Born at Wray, Colo., graduate of Sterling High School, attended Northeastern Junior College, began work at Sterling Journal-Advocate in 1956, began work at The Denver Post in 1968, resides at Greeley, Colo. Bud and wife Janice are parents of three sons and two daughters.
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Warmed up after an ice-driving event near Winter Park a few days earlier, two spirited sport-model autos were sent my way – the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti all-wheel-drive sedan and the 2018 Dodge Challenger GT all-wheel-drive coupe.
The flashy 2018 Dodge Challenger GT, with all-wheel drive. (Bud Wells photo)
Shod with Bridgestone Blizzaks, the Challenger probably owns a second or two of grip advantage over the Giulia, with its Pirelli winter set; regarding handling qualities, though, the Alfa perhaps will exceed the Dodge’s capabilities.
The Challenger competes aggressively with the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, just as the three did way back in 1970, when they were among the best of the pony cars.
The GT designation means the Challenger is equipped with all-wheel drive, V-6 engine, an active transfer case and front-axle disconnect. It’s a 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 with 268 lb.-ft. of torque and an 8-speed automatic transmission. AWD is not available with the more powerful Challengers.
What the GT does for the Dodge is lend it an edge in consideration of winter driving. All three – the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger – are rear-wheel-drive-based two-doors. So, for Challenger to add the AWD option, even in V-6 form, is a boost in winter-laden states such as Colorado. Neither Mustang or Camaro offer it.
The Ford Mustang, orange, too, this one in 2016. (Bud Wells photo)
The Ford Mustang outsold the other two in 2017, with 81,866, and the Camaro edged the Challenger, 67,940 to64,537.
All three perform powerfully with V-8 blocks beneath the hoods.
Last summer, I spent a week with the 2017 Challenger SRT Hellcat, which performs with 707 horsepower from a supercharged, 6.2-liter Hemi. It is a blast to drive, with performance-tuned suspension noticeable at high speeds. The most powerful Camaro I’ve driven was the 2012 ZL1 with 580 horsepower from a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 and 6-speed manual transmission. A year earlier, I had enjoyed the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, for which supercharging its 5.4-litier aluminum V-8 produced 550 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque.
The ’18 Challenger GT is finished in go mango tangerine orange, with body side stripes, rear spoiler, granite crystal painted wheels, nappa leather and alcantra suede seats, Harman Kardon premium sound and 18 speakers. Sticker price is $37,670.
The Chevy Camaro ZL1 visited fire scene at Last Chance in 2012. (Bud Wells photo)
The Alfa Romeo Giulia luxury sport sedan carries a sticker or $49,340. Performance is from a 280-hp, 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. I reviewed a similar model seven months ago in a drive to Walden and Laramie, Wyo.
The Alfa, which competes with Audi, BMW, Volvo and others, is built in Italy and well-suited to driving in Colorado’s imperfect terrain. Alfa Romeo Automobiles is a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Craig Fisher, president of Fisher Auto in Boulder.
In its 50th year of operation in Boulder, Fisher Auto has acquired the Acura luxury line of automobiles to go with its longtime Honda franchise.
To make room for the pairing of Acura and Honda, Fisher has returned its Kia dealership of the past eight years to the Kia manufacturer.
“It seems a good time to add Acura,” said Craig Fisher, president of Fisher Auto, “with re-imaging of the popular MDX sport utility, improvements in the RLX full-size sedan and upcoming redesign of the smaller RDX crossover for 2019.”
The dealerships will be housed at opposite ends of Fisher’s large structure on 9 acres at 6025 Arapahoe Rd. in Boulder. The Acura franchise, formerly Flatirons Acura, was opened in Boulder in the late 1980s by the late Bill Crouch.
Bob Fisher and his wife, Madelyne, established Fisher Auto in Boulder in 1968; he had begun work in the automotive field with Burt Chevrolet in 1947.
Son Craig and daughter Lynn, along with Craig’s sons-in-law, Mark Brady and Scott Shimer, operate the Fisher business today. Craig heads the dealership, Lynn is vice president and secretary, and Brady and Shimer are executive directors.
I’m a push-button shifter from way back; crawling into the 2018 GMC Terrain Denali cabin for the first time, though, I had to take a second look to determine there were shift controls.
The Terrain’s new electronic precision shifter consists of a row of push and pull buttons across the center stack of the instrument panel.
Push-pull logic for 9-speed automatic transmission.
