Curiosity abounds all around, with regards to Alfa Romeo.

Few of the Italian marque are seen in these parts, yet several times as I parked and exited the 2019 Giulia sport sedan, someone would ask, “Is that an Alfa Romeo?”

The Alfa brand, absent from the U.S. for 20 years until the 4C Spider in 2015, seems to exude a level of respect whenever mentioned.

And its odd, colorful badge (you know, the cross and the snake swallowing a man) draws immediate attention. The red is the cross of the municipality of Milan, Italy, where Alfa Romeo was founded, and the green snake is open to various interpretations – take your pick.

The key to liking the four-door Giulia is to drive it. I said that about the 2017 model two years ago after maneuvering it into the Poudre Canyon, over Cameron Pass, down to Walden and on up to Laramie.

The new model I drove, the Giulia Ti Sport all-wheel drive, is the same – a great-handling, rear-drive-based sedan. Move the drive mode from normal to dynamic, and the crisper steering ties right into the brilliant handling and super grip.

Performance comes from a 280-horsepower, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine turbocharged with direct-injection and mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It’s quick, with 306 lb.-ft. of torque, and is a delight in the Rockies with manual-mode shifting. Here’s where the flaw shows up – the 6 ½-inch-long aluminum paddles locked to the steering column, they’re so large they have the look of a shift-training setup for high school sophomores. Paddle shifters ought to be small, out of the way except to the touch of a finger for upshift or downshift.

The Giulia retained secure manners with its all-wheel-drive system in a late-season winter test in the rain and snow.

The Giulia is EPA-rated at 31 miles per gallon for highway driving; my overall fuel average was a decent 27.8. Alfa boldly compares the sport sedan to the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C Class, along with Volvo S60, Cadillac ATS and Audi A4.

Highlighting its exterior are the V-grille and low-level front sport fascia.

Most inviting in the Giulia’s interior, somewhat tight in the rear, are the red-finished sport leather seats (heated in both rows). Trunk space is only 12 cubic feet.

Two optional packages – added safety with forward-collision warning plus, adaptive cruise with stop and lane-departure warning, and Ti Sport AWD special of dark aluminum wheels and all-season performance tires, low-riding front sport fascia, red brake calipers and sport leather seats – played important role in pushing the Giulia’s $41,995 base price to a final sticker of $51,885.

Among other options were Harman Kardon audio, Bluetooth, navigation, leather dash and vesuvio gray metallic exterior paint.

Alfa Romeo, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, produces the Giulia, 4C Spider and Stelvio SUV for the U.S. market.

It’s an odd-color green on the 2019 Lexus UX 250h all-wheel-drive review model I piloted in February. Nori green pearl, Lexus calls it, somewhat like the olive green on a Jeep.

This is no Jeep. It is Lexus’ new luxury subcompact SUV, a hybrid which gains AWD capability through use of an electric motor-generator which drives the rear wheels. It is based on the platform of the fun-but-quirky-looking Toyota C-HR, which showed up a year ago.

The Japanese-built UX will battle for sales in the luxury subcompact category against such strong entries as the Audi Q3, BMW X2, Cadillac XT4, Infiniti QX30, Jaguar E-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40.

The UX 250h all-wheel-drive model is powered by a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine, an electric motor up front and another at the back, where also is a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The motor at the rear is the source of power to the rear wheels, as there is no driveshaft. The electric motor-generator drives the rear wheels up to 45 miles per hour, and beyond that the UX performs in front-drive. The gas/electric power sources are  tied to a continuously variable transmission.

The hybrid addition lifts the UXh’s estimated fuel mileage to 41 in town and 38 on the highway. My overall average was 33.2, reduced some by two mornings of driving in 8-below-zero temperatures.

The new subcompact is also offered in nonhybrid form as the Lexus UX200, a front-wheel-drive vehicle with a 169-horsepower, 4-cylinder gas engine. The UX250h, with its gas/electric combination, is rated at 181 horsepower. Its electric boost off the line makes it quicker than the nonhybrid model.

