The only “untouchable” during last month’s testing of 40 new cars and trucks at Devil’s Thumb Ranch near Tabernash was a red, sleek-looking though rather ruggedly trimmed Volkswagen called the Alltrack.

It was locked tight; all I could do was walk around it. It hadn’t yet gone on sale and there would be no drives in it, VW officials said.

So I suggested to Darryll Harrison Jr., a manager/spokesperson for VW of America, “You drive and I’ll ride.” But he said, “Sorry, not permitted.”

Well, the new wagon has arrived in Denver, and I’m driving it. This one is finished in platinum gray metallic.

A member of the Golf family, all the Alltracks are equipped with 4Motion all-wheel drive. They’re upgraded from the Golf SportWagen. The Alltrack boasts an inch more ground clearance, has wheel arch moldings and sturdier bumpers.

Volkswagen has aimed it at the Subaru Outback wagon, though the Alltrack measures up more closely with the smaller Subaru Crosstrek.

The Alltrack is 9 inches shorter and 350 pounds lighter than the Outback. Its turbocharged 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine (170 horsepower, 199 lb.-ft. of torque) and 6-speed automatic transmission outperforms the Subaru’s boxer-4 (175-hp, 174 torque) and continuously variable transmission. Both the VW and Subaru are excellent handlers; the Outback offers a smoother ride. The Outback’s EPA estimate is 25/32, the Alltrack’s 22/30.

Cargo space behind the second-row seat is 30.4 cubic feet in the Alltrack; the Outback is 35 and the Subaru Crosstrek 22.

Loaded up with drive-mode selection, navigation/audio touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, rearview camera, adaptive cruise and park-distance control, the Alltrack’s listed sticker price is $32,195.

A comparison of the Alltrack with the Subaru comes fairly fresh, for it was only a couple weeks ago I was driving the 2017 Outback. With four days to closing of U.S. 34 for winter repairs in Big Thompson Canyon, Jan and I on Thursday, Oct. 13, drove the Subaru Outback 2.5i Touring wagon up into the canyon.

Departing the highway at Drake, we appreciated the smooth new Devil’s Gulch Road to Glen Haven, one of my favorite destinations in northern Colorado.

At the Glen Haven General Store, we shared one of Steve and Becky Childs’ homemade cinnamon rolls.

The new Outback attracted keen interest from Steve Childs; he owns two Subarus – a 1986 Brat and 2009 Legacy, and says his sons are “Subaru fanatics.” He was quite taken with the wagon’s java brown leather-trimmed seats.

This is the 36^th year the Childs have owned and operated the general store. Closing of the highway Oct. 17 fit their timing, as they had scheduled closing of the store for the winter last Saturday, Oct. 22 (to reopen in mid-May).

The Outback was equipped with the 175-hp boxer-4 engine and Subaru’s CVT transmission. More power is available with a 3.6-liter, 6-cylinder, though its price premium of several thousand dollars lends support to my opting for the 4-cylinder, the Outback’s strongest seller.

The “4,” noted for its smoothness, is not overly powerful. It worked hard on a couple of sharp switchbacks on the climb from Glen Haven to Estes Park. In less strenuous maneuvering, though, shift it into manual mode, engage the paddle shifters and the rpm will rise and deliver more adequate performance locked in a low gear setting.

I remember the first Outback, introduced in 1995 as a variant of the Legacy wagon. Wagons were going nowhere at that time. The Outback, though, with its boxer engines and sturdy all-wheel-drive structure and heavy side cladding, endured among a rush of SUVs and more modern crossovers, and found favor with lots of outdoors persons.

It caught on “big time,” as its all-wheel drive conquered our state’s rugged terrain and inclement weather.

As hot as Subaru is in Colorado today, its products are more lukewarm in much of the U.S. Besides Colorado, its pockets of especially strong sales success are New York, Pennsylvania and the New England states; Washington, Oregon and northern California.

The ’17 Outback Touring model carried a sticker price of $36,870, including navigation, audio/Bluetooth, rearview camera, power rear gate with height memory, heated front and rear seats and moonroof.

