The car-building bosses at Kia from South Korea, perhaps heady from the sales successes with their Telluride and Seltos SUV crossovers in the past year, are taking aim at the midsize sedan market with the 2021 K5. Around 30 grand in price, it replaces the Optima, which has been in the Kia lineup for 20 years.

Kia, cognizant of the continued decline in U.S. sales of sedans, believes adding the new one makes sense with the company’s announcement that it is discontinuing sales here of its two large sedans, the Cadenza and K900.

This leaves Kia’s lineup with the new K5, the Rio, Soul, Forte and Stinger, the Sedona minivan, SUV crossovers Telluride, Seltos, Sorento and Sportage, and Niro hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric.

The K5 is much more sporty-looking than the Optima it replaced; it sits lower, is 2 inches longer and shows off a thin and wide front grille that plays into the modern headlights, which are emphasized with daytime running lights.

The sleekly styled roofline and large rear window extend far back to eliminate all but a hint of rear deck. This adds roominess to the four-door model, which offers 16 cubic feet of trunk space.

Even the exterior color of the review model (K5 GT-Line AWD) is appealing; it’s wolf gray, a hue made famous in the U.S. years ago by the Fordson tractor.

Highlighting performance are a 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and new 8-speed automatic transmission. The small 4 develops 180 horsepower, 195 lb.-ft. of torque, and with the 8-speed tranny includes a “snow” mode, which I tested in snowy weather. Reduced wheelspin was noticeable. Other modes include normal, comfort and sport.

I started the K5 in my garage on a cold morning; while idling it for a few seconds I heard the most relaxing sound, somewhat like a babbling brook. It was the Sound of Nature ambient system offering six peaceful themes. What I heard was rainy day, others are calm sea waves, lively forest, snowy village, warm fireplace and open-air café.

The 8-inch touchscreen display mixes audio, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB multimedia and charging ports.

The well-equipped K5 review model carries a sticker price of $31,300 and includes forward-collision avoidance, blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic assist, lane-keep assist and leading vehicle departure alert.

The 2021 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD specifications:

• Midsize sedan
• Sticker price $31,300
• 5-passenger capacity
• Wheelbase 112.2 inches
• Length 193.1 inches
• Width 73.2 inches
• Height 56.9 inches
• Track 63.7 front, 64 rear
• Ground clearance 5.3 inches
• Curb weight 3,322 pounds
• Engine 1.6-liter turbo 4
• Horsepower 180
• Torque 195 lb.-ft.
• Transmission 8-speed auto
• Mode all-wheel drive
• EPA 26/34 mpg
• Test mileage 28.2 mpg
• Fuel tank 15.8 gallons
• Grade regular unleaded
• Wheels 18-inch
• Tires Pirelli P245/35R18
• Assembly West Point, Ga.
• Also available GT 2.5 turbo

“Is it the electric Mustang?,” I was asked dozens of times while driving the new Ford hatchback.

Yes, it’s the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-e4 all-electric crossover, which had only begun to reach Ford dealer showrooms by early in 2021.

The running-horse emblem front and back of the Mach-e seems to be the Mustang tipoff to other motorists and standby observers; the reaction was the strongest for a car or truck I’ve driven in a few months. Mustang is one of the most readily recognizable model names in the auto industry.

Though it links to the model name Mustang, this pony car is all-different, in addition to all-electric.

From the moment of approach at the driver’s door – pushing a button for opening the door, slipping into the seat and being messaged, “58% and 82 miles of range available,” it’s a new ballgame.

The standard Mach-e AWD comes with an 88 kWh battery pack with 288 lithium-ion cells in a waterproof case beneath the floor between the crossover’s front and rear axles.

A 255-horsepower permanent-magnet electric motor powers the rear wheels. A second motor is added to the front axle to create the all-wheel-drive capability; total horsepower is 332. Power is distributed independently to each axle as needed. The single-speed transmission is smooth and the Mach-e4 performed with good control on snow and ice. The lengthy battery pack adds to platform stiffness and the ride is somewhat rigid and rough at times.

Ford has projected a range of 211 miles for the standard Mach-e4; blame the cold, perhaps, but the review model provided to me showed a range of 160 miles after being fully charged. The electric Mustang performed well in a drive from Greeley to Aurora and back. The early-morning start in 15-degree weather cost us a few miles of range, but by the end of the drive there and back, the 110-mile drive reduced the remaining range by only 101 miles.

While in Aurora, after lunch with grandchildren Hannah and Mike McKenner, we pulled briefly into a charging station, where Dolores Trimble of Vail was restoring energy in her Kia Niro EV. She’s had months of experience at recharging her all-electric Kia and having driven internal-combustion Mustangs in past years, was quite interested in the new look.

