Entries into the midsize truck market by Ford and Jeep were “big” draws at the 2019 Denver Auto Show, which ended a five-day run in late March at the Colorado Convention Center.

Ford drew its share of attention at the opening of the show, first for what was there – the resurrected Ford Ranger – and, also, for what wasn’t there – the Mustang Bullitt. Jeep unveiled the 2020 Gladiator, its first pickup since the Comanche went away in 1992.

The Ranger, with larger dimensions and roomier interior, is back after an absence of seven years, and along with the Gladiator will take aim at hot-selling rivals Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado, as well as the GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier.

The Ford Mustang Bullitt, at the Gala Tuesday night kicking off the car show, was named Car of the Year in voting by members of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. The Ram 1500 was chosen Truck of the Year and Subaru Ascent is SUV of the Year.

Thirty minutes following those awards, presented by RMAP president Craig Conover, Leonard Kanonik was the first of many mentioning to me that the large Ford display didn’t include a Bullitt.

Crowds poured into the convention center hall Wednesday evening at the official opening of the show. Up front at the showroom floor were Toyota and Chevrolet displays; the Toyota lineup included its first-to-the-U.S., all-wheel-drive capable Prius Hybrid AWD-e.

To earn Car of the Year honors, the ’19 Bullitt was picked ahead of the ’19 Volkswagen Jetta, ’18 Mazda6 Signature and ’18 BMW M5. The ’19 Ram outpolled the ’18 Ford F-150 Raptor and GMC Sierra AT4 as Truck of the Year; the ’19 Ascent was chosen as top SUV over the Volkswagen Atlas, Nissan Rogue SL and Chevrolet Traverse, all ‘18s.

After first glance at the impressive 2019 Ford Ranger on the floor of the Colorado Convention Center, an oft-heard comment was, “It is much larger than the old one.”  How much bigger? After an absence of seven years, the Ranger returns with wheelbase which has grown by 1 ½ inches, overall length is more than a foot longer, width is more, its taller and curb weight is 700 pounds heavier at 4,200.

The four-door Gladiator, which goes on sale in the coming month, is 219 inches in overall length, 31 inches longer than the Wrangler Unlimited four-door. An 8-speed automatic transmission or 6-speed manual will be available with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine (up to 7,650 pounds tow capacity). A 3.0-liter ecodiesel V-6 will be available for 2020.

I’ve driven the 2019 Ford Ranger Lariat SuperCrew 4X4, the most expensive trim level for the truck. Its sticker price is $45,190. The cheapest Ranger 4X4 is the XL SuperCab, which begins around $29,000.

Power is from a 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder, with 10-speed automatic transmission. There is no lack of power, though occasionally in low speeds it seems often to move up two or three gears and lug a bit, then awaits coaxing to drop down to more responsive rpm.

With the optional FX4 OffRoad package, suspension has been firmed up. It rides on Hankook 265/60R18 tires.

Its 20.7 fuel-mileage average is higher than I’ve attained in a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier. The only gas-engined compact truck that has topped the Ranger for me was a 2018 GMC Canyon with 3.6-liter V-6 that averaged 21.2 last summer.

