The 2019 Ford F-150 SuperCrew pickup sat in my driveway and Jan was working in one of her flower beds when neighbors Dennis and Marsha, out for a walk, stopped to chat with her.

Commenting on the pickup, one of them told Jan, “the color is delightful.” Ford calls the exterior finish “velocity blue,” and it is a standout on the big, four-door, half-ton truck.

When Dennis and his wife moved into the neighborhood seven or eight years ago, they were driving a little Smart car. It was blue, too, if I remember correctly. Smart cars will no longer be sold in the U.S. and Canada after the 2019 model year, it was announced last week by parent company Mercedes-Benz. The Smart was never a strong seller over here.

The neighbors now drive a new subcompact SUV crossover – it’s blue, also.

The blue hue, growing in popularity, is sixth most popular new-vehicle color, according to PPG, which lists the top color choices, in order, as white, black, gray, silver and red.

Pickups, regardless of color, sell very well throughout Colorado. The state of Texas claims it’s the hottest sales area for pickup trucks. Trucks are seen all over this state, too.

I’ve had my share this model year, having reviewed the Chev Silverado Trail Boss, the Ford Raptor and new Ranger along with the Lariat 4X4, the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, the new Jeep Gladiator, the Ram 1500 Longhorn and Rebel along with the HD 2500 Tradesman, and Toyota Tacoma and Tundra.

The midsize Ranger and Gladiator will compete with representative compacts Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier for market share.

The rugged Frontier, which has received little upgrading from Nissan since 2004, is expected to show a new face for 2020, and Ram, which hasn’t had a midsize model since killing the Dakota in 2010, is working on a new one for, perhaps, 2021. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, parent company of Jeep and Ram, has indicated any new midsize model from Ram will not closely copy the offroad-capable Gladiator.

I drove early one morning to Morrison, near where the 2020 Gladiator was being shown at The Fort Restaurant. While I was  preparing to drive the Gladiator, Norm Fryer of Automotive Media Solutions showed up to exchange vehicles with me – delivering to me the 2019 Ford F-150 4X4 Lariat SuperCrew with V-8 power and taking away the new BMW X7 full-size SUV crossover, which I had driven up there from my home.

The 70-mile drive home in the F-150 was a pleasure; the smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission was tied to the 395-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 with 400 lb.-ft. of torque. The noticeable difference in Ford’s V-8 from its line of powerful V-6s is in fuel mileage. With more than 50 percent of my drive time on the highway last week with the F-150, it averaged only 17.8 miles per gallon overall. I’ve normally averaged 20-mpg or higher with the 2.7, 3.3 and 3.5 six-cylinders for the half-ton.

The four-door crew cab, finished in velocity blue exterior, is stylish, as pickups go, and is all black inside, with comfortable leather. A roomy rear seating area is brightened from a full sunroof. Access is eased with deployable running boards.

Tailgate innovation is big news these days. As the Ford tailgate drops into open position, push a button in the top end and a 3-foot-wide step lowers into position along with a steadying rod beside it for safely climbing up into the pickup bed. Along with the Ford drop-down step, Ram is showing off a split tailgate, GMC has one which can be used in three positions from a two-step-up to a football tailgating capability, and Chevy has the convenient step-up at the ends of the rear bumper.

To have the V-8 power at hand, the added cost was $1,000. From the base price of $47,985 for the Lariat 4X4, options pushed sticker price to $64,555.

Its tow-capability is one of the best in the half-ton market, including Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist system and trailer view. The popular option automatically backs a truck and trailer into tight parking space, with the driver participation simply turning a knob, keeping an eye on the rearview camera screen and occasionally braking.

I’d heard that Toyota, in Japan, had added all-wheel-drive technology to its Prius being sold there, so, at a meeting in Denver three years ago I asked Toyota executive David Lee if the company might do the same in Colorado.

