All posts by budwells

About budwells

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.

Corolla/Tacoma/GX/EV9 rated tops at Colo. Auto Show

Auto Reviews
Heather and Ryan Murphy of Silverthorne liked the looks of the Dodge Charger Daytona EV. (Jan Wells photo)

Toyota strengthened its leading role at the 2025 Colorado Auto Show in the Colorado Convention Center in Denver in mid-April.

Several hundred persons were lined from the second-floor doorway, down the stairs and out to the street when the show officially opened at noon on Thursday, April 17.

Among the first few showgoers into the main hall were Ryan and Heather Murphy of Silverthorne. After a glance at a Toyota, they were lured a few feet away to a Dodge Charger Daytona EV all-electric two-door, finished in “peel out orange” color, with 670 horsepower. Ryan Murphy said he is well-satisfied with his Range Rover, but both he and Heather were impressed with the variety of products on the show floor.

Earlier Thursday morning, among several press conferences was one in which members of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) announced winners of “best models” in four categories.

The long-successful Toyota Tacoma compact pickup edged the popular Ford F-150 as Truck of the Year.  Improved ride and handling, attained through a redesigned multilink, coil-spring rear suspension, are noticeable with the new Tacoma.

Truck of the Year was the Toyota Tacoma. (Bud Wells)

Car of the Year is “a hot hatch that is just plain fun to drive – the Toyota GR Corolla,” said Sara Lacey, president of RMAP. One I tested last fall had excellent presence with a black matte grille, supersonic red exterior and triple exhaust – a pipe for each bore. Yes, it was a turbocharged 3-cylinder.

The Toyota GR Corolla was voted Car of the Year. (Bud Wells)

The dominance continued in SUV of the Year competition, won by a mainstay of Toyota’s luxury division, the Lexus GX. Even with the GX’s offroad prowess, that choice surprised many showgoers.

The Lexus GX550, a snow-buster, was SUV of the Year. (Bud Wells)

The  Electric Vehicle of the Year honors went to the roomy Kia EV9. Last year’s electric choice was the smaller Genesis GV60. Accessing I-25 is a snap with the instant torque and quick acceleration of the EV9; its lane correction system is firm and very effective.

The roomy Kia EV9 was Electric Vehicle of the Year. (Bud Wells)

The big show received strong attendance over the Easter weekend. Hosting the affair was the Colorado Auto Dealers Association (CADA), headed by Matthew Groves, CEO and president, and Eric Beutz, chair of the auto show.

Toyota’s 19,000-square-foot display area, right up front to greet showgoers as they entered the main hall, was largest of all the individual areas.

Toyota outsold all other brands in Colorado in 2024 and its positive sales pace continued through the first quarter of this year, when it registered 7,166 in the sales column, followed by Ford with 5,932. Others in the top 10 were:

  • Subaru with 4,802,
  • Nissan 3,791,
  • Chevrolet 3,363,
  • Hyundai 3,039,
  • Honda 3,032,
  • Kia 2,701,
  • Tesla 2,366 and
  • GMC 2,103.

Nissan’s rise from 11th place to 4th during the first quarter is more remarkable in that almost 70 percent of its sales this quarter were of battery electric models, their owners taking advantage of government incentives.

Oh, those Chevys! Put dent in “T,” just kept going

'BACK-THEN' Articles, Auto Reviews
The ’58 Chev Impala, one of best-looking autos. (Chevrolet)

During my boyhood, I developed a strong loyalty for brands of Ford/Mercury and Chrysler/Plymouth, for which my father, Dale Wells, had franchises at Wray. Chevrolet, I knew, was chief rival, and I perhaps was a bit aloof to the rosy reports on both style and sales on the Chevy side, particularly in 1955, the year I graduated from high school.

I carried a more balanced mindset as I began writing of automobiles and automotive events 50 years ago; and Chevrolet personnel and products very quickly earned my respect, regard and admiration.

The headline, borrowed from a chapter in my book, “2,600 Cars and a Dog Sled,” refers to the fact Chevrolet passed the aging Ford Model T sales way back in 1926-27 and has been a constant strong competitor.