Three drive modes offered are Whisper for calm performance with gradual acceleration, Engage for a balance of response and comfort, Unbridled for a sporty feel with increased throttle. Most noticeable difference is in One Pedal Driving feature, in which regenerative braking slows the vehicle down as you lift your foot from the accelerator pedal, very useful in stop-and-go traffic. The slowdown eliminates much of the need for brake-pedal use.

Ford said sticker price on the Mustang Mach-e AWD is $51,200. Purchasers are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $7,500.

I found the panoramic glass roof very comfortable; Ford said a special coating is designed to help keep interior cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Midsummer will tell.

My first drive of the Mustang electric was to the Evangelical Free Church in Eaton for the funeral of Keith L. Brumley, 58, a friend of the family. No sooner had I parked in the church lot than the young man who pulled his pickup in the space beside us jumped out and wanted to know all about “the electric Mustang.”

The Mustang, a foot longer than the Niro at the charge station in Aurora, is on a wheelbase of 117 inches, with 184 inches of overall length and curb weight of around 4,800 pounds. Recharging is as slow as 3 miles per hour with 110-home outlet, twice that fast with 220 and 45 minutes to an hour with some quick-charge stations.

Among rivals for the Mach-e4 are the Tesla Model Y, Audi e-tron, Volvo’s Polestar 2 and Volkswagen ID.4.

Ford is also offering the Mach-e with rear-wheel drive and an extended-range, 98.8-kWh battery pack and a 282-hp electric motor delivering 300 miles of range. The eAWD extended-range version using two motors generates 332 horsepower, and can travel 270 miles on a charge.

Also being developed are a Mustang Mach-e GT and GT Performance Edition boasting 459 horsepower and 612 lb.-ft. of torque.

An alternative to a traditional intelligent access key fob is Phone as a Key, a smartphone for the key, turning the vehicle on and off remotely, unlocking and locking doors, opening liftgate, driving the vehicle.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, a pinnacle of toughness in the U.S. for 60 years, will be discontinued at the end of the 2021 model year.

That the end of the line for the Land Cruiser is that imminent was confirmed in phone conversations with Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America, and Scott Vazin, group vice president and chief communications officer.

For a farewell in its final year, I drove a 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8-equipped 2021 Land Cruiser Heritage Edition. The old-style SUV of rigid body-on-frame structure uses taut suspension – independent front with solid rear axle and coil springs. Its third-row seats, rather than tumble into the floor, are folded up at each side of the rear cargo area.

Development of the Land Cruiser began in early days of the Korean War, when American forces occupying Japan required additional heavy-duty vehicles to supplement their Jeeps. Toyota created a prototype known as Toyota Jeep BJ. The U.S. team went with another design, but Toyota continued to improve its vehicle, renamed it Land Cruiser, and the rest is history.

Toyota introduced its Land Cruiser to the U.S. shores in the late 1950s. It became a strong seller among SUVs for many years, competing with Jeeps and Range Rovers for “toughest” honors. With not a lot of modernization (the present generation dates back to 2008), sales began slipping as prices continued to rise.

Only 3,147 Land Cruisers were sold in 2020.  Farmers, ranchers and outdoor equipment representatives are primary customers of the big vehicle.

Sticker price on the review model I drove climbed just past $90,000. There are luxury utes cheaper.

We drove the Land Cruiser out east into Morgan County and past small towns of Orchard, Goodrich and Weldona, before turning back and stopping at Jackson Lake State Park. We enjoyed a visit with Luke Stucker, senior ranger for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife at Jackson.

With 8-speed automatic transmission, the near-6,000-pounder cruises easily the 65- and 75-miles-per-hour highways and is equipped with full-time four-wheel drive for offroad detours. It rides on BBS alloy wheels and Dunlop Grandtrek 285/60R18 tires. In 4Lo range and crawl mode, the Land Cruiser will slowly move over or around most any ground obstruction.  

The Land Cruiser’s overall fuel mileage of 15.6 fell near the middle of its EPA estimate (13/17).

With its third-row seats folded, the Toyota’s cargo area expands to 41.4 cubic feet. The rear liftgate can be fully opened or may be split, with only the upper portion being lifted.

Among other features for the final Land Cruiser are perforated leather seats, an inclinometer (angles of slope), a roof basket, navigation and JBL audio system with 14 speakers, subwoofer and amplifier, precollision system with pedestrian detection.

Final price on the Land Cruiser is $90,089. It is built in Aichi, Japan.