Two weeks prior to driving the all-new Alltrack, Volkswagen delivered to me a 2016 Golf R four-door, finished in tornado red.

The R hatchback and the Alltrack bring to six the number of Golf models I’ve driven in the past two years. “Meine gute.”

I’m not complaining, though. In fact, the Golf R is a blast to drive with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine churning out 292 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission, with 4Motion all-wheel-drive, kept the revs high and, with ease of downshifting, the corners tight. Its performance sharpens considerably in race mode, which disengages traction control.

The R carries a decent 22/31 fuel-mileage estimate, and my maneuvers resulted in an average of 23.5

Built in Wolfsburg, Germany, the Golf R showed a sticker price of $36,470, including black leather interior, app-connect smartphone, rearview camera, 6.5-inch touchscreen navigation and audio with Bluetooth, push-button start, heated front sport seats, rain-sensing wipers with heated nozzles and head-impact airbags.

It rides on Bridgestone 225/40R18 tires and fancy spoked wheels.

I recorded an amazing 40.1 miles per gallon on a run to Fort Morgan and back from the newest car on the market – the 2017 Jaguar XE sport sedan.

This one is a smaller Jag, with rear-drive chassis and power from a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine and 8-speed automatic transmission.

With its drive control in dynamic mode, the XE proves a good handler and shows quickness and smoothness in acceleration.

The XE also comes with a V-6 gasoline engine and all-wheel drive, which surely would have been better-suited to a Colorado test as we head into the winter and its weather perils.

The sales of light-duty diesels in the U.S. have fallen sharply among the car category.

Blame German car builder Volkswagen for that. It’s been just a year since VW admitted to the EPA regulators that it installed illegal defeat devices in nearly 500,000 2.0-liter diesel engines to fool U.S. emissions tests. VW/Audi dominated sales of light-duty diesels at that time, holding approximately 35 percent of the market.

The uproar over the cheating scandal forced VW to halt sales of its high-fuel-mileage turbodiesels. VW has not resumed sales of diesels in the U.S. and has announced no timetable for doing so.

Barely more than 90,000 light-duty diesels have been sold thus far this year, compared with 150,000 by this time a year ago just before VW’s engines took the hit. Of the 90,000 sold through the end of August this year, seventy-five percent are credited to two truck-market models, the Ford Transit vans and the Ram 1500 pickup.

The Ram led sales of diesel-powered light vehicles in August, and for the first eight months of this year is locked in a very tight race with the Ford Transit diesel.

Ford Transit has sold 35,633 diesel units thus far, barely ahead of the Ram with 35,192.

Others of the top 10 diesel sellers lag far behind – Chevrolet Colorado 4,713; Jeep Grand Cherokee 2,716; Range Rover Sport 2,173; GMC Canyon 2,106; Range Rover 1,789; BMW X5 1,578; BMW 3-series 1,140, and Mercedes-Benz GLE-class 878.

By falling into a price-leader role for Jaguar, the new XE has jumped ahead of the firm’s other cars, the XF, XJ and XK and the F-Type. Introduced with the XE several months ago is Jaguar’s first-ever SUV, the F-Pace, and it is outselling everything made by the British company.

Most of the XE’s sold are those equipped with the gas engines and, in Colorado, most also are AWD versions.

The XE is built on a 111.6-inch wheelbase, with overall length of 183.9 inches, only an inch longer than a Honda Civic. Jaguar hasn’t introduced a model this small since 2001, when the X-Type front-wheel-drive sedan showed up. It was discontinued in 2009.

Interior finish in the new one is not on a par with Jaguar standards, but its sticker price of $43,895 may be the forgiving factor. Heated and cooled perforated seats are comfortable, and headroom and legroom are okay in the rear seating area, though shoulder space is tight. Accompanying Jan and me on the drive into Morgan County were Ruth Davis and Kim Parker.

A long trunk opens up 15.9 cubic feet of space. Beneath the trunk floor rests a temporary spare tire, painted bright orange, i.e. it will be used only for the briefest necessities.