Here are a few of many Chevrolet-related events and associations I’ve been involved with:

A Chevy Monza Coupe out west on Colfax at Chuck Stevinson’s Chevrolet store on a spring day in 1978 was, under my control, turned back to the east all the way to Lincoln and on to Union, Neb., for interviewing one of the few remaining Studebaker dealers. With Jan beside me and 13-year-old son, Brent, in the tight rear seat, the quality of the Monza ride was okay. A 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed manual transmission and 29 miles per gallon, and only $4,085.

A piano-hauling trip to Texas in April 1980 provided a test for an ‘80 Chevrolet half-ton pickup with a 250-cubic-inch inline-6-cylinder engine and 3-speed automatic transmission. It also was loaned by the Stevinsons. The dirt was blowing on the climb over Raton Pass, the wind trying to remove the plastic cover over the piano. With the load in the back, the wide-seated C10 rode good through New Mexico and Texas. Destination was Fort Worth, where daughter Kim was employed. Fury in the form of a Texas-sized windstorm bucked the pickup on the return from Fort Worth to Amarillo. The truck’s fuel mileage ranged from 12.8 to 17.2, depending on the wind. Unleaded-fuel price was highest at Amarillo,  $1.21.8.

Snow and ice and subzero temperatures at Christmastime 1990 were perfect for testing the downsized ’91 Chevy S10 Blazer, a highlight of the 1½ years I spent at the Pueblo Chieftain. Engage the front axle, the Blazer becomes sure-footed and a persistent road-hugger.

Just before Thanksgiving 1997, the snow was soon measured in feet, rather than inches, as I drove a ’98 Blazer four-door I had picked up earlier from Lisa Fleischman at Luby Chevrolet. An electronic push-button made it easy-shifting into and out of four-wheel drive mode. Insta-Trac’s 4-Lo got us away from the house, through 2½-foot-deep snow and into the middle of the street; 4-Hi got us through 1½-feet in the driving lanes. I averaged 12.8 miles per gallon in four days of deep-snow driving.

Turn-of-the-century, Jan. 1, 2000, the 1958 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe was revealed as “best-looking car of all time” in a contest I conducted in the Rocky Mountain News.

A.J. Guanella in Chevrolet showroom. (Chevrolet)

“I’d be happy to provide all the local historical material and photos for a special section of our own for Chevrolet’s 100th anniversary in October 2011, if there is interest from Automotive Advertising (in The Denver Post), I suggested in a note to my superiors. There was interest, and I included the all-time favorite Chevys of A.J. Guanella, who worked more than 70 years for Burt Chevrolet, first for the Burt family, then for Lloyd Chavez, finally for Todd Maul after the John Elway name went in place of Burt. Guanella’s choices were 1941 Chevy coupe, ‘51 Chevy pickup, ‘60 Impala coupe and ‘68 Corvette.

Tromp it, the ‘12 Chevy Camaro ZL1 will quickly approach 3-digit speed while still in 3rd gear. We were out east in July 2012 on some fairly wide-open highways, testing the 580-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 with 6-speed manual transmission. Shifts and throttle response from a revised short-throw shifter were smoother than most performance models with manual trannies.

The 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray. (Bud Wells)

In out of the rain in January 2013 at the old Russell Industrial Center in Detroit for unveiling of Chevrolet’s seventh-generation 2014 Corvette. “The soul of our company is sitting right here tonight in the seat of this new Corvette,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America. A half hour later, during a “strolling dinner” as part of the Corvette splendor, I bumped into Bob Lutz, former top car guy for GM, who asked immediately upon seeing me, “How is Dean Singleton,” (then publisher of The Denver Post). Lutz, Singleton and I had enjoyed lunch together nine years previously at the Brown Palace in Denver.

The chance to drive the famed, 7th-gen Vette came 19 months later, August 2014, a two-passenger coupe finished in velocity yellow tintcoat. A drive-mode dial selector in the center console lends the Corvette Stingray driver access to five modes, including weather, eco, tour, sport and track. Sticker price: $62,465.