The UX250h is small, with a 103.9-inch wheelbase and overall length of 177 inches, yet because of the battery pack and electric motors it carries a hefty 3,605-pound curb weight. It rides on Bridgestone 225/50RF18 tires.

Space is very tight in the rear cargo area; only 17 cubic feet, short of the 19-24 range of its luxury subcompact competitors. I realized how short when our load of supplies from Costco in Timnath had to be divided between the cargo and rear seats. It’s the battery pack and a sloped roofline that steal away space, for the non-hybrid version of the UX has available more cubic feet than the hybrid.

Golden leatherette-finished seats (heated and cooled) and dash pads embellished the interior. Some difficulty arose with use of the remote touch controller for infotainment, though the simple and quick-response voice command eased the situation. A couple of interior “bugs” I’ve complained about in other Lexus models are the “ears” protruding from each side of a cover atop the gauge panel. They’re dials for snow/traction and for shifting between comfort and sport modes and seem out of place. These are key decision choices for a driver while maneuvering; of absolutely no concern to other passengers, and ought to be more unobtrusively placed.

The Lexus UX250h shows a relatively reasonable base price of $34,000. Add to that navigation and premium sound system, triple-beam LED headlamps, cornering lamps, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, moonroof and heated steering wheel, and the sticker total reaches $42,050.

Lexus now has a full line of SUV/crossovers. The lineup and starting prices include, at the top, the large LX at $86,080; the GX at $52,355; the RX Hybrid at $46,095; the RX at $43,670; the NX Hybrid at $38,835; the NX at $36,485; the UX Hybrid at $34,000; the UX at $32,000.

With bigger battery pack for more competitive range, and sporty and appealing new exterior styling, the all-electric 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus rolled quietly into my possession during the Denver Auto Show in late March.

The new Plus version, fully charged, is expected to deliver 226 miles of driving range, a nice increase over the 150 of the standard Leaf, and within a dozen or so miles of range claims by the Chevy Bolt and Kia Niro.

From a V-motion grille to a “floating roof” and all the way back to distinctive taillights, the Leaf Plus has unveiled mainstream beauty to complement its electric power.

When Jan and I left the auto show on a Wednesday night, we had awaiting us Thursday morning an excellent test drive for the electrified Nissan, though a sad mission. It would be a 100-mile drive to the Christ United Methodist Church in Sterling for the funeral of friend Norma Amen Weber.

When I showed up many years ago for my first class at Sterling High School, as an unknown freshman transfer from Wray, we were seated alphabetically; in the back row it was Weber, then Wells. I said “Hi” to the friendly faced, curly haired kid next to me, Justin Weber, and we’ve been friends since. Justin was married to Norma Amen (a classmate and friend of Jan’s) for more than 60 years before her recent death.

As we left Greeley for Sterling, not only was it cold, windy and rainy, we also were running late. So, when I accessed I76 at Wiggins (75-miles-per-hour speed limit) I kicked the Leaf Plus up to 80 mph in order that we reach the service in  time. We did, with 5 minutes to spare and only 67 miles of charge remaining in the Nissan battery pack.

Fortunately, Wendy Payne of Nissan and Paul Shippey of Automobile Media Solutions at the auto show had furnished me information regarding a quick-charge station at Fort Morgan, and, with 20 miles left, we added more than 100 miles of charge in 30 minutes there for the final leg home.

The weather and the higher speeds took a toll on the Leaf’s range; the realities of driving on occasion will not match perfectly to the car’s specifications.

The expanded battery pack pushes the Leaf Plus’s curb weight to 3,850 pounds, about 300 more than the standard Leaf. The Leaf Plus can handle that, though, for its electric motor is rated at 215 horsepower and 250 lb.-ft. of torque, compared to 147-hp and 236-torque for the standard.

The Plus offered a good ride and comfortable interior; aiding stability is the face the battery pack is flat and positioned beneath the floor in the center of the car. This also preserves 23.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row of seats. Many electric autos use that space for the battery storage.

Regenerative braking helps recapture some energy for the battery store, and Nissan’s e-Pedal allows driving with one pedal, as braking is in effect whenever pressure is released on the accelerator. The Leaf Plus is equipped with emergency braking, lane-correction, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning and around-view monitor.