An oddity: When the backup camera is in use while the car is in reverse, the volume for the audio system can’t be turned down or up.

EPA estimate for the Jag’s diesel setup is 32/42 mpg.

It’s a fun, sporty car to drive, even in normal or eco style, away from the dynamic mode. It has the rotary dial shifter, which Jaguar and Land Rover have relied upon for more than 10 years. The 4-cylinder turbodiesel generates 180 horsepower/318 torque and shift paddles lend control over the 8-speed tranny. The XE has automatic-bright headlamps, which shine high or lower, depending on oncoming traffic. It rides on Continental Pro Contact 225/45R18 tires.

Its $43k price tag covers navigation with a 10.2-inch touchscreen, Meridian surround sound, head-up display, electric rear sunblind, blind-spot monitor, front and rear parking aids, headlight powerwash, moonroof, heated steering wheel, and stop-start technology.

Here are the specifications for the 2017 Jaguar XE luxury sport sedan:

• Capacity 5-passenger four-door
• Wheelbase 111.6 inches
• Length 183.9 inches
• Width 77.4 inches
• Height 55.7 inches
• Curb Weight 3,320 pounds
• Track 62.8 inches front, 62.4 rear
• Ground Clearance 7.2 inches
• Turn Circle 38.4 feet
• Drivetrain Rear-wheel-drive
• Engine 2.0-liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder
• Horsepower/Torque 180/318
• Transmission 8-speed automatic
• Top Speed 120 mph
• Suspension Coil springs, stabilizer bars
• Fuel mileage estimate 32/42
• Fuel mileage average 38.1
• Fuel Tank 14.8 gallons, diesel
• Wheels 18-inch
• Tires Continental Pro Contact 225/45R18
• Cargo Volume 15.9 cubic feet
• Warranty 5 years/60,000 miles basic, 5/6,000 powertrain

Competitors BMW 3 series, Volvo S60 Cross Country, Mercedes-Benz C Class, Lexus E350

Assembly Plant Solihull, England

Parts Content U.S./Canadian 0%, Germany 50%, United Kingdom 43%

Base Price of Lowest Model $36,200; Base Price of Review Model $42,900; Destination Charge $995; Sticker Price $43,895.

Only a year deep into its presence among the subcompact crossover market, the 2017 Mazda CX-3 is carving out a more sizable chunk of business in the growing category.

Sales for subcompact crossovers are hot, increasing nearly 40 percent thus far this year over last.

Some call the CX-3 the brightest of the bunch in the glowing market; others insist Mazda must, in order to gain that rating, add a turbocharger beneath its hood.

The CX-3 isn’t as tough-looking as the Jeep Renegade and perhaps not as good-looking as the Honda HR-V.

It’s stylish, though, in its own right; from a blunt-nose front, the CX-3’s lines flow smoothly all the way back to sweeping taillights and dual exhausts. “Sinewy” is the word used by Mazda to describe its exterior design. It rivals, at least to a degree, the Honda as “best looking.”

If its style doesn’t grab you, its lustre may. The review model I drove was finished in bright dynamic blue mica.

Others in the subcompact field, besides Mazda, Jeep and Honda, are Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X, Mini Cooper Countryman, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Nissan Juke and Subaru Crosstrek.

Though of somewhat sluggish performance on occasion, the CX-3 Grand Touring edition I drove was impressive in handling, with excellent balance, and high in fuel mileage. Its EPA fuel estimate is 27/32 and it averaged 29.3 mpg for my travels. Fuel-tank capacity is only 11.9 gallons.

The CX-3’s SkyActiv 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine is of 146 horsepower and torque and is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. It is built in Hiroshima, Japan. Power is modest, though the use of Sport mode and paddle shifters provide a bit of a boost and quickness in performance. Low-end performance is more than adequate; midrange is only average.

Suspension consists of front struts and rear multilink. The Mazda rides on Yokohama P215/50R18 tires. Its turning circle is slightly over 34 feet.

