Skip to content

guests

Volvo’s Mikael Ljung Aust on Driver Understanding

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Volvo's Mikael Ljung Aust on Driver Understanding
Loading
/

Here’s a conversation that Sam had with Volvo senior technical leader Mikael Ljung Aust on the driver understanding system in the new EX90. The interview was originally published in the Patreon feed back in 2022 and then we forgot to publish here until now. With the first reviews of the EX90 coming in shortly, we felt it’s a good time to catch up. 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

No Fancy Brunch

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
No Fancy Brunch
Loading
/

While Nicole is off enjoying a fancy brunch with friends visiting from out of town, Robbie and Sam are again joined by Stephanie Brinley. Robbie has been driving the Ford Ranger Raptor while Steph spent time with the latest Honda Civic Hybrid and Genesis G70. Sam spent the week with the Kia EV6 GT-Line. In the news, Fiat is now integrating charging cables into the nose of EVs. Chargepoint showed off its solution for handling EVs with CCS or J3400/NACS charging ports, the new Omni Port and Robbie got to try it out. Dodge announced pricing for its e-muscle car, the Charger Daytona and we got to hear what it sounds like. Tesla has dropped the reservation system for the Cybertruck and deliveries are available almost immediately. Volvo has bumped the pricing for the new EX90 and a bunch of features missing at launch. GMC… Read More »No Fancy Brunch

Declining Value Proposition

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Declining Value Proposition
Loading
/

Nicole is on the road this week so we have Perry Stern joining us a guest. Over the past couple of weeks Perry has been driving the Porsche 718 Boxster and the new 2025 Toyota Camry which now comes exclusively with hybrid power. Robbie took a road trip in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Sam had the Honda Ridgeline Trailsport before his vacation and then the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ SUV to drive around northern California. In the news Ford has done a mid-cycle update of the Maverick and finally has an all-wheel-drive hybrid available but the price has climbed by an average of $2,400, still modest by current truck price standards, but no longer the screaming deal it was just two years ago. Audi has launched a new electric only A6 and once popular brands Recaro and BBS have both filed for bankruptcy protection. A… Read More »Declining Value Proposition

Manila Vanilla, It’s Yellow

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Manila Vanilla, It's Yellow
Loading
/

This week, Sam is enjoying a much-deserved vacation, so we have Jill Ciminillo, managing editor for Pickup Truck + SUV Talk as a special guest. Jill drove the Acura TLX while Robbie had some time with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which he can drive but can’t pronounce. Nicole was in the Toyota bZ4X which she loved, aside from one rather large issue. In the news, the Cadillac Sollei concept made its debut as a 2-door convertible in a color we all question, but with stunning design details. Rivian opened a COutpost outside Yosemite with free coffee (yes!) and the Honda Civic Si is back with a manual transmission only (yes again!). Acura is ditching Sirius XM, which isn’t’ as big a deal as it seems, but Stellantis may cut underperforming brands from its portfolio, which definitely is a big deal. Volvo is the latest… Read More »Manila Vanilla, It’s Yellow

It’s About The Style

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
It's About The Style
Loading
/

This week Nicole is driving the Ford Maverick and Sam has the new Fiat 500e Nicole went to the Busan Motor Show in Korea last week to deliver an award to Kia. While there she got to see the new Kia EV3 and the little Hyundai Casper EV. GM Design has been posting images from the design archives on Instagram including a concept for a second-generation G8 that sadly never made it to production. Cox Automotive gave a mid-year update and EV leasing is growing dramatically. Automakers are pushing back on NHTSA’s new automatic emergency braking rules. VW is turning to Rivian to try to solve it’s software problems and BMW has a new plug-in hybrid M5. While someone that owns the rights to the Delorean brand has shown an electric concept, a UK company is restomodding original examples. Rimac has shifted from electric supercars… Read More »It’s About The Style

Plug-in Hybrids Are Or Are Not Fine

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Plug-in Hybrids Are Or Are Not Fine
Loading
/