Pricing for the base-model S Plus begins around $32,000 ($6,000 higher  than the base Leaf), while the well-equipped Leaf PlusSL Tech review model carried a price tag in the $45,000 range.

As General Motors pursued plans for eliminating several Chevy and Cadillac sedans and shutting down some car plants, a bright spot in the middle of all the discussion is the Equinox, one of the five best-selling compact SUV crossovers in the country.

Those of us who have been around for quite a while still think of GM and Chevrolet for their big, tough, good-riding SUVs – the Suburbans, Tahoes and Yukons. Chev’s bread-and-butter models, though, are the Equinox and Traverse crossovers.

The Equinox, on its unveiling in 2004 as an ’05, was the company’s first departure from those truck-based sport utes. It was a practical alternative for families seeking to lower their investment in car-carrying responsibilities.

Five years after its introduction, the midsize Equinox was redesigned, then a year ago it took on a new look and was resized into a compact crossover. A shedding of 400 pounds let it run lighter and more efficiently.

The new 2019 Equinox, 5 inches shorter than the ’17 model, shapes up very close in dimensions to one of its primary rivals, the Jeep Cherokee. Here is the comparison: Wheelbase- Chevy 107.3 inches, Jeep 106.5; Length- Chevy 183.1, Jeep 182; Width- Chevy 72.6, Jeep 73.2; Height- Chevy 65.4, Jeep 65.7.

Experiencing the comfort, handling and performance of the Chevy was enjoyable. Seating is very supportive and the MyLink infotainment system, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, is user-friendly. The interior was very quiet; heavy use of plastic detracted somewhat.

The Equinox took a hit on cargo space through its resizing last year; its 29.9 cubic feet behind the rear seats is smaller than most compact competitors.

The review model I drove was equipped with the optional 252-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and, mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission, was impressive. Good low-end torque got it off the line okay, and it was smooth at higher speeds and on demands for passing other traffic. Fuel mileage estimates are 22/28, and my overall average was 26.3. It has the stop/start fuel-saving feature. Turning circle of the Equinox is a bit wider than most competitors; it rides on Hankook 235/50R19 tires.

 Base engine is a 170-hp, 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder with 6-speed automatic transmission. To opt for this engine is to give up quick, smooth shifts and contend with quite a power decline, though this combo carries a good EPA rating of 26/32 mpg.

The well-equipped Premier edition of the Equinox needed only one optional package, Confidence and Convenience at an added cost of $2,145. It included eight-way power front passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, low-speed forward automatic braking, forward-collision alert, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, following-distance indicator, safety alert seat, automatic high-beam control, adaptive cruise control, front pedestrian braking and surround vision.

This brought sticker price to $37,745. Among standard items are a hands-free power liftgate, remote vehicle start, dual-zone automatic climate control and wireless charging device. Cheapest Equinox AWD trim level begins at around $26,500. The Equinox is built in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.

Even with its oversized presence and accompanying parking concerns on occasion, I looked forward every morning for a week, walking out and climbing up into the high-riding 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor 4-by-4, and driving, and driving.

The Raptor was at its best whether the drives were short runs about town, or to the west into the beautiful Big Thompson Canyon, or, especially, during a bit of offroading.

The performance of Ford’s EcoBoost High Output V-6 engine is outstanding; there’s no longing from me for a V-8. Tied to a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, the second-generation EcoBoost is of twin-turbocharging and reaches 450 horsepower and 510 lb.ft.of torque. It is strong and fairly effortless, with excellent sound from its dual exhaust.

The Supercrew’s big-tread tires, Goodyear All-Terrain LT315/70R17s, are for roughing it offroad, yet the Raptor lends a smooth ride in and out of the city. Oddly, though, there is no apparent fuel-mileage gain with the smaller V-6 block. I averaged 15.4 miles per gallon in overall driving.

The Raptor easily maneuvered the bends of the Big Thompson Canyon roadway, while providing good ride comfort, as well. Ford’s ’19 version met the challenge of the curves with new Fox Live Valve internal bypass shocks that electronically adjust damping, using sensors in the suspension and body to maximize comfort, handing and bottom-out resistance.