“Probably not,” he said, adding that “the Prius has aimed its volume sales at sunshine states and to expect it, with an all-wheel-drive addition, to move into cold and snowy country would be a contradiction to the basis of the hybrid electricity success.”

But thinking changes, sometimes along the lines of a sales decline, of which the Prius has encountered in recent months.

“Yes, the time has come,” said Lee at the 2019 Denver Auto Show. And delivered to me was the 2019 Toyota Prius XLE AWD-e Hybrid. It isn’t a fully capable all-wheel-drive hatchback, but it has the basis for some assist from all four wheels.

For the front-wheel-drive Prius, Toyota has added a lightweight, 7-horsepower, magnetless electric motor to the rear wheels. From 0 to 6 miles an hour, the e-motor is automatically engaged, helping with startup speed and lending grip in icy conditions. From 6 to 43 mph, the AWD system is engaged only as needed, and, beyond 43, there is no AWD available. Thus, the Prius remains lacking for serious cold, snowy weather areas.

The Prius was one of the first gas/electric hybrids to come on the scene in the U.S., in 2000, and thoroughly dominated sales until three or four years ago, when large numbers of new hybrids took away sales. I’ve always considered the Prius one of the best of the hybrids for fair-weather driving.

The e-AWD model, with the boost to 6 miles per hour, was strong in takeoffs. The system offers driving modes of eco, power and electric.  My overall fuel-mileage average was 51.8 mpg.

Sticker price for the Prius AWD-e reached $32,146, including Entune audio, color head-up display, heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, dynamic radar cruise, brake assist, lane-departure alert and blind-spot monitor.   

The Prius is built in Aichi, Japan.

The littler luxuries (subcompacts) are latecomers to the years’-long takeover of the U.S. car market by SUVs and crossovers.

The newest of the newer premium luxury subcompacts are the Cadillac XT4 and Lexus UX, showing up in November and December.

They do sales battles with Audi Q3, BMW X1 and X2, Infiniti QX30, Jaguar E-Pace, Mercedes GLA-Class, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40. They’re not big sellers yet, collectively capturing about 2 percent of the booming SUV/crossover market.

The XT4 retains the crisp, sharp, distinctive exterior lines of Cadillacs of recent years, likened somewhat to current Acura styling.

The XT4’s structure is one of the largest among luxury subcompacts; in fact, the new Cadillac is occasionally referred to as a compact. It rides on a wheelbase of 109.4 inches, is 181.1 inches in overall length, is 83.5 wide and 64.1 in height. Curb weight is 3,876 pounds. The Lexus UX is 6 inches shorter and 250 pounds lighter.

The 2019 XT4 All-Wheel-Drive Premium Luxury review model came my way last week. It joins the XT5 midsize crossover and the Escalade full-size SUV for Cadillac. Soon to arrive will be the three-row XT6, which will fill a gap between the XT5 and Escalade.

Of the changing lineup for the brand’s SUVs/crossovers, Cadillac president Steve Carlisle said, “The first-ever Cadillac XT6 delivers a compelling blend of spaciousness, safety and convenience features. It joins the all-new XT4, which has soared to the top spot in its segment, our global best-selling XT5 and the iconic Escalade.”

A newly designed 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine of 237 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque teams with a 9-speed automatic transmission and twin-clutch AWD system with torque vectoring and a front disconnect to boost fuel mileage while in two-wheel drive.

Pushing the drive mode button in the XT4, I was given choice of Touring two-wheel-drive control, all-wheel drive or Sport AWD. Sport stiffens suspension and steering feel, and with use of paddle shifters I put the Cad through some dry offroad drills. It performed impressively, with good maneuvering grip, though with ground clearance of 6.7 inches probably not a contender for wintertime Jeep trails.

Response is quick and relatively smooth for the Cadillac 4-cylinder, and fuel mileage is decent, estimated at 22-to-29 miles per gallon. My overall average was 24.2.