Enhancing a busy, colorful interior is a padded white leather strip across the front of the dash, somewhat similar to that of the Toyota RAV4. The seats are well-cushioned; contrasting their perforated white leather are black suede inserts and red stitching. Doors and console finished in black are trimmed with red leather. Rear seats are limited in legroom, though headroom is plenty.

There are two misplaced cupholders, one behind the other beneath the front-seat armrest at the rear of the center console. To access the cupholders, the armrest must be raised to an unusable straight-up position. Door pockets can be used to hold some drinks.

The Mazda falls short of others in cargo space, only 10.1 cubic feet behind the second row of seats. That increases to 42.3 feet with the second row folded.

A sticker price of $28,510 seemed reasonable for the CX-3. Included was an ActivSense package of radar cruise control, smart brake support, variable rain-sensing wipers, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and high-beam control. Also included were navigation and Bose audio, rearview camera, moonroof, heated front seats and automatic climate control.

Sticker prices on other subcompact crossovers I’ve driven have ranged from: $25,230 for a Chevrolet Trax and $25,300 for a Fiat 500X, both front-wheel-drive models, and $26,140 for a Subaru Crosstrek AWD to $30,075 for a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk AWD and $32,230 for a Buick Encore AWD.

So the Mazda CX-3’s $28.5K price falls right in the middle. It is the smallest of all the competitors, weighing in at 2,960 pounds, with wheelbase of 101.2 inches, overall length 168.3, width 69.6 and it stands 60.9 inches tall.

The lengthy Poudre Canyon drive all the way to Gould, then north a bit, was the test track recently for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS550 4Matic.

Aspen leaves along the way were turning yellow and gold and orange; too early, though, to throw snow at the refreshed all-wheel-drive beauty. GLS is new name for Mercedes, replacing GL from previous years.

Destination was Bill Allen’s elk-hunting camp, where we loaded up Kathy Allen and bags and boxes for the return trip to Greeley. Bill Allen remained on the hunt through the week.

The Mercedes may be the best of the big guys of sport utility vehicles. The short, though impressive, list of full-size luxury SUVs with three rows include, besides the GLS, the Audi Q7, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Lexus LX570, Lincoln Navigator and the combination of Range Rover/Land Rover LR4/Range Rover Sport.

The GLS550’s climbs are effortless with the twin-turboed V-8 and 9-speed automatic. The 4.7-liter biturbo kicks out 449 horsepower (an increase of 20 from last year) and 516 pound-feet of torque – plenty of performance and all-wheel-drive, too. The new 9G-Tronic transmission kept rpm relatively low in most driving situations.

The climb to the top of Cameron Pass was done mostly in the Comfort driving mode, which is the default mode. For the long descent return, I opted for the more spirited Sport mode, including use of paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

That was the most effective use, exemplary I’d say, of the GLS’s electronic stability control/curve control/lane-keeping assist of any I’ve driven through the mountain country. Heading into several sharp curves with the cruise set at 50 to 60 miles per hour, the control system instantaneously braked and slowed the SUV’s speed by 10 mph while assisting the steering effort (guarding against understeer) either right or left, as the curves dictated.

Up to 12.5 inches of ground clearance is possible with the GLS’s retuned Airmatic air suspension.

Diamond-quilted Nappa leather seats are heated and cooled in the front row and heated in the second row. Third-row seating is among the roomiest and most comfortable of any in the full-size category. With all three rows of seats in place, rear cargo space measures 16 cubic feet; power-fold the third row and that expands to 49 feet. Narrow running boards on either side of the long vehicle are positioned so tight to the body underside as to leave little usable foot-step room atop the board.

A $5,400 Bang & Olufsen audio system, including 14 speakers and use of acoustic lens technology at each of the A pillars, enhanced the cabin. While enjoying the surround sound, the driver may chill or warm the cupholder and its drink.

The Mercedes’ overall  length of 201.6 inches is 1 ½ inches longer than the Audi Q7; it stands 6-feet high and weighs in at 5,300 pounds.