Three modes for the suspension are Normal, Off-Road and Sport, and the Raptor’s terrain modes include Normal, Sport, Weather, Mud/Sand, Baja and Rock Crawl, selected by pushing a button on the steering wheel.

Paddles on the steering wheel help control all the downshifting and upshifting, and a 1-through-10 ladder on the instrument panel tells at a glance where the gear is set.

The review model is finished in bright velocity blue color; the interior is highlighted by blue accent and Recaro seats.

Access is eased by 7-inch-wide running boards; adding pleasure once inside are a twin-panel moonroof, Bang & Olufsen sound, voice-activated navigation and heated seats front and rear.

Heading a long list of other safety and performance amenities are adaptive cruise, automated emergency braking, blind-spot with trailer-tow monitoring, trailer-sway control, inflatable rear safety belts, rearview camera, electronic 4-by-4 shift-on-the-fly, pro-trailer backup system and terrain management.

The high-pressure turbo and the many add-ons boosted sticker price for the new Raptor to $70,700 from a base of $57,335.

Parking concerns on occasion come from the extra-wide Raptor body. With both front doors fully open, the Raptor is 10 inches wider from door-tip to door-tip than my four-door 4-by-4 pickup when opened likewise.

Remote start is activated by pushing one of five buttons on the remote key fob. It and the button just beneath it are marked “2X,” indicating it must be pushed twice quickly for response. Push the wrong one and,instead of walking outdoors to a warming engine, the truck will be sitting there, cold as ever, with a dropped tailgate.

Impressive style is demonstrated by the 2019 Nissan Murano SL midsize SUV crossover, with its tapered front, raked windshield and floating-roof-look at the rear. It is one of the better-appearance entries in its class.

Like other Nissans, the Murano all-wheel-drive model is equipped with a continuously variable transmission to go with its 260-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine.

The Murano is a bit larger than the hot-selling Nissan Rogue, which I drove in December. The Murano is on a wheelbase of 111.2 inches, is 192.4 inches in overall length and its curb weight is 3,845 pounds. The Murano is 8 inches longer than the Rogue and is 350 pounds heavier.

Recently I’ve driven the new Murano, finished in an impressive sunset drift exterior, somewhat near copper or orange color.

On a drive from Greeley to Denver and back via U.S. 85 and E470, Jan and I were accompanied by Cathy Cash and son, Nic Sedam, who liked the roominess and comfort of the rear-seating area and the fact the seats were heated on a cold, windy afternoon.

Performance is fairly mild, with the CVT transmission. Riding on Bridgedstone 235/55R20 tires, the Murano averaged 24.2 miles per gallon in overall driving, which included lots of stop-and-go in-town maneuvers. Its EPA estimate is 21/28 mpg.

A Tech package of automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, rear automatic braking, panoramic moonroof and traffic-sign recognition, at a cost of $1,970, pushed sticker price for the Murano to $44,090.

Among standard items are 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, intelligent around-view monitor, motion-activated power liftgate, navigation, Bose premium audio and heated outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down.

The Murano was launched in the summer of 2002 as an ’03 model.

As for the Rogue, tested last month as a well-loaded SL trim level with all-wheel-drive, sticker price was $36,085.

It performs with a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission. It boasts a relatively high EPA rating, 25/32, and averaged 26.5 mpg in the week I drove it.

We drove to 92nd and Wadsworth for a pre-Christmas dinner with Ted and Shirley King, Judy Garcia and Jodi Black. Jan worked with these friends at Cherry Creek Realty some years back when we resided in Denver.

A heavy push in acceleration brings a whine from the Rogue’s CVT transmission, especially after it is moved into Sport mode with intensified throttle performance.

Brown quilted leather seats are an interior highlight for the Rogue and padded portions of the dash are attractive, too.

Poorly positioned at the far lower left of the dashboard, even lower than knee level, are four buttons lined horizonally for heated steering wheel, all-wheel drive, Sport mode and the Eco mode of the transmission. Not only is it a far reach, it requires an occasional look to determine the driver is pushing the intended button.

