Skip to content

podcast

Welcome Jill Of Many Places

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Welcome Jill Of Many Places
Loading
/

This week our new co-host Jill Ciminillo joins the show and she’s been driving the Ford Ranger. Sam had the new 2026 Mazda CX-5. Our whole team converged on New York for the debut of the new Hyundai Tucson and Sam had a conversation with Eric Wood, head of product experience about the new Pleos Connect infotainment system and Gleo AI voice assistant. Links EVgo Announces Next-Generation Charging System Capable of 750kW LEXUS FULL-LINE PRICING Lexus TZ Sharply Undercuts Luxury Rivals With a $65K Starting Price – Autoblog 2027 Hyundai Tucson First Look: What Changes for Hyundai’s Best-Selling SUV? | GreenCars GM Really Isn’t Going To Build That Many Chevy Bolts: Report How the EV Business Case Shifted Away From the Chevy Bolt Ultium Cells to bring LMR prismatic battery cell production to Tennessee for future GM EVs Final Technical Support Document | NHTSA Jeep… Read More »Welcome Jill Of Many Places

Drop The Battery

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Drop The Battery
Loading
/

This week Robbie is driving the BMW M3 Competition and Sam has the Toyota bZ XLE Plus Links The Board of Volvo Cars appoints Klaus Zellmer as President and CEO VEHICLE CARGO SPACE ACCESS PROVIDING METHOD Ford Patents reveal new clues for Fathom! Can the 2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV Keep Up With a V8 Jeep Wrangler 392 in a Drag Race? Electric future, established name: The new ID. Tiguan premieres in October | Releases 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 Full Pricing Uncovered How recycled minerals from GM EV batteries are helping power new ones GM raises the bar for Heavy-Duty power, capability and control headlined by all-new Duramax 8.3L Turbo-Diesel V8 engine– Ford Mustang manual may outlive the V8 BYD’s $10,000 EV Is Getting A Huge Upgrade, With 5-Minute Charging Dodge’s Fire-Preventing Ejecting Battery Patent Is American Individualism At Its Finest – Jalopnik Everybody Hates China’s… Read More »Drop The Battery

Reading Comprehension

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Reading Comprehension
Loading
/

This week Robbie has been driving the Kia Telluride hybrid and the GMC Sierra EV while Sam had the very impression new Kia Seltos. In the news, VW showed a new EV concept and a lot of people misread the press release. Ford is again refreshing the F-150 and adding hands-free towing capability to BlueCruise. Volvo has upgraded the XC90 and XC60 PHEVs with double the electric range. GM dropped details on the new V8s in the 2027 trucks and the updated user interface. Robotaxis without controls make problems for first responders and Sam and Robbie visit a magnet factory. Links Mission Efficiency – Volkswagen presents the world’s most efficient near-production electric car How Did Everyone Get This Wrong? VW’s New ‘Mission Efficiency’ Doesn’t Get 900 Miles Of Range Out Of A Small Battery – The Autopian TTD September 15, 2026 – Ford Adds Hands-Free… Read More »Reading Comprehension

Will Chinese Cars Be Made In America

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Will Chinese Cars Be Made In America
Loading
/

Sam shares his thoughts on the Dodge Charger Six Pack Scat Pack and Robbie teases the Kia Telluride hybrid and talks about e-bikes. Honda adds more ground clearance to the Passport Trailsport, Audi fully reveals the new A2 e-tron, Volvo refreshes the XC40 and Range Rover launches an EV. Arbe gets a first production contract for its imaging radar. Donald Trump wants Chinese automakers to build cars in America, but the Senate has opposite ideas. Stellantis wants to sell its Brampton assembly plant and Xiaomi has a new EREV SUV with a popup roof. VW is looking at body-on-frame trucks and utilities for the US and Horse Powertrain opens a Detroit office. Finally, Sam sees the Kindred Bronco EV and we answer listener questions. Links Honda Passport Reaches New Heights: 2027 Passport TrailSport Gets New Lifted Suspension, Tougher Styling and More Features Audi A2 e-tron:… Read More »Will Chinese Cars Be Made In America

Can They Sell 100K

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Can They Sell 100K
Loading
/

This week Robbie finally gets his hands on the new Honda Prelude and Sam drives the Land Rover Discovery. Links Nissan and Honda Conclude Joint Development Agreement to Standardize ECUs and Software for Next-Generation SDVs The Isuzu V8-Powered Chevy Feretta Was GM’s Forbidden Camaro-Killer New Ford Mustang Fox Body: ‘80s Icon Reborn! | 4K – YouTube Classic Fox Body Ford Mustang The World’s EV Capital Doesn’t Need Fast Chargers Everywhere Hyundai Dealer Set EV Charging Rates That Led to a $418 Bill – Autoblog Scout Motors Reveals Two Distinct Expressions of the Scout® Traveler™ SUV Mitsubishi Motors Unveils the All-New Pajero Cross-Country SUV Ford Wants To Sell 100,000 Fathom Electric Pickups In Year One. That’s A Huge Goal Hyundai’s Latest Cost-Cutting Trick Is To Remove The Instrument Cluster – Autoblog Claims of Savings From Gutting Fuel Economy Rules Are a Lie Wheel Bearings has launched… Read More »Can They Sell 100K

