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Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC

When Ford launched the current S650 generation of the Mustang in 2023, one name was notably absent from all of the discussion – Shelby. Ford has had an on-off relationship with Shelby American ever since the original Mustang debuted more than six decades ago. During the S197 (5th-gen) and S550 (6th-gen) eras, the highest performance factory built Mustangs were the supercharged Shelby GT500s. Today, the highest performance Mustang is the $400,000 GTD that is practically a race car but that’s not really a GT500 substitute. That role is set to be filled this summer by the new Dark Horse SC (as in supercharged).  Starting with the 2024 model year, Dark Horse took the place of Shelby with the standard 500-hp naturally aspirated Mustang Dark Horse effectively taking the place of the former GT350 in the slot above the GT. The Dark Horse R is a… Read More »Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC

Unplugging Stellantis

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Unplugging Stellantis
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Unfortunately, the audio is a bit weird this week, Robbie’s audio stopped recording after 26 minutes so there are some gaps, but most of it is there. Nicole is back and she drove the new 2026 Subaru Outback Premium. It doesn’t look much a like a wagon anymore, but its still a Subie through and through. Sam had the Honda HR-V AWD EX-L and Lexus UX300h, two very different compact crossovers. Lots of news this week with both Sam and Nicole attending CES. Nicole spoke with BMW about the new iX3 and learned about the Tensor robocar. Sam went to the Nvidia keynote to learn about their new world driving model Alpamayo that debuts in the Mercedes-Benz CLA this quarter and is coming to Lucid later in the year. Lucid plans to have eyes-off driving in 2028 and brain-off in 2029. Ford is also bringing… Read More »Unplugging Stellantis

One Trick Pony

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One Trick Pony
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Nicole had a last minute family emergency and couldn’t make it, but Sam drove the Subaru WRX tS and Robbie provides an update on the Verge electric motorcycle he recently rode. In the news the least surprising announcement of the week came from Ram with the return of the TRX plus a diesel version of the heavy duty Power Wagon. Over on the Rich Rebuilds Youtube channel, Sam stumbled across his merger of a Honda Beat and an Arcimoto electric trike. We’ve been talking for a while about what a terrible idea electronic door releases are and now some Rivian owners are coming up with DIY mechanical solutions. Some college students in Japan are transforming a Daihatsu Copen Kei Roadster into a cool mini GR Supra for the Tokyo Auto Salon. We discuss some cool pickup truck bed features and a nearly 20 year old… Read More »One Trick Pony

The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?

Stellantis and in particular its Ram Trucks brand have had some struggles in recent years. Quality issues and high prices put a significant hit on sales and then the model year 2025 update dropped all of the V8 engines from the lineup including the supercharged off-road TRX. When former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was shown the door a year ago, one of the first orders of business was to bring former Ram brand CEO Tim Kuniskis back from his brief retirement. Kuniskis immediately pulled his old play book out of the drawer and within 8 months, the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 was back in the Ram 1500. That announcement immediately launched speculation that it was only a matter of time before the Hellcat-powered TRX was revived. Well, that dinosaur is officially back. When the V8-powered Ram 1500s were discontinued for 2025, the bones of the TRX… Read More »The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?

Surprises and Disappointments

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Surprises and Disappointments
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This week, Nicole continues her stint with the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and her family was wondering if it was ok when they heard the sound it makes. Sam had the opposite end of the scale with the Lexus TX 550h+, a 3-row plug-in hybrid crossover. The team discusses the EVs that InsideEVs is looking forward to in 2026 and what they are expecting and then devolves into the biggest surprises and disappointments of 2025 (at least in the automotive space). Buying a car used is generally a better financial decision than buying new, but there are segments you should stay away from. Consumer Reports suggests the best all-season tires for winter driving. It turns out that just because a car costs millions of dollars, not all of the parts are bespoke. VW launches a very cool new electric crossover in China. Car buyers looking… Read More »Surprises and Disappointments

