Its acceleration, perhaps, is the smoothest of anything I’ve driven, ever. And the quietness ranks right up there, too.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 all-electric luxury sedan, with air-spring suspension, uses rear-steering at low speeds in which the rear wheels turn up to 10 degrees in opposition of the fronts, cutting the turning radius from 42 feet to just under 36.

It is the most aerodynamic production car in the world with drag coefficient of 0.20.

The EQS is noticeably lengthy, 207.3 inches overall on a wheelbase of 126.4 inches, same as the new S Class four-door with internal-combustion engine.

The EQS450 rides atop a 107.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack; driving its rear wheels is a single electric motor of 245 kW producing 419 lb.-ft. of torque and 329 horsepower. Transmission is direct-drive single-speed. Its estimated driving range is 350 miles.

For a comparative measure with the Ford Mustang Mach-e GT I drove last month, the Mercedes is 21 inches longer in overall length, with a 9-inch-longer wheelbase and curb weight of 5,700 pounds (700 more).

Sticker price on the rear-drive EQS450 is $122,100; for about $20,000 more the EQS580 will offer all-wheel-drive capability and an electric motor at each axle for an amazing performance from 516 horsepower and 631 torque.

The smooth operation of the EQS450 suited me just fine, and its soft leather and wood trim interior, with soft-pillow headrests and three large info screens across the 56-inch-wide glass-covered dashboard were superb.

With the help of Dylan Blanton and Brenden Broyles at Greeley Nissan and its ChargePoint connector, the Mercedes battery was charged with 291 miles by the time we left for a drive northeast to Sterling.

We enjoyed a birthday lunch with my sister, Norma Wagner and Dave, and a birthday dinner that evening with Jan’s cousin, Don Carey and Audrey, at Hot Spot Smokehouse. Sterling is 100 miles northeast of Greeley, double that with the return drive and add some miles driven about town; on our completion we had 70 miles remaining on the Mercedes battery, so used 221 miles, which is approximately the amount of miles driven. Regenerative braking and descent of altitude brought savings of miles on the trip down, but that gain was erased by some climb and use of headlights on the return.

Mercedes information says with DC Fast Charging, the battery can be recharged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 31 minutes, and that charging with a 240-volt connection takes a little more than 11 hours. I added 90 miles to the EQS in a 24-hour charge from a regular 120-volt outlet at home.

A fixed hood covers a cabin air filter and other items. Since there is no opening, a small cup swings out from the driver-side fender as a receptacle for pouring fluid into the windshield-washer reservoir.

The hyperscreen package, head-up display, black microfiber headliner, air control with fragrance, ambient lighting and other options raised the price from a base of $103,560 to the $122,000 mark. The EQS is built at Sindelfingen, Germany.

Ford, for more than 40 years the greatest seller of full-size pickup trucks, may be building success with its newly introduced light-size entry.

I’m referring to the 2022 Ford Maverick small pickup, for which Ford said retail orders throughFebruary are already equal to its full-year’s production expectations, and that it has stopped accepting more orders. Order-taking for the little pickup will resume in August, when production begins on the 2023 Maverick at the Ford Hermosillo plant in Mexico.

The Maverick is built on a front-wheel-drive-based unibody platform shared between the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport. It is almost a foot shorter and 500 pounds lighter than the Ford Ranger compact and reminds some of the mini-pickups of the 1980s and ‘90s, though is much more technically advanced. Those minis included Chevy Luv, Datsun, Dodge D-50, Ford Courier, Isuzu P’up, Mitsubishi Mighty Max, Plymouth Arrow, Subaru Brat, Toyota, Volkswagen Rabbit.

I’ve been driving the ’22 Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid, a front-wheel-drive four-door, with a 191-horsepower gas/electric system including 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, an electric motor and continuously variable automatic transmission.

Jan and I took the Maverick for a pleasant afternoon drive of 56 miles, including 6.9 miles of electric charge. The overall fuel average was 40.1 miles per gallon. For an entire week of more than 250 miles driven, the average was 37.2. Its EPA estimate is 42 miles per gallon in city driving and 33 on the highway.

Here is a bit more of what you get for the $26,950 sticker price on the Maverick XLT FWD: cruise control, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, alloy wheels, full-size spare, body-color door handles and Ford Co-Pilot360 of blind-spot info with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, driver alert, manual-sliding rear window and manual-folding sideview mirrors.

Its pickup bed is 52-inch by 58-inch and can handle 4-by-8 sheets of plywood when they’re slid in on top of the wheel wells. The lightweight tailgate can be adjusted to multi-positions. Without the XLT Luxury Package, the Maverick Hybrid XL beginning price is $21,490.

