Slipped very quietly, and somewhat surprisingly, beneath the hood of the hot new Chevy Cruze hatchback I’ve been driving was a small turbodiesel engine and 9-speed automatic transmission.

Chevrolet, it seems, is bucking consensus that the Volkswagen diesel scandal of two years ago has driven away majority of would-be buyers of those alternatively fueled vehicles.

Speaking of the 2018 Cruze LT Diesel Hatchback delivered to me, Nick Jaynes Morgan, assistant manager of Chevrolet Communications, said the diesel package is of very limited production, about 5 percent of Cruze total output this year.

“We’re aware of the feelings of many over the VW cheating issue,” said Morgan; “yet, if we can get a responsible number of consumers into test drives of the Cruze turbodiesel, we believe our diesel sales numbers will begin to climb.”

He may be right, for the turbo response and high fuel-mileage readings were impressive in the review model, and the front-wheel-drive Cruze has been rated above average in handling since shortly after its inception 10 years ago.

Great handling and strong torque were on display for an earlier Cruze diesel in 2014, when I drove it over the rolling hills on Colo. 105 north of Palmer Lake, on to Sedalia and back to Denver. That turbo was short-lived, giving way to the uproar over VW’s diesel emissions case of 2015. That diesel was the first offered in a Chevy car since the little Chevette in 1986.

The new turbodiesel, produced in Hungary, is a 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder generating 137 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque. It was introduced in the Cruze sedan in 2017, and this year expanded into the hot new hatchback.

The compact Cruze’s new hatchback style was deemed favorable by most onlookers while in my possession. The stylish roof slopes to a rakish rear end with spoiler and wraparound taillamps. The review model’s red finish was an attraction.

The liftgate opens up to 22.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat; fold that and it expands to 47 cubic feet. The rear-seating area offers good amount of legroom. After placing anything in the rear seat and driving any distance, and with shutoff of the engine the Chevy’s message center reads: “Rear seat reminder; Look in rear seat!”

A run to DIA to greet Kim Parker on her return from Atlanta and return to her home in Greeley, a total of 100 miles, averaged 42.5 miles per gallon, and overall mpg for the Cruze was 37. Its EPA estimate for the diesel is 30/45. The Cruze rides on Goodyear Assurance 205/55R16 tires.

The Cruze has no paddleshifters, though can be dropped into manual mode and shifted up or down with push of plus and minus switches. More aggressive takeoffs can be attained in normal automatic mode when the driver’s foot goes deep into the accelerator.

The turbodiesel engine adds $2,800 to cost of the Cruze, which showed a sticker price of $30,125. Among features were leather seats, power sunroof, heated steering wheel, lane-change alert, Bose audio with Bluetooth streaming/Apple Carplay and Android Auto capability.

Someone seeing me on a mid-February morning in a little Mazda Miata scooting through the 6-inch-deep snow asked, “Why would you be out in that, with four-wheel-drives sitting at your house?”

Well, the deep snow was out there, as was the Miata with a manual transmission and Bridgestone Blizzak tires, so why not?

Spring must be just around the corner, I thought, when the 2018 MX-5 Miata Club convertible was delivered to me. It seemed so, too, on a Sunday, driving the rear-wheel-drive roadster through the countryside in 65-degree warmth.

Two days later, though, I was near-stuck between the street rise and the curbing dropoff from my driveway, but rocking the Miata just a bit between 2^nd and reverse gears got me out into the driving lane and I got around okay in 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th gears.

The Club version of the Mazda offers a sport-stiffened suspension with Bilstein dampers, adding to its great handling capability on a 90.9-inch wheelbase and curb weight of barely more than 2,300 pounds. It performs decently with a 155-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine (148 lb.-ft. torque) and 6-speed manual transmission, and averaged 31.4 miles per gallon overall.

The interior is inviting with dark leather/suede Recaro seats and red piping. Snugged up in those seats, the ride can get rough and noisy. It is nearly impossible to access the cupholders, which sit between the seatbacks far behind the driver.

Brembo brakes, the Recaro package, 7-inch infotainment screen and red convertible top pushed the Club’s price past 30 grand, all the way to $35,240. The Miata has no rearview camera; of course, with the top down it isn’t needed. To drop the top, unhook a latch at the windshield header and push the cloth top down into the area behind the seatbacks, where one more good push latches it into the recessed area behind the small cabin space. Trunk space is only 4.6 cubic feet, whether the top is up or not.

In “fun-to-drive” assessment, the Miata ranks high among sports cars. Among its chief rivals is the Fiat 124 Spider, which, ironically, is built by Mazda on the same assembly line as the Miata, in Hiroshima, Japan.

Not everyone concerned with winter-weather driving in Colorado purchases SUVs or crossovers. It seems that way, yet there are other choices.

