Mannerisms of a smaller vehicle were credited to the big Ford truck after it carried me through the foothills near Masonville and over some of the Green Ridge roads north of the Big Thompson Canyon in Larimer County.

It’s the re-done 2017 F-250 Super Duty pickup. Nimble as it performs, it is big-time tough and Ford intends it to lead the all-American heavy-duty market. It supports that perceived crown with its 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel engine, which produces 925 lb.-ft. of torque and 440 horsepower.

That torque mark edges its rivals, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Duramax turbodiesel ratings of 910 lb.-ft. and 445 horsepower and Ram’s Cummins’ 6.7-liter inline-6 turbodiesel’s 900 torque and 385 horsepower.

The single-rear-wheels Super Duty is the King Ranch edition of the 4X4 Crew Cab model, finished in white gold exterior.

It’s beneath that beautiful paint job, though, that lies one of the bigger changes for 2017 – an all-aluminum body. The body of aluminum introduced to the F-150 in 2015 has now been extended to the three-quarter-ton and one-ton Fords for this year. It saves 350 pounds.

The lighter body rides on a new fully-boxed steel frame, which increases payload and tow capacity for Ford. The frame rails are 1.5 inches taller and the high-strength steel is approximately 24 percent stiffer than the previous frame. Fifth-wheel gooseneck towing can reach 21,000 pounds.

Curb weight for the F-250 is around 7,000 pounds on a wheelbase of almost 160 inches, with a bed length of 6-feet-10 and width between the wheel wells of 4 feet, 2 ½ inches.

LED lights frame the headlamps on each side of the large grille. Open the driver door into the renewed cabin and a 6 ½-inch-width running board extends from beneath the frame edge for easy step-in.

Push a button and the wide-out side mirrors will fold in against the truck. Another button will extend the mirrors a couple inches farther out for improved rear view.

Java-colored leather seating is heated and ventilated in front and heated in the rear. The roomy interior will seat as many as six passengers. An 8-inch display screen covers navigation, audio and rearview camera. The ring atop the two cupholders in the center console can be slid toward the driver to double  capacity to four cups.

The turbodiesel with the 6-speed automatic transmission is a strong hill-climber in the lower gears. It will cruise a rolling highway at 18 miles per gallon of diesel fuel (34-gallon tank); in the city and up and down hills, the average will fall noticeably. My overall average with the truck was 15.9 mpg.

Base price for an F-250 Super Duty 4X4 begins in the mid-$30s; base on the Crew Cab King Ranch goes all the way up to $57,455.  Add the turbodiesel at $8,595 and other options, such as chrome package, 20-inch aluminum wheels, lane-keeping alert and spray-in bedliner, and the sticker price reaches $76,275.

The King Ranch has long been a favorite edition for high-end Ford trucks. The legendary ranch, which dates back more than 160 years in south Texas, covers 825,000 acrees.

Jump head- Hybrid market shows slight gain in ‘16

By Bud Wells

Dating way back to its introduction 16 years ago, the Acura MDX maintains a lofty ranking as one of the most pleasant performers of seven-passenger luxury-model SUVs.

The MDX competes fairly equitably in price, too, with three-row SUV offerings from the Buick Enclave, Infiniti QX60 and Volvo XC90, a tier below the three-row premium luxuries from Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

The comfort of its upgraded interior and smoothness of its 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine (no turbocharging) make the MDX review model’s sticker price of $57,340 seem not so out of line, compared with the others.

Did someone say “excellent fuel economy?” I did three years ago when I drove the ’14 version of the MDX up Poudre Canyon and back and averaged an impressive 25.7 miles per gallon.

This one, though, averaged 20.1 in a split of highway cruising and stop-and-go town maneuvers; at that rate, might as well slip a turbo in there and gain some low-end performance. I would expect higher mpg readings, for the MDX’s cylinder deactivation cuts down to use of only three cylinders in coasting, a boost in highway economy.