The hybrid performance is very smooth and plenty gutsy in town, though of milder response on the highway, with some engine drone occurring under heavy acceleration while climbing.

In addition to the hybrid powertrain, the Maverick can be purchased with an optional 250-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, in either front-wheel or all-wheel-drive configuration. EPA ratings for the gas-only version are 23/30 for the FWD and 22/29 for the AWD.

The name selected for the new pickup is somewhat of a head-scratcher. Maverick was used by Ford to identify a 1970-77 compact sedan, which was of no great significance in sales or reputation of that era.

A flaw for me when stepping into the driver’s-side floor area with the seat fully back, the end of track for the power-seat slide is rough on an ankle.

On a wheelbase of 121.1 inches, the Maverick is 199.2 inches in overall length, with curb weight of 3,674 pounds. With a fuel tank of 13.8 gallons, the range for the Maverick Hybrid is more than 500 miles.

The GT version of the Ford Mustang Mach-e all-electric SUV hatchback, more advanced than the basic model I drove 14 months ago, came my way in February.

“Acceleration is absolutely amazing,” I’ve said over and over since ending my weeklong drive in the new all-wheel-drive model.

So quick, so quiet. In kickdown mode, I miss the sound of the engine revving, as it would in an auto powered by an internal-combustion engine. Ford, anticipating some fallout from the quietness, allows the Mach-e operator to engage augmented engine noise by pumping artificial exhaust notes into the Mustang’s cabin.

It performs with two electric motors, one for each axle, an 88kWh lithium ion battery pack and a one-speed automatic transmission. Combined horsepower is 458, with torque of 612 lb.-ft.

The Mach-e GT handled well and tracked perfectly after a 4-inch snowfall Thursday morning of last week on a drive to Eaton, where we attended funeral services for a friend, Les Brumley, 88, at the Evangelical Free Church. Jan and daughter Kim Parker rode with me. By the time we returned home, we’d driven 38 miles and used 52 miles off the range of the battery pack. Temperature of 25 degrees on the drive out there probably stole some of the lost miles.

In that first Mustang electric in late December 2020, we also drove to the Evangelical Free Church in Eaton, that time for the funeral of Keith Brumley, a son of Les. Keith, who helped plan a couple flooring projects in our home, died unexpectedly. Naomi, Keith’s mother and Les’ wife, survives.

Saturday morning, needing a recharge of the GT’s battery pack, we failed to connect on three tries at an EVgo station in Greeley, then drove to Greeley Nissan, where sales consultant Brenden Broyles connected the Ford to the dealership’s charger. During an hour’s wait to bring the range of the battery to almost 80 percent (170) miles, I enjoyed a visit with Chad Shoeman, general manager for the store. He is looking forward to arrival of a new Nissan electric, the Ariya.

I then drove the Mach-e to Loveland, on into the Big Thompson Canyon to Drake, over the Devil’s Gulch Road to Estes Park. The return drive down Big Thompson Canyon, aided by the rather steep descent and regenerative braking, added 18 miles to the range.

Near the end of my drive time, a gauge of “where did my energy go,” showed this percentage breakdown for the battery pack: Climate/heater 8%, driving 83%, accessories/audio 4%, external temperature 5%.

BlueCruise, part of an updated Co-Pilot 360 safety system featured on the GT, handles steering, braking and acceleration for the driver. It also makes possible hands-free driving, which I used on a number of curves of varied sharpness

With the added power, range and features, the Mach-e GT carried sticker price of $63,885, while the earlier one was $51,200. Purchasers are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $7,500. My effective range with the Mach-e GT was mostly in the 210 to 215 miles, lowered some by the extreme cold

Production began in January for the third-generation, 2022 Toyota Tundra, fully redesigned with interior appeal, and company officials anticipate the first real sales climb in 15 years for the full-sized pickup.

The Tundra’s platform has been expanded into a fully-boxed frame, its rear leaf springs have been traded in for better-riding coils, and its 5.7-liter V-8 engine has been dropped in favor of a turbocharged V-6 or a second choice – a more powerful hybrid V-6.

With opportunity last week for testing the 389-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission (replacing a 6-speed) in deep snow and cold, I was impressed with good 4X4 performance, improved ride and enjoyed the front-view camera as a big help in offroading through brush and over uneven terrain, and particularly helpful in a weedy, narrow turnaround space.