Back and forth at the auto show

Standing alone at the entrance to the convention center auto show floor, popular Nuggets’ coach George Karl graciously agreed to have his photo taken with me, and with Tim Jackson. Might he coach again? Well, he didn’t say no. . . . . What Cadillac might have been the favorite automobile through the years for Debi Medved, stylish wife of megadealer John Medved. It wasn’t a Cadillac at all, she told me at the car show – it was the big, burly Hummer H2. “And I also drove the Hummer H1 and Hummer H3, and liked them, too,” she said. The Hummer went out of production in 2009. . . . . Amid all the glitter of the new cars, Grand Junction Republican freshman representative Matt Soper, with Sarah, expressed his eagerness for the legislation task at the State Capitol. He represents Mesa and Delta counties. . . . . Seeking late-night dessert at Peaks on the 27^th floor of Hyatt Regency Denver following the Tuesday night Gala preceding Denver Auto Show, Mike Van Duzer, of Chicago, made room at crowded bar for Jan and me to order, then bought our fondue dessert for us. Van Duzer, in Denver for US Foods convention at the Hyatt, is a big baseball fan, and happy for Denver over signing of Nolan Aranado, but not sure the Rockies will prevail over his Cubbies this season. . . . . Victory Motors Ram/Jeep dealer Steve Maneotis, of Craig, was thrilled to come across Villager publisher Bob Sweeney at the show. Sweeney, who published the Craig paper before moving to Denver and opening the Villager, was a friend of Maneotis’ father, Tom, in Craig. . . . . Jan and I, enjoying the early Wednesday morning street view from Starbucks on the Sixteenth Street Mall, saw a familiar face from 15 years ago, that of Derrick Johnson, delivering bakery goods to a lower level. Back in the early 2000s, he delivered new cars to me from Thompson Communications, including a rear-drive BMW which became stuck in deep snow two blocks from my home in Greeley and had to be towed to the driveway. He’s now a lead driver for Izzio Bakery.

The 2019 version of one of the Rocky Mountains’ greatest springtime events, the Denver Auto Show, will open its doors to the Colorado Convention Center on March 28, preceded on March 27 by the Preview Gala featuring former Denver Nuggets’ coach George Karl.

In preparation for walking among the burgeoning nameplates devoted to electrics and hybrids, I’ve driven the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Electric. The most technologically advanced minivan on the market, it features an electronically variable transmission tied to two electric motors, a battery pack and 3.6-liter, V-6 gas engine. It delivers 33 miles of full-electric-drive range, and often tops 30 miles per gallon in combined fuel mileage.

The auto show extravaganza is its 42^nd consecutive since Bill Barrow resurrected the show after being hired to oversee the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) in 1977. In sorting through old newspaper files of mine, I came across a column from May 1978 promoting the Denver Auto Show after its absence of 11 years from the city.

It listed the names of car dealers who assisted Barrow in organizing the show, May 31 through June 4, 1978, at Currigan Exhibition Hall. It was a big deal and their names perhaps ought to be commemorated. Teaming with Barrow, the dealers on the 1978 auto show committee were Hugh Tighe, Steve Dowson, Joe Fadely, Ann Goodro, Johnny Haas, Bud Karsh, C.F. Pansing, Bob Post, Chuck Ruwart and Ken Stiner.

Back in those days, I borrowed Dodges from Tighe, Oldsmobiles from Dowson, Fords from Ms. Goodro, Mercurys and Lincolns from Haas and Volvos from Karsh for my reviews in The Denver Post.

The 2019 edition of the big show is headed by Tim Jackson, president of CADA, and Fletcher Flower of Flower Motor Co. in Montrose, who is auto show chairman. Jackson, who succeeded Barrow in 2005, has earned national recognition for his travel all over the country on behalf of auto industry issues; an opinion column of his was featured in Automotive News of Detroit. Flower’s dealership is one of three which has operated more than 100 years in Colorado (the others are O’Meara and Schomp).

The recent cold, snowy weather took a toll on the hybrid performance of the Chrysler Pacifica, lessening its 33-mile all-electric range a bit and dropping a three-day fuel check to 26.6 mpg. In later mild temps, though, and after a plug-in partial electric charge to 13 miles, Jan and I enjoyed a 70-mile drive to Masonville and on through the hills past Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins. The electric-mode torque provides excellent low-end acceleration, and overall fuel mileage was 34.5. In addition to the 13 miles on electric power, regenerative braking produced added miles to that of gasoline power.

The 260-horsepower combined engine/electric motor output seems sufficient for the 5,000-pound van, and its new (evt) transmission is smoother than its standard 9-speed automatic.

It has an effective lane-assist system, though perhaps a bit too immediately severe for 75-miles-per-hour travel; the tops, in my opinion (Mercedes and Audi), use a more-gentle nudge back toward center-lane. Chrysler has also equipped the Pacifica with optional forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise and parallel and perpendicular park assist.

