The rugged Rubicon Recon edition with the 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was perfect for one final run through the Big Thompson Canyon in late September, before the Colorado Department of Transportation shut down the highway for the winter.

It’s not that I did any true offroading in the canyon, but the Jeep Wrangler four-door certainly looked as though it belonged in the tough, tall terrain.

The extended-length Unlimited model has basically the same exterior appearance of other Wranglers. The Rubicon Recon package added a power-dome hood with functioning air vents, side rock rails with tread plates (step pads) for fending off boulders and heavy debris, a winch-capable steel bumper with red tow hooks and a military-inspired, beefed-up Dana front axle for added durability.

The Rubicon Recon is a body-on-frame structure showing off 10-inch ground clearance with half-inch suspension lift, skid plates, and maneuverability with a very tight turning radius.

Tied to the Jeep’s 285-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine is a long-used 5-speed automatic transmission. The Wrangler is the last Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep product using the 5-speed auto, dating back to when the Chrysler brands were part of Mercedes-Benz of Germany from 1998-2007.

We climbed into the Jeep (21-inch step-in height) on a Saturday afternoon and headed west through Loveland, past the Dam Store and into the canyon on U.S. 34, which has closed now for a second winter for road and stream reconstruction from damage in a 2013 flood. The road will be closed until Memorial Day weekend 2018.

Repeating a run Jan and I made in a Subaru Outback wagon before closure a year ago, we drove the Jeep to Drake, then turned onto the Devil’s Gulch Road to Glen Haven, where we shared one of Steve and Becky Childs’ homemade cinnamon rolls. The climb on up to Estes included two intense switchbacks, which the Wrangler, with its short turn radius and locked in 1^st gear, made the ascent and turns in good shape.

We spent little time in crowded Estes, then in descending the canyon on the main U.S. 34 roadway we used 2^nd and 3^rd gears in the Jeep to avoid frequent braking. At the I-25/34 intersection at Johnstown, we stopped and joined in the grand opening of the 240,000-square-foot Scheels sporting goods store.

Shy a gear or three it may be, the Wrangler, though, shifted smoothly; for the 110-mile drive, it averaged 18.3 miles per gallon (EPA estimate is 16/20), and rode like a Jeep noted for offroad prowess. It rides on BF Goodrich Mud Terrain LT 255/75R17 tires.

From inside the vehicle, the top over the front seats can be removed by twisting four latches. Tradition reigns, as the windshield can still be folded flat onto the hood. Red accent stitching highlights the leather-trimmed seats. All-weather slush mats are good protection from mud and snow.

The Wrangler Unlimited, built in Toledo, Ohio, like the earliest of Jeeps back in the ‘40s, carries a base price of $37,445. The total tally climbed to $48,870 with the Rubicon Recon options, including the steel bumpers, rock rails with step pad, automatic inside temperature control, GPS navigation, Alpine premium audio, voice command with Bluetooth, heated front seats, red seat belts, remote start, rear window wiper/washer/defroster.

While rolling down the road in the sleek 2018 all-wheel-drive coupe, the Mercedes AMG C43, reach to the right and push the switch moving the drive mode from Comfort to Sport, adjust the suspension setting to Sport-tuned also, activate the enhanced exhaust and enjoy the run – it can serve as a restorer of youthful urges.

Thanks to the Benz’s stiffened suspension, the strong acceleration from the C43’s twin-turbocharged and intercooled 3.0-liter V-6 engine is complemented by minimal body roll in cornering.

A great drive it is, made possible through the AMG-boosted 362-horsepower, 384-torque engine and a smooth, responsive 9-speed automatic transmission.

Yes, it’s all-wheel drive, yet the October snowfall led M-B officials to delay by a day its delivery to me, a concession to the coupe’s Pirelli 225/40R19 summer performance tires. I recall a cold, snowy day in downtown Greeley several years ago, when I missed by 6 inches wiping out a power pole while slipping and sliding in a BMW 3 series with summer performance tires.