It was the Tundra Limited Crewmax, the four-door crew cab, with the TRD Off-Road package. A shorter extended cab is known as Double Cab. Toyota does not offer a two-door regular cab. The bed in the review-model pickup is 5-foot-6; other bed lengths are 6-foot-6 and 8-feet.

With its 3.5-liter i-Force Max twin-turbo V-6 hybrid of 437 hp/583 lb.-ft. torque, the Tundra is rated at 12,000 pounds of tow capacity and max payload of 1,940 pounds.

Maximum tow ratings for other light-duty competition are 14,000 pounds for Ford F-150 PowerBoost V-6 hybrid of 430 hp; 13,300 pounds for Chevy Silverado 6.2-liter V-8 of 420 hp; 12,750 pounds for Ram 5.7 V-8 with 48-volt eTorque mild hybrid of 395 hp. Ford, Chevy, Ram also carry higher payloads than the Tundra.

The Tundra’s structural design has been well-accepted, though complaints have been sounded about the large, relatively flat front end and grille.

For all the success of the highly regarded Tacoma compact pickup, Toyota has never gained anywhere near the same wide sales reception with its full-size Tundra. It seems to just nudge past 100,000 sales per year; in fact, last year’s total fell to only 81,000 in the face of serious chip shortage and continued pandemic.

A sharp jump in sales occurred in 2007, when 196,555 Tundras were sold; it slumped, though, with the recession of ’08 and has never approached that level of sales again.

Pushing the Tundra to the $60,000 price level was the TRD Off-Road package ($3,085), which included beefed-up suspension with Bilstein shocks, 20-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires, skid plates, mud guards, leather shift knob, aluminum sport pedals and electronically controlled locking rear differential.

Among other options are JBL 12-speaker premium audio for $565, rock rails for $625 and heated leather steering wheel for $150. The Tundra has upgraded its user-friendly infotainment system; voice commands will adjust a number of settings.

The Tundra is built in San Antonio.

The cold of winter takes a cut of range from the all-electric vehicles testing the market today.

In my experiences in driving fully electric vehicles in cold weather in recent years, the amount of miles lost to the weather are 10 to 15 percent. Other reviewers have estimated the loss of miles as high as 40 percent.

Most recently, the 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric Limited driven in the cold and on snowy roads gave up noticeable range.

That is, until an evening drive, with temps still around 35 to 38 degrees, no wind and all the snow and ice gone from major roadways, the Kona showed 232 miles of range still at its battery. Jan and I headed out of Greeley north on U.S. 85 to Lucerne, then made a right turn onto Colo. 392 for 28 miles to Briggsdale, took a left turn onto Colo. 14 to Ault, then south on U.S. 85 through Eaton, Lucerne and back to Greeley.

It was a nice, steady drive, somewhat light in amount of traffic. I accelerated heavily only three or four times when passing another motorist, and let the regenerative braking play its role of restorer of energy into the battery pack. The drive mode was in Comfort for the most part, though I used Eco (mildest) and Sport (liveliest) for short stretches.

We drove 78 miles, yet the range of the battery pack had been reduced by only 64 miles, a turnaround in performance from the week’s earlier cold and snow. The 64kWh battery pack modules are beneath the floor of the Kona and under the rear seat.

The ride was a bit rough in the little Kona with curb weight of 2,899 pounds and wind noise was in evidence. The subcompact SUV crossover is on a wheelbase of 102.4 inches and overall length of 165.6.

The battery pack supports a 150kW electric motor of 201 horsepower, with single-speed automatic transmission and push-button drive.

The ’22 Hyundai Kona Electric Limited carries a sticker price of $44,240. A cheaper version of the Kona electric is the SEL model, beginning at $35,185.

Among the many features of the Limited are 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with Harman Kardon audio, navigation, smart cruise, heated and ventilated front seats, leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-keeping assist.

Fortunate we were to be in possession of a 2021 Land Rover Discovery during one of our earlier January 2022 snowstorms. The Discovery R Dynamic S midsize model got around with no slipping in fairly deep snow and across icy intersections.

Released by the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association are sales in this state in 2021 by the various car makes, compared with totals from the previous year. Sales totals are of lesser significance, as far as comparison purposes are concerned, due to the Covid pandemic and chip shortages of both 2020 and ’21.

Land Rover’s sales in Colorado increased by 232 units in 2021; that ranked 20^th of 35 various makes. The British company makes no pretense about sales races – it builds a limited number of special offroad vehicles designed for when the going gets tough. Enough said.

Registration of new cars and trucks in Colorado for 2021 totaled 242,936, a 10 percent increase over the 220,921 in the year 2020.