A gem of a product falling between the multitude of SUVs and the front-drive or rear-drive sedans is the 2018 Audi A4 allroad turbocharged quattro wagon.

It sits low; in fact, the allroad’s ground clearance of 6.5 inches is much less than the 9-inch clearance of Audi’s popular Q5 SUV. That seems of little deterrence in traversing streets in 4 or 5 inches of snow, as the allroad churns through with little slippage, even across icy intersections.

Two snowfalls gave the German-built allroad opportunity to display its grip and maneuverability.

It handles impressively and performs fairly strong with its 252-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 7-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox. Suspension feel is altered through selection of five drive modes – dynamic, comfort, auto, individual and offroad; steering and throttle, too, are quickened or softened.

An easily gripped short shifter sits in the center console, and small paddles at the steering wheel lend more control to the driver. Advanced safety technology will vibrate the steering wheel if the allroad ventures over to a lane marker and will activate steering guidance back into the driving lane.

The 25.8 miles per gallon I posted with the allroad would have seemed satisfactory if the week previously I hadn’t averaged 29.5 in similar driving with the BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, which is of same weight and horsepower as the Audi, both are with 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinders.

The Audi interior is trimmed in brown leather, front seatbacks are fairly deeply bolstered. The roomy rear seats are heated and the rear side windows have manual-pull sunshades. Cargo space behind the rear seats is 24.2 cubic feet; that’s more than the Q5 offers.

The German-built allroad , based on the Audi A4, is compact-sized, with wheelbase of 110.9 inches and overall length of 187; curb weight is 3,825 pounds. Some years ago, the allroad was larger, then as a derivative of the A6. Today’s allroad rides on Continental 245/45R18 tires.

Pushing the allroad’s price from a base of $44,500 to sticker of $56,650 are a long listing of options including:

Bang & Olufsen sound, Audi MMI navigation, heated power-folding mirrors, LED headlights, high-beam assistant, top-view camera parking aid, head-up display, adaptive cruise, traffic sign recognition, ventilated front sport seats and heated steering wheel.

I tested Audi A4 allroad quattro wagons in 2013 and 2015 at prices, respectively, of $47,395 and $48,325

I’m a push-button shifter from way back; crawling into the 2018 GMC Terrain Denali cabin for the first time, though, I had to take a second look to determine there were shift controls.

The Terrain’s new electronic precision shifter consists of a row of push and pull buttons across the center stack of the instrument panel.

The driver pushes the Park button, pulls another for Reverse, pushes the middle one for Neutral, pulls one for Drive and pushes the far right for Low. By replacing the normal transmission shifter with the push/pull setup, room for pass-through storage and side-by-side cupholders is left in the center console. The row of shift buttons is beneath the HVAC and entertainment systems.

The buttons are electronically connected to a new 9-speed automatic transmission, which is mated to a turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine which produces 252 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, with all-wheel drive.

Standard engine in a lesser-priced Terrain (below the Denali level) is a 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder of 170 horsepower and 203 lb.-ft. of torque.

A third option is a turbocharged 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder diesel-powered 4-cylinder of 136 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, and tied to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The resized Terrain is smaller and lighter than a year ago and meets head-on with such compact SUV standouts as the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue.

GMC engineers reduced wheelbase by 5 inches, overall length by 3 inches and curb weight by 250 pounds. Its specs are 107.3-inch wheelbase, 182.3 overall length, 72.4 width and 65.4 height. The decreased length cut the Terrain’s cargo space behind the rear seats to 29.6 cubic feet, considerably smaller than much of the competition.

The five-passenger Terrain carries an EPA fuel estimate of 21 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway. Overall average under my piloting was 23.8 mpg. The crossover rides on Hankook 235/50R19 tires.

GM designers had fun with this new one, settling on a “floating roof” look with blacked-out rear pillars. The interior is upscale and roomy, particularly with the Denali trim.

Optional low-speed forward automatic braking, lane-keep assist, surround vision and heated rear seats pushed sticker price to $44,370. Base price is $40,245.

With 15 miles of electric charge in the battery pack, Jan and I on a recent cold evening guided the 2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid 55 miles “round the block.” The big block was from Greeley west to Loveland, north to Fort Collins, east to Ault and south back to Greeley.

Judicious use of the limited electric charge, mostly on the slower pace on Colo. 14 from Fort
Collins to Ault, helped the Niro post an average of 49.2 miles per gallon for the drive. I opted for gasoline power along the 75-miles-per-hour stretch of I-25 from Loveland to Fort Collins. On the last leg south from Ault, I engaged the Sport mode, which improved on the slow acceleration in the default Eco mode.

Numbers of models of gas/electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric automobiles are approaching 90, boosted by increased promotion and attention; still their total sales in 2017 accounted for only 3.2 percent of the light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S.

