Redesigned for the 2020 model year is the Toyota Highlander, now in its fourth generation.  It looks somewhat larger; its wheelbase has been stretched from 109.8 inches to 112.2 and in overall length it has grown from 192.5 inches to 194.9.

Most noticeable is the roominess around the captain’s chairs in the middle of its three rows of seating. The chairs will slide far forward to allow ease of access into the more tightly quartered back row.

The model delivered up my way was the high-end Highlander Platinum with comfortably bolstered front seats of perforated leather.

It carried me on a morning in midweek into the heart of Denver to the “Car Shack,” as some refer to the luxury home offices of the Colorado Auto Dealers Association at Grant and Speer Boulevard. Filming was underway by Bill Reddick and Danielle Klein of 9News in promotion for the scheduled Preview Gala and Denver Auto Show at the Colorado Convention Center.

A dinner preceding the Gala was to feature inaugural inductees into the newly revealed Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame. Both events, of course, were postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The all-wheel-drive Highlander performs adequately, though not particularly impressively, with a 295-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission; even with the 110-mile run to Denver and back, its overall fuel-mileage average was only 20.9.

The Highlander interior materials are of a high grade and there are small storage pockets positioned all over. While Toyota includes the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard equipment in all its trim levels, the most exclusive list of options for the other models goes as standard for the Platinum, including:

• rain-sensing windshield wipers,
• adaptive headlights,
• 10-inch head-up display,
• second-row heated seats,
• panoramic moonroof and
• 20-inch alloy wheels for its Bridgestone 255/55R20 tires.

Cargo space behind the third row of seats is only 16 cubic feet; that expands to 48.4 by folding flat the back row. Handy for shopping trips is a hands-free power liftgate. That pushed sticker price to a whopping $51,112. Pricing for the Highlander L base model begins around $36,000.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 increases safety with precollision warning and braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise and lane-departure assist.

Among competitors for the Highlander are the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX-9, Volkswagen Atlas, Subaru Ascent and others.

Truck sales honors year after year are hauled off by the Ford F-series; now its newer, smaller stablemate, the 2020 Ranger, is drawing notice with satisfactory performance from an EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Turbo boost puts zip into acceleration and provides power to tow for the Ranger. Add to that some decent economy figures and the Ranger’s status goes higher after a slow start in 2019.

With the Ranger and Jeep Gladiator going on sale in recent months, the compact pickup field has grown to seven makes, including also the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline.

The Ranger by December 2019 had risen to No. 2 in sales for the month, trailing only the perennial leader, Tacoma. Others, in order, were Colorado, Gladiator, Frontier, Ridgeline and Canyon.

Though the Ranger is a relatively new model for Ford, it’s an old name. The Ranger was Ford’s compact pickup from 1983 to 2012, when production ended. Following a seven-year hiatus, sales of the totally renewed Ranger resumed in January 2019.

There are three trim levels, the XL starting around $25,000, the XLT at $29,000 and the Lariat at $33,000, and two cab configurations, the SuperCab with a 6-foot bed and the four-door SuperCrew with a 5-foot bed.

Brought to me for testing was the Lariat SuperCrew 4X4, base-priced at $38,675 and with options climbing to $46,910 in sticker total. It has safety items in precollision assist and lane-keeping, and interior appeal with front bucket seats (heated), leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Among its extras are Sync3, Bang & Olufsen sound, navigation, adaptive cruise control, running boards, FX4 offroad package, tonneau cover.

Quick steering response is noticeable in the Ranger; its stiff ride level is somewhat rougher than competitors. It will tow up to 7,500 pounds.

Dialing in among 2Hi, 4Hi and 4Lo grips is as easy as twisting a dial on the center console. Push a button marked TM (terrain management) in the center of the dial and select adjusted terrain control from normal to snow, mud/rut or sand.

The Ranger’s Hankook Dynapro 265/60R18 all-terrain tires were good-to-go on a muddy course I chose following a snowmelt. On a separate run in normal mode, the Ranger handled very well on graveled country roads.

A reader, Tom K., informed me that he intended to buy a Ford Ranger SuperCab, “but when I got in the cab my knees were bent and almost hit the steering wheel, so I tried a Chevrolet Colorado which seemed to have more legroom, and I ordered one of those.” He said he had interest only in an extended-cab, no four-door.