The driver pushes the Park button, pulls another for Reverse, pushes the middle one for Neutral, pulls one for Drive and pushes the far right for Low. By replacing the normal transmission shifter with the push/pull setup, room for pass-through storage and side-by-side cupholders is left in the center console. The row of shift buttons is beneath the HVAC and entertainment systems.
The buttons are electronically connected to a new 9-speed automatic transmission, which is mated to a turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine which produces 252 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, with all-wheel drive.
Standard engine in a lesser-priced Terrain (below the Denali level) is a 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder of 170 horsepower and 203 lb.-ft. of torque.
A third option is a turbocharged 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder diesel-powered 4-cylinder of 136 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, and tied to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The resized Terrain is smaller and lighter than a year ago and meets head-on with such compact SUV standouts as the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue.
GMC engineers reduced wheelbase by 5 inches, overall length by 3 inches and curb weight by 250 pounds. Its specs are 107.3-inch wheelbase, 182.3 overall length, 72.4 width and 65.4 height. The decreased length cut the Terrain’s cargo space behind the rear seats to 29.6 cubic feet, considerably smaller than much of the competition.
The five-passenger Terrain carries an EPA fuel estimate of 21 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway. Overall average under my piloting was 23.8 mpg. The crossover rides on Hankook 235/50R19 tires.
GM designers had fun with this new one, settling on a “floating roof” look with blacked-out rear pillars. The interior is upscale and roomy, particularly with the Denali trim.
Optional low-speed forward automatic braking, lane-keep assist, surround vision and heated rear seats pushed sticker price to $44,370. Base price is $40,245.
The Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid rests near the Highland Hills Golf Course in Greeley. (Bud Wells photo)
With 15 miles of electric charge in the battery pack, Jan and I on a recent cold evening guided the 2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid 55 miles “round the block.” The big block was from Greeley west to Loveland, north to Fort Collins, east to Ault and south back to Greeley.
Judicious use of the limited electric charge, mostly on the slower pace on Colo. 14 from Fort
Collins to Ault, helped the Niro post an average of 49.2 miles per gallon for the drive. I opted for gasoline power along the 75-miles-per-hour stretch of I-25 from Loveland to Fort Collins. On the last leg south from Ault, I engaged the Sport mode, which improved on the slow acceleration in the default Eco mode.
Numbers of models of gas/electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric automobiles are approaching 90, boosted by increased promotion and attention; still their total sales in 2017 accounted for only 3.2 percent of the light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S.
Arrival over the past month of the Niro Plug-in Hybrid follows introduction last year of the Niro’s regular gas/electric hybrid, which was fourth-best-selling hybrid for the entire year of 2017, yet was on the full market for only slightly more than six months.
With a battery pack tucked beneath the cargo area, the new plug-in version has a range of 26 miles on electricity before the gas engine kicks in, according to Kia estimates. Its battery pack can be recharged overnight from a 120-volt electrical outlet.
Its powertrain consists of a 60-horsepower electric motor rated at 45 kilowatts, a 103-hp, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which outperforms most continuously variable transmissions used in some other competitors
Sticker price on the Niro Plug-in Premium was $35,575, about $5,000 higher than the Niro gas/electric hybrid I tested last May.
The all-time sales leader among gas/electric hybrids, the Toyota Prius Liftback, suffered a 17 percent decline in sales during the past year; causes seem to be continued low fuel prices and greater choice of competitive hybrid models.
The Prius Liftback has led sales of gas/electric hybrids since it was introduced in 2000. Its stablemate, the Toyota Prius Prime led sales of plug-in hybrids and the Tesla Model S was top-selling battery electric model.
Enjoying the hottest sales paces at yearend are the Kia Niro and Ford Fusion among hybrids, the new Honda Clarity among plug-ins and the Chevy Bolt among battery electrics.
Sales of hybrids, plug-ins and electrics for the year were 558,653, compared with 504,207 in 2016.
The top 10 sellers in 2017 for the three categories are:
HYBRIDS
Toyota Prius Liftback 65,631; Ford Fusion 57,474; Toyota RAV4 50,559; Kia Niro 27,237; Honda Accord 22,008; Toyota Camry 20,985; Toyota Highlander 16,864; Toyota Prius C 12,415; Hyundai Ioniq 10,765; Ford C-Max 10,250.
PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
Toyota Prius Prime 20,936; Chevrolet Volt 20,349; Ford Fusion Energi 9,632; Ford C-Max Energi 8,140; BMW X5 5,349; BMW 3-series 4,141; BMW 5-series 3,772; Chrysler Pacifica 2,981; Audi A3 2,877; Volvo XC90 2,228.
BATTERY ELECTRICS
Tesla Model S 26,500; Chevrolet Bolt EV 23,297; Tesla Model X 21,700; Nissan Leaf 11,230; BMW i3 6,276; VW e-Golf 3,534; Fiat 500e 3,336; Kia Soul EV 2,157; Ford Focus EV 1,817; Tesla Model 3 1,770.
The new Honda Civic Type R five-door hatchback. (Bud Wells photos)
Of the many persons attracted by the flash of the 2017 Honda Civic Type R Touring, some weren’t sure even of its make, let alone its model identity. That’s understandable, for this is the first year it’s been imported to the U.S. The powerful sport compact was first produced in Japan in 1997 and has since been sold there and in Europe.
The Type R, with a stiffened body, is the most powerful car produced by Honda and competes with the Subaru WRX STI, Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS. Though produced by the Japanese company Honda, it is assembled in Swindon, Wiltshire, England.
This is the turbo power behind the Type R hot hatchback.
Its outstanding performance comes from a 306-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission with rev match control and three drive modes – Sport, Comfort and R-plus. The system defaults to the quick Sport mode, which can be reduced to Comfort or increased to R-plus which tightens steering considerably. The rev match feature allows smooth downshifts at relatively high rates of speed.
Identifying it as something special, particularly to youthful drivers, is a large wing spoiler, which sits 9 inches above the height of the rear deck.
Suspension includes MacPherson strut front and multilink rear, with adaptive dampers and variable-ratio electric power steering. Large Brembo brake calipers are red, showing through the wheel spokes. The car’s turning circle is a wide 39.5 feet. It rides on low-profile Continental 245/30R20 tires.
Red suede sport seats, deeply bolstered, and even brighter red seatbelts are an interior highlight. A 7-inch display illustrates the navigation system and premium audio with 12 speakers and subwoofer.
Jan and I headed west on U.S. 34, testing the Type R on the twists and bends as far as the Dam Store at the entrance to the Big Thompson Canyon, where U.S. 34 is blocked for the winter, to reopen near Memorial Day in May 2018. The store and its parking lot serve as a turnaround during the highway closure.
Cargo space in the Type R five-door hatchback is 25.7 cubic feet with the rear seats in place. Riding on a wheelbase of 106.3 inches, the Honda is 179.4 inches long, stands 56.5 inches in height and has curb weight of 3,117 pounds.
With all the power, interior sportiness and other features such as rearview camera, electric parking brake and a triple-outlet sport exhaust, sticker price for the Type R is $34,775.
The Type R’s 306 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. torque overshadows the popular Civic Si tuner model’s 205 horsepower and 192 torque. The Si, however, carries an impressive EPA estimate of 38 miles per gallon on the highway, compared with 28 for the Type R. The drive to the Dam Store and back averaged 26.3 mpg.
The F-150 Super Crew helped Ford lead pickup sales for 40th-plus year.
Blame it on lack of performance from its 132-horsepower engine and CVT transmission that the Toyota Corolla dropped almost 50,000 sales the past year, yet the good-looking compact remains the third-best-selling sedan in the country.
Dependability and style are pluses for 2018 Toyota Corolla.
Toyota’s midsize model, the Camry, on the basis of a sales surge in December, was the top-selling car in America in 2017, ahead of the Honda Civic and the Corolla. It is the 21st time in the past 22 years the Camry has led car sales in the U.S.
For sheer domination, though, climb up into the big Ford F-series, which has led truck sales for more than 40 years, dating back into the mid-1970s. Ford’s total of almost 900,000 sales (896,764) of pickups dwarfs all others – the Chevy Silverado and Ram in trucks and the Camry in cars.
With more and more consumers switching from cars to light trucks and SUV/crossovers, sales of cars and trucks in 2017 totaled 17.25 million, just short of the total of 17.55 million in 2016.
The Toyota RAV4 edged the Nissan Rogue for top spot among SUVs and crossovers, while the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Pacifica of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles outsold the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey among minivans.
The Subaru Impreza was redesigned in the past year.
