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Tell Me A Dinosaur Story

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Wheel Bearings
Tell Me A Dinosaur Story
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Sam and Robbie survived another year of CES and have lots to discuss. Sam has been driving the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid since returning. Nicole has had the Hyundai Tucson and Robbie got to ride the Honda Motocompacto at CES. At CES, large language models have been integrated into cars with VW using ChatGPT, BMW using one from Amazon and Mercedes-Benz working with Nvidia. Fisker joins Vinfast in ditching direct sales as it signs up dealers and Sam chats with Henrik Fisker about it. Honda’s new concepts preview its upcoming Series 0 EVs coming in 2026. There was lidar news from Hesai, Robosense, Aeva and Luminar. Intel is jumping back into the automotive chip business. Eaton has developed an EV charger that fits in your circuit breaker panel. Supernal and Xpeng are still trying to make personal aviation a thing. Android Auto is getting battery… Read More »Tell Me A Dinosaur Story

Winter Socks for Tires

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Wheel Bearings
Winter Socks for Tires
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Nicole is back and she has the new Honda Accord Hybrid Sport! Robbie is back and he’s got thoughts on the Volvo C40 and Electrify America! Sam gets a bunch of electric miles out of the Alfa Romeo Tonale Ti eAWD. In the news, the Chevy Blazer EV we discussed last week is having some major software issues and GM has issued a stop sale order. Tesla’s big recall hasn’t actually address the problems with Autopilot as expected and they are also having trouble making batteries for the Cybertruck. Scooter sharing pioneer Bird goes bankrupt and Hyperloop One shuts down for good. Porsche and Aston Martin may be debut brands for next-generation Apple CarPlay and the first Cadillac Celestiq is spotted on Woodward Avenue. Our friends at TFL test winter tires vs all-seasons vs chains vs snow socks and you might be surprised at the… Read More »Winter Socks for Tires

Better Late Than Never?

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Wheel Bearings
Better Late Than Never?
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This week Sam drove the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4 and guest host Tanya Gazdik tells us about her experience with a rental Jeep Renegade in Utah and the new Honda Civic. Tanya also got a first drive in the new Toyota Tacoma. Almost 4 years to the day after smashing the windows on the Cybertruck concept, Tesla finally delivered the first 10 production examples to customers. It’s both less and more than the original concept although it looks pretty much the same (apart from the triangular side mirrors and the ludicrously large windshield wiper). Another EV startup Fisker is facing some major challenges and is cutting production for 2023 to conserve cash. The IRS says no tax credits for EVs with Chinese parts or minerals in the batteries (unless you lease) and Connecticut is pausing efforts to ban sales of new ICE vehicles by 2035.… Read More »Better Late Than Never?

Frunk-Gating

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Frunk-Gating
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This week Sam drove the 2024 Hyundai Kona and also got a bit of wheel time in the new Volvo EX30. Nicole got another stint in the Subaru Crosstrek, this time in Sport trim. In the news, there’s lots of stuff from the LA Auto Show including the 2025 Toyota Camry and Crown Signia, Kia’s EV3 and EV4 concepts, the Genesis GV80 Coupe with an updated interior and the debut of the Lucid Gravity. EVs are getting a new on-board diagnostics standard and the Honda Prelude is headed for production as a hybrid sport coupe. Sam had an interview with Lucid software/electronics chief Mike Bell, chief engineer Eric Bach and CEO Peter Rawlinson. Links Cadillac Optiq2025 Toyota Camry2025 Toyota Crown SigniaEVs get standard OBDLucid GravityKia EV3 and EV4Honda Prelude headed to productionNew GV80 interior Lucid Gravity design walk around with Derek Jenkins Lucid Gravity HMI… Read More »Frunk-Gating

Appropriately Named

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Wheel Bearings
Appropriately Named
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This week it’s just Nicole and Sam. Since she last joined us, Nicole has been driving a fabulous wagon, the Volvo V60 Cross-Country and the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 high-performance SUV. Sam has had the Chevrolet Tahoe RST with a big, classic American V8. Sam got to drive a bunch of newer models from the BMW group including the i5 eDrive40, i5 M60, 530i, XM and the fabulous and quiet Rolls-Royce Spectre. Nicole ran the Mille Miglia Warmup again, scoring better than last year, but unfortunately falling one slot in the standings. At Polestar Day, Sam saw all the new stuff coming from the Volvo spin-off brand including getting rides in the P3 and P4. Nicole got to try out the new Volvo EX30 in Spain and NHTSA warns drivers not to bedazzle their air-bag equipped steering wheels. We also answer a listener question about liability… Read More »Appropriately Named

Don’t Call It A Hybrid

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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

The Tardis of EVs

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Wheel Bearings
The Tardis of EVs
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Sam is back from Korea and Japan and has driven the 2024 Chevrolet Trax. Nicole has the Ford Maverick Tremor and spends time riding on a GoCycle e-Bike. Robbie spent the week with the Subaru Crosstrek. In the news, Sam has highlights from the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo including the Mazda Iconic SP concept, the Infiniti Vision Qe concept which previews a new electric sedan coming for 2026, and the Nissan Hyper Force concept. Honda showed off a new hybrid sports coupe that brings back the Prelude name. Lexus also had some concepts including the LF-ZC sedan (also coming in 2026) and an off-road equipped RZ. Subaru also dropped a coupe concept called Sport Mobility with no details. Finall Sam got to try out a couple of Japanese market Nissans, the Sakura electric Kei car and the series hybrid X-Trail (sold in America as… Read More »The Tardis of EVs

Extinction Event

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Extinction Event
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We had record early this week because Sam is flying to Germany this weekend, but Robbie is trying out new Bridgestone tires so it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole had the fraternal twin of the Toyota Supra, the BMW Z4 while Sam drove the Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited AWD. Continuing with Hyundai sedans, the Elantra and Sonata get refreshes for 2024 with new looks and assorted other updates. Mercedes-Benz is about to launch the first of its new DC fast charging stations, complete with canopies. Alfa Romeo is marking the end of internal combustion vehicles with a limited run of the 33 Stradale (sorry, they’re already sold out). Also about to be extinct is the manual gearbox in the VW Golf R and GTI and the Ram TRX also ends production at the end of 2023. Sam has a chat with Ford’s director of icon… Read More »Extinction Event

Send Them To School

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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

The Detritus of Daily Life

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The Detritus of Daily Life
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In the garage this week we have two similarly sized electric crossovers that are very different. Sam drove the Toyota bZ4X Limited AWD while Nicole had the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. Robbie wraps up his time with the Mazda Miata. In the news, Cadillac took the wraps off its oversized, overweight Escalade IQ and GM promised to have bidirectional vehicle to home charging on all of its EVs by 2026.Chargepoint says it will invest millions of dollars to try to get its chargers to 110% reliability. BMW is developing a 790hp PHEV BMW M5 wagon that Americans won’t be able to get. We consider a radically redesigned 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. A Tesla driver was alerted to put his hands on the steering wheel 150 times before his Model X crashed into a police car and injured 5 officers. The average transaction prices of EVs are… Read More »The Detritus of Daily Life