The Pacifica, built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, teamed with the Dodge Grand Caravan as the two top-selling minivans in the country last year. In its hybrid form, unlike the standard gasoline-powered Pacifica with stow ‘n go, the hybrid’s second-row seats can’t be folded into the floor, for that space is devoted to the battery pack. The third row, however, will flip back flat into the floor and expands cargo space from 32 cubic feet to 87.5.

Sticker price on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited is$50,375.

With snow blowing and almost dark at 4:30 p.m. on a Sunday, first day of daylight saving change, we turned off  U.S. 24 and headed west on U.S. 50, climbing Monarch Pass enroute to Gunnison.

The 2019 Ram 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4X4 was my review vehicle, one I’d anticipated. Some automotive assessments have rated the Ram as best new half-ton on the market. As good or better than Ford? Yep. Chevy? Yep. GMC? Yep. We’ll see.

To go with its more aggressive, forward-leaning front end, FCA designers have added 4 inches to the Ram’s overall length, a half-inch to the width and have trimmed 225 pounds from its curb weight. Finished in Delmonico red, the truck’s “Ram” in center of large grille spells out its identity. The second row of seats gained most of the added space. The review model contains a pickup bed of 5-foot-7 length; a 6-foot-4 box is optional. On a wheelbase of 144.6 inches, the Longhorn is 232.9 inches long.

Temperatures dropped into the 20s as we drove in several inches of snow toward the top of Monarch in a line of five or six vehicles at 25 to 30 miles per hour, each of us following the taillights of the car ahead. The lead car, an SUV whose driver had no lights to follow, slid off to the side of the slick roadway at one point before recovering, then another of the cars ahead spun off momentarily.

The Ram never slipped, all the way to Gunnison. The 1500 is equipped with a 395-horsepower, 410-torque, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine with cylinder deactivation, 8-speed automatic transmission engaged from a rotary gear selector on the instrument panel. Beneath the dial are transfer-case choices of 2-high, 4-automatic, 4-high and 4-low.

For driving in the strong winds and snow-covered roads, I set the transfer case in 4-high, locked the transmission in 4^th gear with its Gear Limit buttons, and occasionally dropped it to 3^rd.  By gearing down, I seldom needed to touch the brakes and maintained control and more-firm footing with the Ram.

A drive on dry roads the following day gave me opportunity to test the Hemi V-8’s smoothness and power along the curves and climbs of the roads beside the Blue Mesa Reservoir of the Gunnison River on the way to Montrose.

With its coil springs all around, the Ram 1500 offers an outstanding ride. The review model, with the optional four-corner air suspension, raises payload to 2,300 pounds and tow capacity of 12,750 pounds. The raising and lowering by the air suspension and deployable running boards accommodate very well the accessing and exiting of the vehicle’s passengers.

The drive home on a third day was north to Grand Junction, then back east on I-70 through Glenwood Springs and Vail and home. For the 712 miles, the Ram delivered an average of 19.4 miles per gallon. That is the highest mpg I’ve achieved with a 5.7 Hemi, I’m sure. EPA estimate for the 2019 Ram is 15/21. Base engine for the Ram is a 305-hp, 3.6-liter V-6.

The Ram’s $66,700 sticker price covers not only the abundant performance and a lighter, stronger high-strength steel frame, but a large, luxurious cabin, including filigree leather (stitched), Longhorn logos on seats and floormats, 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, 19-speaker Harmon Kardon surround sound, heated and ventilated front and rear seats.

Also, a panorama sunroof, remote-release tailgate, trifold tonneau cover, parallel and perpendicular park assist and safety innovations of forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot with cross-path detection.

Kathy Erbacher, a former newspaper colleague, joined Jan and me for evening dinner at Ted Nelson’s Steakhouse in Montrose. Erbacher was a feature writer for special sections at The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News before moving to Montrose, where she continued her newspaper work with the Daily Press.

Earlier in the day in Montrose, we visited the Flower Motor Co., which is one of three family-owned dealerships which have operated more than 100 years in Colorado and are now overseen by fourth generation. The other families are O’Meara and Schomp/Wallace in Denver.