A new 9-speed automatic transmission was added to the MDX in the past year, mated to the 3.5 V-6, and engaged with use of push-buttons and a pull-switch for reverse. Separate buttons are pushed for Park and Neutral; the most-dominant one is round and lighted and for Drive, of course.

“Sport,” “comfort” and “normal” modes alter throttle response and steering effort, and paddle shifters on the steering wheel hand the driver greater control of gearing shifts in sport mode. The three driving modes are not so noticeably apart in performance as some rival models; Acura maintains its smoothness with all three.

Built in Lincoln, Ala., the Acura weighs a bit less than 4,300 pounds on a wheelbase of 111 inches and overall length of 194.2 inches. Its all-wheel-drive system is capable of accelerating the outer rear wheel faster than the front wheels to help in gaining proper direction of the vehicle. It rides on Continental 245/50R20 tires.

Up-front enhancements of the cabin are heated and cooled, perforated leather seats, neatly stitched with white piping, and wood and chrome trim. A large storage bin is positioned behind well-positioned cupholders in the center console. A dual-screen infotainment system features navigation at the upper display and audio/climate touch controls in the lower. Voice-activation and real-time traffic are included with navigation, and with the audio are ELS Studio, Sirius XM, Pandora and Bluetooth. Steering wheel is heated.

Second-row seating includes a center console between captain chairs, heated, with door sunshades. Push a button on the outside of the second-row seats, they will fold and slide forward to create an opening into the far-back third row, where seating space is somewhat tight.

Behind that back row is 14.9 cubic feet of cargo room, which is smaller than the Enclave, QX60 or XC90. Fold the third row and the Acura expands to 38 cubic feet.

Power moonroof and tailgate and all-round camera view are included in the $57k MKX with AWD and Advance package. Adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are also included.

Hybrids in 2016

Sales of gas/electric hybrids, battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the past year barely surpassed their 2015 totals in the U.S. market, accounting for approximately 2.9 percent of total new car, SUV and light truck sales for 2016.

Sales of the alternatives went from 498,718 in 2015 to 504,210 in the past year. Seventy-five models recorded sales during the year.

Big gains in ’16 over the previous year were by the Ford Fusion among hybrids, the Tesla S and
X among battery electrics and Chevrolet Volt and Ford Fusion Energi among plug-in hybrids.

The Toyota Prius Liftback, runaway leader  in hybrid sales since its introduction in 2000, saw its total for 2016 slip by 13 percent, from 113,829 sales in 2015 to 98,863 the past year. Still, the Prius was more than 50,000 sales ahead of the second strongest seller of hybrids, the Toyota RAV4.

Sales of light-duty diesel models took a sharp drop in 2016, after popular Volkswagen TDIs were taken off the market over an emissions-cheating scandal in September of 2015. Biggest sellers of light-duty diesels the past year were by the Ram 1500 pickup and Ford Transit van.

Top sellers of alternative-fueled vehicles in the U.S. in 2016:

HYBRIDS

Toyota Prius Liftback 98,863; Toyota RAV4 45,070; Ford Fusion 33,648; Toyota Camry 22,227; Toyota Prius C 20,452; Hyundai Sonata 18,961; Toyota Prius V 14,840; Ford C-Max 11,877; Honda Accord 9,179; Lexus CT200h 8,903; Lexus RX400 8,561; Toyota Avalon 8,451; Lexus ES 7,645; Lincoln MKZ 7,219; Kia Optima 6,142; Toyota Highlander 5,976; Chevrolet Malibu 4,335; Lexus NX 2,842; Honda CR-Z 2,338; Subaru XV Crosstrek 2,173.

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

Chevrolet Volt 24,739; Ford Fusion Energi 15,938; Ford C-Max Energi 7,957; BMW X5 5,995; Audi A3  4,280; Hyundai Sonata 3,000; Toyota Prius Prime 2,474; Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid 2,111; Volvo XC90 2,020; BMW i8 1,594.