With a sufficient fill of the spirited sport setting, revert to “comfort” levels for the drive, suspension and steering for a pleasant ride home. Suspension remains fairly stiff even in the softer mode. Large 14.2-inch front discs lend reassurance for braking in either mode.

While the C43’s blocks and heads weren’t hand-built, for which AMG is best-known with other Mercedes products, the coupe received enough performance infusion to make it a worthy competitor to the BMW M3.

The AMG designation means “performance-tuned with precision.” In 1967, automotive engineers Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher began fine-tuning engines for Mercedes-Benz race cars in an old mill in Bergstall, Germany, and AMG was born. AMG became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Daimler company (Mercedes is a division of Daimler) in 2005.

The 2018 silver Mercedes with red leather seats carried Jan and me on a late afternoon to Loveland, then south on U.S. 287 to Erie, where we joined Keith and Sandy Boggs and Glenn and Ruthie Selch for dinner. The chicken piccata surely is a specialty of Sandy’s.

The Mercedes averaged 21.9 miles per gallon in overall driving; its EPA estimate is 20/27.

Burmester, long a German associate of Mercedes-Benz, lends one of its high-end audio systems to entertain the C43’s interior. A flat-bottomed AMG steering wheel and large sunroof are among highlights in the cabin. Tucked away in a center console cubicle is a working cigarette lighter and small ashtray.

That performance exhaust enhancer, which sings so loud, was among options which boosted the AMG C43’s sticker price to $72,835 from a base of $55,900. Among others were illuminated door sills, head-up display, navigation/traffic/weather, trunk lid spoiler in high-gloss black, park assist, surround view and active lane-keeping assist. The car’s attention-assist system, if it detects drowsiness from the driver, flashes a suggestion to “Take a Break.”

Contrasting the flash and zip of the sporty C43 coupe was a test of the 2017 Metris Pasenger Van 126.

It is so basic, there were few buttons or switches to push on the Metris, with no cruise control, no rearview camera, no power mirrors.

It is a Mercedes-built passenger van, doubling as a cargo hauler, and competes with the Ford Transit Connect, Chevrolet City Express, Ram ProMaster City and Nissan NV200.

A good runner, with plenty of power from a 208-horsepower/258-lb.ft. torque, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 7-speed automatic transmission, the van is of rear-wheel-drive configuration. Its EPA estimate is 20/23 miles per gallon.

Built for sturdiness and hauling, as well as passenger loads of seven or eight, the ride can be rough at times. It rides on Hankook 225/55R17 tires.

The reasonably priced Metris, $35,415, had only two options – a power sliding door on the driver side and the same on the passenger side. Seats are of durable cloth finish.

In an unusual placement, the fuel filler tube is behind a flap at the driver’s door. Its opening at the back is of the “barn-door” type, side-by-side doors..

With all three rows of seats in place, the Metris’ cargo area still measures out to 38 cubic feet.

The midsize van is 202.4 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 126 inches and curb weight of 4,850 pounds.

I’ll sprint to great lengths (or heights) in revealing to my readers the workings of a new automotive model.

Stelvio Pass in the Alps of northern Italy reaches 9,045 feet above sea level; move the zero two digits to the right and 9,450 is the altitude for Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado.

With elevation numbers tied so tightly, Bear Lake, of course, was an ideal destination for the new 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, and I drove it there in a light snow on a cold day in late October.

The climbs and twists of the narrow road to Bear Lake are a decent challenge for the great-handling Stelvio, namesake of the Italian mountain pass.

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport, with Q4 all-wheel drive, is based on Alfa’s Giulia luxury sport sedan, which I reviewed in July. They’re built at Cassino, a Fiat Chrysler Automobile Group plant in the province of Frosinone, Italy.

Stelvio is the newest midsize SUV on the U.S. market, on a wheelbase of 111 inches, curb weight of 4,050 pounds and suspension of double wishbone with semivirtual steering axle in front and all-aluminum  rear with a vertical rod across.