The 2.3 turbo/10-speed automatic is the only power source for the Ranger. It carries an EPA estimate of 20-24 miles per gallon; my tests averaged out at 21.8.

The ’20 version of the BMW X6, always a strong performer with firm ride, has grown a bit – 1 ½-inch-longer wheelbase and an inch longer in overall length just short of 195 inches.

Sharing underpinnings with BMW’s popular X5 SUV, the X6 crossover attracts attention for its sloping roofline.

When it was introduced 12 years ago, the X6’s unusual look with the sloped exterior (some call it “coupelike” though it is a four-door hatchback) divided onlookers into a “love/hate” reaction.

I saw it at the Detroit auto show in January ’08, then took another look when it showed up at the Denver Auto Show two months later. At that time, I asked Karen Silveri, a BMW official, if I might drive it. “Probably not,” she said, “since it will be rushed to Phoenix immediately following the Denver show.” She said maybe she could give me a short ride in it. “Probably not,” I said, and waited for one to be delivered to me in June. It was worth the wait.

This year’s product, equipped with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel control, of course, performs very responsively with a 335-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-power turbocharged, inline-6-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission with sport and manual modes and paddle shifters.

An added option is a Parking Assistance Package, in which in a parallel-parking situation the driver turns loose of the steering wheel and the car is automatically guided into the space. The driver still does the gear selection, acceleration and braking.

The wide-track Bimmer’s 4,800-pound curb weight and 42-feet turn circle are reflected in its EPA fuel estimate of only 20/26; my overall average was 23.3 miles per gallon. Though there are softer-riding BMW models, the handling is appreciatively taut.

The interior remains very quiet, highlighted by Harman Kardon surround-sound and 12.3-inch center display with Apple CarPlay compatibility and enhanced smartphone connectivity.

Jan and I made a swift drive on a Sunday evening to the farm home of Don and Audrey Carey, northwest of Sterling, joining them and Sandy Boggs for dinner. A business meeting the next evening with Mrs. Boggs in Broomfield concluded with dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Westminster.

Base price of $68,600 for the BMW X6 xDrive 40i increased to $72,020 with the optional parking assistance and a premium package including remote engine start, headup display, gesture control and enhanced Bluetooth.

While the engine and transmission are German products, the X6 is assembled at a BMW factory in Spartanburg, S.C.

A higher-end model at a premium price is the X6 M50i, boasting a 523-horsepower, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine.

Interesting it is that the same week I’ve been testing Ford’s new, yet old-style, 7.3-liter pushrod V-8 engine, the company has announced it will bring to market in 2022 a Ford Transit electric cargo van.

The electric Transit will follow introduction of an electric Mustang Mach-E crossover and an electric F-150 pickup.

It seems late in the game for the F250’s old-type block, especially considering the load of plaudits earned by Ford in recent years with modern EcoBoost V-6s and 4-cylinders.

The big Ford was a surprisingly good handler through the narrow, twisting roadway of Sunrise Canyon, north of U.S. 34 and the Big Thompson Canyon.

It’s the 2020 Ford F250 Super Duty Lariat 4X4 Crew Cab, with Ford’s new gigantic naturally aspirated 7.3-liter V-8 engine churning out 430 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque. The big block is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Depending on configuration and tow equipment, the trailering capability for the Super Duty will range as high as 22,800 pounds. Cost will be considerably below the added bill for the 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V-8, and the 7.3 is durable with a cast-iron block, a forged steel crankshaft and oil jets to cool the pistons.

Sticker price is right around $70,000, with a load of options including gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitch kits, 6-inch step bar, tailgate step, camera trailer backup assist, adaptive steering, spray-in bedliner, remote start, navigation and leather seats.

The electronically controlled 10-speed transmission, with push of button at end of shift stalk, offers selectable drive modes of normal, tow/haul, eco, slippery, deep sand and snow. A 10-step ladder gauge in the instrument panel indicates the gear in effect at a glance.

My overall fuel mileage average for the run in Sunrise Canyon, return on U.S. 34, a bit of offroad and some in-town stop-and-go was 14.9 mpg.