The review model’s interior is gorgeous, with Sedona leather of shades between gold and caramel, contrasting perfectly with the black elsewhere. A centerstack juts outward for easy control by driver or front-seat passenger, and features Bose surround sound, providing phone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Seating is roomy and comfortable, with an average amount of cargo space, 22.5 cubic feet, behind the rear seat.

Among options pushing the XT4’s sticker price to $54,785 from a base of $41,795 are lane-keep assist, automatic braking, adaptive cruise, front pedestrian braking, automatic parking assist, hands-free liftgate, ventilated front seats, sunroof, head-up display, navigation with real-time traffic, wireless charging and cabin air ionizer.

The XT4 is built in a Cadillac assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan.

Curiosity abounds all around, with regards to Alfa Romeo.

Few of the Italian marque are seen in these parts, yet several times as I parked and exited the 2019 Giulia sport sedan, someone would ask, “Is that an Alfa Romeo?”

The Alfa brand, absent from the U.S. for 20 years until the 4C Spider in 2015, seems to exude a level of respect whenever mentioned.

And its odd, colorful badge (you know, the cross and the snake swallowing a man) draws immediate attention. The red is the cross of the municipality of Milan, Italy, where Alfa Romeo was founded, and the green snake is open to various interpretations – take your pick.

The key to liking the four-door Giulia is to drive it. I said that about the 2017 model two years ago after maneuvering it into the Poudre Canyon, over Cameron Pass, down to Walden and on up to Laramie.

The new model I drove, the Giulia Ti Sport all-wheel drive, is the same – a great-handling, rear-drive-based sedan. Move the drive mode from normal to dynamic, and the crisper steering ties right into the brilliant handling and super grip.

Performance comes from a 280-horsepower, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine turbocharged with direct-injection and mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It’s quick, with 306 lb.-ft. of torque, and is a delight in the Rockies with manual-mode shifting. Here’s where the flaw shows up – the 6 ½-inch-long aluminum paddles locked to the steering column, they’re so large they have the look of a shift-training setup for high school sophomores. Paddle shifters ought to be small, out of the way except to the touch of a finger for upshift or downshift.

The Giulia retained secure manners with its all-wheel-drive system in a late-season winter test in the rain and snow.

The Giulia is EPA-rated at 31 miles per gallon for highway driving; my overall fuel average was a decent 27.8. Alfa boldly compares the sport sedan to the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C Class, along with Volvo S60, Cadillac ATS and Audi A4.

Highlighting its exterior are the V-grille and low-level front sport fascia.

Most inviting in the Giulia’s interior, somewhat tight in the rear, are the red-finished sport leather seats (heated in both rows). Trunk space is only 12 cubic feet.

Two optional packages – added safety with forward-collision warning plus, adaptive cruise with stop and lane-departure warning, and Ti Sport AWD special of dark aluminum wheels and all-season performance tires, low-riding front sport fascia, red brake calipers and sport leather seats – played important role in pushing the Giulia’s $41,995 base price to a final sticker of $51,885.

Among other options were Harman Kardon audio, Bluetooth, navigation, leather dash and vesuvio gray metallic exterior paint.

Alfa Romeo, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, produces the Giulia, 4C Spider and Stelvio SUV for the U.S. market.

It’s an odd-color green on the 2019 Lexus UX 250h all-wheel-drive review model I piloted in February. Nori green pearl, Lexus calls it, somewhat like the olive green on a Jeep.

This is no Jeep. It is Lexus’ new luxury subcompact SUV, a hybrid which gains AWD capability through use of an electric motor-generator which drives the rear wheels. It is based on the platform of the fun-but-quirky-looking Toyota C-HR, which showed up a year ago.

The Japanese-built UX will battle for sales in the luxury subcompact category against such strong entries as the Audi Q3, BMW X2, Cadillac XT4, Infiniti QX30, Jaguar E-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40.

