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One And A Half

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
One And A Half
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This week, Robbie is playing at a wedding in Yosemite with one of his bands, so friend of the show Tanya Gazdik is back with a plethora of Stellantis vehicles. Among the Ram Rebel 1500, Chrysler Pacifica PHEV and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L you might be surprised to learn which is her favorite. Nicole has been driving the Subaru Impreza RS and Sam had the BMW X7 M60i. Nicole and Tanya both drove the new Subaru Crosstrek in some Woodstock mud, but without any classic rock bands. Nicole also drove the new second-generation Chevrolet Trax. There’s an all-new second-generation Mini EV coming in a few months with lots more range and performance. If you prefer the classic mini Mini, you too can go electric thanks to Electrogenic. Back in the early 1990s, a decade before Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning conceived of the Tesla Roadster… Read More »One And A Half

The Essential Part Not Included

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The Essential Part Not Included
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This week Robbie tells us about sleeping in and driving the new BMW XM. Nicole spends a week with the Mazda CX-90 and Sam drives the BMW i4 M50 and Maserati Grecale Modena. Lots of news including the NEVs Emily GT, an electric successor to Saab that didn’t make it but is for sale. The dumb yoke is now a $250 extra cost option on the Tesla Model 3. Toyota buyers trade in for EVs at Carmax and older women are more skeptical of EVs. Tesla has great uptime on superchargers. The Chevy Bolt is going away and the Hyundai Ioniq Essential misses some essentials. Links NEVS Emily for sale$250 for Tesla yokeToyota top trade-in brand for EVsAre women more skeptical of EVsTesla claims 99% uptime for Superchargers, Model 3 TCO higher than corollaDon’t buy an Ioniq 5 EssentialThe end of the Chevy BoltRobbie’s BMW… Read More »The Essential Part Not Included

Oh That Grille!

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Wheel Bearings
Oh That Grille!
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This week in the garage, Robbie is wondering why anyone would buy the Ford Bronco Everglades and Nicole wonders who uses the third row of the Toyota Highlander. Nicole also drove the Honda CR-V hybrid while Sam had the Cadillac CT4 with Super Cruise. Sam also got a first taste this week of the Hyundai Ioniq 6. In the news, we’ve got more new stuff from the Shanghai motor show including the gorgeous MG Cyberster and ultimate Lexus for those who appreciate the spindle grille, the LM minivan. Volkswagen showed off the ID.7 sans color changing camoflague and Hyundai is partnering with Itselectric on new curbside chargers while the IRS published the latest update to the list of which EVs are eligible for clean vehicle credits. We wrap up with a conversation with Maserati America’s head Bill Peffer Links MG CybersterHyundai curbside chargingVW ID.7Lexus LMClean… Read More »Oh That Grille!

Champagne Mode

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Champagne Mode
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This week in the garage Nicole does the mom thing with the Toyota Sienna AWD, Robbie does the dog thing with the new Subaru Imprezza and Sam does the hands-off thing with the Nissan Ariya. In the news, we’ve got a bunch of vehicles all debuting between recording time and the embargos lifting. Lincoln has an all-new Nautilus midsize crossover with hybrid power and all the screen space. Buick has a new entry level crossover called the Envista. Polestar has a sporty new crossover without a back window in the 4. Regular old cupholders just wouldn’t do for champagne flutes so Mercedes-Maybach goes electric with its variant of the EQS SUV and its special champagne flute holders. We also have an interview with Stellantis chief design officer Ralph Gilles. Links 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Polestar 4 Ford BlueCruise Subscriptions GM Tow Dolly Patent Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV… Read More »Champagne Mode

Inaccessible Chargers

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Inaccessible Chargers
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This week Nicole has been using the big Ford Expedition to haul away an old bedroom set. Robbie drove the new Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV in Portugal and Sam and Nicole both had first drives in new Toyotas, the Prius Prime and Corolla Cross Hybrid. Nicole and Sam both went to New York for the Auto Show where they saw the new Hyundai Kona and Kia EV9. Stellantis also publicly showed its upcoming electric pickup, the Ram 1500 REV and a refresh of the Jeep Wrangler. Tesla employees have been misappropriating videos uploaded from vehicles for AI training and Robbie saw Cruise and Waymo robotaxis having a disagreement in San Francisco. We also answer some listener questions and go on a collective rant about accessibility (or lack thereof) of EV chargers. Links 2023 Toyota Prius Prime First Drive Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV first drive Ram 1500 REV… Read More »Inaccessible Chargers