Introduction of the Alfa Romeo entry followed by a number of months that of the Jaguar F-Pace. The Alfa is a couple inches shorter than the Jag and its cargo space is much smaller; the Stelvio,  though, holds its own in high-country performance against the Jaguar, as well as other competitors Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Infiniti QX50 or Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Like most of the others, the Stelvio is driven by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. It develops 280 horsepower and 306 lb.-ft. of torque, with plenty of kick to go with its handling and cornering capabilities.

Its drive-mode selector system, instead of the ususal eco/comfort/sport choices, lists them as Advanced Efficiency/Natural/Dynamic. As the driver selects one or the other, the system customizes the shift timing, steering feel and braking response. The driver gets even more involved with paddle shifters, tied to the steering column and long enough (6.5 inches) to hinder quick touches of side stalks.

The Stelvio’s low-end acceleration and cornering highlighted the run up to Bear Lake. The descent on the return drive was a paradise of wildlife viewing, including a stop in the road to give 11 wild turkeys an uninterrupted crossing at a slow pace. Farther down, we joined other cars parked along a side road to see more than 100 elk in a meadow in the Hollowell Park area. Numerous deer were along the way, too.

The earlier highway drive to Denver, Boulder, Lyons and up into the park lifted fuel mileage to 25.5. The Alfa’s EPA estimate is 22/28.

An interior slight, in addition to the cramped cargo area, is the unusually small screen for rearview camera and navigation. Good sound emanates from a Harmon Kardon premium system with 14 speakers. Front seats are narrowly bolstered; the overall chocolate interior is accented by a dual-pane sunroof. Rear seats are short on legroom.

Brake discs are 13 inches in front and 12.5 at the rear; visible through the Y-spoked wheels are red Brembo brake calipers. We got an appreciative demonstration of the Alfa Romeo autonomous emergency braking system on 47^th Avenue in Greeley, when brakes on the car ahead of us were slammed when cut off by another; I would have stopped the Alfa before it hit the car ahead, but not quite as instantly as did the autonomous emergency brakes.

Sticker price on the Alfa Romeo Stelvio was $53,640, slightly lower than most of the competitive luxury makes.

Keys to a 2017 Audi A4 were handed me recently; the performance of that car is a pleasure, and it and others of the Audi line are leaders in the rush toward hands-free driving and autonomous cars.

Out south on Broadway, I pulled in to Audi Denver; I hadn’t been in its huge showroom since the store’s opening three years ago.

“Things are booming with Audi,” said Jason Steele, sales manager. I’m not surprised; to drive the new A4, or the Q7 as I did several months ago, is to realize that Audi’s resurgence has moved it into the heralded level of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and the makers are now considered the German Big Three.

I accepted the opportunity to drive away in an Audi Denver A4 quattro sedan, finished in manhattan gray metallic exterior and a lighter granite gray interior.

Jan and I drove it to lunch at Mimi’s in Denver West, then nearby to a session with Dr. Thomas Pott, DDS, on up Lookout Mountain, down the mountain to Golden and back to south Broadway.

Preceding the drive, we were given a 15-minute preview of the four-door by Crystal Blinkinsoph, Audi brand technology specialist – everything from “walk up and brush a hand against the outside of the door handle and the doors unlock, touch the inside of the handle and the door opens” to “the push of this button puts the drive system into dynamic mode instead of comfort, this one shuts off the stop/start technology at stoplights.”

The A4 was the S tronic version, equipped with Audi’s new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (replacing an 8-speed)  to go with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder and all-wheel-drive setup. With use of paddle shifters in a mountain-road descent, the transmission can be locked into a lower gear, even 1^st gear, and remain there to avoid heavy braking. Some other competitive systems remain in the lower gear only until acceleration eases, then shift to a gear higher.

An effective demonstration of Audi’s active lane assist occurred while driving in the middle lane of I-70 west of Denver. I released grip on the steering wheel as the system guided the A4 near-perfectly around a 30-degree curve, then messaged me to “please take control of the steering wheel.” A camera mounted out front of the rearview mirror detects the lane markings to make the lane-assist possible.