The UX 250h all-wheel-drive model is powered by a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine, an electric motor up front and another at the back, where also is a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The motor at the rear is the source of power to the rear wheels, as there is no driveshaft. The electric motor-generator drives the rear wheels up to 45 miles per hour, and beyond that the UX performs in front-drive. The gas/electric power sources are  tied to a continuously variable transmission.

The hybrid addition lifts the UXh’s estimated fuel mileage to 41 in town and 38 on the highway. My overall average was 33.2, reduced some by two mornings of driving in 8-below-zero temperatures.

The new subcompact is also offered in nonhybrid form as the Lexus UX200, a front-wheel-drive vehicle with a 169-horsepower, 4-cylinder gas engine. The UX250h, with its gas/electric combination, is rated at 181 horsepower. Its electric boost off the line makes it quicker than the nonhybrid model.

The UX250h is small, with a 103.9-inch wheelbase and overall length of 177 inches, yet because of the battery pack and electric motors it carries a hefty 3,605-pound curb weight. It rides on Bridgestone 225/50RF18 tires.

Space is very tight in the rear cargo area; only 17 cubic feet, short of the 19-24 range of its luxury subcompact competitors. I realized how short when our load of supplies from Costco in Timnath had to be divided between the cargo and rear seats. It’s the battery pack and a sloped roofline that steal away space, for the non-hybrid version of the UX has available more cubic feet than the hybrid.

Golden leatherette-finished seats (heated and cooled) and dash pads embellished the interior. Some difficulty arose with use of the remote touch controller for infotainment, though the simple and quick-response voice command eased the situation. A couple of interior “bugs” I’ve complained about in other Lexus models are the “ears” protruding from each side of a cover atop the gauge panel. They’re dials for snow/traction and for shifting between comfort and sport modes and seem out of place. These are key decision choices for a driver while maneuvering; of absolutely no concern to other passengers, and ought to be more unobtrusively placed.

The Lexus UX250h shows a relatively reasonable base price of $34,000. Add to that navigation and premium sound system, triple-beam LED headlamps, cornering lamps, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, moonroof and heated steering wheel, and the sticker total reaches $42,050.

Lexus now has a full line of SUV/crossovers. The lineup and starting prices include, at the top, the large LX at $86,080; the GX at $52,355; the RX Hybrid at $46,095; the RX at $43,670; the NX Hybrid at $38,835; the NX at $36,485; the UX Hybrid at $34,000; the UX at $32,000.

With bigger battery pack for more competitive range, and sporty and appealing new exterior styling, the all-electric 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus rolled quietly into my possession during the Denver Auto Show in late March.

The new Plus version, fully charged, is expected to deliver 226 miles of driving range, a nice increase over the 150 of the standard Leaf, and within a dozen or so miles of range claims by the Chevy Bolt and Kia Niro.

From a V-motion grille to a “floating roof” and all the way back to distinctive taillights, the Leaf Plus has unveiled mainstream beauty to complement its electric power.

When Jan and I left the auto show on a Wednesday night, we had awaiting us Thursday morning an excellent test drive for the electrified Nissan, though a sad mission. It would be a 100-mile drive to the Christ United Methodist Church in Sterling for the funeral of friend Norma Amen Weber.

When I showed up many years ago for my first class at Sterling High School, as an unknown freshman transfer from Wray, we were seated alphabetically; in the back row it was Weber, then Wells. I said “Hi” to the friendly faced, curly haired kid next to me, Justin Weber, and we’ve been friends since. Justin was married to Norma Amen (a classmate and friend of Jan’s) for more than 60 years before her recent death.

As we left Greeley for Sterling, not only was it cold, windy and rainy, we also were running late. So, when I accessed I76 at Wiggins (75-miles-per-hour speed limit) I kicked the Leaf Plus up to 80 mph in order that we reach the service in  time. We did, with 5 minutes to spare and only 67 miles of charge remaining in the Nissan battery pack.

