SUVs on a roll at Automobility LA 2019

Report from correspondent “Carguy” Keith Turner

The annual Los Angeles auto show – now known as #Automobility LA – brought hundreds of media from around the world together to witness the premiere of a number of family-friendly vehicles that feature conventional gas-burning engines. With trucks and sport utility vehicles continuing to lead the sales charts, this year’s show featured several new SUVS to join an already crowded SUV market. #Chevrolet, which already has six SUVs in its lineup, added a seventh with its introduction of the Trailblazer as a model to fit between the Equinox and Blazer. The Trailblazer will be available in an RS sport model as well a a model called “ACTIV”.

#Kia used a jungle set design to release its new 2021 Seltos crossover, which will be slightly larger than the Soul, yet below the Sportage in size. #Mercedes is gambling that the SUV craze continues by launching the new high-performance GLE 63 S SUV while also rolling the dice with a performance luxury SUV called the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63. Proving that sedans aren’t dead yet, Genesis uncovered its mid-cycle full refresh for the popular #Genesis G90 flagship luxury sedan. The future of family cars is still heavy with Sport Utility Vehicles and with at least half of new car sales predicted to go to the SUV segment, don’t expect that trend to change anytime soon.

Blazer Eyes

The eyes spoke to us. How do they look to you?

#Chevrolet has many SUV choices in its model lineup for 2019, but only one has headlight eyes that appear to be up to something suspicious, the Chevrolet #Blazer.

The Blazer will attempt to find its way into our hearts with its angular, laying back look, and unconventional, squinting, or perhaps, sinister eyes.

Moving past the eyes and inside this sport utility vehicle, the Blazer has room for kids and cargo, including a sliding cargo fence in the rear to keep stuff from sliding around en route. While the 8-inch touchscreen display and driver’s information panel are high-tech and fun to play with, it’s the exterior design that caught our attention.

 

Feelin’ it in my 2020 Kia Soul!

Soul has always held a special place in my heart

The @Kia Soul has always held a special place in my heart for a number of reasons. Not only did I attend the North American media debut of the Soul in Miami in 2009 — the one made famous in marketing by a bunch of hip-hop hamsters — but I was also there for the launch of Phase II in Minnesota in 2015.

But the real reason I love the car is that I own a 2010 #Kia #Soul and use it as my daily driver. It was originally purchased by my father, the true “Carguy” in the family, and I basically inherited it before he died in 2016.

The 2020 version of the sporty and spunky compact crossover is clearly an improvement on the previous model, and yet, it retains its unique design and interior flexibility to ensure that this Kia will never lose its true Soul.

The mileage numbers are slightly improved for the new vs. the old Soul models, with the 2020 version getting 27 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway for a combined 30 miles per gallon in real-time driving. My 2010 model gets about 27 mpg overall.

Somewhat surprisingly, the price points of the two Souls are very similar. Our report from the 2010 model launch states that you can get a Soul fully-loaded for just under $20,000. A decade later, this Should X-Line model has an MSRP of $21,490 and totaled out as tested at $22,615. That kinda deal clearly fills my Soul with joy.

Cargo capacity is increased by 5 cubic feet in the 2020 Kia Soul, with a wider and lower liftgate, easy grip handle AND a dual cargo board that offers flexibility and the ability to handle larger items using the lower level setting.

Line up!

A look at VW’s line-up, as Volkswagen moves toward the end of the line of their fossil-fueled vehicle manufacturing

With @Volkswagen pledging that the company will go all-in, offering only electric vehicles to drivers by 2026, we thought now would be a good time to catch up on the manufacturer’s current model lineup of gasoline-burning vehicles.

Here’s a look at six VW models from 2019, including a look at the Final Edition of the iconic VW Beetle. #Jetta GLI Autobahn, #Beetle, #Jetta SEL, #Jetta GTI Rabbit, #Tiguan, #Golf Sportwagen.

And, whoops, stay tuned til the end for a blooper of smashing proportions!

2019 Ford Ranger, aka. F-150 junior

In the past, the Ford Ranger was a highly popular mini-pickup truck with great mileage and sensible pricing. That popularity was the reason that Ford brought the Ranger back into its lineup, but the 2019 model is moderately priced and gets a lower fuel consumption rating. In other words, while the Ranger is a great mid-size pickup truck, fans of the old Ranger may be disappointed.

Let’s just call the new Ranger by a different name, perhaps the F-150 junior.

Size doesn’t matter in the 2019 Fiat 500 Abarth

Traveling around Michigan and Ohio was a breeze in the spunky, 2019 Fiat 500 Abarth hatchback. The 4-cylinder turbo packs plenty of punch and there’s ample legroom for tall drivers and front-seat passengers. Cargo space is good once you put down the second row of seats and we loved being able to fit in almost any parking spot.

#Fiat500 #Abarth #FCA

Music credits:

It’s Been a While by Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/its-been-a-while
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7iyqhbEk2rI

Jeep Gladiators on Hornet’s Deck

Holy Hornet!

Cargal Marissa Turner and her father, Carguy Keith Turner, sure scored a fun assignment, a test drive on the deck of a historic aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Hornet. Among the Hornet’s missions was to recover the Apollo 11 astronauts after the first Moon landing.

In addition to the Gladiators, there were other Jeep models present. Jeep wanted to draw the link to their extreme environment off road capabilities of their vehicles, derived from their extensive use in the past seventy years by various branches of the U.S. military.

After the test drives, Cargal and Carguy toured the Hornet’s varied sights, finding historic references and revelations below deck as well.