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Don’t Call It A Hybrid

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Don't Call It A Hybrid
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Nicole is on the road this week so it’s just Sam and Robbie. But Robbie was flying back and forth to Singapore so he didn’t drive anything. Sam had the new Subaru Impreza and a short stint with the Kia EV9. In the news, details of the Stellantis tentative agreement with the UAW are out and confirm plans for a new midsize pickup as well as several EVs and where they will be built. Ram is refreshing the 1500 pickup with new engines and grilles and adding the “range extended paradigm changer” aka the Ramcharger. Just don’t call it a hybrid. Hyundai has cut prices on the Ioniq 6 sedan for 2024 and Porsche is adopting Android Automotive for its infotainment from 2025. Or friends at TFL check out the Nissan Safari Z concept at SEMA and Sam saw the original in Japan. We finish… Read More »Don’t Call It A Hybrid

A Very Expensive Bumper

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
A Very Expensive Bumper
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This week on the show we’ve been driving a broad selection of stuff even though Robbie had nothing new to report on the Kia Niro EV. Sam had two very quick but very different red cars, the Kia EV6 GT and an all too brief stint with the Maserati MC20. Nicole drove the BMW M2 with a manual gearbox and sampled the new Lexus TX 3-row utility. Our good pals at TFL have a “new” car in their fleet that they regretted buying before they even got off the auction lot, the Kandi K27. Kia unveiled a batch of lower cost EVs in Korea this week that we may or may not see in North America. BMW unveiled the next-generation X2 and Nissan dropped some renders of the 2nd of 3 EV concepts that Sam will see in Tokyo in a couple of weeks. If… Read More »A Very Expensive Bumper

Send Them To School

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Send Them To School
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Tanya Gazdik is back this week subbing for Nicole and she has been driving the Mercedes-Benz EQB and having a bad charging experience in Detroit. Tanya also spent time in the latest Range Rover LWB. Robbie tells us about driving the new BMW X5M Competition to Monterey car week and renting a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz. Meanwhile Sam got to do some shifting in the Toyota GR Supra with a manual gearbox. In the news, Ford offers a factory matte black wrap for the Lightning and launches a cool looking Transit Custom-based camper in Europe called the Nugget. NHTSA has given clearance for automakers to comply with the lates Massachusetts right to repair law and Chevrolet has launched the first EV with a full police pursuit package. In China, Kia has unveiled a compact electric crossover that will hopefully be offered in North America… Read More »Send Them To School

Just A Boondogle

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Just A Boondogle
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This week Nicole is having a seriously fun time with the 2023 Honda Civic Type-Rrrrr! Robbie is also having fun with a car that surprisingly fits both him and his bass guitar, the Mazda Miata Club. Sam actually had a great Electrify America charging experience with the Genesis GV70 Electrified. In the news, it appears that VW may be getting ready to launch an electric GTI. Toyota revealed the all-new Land Cruiser which is basically a more affordable and arguably better looking version of the Lexus GX and is finally bringing the plug-in hybrid Lexus RX450h+ to America. Speaking of America, we’ve poisoned Britain with our preference for SUVs over cars so Volvo is going to stop selling cars in the UK. Mazda couldn’t find enough American buyers for the MX-30 so it’s discontinuing it here. Henrik Fisker should off a bunch of upcoming products… Read More »Just A Boondogle

Bad Lessons

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Bad Lessons
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This week in the Wheel Bearings garage, Robbie is driving the latest BMW M2, complete with what may be one of the last manual transmissions in a BMW. Nicole has the non-Max version of the new Lexus RX hybrid, the RX350h and Sam is driving the Honda CR-V hybrid. In the news, seven (really six, but who’s counting) are teaming up for a joint-venture to build 30,000 DC fast chargers with cool accessories like restrooms, food and canopies! Ford launches the Mustang Challenge race series featuring a new factory-built racer, the Mustang Dark Horse R. VW invests to buy 5% of Xpeng, Robbie swaps EV battery modules with Ample and Honda is killing the E because of SUVs. Volvo clearly wasn’t listening to the howls of pain from VW ID owners when it designed the EX30. Vinfast broke ground on a new factory in North… Read More »Bad Lessons