As far back as I can remember, GMC has offered the most comfortable ride among the auto industry’s full-sized SUVs.

Following a week with the 2021 GMC Yukon AT4 four-wheel drive, I’d say it continues to hold that distinction.  It offers a smooth ride, good acceleration, easy in-and-out and roomy interior.

The Yukon competes against its sister sibling the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia.

New to the Yukon for ’21 is the AT4 trim level, just below Denali in price and equipment. It adds a  two-speed transfer case and limited-slip differential for offroading and a long list of amenities.

Bill and Kathy Allen joined Jan and me in the Yukon for a post-Christmas drive to Sterling to visit Dave and Norma Wagner (my sister).

Norma and Dave were traveling partners with Jan and me for 20 years or more.

We did the Alaska cruise, preceded by a land tour to Denali, and among other Far North highlights, as far as I was concerned, was finding a Starbucks at Skagway.

We later flew to Mexico, enjoyed the Mayan Ruins in addition to all the water-and-sun fun. We visited Orlando, where we drove a Kia Sorento; traveled to Branson in an Acura, came home from Seattle in an Oldsmobile Silhouette, toured the Santa Fe and Taos areas in a Lincoln LS.

We enjoyed Phoenix and Houston and numerous other shorter destinations.

Driving to Sterling and visiting with them stirs memories of those bygone days. Jana Lock stopped by while we were there.

The Yukon, like the Expedition, Armada and Sequoia, isn’t known for relatively high fuel mileage, though aided by the 200-mile roundtrip, averaged 18 miles per gallon overall for a week. The run down there and back posted a 19.6 reading.

While GMC offers a 6.2-liter V-8 for the Yukon, the AT4 trim uses the 5.3 V-8 with 355 horsepower, 383 lb.-ft. of torque, and tied to a quick-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. An air suspension lowers the vehicle when parked for easier departure, then raises to ride height when placed in gear.

The AT4 Premium Plus package, at an additional cost of $9,145, includes dual-pane sunroof, power-retractable assist steps, air-ride adaptive suspension, trailering system with brake controller and hitch view, surround vision, head-up display, 10.2-inch color touchscreen with navigation/Bluetooth/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear-seat media system.

The well-equipped Yukon offers standard items, such as magnetic ride control, automatic stop/start engine, 20-inch aluminum wheels with all-terrain tires, perforated leather seating with heated and ventilated front buckets and heated steering wheel.

Safety standards include lane-keep assist with departure warning, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear park assist and automatic high beams.

Pricing of 4WD Yukons begins around $55,000; sticker price on the AT4 review model reached $75,455. It is built in Arlington, Texas. An extended-length Yukon XL is available also.

“Merry Christmas” was my 2020 holiday greeting from the open window of the 2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature all-wheel-drive edition.

The message was muffled somewhat by the mask on my face, adhering to suggested practice in the face of the severe pandemic of the past nine or 10 months.

Finished in snowflake white pearl, the Mazda fit perfectly into the winter holiday scene.

The CX-5 holds its own in one of the most competitive fields in the automotive industry, the crowded compact sport utility division. In fact, it is considered one of the best.

One of the rating agencies I follow placed it second-best among top five compacts with Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue.

The well-equipped Signature trim level model provided for my testing performed and handled exceptionally well with the optional 227-horsepower, turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. Moving it into sport mode sharpens responses and eliminates any hint of understeer. It rides on Toyo P225/55R19 tires.

The CX-5’s overall length of 179 inches is 3 inches shorter than the Honda CR-5 and an inch less than the Ford Escape. When it comes to measuring cargo space, Mazda’s 30.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat is noticeably smaller than Honda’s 39 or Ford’s 37.

A couple of highway drives helped the CX-5 to an overall fuel mileage average of 24.9 miles per gallon; its EPA estimate is 22-27.  Base engine for the Mazda compact is a 187-hp, 2.0-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder, which is rated at 24/30 mpg.

An interior highlight is a 10.25-inch touchscreen serving navigation, 10-speaker Bose audio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

While pricing of the lower-level Mazda CX-5 Sport with all-wheel drive begins at a bit under $28,000, the loaded Signature AWD review model was sticker-priced at $39,025, including heated and cooled Nappa leather-trimmed front seats and heated steering wheel.

A lengthy list of items also shows power rear liftgate, power moonroof, rain-sensing windshield wipers and paddleshifters. Included among safety features are lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, forward automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert and pedestrian detection.

The CX-5, built in Hiroshima, Japan, became a part of the Mazda lineup when introduced in 2012 as a ’13 model. It quickly soared to the top in Mazda sales. It is the brand’s runaway leader, almost tripling sales in 2019 over Mazda3, the runnerup.