The truck was finished in a bright “velocity blue.” Parked one afternoon outside my garage in the driveway, the Ford was photographed by my neighbor Dennis, who as a friend I call a “blueblood.” He did a similar photo last summer for an F-150, also finished in blue. Rumor has it that Dennis and wife Marsha have owned nothing but blue cars and trucks over the years. The trend has caught up with them; blue is one of the fastest-growing color choices on new vehicles of the past two years.

Ford Motor Co. will show off its 2021 Mustang Mach-E crossover electric at the 2020 Denver Auto Show April 2-5, at the Colorado Convention Center. A Preview Gala will precede the opening of the auto show the evening of April 1, at which an inaugural group of awardees will be inducted into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame.

As it rolls along in mid-4^th generation, the 2020 Honda CR-V has earned reputation for pleasant performance – that’s what we got aboard the compact crossover.

The CR-V has led sales of compact SUVs/crossovers in six of the past 10 years and was either second or third in the other four years.

I drove the CR-V Touring edition to Allnut Funeral Service’s Hunter Chapel in Loveland to attend final rites for Johnna Faye Templeton, 79, a classmate of Jan’s and longtime friend of both Jan and me. She is survived by her husband, Paul; daughter, Stephanie; sons, Tom and Brian, and sisters, Marti and Mandy.

That evening, Jan and I drove to Windsor, joining Brent and Tina Wells for dinner at the newly opened Cacciatore at Heller’s Kitchen at Windsor Mill on Main Street.

Though those two drives were smooth and relatively easy and the fact the CR-V is noted for outstanding economy, such as a 27 city/32 highway EPA fuel-mileage rating, the cold and snow took a toll and the review model showed only an average of 26.6 miles per gallon overall.

Turbocharging develops a satisfactory 190 horsepower from a small, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission; ride and handling are above norm, with MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear. The review model was equipped with Bridgestone 235/55R19 all-season tires.

Among a long list of compact competitors to the Honda are the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, Chevy Equinox, Jeep Cherokee, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, GMC Terrain, Jeep Compass and Mitsubishi Outlander.

The CR-V is slightly longer in overall length and a bit heavier in curb weight than the RAV4 and CX-5. Besides its nice, comfortable ride, the Honda offers a roomy cabin and large cargo area. The space behind the back seat measures 38 cubic feet and the cargo floor is positioned relatively low for easy loading.

The well-equipped CR-V Touring model, with sticker price of $35,845, carried among its standard items – Apple CarPlay/Android Auto/wireless phone charger, power moonroof, heated steering wheel, hands-free access power tailgate, remote start, 19-inch all-season tires. A Honda Sensing safety package added adaptive cruise control, collision-mitigation braking, lane-keeping assist and road-departure mitigation.

The base 2020 CR-V LX trim level with all-wheel drive has a beginning price of around $27,550.

Highlighting the spring selling season for Honda will be a hybrid version of the CR-V. Powertrain will include a 2.0-liter Atkinson Cycle engine, battery pack, electric motors and CVT transmission. It will compete head-on with the Toyota RAV4 hybrid.

The CR-V is built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. It was introduced in Japan for the 1996 model year and came to the U.S. the following year.

A nice, comfortable ride is a guarantee with the Lexus ES300, a sure thing. Opting for the hybrid version hands the driver a couple other assurances – smooth acceleration and relatively high fuel mileage.

Two electric motors perform very efficiently with the Lexus ES’s 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder Atkinson Cycle internal combustion engine, which isn’t overly powerful with or without the electric boost. It has become, though, one of the most efficient non-plug-in luxury hybrid vehicles. The ’20 model earned an EPA estimate of 43 in city/44 on highway.

Lexus shares its new platform, designed to reduce center of gravity and increase rigidity, with the Toyota Camry.

For the wedding of our youngest grandchild, Alison Wells, to Brian Bassett, we headed south on a Sunday afternoon with the Lexus ES300h and ended up in the north end of Denver at Wedgewood at Brittany Hill. Recording of 41.5 miles per gallon of fuel mileage for the 100-mile drive to Thornton and back was outstanding.

