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Diesels Dying

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Diesels Dying
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Sam and Robbie both had the Ford Explorer Tremor this week and Nicole rounded out the Ford fest with the F-350 King Ranch PowerStroke duallie. Diesel cars are fading away in Europe and BMW has launched the next-generation X5 including an all electric iX5. California is bringing back some EV incentives for first-time buyers and the Kia Niro is going hybrid only for 2027. Thieves have been stealing truckloads of batteries from a Tesla factory and Ferrari is bringing back a simulated manual transmission. Sam also has a conversation with Christopher Maiwald, CEO and Founder of charger manufacturer Lectron. Links Diesel’s demise nears as Volkswagen axes diesel Golf after 50 years | Autocar Why Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke Diesel Died An Ignoble Death – Jalopnik New California Incentive Gives Some First-Time EV Buyers $3,500 Instant Discount – Jalopnik Our Readers Came Up With These Honest… Read More »Diesels Dying

Is Slate Cheap Enough?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Is Slate Cheap Enough?
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This week Nicole shares her adventure of trying to get a test drive in a BMW, and testing the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid and Ford Maverick hybrid. Robbie went on an adventure in the new Subaru Outback and Sam did truck stuff with the Ford Maverick Lobo. In the news, Jeep teased the new Cherokee Trailhawk, a Toyota engineer said he’s like a Rav4 Ute, and we discuss bad old car ads. IIHS crashed old and new Blazers, Polestar pulled out of the US market, Honda is bringing back the Element, our pal Andre tries a restomoded 23-window VW bus and we look at the new Hyundai Elantra. We also spend a lot of time discussing Slate. Links Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Thrill To Four Dull Commercials For Dazzlingly Boring ’70s And ’80s Cars! – The Autopianngly-boring-70s-and-80s-cars/ Toyota RAV4 ute market would be ‘quite appealing’, says top… Read More »Is Slate Cheap Enough?

Live From Nebraska

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Live From Nebraska
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This week Robbie and Sam are on the road as part of Operation Frodo Electric 2026, transporting rescue dogs from the midwest to the Pacific Northwest in a fleet of EVs and they recorded live from a Kia EV9 somewhere on I-80 in Nebraska. This week Robbie drove the Kia K4 hatchback and Sam had the Honda Prelude. Sam also has a conversation with Nik Miles about Operation Frodo. Nicole interviews IIHS COO Joe Nolan and Mazda safety strategy chief Jennifer Morrison. 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

How We Cruise

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Wheel Bearings
How We Cruise
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This week Nicole drove the new Subaru Outback Wilderness, Robbie had the Mercedes-Benz EQS 400 SUV and Sam had the Kia EV9. In the news, GM opened a new Pasadena design studio and showed off a couple of GMC Hummer concepts. Waymo is having some challenges with its Robotaxis while Zoox is making improvements. Slate will announce final pricing in a few weeks and Mitsubishi is partnering with Nissan for a new truck for North America. Honda is pausing production of the Ridgeline and Ford is decontenting the Bronco Sport and planning to revive the Escape as an EV. Mercedes could get barred from the US market if a new bill becomes law and Volvo gets approvals to keep selling its vehicles. Nicole went to see a crash test at IIHS. Links GM officially opens new Advanced Design Pasadena Studio, reveals GMC HUMMER X truck… Read More »How We Cruise

Selling to Little Old Ladies

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Wheel Bearings
Selling to Little Old Ladies
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This week Nicole was driving the 2026 Subaru Solterra and Sam had the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid. In recent days, both AMG and Ferrari have revealed new four-door GT models with over 1,000-hp electric propulsion and the response has been very different between the two. Stellantis had their big investor day last week and announced a bunch of new products and Sam got to try out a couple of European models and see a bunch of secret stuff. Citroen is also bringing back the 2CV. Rich Rebuilds bought an $800 Audi A8 with slight corrosion issue. Watch out for AI images for ride share damage and whatever you do don’t buy a Lordstown Endurance. Links The 777 HP 2027 Ram Rumble Bee is The Most Powerful Muscle Truck Ever! 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Recreates Signature V8 Thrills-signature-v8-thrills/ AMG Goes Electric with the Mercedes-AMG GT… Read More »Selling to Little Old Ladies