Nissan unveiled the 2021 version of its full-sized SUV, the Armada, in a 12-minute virtual presentation one morning in December 2020, a month before it was to go on sale.

Twenty minutes after the online showing, a noise in my driveway caught my attention – being parked there was one of the new Armadas brought to me for review.

A wider grille and new logo separate classy LED headlamps, though most prominent on the prototype 4X4 brought my way is a big, strong look from a Midnight Edition black finish. The grille is painted black, there are black exterior logos, black-painted roof rails and black front and rear skid plates.

Brightening the interior, which has black leather seats and headliner, is a redesigned center stack with 12.3-inch touchscreen color display featuring Wi-Fi, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and wireless smartphone charging. A 13-speaker Bose audio sound system, around-view monitor and moonroof are among other features.

In the second row are optional captain’s chairs with center console; behind the third row of seats is 16.5 cubic feet of cargo space.

The 5.6-liter Endurance V-8 engine has been boosted to 400 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission. The SUV is of body-on-frame structure and carries a tow rating of 8,500 pounds, with four-wheel-drive offroad capability, plus smooth highway performance. It rides on Bridgestone Dueler P235/60R20 tires.

With Jan, Dale and Sandy Wells as passengers, I drove it up north to the Terry Bison Ranch near the Colorado/Wyoming border.

The easy drive along I25 and back paid off with a fuel-mileage reading of 18.5 miles per gallon, best I’ve ever posted with an Armada. The last two I reviewed averaged 16.9 in 2018 and 15.7 in ’17. Still, the ’21 doesn’t yet measure up to mpg claims of Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.

Among standard safety technologies are lane intervention, intelligent forward collision warning and blind-spot intervention.

It retains its large presence on a wheelbase of 121 inches, overall length of 209 and curb weight barely beneath 6,000 pounds. It stands almost 80 inches in height.

The new model is to be offered in SV, SL and Platinum trims. Nissan officials declined to estimate price levels for the three. Based on the previous-model pricing, the SV with 4X4 might fall in the $50,000 range, the SL 4X4 around $55,000 and the Platinum $60,000 and more. The Midnight Edition package on the Armada SL review trim could range toward $60,000.

Nissan introduced the Armada to the U.S. in 2003 as an ’04 model to compete against the Toyota Sequoia, which had reached our shores three years earlier. The two full-sizers battle for market share with the GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition. All five boast strong engines and offroad capability.

Thankful I am this Thanksgiving weekend; I’ve just finished driving and testing the toughest, most powerful half-ton pickup ever – the 2021 Ram TRX. It’s amazing.

A thankful mood, too, for last week’s delivery of the new, midengine Chevy Corvette Stingray Convertible; sitting in my garage for the coming week is the 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid.

They are brief bright spots for me in our endurance of the heartbreaking pandemic, which has hit close to home for more and more of us.

There are no restrictions on reading a newspaper (or online version).  I’ll keep writing, if you’ll keep reading.

Fiat Chrysler built this special model, the Ram 1500 TRX Crew Cab 4X4 to pull away the offroad-capability honors previously bestowed upon the Ford Raptor.

Based on the Ram Rebel, the TRX is 8 inches wider, taller and weighs almost 1,000 pounds more than the Rebel. It outweighs the Raptor by 800 pounds.

A supercharged version of the 6.2-liter, Hemi Hellcat V-8 engine generates 702 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with paddleshifters. The dial-gear selector used  by much of the Ram pickup fleet, is replaced in the TRX with a console shifter. Sport mode tightens steering and stiffens shocks.  Brakes are 15-inch discs.  

From automatic 4-wheel drive, electronic buttons offer switch of drive mode into 4-wheel-high or low range. A launch button provides a flying takeoff from a mashed-throttle start.

I made three offroad runs with the TRX which left the truck’s overall fuel mileage for six days at 9.9 (its EPA estimate is 10/14). I recently drove the 2021 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with its new 6.6-liter V-8 gas engine; it averaged 12.6, lowest of the year for my tests until TRX showed up.

With all its offroad improvements – reinforced frame, 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires, Bilstein adaptive dampers with 13 to 14 inches of wheel travel, ground clearance of  11.8 inches – the ride is  smooth and controlled, a credit to Ram’s all-around coil-springs setup.

The ride quality, infotainment/instrument  panel controls and roominess were praised  by friends Ted and Shirley King, who took a ride with Jan and me..