The new look for the ES300h is of low-profile, somewhat coupelike. Never has an elliptical grille looked so good on a car as this one, in waterfall style. Its elegant cabin is spacious and the trunk is large – 16.7 cubic feet. A hands-free power trunk lid can be opened with thewave of a foot.

Contrasting an excellent Mark Levinson surround-sound system was an offcourse directive to our navigation request; we’d been as well off with a 1970s Rand McNally Road Atlas. Fortunately, an iPhone map got us to the Sunday destination on time.

Tied to the front-drive Lexus’ hybrid power is an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, for which performance can be enhanced through use of paddle shifters and a Sport drive mode. Acceleration is adequate, though, in Normal mode. The knob for selecting Eco, Normal or Sport modes is awkwardly placed on the right side of a cover atop the gauge panel.

On a wheelbase of 113 inches, the ES is 196 inches  in overall length. It stands barely over 56 inches in height and lists curb weight at 3,709 pounds.

The Lexus ES often is listed as a competitor of the Big Three of luxury midsize models – the BMW 5 series, Mercedes-Benz E Class and Audi A6. None of those three German products can match the low base price ($41,760) of the Lexus ES300h.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard for the Lexus, along with lane-tracing assist and precollision system with pedestrian detection. Sticker price jumped to $53,810 with addition of blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, triple-beam LED headlights, the Levinson/navigation package, heated and cooled memory seats, heated wood/leather steering wheel.

The Lexus ES is built in Georgetown, Ky.

Finished in crystal white pearl, a 2020 Subaru Legacy Touring XT sedan was a smooth ride to History Colorado’s  Stephen H. Hart Research Center on Broadway in Denver.

The Touring XT, like the new Outback recently reviewed, uses a new 2.4-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder boxer engine of 260 horsepower/277 torque, linked to a continuously variable transmission. Other lesser-priced Legacy models continue with the 2.5-liter boxer engine. Overall fuel mileage average for the XT was 26.7.

The Legacy interior is dressed well with butterscotch-colored, soft leather on the doors and dash front and perforated leather on the seats. A relatively small steering wheel is equipped with paddles for shift control of the steps built into the CVT transmission. A large infotainment screen dominates the center stack.

The long-standing Legacy midsize model has been a part of Subaru since 1989. It is built at the Subaru of Indiana plant, where Ascent, Impreza and Outback are also assembled. The Legacy, though competitive with its standard symmetrical all-wheel drive, is far down the list in sales of midsizers in the U.S.

Midsize model sales for the first nine months of 2019 are led by the Toyota Camry with 258,456, followed by Honda Accord 204,463, Nissan Altima 159,969, Ford Fusion 133,908, Chevy Malibu 97,603, Kia Optima 75,666, Hyundai Sonata 68,368, Subaru Legacy 26,177, Mazda6 17,286, Volkswagen Passat 12,970. Every one of the listed models has suffered a continued sales decline this year, except the Fusion, which increased slightly. Interestingly, Ford plans to end production of the Fusion in 2020.

The 2020 Legacy Touring XT shows a sticker price of $36,795, with Eyesight Driver Assist technology’s advanced adaptive cruise lane centering, 11.6-inch navigation and multimedia screen, heated and cooled front seats and power moonroof.  

Economic, light-duty turbodiesel engines powering Ford, Ram and Chevy/GMC half-ton pickups to their all-time-high fuel mileages are spreading also to the SUV stables.

Delivered to me in December 2019 was the 2020 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4 EcoDiesel.

Among our drives with the Jeep was one of 85 miles on a rainy/snowy afternoon in the rain and snow.  Equipped with the EcoDiesel V-6, 8-speed automatic transmission and the Rock-Trac heavy-duty, part-time four-wheel-drive system, the Jeep was prepared for the driving tasks.

The Wrangler carried Jan and me west on U.S. 34 through Loveland and on to the Dam Store at the entrance to the Big Thompson Canyon. We turned around there and backtracked to the Big Thompson Elementary School, where we headed north to Masonville, then drove the twisty road northeast to Fort Collins. We headed east through Severance and on to Eaton Grove corner, then south for home.

It was a smooth ride for the Wrangler, which exhibited good grip, most of which occurred in rear-wheel-drive, though conditions required occasional use of four-wheel drive. The Wrangler still uses a lever for engaging four-wheel drive; most car builders today use electronic switches.