The Outbackier Subaru

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Outbackier Subaru
Loading
/

This week Robbie and Sam are joined by Craig Cole who has his own thoughts on the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Robbie tells us about hauling band gear in the new Subaru Outback and Sam pontificates on the BMW XM. In the news, why are some automakers using NACS only for DC charging with a J1772 port of AC? Chinese regulators are forcing a recall of millions of cars with manual door latch backups that are too hard to find. Cadillac’s midsize crossover finally gets a PHEV, but only in China for now. A recent rash of thefts from cars has Sam thinking about Faraday bags for key fobs. The next Mini cooper might ditch front wheel drive for the first time ever. Genesis launches a new 3-row electric SUV, the GV90 and puts a hybrid into the GV80 while Hyundai shows a new Tucson.… Read More »The Outbackier Subaru

People With Too Much Money

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
People With Too Much Money
Loading
/

This week Robbie and Sam are joined by Perry Stern. Perry has two cars to compare that are basically the same, the Lamborghini Revuelto and Chevrolet Bolt. Sam had the new Subaru Outback and Robbie drove the Dodge Charger R/T SixPack. Sam and Perry also drove the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, mild hybrid and Eclipse Sportback. Kia has dropped price and range details for the EV3, GM cancelled the battery venture with Samsung, and is expanding its charging network with EVGo. Who buys Mansory cars? There’s some new stuff from Acura, Cadillac and McLaren from Monterey car week. Also rich guys spent insane amounts of money at the Monterey auctions. The Ford Fathom is going to longer than we thought and Sam talks with Travis Wattles and Kevin Sittner from Mitsubishi. Links All-new 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport revealed with head-turning design, rewarding features, and… Read More »People With Too Much Money

Can You Fathom It

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Can You Fathom It
Loading
/

This week Robbie and Sam are joined by Stephanie Brinley. Stephanie drove the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Lexus ES350e, Robbie had the Subaru Uncharted and Sam had the Jeep Cherokee Sam also had a conversation with Dodge CEO Matt McAlear about the new new Super Bee and what’s happening with the brand. Links A2 e-tron sets new efficiency benchmark at Audi Electric Ford Fathom to Be Priced From $29,945 | GreenCars The ‘Freedom Car’ Aims The Right Idea At The Wrong Villain Mercedes Boss Says The Auto Industry Went ‘Too Far’ With Removing Buttons Grenading Ford 1.0-Liter Engines Pose ‘Unreasonable Risk To Motor Vehicle Safety,’ NHTSA Probe Finds – Jalopnik EVgo SuperchargersDodge Charger Super Bee Stellantis ARDC SRT eBoost Air The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Has A Range Problem. Smaller Wheels Helped A Lot GM, Chinese automaker extend joint venture for 20 years despite geopolitical tensions… Read More »Can You Fathom It

It’s Fantaaastically Expensive

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
It's Fantaaastically Expensive
Loading
/

It’s just Sam and Robbie this week and Robbie has the BMW M5 Touring while Sam drove the Rivian R1T Quad. Audi took the wraps off its new Q9 three-row SUV this week while Mercedes-Benz went for the opposite end of the scale with the new GLA crossover. Zoox got a NHTSA waiver for its robotaxi and the feds are finally going to start working on AV regulations. Nissan and Honda are expected to partner on next-generation software platforms. If a bill in congress goes through, Mercedes-Benz could get booted from the US market and Jim Farley expects the Chinese to be here within a decade anyway. BYD is launching its new Racco Kei EV in Japan and NHTSA may also try to make door handles safer. Walmart is pushing ahead with deployment of its charging network while Florida wants to use EV charging funds… Read More »It’s Fantaaastically Expensive

Bye-Bye Nicole

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Bye-Bye Nicole
Loading
/

This week Sam had nothing scheduled so he drove his 1990 Miata around. Robbie joined in a bit late to tell us about the Lucid Gravity and Kia Telluride X-Pro SX Prestige while Nicole shared some thoughts on driving her spouse’s Wrangler PHEV. Jalopnik provided a reader listicle on concepts that didn’t translate well to production. Recurrent provided some data on rising prices of used EVs. Ford invited us out to Michigan Speedway to sample some products from its custom garage and see the new Bronco Desert Rising Edition. Ford also announced a partnership with GenerLink to make connecting an F-150 to the house for power backup easier. Ford is also going to be the first automaker to use Apple Maps in its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle platform. Stellantis is adopting Mobileye’s REM maps to enhance its ADAS systems and Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua is… Read More »Bye-Bye Nicole