navigation, 10-speaker Bose audio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

While pricing of the lower-level Mazda CX-5 Sport with all-wheel drive begins at a bit under $28,000, the loaded Signature AWD review model was sticker-priced at $39,025, including heated and cooled Nappa leather-trimmed front seats and heated steering wheel.

A lengthy list of items also shows power rear liftgate, power moonroof, rain-sensing windshield wipers and paddleshifters. Included among safety features are lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, forward automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert and pedestrian detection.

The CX-5, built in Hiroshima, Japan, became a part of the Mazda lineup when introduced in 2012 as a ’13 model. It quickly soared to the top in Mazda sales. It is the brand’s runaway leader, almost tripling sales in 2019 over Mazda3, the runnerup.