Honda increased sales by 3,383 to edge Toyota’s gain of 3,335 and Tesla’s 3,009 for biggest jump by individual make. Others of the top 10 in numbers gains are Kia 2,693, BMW 1,745, Hyundai 1,407, GMC 1,257, Mazda 1,216, Lexus 713 and Volvo 669.

Among sales losses, Dodge took the biggest fall, 947 units; that result is no surprise after company decision was made to stop production of the Grand Caravan, the greatest-selling minivan of all time. Next in sales drops were Nissan with 469, Subaru with 435 and Infiniti with 317.

Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender are sales leaders for the Land Rover marque. Two sizes of the Discovery model are built, dividing sales between the midsizer we drove and a smaller compact, the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The larger Discovery R Dynamic is distinguished by a black contrast roof, electric third-row seats and a 355-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine in place of the standard 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder of 296-hp.

The powerful 6 is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive and Terrain Response for selectable driving and offroad modes.

The Dynamic package also adds 21-inch split-spoke wheels, ebony-grained leather seats and Meridian surround sound.

The Discovery standard is 14 inches longer in overall length than the Discovery Sport and shows curb weight of 5,140 pounds, considerably heavier than the Sport’s 4,035 pounds.

The price of the Land Rover Discovery R Dynamic S climbed from a base of $63,250 to sticker of $73,255 with the addition of heated steering wheel, heated electric memory front seats, head-up display, tow-hitch receiver and premium headlights. The Discovery is built in Nitra, Slovakia.

The Land Rover name was created in 1948 by the Rover Co. The Range Rover was introduced in 1970 and the company became a British Leyland subsidiary in 1978.

Two new, small pickups – the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick – are drawing attention in the automotive world.

The Maverick edged out the Santa Cruz for selection as North American Truck of the Year for 2022.

I spent much of a week aboard the Hyundai, impressed with its very firm and comfortably bolstered, leather-covered front seats, and I’ll soon be driving the Ford Maverick.

The Santa Cruz and Maverick are small, about a foot shorter than current compact pickups Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Honda Ridgeline.

Hyundai for a number of years has talked of a compact-sized pickup. Seeing it to fruition is supportive evidence the months and months of planning were well spent.

The 2022 Santa Cruz Limited four-door is 195.7 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 118.9 inches, with curb weight of 4,123 pounds. It’s a proportional beauty from the side – similar-sized hood at front and cargo bed at rear balancing the overhead of the cabin – all finished in phantom black. It is based on the Hyundai Tucson crossover platform.

Inside is generally roomy; somewhat limited rear-seat legroom. Flip-up rear seats reveal storage space beneath. A 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster features Bose premium audio, navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The review model is the Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited all-wheel-drive pickup with 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine of 281 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. Torque is 311 lb.-ft. and the turbo engine with AWD develops tow rating as high as 5,000 pounds. Tow capacity falls to 3,500 pounds with a base-engine 2.5 non-turbo of 191 horsepower.

In a Saturday morning drive for coffee at Panera off I-25 and 144^th Avenue, the Santa Cruz handled the snow fairly securely, though it slipped and slid a bit in town driving through the deep, slushy streets. Its lane-keep assist system was effective on a long stretch of fairly narrow roadway.

Among features are side-by-side circle speedometer and tachometer in the instrument panel which with left-turn signal engaged offer view in speedometer of what was to the left and rear of the vehicle, and the view is to the right in the tach circle when that turn is engaged. The camera eye is in the outer edge of the sideview mirrors.

The box at back is of very limited size, with an integrated tonneau cover. It measures about 4-foot by 4-foot. Built-in steps in bumper corners assist access. Drop the tailgate to access a small, lockable storage space beneath the bed floor.

The Santa Cruz Limited, with an estimated 19/27 fuel mileage, averaged 21.2 miles per gallon.

The Santa Cruz Limited test model carried a sticker price of $41,550; a more basic version, still with AWD, begins around $30,000. It is built in Montgomery, Ala.

The big Ford Raptor, an F150 SuperCrew finished in orange metallic hue, carried us into Nebraska all the way to Kearney, where we toured an impressive display of 200 classic automobiles.

The Kearney Classic Car Collection, a gift to the city 10 years ago, had fallen on hard times and faced closure until Sterling entrepreneur Alan E. Gentz and his VeriQuest Ltd. investment firm paid $1.2 million for the business and 150 cars and guided it back to business-as-usual standing. It was at Gentz’s invitation we made the drive to Kearney.