The Murano is assembled in Canton, Miss., and the Rogue in Smyrna, Tenn.

The new 2019 Honda Passport was like a Pilot while driving in the snow and single-digit temperatures on icy roads to Greeley in the early evening Saturday, March 2, from a party in Longmont.

The Passport dropped into slow-down mode in passing one collision and two other cars resting in deep ditches after they slid off the road along the way north on U.S.287.

The Passport’s all-wheel drive performed very capably; it’s of front-wheel-drive configuration which places more power over the drive wheels, while the system divides torque as needed between the front and rear axles – like a Pilot.

Of course, it’s like a Pilot, for it is based on the Pilot’s unibody platform, and, in truth is a two-row version of the three-row Pilot SUV, with few other differences. The Passport is 6 inches shorter in overall length and is 100 pounds lighter.

The gathering at Longmont, in the Oak Room at the Oskar Blues Brewery, was a birthday party for Dale Wells; 100 attended.

The all-wheel-drive Passport is equipped with a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission, somewhat slow on the downshift as it constantly seeks cruising pace for higher fuel mileage. Gears are selected through a push-button shifter; reverse is engaged through a pull, rather than push. We averaged 22.5 miles per gallon during the week; EPA estimate is 19/24.

The new Passport delivers an extremely smooth ride and precise handling. Its AWD isn’t so offroad capable as the Toyota 4Runner or Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Soft-touch surfaces highlight the roomy and quiet interior, with heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats (leather). A leather-wrapped steering wheel is also heated. The rear seats slide fore and aft, and the cargo space behind the seats is huge – 41.2 cubic feet, with an extra 2.5 feet of underfloor storage.

Honda Sensing, safety and driver-assistive technologies, include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, road-departure alert, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control.

The Passport, built in Lincoln, Ala., alongside the Pilot, carried a sticker price of $44,725, including paddle shifters on the steering wheel, voice-recognition navigation, premier audio system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration and Bluetooth, power moonroof.

The fact Honda resurrected the Passport name for this new one was a surprise to me. When I think of Passport, I’m reminded of it as the twin to the old Isuzu Rodeo, when Isuzu  produced it for Honda from 1994 to 2002.

Sitting high in the 2019 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss, with driver’s-side window open, my “Merry Christmas” greeting goes out loud and heartfelt to all the readers.

The Trail Boss, a four-wheel-drive crew cab, is a new offroad trim level for the Chevrolet pickup. This one, finished in cajun red, is very visible, perfectly suited to the Christmas column. Color was an attraction a year ago, too, when the 2018 Subaru CrossTrek showed up for Christmas Eve in sunshine orange exterior finish.

The “Merry Christmas” shout is a highlight of the year for me. My first time as a Post car columnist was Christmas Eve 1977 from the seat of a ’78 Chrysler Cordoba.

The Silverado Trail Boss 1500 is a modified version of the Z71 LT 4X4 model and sports a 2-inch lift on the suspension and 4-inch-longer wheelbase.

Complementing a new, upright grille are red recovery hooks, boomerang-style headlamps and rounded fenders. A 6-foot box with easy-drop tailgate and convenient cornersteps in the rear bumper is highlighted by CHEVROLET, in capital letters, stamped across the back of the tailgate.

Strong performance comes from the 335-horsepower/385-torque, 5.3-liter V-8 engine tied to a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive is engaged through push-buttons to the left of the driver. My driving time, split from highway to in-city to offroad, averaged 18.1 miles per gallon (EPA estimate 15/20).

Black alloy wheels are shod with Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac LT275/65R18 M&S tires; they’ll keep the Trail Boss moving over rocks and ridges in the hills and through mud and water down by the river, while out on the open highway they sing a slightly noisy tune.

Like its most-serious competitors, the Ford F150 and Ram 1500, Chevy has added noticeable roominess to its rear-seating area, and a handy stow box has been carved out beneath the bench seat.

Nine thousand bucks worth of options, including Bose sound, leather, lane-change alert, bedliner and advanced trailering package, raised sticker price to $57,285; there is no navigation.