Regarding the 2018 Toyota Corolla, though losing some sales to strong-performing compacts Honda Civic, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Ford Focus, it remains a popular choice among consumers seeking style, reliability and high fuel economy. Sized about the same as a Chevy Cruze, the Corolla provided good ride and decent maneuvering, and averaged an impressive 34.3 miles per gallon. The well-equipped XSE version, with adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, carried sticker price of $25,337. It is assembled in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
On the plus side of sales in 2017, biggest gainers among all models were the Ford F-series and the Nissan Rogue, with increases of 76,000 and 73,000, respectively. Other major gains were by the Toyota RAV4, Chevy Equinox, Nissan Titan, Subaru Impreza, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Highlander.
The 2018 version of the hot-selling Nissan Rogue.
Sharpest drop in numbers of cars sold was by Hyundai’s midsize sedan, the Sonata, which fell from almost 200,000 sales in 2016 to 131,803 in the past year. Three other midsize models suffered sharply declined totals, including Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Chevy Malibu, as well as Toyota Corolla, Kia Soul and Toyota Prius in other categories.
Among four crossover models grouped within less than 200 sales apart are the Kia Niro with 27,237, the Lexus GX 27,190, Volkswagen Atlas 27,119 and Lincoln MKC 27,042.
Following are 2017’s top sellers of new cars, SUV/crossovers, trucks and vans in the U.S.:
The VW Golf GTI is one of most popular of small hatchbacks. (Bud Wells photo)
Volkswagen over the past year has launched three new products, widening its stable of all-wheel-drive crossovers and wagons.
The new Atlas is a three-row competitor, the largest crossover ever introduced by VW; the ruggedly trimmed Alltrack wagon is aimed at stealing some sales from the Subaru Outback, and the enlarged Tiguan is finding favor with shoppers of compact crossovers.
Still, when Volkswagen is mentioned, many car enthusiasts young and old fondly turn their minds to the little Golf, and, in particular, to the Golf GTI.
The low-slung, hot-hatch GTI came my way recently, timed perfectly for the dry roads in between snowstorms. Horsepower has been boosted to 220 for its turbocharged, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission. It’s a quick-shifting tranny, and in Sport mode with use of paddleshifters, a driver won’t miss the 6-speed manual.
Find a winding road with some short twists, replace normal braking with manual-mode shifting, and the five-door hatchback will steal the show from highly regarded competitors Civic, Mazda3 or Elantra. Midrange torque response is impressive for the short-wheelbase Golf (103.6 inches), which exhibits minimal body roll.
Whatever drive mode is selected (Normal, Eco or Sport), when the car is restarted after a shutdown, it retains the mode set. The 3,000-pound VW rides on Cinturato 225/40R18 tires.
It averaged a respectable 30.2 miles per gallon of premium fuel; its EPA estimate is 24/32.
Inside, the backup camera provides one of the most clear views of any I’ve tested. The black leather interior is nicely stitched in red, a color theme that is emphasized on the exterior, with a red bar across the front of the hood and red brake calipers.
The SE model I drove was priced at $31,165, with the leather as the only option. Among standard equipment are the DSG transmission, side-seat-mounted and side-curtain airbags, cruise control, automatic emergency braking, premium audio, moonroof and dual-zone automatic climate control.
The Mini Countryman’s All4 (all-wheel drive) got tested in last week’s snow and cold. (Bud Wells photo)
Brrr, it was cold during the last week of the year, yet we headed into 2018 with bright sunshine and daytime temperatures above the freezing mark.
As a native of this great state, I’ve always enjoyed our winters, even the cold and snowy conditions which are conducive to fair testing grounds for vehicles suited to these areas.
I’ll admit, though, the week was not fit for plug-in electrics, particularly one of very minimal electric range. All week, we experienced single-digit temperatures during the nights and most days did not get out of the teens.
The 2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4, a fun car in maneuvering and one that boasts of all-wheel-drive capability, was less-efficient in the extreme cold than it might have been in 50-degree temp readings. Extreme cold weather drains more than normal energy from battery packs and reduces performance of electric motors.
This Countryman is a plug-in electric, with its front wheels powered by a 3-cylinder engine under the hood and its rear wheels by an electric motor housed under the cargo floor at the rear. A lithium-ion battery pack to supply the electric motor, is stored under the rear seat just ahead of the motor.
The plug-in port is on the front fender just ahead of the driver’s door; it is a circular scuttle with a large E on the lid, which opens to the charging connection. The other side of the car is balanced with a large E on the outside of a dummy (non-opening) scuttle.