Powdered Sugar Everywhere

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Wheel Bearings
Powdered Sugar Everywhere
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Nicole has returned from the Big Easy after driving the Acura MDX and eating beignets with too much powdered sugar (is there such a thing as too much?). She also drove the Infiniti QX65, Dodge Charger R/T and Kia Sportage. Sam had the Toyota Corolla FX and Robbie rented a Kia Carnival for a mini vacation. Fiat inexplicably raises the price of the 500e by $5,000 while Motor Trend drives a $10,000 Chinese EV that doesn’t suck. The US spec BMW iX3 is projected to get 434 miles on a charge. The New York State Police are using new Mustang GTs to catch speeders. Dreame has created a ridiculous EV with solid rocket boosters. Lynk&Co has shown off a gorgeous electric GT coupe. Tesla is again shipping Chinese built EVs to Canada and Cadillac is building a very limited run of F1 edition CT5-V Blackwings.… Read More »Powdered Sugar Everywhere

Too Many Brands

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Wheel Bearings
Too Many Brands
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This week Nicole is off in New Orleans with Acura so our buddy John Voelcker is sitting in. He’s been driving a bunch of stuff including the Ford Maverick hybrid, Porsche Taycan, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Trailseeker. Robbie drove the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT and Sam had the Lexus GX550 Overtrail. At Milan Design Week, Hyundai unveiled its new Ioniq 3 compact and Kia showed off the Vision Meta Turismo. Hyundai also showed off the new Ioniq V in Beijing. GM has paused development of a next set of electric full-size trucks and Rivian has launched production of the R2. Stellantis now has pet accessories under the Mopaw brand looks likely to focus on just four main brands going forward. Links New Hyundai Ioniq 3 breaks cover with stunning sci-fi looks | Auto Express Stellantis Introduces Mopaw Kia Presents Vision Meta Turismo… Read More »Too Many Brands

All The Switches

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Wheel Bearings
All The Switches
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After last week’s travel challenges, Robbie and Nicole are back. Nicole has driven the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the Honda Pilot Elite while Sam had the Mazda MX-5 Miata 35th Anniversary Edition. Robbie tells us about the new Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS and we discuss the company’s new drive by wire system. GM is apparently going to build a new Buick sedan as well as a new Camaro. Nissan has a new electric Juke for the rest of the world and Porsche has a convertible 911 GT3 S/C with a manual transmission. Uber is pouring $10 billion into robotaxis. VW has a revamped with ID3 Neo with all the switches. Doug Field is leaving Ford and that might signal the end of the Model E division as it basically gets rolled back into the main Ford. Ford’s cancelled 3-row electric crossover has been visible on… Read More »All The Switches

Boulder Incoming

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Wheel Bearings
Boulder Incoming
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Unfortunately, it’s Robbie’s turn to lose his voice this week so our pal Perry Stern stepped in which worked out well because he was also at the New York Auto Show with us last week and we have lots to talk about. Before that Nicole shares her thoughts on the Dodge Durango Hellcat, Perry drives the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and Sam has the VW Jetta GLI. From the New York show we have the Hyundai Boulder, Kia Seltos, Kia EV3, Kia PV5 taxi, Volkswagen Atlas, and Subaru Getaway. Stellantis wants to build Leap Motor EVs in Canada and ride hail drivers are paying exhorbitant fees to rent cars. We also have a conversation with Gentex VP Craig Piersma about full display mirrors and Dodge/Chrysler CEO Matt McAlear. Links Hyundai Boulder Concept Takes Aim at Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco 2027 Kia Seltos HEV Overview… Read More »Boulder Incoming

The Scammer Edition

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Scammer Edition
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Sam’s getting better but his voice is still a bit hoarse as he drove the Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD. Nicole had her turn in the Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line without a turbo and was still impressed. In the news, BMW has unveiled its new i3, an all-electric 3 series, with up to 440 miles of EPA range and 400-kW charging while Rolls-Royce has decided to keep offering V12s for a while. Lexus is about to start offering its next-generation ES sedan with the battery electric version arriving before the hybrid. Carvana is expanding from used to new car sales by buying some Stellantis dealers. A couple of people with shady business records are back as Trevor Milton pitches an AI powered business jet and Malcolm Bricklin is pitching an electric 3-wheeler. Stellantis EVs can officially Supercharge now and there are rumors of a more powerful… Read More »The Scammer Edition