The 4-cylinder turbo experiences some lag in low-range kickdowns, then blasts off with power aplenty through the middle range. The dynamic damping stiffens the suspension (five-link independent). The engine is rated at 252 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, and its EPA estimate is 24/31 miles per gallon. My averages were 28.4 for the 70-mile drive on Tuesday, and 29.5 for a drive in a similar A4 to Estes Park and back last week.

The Audi’s sticker price of $54,260 includes MMI navigation, head-up display, adaptive cruise control, heated leather seats; an interior highlight is the Bang & Olufsen surround-sound.

This A4, built in Neckarsulm, Germany, is 186 inches in length, riding on a 110-inch wheelbase.

Audi Denver is a McDonald family dealership, a Denver automotive operation for more than 50 years.

So, you thought minivans had pretty well run the course? I thought so, too, from the continued sales surge of SUVs and crossovers.

Yet, surprises continue to roll off the assembly lines of the few manufacturers still producing the kid haulers.

Awaiting us at DIA on a flight back from Phoenix was a 2018 Honda Odyssey – equipped with the first 10-speed automatic transmission in a front-wheel-drive vehicle.

Eighteen months ago, Chrysler invited me to Newport Beach, Calif., to show off its new Pacifica, one with “unparalleled levels of functionality, technology and styling,” the company boasted. It succeeded the long-popular Town & Country minivan in the Chrysler lineup.

It is an apparent attempt to keep pace with the Pacifica that Honda chose the Odyssey to unveil its new 10-speed for the coming year, in an automotive market category which has slumped in sales.

Twenty years ago, annual sales in the U.S. for minivans approached 1.3 million. Ten years ago, the total dropped into the 800,000s, and by last year was around 550,000. Sales for the top four models through nine months of 2017 are 107,592 for the Dodge Grand Caravan, 87,623 for Toyota Sienna, 86,342 for the Chrysler Pacifica and 75,309 for the Honda Odyssey.

The 10-gear setup replaces a 6-speed for Honda, which says the new transmission will change gears 30 percent faster, improve acceleration and increase fuel economy. It is available only in the Odyssey’s two higher trim levels, the Elite which I drove and the Touring. The lesser-priced models – LX, EX amdEX-L perform with a 9-speed automatic.

The review model’s 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, tied to the 10-speed, performed with moderate power, and at times, with a kickdown of the accelerator, the transmission will near-instantly drop down three or four gears, say from 9^th to 6^th or 5^th. In cruising on a flat road, the V-6 will deactivate three cylinders for more economical mpg results.

The Odyssey with the 10-speed tranny is estimated to produce fuel mileage of 19 in the city and 28 on the highway. The Odyssey in 411 miles of driving, most of it on the highway back and forth from Denver to Greeley, averaged 24.9 miles per gallon. It rides on Bridgestone Turanza 235/55R19 tires.

A somewhat unconventional vertical row of pushbutton-type controls operate the gears – push P for Park, pull down a lever for Reverse, push N for Neutral, push a larger button for Drive, push it a second time for Sequential mode to accommodate the paddle shifters mounted at the steering wheel.

The Odyssey’s many safety innovations include lane-keeping assist which jiggles the steering wheel as the van wanders near the lane marker, then will barely turn the steering wheel to maintain in-lane position.

It’s an easy step-in to the roomy Odyssey interior, which offers lots of storage compartments, particularly in the front-seat area. The fairly flat front seats are wide and comfortable, leather-covered, heated and ventilated.

“Magic Slide” second-row seats move forward and back, as well as side-to-side. With keys in a pocket, swing a foot beneath the rear bumper and the liftgate opens to a cargo area of 38.6 cubic feet. Tucked away in the driver’s side rear corner of the cargo area is a vacuum cleaner, with a hose that will stretch to the front seat floorboards. Chrysler has copied this feature in its new Pacifica.