The ‘23 Chevy Colorado ZR2 midsize pickup. (Bud Wells)

The updated ‘23 Chevy Colorado ZR2 midsize pickup, driven in early September 2023, was my selection as Truck of the Year for its improved power and suspension. The performance boost came from the turbocharged, high-output 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine, shared by Chevy’s big truck, the Silverado.

Death of Mike Cervi

Non-Auto Articles
Mike Cervi, nationally recognized rodeo stock producer.

From Beth Martin at Pepper Pod:

We are all heartbroken at the Pepper Pod Restaurant. Truly thankful for the 50 years of memories and friendship and so very grateful for your never-ending loyalty. Thank you for everything. We know you are home and all is well with you. But we are heartbroken.

Tooke Bucking Horses

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Thoughts to the Cervi crew…

ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Mike Cervi, who was named the 2022 Legend of ProRodeo, passed away Wednesday, March 19. He was 88 years old.

Mike’s history with PRORODEO dates to the 1950s when his family purchased their ranch near Sterling, Colo. Mike began work as a foreman, but by 1964 was purchasing cattle from across the country, including a herd from Oregon that was reportedly the biggest livestock sale ever in Colorado at the time. He took another step in his career in PRORODEO in 1974 when he purchased Billy Minick Rodeo Company, which is now known as Cervi Championship Rodeo.

Mike quickly became one of the top stock contractors in PRORODEO, servicing some of the biggest PRCA rodeos across the country. He routinely provided stock for Albuquerque, Nampa, Idaho, and Waco, Texas. In 1983, Mike was named the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. He received the same honor in 2001.

Along with providing stock, he also played a role in producing large rodeos across the U.S., including RodeoHouston, the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Mike was inducted into the inaugural class of the RODEOHOUSTON Hall of Fame on March 17, 2024.

Mike’s animals have become a mainstay at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for many years. Some of the original Cervi horse bloodlines are still being passed down today at the Cervi Ranch.

The family is responsible for some of the biggest star-studded horses in PRORODEO history. Descent, one of Mike’s top horses in the 1960s, was a six-time Bucking Horse of the Year. Descent is in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Most recently, Womanizer was named the 2020 PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year and still makes trips to the NFR.

Mike’s accolades didn’t stop there.

Mike received the Ben Johnson Memorial Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2015. In 2022, he became the 17th person to be named Legend of ProRodeo. Others include household names in PRORODEO, including Jake Barnes, Jim Shoulders, Clem McSpadden, Harry Vold, Larry Mahan, Shawn Davis, Dean Oliver, Donnie Gay, Benny Binion, Mel Potter, Neal Gay, Michael Gaughan, Keith Martin, Cotton Rosser, Bob Tallman and Clint Johnson.

Mike’s passion for PRORODEO extended well beyond providing stock. For 21 years he served on the Board of Directors for the PRCA. He was also inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2003, allowing his legacy and all he contributed to the sport to live on forever.

Much of the knowledge Mike gained over the course of his more than seven decades in rodeo was passed down to his two sons, Binion and Chase.

The two boys took over Cervi Championship Rodeo over two decades ago. Binion serves as the Executive Director. Chase, a two-time NFR Pickup Man of the Year, ensures the health and safety of all the stock at Cervi Ranch.

“Mike loved the Western world and did it his way on his own,” Binion said in a text.

Mike was preceded in death by his eldest son, Mike Jr., who was married to Sherry Cervi. He is survived by his sons, Binion Cervi (wife Hannah) and Chase Cervi (wife Carley); His sister, Carla Cervi, and his cherished granddaughters, Reagan (6), Reese (3), and Clay (3 months).

Cle Cervi Symons, who was married to Bill Symons (who I worked with at The Post and it was at Bill and Cle’s home in east Denver that longtime Post editor Len Smith suffered heart attack and died during a party of Post persons Jan and I attended years ago) Cle died Dec. 20, 2024, a sister of Mike.