Newest feature on the amenity-laden GLS is a Remote Parking Pilot, an app when downloaded onto the owner’s smartphone permits the driver to exit the vehicle, and with use of the smartphone guide it without driver into or out of a tight parking space.

All this dressing pushed sticker price of the Mercedes to $110,565, from a base price of $93,850.

The 2017 F-Pace showed up at my place recently; it’s Jaguar’s first-ever SUV.

To drive it was exciting, and the experience reinforced my belief that Jaguar’s planners from the United Kingdom in recent years have focused in on our relatively small state of Colorado.

For years, those imported, rear-drive Jag sedans were slush-sliders when it came to winter time in the Rockies, then three years ago, lo and behold, Jaguar surprised the automotive world by unveiling all-wheel-drive systems for the XJ and XF sedans.

In warmups to that 2013 unveiling in New York, David Pryor, Jag’s director of marketing, called us, seeking assurance that luxury car drivers from Colorado would be made aware of the new player in four-wheel circles. Of course he called, for Colorado leads the nation in demand for all-wheel-drive equipped luxury sedans; New York is second.

“A dealer you know, Jack TerHar, was among those who had pushed us for some time to develop all-wheel drive for our large luxury sedans,” Pryor told me. And since then, Colorado’s three Jaguar dealerships – Sill-TerHar Motors in Broomfield, Stevinson Imports in Littleton, and Red Noland Auto Group in Colorado Springs – have benefited from AWD sedans in their showrooms.

The British focused once again on Colorado this summer, choosing luxurious Aspen for a national unveiling of the new F-Pace and the XE compact sports sedan. The introduction of those two expands Jaguar’s lineup to five models for the first time in its 80-year history.

As I crawled into the driver’s side of the new F-Pace last week, the spaciousness claimed in promotional material from Jaguar didn’t seem to measure up. It was a bit tight. It reminded me that the F-Pace is a luxury compact, not a midsizer or full-sizer. For other qualities, the F-Pace will compete very adequately with such outstanding luxury compacts as the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Porsche Macan.

Within only a few miles from my driveway, I realized what an excellent performer the UK engineers have put together. The F-Pace sounds like a sports car, it drives like a sports car.

The performance comes from a 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 engine tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission with dial shifter. In routine driving, engine torque is sent to the rear axle; for greater traction, particularly in inclement weather, torque is routed to all four wheels in its AWD system. “The F-Pace is an all-weather Jaguar sports car, life-proofed for five people and their belongings,” said Ian Callum, director of design for Jaguar. Dynamic, normal and eco modes lend throttle response and shifting characteristics to the likes of the driver.

The F-Pace rides on a relatively long 113-inch wheelbase. Its cargo space of 33.5 cubic feet is among the roomiest in the luxury compact class, and its tailgate can be automatically opened by swinging a foot beneath the rear of the vehicle.

Soft leather seating, heated and cooled in front and heated in the rear, and a large sunroof are interior highlights. The rear seats recline electrically. Confusing on first drive are memory driver seat controls positioned where power window switches normally are placed (the window switches are far forward on the window sill). Open a front door after dark and on the ground below is cast a circle of light with Jaguar emblem.

Overall fuel-mileage average was 22.2; the F-Pace EPA estimate is only 18/23.

The Jaguar F-Pace Prestige model carried a base price of $50,100 and increased to $56,195 with addition of automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot monitor, the heated and cooled seats and satellite radio.

Among standard equipment are rearview camera, heated steering wheel, stop/start system, navigation and Continental CrossContract Sport 255/55R19 tires.

The F-Pace is built in Soliihull, England.

A 9-speed automatic transmission headed a long list of standard equipment on a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring minivan driven recently. Tied to a 287-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine, the Pacifica carried an EPA estimate of 18/28 miles per gallon.

The Pacifica showed up reasonably priced at $33,475. Its only options included eight-passenger seating, power liftgate and blind spot/cross path detection.

The Pacifica, introduced three months ago to replace the long-popular Town & Country minivan, is gaining sales enough to keep Chrysler/Dodge vans atop the sales category.

