The Beetle is going away – again.

Volkswagen said it will discontinue the Beetle following the 2019 model year. Only 13,000 have been sold through the end of October this year.

Special models planned for the finale were featured at the LA Auto Show.

Production was halted on the original Beetle 40 years ago, in 1978, also due to slackened demand for the iconic product.

The Beetle’s absence lasted almost 20 years; and in the spring of 1997 when the ’98 VW concept was unveiled, it was the biggest attraction at the Denver Auto Show.

A New Beetle was sent my way in March of ’98, and after driving it for a week all around the city, I wrote:

“In many years of automotive reviewing, I don’t remember anything that has drawn the attention of the New Beetle. Not the bright red SL500 convertible, nor the NSX; not even the Marathon Electric. When driven, the bright blue Beetle brought smiles and waves from fellow motorists and turned heads of people along the streets. When parked, it was the center of numerous “walk-arounds.” The attention  came from all ages – kids, housewives, retirees. It seems to be an emotional thing, and is creating a healthy dose of fun in the automotive world.”

So, is this truly the end of the lovable Bug, or might it resurface down the road?

“The loss of the Beetle will evoke a host of emotions from its many devoted fans,” said Hinrich J. Woeboken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “There are no immediate plans to replace it, but I would also say ‘Never say never’.” Production will end in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2019.

With its nice, soft lines and a bud vase up front, it’s not surprising that by 2002, in four years of New Beetle production, 60 percent of buyers had been women.

To emphasize a more manly side of the ‘02 Beetle, VW offered a Turbo S package of 180-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and the company’s first 6-speed manual transmission under the hood, and it spurred sales for several years.  More recently, sales have been on a downward spiral for the past five years.

Among special models to join Volkswagen for the Beetle’s final year will be the Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL, both available in coupe and convertible body styles. Pricing for the coupes will start at $23,940 for the SE and $26,890 for the SEL; the convertibles will start at $28,290 for the SE and $30,890 for the SEL.

The post-World War II boom was underway in 1949 when Ben Pon Sr., a Dutch businessman, shipped a Volkswagen Beetle to New York City. From that first Beetle,  priced at $800, sales climbed rapidly. By the mid-1950s, more than 35,000 had been sold. Sales soared in the 1960s, and by the end of the decade, the Beetle was selling 400,000 models a year.

I was a young employe at the Sterling Journal-Advocate in the late 1950s when Sherm Sigler, longtime press foreman and photographer at the paper, bought a new Beetle. For several years, he drove it all over the Logan County countryside while pursuing photos, and became recognized nearly as much for his little car as for the Graflex 4X5 Speed Graphic camera he carried with him.

More than 5.5 million Beetles have been sold in the U.S.

Upgrades were in evidence as I looked over the 2019 Subaru Forester in my driveway one evening. Most obvious was a new color, jasper green metallic, and the Sube looked roomier with a low beltline and tall glass for good vision. The all-new model is built on the Subaru Global Platform, sharing with Impreza and Crosstrek.

The ‘19 Forester is the nicely equipped Touring trim level, on wheelbase of 105.1 inches and overall length of 182.1. Those measurements are 6 and 7 inches longer, respectively, than the original Forester, a ’98, yet the new one is 550 pounds lighter in curb weight than the 1998.

New to the Forester is a DriverFocus system which is designed to identify signs of driver fatigue  and distraction. In fact, as I drove it that night, it twice alerted me, first with “Stay Alert,” then later with “Keep Eyes on Road.” Aw, come on, I glanced down only briefly to determine what one of those buttons was to my lower left.

In its fifth generation, the 2019 model is superior to the earlier Foresters.

It was 21 years ago, in the summer of 1997, that I drove the first ’98 Subaru Forester, a week before the new car was to be unveiled in Subaru showrooms all over Colorado. It was a boxy, little cross between an SUV and station wagon, intended to compete with other small sport utes such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Suzuki Sidekick. Excellent braking was a strength of that early Forester and I could turn it around on narrow mountain roads. It got us to Georgetown  and back home okay, though a bit noisy from beneath the hood.

Ten years ago (almost 11), I was in Cobo Hall for the 2008 North American International Auto Show, where one of the biggest introductory successes of the big event was the unveiling of the 2009 Forester. It thrilled the car crowd – it had size and style; the old one had neither.