Even after an overnight charge, the 7.6 kWh battery pack provides just an estimated 12 miles of electric-only range.
Overall fuel mileage for the week was barely over 26 miles per gallon. The Countryman’s EPA estimate is 27/28 mpg, and, with a charge of the battery pack, the average can soar far higher for relatively low miles. Through the past week, in the frigid temps, the only spurt of electric-boosted mileage occurred on an easy, Sunday morning crosstown drive to church and back, following a full recharge on Saturday night.
Low-end acceleration is impressive, coming from twin-power turbo installation with the 134-horsepower, 3-cylinder (162 lb.-ft. of torque) and 87 horsepower and 122 lb.-ft. torque from the electric drive. All this mated to a 6-speed Steptronic transmission. The Mini will kick out from 0 to 60 in around 6 seconds.
Drive modes of Sport, Midperformance and Green may be selected from a rotary dial tied to the shifter, which tightens steering and adds throttle response in Sport, while easing any hint of aggressiveness in Green. The gas/electric range can be altered by a choice of Auto eDrive, Max eDrive and Save Battery.
The Countryman, built on the same platform of the BMW X1, is 169.8 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 105.1, and has only 17 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row seat, which is somewhat tight in legroom. Comfort and support is decent in the front seats, though ride quality can be a bit rough at times. It rides on Goodyear Eagle Sport 225/50R18 tires.
The Mini Cooper car company, purchased by BMW of Germany in 2000, is based in England, as it has been since its inception in the late 1950s. The Countryman, the largest and roomiest Mini ever built, is assembled in Born, Netherlands.
The review model carried a sticker price of $39,700, reflecting the electric setup, as well as the all-wheel-drive system. Among its many features are navigation, real-time traffic information, enhanced Bluetooth connectivity and voice-activation capability, rearview camera, heated front seats, head-up display and sport leather steering wheel.
A look back. . . .2002 Mini Cooper
This small Mini Cooper showed up in Denver in the summer of 2002. (Bud Wells photo/2002)A bit more than 15 years ago, in June 2002, I drove and reviewed my first Mini Cooper. Following are excerpts from the column in The Denver Post:
Look at the new Mini Cooper, and you’re apt to smile. It’s so small, yet so bright and perky-looking.
Walk around to the front of it, and the little car smiles right back at you. It has two oversized oval eyes for headlights and a wide grin for a grille.
It’s less than 12 feet long. That’s a foot and a half shorter than the Volkswagen New Beetle and 2 feet shorter than the Chrysler PT Cruiser. It’s even a foot shorter than the Mazda Miata.
It’s wheels, though, have been set out to the extreme corners of the structure, with little overhang left in front or rear. That aids the car’s handling and, particularly, its cornering, which is impressive.
The English product is being imported into the U.S. by German luxury-car builder BMW, which acquired the Rover Group in 1994.
Operating with a 5-speed manual transmission and a small 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine of 115 horsepower, the Mini got a severe test on a hot afternoon recently when four of us, Scott English, Tim Coy, Marywyn Germaine and I, drove it about the city with the air conditioning running. It moved very slowly away from the stoplights. Performance is regained under those circumstances by cutting power to the air. Its ride is on the rough side.
The Mini averaged 32.1 miles per gallon. Sticker price on the 2002 model was $18,460.
Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label sedan. (Bud Wells photos)
It’s after catching my breath from a busy 2017 that I offer greetings for the new year.
Nearly 100 new cars, trucks and SUVs were sent my way during the past 12 months. The delivery on Nov. 10 of the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport marked the 2,100th new car or truck I’ve driven and reviewed over the past 40 years.
Two of my favorites for ’17 were the Lincoln Continental and the Audi Q7, and I offer them as my selections for “best of the year.”
Car of the Year – Of the Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label four-door, I said in August, “I’ve just finished driving the best-looking and most-comfortable new luxury sedan sold in the U.S.” Inside and out, the flagship replacement for the MKS is a standout. Its alpine venetian leather interior is as plush as anything in the luxury field, its seats are inspired by private jets and its twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V-6 engine (with electronic push-button shifter controls) produces 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. Its paddle shifters were effective in a drive toward Allenspark and, particularly, through the twisting narrow lanes of the Raymond community. Sticker price was $74,815.