With a new turboed 4-cylinder beneath the hood, the 2018 Jaguar F-Pace set a lead pace on a climb to Allenspark amid fairly heavy holiday traffic on a Sunday morning.

The Jaguar-designed gas engine of 247 horsepower/269 lb.-ft. of torque is a turbocharged 2.0-liter; of course it is, that’s what most all luxury makers are embracing to gain the proper mix of response and economy. Audi’s got one, so do BMW, Mercedes, Lincoln and Volvo.

The turbo in the F-Pace is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive; their popularities are expected to continue a sharp sales increase which has boosted Jaguar in these parts by triple digits.

With the F-Pace compact SUV as its leading seller, Jaguar sales in Colorado in the first seven months of this year reached 293, compared with only 59 in the same period a year ago, a jump of almost 400 percent. Nationally, Jaguar sales have shown a 52 percent gain this year.

Jaguar began a modest sales increase four years ago by adding all-wheel drive to its XJ and XF sedans, then last year pushed the “hot-sales” button with introduction of the F-Pace and the XE compact sports sedan.

The model I tested on the run to Allenspark, with stop for lunch at the old, cozy Meadow Mountain Café, to Estes Park and back home is the ’18 F-Pace 25t R-Sport; the 25t designation is confusing, since the engine is 2.0-liter size.

The 4-cylinder turbo is a welcome addition, though, to the F-Pace, which last year operated with two supercharged V-6s and a 4-cylinder diesel-powered engine.

Big Michelin 255/50 tires on 20-inch wheels provided good road-feel feedback from the Jag, and the 4,000-pounder in driving up and down the hills produced an overall fuel mileage of 25.4 (EPA estimate 22/27). Last year, with a 340-hp V-6, an F-Pace averaged 22.2.

Helping to lead the pace on the climbs from Longmont to Allenspark, then on to Estes Park, I employed the paddle shifters in the F-Pace’s dynamic mode, maintaining excellent control in lower gears, with stiffened suspension (double-wishbone front and multilink rear) and tighter steering. A surprise on restarting the Jag crossover was that it performs in whatever mode it was engaged when it was parked; most others revert to normal mode after shutdown.

The Jaguar’s interior, very comfortable, was brightened with red/orange seat inserts and a large sunroof. Front seats can be lengthened from 20 inches to 22 for thigh support over long drives. Window switches are positioned high up on the sill, while seat-settings are down on the armrests where window controls are normally.

Cruise control was a puzzler at times, often requiring numerous pushes of proper button for setting and increasing or decreasing speeds incrementally.

The F-Pace is 186.3 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 113.1 inches and sizable cargo space of 33.5 cubic feet. Its tailgate can be automatically opened by swinging a foot beneath the rear of the vehicle.

A base price of $54,175 for the F-Pace was raised to $63,585 with optional add-ons, including the R-Sport package of body cladding and interior trims, 10-inch touchscreen, interactive navigation and driver display, Meridian surround sound system, a lane-keeping assist feature, electrically reclining rear seats, cooled front seats and heated rear seats.

Meet the Toyota C-HR, an all-new car on the U.S. market, an ’18 model, quirky as can be, yet it drew all sorts of interest in fun drives all over the area.

It’s considered a subcompact sport utility vehicle, yet offers no all-wheel-drive option, only front-drive.

Toyota says the C-HR naming is for Coupe High-Rider. Coupe? It’s got four doors, even though the handles for the rear doors are hidden up high in the C pillar near the roofline.

Created to be a Scion, the C-HR was still in conceptual stage when Toyota killed its Scion youth division, then directed the new “coupe” to its (Toyota’s) powerful stable. The C-HR is built in a Toyota assembly plant in Sakarya, Turkey.

A bright exterior finish, “iceberg/radiant green with white top,” is an eyecatcher, along with the funky style at the SUV’s rear – where a spoiler overhangs a lightly sloped rear window and bulky looking hatch.