BATTERY ELECTRICS

Tesla S 29,156; Tesla X 18,028; Nissan Leaf 14,006; BMW i3 7,625; Volkswagen e-Golf 3,937; Fiat 500e 3,897; Kia Soul EV 1,728; Ford Focus EV 872; Smart for Two EV 657; Mercedes B-Class electric 632.

LIGHT-DUTY DIESELS

Ram pickup 55,209; Ford Transit 50,137; Chevrolet Colorado 8,595; Jeep Grand Cherokee 4,253; GMC Canyon 3,936; Range Rover Sport 3,282; Range Rover 2,515; BMW X5 1,725; BMW 3-series 1,462; Jaguar F-Pace 1,044.

I’m a hands-on driver, as most of us are, and haven’t gotten overly anxious about driverless cars.

I got a touch, though, of autonomous driving (oxymoron?) with the arrival of Audi’s restyled Q7.

It took Audi 10 years to restyle its 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. They’re somewhat of a next-generation marvel, if not yet quite perfected.

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 2017 Audi Q7 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.

Yes, the Audi reads the traffic signs and responds accordingly. If I’m rolling along with the car’s active cruise set on 70, and I approach a posted sign reducing speed to 55, I know the system will in a couple of seconds quickly slow the Q7 to 55 and re-set the cruise speed to the same 55 mph.

It’s an interesting step toward the autonomous driving automobile. In making several test-driving runs with the impressive Q7, I removed my hands from the wheel but remained ready to resume control at an instant, for the system isn’t flawless. More than once, the lane-assist system allowed the SUV to wander past the line along the right side of the highway and I took the wheel as a warning in the message center read: “Driver take hold of steering wheel.” Perhaps the painted line had faded past the point of detection, allowing the veer toward the ditch.

I was at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003, when Audi unveiled the Pikes Peak quattro concept. It was Audi’s first attempt at a sport utility vehicle, and company officials said, “We’ll be studying public opinion very closely.” The Q7 evolved two years later, going on sale as a 2006 model.

Coloradans were momentarily disappointed, of course, when the SUV showed up with the Q7 designation, rather than Pikes Peak. The Q7 quickly found favor in these parts for its roominess and all-wheel-drive performance.

The Q7 is a strong competitor to other European-based SUVs, the BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Mercedes GLE and Range Rover Sport, as well as the Lincoln MKX, Cadillac XT5 and Acura MDX.

The Audi flagship SUV is built in Bratislavia, Slovakia, near the Austrian border.

The ’17 Q7 3.0T quattro tiptronic is a seven-passenger SUV, with performance from a 333-horsepower, 325 lb.-ft. torque V-6, supercharged, and tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive.

Three-fourths of my drive time was on the highway and the Q7 averaged 23.2 miles per gallon. Its EPA estimate is 19/25.

Inside, near the shifter, is a touchpad, which lends control for a large audio/navigation display screen high on the dash, a far reach for driver or front-seat passenger. The Bose surround-sound pleasantly entertained us; to gain an even higher level of concert enjoyment, opt for the pricey Band & Olufsen audio system.

Sticker price on the model I reviewed was $68,925, though the higher-end Q7 can reach $80k.

Only 2 ½ weeks away is the 2017 Denver Auto Show, one of the most long-standing and heavily attended annual attractions in the Rocky Mountain region. It will open on Wednesday, April 5, at the Colorado Convention Center.

Heading toward the Colorado Convention Center and the big Denver Auto Show after a week in my possession was the roomy, stylish CX-9 SUV crossover, which represents Mazda as its flagship model.

The CX-9 in snowflake white pearl metallic is one of more than 500 new cars, trucks and SUVs showing the finest exterior finishes seen in an automotive setting.

At 200 inches in length, the ’17 CX-9 is an imposing sight, from its big grille out front to the sharply sloped rear window with spoiler over the top. It is a seven-passenger carrier with three rows of seating.

