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Not Full Self-Driving

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Wheel Bearings
Not Full Self-Driving
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This week, Nicole is still in Europe with her husband so the boys are at it again. Robbie went to Las Vegas to drive the McLaren Artura and Sam also had a vehicle with four wheels and a steering wheel, the Toyota Rav4 Adventure. Sam also got to try out the Tesla Full Self-Driving beta and found it still has a long way to go before you stop holding the wheel and watching the road. Apple appears to delayed its car program again and GM is working with dealers to put 40,000 EV chargers in underserved communities. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ran tests to see if its crash test facility could handle new heavier EVs and Polestar and Mercedes-Benz are offering power-upgrades for a price. Links McLaren Artura first drive GM Dealer Community Charging Program Apple Car Delayed IIHS tests heavy EVs Polestar… Read More »Not Full Self-Driving

Top Novice

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Wheel Bearings
Top Novice
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Nicole and Sam are back after a week off where everyone was travelling. Robbie is still in Japan so Nicole shares here adventure driving in the Mille Miglia warm-up where she and co-pilot Eilleen Falkenburg-Hull came in second overall in the modern vehicle class and first among novices. Upon returning home, Nicole got to spend quality time with the new Nissan Z. Meanwhile, between trips, Sam got to drive the Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn. Sam and Nicole also share their impressions of the new 2023 Toyota Crown. In the news, BMW announced a $1.7B investment in its Spartanburg SC factory to build EVs, GMC revealed the Sierra Denali EV Edition1 and Ford brought us the refreshed 2023 Escape. Ford and VW are pulling the plug on Argo AI, the company that was developing automated vehicles for them, and Ubers with human drivers will make fewer… Read More »Top Novice

Go Anywhere, But You Might Not Get Out

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Wheel Bearings
Go Anywhere, But You Might Not Get Out
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This week Sam learns the limits of “all-terrain” tires as he goes off-roading with the Ford Bronco Raptor. Nicole shares first impressions of Nissan’s new Ariya electric crossover and Robbie tests the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Nicole and Sam both got to try out the Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L with Stellantis’ new Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine. They also had a conversation with Jeep North America boss Jim Morrison. Chevrolet is launching a second generation Trax entry-level crossover that is both larger and cheaper than before. Motional has a 10-year deal to operate its robotaxis on the Uber network in multiple markets and the TFL Trucks Hummer has been fixed. Links 2024 Chevrolet Trax TFL Trucks Hummer EV followup Motional and Uber 10 year deal Ford Bronco Raptor review Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like… Read More »Go Anywhere, But You Might Not Get Out

A Taller Prancing Horse

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Wheel Bearings
A Taller Prancing Horse
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Nicole is travelling somewhere in the Earth’s biosphere so it’s just the boys this time around. Since this was recorded just a few days after the last episode, Robbie hasn’t driven anything but Sam shares his thoughts on the Hyundai Santa Cruz. In the news, Ferrari has unveiled its first four-door regular production model, the Purosangue (don”t call it an SUV). Honda has significantly the raised the base price on the new CR-V and the final Chrysler 300 won’t get a Hellcat. Tesla faces a class action lawsuit over unfullfilled promises about Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. The VW ID Aero will replace the Arteon and the 2023 Lincoln Corsair gets a bigger grille. Finally, Sam has a conversation with Schaeffler Group CTO Jeff Hemphill about some of the technologies the supplier is developing to improve EV efficiency. Links Ferrari Purosangue 2023 Honda CR-V pricing jump… Read More »A Taller Prancing Horse

Getting Buzzed

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Wheel Bearings
Getting Buzzed
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Over the past week we’ve had an assortment of travel and gigs but we’re back in the saddle with fresh material. Now that the embargo has lifted, Robbie can finally share his thoughts on driving the VW ID Buzz, while Nicole had the new Kia Sportage. Before heading out to San Francisco, Sam had the Volvo C40 Recharge and while in the Bay area he drove a Chevrolet Bolt EV. In the news, we’ve seen a bunch of new upcoming products in the leadup to the return of the much diminished Detroit Auto Show. The week before the show, Jeep started to reveal its 2024 EVs including the all-new Recon and Wagoneer S. Chevrolet also took the wraps off the Equinox EV. The big only big reveal at the show itself was the reworked 2024 Ford Mustang that’s coming next summer. The king of designing… Read More »Getting Buzzed

How Much For The Paint?

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How Much For The Paint?
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This week Sam went through two vehicles that are basically the same, internal combustion engine, 4 wheels, 4 doors plus a hatch and neat paint jobs, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback and the Maserati Levante Trofeo. One is slightly more expensive than the other. Nicole has been driving Mazda MX-5 RF and Robbie is still foregoing new cars while he catches up on a backlog of reviews In the news, VW has started US production of the ID.4 with a new cheaper standard model with less range and more screen. VW is also confirmed as the customer for the $4 billion lidar order from Innoviz and GM is doubling the number of roads where Super Cruise can be used. Toyota has just barely started selling the bZ4X and is already considering a buyback. Sam spoke with Hyundai’s VP of Product and Mobility Olabisi Boyle and we… Read More »How Much For The Paint?

The Porter Wins

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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

Not A Crazed Squirrel

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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

Electric Volvos and More

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Wheel Bearings
Electric Volvos and More
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This week our usual recording time coincided with both Roberto and Nicole being in transit somewhere while Sam is hitting the road again in a couple of days. But rather than let you down, we do have some fresh content for you. First off, both Nicole and Sam drove the new Volvo C40 Recharge and sat down in a garden afterward to discuss their impressions. While at the Volvo event, Sam also chatted with Volvo Cars NA chief Anders Gustafsson and Senior product manager Christina Vasandani. We also have the rest of the interviews Sam recorded at the Chicago Auto Show including Steve Gehring, safety regulation and policy executive director at Hyundai, Jasen Turnbull, marketing manager for the the Ford F-150 Lightning and Arie Groenveld, Ford Bronco Raptor chief engineer Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to… Read More »Electric Volvos and More

Going With the Flow

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Wheel Bearings
Going With the Flow
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CES 2022 is behind us and none of the team actually went to Las Vegas this year, but we did cover what was announced either in person there or virtually. Last time we covered the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and the Chrysler Airflow concept. This time we have the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX with its more than 600 mile range. GM also teased us with the first renders of the $30,000 Chevy Equinox EV that is coming in fall 2023, and Volvo, Zenseact and Luminar shared more on the partially automated Ride Pilot system that is planned to start testing in California this year and eventually come to production. Finally, BMW showed a concept version of the new iX covered in e-ink that can change between white, black or any shade of grey in between. In the garage, Roberto drove the new Mercedes-AMG SL roadster, Nicole braved… Read More »Going With the Flow