Simply walking up beside T-Rex seems to embolden impressions of the observer. On my first glance, I looked along the door bottoms and thought, “Are those retractable step rails?” “Hell, no, they’re not step rails, you dumb nut,” came a new thought wave from my tougher side, “they’re rock rails like the Jeeps use.” “Well, I can see now, it’s a protective rock rail with a very narrow step rail atop,” was my reasonable tone.

From a base price of $71,690,  the final tally for the truck  came to $87,370 with addition of 19-speaker Harman Kardon  premium sound, adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, pedestrian/cyclist emergency braking, front and rear park assist, deployable bed-step  and power tailgate release.

Moments after exiting the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray, parked beneath a light for a nighttime stop at a restaurant, a young man in a Silverado pulled up beside it, hopped out hurriedly and exclaimed, “Ah, the new Vette, it reminds me of a Ferrari, except it’s better-looking than Ferrari.”

That is high praise, indeed, and along the lines of dozens of comments tossed my way, elicited by the restyled Corvette convertible. To focus on the extreme angular lines, though, is to overlook the major transformation which permitted the radical redesign – a midengine layout after 67 years of front-engine build.

The midengine placement allowed designers to lower the hood, as well as instrument panel and steering wheel. Inspiration came from Formula One racing, hence the reference to Ferrari.

Production stoppages have hampered rollout of the 2020 model, including a worker strike, Covid-19 delays, recalls and a stop-sale order over an issue related to the electronic brake booster.

The new, 495-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine sits beneath a glass panel in the rear hatch, moving the driver and front passenger forward into some of the space previously occupied by the then-under-hood engine. The engine is mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, another first-ever for the rear-drive Vette.

The C8 Stingray’s low center of gravity and a Z51 performance upgrade provided excellent stability, emphasized by a drive we made to the west on U.S. 34.

I turned northwest from Drake onto County Road 43 to Glen Haven.

On the descent, with use of paddleshifters at the squared-off steering wheel, I locked the shifter in 3rd with revs high and the Vette low and secure into and out of the curves. Some handling capabilities were lessened a bit by removal of summer performance tires in favor of winter-weather shods. The snowflake imprint on the sidewall tells you that of the Michelin Pilot Alpin 245/35R19 tires.

Explaining the new midengine layout for the eighth-generation Corvette, General Motors president Mark Reuss said, “The traditional front-engine vehicle had reached its limits of performance.” Equipped with the Z51 performance package, the Vette will run 0-to-60 in less than 3 seconds.

Among many other benefits are better weight distribution, improved driver position closer to the front axle with race-carlike view of the road, dual trunks (front and rear) for 12.6 cubic feet of space, enough for two sets of golf clubs and luggage.

As in years past, rear vision is limited. Precisely stitched soft leather is an interior highlight for the two-seater.

Most noticeable is a cascade of controls from the dashboard to the seat, separating the driver cockpit from the more tightly quartered passenger.

Pushbuttons for Park, Neutral and Low/Manual and pull toggles for Drive and Reverse make up the electric shifter. With a knob at the center console, the driver may select from modes of tour, weather, eco, sport and track.

(Forty-two years ago, in the spring of 1978, I reviewed in The Denver Post the ’78 New Yorker, the last big Chrysler. Excerpts:)

If you get the opportunity, take a drive in the 1978 Chrysler New Yorker. It could be last chance to ride in a really big Chrysler – a company spokesman says next year’s model will be smaller and almost 1,000 pounds lighter.

The New Yorker, one of the oldest and most prestigious model names in the auto industry, offers an outstanding ride on the highway.

The ride and handling in the 4,800-pound four-door hardtop I tested was as good as expected, and I also liked its exceptionally straight and sure braking, comfortable leather seating and an impressive stereo system.

The car had a slight leak from its 26 ½ -gallon gas tank, and occasionally hesitated on acceleration in slow city driving.

Powered by a 440-cubic-inch V-8 with four-barrel carburetor it ran very strong on the highway and averaged 15 miles per gallon on a drive to Colorado Springs and back. Its average in city driving was about 8 mpg, affected some by the leak.

Roger Mauro Chryslerville, 7200 W. Colfax Ave., provided the auto, which had only 22 miles on the odometer.

The New Yorker is less expensive than most large luxury cars in today’s market – the fully equipped model I drove being priced at $10,724. Optional items added to the base price of $7,715 included reclining leather front seats, air conditioning, AM/FM radio with eight-track stereo tape, automatic speed control and white vinyl roof.

The New Yorker is on a wheelbase of 123.9 inches, with overall length of 231 inches. It is 79.5 inches wide and 54.7 inches high. The large trunk is of 22.2 cubic feet capacity. Turning radius for the car is almost 45 feet.