Suspension upgrades with the Subaru Global Platform deliver a great ride for the 2019 Forester, which performs with a horizontally opposed, 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine of 182 horsepower/176 lb.-ft. of torque and a continuously variable transmission. Its symmetrical all-wheel-drive setup makes it a strong seller in winter-heavy Colorado. It averaged 28.5 miles per gallon overall (EPA estimate 26/33).

Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, which includes precollision braking and throttle management, lane departure and lane-keep assist, is standard on all trim levels of the Forester.

The Forester Touring review model, built in Japan, carries a sticker price of $35,270.

Saddle-brown-color, stitched leather with comfortably bolstered seats highlight the interior. The liftgate opening at the back has been widened to 51 inches; yes, a 4-by-8 drywall sheet will fit through, but the cargo width between the wheel wells remains at 44 inches, so it won’t lay flat.

Pleasant drives were the norm for a week in late October aboard the redesigned 2019 Toyota Avalon Hybrid.

Performance-wise, it won’t match the gasoline-powered version, but the big sedan has the same cushy ride, and it’s the quietest one I’ve driven in quite some time. With its newly advanced hybrid powertrain, it delivers 43 to 44 miles per gallon, seemingly regardless of how it’s driven – in town, out on the highway, up the hill, down the hill, around the corner.

Toyota says the hybrid will cost only $1,000 above the price of the traditional Avalon.

The fifth-generation Avalon’s improved platform (longer and lower) is the Toyota New Global Architecture, powered by a 2.5-liter Dynamic Force, 4-cylinder engine, two electric motors and continuously variable transmission, with combined horsepower of 215. The battery pack of nickel-metal hydride battery cells now rests under the rear seat, rather than in the trunk. The back-and-forth switch between the two power sources maintains excellent economy. The Avalon Limited Hybrid averaged 44.3 mpg for approximately 300 miles.

Early release of the ’19 Avalon has spurred a 58 percent jump in sales in the U.S. Through the first nine months of this year, sales of Avalon hybrids total 6,095, compared with 3,840 a year ago.

Jan and I one evening drove the Avalon to Cheddars Scratch Kitchen in Thornton, where we shared a table with friends Ted and Shirley King. The Kings had driven their Chrysler 300, a strong competitor of the Avalon, and after dinner they took a short ride with us. The Avalon and 300 are two of the three top-rated large cars by U.S. News & World Report. King liked the ride and quietness in the Avalon and said the high fuel mileage compares with about 25 in his gasoline-powered Chrysler.

Even with the CVT, by opting for the Sport mode button over the comfortable Normal mode, the throttle is more responsive, suspension stiffens for better handling and steering-wheel paddles can be used for six simulated gears. Its acceleration is adequate, except on steep climbs, and it rides very smoothly.

Quilted leather with two-tone stitching and an Entune 3.0 premium audio system are interior highlights.

Pricing begins at $42,800 for the Avalon Hybrid Limited, with cooled/heated front seats and heated rear seats/steering wheel, a head-up display, JBL audio with 14 speakers and navigation. Sticker price was $44,870. Other standard items include Bluetooth, satellite radio, Entune infotainment, five USB ports and Apple CarPlay for improved iPhone functions. Android Auto, which allows stowing of the phone in a pocket while making or taking calls, isn’t yet available in the Avalon.

Among safety advances are adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking.

Interestingly, the Avalon review model most often appeared black in color until bright light shines and turns it brown; its color description on its window sticker, though, is “opulent amber,” (isn’t that gold or orange?).

The Avalon, sized very similar to the Buick LaCrosse, is on a wheelbase of 113 inches, is 195.9 inches in overall length, 72.8 wide and stands 56.5 tall, with a roomy 16 cubic-feet trunk and turn circle of 37.7 feet. It rides on Hankook 235/45R18 tires. It is built in Georgetown, Ky.

While Dodge is running the big NHRA show at Bandimere (July 2018), I’m reviewing two new Jaguars – the E-Pace all-wheel-drive SUV and the long, slick-looking XF Sportbrake AWD wagon.