Robbie has the updated the Ford Mustang Mach-E with a lithium iron phosphate battery, Nicole has the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra N-Line and Sam has the 2024 Ford Ranger XLT. Ford is attacking the Pikes Peak Hillclimb with another EV, this time the Lightning Supertruck. Rivian has done its first major update the R1 series with new motors, battery packs and electronics. Nicole spoke with some Fisker employees about the s**tshow in Manhattan Beach. Two three-row, electric SUVs started production in the US, the Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90. IIHS crash tested full-size SUVs and the results were not great. Friend of the show Jonny Lieberman wrote a rant against plug-in hybrids and Robbie made a video about them. Finally, Sam has a conversation with Michigan’s chief mobility officer Justine Johnson Wheel Bearings listeners get an extra 3 months for free when they sign up… Read More »Plug-in Hybrids Are Or Are Not Fine

The Girl In The Trunk

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Girl In The Trunk
Loading
/

As Robbie and his wife celebrate 18 years of marriage with a vacation in Japan, we’re joined this week by our friend Jill Ciminillo. Jill shares her thoughts on one of the most affordable new cars still offered for sale in the US, the Nissan Versa SR. Nicole hwas been driving something nearly large enough to hold a Versa inside, the Chevrolet Suburban High Country and Sam has the Infiniti QX55 with its silly dual screen infotainment system. We also have a first drive review of the new 2024 Chevrolet Traverse and a discussion of why Mercedes-Benz won’t be adopting the next-generation Apple Carplay. That rolls into a discussion of GM’s decision to drop Carplay support from its EVs. NHTSA is looking into why there were two fatal crashes of vehicles running Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise system. Tesla has fired its whole Charging team. By 2029… Read More »The Girl In The Trunk

No Soap Please

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
No Soap Please
Loading
/

Nicole is still cruising European rivers so it’s just the boys this week. Robbie drove the Range Rover Sport and used a Ford Transit to get his bands to Salt Lake City for a couple of shows (hence why there was no episode last week). Sam has been driving the Subaru CrossTrek Wilderness. In the news, VW workers in Tennessee join the UAW, and Mercedes-Benz is voting next. Toyota launches a 6th gen 4Runner. Sam sees the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X in person and talks with Designworks CEO Julia de Bono. Kia is testing the EV3 and it may sticker for under $35,000. GM launches its vehicle to home charging products. Alfa Romeo unveils its first EV as the Milano and almost immediately changes the name. Back in the 1980s, Porsche was developing a Miata competitor before the Mazda launched. Maserati shows off the… Read More »No Soap Please

Faster Than Magma

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Faster Than Magma
Loading
/

This week, friend of the show Perry Stern is filling in for Robbie and he’s been driving the Mercedes-AMG GLB. Nicole tries out the latest variant of Honda’s pickup truck the off-road-ish Ridgeline Trailsport and Sam has the Acura TLX Type-S. Perry went to the New York for the Auto Show this week and gives us a rundown on what he saw including the new Genesis Neolun concept and the GV60 Magma performance model. Kia also unveiled the new entry level K4 sedan and teased an upcoming hatchback version. Hyundai showed off mid-cycle refreshes for the Tucson and Santa Cruz that look a bit more truckish and bring back the buttons on the center stack. Nissan also unveiled a new version of the Kicks and the Infiniti QX80. Instead of New York, Nicole went to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari and got to try… Read More »Faster Than Magma

Jumping Raptors

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Jumping Raptors
Loading
/

While Robbie is off doing some late winter snow boarding, Nicole and Sam are holding down the fort. Nicole has been driving Buick’s new entry level model, the Envista and the Hyundai Palisade. Meanwhile Sam had the new Toyota Prius Limited AWD and the very pricey Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV. Nicole gives a preview of the concepts coming up at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari in Moab. We’ve got a first drive review of the blocky new Hyundai Santa Fe with some more rigorous off-roading than the last Hyundai SUV we tried. We also drive the new Ford Ranger and Ranger Raptor. The New York Auto Show is coming up this week and none of us will be there so of course there are some interesting vehicle launches. Nissan has both ends of its product lineup covered with a second-generation Kicks crossover and an all-new Infiniti… Read More »Jumping Raptors