Yanking the Steering Wheel

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Yanking the Steering Wheel
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Sam spent the past week testing out the new version of BlueCruise in the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E and was pleasantly surprised at the energy efficiency. Nicole had both the Toyota Sequioa TRD Pro and Lincoln Corsair PHEV. Robbie drove the new Chevrolet Colorado and the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica. Nicole and Sam took a quick trip to Austin to see the unveiling of the 2024 Lexus TX and GX SUVs. After the Lexus show, they went for a ride in a Cruise robotaxi and they have thoughts. Meanwhile in Milan, Volvo unveiled its new inexpensive EV, the EX30. Tesla got another win with GM announcing its switch to the North American Charging standard. On the other hand, Tesla drivers that buy their insurance from the automaker will pay more if they use Autopilot. Links Volvo ex30Crusing in Austin2024 Lexus GX2024 Lexus TXThe death of CCSTesla… Read More »Yanking the Steering Wheel

Buzz Me

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Buzz Me
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In the garage this week, Nicole has been driving two very different vehicles from the Hyundai Motor Group stable, the new Genesis G90 and refreshed Kia Telluride. Robbie has car for dog lovers, the Subaru Crosstrek and Sam was pleasantly surprised by what the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid could do with a fully charged battery. In the news, VW revealed the longer 3 row ID Buzz that’s coming to America. Sam spent some time at the track with Honda getting a ride in an Indycar-powered hybrid CR-V, sampling electric racing go-karts and testing the LogR app with the new Civic Type-R. Lordstown’s electric pickup doesn’t have much Endurance and Tesla claims the cheapest Model 3 now qualifies for tax credits. Finally Ford changes its pricing strategy for Blue Cruise. We also answer listener questions Links Honda electric racing cartsHonda CR-V hybrid racerHonda LogR 2.0 appVW… Read More »Buzz Me

Live From the Kona Coast

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Live From the Kona Coast
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We’re all back together for a brand new show after a week away for some vacation time. We’ve got lots of rides to discuss this week. Nicole had the Mercedes-AMG G63 and Genesis GV70 Electrified. Since we last had him on the show, Robbie drove the Ford Expedition to Tahoe for a band gig, the BMW i7 and the new Mercedes-Benz GLC. Sam reviews the Chevrolet Equinox that he and his wife had as a rental in Hawaii. Sam and Nicole were both in Hawaii to drive the new Toyota Grand Highlander and get a first look at the all-new Tacoma midsize pickup including the Trailhunter overlanding version. BMW has unveiled the next-generation 5 series sedan including the electric i5. The 5 series is also the first car to get support for Airconsole game streaming. Ford has decided that it can’t rely on the likes… Read More »Live From the Kona Coast

New York Conversations

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
New York Conversations
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Sam and his wife are on a beach somewhere in the middle of the Pacific this week so we’re giving Robbie and Nicole the week off too. Instead of news we’ve got interviews that we recorded at the 2023 New York Auto Show. Most of these interviews have already been published for our patrons, but there are a couple that haven’t been heard yet. First up is Tom Somerville, marketing manager for Ford electric enthusiast vehicles. Then we have Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda. Next up are Christian Meunier, global CEO of Jeep and Jim Morrison head of Jeep North America. Mike Koval, CEO of Ram trucks talks about the Ram 1500 REV and midsize trucks. Olabisi Boyle, VP product planning and mobility strategy talks about Hyundai and finally we have Mike Wilde, director of product planning and pricing at Kia America. Wheel Bearings has launched… Read More »New York Conversations

One And A Half

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
One And A Half
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This week, Robbie is playing at a wedding in Yosemite with one of his bands, so friend of the show Tanya Gazdik is back with a plethora of Stellantis vehicles. Among the Ram Rebel 1500, Chrysler Pacifica PHEV and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L you might be surprised to learn which is her favorite. Nicole has been driving the Subaru Impreza RS and Sam had the BMW X7 M60i. Nicole and Tanya both drove the new Subaru Crosstrek in some Woodstock mud, but without any classic rock bands. Nicole also drove the new second-generation Chevrolet Trax. There’s an all-new second-generation Mini EV coming in a few months with lots more range and performance. If you prefer the classic mini Mini, you too can go electric thanks to Electrogenic. Back in the early 1990s, a decade before Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning conceived of the Tesla Roadster… Read More »One And A Half