The side-glance to Dodge comes from a noon luncheon at Simms Steakhouse in Lakewood where the FCA performance division revealed two new race vehicles – the Challenger SRT Demon and Charger Hellcat Super.

They’re being featured at the three-day NHRA Nationals at Bandimere. It is the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar, in reference to that car company’s first year as title sponsor at the Bandimere Speedway.

Dodge Charger NHRA Funny Car driver Matt Hagan and Mopar Dodge Top Fuel pilot Leah Pritchett squared off between qualifying rounds.

Bandimere, a quarter-mile drag strip just west of C470, opened 60 years ago near Morrison and Lakewood.

In regards to the new Jaguar E-Pace P250 SE, even with its heavy weight of 4,220 pounds it slipped into the luxury subcompact SUV classification and competes with the Volvo XC40, BMW X2, Mercedes GLA-Class, Range Rover Evoque and Infiniti QX30, among others.

It sits on a wheelbase of 105.6 inches, is 173 inches in overall length, 74.8 wide and 64.9 high. Its relatively wide track is 64.4 inches in front and 64.3 at the rear. Cargo space behind the rear seats is 24 cubic feet.

Positive comments were heard from many of those seeing the E-Pace for the first time, not only a credit to its style but also its azure blue finish which at times seemed almost a purple tint.

The E-Pace carried Jan and me to Strasburg for celebration of the 7^th birthday of great-granddaughter Ava Zink. The Jag, on its return, showed good grip in the rain which deposited fairly deep water on the roadways to the northwest, then onto Colo.  52 at Prospect Valley. It is a fairly rough rider at times.

Performance comes from a 2.0-liter, 246-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine with 9-speed automatic transmission. A bit of hesitation on takeoffs was routine; the Jaguar moved with more pep when the dynamic drive mode was engaged. The E-Pace delivered an overall fuel-mileage average of 25.4. EPA estimate is 21/28. It rides on Pirelli Scorpion Zero 245/45R20 tires. Suspension components are struts, coils and antiroll bars in front, with multilink at the rear.

The interior niceties of the E-Pace aren’t up to Jaguar standards; neither, though, is the sticker price. From a base of $45,295, it climbed to $54,190. A nice feature on exiting the four-door were puddle-lamp silhouettes of a jaguar and its cub projected onto the ground.

If the E-Pace is a subcompact, one look at the elongated roofline of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake wagon tells you this is a midsizer which competes with the Mercedes E-Class wagon, the Volvo V90 and Buick Regal TourX.

The XF Sportbrake is considerably larger than the E-Pace. The new wagon measures 116.5 inches in wheelbase, 195 in overall length, 78.2 wide and 58.9 high, with curb weight of 4,145 pounds, a bit lighter than E-Pace.

It has a sloping hood, the long roof and raked rear glass. Staying with its sleek image, the Sportbrake runs on low-profile 35s – Pirelli Cinturato 255/35R20 tires.

Wagons have long been popular in Europe; not so here, though the new Sportbrake and V90 with AWD might lure a few SUV devotees. Jaguar’s last wagon before the Sportbrake was the X-Type, which ended production in 2009.

Performance is a highlight from the Sportbrake’s 380-horsepower, supercharged, 3.0-liter V-6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Drive-mode selection allows the driver to adapt from normal response to dynamic or economical or adapt to what is being faced in the way of surface conditions. The shifter is a twist dial on the center console.

This car does have a spare, though the wheel is bright orange hidden beneath the cargo floor and it will not match up with the fancy wheels and red brake calipers of original equipment, i.e. get the flat fixed quickly.

Inside the big Jag are white leather seats with black inserts, panoramic roof and motorized covers for closing the dashboard air vents. Cargo space behind the rear seat is a roomy 31.7 cubic feet.

This classy-looking wagon with its power and amenities doesn’t come in the cheaper category of the E-Pace. Sticker on the Sportbrake jumped to $84,245 from a base of $70,450.

Adding $3,495 was a driver-assistance package of adaptive cruise control and speed limiter, 360-degree parking aid, surround camera, blind-spot and park assist. Adding another $3,285 were navigation, Meridian surround sound and interactive driver display. For $2,890 came the four-zone climate control, suedecloth premium headliner, ambient lighting and rear sunblind. That left $1,805 for the heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and soft door-close.

