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Roberto Baldwin

The Porter Wins

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Porter Wins
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We’ve had a quite a variety of vehicles to drive in the past week. Robbie went all the way to Germany to drive the new BMW iX M60 from Munich to Lake Como in Italy. Nicole has been juggling Hyundais with a Sonata N-Line sedan at home and most of the brand’s electrified lineup in Nashville with the Ioniq 5, Kona EV, Tucson PHEV and Santa Fe PHEV. Sam finally got to spend some quality time with the new Toyota Tundra as well. In the news, Porsche revealed a preview of what might be its next car for a single make race series, the battery powered, 1,000+ hp 718 Cayman ePerformance. Honda released the first teaser sketch of the 2024 Prologue electric crossover that will be built by GM on its Ultium platform. Robbie shares his impressions of the Concorso D’eleganza and Nissan and Mitsubishi… Read More »The Porter Wins

The Scout Lives

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Wheel Bearings
The Scout Lives
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This week Nicole has two quite different machines to discuss, the updated, extended range Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge and the Mazda3 Turbo. Roberto has the BMW M240i that hearkens back to the classic E36 3 Series and Sam has a reprise of the Ford F-150 Platinum hybrid. Sam also got to spend a couple of quality hours blasting around in the new 2023 Nissan Z. In the news, Lordstown has completed the sale of its factory to Foxconn, but there is far from a guarantee that the Endurance will ever get to full production. Motor Trend gets some very disappointing charging results from the new Toyota bZ4X AWD. With the post-IPO lockup expired, Ford has sold off two large tranches of its Rivian stock on the way to what will likely be a full divestment in time. Finally, Volkswagen announced that it will revive the… Read More »The Scout Lives

Lightning Strikes

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Lightning Strikes
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This week in the garage, Roberto and Sam have been evaluating electric driving range. Robbie has been pushing the BMW iX to its limits while Sam has been driving the Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid. Meanwhile Nicole has been on the road and in the desert with the 2022 GMC Sierra in Denali Ultimate and AT4X forms. Nicole and Sam have finally gotten behind the wheel of the Ford F-150 Lightning and they share their impressions and answer a bunch of questions. Sam also sat down with Darren Palmer, VP of electric vehicle programs at Ford to talk about charging, range estimation and how the Lightning came to be. We also discuss Robbie’s recent article on whether it’s better to keep driving an old beater or buy a new EV. Tesla doesn’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but one creative person got it sort of… Read More »Lightning Strikes

The Deer Ran Into Me

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The Deer Ran Into Me
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This week on the show, Roberto reviews the Kia Soul rental car he had on Kauai last week, Nicole drives the baby Range Rover, the Evoque, and Sam discusses the new eighth-generation Volkswagen GTI. In the news, Chevrolet teased out upcoming hybrid and electric versions of the Corvette and all of GM’s Ultium platform EVs are getting a heat pump energy recovery system as standard equipment. Dodge is expanding its lineup with a compact crossover called the Hornet which we’ll see in August and Nissan is working on a new ADAS system using Luminar lidar. Finally, a dealer in Colorado has opened a used car store that only sells hybrids and EVs and we answer some questions. Links Electrified Corvettes GM Ultium Energy Recovery System Dodge Hornet New Nissan ADAS with lidar Colorado dealer that only sells used EVs and hybrids Wheel Bearings has launched… Read More »The Deer Ran Into Me

Coexisting Assistants

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Coexisting Assistants
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Nicole is off again this week caring for her mom, but the boys are carrying on. Roberto has been putting more miles on the BMW i4 and found it to be surprisingly efficient. Meanwhile Sam also got very good fuel efficiency while driving the Honda Civic Si which retains a rapidly nearing extinction manual gearbox. In the news, the New York Auto Show was this week where Genesis showed off a new electric luxury coupe concept, Ford expanded its relationship with Amazon Alexa and some cool Radwood cars appeared on the show floor. BMW also announced a mid-cycle refresh of the X7 and Sam again spoke with Alfa Romeo NA boss Larry Dominque. Links Ford and Alexa BMW X7 refresh Genesis X Spedium concept Radwood at NYAS Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward… Read More »Coexisting Assistants

