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Inaccessible Chargers

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Inaccessible Chargers
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This week Nicole has been using the big Ford Expedition to haul away an old bedroom set. Robbie drove the new Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV in Portugal and Sam and Nicole both had first drives in new Toyotas, the Prius Prime and Corolla Cross Hybrid. Nicole and Sam both went to New York for the Auto Show where they saw the new Hyundai Kona and Kia EV9. Stellantis also publicly showed its upcoming electric pickup, the Ram 1500 REV and a refresh of the Jeep Wrangler. Tesla employees have been misappropriating videos uploaded from vehicles for AI training and Robbie saw Cruise and Waymo robotaxis having a disagreement in San Francisco. We also answer some listener questions and go on a collective rant about accessibility (or lack thereof) of EV chargers. Links 2023 Toyota Prius Prime First Drive Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV first drive Ram 1500 REV… Read More »Inaccessible Chargers

Just a Skosh More

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Wheel Bearings
Just a Skosh More
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This week in the garage we’ve got the full spectrum of electrification from none to complete. Sam drove the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, Robbie drove the Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid and Nicole had the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Nicole and Sam also both had the opportunity to drive the new 2024 Mazda CX-90 with both a turbocharged inline-cylinder mild hybrid and a new plug-in hybrid variant. Robbie and Nicole both got seat time in Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 electric sedan with a range of up to 361 miles. Finally GM, let the world know that its future EVs would be losing support for smartphone projection including Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Links GM Drops Smartphone Projection for EVs Mazda CX-90 first drive Robbie’s Hyundai Ioniq 6 first drive Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost… Read More »Just a Skosh More

It’s Got Sting

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Wheel Bearings
It's Got Sting
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This week it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole had the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid with a third row seat that should just be left folded down. Sam got double booked and had both the Rivian R1S and the Genesis G90 with the e-Supercharger. In the news, Ford unveiled it’s first European electric vehicle for consumers, the new Explorer EV based on the Volkswagen MEB platform but it’s a completely different beast to the Explorer Americans get. The next MEB EV from Ford might be called the Capri. Ford also showed off progress on its new BlueOval City manufacturing complex in Tennessee and revealed a few things about the new electric truck to be built there that is called Project T3. Nicole got a chance to sample the new Dodge Hornet in gas turbo and plug-in hybrid variants. Hyundai’s design chief says the brand… Read More »It’s Got Sting

Just Bring It To America

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Wheel Bearings
Just Bring It To America
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This week another low profile tire was sacrificed to the pothole gods as Robbie’s Mercedes-AMG EQE had to go home on a flatbed. Sam drove both the Toyota Sequioa i-Force Max Capstone and the Kia Niro EV while Nicole had the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE Summit Reserve. In the news, we’ve seen more of the Kia EV9 ahead of the full public reveal at the New York Auto Show. All three members of the crew got to the drive the Nissan Ariya E-4ORCE in Sonoma. Sam rode around San Francisco in a driverless Jaguar and VW showed off the ID.2all concept which we all want to see on American roads but we probably won’t get. Links Kia EV9 Nissan Ariya E-Force first drive VW ID.2all Concept Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the… Read More »Just Bring It To America

It’s Ridiculous

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Wheel Bearings
It's Ridiculous
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Nicole is back from the mouse house this week and driving the Mazda CX-50. Robbie had the Kia EV6 GT and Sam had a very different electric vehicle, the equally fast and porky GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. In the news, noted Wall St analyst and Tesla promoter Adam Jonas says the Cybertruck, if and when it ever arrives probably isn’t going to take major market share away from the F-150, Silverado, Sierra and Ram. Meanwhile there is another Tesla Autopilot related death and we remind you that there are NO self-driving cars available for sale from any automaker, so keep your eyes on the road. Elon Musk apparently wants to create a company town in Texas. GM has revealed some details of the sensor suite on its upcoming Ultra Cruise system that will enable hand-off but eyes-on driving on more than 2 million miles… Read More »It’s Ridiculous