I averaged 22 miles per gallon of premium fuel with the XF Sportbrake, close to the middle of its EPA estimate of 18/25.

Four weeks after testing the 2018 Mustang GT, Ford sends me another edition of the iconic pony car – the 2019 Mustang Bullitt for the 50^th anniversary of the movie which brought fame and renown to the coupe.

The movie, “Bullitt,” starring Steve McQueen, opened in October 1968. It featured a car-chase scene through the streets of San Francisco of McQueen’s Mustang and a Dodge Charger, regarded as one of the most influential of moviedom.

The Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a 5.0-liter V-8 engine of 480 horsepower (20 more than the GT I drove last month) and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, 6-speed manual transmission with active rev-matching for meshing perfect downshifts: it will run 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. The rear-drive Mustang is superb in handling, with magne-ride dampers and increased chassis stiffness for cornering capability, quick shifts and six-piston Brembo brakes, for which the calipers are painted red. It rides on Michelin 255/40ZR19 tires.

Steve McQueen was Lt. Frank Bullitt in the ’68 movie.

The chase scene begins when Bullitt, in his Ford Mustang, evades two hit-men riding behind him in their Dodge Charger. Bullitt appears behind their Charger, having turned the tables and is now following them. While waiting in traffic at an intersection, the Charger driver takes a moment to secure his seatbelt, and with a roar from the Charger’s 440 engine, he careens through the intersection, around a corner and away from the pursuing Bullitt. The Mustang gives chase through the hilly streets of San Francisco and the outlying highways. At one point, Bullitt spins out in avoiding a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction and the hit-men might be in the clear, but moments later Bullitt reappears behind them. Bullitt tires to force the Charger off the road, with the vehicles banging door against door, but to no avail. The chase comes to a climactic end when Bullitt again tries to force the Charger off the road. The Charger driver loses control, crashes into a gas station, and the station explodes, taking the Charger and its occupants to a fiery end.

The Bullitt, like McQueen’s Mustang 50 years ago, is dark green in exterior finish, though the ’19 model can also be bought in black. Its sleek, fastback style is accented with 19-inch wheels, red brake calipers and Bullitt crosshairs logo on the back of the trunk.

Inside, the comfortable, well-contoured front seats are dark, stitched in light green, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system is pleasant. A standout feature is the white cue-ball shift knob.

The $51,465 sticker covers a Bullitt electronics interior package of premium audio, navigation, blind-spot monitoring and memory seats. Among safety items are glove-box-door integrated knee airbag and driver’s knee airbag, side-curtain bags and blind-spot with cross-traffic alert. The Mustang is built in Flat Rock, Mich.

EPA fuel-mileage estimate for the Bullitt is 15/25; my overall average was 17.2 mpg.

Drive modes run from normal to snow to sport to track to drag, with appropriately tuned exhaust rumbles for each of them.

It’s even got a “quiet” mode for those early morning starts when you don’t want to wake the neighbors.

The 2019 Kia Sorento, having undergone several major changes and an improved appearance, carried me on Wednesday, Aug. 22, to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park for a luncheon of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP).

All Sorentos for ’19 have been designed with three rows of seats for seven passengers, as Kia has done away with the two-row/five-passenger setup.

The model that came my way is the loaded-up SXL all-wheel-drive SUV, powered by a 3.3-liter, V-6 engine tied to a new 8-speed automatic transmission. The optional 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder of the past several years has been scrapped. Base power for Sorentos of lesser price is a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder with 6-speed automatic.

Also added for the new model year is an enhanced safety system – lane-keep assist, automatic braking with pedestrian detection.

With its standard three rows, the Sorento will compete with the Chevy Traverse, Honda Pilot, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander and Volkswagen Atlas.

With a bold grille, full LED headlights and Nappa leather inside, the Sorento looked good as I parked it high above the Stanley lot reserved for other new cars and trucks arriving at the hands of RMAP members. The variety of the others ranged from a Ford Mustang Bullitt to a Nissan Leaf to a Mercedes Sprinter van.

The Stanley stop was part of a two-day RMAP event, based at Woolley’s Classic Suites in Aurora. Among RMAP members participating was their new president, Craig Conover of Springville, Utah, who succeeded David Muramoto at the helm in early June.