I found favor with the CX-9 in its original form, a 2007 model, which on a cold, icy New Year’s Eve delivered us safely to a party, displaying excellent grip from its all-wheel-drive system.

A major innovation in the new one is scrapping of the old V-6 engine in favor of a Skyactiv-G turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder, a challenge considering the 4,325-pound curb weight of the CX-9.

Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with sport and manual-mode shift capability, the 227-horsepower (310 lb.-ft. torque) 4-cylinder isn’t particularly powerful at the low end of the torque thrust but delivers very adequately through the midrange performance.

The CX-9, which is rated at 20/26 miles per gallon of regular-grade fuel, averaged 22.6 in my travels.

With added insulation beneath the floor of the new one, its elegant interior is quiet. The Mazda CX-9 competes with the Chevy Traverse, Dodge Durango, Ford Flex, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.

Safety improvements such as front side-impact airbags and air curtains, roll-stability control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning are included in the $43,610 sticker price for the Mazda.

The CX-9 review model was the well-equipped Grand Touring. Other trim levels are the less-expensive Sport and Touring and the upper-end Signature.

Stop out front of the truck, for there’s no reason to rush past the winch and new grille when assessing the 2017 Ram Power Wagon 4X4.

The Warn winch, built right into the front bumper, is always first thing noticed and probably for what the Power Wagon is most remembered. Lift out an electronic controller stowed beneath the rear seat, plug it into a receptacle at the front bumper, string out enough steel cable to reach the tow recipient and fire up the Ram to complete the mission.

There is 125 feet of steel cable at your disposal from the 12,000-pound winch. Behind the winch and line is the Ram’s 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with 410 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque.

All that grunt is good when needed, but open the big beast up at 70 miles per hour on the highway and it sounds so good and runs so smoothly, at those moments, it has been tamed. The Hemi is equipped with a cylinder deactivation system that turns the V-8 into a 4-cylinder when cruising under light load. Its knobby all-terrain tires add a bit of hum to an otherwise quiet ride, and coil springs at the rear add a softer touch than the old-style leaf springs.

The aforementioned new grille features large “RAM” lettering across the front, replacing the former crosshairs grille. It is similar to the front of last year’s Ram Rebel.
The Ram, with 14.3 inches of ground clearance, has a 29-inch step-in height, with no step rail (ask Jan about that). The truck has four-wheel control from a shift lever rather than electronic switch, front and rear locking differentials, disconnectable front sway bar and tow capacity of 10,030 pounds.

My overall fuel mileage, affected greatly by some offroading enjoyment, was 12.4 miles per gallon.

The Ram Crew Cab is roomy and comfortable and was equipped with RamBox storage along sides of the pickup bed.

A few times over the years, I could have used a rescue from a Power Wagon. I was a high schooler the first time, out pheasant hunting south of Fleming with friends Bob Ring, Dick Looney and Dick Artzer. I was driving my ’48 Ford V-8 too fast in a snowstorm on a slick dirt road and we slipped into a deep ditch. We walked down to the corner of the section, and after describing our plight to the farmer living there, he sent us back to the car and followed along, not with a Power Wagon but a big John Deere tractor. It towed us back onto the road; “Slow down,” he said, as we drove away.

The Power Wagon has been around since even longer ago than that. It was introduced in 1945 as a military-use truck during World War II. As the war ended, Dodge began receiving hundreds of letters from homecoming GIs asking for a civilian version of the tough, four-wheel-drive truck which would go almost anywhere. Dodge officials responded, created a more pleasing and comfortable cab and began offering the Power Wagon to the public in March 1946.

As for the new 2017 2500 Power Wagon, its $51,695 base price topped out at $62,905 with a long list of options, including leather seats heated and ventilated in front, 8.4-inch touchscreen for navigation/audio/ backup mirror, remote start system, trifold tonneau cover, spray-in bedliner and power-folding trailer-tow mirrors.

Subaru, which set all-time company sales records in 2016, has an apparent new hit on its hands for the coming year.