Fortunately, Wendy Payne of Nissan and Paul Shippey of Automobile Media Solutions at the auto show had furnished me information regarding a quick-charge station at Fort Morgan, and, with 20 miles left, we added more than 100 miles of charge in 30 minutes there for the final leg home.

The weather and the higher speeds took a toll on the Leaf’s range; the realities of driving on occasion will not match perfectly to the car’s specifications.

The expanded battery pack pushes the Leaf Plus’s curb weight to 3,850 pounds, about 300 more than the standard Leaf. The Leaf Plus can handle that, though, for its electric motor is rated at 215 horsepower and 250 lb.-ft. of torque, compared to 147-hp and 236-torque for the standard.

The Plus offered a good ride and comfortable interior; aiding stability is the face the battery pack is flat and positioned beneath the floor in the center of the car. This also preserves 23.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row of seats. Many electric autos use that space for the battery storage.

Regenerative braking helps recapture some energy for the battery store, and Nissan’s e-Pedal allows driving with one pedal, as braking is in effect whenever pressure is released on the accelerator. The Leaf Plus is equipped with emergency braking, lane-correction, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning and around-view monitor.

Pricing for the base-model S Plus begins around $32,000 ($6,000 higher  than the base Leaf), while the well-equipped Leaf PlusSL Tech review model carried a price tag in the $45,000 range.

As General Motors pursued plans for eliminating several Chevy and Cadillac sedans and shutting down some car plants, a bright spot in the middle of all the discussion is the Equinox, one of the five best-selling compact SUV crossovers in the country.

Those of us who have been around for quite a while still think of GM and Chevrolet for their big, tough, good-riding SUVs – the Suburbans, Tahoes and Yukons. Chev’s bread-and-butter models, though, are the Equinox and Traverse crossovers.

The Equinox, on its unveiling in 2004 as an ’05, was the company’s first departure from those truck-based sport utes. It was a practical alternative for families seeking to lower their investment in car-carrying responsibilities.

Five years after its introduction, the midsize Equinox was redesigned, then a year ago it took on a new look and was resized into a compact crossover. A shedding of 400 pounds let it run lighter and more efficiently.

The new 2019 Equinox, 5 inches shorter than the ’17 model, shapes up very close in dimensions to one of its primary rivals, the Jeep Cherokee. Here is the comparison: Wheelbase- Chevy 107.3 inches, Jeep 106.5; Length- Chevy 183.1, Jeep 182; Width- Chevy 72.6, Jeep 73.2; Height- Chevy 65.4, Jeep 65.7.

Experiencing the comfort, handling and performance of the Chevy was enjoyable. Seating is very supportive and the MyLink infotainment system, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, is user-friendly. The interior was very quiet; heavy use of plastic detracted somewhat.

The Equinox took a hit on cargo space through its resizing last year; its 29.9 cubic feet behind the rear seats is smaller than most compact competitors.

The review model I drove was equipped with the optional 252-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and, mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission, was impressive. Good low-end torque got it off the line okay, and it was smooth at higher speeds and on demands for passing other traffic. Fuel mileage estimates are 22/28, and my overall average was 26.3. It has the stop/start fuel-saving feature. Turning circle of the Equinox is a bit wider than most competitors; it rides on Hankook 235/50R19 tires.

 Base engine is a 170-hp, 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder with 6-speed automatic transmission. To opt for this engine is to give up quick, smooth shifts and contend with quite a power decline, though this combo carries a good EPA rating of 26/32 mpg.

The well-equipped Premier edition of the Equinox needed only one optional package, Confidence and Convenience at an added cost of $2,145. It included eight-way power front passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, low-speed forward automatic braking, forward-collision alert, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, following-distance indicator, safety alert seat, automatic high-beam control, adaptive cruise control, front pedestrian braking and surround vision.

This brought sticker price to $37,745. Among standard items are a hands-free power liftgate, remote vehicle start, dual-zone automatic climate control and wireless charging device. Cheapest Equinox AWD trim level begins at around $26,500. The Equinox is built in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.