Roberto Drives the Mercedes-Benz EQS
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electric vehicles
Sweet, Sweet Options – corrected
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I messed up and linked the wrong file, this is the corrected version This week, two-thirds of the team did some travelling as Roberto went all the way to Switzerland to try out Mercedes-Benz first US market bound electric vehicle, the new EQS. Sam just took a train to Chicago and spoke with Ford Maverick marketing manager Trevor Scott about the new compact truck after spending some time driving the new Genesis GV80 luxury crossover. Nicole got to toss around the Mini John Cooper Works convertible with a nifty Union Jack pattern on the top. In the news, a class action lawsuit against Ford is moving forward over destination charges on new vehicles. New car inventories across the US are at all time lows, Rivian has pushed back first customer deliveries of the R1T for a couple more months. Chevrolet Bolts that got software updates… Read More »Sweet, Sweet Options – corrected
Dodge Will Sell American eMuscle
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This week in the garage, Roberto is driving Volkswagen of America’s new entry level model, the 2022 Taos compact crossover. Nicole has the new 11th generation Honda Civic sedan in a strange sort of silver color with a hint of blue and same discusses the VW ID.4, the brand’s first dedicated electric vehicle for the North American market. In the news, we have lots more electrification stuff to discuss. Croatian EV startup Rimac has taken over control of Bugatti from the Volkswagen group. BMW brings its i4 and iX roadshow to Detroit and Stellantis spends a couple of hours fleshing out its plans to sell mostly electric vehicles by the end of the decade including the 2024 launch of a battery electric Ram 1500 and a new Dodge eMuscle car and battery-powered versions of every Jeep by 2025. Also from Stellantis, Peugeot has taken the… Read More »Dodge Will Sell American eMuscle
You Can Have Too Much Grille
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In the garage this week, Nicole has the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid with plugs in the back and a work surface perfect for holding Crumble Cookies. Roberto drives the Subaru Forester Sport and we wonder if black wheels and red trim stripes can actually make a vehicle sporty. Robbie also spends time in the Ford Bronco Sport and has complaints. Sam drove the new hybrid Toyota Sienna and comes to the realization that Chevrolet was just premature in trying to make the old Uplander look like an SUV and also spends a weekend with the Polestar 2. In the news, Toyota proves you can have too much grille when an image of the 2022 Tundra leaks out, Infiniti adopts a new design language for the new QX60 and Ferrari takes a new direction with the replacement for its long-running series of V8 sports cars… Read More »You Can Have Too Much Grille
First Close Look At An Electric Pickup
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The team is back on track this week with Nicole spending in time in the new 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line, while Robbie tries out a couple of fundamentally different cars, the McLaren GT and the redesigned, hydrogen powered Toyota Mirai. Sam finished up his two week Hellcat stint with the one-year only Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. In the news, the UK government is moving to legallize Level 3 conditionally automated vehicles that allow drivers to go hands off and eyes off the road. Colin Chapman’s classic Lotus 7 is still being produced by Caterham and now the company is looking at how to electrify it. Finally, Sam got a deep dive into the battery-powered 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning and shares his thoughts on what it can do. Links 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning first look Caterham developing electric 7 UK to legalize L3 conditionally automated vehicles… Read More »First Close Look At An Electric Pickup
In Search Of A Rental Car
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This week, Nicole and Roberto have returned from their respective vacations and share their experiences trying rent vehicles in an age where rental companies have ditched much of their fleets. Robbie discusses the 2020 Kia Sorento he had in Hawaii. Before her Disney trip, Nicole drove the new Jeep Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrid. Sam went from the decidely old school Lexus GX460 to the thoroughly modern Buick Encore GX. We skip news this week and address a bunch of listener questions including what off-road vehicles will be like in the age of electrification, vehicle shortages, whether to modify classic and project cars or keep them original, and recommendations for wagons and used PHEVs/BEVs. Links 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
Say Hello To Roberto
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Episode 192 of Wheel Bearings brings an updated lineup as the internet’s Roberto Baldwin joins Nicole Wakelin and Sam in place of Dan Roth who has started his new job. We talk about the rip-snorting Dodge Durango Hellcat that just left Nicole’s driveway, Robbie takes a ride in the new Lucid Air Grand Touring and contemplates moving his house with the GMC Sierra HD diesel while Sam ponders how the Chevy Volt might have evolved into the Toyota Rav4 Prime. In the news, Toyota launches the Beyond Zero sub-brand for battery electric vehicles with a new concept creatively named bZ4X. Cadillac prices its first EV, the 2023 Lyriq crossover and Stellantis kills the “too expensive” Giorgio platform. We wrap the show with our usual listener emails. Links Riding in the Lucid Air Grand Touring Stellantis kills Giorgio Toyota launches Beyond Zero sub-brand for electric vehicles… Read More »Say Hello To Roberto
The End of an Era
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This week in the garage, Nicole has the first of a pair of very different three-row crossovers. First up is the Toyota Highlander. Next week she will have something just a bit louder. Sam shares his thoughts on the turbocharged Mazda3 hatchback and despite still being on winter tires, it impresses. Dan wraps up his time with the new Acura MDX and discovers it is quite different from most of its direct competition and he also gets a taste of the new Lincoln Nautilus Black Label with its 13-inch touchscreen In the news, we discuss the US launch of the Mazda MX-30 and the return of the Wankel rotary as a range extender. GM launches a new cloud-based navigation app for recent OnStar users that don’t have built-in navigation and aren’t using the maps from their smartphones. Dan interviews Chrysler Pacifica chief engineer Brian Swanson.… Read More »The End of an Era
It’s Infrastructure Week!
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Nicole is recording on a new mic this week while Dan struggled with ancient computer. Sam drove the 2021 Hyundai Elantra and has thoughts about the base powertrain. Dan finished his time in the Mustang Mach-E and moved on to the new 2022 Acura MDX while Nicole drove one of the last of the big sedans, the Toyota Avalon. In the news, the White House released its infrastructure plan and we discuss some of the transportation related aspects. Kia also revealed its first new electric model off the Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP architecture, the EV6 and we wrap with listener questions about excessive badging, road use taxes and climbing prices of old sports cars. Links White House infrastructure fact sheet Kia EV6 Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and… Read More »It’s Infrastructure Week!
Nested Nostalgia
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This week Nicole Wakelin officially joins the team as one of our hosts. To kick things off she reviews a boring non-descript hybrid, the 2021 Acura NSX in Indy Yellow Pearl. Sam spent the week with a Volkswagen Atlas Sport Cross and warns to not even bother trying to use the built-in voice recognition, just use wireless Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Dan finally had his chance to drive the Ford Mustang Mach-E. In the news, Tesla is now allowing customers to buy cars with bitcoin, but you might want to think twice before you do that or at least consult your accountant. Jeep and Electrify America are setting up solar powered chargers at popular trailheads like the Rubicon and Rivian is also building its own charging network. Links Buying a Tesla with bitcoin will get you a big tax bill Jeep and Electrify America… Read More »Nested Nostalgia