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Adandoned Gas Stations

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Adandoned Gas Stations
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Nicole and Sam returned from Texas without picking up any measels. Nicole spent quality time with the Toyota Grand Highlander while Sam drove the Kia K5 GT, and Robbie spent another week without driving anything. While in Texas for Toyota’s HQ Confidential event, we saw the new 2026 all hybrid Rav4 and Lexus RZ 550e F-Sport with fake shifting along with a bunch of other stuff. The week before, we drove the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Cadillac Vistiq for the first time. Nissan has a cute new Micra EV but Americans won’t be getting it because not enough of us will drive small cars. Honda is slowing some of its EV plans while Republican US senators voted to rescind California’s ability to set its own EV rules. Customers are adding rip cords to Teslas so they can get out of the car loses power… Read More »Adandoned Gas Stations

Does Robbie Fit

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Wheel Bearings
Does Robbie Fit
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This week Sam has been driving the 2025 Cadillac Lyriq and supercharging it with the Lectron Vortex adapter. Nicole had the Subaru Forester Hybrid and Robbie rented a Toyota Camry Hybrid while covering the Formula SAE competition in Michigan. Nicole also went on the first drive of the 2026 Ford Expedition and Sam had a first ride in the 2026 Hummer EV. Toyota announced 3 updated or new EVs for its lineup while Stellantis delayed the Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Aston Martin is finally launcing Carplay Ultra in the DBX and Infiniti is updating the QX60. We love Miatas, but we know some people don’t fit so what should they buy? We also have listener emails. Get the Lectron Vortex NACS-CCS charging adapter at a discount Links Toyota bZ WoodlandToyota CH-R EV2026 Toyota bZ2026 Ford Expedition2026 GMC HummerTrucks Faster than Vettes legal, small trucks notRamcharger Delayed… Read More »Does Robbie Fit

Get The Versa

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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

New York, New York

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Wheel Bearings
New York, New York
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This week, Nicole tells us about driving the Toyota Land Cruiser and BMW M235 while Sam has the BMW i4 M50. Nicole has flown across the country 4 times in the last week to drive the Lucid Gravity in California, some Cupras in Florida, a Lincoln back in Calfornia and visit the New York Auto Show. We’ve got lots of news from New York including the 3 Subarus, the 2026 Solterra, Trailseeker and Outback. Kia had the EV4 sedan and K4 hatchback, Hyundai showed us the new 2026 Palisade and Genesis showed off the X Gran Equator concept and the GMR-001 race car it will take to Le Mans next year. In China, regulators are cracking down on automated driving claims by automakers and Mercedes has a new limited edition retro G-Wagen. Sam also has a conversation with Subaru car line product manager Bill Stokes… Read More »New York, New York

99% Looks or Capability

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Wheel Bearings
99% Looks or Capability
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Robbie returns from Japan, discussing the Nissan Sakura EV. Nicole reviews Lexus GX, Nissan Frontier, and Armada Pro-4X. Sam struggles to park a Ram 1500 RHO. News covers lower-priced GMC Sierra EVs, tariffs affecting Stellantis, and the rising cost of the V6 Ford Bronco, while pondering VW’s Cupra brand in the U.S.

Swap or Charge

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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

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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

Why Is High Temperature Cold?

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Wheel Bearings
Why Is High Temperature Cold?
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This week Nicole has been driving the new GMC Acadia AT4 while Sam had the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid featuring a Toyota hybrid powertrain. This week Ram held a technical deep dive on the new EREV Ramcharger pickup and we’ve got details. Mercedes-Benz is testing an EQS with semi-solid state batteries from Factorial Energy and Sam has a conversation with Factorial CEO Siyu Huang. Polestar is trying to attract Tesla owners with up to $20,000 in savings on a Polestar 3. Ford has a new plan to cover deductibles on stolen F-Series trucks and Volvo is teasing more details on the new ES90. Kia showed all the details on the new EV4 and showed a concept for its upcoming EV2. Jeep is delaying the US launch of the new Compass and our pal Tommy Mica from TFL compares the new Mini Countryman SE to his classic… Read More »Why Is High Temperature Cold?

Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice

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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

Buy While You Can

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Buy While You Can
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This weekend Nicole is visiting her daughters and Robbie is taking care of a family medical emergency, so Sam is joined by Perry Stern and Stephanie Brinley. Stephanie has been driving a Toyota GR Corolla on winter tires and Perry has the new GMC Terrain. Sam drove a Honda Ridgeline Trailsport to Ohio to visit Honda’s new EV hub. In the news, is there a chance that GM could sell a rebadged version of Hyundai’s Korean Staria minivan? Kia is sending its more affordable EV5 electric crossover to Canada, but has no US plans for it. VW has also cancelled plans to bring the ID7 sedan to America. Polestar has put together winter rally special versions of all three of its current models. In the auctions, someone actually paid over $71,000 for a Honda CR-X. Sam and Steph drove the new Toyota 4Runner, on road… Read More »Buy While You Can