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2020 Colorado Winter Driver's Notes | Behind the Wheel S02 // E12

2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 I’ve had bad luck with SUVs this winter. Especially performance ones. First, I got a 2019 Range Rover Sport SVR delivered on summers right as two feet of snow fell, rendering it undriveable. Then, coronavirus cancelled Easter Jeep Safari as well as my trip out to Moab in the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Diesel. Thankfully, when this 469 horsepower luxury mall crawler was dropped off, the sun shone down and the snow (mostly) held off.  The first thing that I noticed was there were a few blank buttons throughout the cabin, something that you may see in an entry model vehicle, but IÂ’m not accustomed to seeing in an AMG. Not a great look for a vehicle with an $80,000 price tag. Thankfully that was where the disappointment ended. As soon as you press the start button, the engine fires up and the exhaust note is incredible. Hopping on the highway ramp near my house, I floored it, and the biturbo V8 had me pressed back into the driver's seat, and this wasnÂ’t even the S version that our staff drove last year. Inside and out, the GLC 63 was everything youÂ’d expect from Mercedes. The interior was immaculate, and while the infotainment wheel and touch pad may take some getting used to for someone who isnÂ’t familiar, by now I have it down so that I can use it without looking. And while the V8 left me smiling ear to ear, I was most impressed by the amount of useable interior space there is. I happened to be moving at the time of this review and while all of my large furniture was shoved into the back of a moving van, I was able to fit almost everything else in the back of the GLC. 2019 and 2020 Fiat 500X Trekking ItÂ’s hard to say goodbye to an AMG and then turn around and be excited when a Fiat 500X pulls in your driveway (I know, I know, automotive journalist problems). That being said, when the red Fiat pulled up, I found myself admiring it. I am very familiar with the 500X. Back in 2016 Autoblog had one for a year as our long term test vehicle. I drove that car everywhere, multiple trips up north in Michigan, and even tracked it at Gingerman Raceway for a few laps before the brakes started smoking.  The 2019 model I had in my driveway and the 2020 model I drove in the snow up in the mountains feel very similar to that car. The interior is stylish and surprisingly roomy. The greenhouse is airy.

No S660 for US, but Honda wants sporty cars

Honda, best known lately for being a mainstream player rather than the brand that brought us the CRX Si, NSX, Integra Type-R, and S2000, apparently wants to builds sporty cars for the US again. With that in mind (or not), Honda has ruled out bringing the tiny, sporty S660 roadster across the Pacific. "I wouldn't put my chips on [the S660]," American Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel told Automotive News. At nearly 11.1 feet long, the S660 slots in between the 12.8-foot Mazda MX-5 Miata and the 8.8-foot Smart ForTwo. Yet Mendel says the tiny two-seater wouldn't work here. "When the practicalities of the market come in, and the car only so big, that might not be the best car for the US market," Mendel said. "It might be better for India or China or somewhere else." Honda is considering its options here in the US, though. As AN reports, after his takeover earlier this year, new CEO Takahiro Hachigo promised more sporting models, like the new, US-bound, 300-horsepower Civic Type R. And while it's no secret that Honda has filed patent drawings for a mid-engine model, Mendel offered little to indicate that it'd become a reality. Calling the project from Honda's Silicon Valley research and design facility a "design study," Mendel wouldn't answer AN when it asked whether this new model was successor to the S2000 or a more attainable, lower-powered NSX. He did, however, say his company was getting pressure from dealers over the lack of verve in the company's lineup. "They want anything in the sports car world," Mendel told AN. "They're going, 'Gimme a sports car.' They want a retractable hardtop; they want a high-horsepower $20,000 sports car. Because that's the nature of what they do." There you are, Honda. Your dealers want it, which means your consumers are probably are asking for it, and your CEO wants it, too. Make something happen.

Honda trademarks 'CDX' nameplate

Less than two weeks ago, we discussed the possibility of an Acura-badged version of the sure-to-be popular Honda HR-V. Now, Acura has gone ahead and registered a new trademark that fits in perfectly with its two other crossovers, the RDX and MDX. Our friends at Auto Guide report the company has reserved the name "CDX" with the US Patent and Trademark Office, with the trademark covering "automobiles and their structural parts." While it's true that these kinds of trademarks are filed regularly, the timing in this case is indicative of something more than simply covering bases. After all, it seems very, very unlikely that we'd have comments from Acura on a premium version of the HR-V on February 5 and a trademark filing for a name that fits the brand's CUV nomenclature less than two weeks later, only for it to not go ahead and build an actual vehicle. Adding to that logic is the simple fact that the compact CUV market, both on the premium and mainstream level, is arguably the hottest in the auto industry right now, and it seems like a virtual guarantee that we'll see an HR-V wearing the Acura CDX name in the not-so-distant future. Should that come to pass, look for the CDX to challenge the near-premium Buick Encore, as well as a potential compact CUV from Infiniti. Featured Gallery 2016 Honda HR-V View 25 Photos News Source: Auto GuideImage Credit: Honda Government/Legal Acura Honda Crossover Economy Cars Luxury trademark honda hr-v