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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

Going Rogue

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Wheel Bearings
Going Rogue
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Robbie and Nicole both ran into travel delays today so Chad Kirchner is jumping in. Sam makes the case for buying an Acura Integra A-Spec over the ADX. Nissan has revealed its next-generation Rogue and teased the upcoming XTerra. Kia is laying out its plans through 2030 including a midsize pickup with hybrid and EREV drivetrains and more EVs. Hyundai is launching an Ioniq sub-brand in China. BYD wants 20 dealers in Canada by the end of this year and is planning to install 300 1,500-kW charging stations in the UK in the next 12 months. VW has ended production of the ID4 in Chatanooga and the Scout Traveler and Terra might be delayed. Listener Michael Burns jumps in from the Discord to tell us about his recent car shopping experience and we have Nicole’s interview with Nissan CMO Allyson Witherspoon from the NY Auto… Read More »Going Rogue

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

To The Cosmos and Beyond

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Wheel Bearings
To The Cosmos and Beyond
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This week, Sam is a bit under the weather, but he talks about driving the Mazda CX-30 S Aire Edition while Nicole had the Toyota Tundra Platinum Off-Road and Robbie got to try out the Everrati Land Rover Classic. Nicole and Sam both had the chance to drive the new 2027 Kia Telluride in Santa Barbara and Hyundai looks set to follow it’s Kia cousin by ditching the V6 engine. Honda has cancelled all of its North American EV plans and Afeela is probably going next. Rivian has dropped pricing on the new R2 and it’s not starting as cheap as many hoped. GM steps up to help get an EV1 back on the road. VW is renaming its EVs and so is Cadillac. The FTC is warning car dealers about hidden fees, and Volvo is also dropping the EX30. We also have conversations with… Read More »To The Cosmos and Beyond

Denver Croissants

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Wheel Bearings
Denver Croissants
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This week, Nicole tells us about driving home in a remote area of New England in the Range Rover Sport SE Dynamic while Robbie shares some thoughts on the new Mercedes-Benz GLS and GLE. Sam shares thoughts on the gas guzzling Toyota Sequoia and has mixed feelings on the Polestar 4. While visiting his daughter in Denver, Sam saw one of the new Waymo Ojai robotaxis in her neighborhood. Lexus announces pricing of the new 2026 ES which will start cheaper for the electric version than the hybrid. Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh provides updates on the brand’s progress toward production. Kia is dropping the EV6 GT from its US lineup and Hyundai is dropping standard versions of the Ioniq 6. Chris Fuell is out at Chrysler and replaced by Matt McAleer. Kia added a solar canopy to its West Point Georgia factory to protect… Read More »Denver Croissants

We All Know The Truth

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Wheel Bearings
We All Know The Truth
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We’re a little late with this week’s show because we were waiting for the embargo to lift on some stuff. Robbie drove the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, Nicole had the Volvo XC40 and Sam had the 2025 Mazda CX-5. Nicole had the opportunity to drive the all-new 2026 CX-5 and talk with project manager for in-vehicle technologies, Matthew Valbuena. Sam drove the new Toyota bZ Woodland and C-HR. Uber is building out a suite of tools to support the deployment of robotaxis on its platform. First reviews of the 2026 Jeep Cherokee are out. Scout is denying reports that the Scout launch is delayed to 2028 and Sam discusses some of the unobtanium cars he saw while on vacation in Mexico including lots of Chinese vehicles. Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com Links 2026 Mazda CX-5 Makes Infotainment as Easy as Your Smartphone 2026 Mazda CX-5 First Drive:… Read More »We All Know The Truth

Heirloom Furniture Dollies

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Wheel Bearings
Heirloom Furniture Dollies
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This week Nicole white knuckled it through a tunnel at Boston Logan Airport with a Ford F-250 Platinum diesel and Robbie and Sam had almost identical Toyota Corolla Cross XSE hybrids. Sam and Robbie go deep on the 3D printed pistons that F1 teams might be using to “cheat” on the new power unit rules. The Vinfast VF8 has so much creep torque, it could be a safety issue. Ferrari announced its new EV will be called the Luce and it has an interior designed by former Apple design chief Jonny Ive and his pal Marc Newson. Toyota revealed its next-generation Highlander and its all electric. VW is previewing the 2027 Atlas on the snow and ice in Quebec, and the Trump adminstration has effectively killed the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. China is continuing to introduce regulations to address some of the worst design… Read More »Heirloom Furniture Dollies

Adios To A Pioneer

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Wheel Bearings
Adios To A Pioneer
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This week both Sam and Nicole had the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy although in different colors. Nicole has had several first drives to report on including the Kia K4 hatchback, refreshed Honda Pilot and Honda Prelude. Congress voted not to kill the mandate for a drunk driving disable system while Tesla has decided to kill the Model S and Model X and Hyundai is ditching the Santa Cruz. Rolls Royce is working on an electric Cullinan and Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a next-generation S-Class. Ineos tweaked the steering on the Grenadier and Genesis has a high-performance off-road concept the X Skorpio. Chery is launching an electric mid-size pickup in China for just $18,300 and Mary Barra isn’t sure why Canada is going to let people buy cheap Chinese EVs. Use of hands-free Super Cruise and BlueCruise is growing and people are willing to pay for it… Read More »Adios To A Pioneer

How Much For That Old Truck?

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Wheel Bearings
How Much For That Old Truck?
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Unfortunately, Robbie had a migraine this morning so it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole has been driving the latest Toyota Prius with AWD in New Hampshire snow and Sam had the Cadillac Lyriq Signature Sport AWD in Michigan winter weather. Volvo finally dropped all the details on its new EX60 midsize electric crossover including the missing door handles and touchscreen vents. Tesla has moved the safety monitors from some of its “robotaxis” to a following vehicle. Tesla also killed off Autopilot and moved lane centering to its subscription only full self-driving. GM is moving production of the next-gen Buick Envision to Kansas and the current administration in Washington will no longer seek criminal penalties against businesses that remove diesel emissions devices. Chinese automakers now have 1/5 of the Mexican market and may soon do the same to Canada. Subaru is launching a lower priced base… Read More »How Much For That Old Truck?

Chinese EVs North of the Border

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Wheel Bearings
Chinese EVs North of the Border
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We’re back and this week all voices were recorded all the way through the show. Sorry again about last week. Nicole lucked out and had the Land Rover Defender Octa during some serious New Hampshire winter weather and Sam had a Porsche Macan 4S Electric with winter tires during a Michigan snow storm. Ahead of the Detroit Auto Show this week, Ford previewed the new Mustang Dark Horse SC taking the place of the former Shelby GT500 and the Bronco RTR that’s been breathed on by Vaughn Gittin Jr. Sam spokee with Mustang color and materials manager Sarah Watson and Dark Horse SC chief engineer Arie Groeneveld. Chevrolet dropped some details on the acceleration capabilities of the Corvette ZR1X and it is insanely quick off the line. Honda is ending production of the current Acura RDX while it prepares a new hybrid replacement and it… Read More »Chinese EVs North of the Border