The Impreza compact sedan and hatchback, refashioned for 2017, have shown up and are moving off the lots at a fast pace, according to Denver dealer reports. It seems the Impreza will join the Outback, Legacy and Forester models as hot-selling Subes.

After driving a stylish hatchback recently, let me say, “the Impreza is impressive.” The Impreza Sport Hatchback, like other Subarus, is equipped with symmetrical all-wheel drive.

The 2017 Impreza is the first model developed on the Subaru Global Platform in Indiana. Launch of the new models is being observed all over the country this week and next. The first one to roll off the line in November was the first American-built Impreza. They formerly were imported from Japan.

Its new lines exceed the Impreza’s former architecture – an inch longer in wheelbase and 2 inches longer in overall length for a roomier cabin. The increased size added 100 pounds to curb weight.

Colorado is prime ground for Subaru. While the Japanese-based company ranks ninth in U.S. sales, it trails only Toyota and Ford in totals for Colorado.

Delivered to me a few days following arrival of the Subaru was the new Honda Civic Hatchback, which, even though it is sold only in all-wheel-drive form, will compete with the Impreza, Mazda3, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla  and Volkswagen Golf.

The new Impreza is still somewhat slow in low-end acceleration with its non-turbo boxer engine. It features sport-tuned suspension with Stablex dampers, which expand at low speed to allow more movement of suspension for better ride control and reduces at high speed to minimize body movements. Its Yokohama P225/40R18 tires are probably aimed more at handling than ride comfort.

And, regarding the “slow” assessment, as I drove it, I moved the shifter into manual mode for lower gear and higher revs, and it performed somewhat better in the heavy traffic.

A 152-horsepower, 148 lb.-ft. torque, 2.0-liter boxer-4-cylinder engine beneath the hood is tied to a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. The optional simulated 7-speed manual-mode with paddle shifters adds greatly to satisfactory response. With the CVT in normal mode, an aggressive foot of the driver will get the occasional whine on heavy acceleration.

Jan, in a ride, mentioned noticeable improved comfort and support in the seatbacks over previous models. A sound-insulation windshield contributes to a quieter interior. The Impreza’s 20.8-cubic-foot cargo space at the rear expands to 55.3 with the rear seats folded.

The flat-four engine and CVT earned a relatively high EPA fuel-mileage estimate of 27/36 miles per gallon. My drives in the Impreza review model averaged out at 28.8 mpg. Fuel-tank capacity is 13.2 gallons.

The Impreza Sport’s base price of $22,495 was raised to sticker total of $27,060 with addition of four optional iitems – EyeSight Driver Assist with adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane-departure warnings and blind-spot detection; the CVT with manual mode; power moonroof;  Harmon Kardon radio.

Specifications for the ’17 Impreza include 105.1-inch wheelbase; 175.6-inch overall length; 20.8-cubic-foot cargo space at the rear; 3.183-pound curb weight.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, one of the oldest names in the automobile business, is on the lower end of sales numbers these days, yet retains strong loyalty from a devoted group of consumers.

Weighing in at almost 6,000 pounds and standing more than 6 feet tall, a black-clad 2017 model cast an imposing presence among other SUVs and pickups recently in the parking lot of the Pepper Pod restaurant at Hudson.

It provided Jan and me a nice, comfortable ride, fairly soft with an occasional bit of pitch and float. The Land Cruiser uses an independent double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar, and four-link rear suspension with coils, stabilizer bar and semifloating axle.

Regarding the Pepper Pod, I loved this eating place as a kid from Wray and Sterling for its pen of buffalo out back. In recent years, in our stops, I’ve enjoyed talking cars with Bill Schmidt, an employe there for 28 years. It seems he’s always there, and ready to talk of whatever new car I’ve driven or a recollection of a favorite car from his past. He’s actually worked that corner of town for 49 years, having started as a teenager at a Conoco station, then after 21 years walking next door for the waiter’s job at the Pod.