2nd-gen Rivian offers 3-motor trim, gear tunnel

Auto Reviews
The 2025 Rivian R1T electric truck in Sunrise Canyon. (Jan Wells photo)

Impressive performance and style, to a higher degree than I expected, shone brightly as the second-generation 2025 Rivian R1T all-electric pickup was delivered to me in February.

Rivian, based in Irvine, Calif., with manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., was launched as an electric-car company in 2018.

Coming my way was the Rivian truck’s Ascend Tri Max trim, with a three-motor setup of 835 horsepower and 908 lb.-ft. of torque, standard all-wheel drive, air suspension and oval-shaped headlights.

As good as it was, I was somewhat perplexed by the intricacy of the learning curve to drive such a new vehicle as this. No buttons, no switches, “anything you need to know, adjustments, etc.,” are in the touchscreen, I was told as I was handed a key card used to unlock the driver’s door and to start the pickup. Need to adjust a side mirror? Scroll through the touchscreen. The key card unlocked the driver’s door on first try about half the time.

Drive time, though, was a delight. After an overnight charge in our garage created an expected range of 351 miles from the lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, we drove the new midsizer on Monday west on U.S. 34 through Loveland and into the foothills. We jogged to the right a bit into Sunrise Canyon, where the truck handled the smaller, tighter roads very smoothly. A turnaround took us back through Masonville, then east with the Riv remaining well-planted with sharp steering and excellent grip into and out of the many curves and twists, thanks to its low center of gravity. We passed by the former town of Stout, continued through Fort Collins and on home to Greeley.

The Gear Tunnel extends though the width of the pickup. (Rivian)

A standout feature is the Gear Tunnel, which runs full width of the pickup beneath the rear seat of the cab and the lower front of the truck bed, offering 11.7 cubic feet of space. It will haul luggage, skis, camping gear, hunting gear, fishing gear, or an overload of groceries from Costco. It can be unlocked from inside the truck (find it on the touchscreen).

The truck bed is small, 4.5-foot length, though a front trunk (or “frunk”) provides 11 cubic feet of storage. The truck bed, with a power tailgate, has a tightly fitted tonneau cover. R1T’s tow rating is up to 11,000 pounds.

Sticker price on the R1T is $101,900. Cheaper trims are dual-motor models at $72,000 and $85,000. Rivian officials have said they expect to offer three new models in the $50,000 range in 2026.

The ’25 Rivian R1T is rated tops in its class by U.S. News & World Report, followed, in order, by Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Sierra EV, Chevy Silverado EV, Hummer EV and Tesla Cybertruck.

Honda’s 1st electric SUV, the Prologue, tied to GM

Auto Reviews
The Honda Prologue faced cold and snow. (Bud Wells)

A collaborative effort with General Motors, which put the 2024 Honda Prologue into the U.S. auto market a generation earlier than would have been possible otherwise, paid immediate dividends to the Prologue’s Japanese carmakers.

From its introduction last March to its end-of-year sales boom in December, the Prologue was one of the five best-selling electric SUVs in the country.

While its styling was by Honda’s design studio in Los Angeles, the midsize SUV EV was based on GM’s Ultium architecture and BEV3 platform, shared with the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyriq and Acura ZDX.

The partnership has since been dissolved, though will continue production of the Honda through the first generation.

The Prologue delivered to me is the standard two-row with seating for five, a third row is optional. It operates smoothly and quietly, handling impressively.

The all-wheel-drive Prologue uses an 85-kWh battery pack with dual electric motors generating 288 combined horsepower. Twice last week, I charged the Prologue overnight, producing a fully energized battery pack of an estimated 271 miles of range. Following the first charge we drove to Sterling and back with temperatures in the 20s and low-30s, some light winds and rain on the return leg. We drove 208 miles, using 250 miles off the battery pack. Half the distance was on state highway (65 mph), the other half on Interstate (75 mph).

The move to a lever for shifting the electric is an improvement; Honda’s current push-button shifter for its internal-combustion models is a bit awkward, never seemed intuitive.

With most all safety features, including lane-change assist, the 2024 Prologue AWD Elite carries sticker price of $59,295. Its MPGe is 99 city, 84 highway, 92 combined. It is built in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.