The Lexus was presented at Pirate Radio studios for a review with the help of George Gray:Ultrasonic blue mica paint with jet black leather seating for 5 – heated  and cooled front buckets and and 17 cubic ft. of cargo space in the trunk, weighs 3,776 lbs., has a 113” wheelbase and is 196” long, 19” – Carbon black finished aluminum spoke wheels and 235/40R19 Michelin Primacy all season radials, 12.3” multimedia infotainment screen, 10.2” head up display in windshield, panoramic multi-view surround camera, wireless flatbed phone charger, heated F Sport steering wheel, dual pane moonroof, pushbutton starter, navigation, power tilt and telescope steering column, 10 speaker Lexus premium FM/AM-Satellite stereo, power trunk lid with kick sensor,  Android / Apple integration, radar cruise control, lane change alert/tracing assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, 3.5 liter V-6 engine with 302 horsepower, 284 ft. lb. of torque, 8 speed automatic transmission, dual exhausts, zero to 60 in 6.1 seconds – front wheel drive, $53,775.00  list price –  built in Georgetown, Kentucky – fuel economy (31 highway 25 combined 22 city),  16 gallon tank with 520 mi. range                                                                     

George Gray of Pirate radio FM-104.7 gave me an assist in reviewing the new QX-80:

George Gray of Pirate 104.7 FM helped analyze the MINI at the studio parking lot:

Rebel green metallic paint with chili red roof, carbon black leather seating for 4 and heated front buckets, weighs 2,845 lbs., 152.8” long and has 98.2” wheelbase – 9 cubic ft. of cargo capacity – 34 with seats folded down, 18” Two toned aluminum wheels and 205/40R18 Pirelli P-zero summer  radial tires, Lane keep assist, forward collision alert, radar cruise control, rear vision camera, 8.8” infotainment screen, navigation, dual moon roof setup (one powered), six speaker AM/FM premium stereo sound system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, color keyed door handles, and foldaway heated outside mirrors, 2.0 liter, 228 horsepower four with a 6 speed manual transmission  remote starter and front wheel drive – zero to 60 in 5.7 seconds, $40,850.00  list price – built in Oxford, United Kingdom, Fuel economy 31 mpg on highway, 22 in city, 25 overall – 11.6 gallon tank  – goes 360 mi. on a full tank

George “Elvis” Gray, FM-104.7 DJ, assisted in conducting a review of the Mazda sports car:

Machine gray metallic paint with white leather seating for 2, heated front buckets with console and stick shift, weighs 2,593 lbs. and has a 91.7” wheelbase – 4.6 cubic ft. trunk space, 17” – Silver finish aluminum spoke wheels and 205/45R17 high performance radials, 17″ silver finish aluminum spoke wheels and 205/45R17 high performance radials, Android / Apple integration, power retractable hardtop painted black, and pushbutton start, 7” multimedia infotainment screen – backup camera, navigation, heated steering wheel and Bose 9 speaker premium FM/AM-Satellite stereo, cruise control, lane change alert, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot warning, 2.0 liter four cylinder with 181 (torque is 151) horsepower – Six speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive, 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, $36,265.00  list price  built in Hiroshima, Japan, fuel economy (34 mpg highway, 26 mpg city, 29 mpg combined)  11.9 gallon tank with 405 mi.range

 Honda Motor Company started exporting motorcycles to America, from Japan, in the early 1960’s with a clever slogan, “You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda”.  I became  an early customer when I purchased a new 1964 Honda while in high school in Grant,  Nebraska.  All three Wright brothers eventually bought Hondas, and of course mine was the smallest, the Honda 50, a little machine I rolled past the Perkins County fairgrounds on thinking I would impress those patrons inside with my little exhaust report.

 It was later, in the 1970’s, that Honda started exporting automobiles to the U.S., and in 1997 they sent their first in-house designed sport utility vehicle, the CR-V to our shores.  The CR-V (compact recreational vehicle) is based on the Civic sedan and is currently in its fifth generation configuration.  Sales of the CR-V started off at 67,000 in the first year and they have swelled to over 300,000 per year for the last seven years.  

   Recently, a 2020 Honda CR-V 1.5T Touring edition was loaned to me out of the press fleet, and I drove it for a week.  The CR-V comes in a hybrid, LX, EX, EX-L, and Touring edition, which is the top model and the one I tested.  For $35,845.00, including freight, the Touring edition has a leather interior, navigation system with backup camera, adaptive radar cruise control, heated steering wheel, lane departure warning, moon roof, and dual heated power bucket seats.  

   The driving experience when behind the wheel of the CR-V is excellent, with a somewhat quieter environment than the unit I drove in 2018 but with similar guidance, handling, and ride; all good.  Visibility is top-notch, and real-world economy for this reviewer came in at 25.5 mpg, right on target with the EPA estimate.  

   The mid-sized Honda CR-V rolls on 19” ten spoke alloy wheels with Continental P235/55R19 Cross Contact all season radials.  All CR-V’s were refreshed for 2020, and the power train is now a turbocharged 190 horsepower four with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

   In high school I  fantasized about someday driving an automobile with the quality and innovation of my little Honda 50.  Never would I have imagined that sedans would become so unpopular (along with small motorcycles) and that “sport-utility” vehicles would basically take over the roads.  Nonetheless, someday arrived after a fashion a week ago when I tested the very capable, American made Honda CR-V.  And, I suspect, you still “Meet the Nicest People in a Honda”.