The new Land Cruiser is filled with innovation, from its 8-speed automatic transmission to its lane-departure alert/blind-spot monitor and to its navigation setup. A multiterrain monitor displays front, rear and side camera views on the navigation screen.

It remains, though, an old-style SUV, evidenced by the fact its third-row seats, rather than tumble into the floor, are folded up at each side of the rear cargo area, diminishing precious cargo space. As I looked at those folded-up seats pushed to the side kind of like jump seats in old Land Rovers, I expected maybe to see a pith helmet tossed to one side or the other.

The Land Cruiser, built in Aichi, Japan, is a solid performer with its 5.7-liter V-8 engine of 381 horsepower and 401 lb.-ft. of torque. Its EPA estimate is only 13 to 18 miles per gallon; my overall average was 15.3.

In offroading, move the 4WD dial to 4Lo and twist the crawl-mode control and it will slowly move over or around most any ground obstacle, even give an inclinometer (angles of slope) reading.

With its three rows of seats, the Land Cruiser is considered an eight-passenger vehicle.

It’s pricey; the sticker on the new one I drove is $86,722.

Twenty years ago, the Land Cruiser sold 12,000 to 15,000 vehicles per year in the U.S. Ten years later, the sales figure had dropped into the 3,000 range and has hovered around that since. Last year, the total was 3,705, a slight increase from 2015.

A couple Jeeps I’ve driven are the new Trailhawk edition of the Renegade and the Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock 4X4.

Addition of the tough Trailhawk edition is big news for the small Jeep Renegade 4X4 for the 2017 model year.

The subcompact Renegade, which comes off a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles assembly line in Melfi, Italy, is in its third year of production.

Operating with a 180-horsepower, 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 9-speed automatic transmission, the Trailhawk features four-wheel-drive terrain settings of automatic, snow, sand, mud and rock.

The snow mode slowed wheel spin and maximized traction as I drove the Renegade on a snowy day. The rock mode delivers low-range effects in a crawl speed.

Sitting up high, the operator finds the Jeep’s an easy drive with the automatic tranny and the ease of a dial twist to select proper terrain set. We used it on the country route of “Colorado Boulevard” from Johnstown to Cabela’s off I-25 at 144^th Avenue on snow and wet roads. I had to work the engine fairly hard amid some loud complaining  from underhood to maintain 75-miles-per-hour speed on the return trip on I-25. Overall fuel mileage was 23.8 miles per gallon.

Someone asked how it rode. “A better ride than Jeeps provided some years back,” I responded; don’t interpret that as necessarily “smooth.” Seating is good. The review model featured red tow hooks both in front and back.

The Renegade Trailhawk carried a sticker price of $32,085, including 6.5-inch touchscreen for navigation, audio, backup camera.

The hypergreen color of the 2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock 4X4 took some getting used to for me; however, 90 percent of those I asked about the color found it favorable.

Color aside, I drive a Wrangler almost every year; it is one of my favorites with its short turn circle and go-anywhere grip.

The two-door Wrangler’s 95.4-inch wheelbase, short overhangs and tight turn radius lend offroad opportunities in most any type terrain. It has prominent rock rails along the sides. It has a 25-inch step-in height, with no step rails.

In a throwback to Jeep style, a shift lever is still used for engaging four-wheel drive and four-wheel low range – no electronic switch.

A 284-horsepower, 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission delivered strong performance, and averaged 17.1 miles per gallon. The Jeep rides on B.F. Goodrich Mud-Terrain TA 255/75R17 tires.

Removable roof panels give way with the release of four levers overhead. In the back, where a big subwoofer is mounted into the cargo floor, is a bag with a 30-foot tow strap and a pair of “winching gloves.”

A long list of optional items boosted price of the Wrangler from  base of $33,645 to sticker of $43,325. The rock rails, steel bumpers, red tow hooks, Alpine audio, Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth, heated front leather seats and leather-wrapped shift knob accounted for $4,500 of the price rise.

The Jeep Wrangler is built in Toledo, Ohio.