Skip to content

Roberto Baldwin

Finding The Hidden Charge Port

Wheel Bearings
Finding The Hidden Charge Port
Loading
/

Nicole is back and she shares her impressions of driving a Lynk&Co 01 that she and her husband rented in France during their vacation. Robbie will have more to share next week about the BMW i5 and Sam has driven the Land Rover Defender 110 and Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. In the news, the Ram TRX has been shelved for now, but Ram has a six-cylinder powered version called the RHO. Mercedes-Benz has revealed an all-electric version of the new G-Wagen with four motors. There were several interesting reveals at the 2024 Beijing Motor Show and some of them might make it to North America. The Mini Aceman is all electric, but it doesn’t directly replace the discontinued Clubman. The Mazda EZ-6 is a great looking electric sedan that should come to America along with the Buick Electra L and LT. While the design of the… Read More »Finding The Hidden Charge Port

No Soap Please

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

Still Too Much

Wheel Bearings
Still Too Much
Loading
/

This week Nicole and her husband compare the 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE to their 2022 model that they own. Robbie takes the Kia EV9 on a snowboarding trip and is unimpressed by the new Lincoln Nautilus. Sam drives the 2024 Polestar 2 dual motor performance model. Nicole shares her impressions of driving the updated Jeep Gladiator in Moab and Hyundai has unveiled a race version of the Ioniq 5 N. Friend of the show Alex Dykes shares his impressions of a Fisker Ocean he rented on Turo. Chevrolet officially prices the Silverado EV RST first edition and cuts the price by $10K from what was originally announced while JerryRigEverything goes 460 miles on a charge. Tesla kills its $25K car to focus on a robotaxi and Ford delays its next EVs by up to 2 years. Our friend Tommy Mica from TFL decides to driving… Read More »Still Too Much

Touch The Vent Not The Screen

Wheel Bearings
Touch The Vent Not The Screen
Loading
/

This week Sam has been driving the Honda Passport Trailsport while Robbie has the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid. Unfortunately, Nicole is under the weather so she couldn’t join us. Sam assesses the new Lincoln Nautilus and likes the big screen, but there are other issues. Don’t forget to check out the video Sam and Nicole did with the Nautilus. Porsche is finally bringing out a hybrid version of the 911. Renowned automotive Designer Marcello Gandini has died at 85. Are automakers sharing too much of our data? Polestar cuts the price of the 3 before it even arrives. Audi is forcing subscriptions on the new A3. Dan Edmunds and Motor Trend look at the Cybertruck and Automotive News no longer classes Tesla as a luxury brand. Finally, Rivian drivers can start using superchargers. Links 2024 Lincoln Nautilus First DriveSam’s Nautilus take Hybrid Porsche 911Polestar 3… Read More »Touch The Vent Not The Screen

Return of the Gremlin

Wheel Bearings
Return of the Gremlin
Loading
/

This week Sam has been driving the Genesis Electrified G80. Robbie was picking speakers for his band in the Land Rover Defender 130 and Nicole has the Infiniti QX60. The core of Henrik Fisker’s original design for the Karma continues to live on, now as part of the Karma Automotive and the Chinese-owned company has just launched a refreshed version that ditches the plug-in series hybrid for a full electric powertrain. Nissan has addressed one of the biggest complaints about the Ariya EV by cutting the price. There are currently no EVs that will charge at 500 kW, but Gravity Mobility has installed just such a charger in New York. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is still relatively new, but it’s already getting an update. We frequently complain about automakers putting controls into the touchscreen and now EuroNCAP is going to cut their safety ratings if… Read More »Return of the Gremlin

Who Cares About Efficiency?

Wheel Bearings
Who Cares About Efficiency?
Loading
/

This week Nicole is driving the Ford Maverick Tremor, Robbie has the Range Rover plug-in hybrid and Sam has new Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. We’ve got lots of news this week. After a decade of work and billions of dollars spent, Apple has apparantely finally abandoned the idea of building a car. Ford took its latest electric Supervan and had Romain Dumas set a new lap record at Mount Panorama. Ford is also hosting a camping party at the Austin Bronco Off-Rodeo for the upcoming total solar eclipse and Ford EV drivers can now Supercharge. Sam went to a secret location to see the production version of Dodge’s new e-Muscle car, the Charger Daytona. Honda has introduced a new plug-in hybrid CR-V with a fuel cell and VW has done some upgrades to the ID4. Fisker warns that they are almost out of money and… Read More »Who Cares About Efficiency?

