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The Outbackier Subaru

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Outbackier Subaru
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This week Robbie and Sam are joined by Craig Cole who has his own thoughts on the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Robbie tells us about hauling band gear in the new Subaru Outback and Sam pontificates on the BMW XM. In the news, why are some automakers using NACS only for DC charging with a J1772 port of AC? Chinese regulators are forcing a recall of millions of cars with manual door latch backups that are too hard to find. Cadillac’s midsize crossover finally gets a PHEV, but only in China for now. A recent rash of thefts from cars has Sam thinking about Faraday bags for key fobs. The next Mini cooper might ditch front wheel drive for the first time ever. Genesis launches a new 3-row electric SUV, the GV90 and puts a hybrid into the GV80 while Hyundai shows a new Tucson.… Read More »The Outbackier Subaru

People With Too Much Money

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
People With Too Much Money
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This week Robbie and Sam are joined by Perry Stern. Perry has two cars to compare that are basically the same, the Lamborghini Revuelto and Chevrolet Bolt. Sam had the new Subaru Outback and Robbie drove the Dodge Charger R/T SixPack. Sam and Perry also drove the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, mild hybrid and Eclipse Sportback. Kia has dropped price and range details for the EV3, GM cancelled the battery venture with Samsung, and is expanding its charging network with EVGo. Who buys Mansory cars? There’s some new stuff from Acura, Cadillac and McLaren from Monterey car week. Also rich guys spent insane amounts of money at the Monterey auctions. The Ford Fathom is going to longer than we thought and Sam talks with Travis Wattles and Kevin Sittner from Mitsubishi. Links All-new 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport revealed with head-turning design, rewarding features, and… Read More »People With Too Much Money

Diesels Dying

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Wheel Bearings
Diesels Dying
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Sam and Robbie both had the Ford Explorer Tremor this week and Nicole rounded out the Ford fest with the F-350 King Ranch PowerStroke duallie. Diesel cars are fading away in Europe and BMW has launched the next-generation X5 including an all electric iX5. California is bringing back some EV incentives for first-time buyers and the Kia Niro is going hybrid only for 2027. Thieves have been stealing truckloads of batteries from a Tesla factory and Ferrari is bringing back a simulated manual transmission. Sam also has a conversation with Christopher Maiwald, CEO and Founder of charger manufacturer Lectron. Links Diesel’s demise nears as Volkswagen axes diesel Golf after 50 years | Autocar Why Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke Diesel Died An Ignoble Death – Jalopnik New California Incentive Gives Some First-Time EV Buyers $3,500 Instant Discount – Jalopnik Our Readers Came Up With These Honest… Read More »Diesels Dying

Is Slate Cheap Enough?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Is Slate Cheap Enough?
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This week Nicole shares her adventure of trying to get a test drive in a BMW, and testing the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid and Ford Maverick hybrid. Robbie went on an adventure in the new Subaru Outback and Sam did truck stuff with the Ford Maverick Lobo. In the news, Jeep teased the new Cherokee Trailhawk, a Toyota engineer said he’s like a Rav4 Ute, and we discuss bad old car ads. IIHS crashed old and new Blazers, Polestar pulled out of the US market, Honda is bringing back the Element, our pal Andre tries a restomoded 23-window VW bus and we look at the new Hyundai Elantra. We also spend a lot of time discussing Slate. Links Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Thrill To Four Dull Commercials For Dazzlingly Boring ’70s And ’80s Cars! – The Autopianngly-boring-70s-and-80s-cars/ Toyota RAV4 ute market would be ‘quite appealing’, says top… Read More »Is Slate Cheap Enough?

Live From Nebraska

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Live From Nebraska
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This week Robbie and Sam are on the road as part of Operation Frodo Electric 2026, transporting rescue dogs from the midwest to the Pacific Northwest in a fleet of EVs and they recorded live from a Kia EV9 somewhere on I-80 in Nebraska. This week Robbie drove the Kia K4 hatchback and Sam had the Honda Prelude. Sam also has a conversation with Nik Miles about Operation Frodo. Nicole interviews IIHS COO Joe Nolan and Mazda safety strategy chief Jennifer Morrison. Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