Lightning Strikes Out

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Lightning Strikes Out
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This week we’re joined by special guest Harvey Briggs. Harvey and Sam review the vehicles they drove last week while transporting 20 dogs nearly 2,000 miles as part of Operation Frodo. Nicole had the Ford Maverick Lobo and Robbie rode the Verge TS electric motorcycle. GM has struck a deal with Apple to get the Apple Music app on its vehicle’s infotainment. Ford is scrapping major parts of its EV plans including cancelling the current Lightning and replacing it with a next-generation EREV. For 2026, the frunk is becoming an extra cost option on the Mach-E. Tim Kuniskis has confirmed that Ram’s new midsize pickup will be called Dakota and volume trims will be around $40,000. Some Arizona highways could soon lose their speed limits and more people are recognizing how dumb modern door handles are. Waymo’s robotaxis got frozen when San Francisco had a… Read More »Lightning Strikes Out

Going Autonomous

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Going Autonomous
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Nicole is finally back and while she was away she drove a Mercedes-Benz E-Class diesel wagon and since she returned she’s been driving the Acura Integra A-Spec. Robbie shares his thoughts on the new Mercedes-Benz CLA hybrid. Sam had the Honda Accord Touring Hybrid and the Land Rover Defender X. In the news, Kia has revealed the redesigned second generation Seltos, and Mazda has revealed some of the tech in the 2026 CX-5. Nissan has decided to partner with Wayve to bring hands-off/eyes-off driving to its future versions of ProPilot while Rivian is doing it all in-house. Meanwhile in Texas, Aurora has joined Kodiak in hauling fracking sand with driverless trucks. Ford’s ADHD approach to electric vehicles brings it to partner with Renault of affordable EVs and splitting up its battery joint-venture with SK On. Subaru brings an affordable price point to its new Uncharted… Read More »Going Autonomous

Updating the Wedge

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Updating the Wedge
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Friend of the show Perry Stern is back to talk about the Honda Prologue and some Nissans. Sam drove the Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss. We discuss driving the third generation of Nissan’s e-Power series hybrid in the Qashqai as a preview of the next Rogue as well as the interim Nissan Rogue plug-in hybrid. Nissan has also implemented the first Qi2 wireless charger in the 2026 Pathfinder and Murano. Toyota went high performance this week the debut of the GR GT sports car, the GR GT3 racer and Lexus LFA electric concept. Donald Trump wants to give Americans access to kei cars and 1970s station wagons, but it’s doubtful most Americans actually want them. Jaguar Land Rover has ditched long-time design chief Gerry McGovern. Encor has created a magnificent Lotus Esprit S1 restomod and Jason Fenske is disappointed with his Lucid Air. Finally Sam… Read More »Updating the Wedge

Banning Subscriptions, Sort Of

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Banning Subscriptions, Sort Of
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This week Stephanie Brinley is again sitting in for Nicole and she drove the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid. Robbie and his wife rented a Chrysler Pacifica and Sam has the Mercedes-AMG G63. In the news, someone has rendered a Dodge Magnum revival based on the new Charge Daytona, and a New York State Senator wants to sort of ban in-vehicle subscriptions, but not really and Stellantis is still annoying customers with in-dash ads. Dealers are at it again with stupid markups on the new Honda Prelude. Jason Torchinsky has thoughts on how much acceleration is enough. Used EVs are selling faster than gas cars. Kia has an off-road concept of the EV5 in China. EuroNCAP is updating its scoring standards for 5 stars including physical buttons. Despite the best efforts of the Trump administration to kill EVs and infrastructure, Georgia is disbursing $24M for EV… Read More »Banning Subscriptions, Sort Of

EV Pulse Reunion

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EV Pulse Reunion
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This week both Robbie and Nicole are on vacation so Craig Cole is back along with Chad Kirchner. Sam had the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring. Ahead of the LA Auto Show, Lucid also announced the more affordable Touring trim that starts just under $80,000. Jeep has revealed all the details of its first electric off-roader and lets just say we’re not sure who is going to buy it. Hyundai showed the production version of the Ioniq 6 N and the new Crater off-road concept that could challenge the Wrangler and Bronco. We have pricing on the new Honda Prelude and details of the new Porsche Cayenne Electric. Genesis has revealed the GV60 Magma performance EV, the G90 Wingback wagon and Magma GT concept. Bollinger has stopped paying its bills. You can help out the many people that are food insecure this holiday season by donating… Read More »EV Pulse Reunion