As crossovers continue to grow in market strength, some feared minivans might be phased out. “Not so,” said Rick Deneau of FiatChryslerAutomobiles. . “We are seeking a fresh approach with a new name with the Pacifica to maintain our market share domination.”

Of 313,556 minivans sold thus far this year by Honda, Toyota and Chrysler/Dodge, 50.2 percent have carried the Chrysler/Dodge emblems. Dodge Grand Caravan has sold 84,140, Toyota Sienna 79,959, Honda Odyssey 75,889, Chrysler Town & Country 54,826 and Chrysler Pacifica (introduced three months ago) 18,742.

The Pacifica is longer and taller than the Town & Country and its track is 68.3 inches, compared with 65.6 for the T&C. A rotarydial shifter has replaced the dash-placed shifter of the past. As for step-in height into the middle-seating area, the Pacifica is of lower step-in than the Toyota Sienna by an inch or a bit more.

Kids, with the push of a button, can trigger the sliding side doors of the Pacifica, and the van offers a vacuum in a rear corner which, with its hose, can reach all areas of the interior.

This is my second drive the new minivan. We drove 1,300 miles five months ago toNewport Beach, Calif., at the luxurious Pelican Hill Resort for unveiling of the Pacifica. While there, we were given opportunity to drive the van from San Diego to Newport Beach.

Heading north on I-25 in the 2017 Mazda CX-9 last Saturday afternoon, with Kim Parker of Greeley and Keith Brumley of Eaton in the rear passenger seats and Jan, of course, riding shotgun, I slowed and parked to the side of the highway with other motorists and waited out a light-hailstorm.

It would be a shame to dimple this newly restyled CX-9. From its rounded back end with sharply sloped rear window to its big hood up front, it is a showpiece among full-size crossovers; well, showpiece, that is, except for, ahem, its big nose. The trapezoidal grillepiece juts out some 4 inches from the Mazda’s front; some describe it as “shark-like,” others as “hawk-like.”

The roomy CX-9, regardless of its schnoz, offers comfort aplenty with its three rows of seating; it has been a favorite of mine. My first drive of one was in its launch year, 2007, on a cold, icy New Year’s Eve and I was impressed with the grip of its all-wheel-drive system.

Saturday’s drive in the ’16 model was as far as the Colorado/Wyoming line, where we turned in to the Terry Bison Ranch, joining Brent and Tina Wells of Windsor, Bill and Kathy Allen of Greeley, Dale and Sandy Wells of Johnstown and Kurt and Tammy Wells of Littleton for an evening dinner.

Rattlesnake Jake Martin, the honky-tonk piano player inside the Senator’s Steakhouse liked that we were from the Greeley area, talking of years ago when he was a pen rider for the Farr Feedlots here.

Departing the Terry Bison Ranch Saturday night, we headed the CX-9 east to U.S. 85, and the nighttime drive on a two-lane road provided a busy on-off test for the Mazda’s automatic high-beam control, in which the lighting remained on bright until dimmed by oncoming traffic.

The headlight feature was one of many upgrades which the Signature all-wheel-drive model provided the CX-9, such as auburn-colored Nappa leather seats with aluminum and rosewood interior trim, second-row seats that would slide fore and aft and recline, 8-inch color display for navigation and Bose audio with Bluetooth, rearview camera, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist. Sticker price was $44,915.

V-6 power is no longer offered for the CX-9; the 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with 6-speed automatic transmission in sport mode pushed the 4,300-pound crossover along with satisfactory low-end and midrange torque. The 4-cylinder is unusually quiet and smooth at idle. The little engine develops 227 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque with use of regular octane gas, while horsepower increases to 250 with a tankful of premium fuel. The Mazda rides on Falken P255/50R20 tires.

Overall fuel mileage of 23.9 was right in the middle of the CX-9’s EPA estimate of 21/27.

The CX-9’s third row of seats is comfortable and usable. Cargo space behind, though, is only 17 cubic feet. Flatten the third row and that expands to 48.3 cubic feet.

The Mazda CX-9 competes with the Chevy Traverse, Ford Flex, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.