Not A Crazed Squirrel

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Wheel Bearings
Not A Crazed Squirrel
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This week on the show, Roberto went all the way to Germany to drive the new Mercedes-Benz EQE midsize electric sedan. Nicole had a very different Mercedes, the seven-seat GLS450 SUV as well as the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Sam tested his new EV charger with the Mini Cooper SE. Nicole and Roberto also drove the GMC Hummer EV while Sam and Nicole tried out the Toyota bZ4X. A San Francisco police officer pulled over a driverless Cruise AV. Jeep is launching an even bigger version of the Wagoneer with the new Hurricane inline-six and Lincoln is teasing its upcoming EV concept. Links GMC Hummer EV first drive Lincoln EV concept tease Toyota bZ4X first drive Cruise AV traffic stop 2023 Jeep Wagoneer L/Grand Wagoneer L Manheim auctions tests used EV batteries Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like… Read More »Not A Crazed Squirrel

100 HP Per Cylinder

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100 HP Per Cylinder
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Nicole is attending to her mom this week, so it’s just the guys. Robbie had two different EVs off the same platform, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and the Audi RS e-tron GT. Sam drove the GMC Canyon AT4. Rolls-Royce has released testing images and video of its first EV, the Specter undergoing winter testing in Sweden. Honda and Acura have extended their certified pre-owned car program to models as old as 10 and Toyota has released its hottest hatch yet, the Corolla GR. NHTSA also announced plans to raise corporate average fuel economy standards to over 40 mpg by 2026. Links Rolls-Royce Specter Honda/Acura CPO changes Toyota Corolla GR New Fuel Economy standards 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

Orange Is Rugged

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Orange Is Rugged
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The end of quarter travel is still going strong this week. Since our last regular episode Roberto has driven two new electric vehicles, the Lucid Air Dream Edition and the Nissan Ariya. Meanwhile, Sam having just returned from California on a red-eye talks about the Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid. Nicole was going the opposite direction from Sam and slid in late after being in transit from San Diego airport for the first part of the show. She has been playing with the Honda Passport Trailsport, complete with orange trim. Sam and Nicole shared some impressions of the updated Volvo XC60 Recharge with its longer 35-mile electric range. Stellantis is trailing the pack in fuel economy so since it expects to be still selling internal combustion vehicles into the 2030s, it has developed a new engine called Hurricane to replace the Hemi V8s. Lotus has revealed… Read More »Orange Is Rugged

The Buzz is Back

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The Buzz is Back
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This week Roberto has two vehicles to discuss, the Ford Maverick Lariat and the Kia EV6. Nicole has the massive Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Sam drives the not-a-minivan Jeep Grand Wagoneer. In the news, VW has finally unveiled the production version of the ID Buzz which Europeans get this summer and Americans will have to wait for until 2024. PG&E is testing bidirectional charging with GM and Ford. Honda is making a plan to make a plan to maybe make EVs with Sony. Rivian is still facing some production challenges. There won’t be a new gas powered Subaru STi and questions are answered. Links VW ID Buzz GM and PG&E to test bidirectional charging Honda and Sony may tie up on EVs Rivian still having a hard time building No more gas STis from Subaru Extended warranties on Car Talk Wheel Bearings has launched a… Read More »The Buzz is Back

They’ve Seen Cars With 4 Wheels

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They've Seen Cars With 4 Wheels
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Nicole is back doing the Disney thing with her family this week so it’s just the boys. Roberto spent time with the new Subaru WRX and the eighth generation VW GTI (sadly with an automatic). Sam has been driving the 2022 GMC Sierra Limited AT4 with the lovely 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine. In the news, Virgin Hyperloop has given up on carrying passengers while Morgan is back with an all-new 3-wheeler. Polestar is shifting from using Volvo shared platforms to purpose built aluminum architectures with help from Lotus veterans. NHTSA is finally about to update headlight rules to allow adaptive lamps and it is possible to go topless in winter weather. We also have an interview with Steve Kosowski, manager of long range strategy and planning at Kia America. Links Virgin Hyperloop pivots to cargo Top Down in Boston Top Down in Detroit New Morgan… Read More »They’ve Seen Cars With 4 Wheels