The Audi Q7 was filled with autonomous safety innovation.
Truck/SUV of the Year – It took Audi 10 years to restyle its seven-passenger Q7 flagship SUV; it took me the better part of an hour and about 50 miles to forget all about that and become actively engaged instead in its high-tech electronic advances, somewhat of a next-generation marvel. Heading into a near-60-degree turn on Colo. 392, I turned loose of the steering wheel and removed my foot from the accelerator. The Audi read the traffic sign and quickly slowed speed to the posted 45 miles per hour, then its active lane assist took control and turned the Q7 inward upon approaching the road-edge stripe and completed the turn before straightening the car’s path down the highway. The refashioned Q7, with a 333-horsepower, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, was sticker priced at $68,925.
Here, briefly, are other highs and a few lows of the year:
Italian-built Alfa Romeo Giulia is suited to Colorado.
Best drive – Guiding Alfa Romeo’s new Giulia luxury sport sedan up Poudre Canyon, over Cameron Pass, down to Walden for lunch, northward past Cowdrey to Laramie, Wyo., and back through Fort Collins in July. The Guilia is built in Italy, and, with all-wheel drive, is ready for driving the U.S.’s tougher terrains, such as Colorado.
Best new color – The canyon beige metallic (gold) on the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic subcompact SUV crossover, just a shade better than the chroma elite copper finish of the 2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label sedan.
Best sound – The Bower & Wilkins $3,200 option in the 2018 Volvo XC60, with 15 high-fidelity loudspeakers and 1,100 watts of amplification. The occupants are entertained as though they’re in the center of the Gothenburg Concert Hall.
Priciest – The 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL450, with biturbo power, at $108,385.
Cheapest – The Kia Rio EX sedan, redesigned for 2018, at $19,425.
MPG – Kia’s new Niro Hybrid, with 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine and 43-horsepower electric motor and smooth-shifting 6-speed dual-clutch transmission, averaged 50.1 miles per gallon. The 2018 Camry Hybrid averaged 45, as we observed Toyota’s 60th anniversary of car sales in the U.S.
The Subaru Impreza underwent major restyling for 2017.
Low-end – The Ram Power Wagon 4X4, with 410-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, averaged 12.4 mpg in offroad testing, and the Toyota Tundra AWD, with 5.7-liter V-8, averaged 15 on drive to Torrington, Wyo., and back to view the Eclipse.
Comeback – Once referred to as “the ugly duckling,” the restyled Impreza is impressive for 2017, and its improved sales reflect the efforts of Subaru designers in the makeover.
Powerful – 707 horsepower from a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 linked to an 8-speed automatic transmission (0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds).
Most powerful was the Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
10-speeds – The first, mated to an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6, was in a Ford F-150 driven to the Denver Press Club’s annual Hall of Fame dinner, followed shortly by the test of a 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan equipped with the first 10-speed tranny in a front-wheel-drive vehicle.
Cute – The Toyota C-HR. I have never like “cute” in a car’s description, but this one, yeh, it’s kind of cute. Its quirky style and bright iceberg/radiant green finish drew much attention.
Best e-mail – “Are they crushed?,” asked one reader, wondering what happens to all those 500 new cars following the close of the Denver Auto Show. No, they’re returned to the new-car dealer lots and to the manufacturers from where they came.
Quirky means cute in the new Toyota C-HR.
Cinnamon rolls – Those made by Steve and Becky Childs when we showed up in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Recon at their Glen Haven General Store shortly before the road was closed in early October.
Jan’s favorite – The 2018 Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription, which carried us to DIA in late September for a flight to Phoenix.
The sleek, 2018 Buick Enclave Premium is finished in white frost exterior. (Bud Wells photos)
With sunnier days and warmer temperatures into the new year, the appearance of the redesigned 2018 Enclave has brightened, too, showrooms of Buick dealerships. The new Enclave is one of the most refined of a strong field of midsize SUVs and crossovers.
With the 2018 model in the showrooms for the final two months of the just-concluded year, the Enclave increased sales from 7,308 units to 11,910, an increase of 63 percent. It is the second-best-selling Buick model, trailing only the Encore, a compact-sized SUV.
The Enclave underwent an attractive exterior remake, is 2 inches longer overall, has a bit more power and added safety. From the waterfall grille and extended wings on the Buick logo up front, to the light on the ground giving “the kicking spot” for the power liftgate at the rear, the Enclave is sleeker and filled with new appeal.