How We Cruise

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Wheel Bearings
How We Cruise
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This week Nicole drove the new Subaru Outback Wilderness, Robbie had the Mercedes-Benz EQS 400 SUV and Sam had the Kia EV9. In the news, GM opened a new Pasadena design studio and showed off a couple of GMC Hummer concepts. Waymo is having some challenges with its Robotaxis while Zoox is making improvements. Slate will announce final pricing in a few weeks and Mitsubishi is partnering with Nissan for a new truck for North America. Honda is pausing production of the Ridgeline and Ford is decontenting the Bronco Sport and planning to revive the Escape as an EV. Mercedes could get barred from the US market if a new bill becomes law and Volvo gets approvals to keep selling its vehicles. Nicole went to see a crash test at IIHS. Links GM officially opens new Advanced Design Pasadena Studio, reveals GMC HUMMER X truck… Read More »How We Cruise

Selling to Little Old Ladies

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Wheel Bearings
Selling to Little Old Ladies
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This week Nicole was driving the 2026 Subaru Solterra and Sam had the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid. In recent days, both AMG and Ferrari have revealed new four-door GT models with over 1,000-hp electric propulsion and the response has been very different between the two. Stellantis had their big investor day last week and announced a bunch of new products and Sam got to try out a couple of European models and see a bunch of secret stuff. Citroen is also bringing back the 2CV. Rich Rebuilds bought an $800 Audi A8 with slight corrosion issue. Watch out for AI images for ride share damage and whatever you do don’t buy a Lordstown Endurance. Links The 777 HP 2027 Ram Rumble Bee is The Most Powerful Muscle Truck Ever! 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Recreates Signature V8 Thrills-signature-v8-thrills/ AMG Goes Electric with the Mercedes-AMG GT… Read More »Selling to Little Old Ladies

Powdered Sugar Everywhere

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Wheel Bearings
Powdered Sugar Everywhere
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Nicole has returned from the Big Easy after driving the Acura MDX and eating beignets with too much powdered sugar (is there such a thing as too much?). She also drove the Infiniti QX65, Dodge Charger R/T and Kia Sportage. Sam had the Toyota Corolla FX and Robbie rented a Kia Carnival for a mini vacation. Fiat inexplicably raises the price of the 500e by $5,000 while Motor Trend drives a $10,000 Chinese EV that doesn’t suck. The US spec BMW iX3 is projected to get 434 miles on a charge. The New York State Police are using new Mustang GTs to catch speeders. Dreame has created a ridiculous EV with solid rocket boosters. Lynk&Co has shown off a gorgeous electric GT coupe. Tesla is again shipping Chinese built EVs to Canada and Cadillac is building a very limited run of F1 edition CT5-V Blackwings.… Read More »Powdered Sugar Everywhere

Too Many Brands

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Wheel Bearings
Too Many Brands
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This week Nicole is off in New Orleans with Acura so our buddy John Voelcker is sitting in. He’s been driving a bunch of stuff including the Ford Maverick hybrid, Porsche Taycan, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Trailseeker. Robbie drove the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT and Sam had the Lexus GX550 Overtrail. At Milan Design Week, Hyundai unveiled its new Ioniq 3 compact and Kia showed off the Vision Meta Turismo. Hyundai also showed off the new Ioniq V in Beijing. GM has paused development of a next set of electric full-size trucks and Rivian has launched production of the R2. Stellantis now has pet accessories under the Mopaw brand looks likely to focus on just four main brands going forward. Links New Hyundai Ioniq 3 breaks cover with stunning sci-fi looks | Auto Express Stellantis Introduces Mopaw Kia Presents Vision Meta Turismo… Read More »Too Many Brands

All The Switches

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
All The Switches
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After last week’s travel challenges, Robbie and Nicole are back. Nicole has driven the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the Honda Pilot Elite while Sam had the Mazda MX-5 Miata 35th Anniversary Edition. Robbie tells us about the new Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS and we discuss the company’s new drive by wire system. GM is apparently going to build a new Buick sedan as well as a new Camaro. Nissan has a new electric Juke for the rest of the world and Porsche has a convertible 911 GT3 S/C with a manual transmission. Uber is pouring $10 billion into robotaxis. VW has a revamped with ID3 Neo with all the switches. Doug Field is leaving Ford and that might signal the end of the Model E division as it basically gets rolled back into the main Ford. Ford’s cancelled 3-row electric crossover has been visible on… Read More »All The Switches