What’s Happening at Jeep

Wheel Bearings
What's Happening at Jeep
Loading
/

This week Robbie got to spend some time with something really fast, the new McLaren 750s. Meanwhile, Nicole and Sam had some more pedestrian rides. Nicole got a few days with the Volkswagen ID.7 as well as the Jeep Hornet PHEV. Sam had the Toyota Crown Platinum. In the news, we’ve got first drive reports on the updated 2025 Ram 1500, now powered only by six-cylinder engines and the Honda Prologue, the brand’s firsrt purpose-built EV for North America. Sam also talks with Prologue chief engineer John Hwang. Jeep’s new CEO provide’s an update on the SUV brand’s plans and we get a first look at the upcoming Wagoneer S and Recon electric SUVs. Ineos is developing an electric off-roader as well called the Fusilier. The soon to arrive US-built Kia EV9 may not have full tax credit eligibility at launch. Waymo’s expansion plans in… Read More »What’s Happening at Jeep

Testing Tires

Wheel Bearings
Testing Tires
Loading
/

Robbie is back from Colorado where he attended the Bridgestone winter driving school and spent time with the Toyota Rav4 and 4Runner in the snow. He also rented a Ford Transit van to move ping-pong tables and drove a Kia Carnival. Nicole has been spending time in the psuedo off-road Honda Passport Trailsport and Sam had the Audi Q8 e-Tron Sportback Launch edition. In the news, GM is expanding the driving domain of Super Cruise and has priced the Chevy Equinox EV which might eventually go on sale when the software issues are fixed. As more vehicles start to use Tesla Superchargers, Kyle Connor is finding there are interoperability issues. The multi-automaker DC fast charging network is now operational and called Ionna. Being made of stainless steel doesn’t make Cybertrucks corrosion proof and Stellantis won’t be buying any more EV credits from Tesla. Shell has… Read More »Testing Tires

Bringing Back Hybrids

Wheel Bearings
Bringing Back Hybrids
Loading
/

This week Sam is driving a very luxurious and pricey version of the J300 Land Cruiser in the form of the Lexus LX600. Robbie has been trying out the 2024 Ford Mustang Premium Ecoboost and Nicole had Toyota Prius. Nicole has first thoughts on driving the new Lexus GX. Ford and Lincoln have finally gotten around to updating the Explorer and Aviator and they both lose their hybrid variants. Mazda is adding another plug-in hybrid with the new CX-70, basically a two-row version of the CX-90. GM is also bringing plug-in hybrids back to the US market, eventually. Honda is reportedly working on an electric next-gen NSX. Kyle Conner tries to buy a Vinfast VF8 and Volvo is pausing deliveries of the EX30 because of software problems. Early Cybertruck owners are having issues with tires and suspensions and Elon wants protection from China. Links 2024… Read More »Bringing Back Hybrids

Lucy With the Football

Wheel Bearings
Lucy With the Football
Loading
/

Nicole has been having some fun with the Mazda 3 Turbo while Robbie has the Subaru Impreza RS. Sam is driving the most affordable Buick in a long time in the form of the new Envista. In the news, Chevrolet has revealed a second completely different and not at all electric Equinox and expanded its CT5 refresh to the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing. Honda and Acura have released pricing on the Prologue and ZDX which won’t be released until GM fixes the software platform. The dealership employees that sold a Dodge Demon 170 that was allocated to a member of the military to someone willing to pay an extra $50,000 have been fired. Porsche has released a second-generation Macan that is now exclusively electric. Akio Toyoda thinks EVs won’t exceed 30% market share and Revoy has an electric assist system for heavy trucks. Sam talked… Read More »Lucy With the Football