We joined Kurt, Tammy and Erik Wells for the weekend at their lakehouse at Jeffrey Reservoir, near Brady, Neb. Brady and Kearney are 78 miles apart on I-80.

Heavy winds hampered the truck’s efficiency; its 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive system delivered an average of only 14.2 miles per gallon in the 700 miles.

It stands tall, with running boards 18 inches off ground level, and shows 4,705 pounds of curb weight from its four doors and 5 ½-foot box at back.

Kearney city officials accepted the gift of the automobiles in 2011 from Bernie and Janice Taulborg. Little more than a year ago, Gentz’s daughter Mariah, who is pursuing her master’s degree at University of Nebraska Kearney, read of the city’s financial plight, called her father and said, “Dad, you should come here and take a look.” Which he did.

Shortly after acquiring the collection in a 501(c)3 purchase, Gentz and his wife, Julie, attended a car show at Rapid City, S.D., and won the show’s People’s Choice Award with a maroon-and-silver 1940 Packard convertible from Kearney.

The Packard is indicative of the quality of the large collection of cars. Three among many that caught my eye were a 1940 Ford Coupe, 1940 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible Sedan, 1930 Lincoln LeBaron Convertible Roadster.

Aiding the museum’s operation are a team of 50 volunteers; one is Jim Cudaback, former Nebraska state senator, who has ordered a 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in electric for himself. He asked my opinion of the car, and was pleased when I told him the Prime was my pick for SUV of the Year for 2020.

Gentz is seeking partner support for his VeriQuest investor group and the car museum, and may be texted at 303-619-8698 or emailed at [email protected].

The Raptor 37 Performance Package refers to its 37-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, tuned next-generation shocks with live technology. The Raptor carries a sharply elevated sticker price of $82,060.

My word, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was better, is now even better.

Carrying me out of year 2021 this week was the S580 4Matic Sedan, a bit bigger at 208 inches in overall length and curb weight of 5,290 pounds.

It’s the smoothest and most comfortable drive for me in several years. Still, a couple BMW models probably outshine it in twisting tight corners and sprinting up and down mountainous terrain.

I don’t include the higher-priced luxuries in selection of favorite car, truck and SUV, so let’s tag it with “dream car” honors.

My choices for favorite car, truck and SUV of 2021 are the Mazda3 hatchback with added turbocharging  and all-wheel drive among cars, the 2022 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X compact pickup for trucks and the ’22 Genesis GV70 AWD in the SUV class. For the Frontier, it is the first major redesign in 17 years.

Walk up to the new Mercedes S580 with key in pocket, the door handles pop outward for easy grip, the seat is specially cushioned with quilted leather, swing the sedan around a corner to the right and the left bolster in the seatback presses against the driver’s ribs to deny any seat slide.

The 496-horsepower, 516 lb.-ft. torque, 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 engine is mated to 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive with an EQ 48-volt boost of 21 horses. It attains highway fuel economy in the 25-mpg range.

Running the base price from $116,300 to $140,130 are Burmester sound ($6,700), warmth and comfort package with heated nappa leather steering wheel, technology package and others.

Among other highlights for 2021: 

Hello – Two well-designed, all-electric models, the Ford Mustang Mach-e and the Volkswagen ID.4, which I drove early in 2021.

Goodbye – The near-indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser, which is being discontinued after 60 years of tough, offroad service. In recent years, it had become very pricey; the last one I drove was a bit over $90 grand.

Cheapest – The little Nissan Kicks SR, a Japanese-based subcompact crossover assembled in Aquascalientes, Mexico, at $26,730. The Kicks averaged 32.3 mpg.

Priciest – The McLaren 720S Spider, with 710 horsepower and top speed of 212, at $362,960. The only higher-priced one I’ve driven was a year earlier, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan just under $400,000.

Most fun – That same McLaren, with its dihedral synchro-helix doors that rotate 90-degrees by sweeping outwards and upwards at the hinge. I laughed at myself more than once in exiting the vehicle. The low-slung convertible sits only 47 inches in height, and with the big door raised overhead, the task requires a rollout or slideout.

Even Jeep – The electrification circuit has reached Jeep, which unveiled its Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4XE plug-in electric. The Grand Cherokee is expected to also add a plug-in to its lineup early in 2022.

How many cylinders? – A 1.3-liter engine with only three cylinders powered us in a Chevy Trailblazer to Jeffrey Lake near Brady, Neb., for a weekend of fun, averaging 27.3 mpg for the drive there and back. It is built in South Korea.

Jan’s favorite – Honda Accord Hybrid.

Best greeting – Happy New Year!