Just Get the XL

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Wheel Bearings
Just Get the XL
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Nicole is out this week but we have Tanya Gazdik from Media Post sitting in with Robbie and Sam. Tanya has been driving the Toyota Corolla hatchback, while Sam finally discusses the Kia Soul he forgot to review last week along with the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. Robbie had the Ford Maverick Lariat Tremor and has thoughts. In the news, Ford creates a new subsidiary to develop hands-free driving assist systems from the remnants of Argo AI. The VW ID3 gets a mid-cycle refresh and VW Group is going to build a new factory in South Carolina to produce Scout electric trucks and SUVs. Tesla has finally started opening up its Superchargers to non-Tesla vehicles and there have been lots of unusual features in cars over the years. Finally, Sam talks with Chrysler brand chief Chris Feuell. Links VW ID3 refresh Latitude AI Charging non-Teslas… Read More »Just Get the XL

Blue Cruise or Blues Clues?

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Wheel Bearings
Blue Cruise or Blues Clues?
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This week Roberto drives the new BMW 760 and Nicole has the Ford F-150 Lightning. Sam was going to talk about the Kia Soul GT-Line but completely spaced so we’ll get to it next week. In the news, Mercedes-Benz talked about their new operating system and announced they will include Luminar lidar on future vehicles from 2025. Christian von Koenigsegg picks the NA Miata, Vinfast cuts prices and promises to start deliveries. GM patents a self-cleaning touchscreen and updates the Cadillac XT4 with the screen from the Lyriq. And we discuss using EVs when there’s no electricity. In the questions we discuss the problem of automakers offering free DC fast charging. Links Christian von Koenigsegg chooses the NA Miata GM Self-cleaning touchscreen Mercedes-Benz OS Reduced Vinfast pricing 2024 Cadillac XT4 refresh EVs when there’s no powerFree EV Charging sucks Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon.… Read More »Blue Cruise or Blues Clues?

Smooshed Cars and Smacked Snow Banks

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Wheel Bearings
Smooshed Cars and Smacked Snow Banks
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This week, Sam and Robbie unknowningly found themselves crossing paths at the same place in Montana for a winter driving program with Infiniti and Bridgestone. They got to try out the latest Blizzak winter tires on the QX60 and other Infiniti models through a variety of maneuvers. Sam also drove the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum and Nicole drove the Jeep Grand Wagoneer L. Ford has had to stop production and shipments of F-150 Lightnings due to a battery fire at the factory. Tesla agrees to recall its full self-driving beta software to address issues identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Hyundai and Kia develop a fix to address easy to steal cars and we discuss where the charge port should go on EVs before finishing with some listener questions. Sam also has a conversation with Iris Ocasio, consumer product strategy manager at Bridgestone.… Read More »Smooshed Cars and Smacked Snow Banks

Bait and Switch

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Wheel Bearings
Bait and Switch
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It was Chicago Auto Show week and we’ve got a bunch of news and interviews. But first, in the garage, Sam has been driving the 2023 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Pro V6 AWD, the refreshed and more off-roady version of Kia’s big crossover. Nicole had Honda’s version of the same idea with the new Pilot Trailsport. In Chicago we saw Toyota take the wraps off an even larger 3-row crossover, the Grand Highlander with more third-row and cargo room and an option Hybrid Max powertrain, but no rugged off-road version, yet. Volkswagen refreshed its popular Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport with more grille, bigger screens and a new turbo 4-cylinder. Subaru is evolving its CrossTrek with a new but incrementally changed look. Jeep is celebrating 20 years of Rubicon with price new limited edition Wranglers and Ram has shown us the 1500 REV electric pickup that… Read More »Bait and Switch

Eyes On The Road

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Wheel Bearings
Eyes On The Road
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This week we have special guest Kelly Funkhouser, director of automotive technology at Consumer Reports to explain how they conducted their recent test of advanced driver assist systems. Some of the assumptions Sam made about what they actually evaluated were wrong and the results make a lot more sense now. In the garage, Nicole has been driving the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD while Sam got a Cadillact CT4-V Blackwing with a manual gearbox, just ahead of an eight-inch snowfall. Fortunately the Cadillac was on winter tires and did just fine. In the news, Ford is teaming up to supply hybrid power systems for the 2026 Red Bull Formula 1 cars. The IRS has corrected its weird classifications for electric vehicles eligible for clean vehicle credits. It’s trivially easy for thieves to steal older Hyundai and Kia models equipped with a key and they want… Read More »Eyes On The Road