Siblings Fritz, Fred, Noreen and Fletcher Fowler operate two dealerships, the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and the Subaru in Montrose. Fletcher and Fritz Fowler recently purchased the Steamboat Springs Dodge Ram business. It was in 1908 when brothers Sid and Joe Hartman acquired the Ford agency in Montrose, then switched to Dodge Brothers in 1915. More than 100 years later, the fourth-generation descendants continue with Dodge and its affiliated brands.

The Flower family recently celebrated 50 years as a Subaru dealer, and lays claim to the oldest existing Subaru dealership in Colorado.

We enjoyed, at the Subaru store, visiting with Zach Pitcher of Montrose when he showed up to accept from general sales manager Jazz Janda the keys to his just-purchased 2019 Outback, which had undergone a 2-inch-lift conversion in the Flower Subaru shop. Janda said Flower purchases the lift package, including special roof rack and wheels and tires, in addition to the suspension lift, and does the installation. The package adds about $6,000 to the cost of the Subaru.

Reviewing the 2018 Jeep Compass this week is opportunity to mention the death of Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles who died unexpectedly July 25. Marchionne took charge of Fiat and Chrysler nine years ago when the latter was struggling to survive.

Focusing on Jeeps, Dodge Ram pickups and SRT performance models, he soon rebuilt the stature for No. 3 of the U.S.’s Big Three and made them a formidable competitor for the other automakers.

The greatest achievement for the bold Italian-born leader was with the Jeep Division.

Jeep leads all makes in sales of SUVs in the U.S. Through June, Jeep has sold 133,492 Wranglers, 113,719 Cherokees, 109,313 Grand Cherokees, 87,510 Compasses and 50,439 Renegades. Jeep’s 6-month totals of 495,022 is a 22 percent increase over the 406,291 at the same point a year ago.

Still, with sales of almost a half-million in the first half of the year, Jeep doesn’t have all areas of the market covered. It lacks a three-row SUV, since halting production of the Commander in 2010.

Rumors are that Jeep will unveil a three-row SUV within the next couple of years. Whether to create it or not will now be a decision for Mike Manley, who has succeeded Marchionne as CEO of Fiat Chrysler, and who has headed the Jeep Division of FCA for the past seven years.

As for the Compass, Jeep planners two years ago combined it and another fairly lackluster model, the like-sized Patriot, into a restyled, high-tech-equipped compact 4X4 under the Compass moniker. The new one is enjoying one of the sharpest sales gains in the industry right now.

By slapping the Compass’ shifter into manual mode, pushing the accelerator lower and keeping the revs higher, its 2.4-liter engine and 9-speed automatic transmission offer improved performance, and do it smoothly, quietly and mostly satisfactorily.

I’ve been driving the Compass Limited 4X4; its 2.4 4-cylinder develops 180 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque, is offroad-capable with locking differential and a dial on the center console to contend with snow, sand and mud, in addition to the normal all-wheel drive.

A gloss black two-tone roof added a distinctive touch to the silver metallic exterior finish on the Compass, which resembles the Cherokee with its grille and the Grand Cherokee with its four-door structure. To mention roof with Jeep always reminds me of the ill-fated SkySlider roof offered on the Jeep Liberty some years back. That feature was beset with operational failures.

The current roof, so good-looking, also contains dual-pane panorama sunroof. Among other features of the Limited model are LaneSense and forward-collision warning, leather-covered seats (heated in front), heated steering wheel, automatic high-beam control, rain-sensitive wipers and power liftgate.

A large UConnect infotainment screen accommodates GPS navigation and audio with SiriusXM/Bluetooth and capability for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

My overall fuel-mileage average with the Compass was 24.4; it carries a 30 miles-per-gallon highway estimate. It rides on Continental ProContact 225/55R18 tires.

Cargo space behind the rear seats in the two-row, five-passenger SUV is 27.2 cubic feet, which expands to almost 60 feet with the rear seats folded.

The well-equipped Limited model carried sticker price of $34,860. The Sport, least-expensive Compass 4X4, begins at around $23,000. Other models are Latitude, Altitude and Trackhawk. They’re assembled in Toluca, Mexico.