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Ep. 126 – Volvo Gets Recharged

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Ep. 126 - Volvo Gets Recharged
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With Rebecca bogged down in a big project that helps pay the bills, Dan recruited his friend George Kennedy from the Boston Globe and CarGurus to fill the third microphone. Sam spent time with the Honda Civic Touring sedan and then took a road trip to Pittsburgh in the Hyundai Veloster N. Dan drove the new Subaru Legacy and has thoughts on the big touch screen. Then we dive into a bunch of electric vehicle stories with Volvo introducing its first, the XC40 Recharge. Toyota showed the world a new, better looking second-generation Mirai and Bosch announces silicon carbide chips that will make EVs more efficient. The Fordpass app will give drivers of Ford’s upcoming EVs easy access to a huge network of charging stations. As we recorded, news broke that GM is considering reviving the Hummer brand for its upcoming electric truck. Links Volvo… Read More »Ep. 126 – Volvo Gets Recharged

Ep. 125 – Trusting Your Assistant

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Ep. 125 - Trusting Your Assistant
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With the whole crew back in action, Sam has been driving the Lexus LS500h. Rebecca samples a couple of luxury SUVs in the form of the Audi Q8 and Volvo XC90 T8. Meanwhile Dan learns that you can trail-brake a Toyota Sienna minivan before jumping into the Subaru Ascent. In California, PG&E has been shutting down power to try prevent wild fires and it’s impacting EV drivers. Tesla has released a less than fully baked Smart Summon feature and AAA tests a bunch of other driver assist systems that serve to demonstrate that human drivers need to stay alert. Links California Power Outages Consumer Reports takes on Smart Summon AAA ADAS Study 2019 Lexus LS500h review 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

Ep. 124 – What’s Premium

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Wheel Bearings
Ep. 124 - What's Premium
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This week as Dan helps the kids with homework, Rebecca and Sam perform an automotive duet. Sam drove the Honda Civic Type-R for a week while Rebecca had the Toyota Rav4 hybrid and Cadillac XT4. The timing of Rebecca driving the Cadillac was fortuitous as Sam had just returned from driving the new Lincoln Corsair and we dive into the differences between the two. In the news, Canoo unveiled its first product, a small electric van that will be offered by subscription only. Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian and Acura unveiled a new ad campaign that focuses on driving. Finally, Hyundai and Aptiv team up on automated driving. Links 2020 Lincoln Corsair first drive Hyundai and Aptiv team up on AVs Amazon orders 100,000 Rivian vans Acura’s new ads Canoo debuts without paddles Honda Civic Type-R Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon.… Read More »Ep. 124 – What’s Premium

Ep. 123 – Escaping From Focus

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Wheel Bearings
Ep. 123 - Escaping From Focus
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Rebecca has been off cavorting on a new Lexus yacht before coming home to move some stuff in the Toyota Sienna. Meanwhile Sam has enjoying the premium cabin of the Kia Telluride and Dan does a bit of four wheel drifting in the Audi Q3. Rebecca and Sam each got to try out the 2020 Ford Escape in gas and hybrid form and found it has shifted more toward its Focus sibling. Sam also got to check out the interesting new user interface of the upcoming Byton M-Byte during his latest jaunt to Silicon Valley. Links 2020 Ford Focus 2020 Ford Focus Hybrid Byton User Interface 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

Ep. 122 – Porsche Gets Charged Up

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Ep. 122 - Porsche Gets Charged Up
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This week we have lots of vehicles to talk about. Rebecca drove the Mercedes-AMG GTC Roadster to the US Open, and the Honda Accord Hybrid in SoCal. Sam discusses the Mazda CX-5 Diesel and the base Volkswagen Atlas. Dan shares his take on the Toyota 4Runner. Then we dive into the Porsche Taycan and how we evaluate vehicles. Sam also discusses the cool new Drive Labs video series from Nvidia that gives an introduction to how multiple neural networks work together to power an automated driving perception system. Links Porsche Taycan More Porsche Taycan Nvidia Drive Labs 2019 Mazda CX-5 Diesel review Mercedes-AMG GTC 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

Ep. 121 – Wretched Excess

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Wheel Bearings
Ep. 121 - Wretched Excess
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Sam has been driving the Lincoln Navigator, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Jeep Gladiator. Rebecca escapes a ticket in the Honda Civic Sport and Dan has been road tripping in the Cadillac XT6. We talk Monterey Car Week 2019 and the death of Ferdinand Piech

Episode #120 – Ludicrous!

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #120 - Ludicrous!
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This week Dan and Rebecca are travelling so Sam is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to talk about his new book, Ludicrous, the Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. The book is available at Amazon and other booksellers. Link Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors on Amazon 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

Special: The Drive To Level 5

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Wheel Bearings
Special: The Drive To Level 5
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Here’s a special extra episode for our listeners. Sam will be doing a talk on partnerships in automated vehicle development during the Drive World Expo conference in Santa Clara, California August 27-29. In the runup to the conference, the organizers have produced a special podcast series called the Drive to Level 5. Sam talks with host Jack Heslin about the his topic in episode 5. Links The Drive to Level 5 podcast Drive World Expo 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

Episode #119 – The Value Proposition of New Cars

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Episode #119 - The Value Proposition of New Cars
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It’s a slow news week so the crew is just talking about the cars they’ve driving. Rebecca opens it up with the second-generation Audi Q3 while Sam has been in the 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie. Dan proclaims his love for the Mazda Miata which remains one of the last true roadsters available. Rebecca and Sam got to drive the 2020 Nissan Versa in Nashville and Rebecca tells the story of driving the 2020 Subaru Outback in the wilds of Northern California. Links 2020 Nissan Versa 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

Episode #118 – Meeting Expectations

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Wheel Bearings
Episode #118 - Meeting Expectations
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The whole crew is back this week as they delve into the garage. Sam drove the BMW X2 M35i, Rebecca had the Volvo S60 sedan and Dan sampled the GMC Acadia. The Corvette C8 conversation continues with two-thirds of the team having now seen it in person. While feelings about the center console have been slightly tempered, they still aren’t positive. The GM theme concludes with Sam’s thoughts on the 2020 Cadillac XT6 before we wind down the evening with a couple of listener questions. Links 2020 Cadillac XT6 first drive 2020 Chevrolet Corvette 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