Jeep officials expect the Wrangler Ecodiesel to be EPA-rated at least 29 miles per gallon for highway; multiply this by an 18.3-gallon fuel tank and it estimates a range of 530 miles. I averaged 21 to 25 mpg during a variety of driving maneuvers during the week.

The Wrangler V-6 diesel is nearly identical to the diesel engine we tested recently in the Ram pickup. The Jeep version of the turbodiesel develops 442 lb.-ft. of torque, compared with 480 in the Ram. Much of the Jeep duties are at lower speeds, such as churning through mud, climbing over rocks, fording small streams, etc., thus its maximum torque output is at 1,400 rpm, Ram’s is at 1,600. Horsepower is 260, the same in both the Jeep and Ram.

Jeep engineers turned to higher capacity coil springs and retuned dampers in the Wrangler’s suspension to accommodate the extra pounds of weight with the ecodiesel over the other engines used in the vehicle.

Big wheels and B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain 285/70R17 tires were no deterrent to higher fuel mileage. The Jeep cabin was an extremely high step-in.

A feature of the Wrangler is a Sky one-touch retractable top which slides open and can be removed and stored. I remember a Liberty of eight or nine years ago that I bought and sold with a troublesome Skyrider top; I still have nightmares about that one.

A load of options raised the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon from a base price of $41,795 to a sticker of $64,380. The turbodiesel engine, automatic transmission and Sky top added $10,000; also added were leather-trimmed bucket seats, heated steering wheel, remote start, premium audio and navigation, blind-spot and cross-path detection, adaptive cruise control with stop, steel bumpers with red tow hooks and other items.

The Wrangler is built in Toledo; the diesel engine comes from a Fiat/Chrysler plant in Italy and the transmission is manufactured in Germany.

The first-gen Acura MDX (2001-2006) quickly became recognized as one of the most comfortable of midsize three-row luxury crossovers.

For the 2020 MDX, luxurious comfort remains the byword. Over the past 15 or so years, while the overall length of the MDX has been increased by 8 inches, the overall structure of the Acura has shed 250 pounds and estimated fuel mileage has risen to 19 city and 25 highway from the first gen’s  estimate of 15 and 21.

Horsepower for its 3.5-liter V-6 engine has reached 290, 50 more than the original.

Acura continues into the ‘20s with sleek design and high-tech features for the MDX (multi-dimensional luxury). Among its competitors, most of which are priced higher than the Acura, are Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Lexus RX350, Lincoln Nautilus, Infiniti QX60, Volvo XC90 and Cadillac XT5.

We enjoyed a pleasant ride with good handling while guiding the MDX to Denver and back in falling snow. The next day, with 2 to 3 inches of snow on the ground and some slick spots, the big Acura performed with excellent grip. Acura’s SH-AWD (super-handling) system sends up to 90 percent of torque to the front wheels in normal cruising; as much as 50 to 70 percent can be directed to the rear wheels as needed for improved traction, and added split can be divided between the rear wheels.

Good, steady performance is supplied by the MDX’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Tow capacity is 5,000 pounds. Acura for several years has used an odd-looking, electronic push-button shifter, in which the driver pushes down a lever for Park, pulls back on another for Reverse, pushes for neutral and makes contact with a circle button for Drive.

Overall fuel-mileage average for the MDX was 21.8 miles per gallon, reduced some by cold-weather warmups and driving in the snow. The crossover rides on Continental 265/45R20 tires.

The Acura MDX AWD A-Spec carried a sticker price of $56,295, including remote engine start, power moonroof, navigation, Bluetooth/CarPlay/ Android Auto and safety features – adaptive cruise, lane-keeping assist and collision mitigation braking.

Sport seats of red leather and black alcantra inserts are attractive; the second-row seats may be folded with push of a button. Cargo space behind the third row of seats is only 15 cubic feet; fold the seats and that expands to 38.

The MDX review model lacked a heated steering wheel. To gain that comfort, the optional Advance package could be added at several thousand bucks extra. Besides a warm steering wheel, the package also adds heated rear seats, middle-row captain’s chairs, leather-wrapped steering wheel and a surround-view camera system.

The MDX is assembled at a Honda factory at East Liberty, Ohio.