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Too Much Seat Comfort

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Too Much Seat Comfort
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This week Robbie has the Chevrolet Silverado EV LT and Nicole shares her Portugese airport blackout adventure. Sam drives the Ford F250 XL and the Chevrolet Equinox LT. Akio Toyoda loves cool cars and doesn’t think electric sports cars fit the bill. More than 28,000 GM V8s failed before GM recalled them. Who are the most influential people in automotive history? Toyota is sort of hooking up with Waymo. The VW ID Buzz is getting recalled because the 3rd seats are too roomy and there are new chargers in Detroit. Many automakers have underutilized factories and Hyundai has priced the Ioniq 9, plus answers to listener questions. Links Akio doesn’t believe in electric sports cars28K GM V8s failed before recallmost influential people in automotive historyToyota Hails a WaymoID Buzz recalled because rear seat too comfortableUS plant utilizationHyundai prices Ioniq 9 in US Wheel Bearings has… Read More »Too Much Seat Comfort

Get The Versa

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Get The Versa
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This week Nicole had a Mustang GT convertible with the California Special package but New Hampshire spring weather only allowed her to put down the top once. Sam had the cheapest car currently available in America, the 2025 Nissan Versa SR. Robbie went to the unveiling of the Slate truck and we have thoughts. Ford is countering with an even more expensive Super Duty pickup. Nicole and Sam drove the 2026 Lincoln Navigator and we have more thoughts.Cadillac is bringing an Optiq-V. Audi is launching a sub-brand for China called AUDI and we discuss this as well as new stuff from VW, Buick, Lexus, Toyota and Nissan from the Shanghai Motor Show. Finally, Walmart is getting into the EV charging business. Check out Express VPN: https://expressvpn.com/WHEELBEARINGS Links 2026 Lincoln NavigatorSlateSlate’s Market Research ExperimentAudi E5 SportbackVW Shanghai conceptsCadillac Optiq-VBuick Electra GS conceptBuick Super Architecture, Electra NEV sub-brandNew… Read More »Get The Versa

Smart Off-Roading

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Wheel Bearings
Smart Off-Roading
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This week in the garage Nicole has the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5, Robbie has the Ford e-Transit and Sam has the Corvette Stingray 3LT. Sam and Nicole both drove the 2026 Honda Passport in Puerto Rico last week and have thoughts. Sam also interviewed chief engineer Todd Hemertt. Nicole tells us about climbing Davis Dam in the 2025 Ram HD. Somehow Aptera is still trying to get its little solar and electric three-wheeler to production and an initial road trip yields dissapointing efficiency numbers. Restomod producer Icon is now offering an electric 1st generation Bronco and it’s not cheap. Hakan Samuelsson has returned temporarily as the CEO of Volvo Cars. At the Seoul Mobility Show, Hyundai showed off a cool Pikes Peak ready version of its Inster electric mini car, a refreshed Ioniq 6 and promised not to raise prices in response to tariffs. Sam… Read More »Smart Off-Roading

Swap or Charge

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Swap or Charge
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Robbie and Nicole are both traveling this week so Stephanie Brinley from S&P Global Mobility and Jeff Gilbert from WWJ radio in Detroit are stepping in with Sam. Stephanie and Jeff both got to drive the new Cadillac Optiq and Escalade IQ and Jeff also moved stuff with the Chevrolet Suburban. Sam drove the Lincoln Nautilus and BMW X5M Competition. In the news we discuss BYD’s 1MW charging announcement and the CATL/NIO battery swapping partnership and which is a better solution. There are reports that Honda may buy hybrid batteries made by Toyota in North Carolina and Jeff moderated a session with the CEO of LG Energy Systems about slowing investments in battery production. We touch a bit on tariffs and discuss GM’s decision to switch from Qualcomm to Nvidia chips for its next generation in-car compute. Check out Express VPN: https://expressvpn.com/WHEELBEARINGS Links BYD 1MW chargingHonda… Read More »Swap or Charge

Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks
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Robbie is under the weather this week so Nicole shares her thoughts on the 2025 Ford Explorer ST and then Sam discusses the Acura ZDX Type-S. While we get to drive new cars every week sometimes we also buy some for ourselves. This week, Nicole finally took delivery of her new Jeep Wagoneer S and tells us about the buying experience. Honda has some performance and range upgrades to the 2025 Prologue but holds the line on pricing. Buyers of the EREV version of the new Scout trucks and SUVs might be a bit disappointed at the towing capability. In the name of safety, EVGo has banned extension cords and breakaway adapters at its DC chargers. Honda may not want to publicly admit it, but its hybrids do have CVTs. VW showed off the concept version of its upcoming $21,000 ID.1 and it has buttons… Read More »Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks

Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice
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Nicole is back after driving both the Hyundai Palisade and Kia K4 GT-Line turbo. Sam did some truck stuff with Hyundai’s trucklet, the 2025 Santa Cruz and Robbie has some tire feedback. Ford has confirmed its plans to offer extened range EV powertrains in large trucks and SUVs. Someone has developed a wide-body kit for the already wide new Dodge Charger Daytona, and VW has teased a new $21,000 EV that will be revealed next month. Nissan apparently doesn’t want to just be a subsidiary of Honda and is looking for other partners. Subaru has unveiled the new Forester hybrid coming this spring with 35 mpg. There’s a Faraday Future FF91 on bring a trailer. Tesla sales are crashing all over the place and apparently, most of them still don’t have the hardware needed for unsupervised self-driving. Finally we answer a listener question about starting… Read More »Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice

Canoo Without A Paddle

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Canoo Without A Paddle
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This week as we prepare for our next round of driving new cars, Nicole tells us about driving the Hyundai Ioniq6, Robbie fills in the details on the BMW Z4 as well as the Subaru WRX tS and Sam has the Chevrolet Blazer EV LT. Acura releases an image and name for its new electric crossover coupe. There’s disscussion of what engine Scout will use as a range extender. VW plans to bring its Cupra brand to America in partnership with Penske. The Auto Alliance sues to block the new automatic braking regulations. Subaru is adopting Toyota’s infotainment system. Ram is dropping plans for the big battery Ram REV and Canoo finally unplugs. We also have interviews with Stellantis executives Aamir Ahmed, Bob Broderdorf and Christine Feuell and some listener questions. Check out Express VPN: https://expressvpn.com/WHEELBEARINGS Links Acura RSXHow big a range extender does Scout need?VW… Read More »Canoo Without A Paddle

Happy New Year

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Happy New Year
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In the final show of 2024, Nicole discusses her experiences with the Buick Enclave, while Robbie shares his Hyundai Ioniq 5 charging journey. News highlights include a potential Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi merger, affordable electric vehicles from Toyota and Subaru, and a new safer EV chassis design from CATL. The team reflects on favorite drives and 2025 expectations.

Tacos At Every Charger

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Tacos At Every Charger
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This week, Robbie didn’t drive anything, but Nicole got time with the Ram 1500 RHO and Honda Civic Hybrid hatchback while Sam had the Kia Niro PHEV. At Art Basel Miami, Jaguar showed off its new design direction with the Type 00 Concept and it’s different. Toyota is taking advantage of its joint venture factory with Mazda to offer Soul Red Crystal as an optional color on the Corolla Cross. Carlos Tavares has been ousted as CEO of Stellantis. Hyundai has a new version of the Palisade coming and Genesis is building a race car to go to Le Mans in 2026. Nissan’s Ariya can use Superchargers now but it needs an extra adapter for its adapter. Ion Dynamics has a cool little mobile EV charger and we recommend tires for winter driving in West Virginia. Get your Wheel Bearings merch at https://shop.wheelbearings.media Links Ram… Read More »Tacos At Every Charger