A new 9-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is mated to the 3.6-liter V-6 engine, for which horsepower has been boosted from 288 to 310, with torque of 266 lb.-ft. The Intelligent All Wheel Drive system monitors and adjusts for improved traction. A somewhat awkward setup for shift sequence on a new electronic shifter requires plenty of practice for shift smoothness.
The Enclave’s wheelbase has also been lengthened by 2 inches to 120.9 inches. Among big three-row SUVs, the Enclave’s overall length of 204.3 inches is a bit shorter than the Nissan Armada (208.6) and Toyota Sequoia (205.1), though longer than the Dodge Durango at 202 inches, the Mazda CX-9 at 199.4, the Volkswagen Atlas 198.3, Volvo XC90 194.9 and the Honda Pilot 194.4.
The Enclave carried Jan and me to Denver on a December night to the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association Building, where member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) gathered in the Bud Wells Board Room for their annual Christmas party.
David Muramoto heads the RMAP as president, with David Beardsley serving as vice president, Angelia McGowan as secretary, Mike Cotsworth as treasurer and Craig Conover and Andrew Ganz as board members at large.
Tim Jackson, head of CADA, welcomed more than 40 RMAP members and guests and discussed sales of new cars and trucks thus far this year in Colorado; “They’re up 7 percent here, while sales nationally are down slightly. Light trucks, crossovers, SUVs and minivans continue to fuel the market for new-vehicle registrations in Colorado.”
My test was aboard the Enclave Premium, one of four trim levels. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration is prominent in the roomier interior.
The roomy three-row seating layout for the new Buick Enclave. (Buick)
The Enclave doesn’t offer a second-row bench seat; they’re captain’s chairs with walking space between them for assisting access to the third-row seating. Fewer and fewer buyers have requested second-row benches in recent years, Buick said. The second-row seats slide forward and backward and will recline.
The passenger-side seat will also fold forward to create another opening to the third row. The third-row seats are roomy enough and cushioned enough to accommodate adults.
Cargo space behind the third row is 23.6 cubic feet; fold down the third row and the storage grows to 58 feet. A hands-free power liftgate, opened by a swing of the foot, is standard. A remote-opening sensor shines a Buick shield logo light on the ground as a spotlight for where the “kicker” should aim.
The Buick averaged 21.1 miles per gallon in an even split of highway and city road time. The Enclave rides on Continental 255/55R20 tires.
The base Buick, with front-wheel drive, begins around $42,000; it won’t be a factor in all-wheel-drive-obsessed Colorado dealerships. The three which will, each with all-wheel drive, are the Essence, the Premium and the new upscale Avenir.
The Enclave Premium AWD from a base price of $50,315 climbed to sticker total of $57,055 with an otional dual moonroof, 20-inch aluminum wheels, surround vision, navigation and trailering equipment.
The Enclave is built in Lansing, Mich.; its engine and transmission are put together in Mexico.
’78 Buick LeSabre
priced at $7,092.55
1978 Buick LeSabe. (Bud Wells/1978)
(Forty years ago this winter, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1978 Buick LeSabre four-door sedan, provided by Deane Buick Co., 1080 S. Colorado Blvd. Excerpts follow:)
You can still buy a big car with a big trunk and air conditioning for about $7,000. The car is Buick and the model is the 1978 LeSabre.
Since downsizing a year ago, the LeSabre’s dimensions aren’t what they used to be. Those older LeSabres gave an excellent highway ride. The ’78 models give a good ride and are easy to park, too. The four-door will carry comfortably six adults, and it is easy getting in and out of the rear seat. The roomy trunk has 21 cubic feet of space.
The engine, a 350-cubic-inch V-8 with four-barrel carburetor, seemed sluggish. However, the car showed only 69 miles when John Ramstetter turned it over to me. Gas-mileage checks were on the low side – 11 miles per gallon in town, though some of the miles were under adverse conditions during a snowstorm. The highway test was 15.4 mpg.
Base price of the four-door is $5,458.55, with a destination charge of $435 for $5,893.55. The 350 engine added $313, air conditioning was $581, steel-belted radial tires $46, AM radio $96. Sticker price was $7,092.55.
The LeSabre is 218 inches long on a wheelbase of 115.9 inches. It is Buick’s second largest automobile, smaller only than the Electra.
With a little improvement in gas mileage, the four-door I drove should appeal to many families.