The car’s bright finish and nontraditional styling attracted comments wherever I parked it.

For its style, the Toyota probably competes most closely with the Nissan Juke. Among others in the subcompact field are the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mini Countryman, Fiat 500X. To be competitive in Colorado, I would think the Toyota will be forced to add an AWD option, which the others already have.

Wheelbase for the C-HR is 103.9 inches, with overall length of 171.2, width 70.7 and height 61.6. Its track is a narrow 60 inches and ground clearance only 5.9 inches. Curb weight around 3,300 pounds is a couple hundred heavier than most competitive models.

With a 141-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission, acceleration is somewhat slow off the line, then comes on stronger through midrange. The ride is good and handling is impressive, with little body lean. A steering-assist system lightly guides the car back into its lane if it wanders near the striping. Front struts and double wishbone rear make up the suspension. It rides on Dunlop Sport 225/50R 18 tires.

With a 55/45 split of highway/city driving, the C-HR averaged 26.9 miles per gallon. Its EPA estimate is 27/31.

Front seats are supportive and comfortable; the rear seating area offers good headroom, though legroom and footroom are tight. A tablet holder ($99 option) is mounted to the back of the front passenger headrest for use by a rear-seat occupant. Cargo space under the rear hatch is 19 cubic feet, which expands to 36.4 feet with the rear seats folded.

The C-HR XLE carries sticker price of $25,364, which includes hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth, dual-zone automatic climate control, rear-window wiper and defogger, electric power-assisted steering, 7-inch touchscreen display for audio. It had no satellite radio.

One of the biggest hits in car country three years ago was introduction of the redesigned Volvo XC90 crossover; thinking today in terms of compacts, I would suggest the guys from Gothenburg have done it again with the 2018 XC60.

The Inscription T6 model, which is both supercharged and turbocharged, delivered Jan and me to Denver International Airport for an early flight to Phoenix and a drive on to Palm Desert, and I winced in handing the keys over to the valet at DIA – the smaller one seems so good and so enjoyable to drive.

The T6 model is the most-advanced level of XC60 with a 316-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The super and turbo combination develops a more flat torque curve, minimizing the lag-thrust moments with many turbocharged engines. Torque rating for the Volvo is 295 lb.-ft., with a strong tow capacity of 5,290 pounds.

The new five-passenger XC60 is 3.5 inches longer in wheelbase and 2 inches longer overall than last year’s model. It is 184.6 inches in overall length, with a wheelbase of 112.8 inches. Curb weight is 4,175 pounds.

Oh, my, that Bowers & Wilkins premium sound might be the best we’ve heard this year. With 15 high-fidelity loudspeakers and 1,100 watts of amplification, you’ll think you’re in the middle of the Gothenburg Concert Hall. The B&W option came at a cost of $3,200.

The XC60 competes with classy competitors in the luxury SUV/crossover segment, including Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Lexus NX and a couple of newcomers in the Jaguar F-Pace and Land Rover Velar.

The Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver-assistance system is effective, its lane-keeping performed satisfactorily in maintaining position around several curves with my hands off the steering wheel (though ready, if needed).

Four drive modes – comfort, eco, dynamic or offroad – adjust response of steering and throttle, and four-corner air suspension guarantees relatively smooth ride under most road and terrain surfaces.

Fuel usage measured out to 23.2 miles per gallon; its EPA estimate is 21/27.

Swing a foot beneath the rear bumper and the liftgate opens, measuring out to 22.4 cubic feet of space; lower the rear seats and that expands to a spacious 63.3 feet.  It has Nappa leather seats, heated and cooled and perforated, and trims of driftwood decor.

All those high-tech options pushed the XC60’s price from a base of $44,900 to sticker of $63,290, and also included 9-inch touchscreen Sensus navigation, park-assist pilot, electric-folding rear headrests, head-up display and panoramic moonroof.

Pricing for the least-expensive Volvo XC60 Momentum AWD begins at $42,495.