I drove to Estes from Greeley for the lunch meeting. Distance from my home to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is 47 miles; for the 94-mile roundtrip, the Sorento averaged 24.1 miles per gallon. Its EPA estimate is 19/24.

Tablemates with me at the lunch, hosted by Fiat Chrysler, were Jerohn Anderson, product communications specialist for Volkswagen of America; Russell Datz, national media relations manager for Volvo Cars USA, and John Rush and Richard Rush, RMAP members from Drive Radio.

Discussions among us included VW’s improved Jetta for 2019 and the company’s aggressiveness in the SUV/crossover categories; Volvo’s push toward electrification while continuing to prosper with some of the best-performing internal-combustion powers; and whether a move to autonomous vehicles could occur as quickly as a five-year cycle.

Ryan Nagode, a chief designer for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, headed a presentation of the 2019 Ram 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab pickup on the walkway outside the lunchroom before the group headed back toward Aurora.

He talked of lighter, stronger, high-strength steel frame, 395-horsepower 5.7 Hemi engine, 12-inch UConnect screen, reclining rear seats, deployable side steps, sticker price of $66,000.

I was out front when the truck was parked and a Stanley official insisted, since it was on the walkway, that a shallow pan be positioned beneath the truck’s engine compartment. Yes, during Nagode’s presentation, I thought of asking him if the drip pan came standard with the truck, but I’m too far along in years to add “smartass” to my resume, so I did not.

Regarding my drive with the Sorento’s V-6 and 8-speed automatic, strong and steady power was displayed on the drive to Estes, and it climbed through the two switchbacks on the Devil’s Gulch Road in lower gears of the manual-mode shifter. On the return drive, mostly on a descent, 3^rd and 4^th gear sets in the manual mode were engaged.

Though pricing for the cheapest Sorento LX all-wheel-drive model begins around $30,000, the impressive SXL I drove carried a sticker of $48,020. That included full-length side-curtain airbags, hill-start assist control, dual-zone automatic climate control, Harman Kardon premium audio with navigation, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, Bluetooth, heated and ventilated front seats, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, surround-view monitor, smart cruise and panoramic roof.

The Kia is backed with a 5-year, 60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The Sorento’s overall length of 187.4 inches is a foot shorter than most of the competitive three-row makes, and it is costly in the fact the Kia’s cargo space behind the third row of seats is only 11.3 cubic feet. Fold the third row and that expands to 38 feet. The Sorento has a hands-free power liftgate which opens when it senses a smart key approaching.

The Sorento AWD weighs 4,343 pounds on a wheelbase of 109.4 inches, with 7.3 inches of ground clearance. Tow capacity is 5,000 pounds.

Drawing interest parked along the street outside my home during a summer week was a big, red Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Crew Van.

This is the high-roof model, competing with other commercial vans, such as Ram ProMaster, Ford Transit Connect, Chevy Express, GMC Savana, Nissan NV.

Oversize it is; yet, to drive the Mercedes Sprinter is to like it, with its 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V-6 engine, 5-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive capability. Horsepower is 188 and torque rating is 325 lb.-ft.

Behind the two front bucket seats are three crew seats, and a rear area wide open and tall enough in which to stand and walk around. Rear barn doors (split swingouts) open up for ease of access and large-load entry into the cargo area. Driving with an empty cargo area can be noisy and a bit rough in ride. It rolls on Continental LT 245/75R16 tires.

Open the sliding passenger-side cargo door of the van and a wide step board swings out from beneath for easy entry.

The Sprinter averaged 17.5 miles per gallon of diesel fuel in 90 miles.

From a base price of $41,495, the 2017 Mercedes Sprinter van with the turbodiesel and four-wheel drive carried a sticker price of $60,450 with these added options:

• 4X4 high range with low-range transfer case $7,495;
• safety package of blind-spot assist/collision-prevent assist/lane-keeping assist/heated and electrically adjustable mirrors/first-aid kit $2,680;
• navigation system/rearview camera/cruise control $1,530;
• headlamp cleaning system/bixenon headlamps/light alloy wheels $1,430;
• electric sliding step $979;
• flame red exterior finish $620;
• electrically heated windshield $440,
• and others.