Arrival over the past month of the Niro Plug-in Hybrid follows introduction last year of the Niro’s regular gas/electric hybrid, which was fourth-best-selling hybrid for the entire year of 2017, yet was on the full market for only slightly more than six months.

With a battery pack tucked beneath the cargo area, the new plug-in version has a range of 26 miles on electricity before the gas engine kicks in, according to Kia estimates. Its battery pack can be recharged overnight from a 120-volt electrical outlet.

Its powertrain consists of a 60-horsepower electric motor rated at 45 kilowatts, a 103-hp, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which outperforms most continuously variable transmissions used in some other competitors

Sticker price on the Niro Plug-in Premium was $35,575, about $5,000 higher than the Niro gas/electric hybrid I  tested last May.

The all-time sales leader among gas/electric hybrids, the Toyota Prius Liftback, suffered a 17 percent decline in sales during the past year; causes seem to be continued low fuel prices and greater choice of competitive hybrid models.

The Prius Liftback has led sales of gas/electric hybrids since it was introduced in 2000. Its stablemate, the Toyota Prius Prime led sales of plug-in hybrids and the Tesla Model S was top-selling battery electric model.

Enjoying the hottest sales paces at yearend are the Kia Niro and Ford Fusion among hybrids, the new Honda Clarity among plug-ins and the Chevy Bolt among battery electrics.

Sales of hybrids, plug-ins and electrics for the year were 558,653, compared with 504,207 in 2016.

The top 10 sellers in 2017 for the three categories are:

HYBRIDS

Toyota Prius Liftback 65,631; Ford Fusion 57,474; Toyota RAV4 50,559; Kia Niro 27,237; Honda Accord 22,008; Toyota Camry 20,985; Toyota Highlander 16,864; Toyota Prius C 12,415; Hyundai Ioniq 10,765; Ford C-Max 10,250.

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

Toyota Prius Prime 20,936; Chevrolet Volt 20,349; Ford Fusion Energi 9,632; Ford C-Max Energi 8,140; BMW X5 5,349; BMW 3-series 4,141; BMW 5-series 3,772; Chrysler Pacifica 2,981; Audi A3 2,877; Volvo XC90 2,228.

BATTERY ELECTRICS

Tesla Model S 26,500; Chevrolet Bolt EV 23,297; Tesla Model X 21,700; Nissan Leaf 11,230; BMW i3 6,276; VW e-Golf 3,534; Fiat 500e 3,336; Kia Soul EV 2,157; Ford Focus EV 1,817; Tesla Model 3 1,770.

Of the many persons attracted by the flash of the 2017 Honda Civic Type R Touring, some weren’t sure even of its make, let alone its model identity. That’s understandable, for this is the first year it’s been imported to the U.S. The powerful sport compact was first produced in Japan in 1997 and has since been sold there and in Europe.

The Type R, with a stiffened body, is the most powerful car produced by Honda and competes with the Subaru WRX STI, Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS. Though produced by the Japanese company Honda, it is assembled in Swindon, Wiltshire, England.

Its outstanding performance comes from a 306-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission with rev match control and three drive modes – Sport, Comfort and R-plus. The system defaults to the quick Sport mode, which can be reduced to Comfort or increased to R-plus which tightens steering considerably. The rev match feature allows smooth downshifts at relatively high rates of speed.

Identifying it as something special, particularly to youthful drivers, is a large wing spoiler, which sits 9 inches above the height of the rear deck.

Suspension includes MacPherson strut front and multilink rear, with adaptive dampers and variable-ratio electric power steering. Large Brembo brake calipers are red, showing through the wheel spokes. The car’s turning circle is a wide 39.5 feet. It rides on low-profile Continental 245/30R20 tires.

Red suede sport seats, deeply bolstered, and even brighter red seatbelts are an interior highlight. A 7-inch display illustrates the navigation system and premium audio with 12 speakers and subwoofer.

Jan and I headed west on U.S. 34, testing the Type R on the twists and bends as far as the Dam Store at the entrance to the Big Thompson Canyon, where U.S. 34 is blocked for the winter, to reopen near Memorial Day in May 2018. The store and its parking lot serve as a turnaround during the highway closure.

Cargo space in the Type R five-door hatchback is 25.7 cubic feet with the rear seats in place. Riding on a wheelbase of 106.3 inches, the Honda is 179.4 inches long, stands 56.5 inches in height and has curb weight of 3,117 pounds.

With all the power, interior sportiness and other features such as rearview camera, electric parking brake and a triple-outlet sport exhaust, sticker price for the Type R is $34,775.

The Type R’s 306 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. torque overshadows the popular Civic Si tuner model’s 205 horsepower and 192 torque. The Si, however, carries an impressive EPA estimate of 38 miles per gallon on the highway, compared with 28 for the Type R. The drive to the Dam Store and back averaged 26.3 mpg.