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Scouting Mission

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Scouting Mission
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Hey everyone, we’re back with a standard episode this week. Unfortunately a family emergency came up at the last moment and Robbie couldn’t join us. Fortunately, our friend Perry Stern was able to step in and join Nicole and Sam. Perry was driving around in the new Subaru Forester while Nicole had the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Sam had the Kia Sorento Hybrid. It was good to have Perry on the show, because he was the only one among the group that was able to attend the reveal event of the new Scout Terra and Traveler which are due to arrive in 2027. Stellantis has started assembly of battery modules at its new factory in Windsor, Ontario, and plans to try out semi-solid state batteries in 2027. They have also updated their Auburn Hills wind tunnel and are planning to sell their Arizona proving ground.… Read More »Scouting Mission

Finding The Hidden Charge Port

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Wheel Bearings
Finding The Hidden Charge Port
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Nicole is back and she shares her impressions of driving a Lynk&Co 01 that she and her husband rented in France during their vacation. Robbie will have more to share next week about the BMW i5 and Sam has driven the Land Rover Defender 110 and Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. In the news, the Ram TRX has been shelved for now, but Ram has a six-cylinder powered version called the RHO. Mercedes-Benz has revealed an all-electric version of the new G-Wagen with four motors. There were several interesting reveals at the 2024 Beijing Motor Show and some of them might make it to North America. The Mini Aceman is all electric, but it doesn’t directly replace the discontinued Clubman. The Mazda EZ-6 is a great looking electric sedan that should come to America along with the Buick Electra L and LT. While the design of the… Read More »Finding The Hidden Charge Port

All-Season High-Voltage Corvette

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All-Season High-Voltage Corvette
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The car Robbie was supposed to drive this week was damaged before it got to his driveway so we just have Nicole in the Mazda3 Turbo AWD and Sam with the Ram 1500 Rebel V8. One of these was slight less fuel efficient than the other. In the news, a Swedish study shows again why it’s better to have buttons than touchscreens in cars. Nicole popped into Detroit this week to help hand out the North American Car Truck and Utility of the Year awards. Mazda finally brings back the rotary as a range extender for the MX-30, but for now only Europeans get it. Toyota has built up an old AE86 that burns hydrogen. Mercedes-Benz is already considering getting rid of dedicated EV badging. Chevrolet is finally bringing the long-rumored Corvette hybrid as the 2024 E-Ray with electric drive on the front axle for… Read More »All-Season High-Voltage Corvette

Top Novice

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Top Novice
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Nicole and Sam are back after a week off where everyone was travelling. Robbie is still in Japan so Nicole shares here adventure driving in the Mille Miglia warm-up where she and co-pilot Eilleen Falkenburg-Hull came in second overall in the modern vehicle class and first among novices. Upon returning home, Nicole got to spend quality time with the new Nissan Z. Meanwhile, between trips, Sam got to drive the Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn. Sam and Nicole also share their impressions of the new 2023 Toyota Crown. In the news, BMW announced a $1.7B investment in its Spartanburg SC factory to build EVs, GMC revealed the Sierra Denali EV Edition1 and Ford brought us the refreshed 2023 Escape. Ford and VW are pulling the plug on Argo AI, the company that was developing automated vehicles for them, and Ubers with human drivers will make fewer… Read More »Top Novice

ToyotaPalooza 2022

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ToyotaPalooza 2022
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In the garage this week, Nicole is back in the Mercedes-Benz GLS450 while Sam has the dual motor, all-wheel-drive version of the VW ID4. Last fall, Robbie was about to review the refreshed 2022 Chevrolet Bolt when he got a call just after receiving it, telling him not to drive it. Since then, GM has replaced batteries in all of the Bolts built to date and they are safe again so Robbie is taking another stab at it. Last week, Toyota held the second annual edition of its all-Toyota-all-Lexus auto show at its North American headquarters in Plano, TX. Nicole and Sam got to check out the new but very familiar looking 2023 Lexus RX, see the Morizo Edition of the GR Corolla and drive the hybrid-only 2023 Sequoia. They also got to see some stuff that they can’t talk about or even acknowledge yet.… Read More »ToyotaPalooza 2022

Great In Principle

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Great In Principle
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On the morning after XMas, it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole has been testing out the updated 2022 Jeep Compass Trailhawk in New Hampshire while Sam has had dissappointing fuel efficiency from the 2022 Lexus RX450h. In the news, a threat from NHTSA got Tesla to turn off game play while driving, we now know the battery sizes for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, we discuss whether solar panels on cars make sense, GM wants to sell some of its EV parts to other companies and charging on the VW ID EVs gets faster with an OTA software update. We also answer a bunch of questions. Links Tesla turns off in motion game play Ford F-150 Lightning battery sizes Lightyear One solar panels GM wants to sell EV parts VW ID vehicles get faster charging thanks to OTA software update How American electricity is generated… Read More »Great In Principle

You Can Have Too Much Grille

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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

Who Will Win The Electric Truck Battle?

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Who Will Win The Electric Truck Battle?
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This week, the Volkswagen Passat leaves Rebecca a little bored, while the Ford F-150 King Ranch Hybrid powered smiles from Sam, and Dan made an Ikea run with the ideal vehicle: the 2021 Honda Odyssey Elite.

We talk about interest in electrified pickups, Jaguar and Ford commiting to EVs in Europe, and the mailbag updates us on listener Mach-E buying experiences and we got some feedback about our bad attitudes, too. Speaking of bad attitudes, Rebecca is trying to buy a car and getting the run-around, instead.

There’s A New F-150 In Town

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There's A New F-150 In Town
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Our intrepid trio reconvenes to talk about the all-new, cleverly updated Ford F-150. The lineup now includes a hybrid, on-board generator, and more thoughtful features than a Swiss Army knife. We talk about driving the Genesis G90, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Buick Encore GX, and Cadillac XT4. It wraps up with a couple listener questions, so listen and let us know what’s on your mind! Links Ford Active Drive Assist and OTA updates 2021 Ford F-150 Sam Interviews Ford CEO Jim Hackett Casey Liss Sold his used BMW

£500 Million To Learn That It’s Hard To Make Money Building Cars

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£500 Million To Learn That It's Hard To Make Money Building Cars
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After an extended break, we’re hopefully back on a more regular schedule. In our absence, Sam has found his new favorite Jeep, the Gladiator Mojave and also spent a week with the Wrangler Ecodiesel. Rebecca got to drive the other Japanese accessible sports car, the Toyota 86 Hakone Edition resplendent in its green paint with gold wheels. Dan went electric this time with the latest Nissan Leaf Plus and came away convinced it’s the best Nissan car right now. In the news, we discuss James Dyson spending £500 million to learn that it’s hard to build a car company. Hey James, next just give us a call. We’d happily tell you the same thing for a mere £5 million. Toyota is still skeptical of battery electric vehicles, but it’s all in hybrids as it celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Prius coming to America. This… Read More »£500 Million To Learn That It’s Hard To Make Money Building Cars