Just a Skosh More

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Just a Skosh More
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This week in the garage we’ve got the full spectrum of electrification from none to complete. Sam drove the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, Robbie drove the Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid and Nicole had the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Nicole and Sam also both had the opportunity to drive the new 2024 Mazda CX-90 with both a turbocharged inline-cylinder mild hybrid and a new plug-in hybrid variant. Robbie and Nicole both got seat time in Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 electric sedan with a range of up to 361 miles. Finally GM, let the world know that its future EVs would be losing support for smartphone projection including Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Links GM Drops Smartphone Projection for EVs Mazda CX-90 first drive Robbie’s Hyundai Ioniq 6 first drive Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost… Read More »Just a Skosh More

It’s Got Sting

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Wheel Bearings
It's Got Sting
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This week it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole had the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid with a third row seat that should just be left folded down. Sam got double booked and had both the Rivian R1S and the Genesis G90 with the e-Supercharger. In the news, Ford unveiled it’s first European electric vehicle for consumers, the new Explorer EV based on the Volkswagen MEB platform but it’s a completely different beast to the Explorer Americans get. The next MEB EV from Ford might be called the Capri. Ford also showed off progress on its new BlueOval City manufacturing complex in Tennessee and revealed a few things about the new electric truck to be built there that is called Project T3. Nicole got a chance to sample the new Dodge Hornet in gas turbo and plug-in hybrid variants. Hyundai’s design chief says the brand… Read More »It’s Got Sting

Just Bring It To America

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Wheel Bearings
Just Bring It To America
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This week another low profile tire was sacrificed to the pothole gods as Robbie’s Mercedes-AMG EQE had to go home on a flatbed. Sam drove both the Toyota Sequioa i-Force Max Capstone and the Kia Niro EV while Nicole had the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE Summit Reserve. In the news, we’ve seen more of the Kia EV9 ahead of the full public reveal at the New York Auto Show. All three members of the crew got to the drive the Nissan Ariya E-4ORCE in Sonoma. Sam rode around San Francisco in a driverless Jaguar and VW showed off the ID.2all concept which we all want to see on American roads but we probably won’t get. Links Kia EV9 Nissan Ariya E-Force first drive VW ID.2all Concept Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the… Read More »Just Bring It To America

It’s Ridiculous

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Wheel Bearings
It's Ridiculous
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Nicole is back from the mouse house this week and driving the Mazda CX-50. Robbie had the Kia EV6 GT and Sam had a very different electric vehicle, the equally fast and porky GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. In the news, noted Wall St analyst and Tesla promoter Adam Jonas says the Cybertruck, if and when it ever arrives probably isn’t going to take major market share away from the F-150, Silverado, Sierra and Ram. Meanwhile there is another Tesla Autopilot related death and we remind you that there are NO self-driving cars available for sale from any automaker, so keep your eyes on the road. Elon Musk apparently wants to create a company town in Texas. GM has revealed some details of the sensor suite on its upcoming Ultra Cruise system that will enable hand-off but eyes-on driving on more than 2 million miles… Read More »It’s Ridiculous

Just Get the XL

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Wheel Bearings
Just Get the XL
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Nicole is out this week but we have Tanya Gazdik from Media Post sitting in with Robbie and Sam. Tanya has been driving the Toyota Corolla hatchback, while Sam finally discusses the Kia Soul he forgot to review last week along with the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. Robbie had the Ford Maverick Lariat Tremor and has thoughts. In the news, Ford creates a new subsidiary to develop hands-free driving assist systems from the remnants of Argo AI. The VW ID3 gets a mid-cycle refresh and VW Group is going to build a new factory in South Carolina to produce Scout electric trucks and SUVs. Tesla has finally started opening up its Superchargers to non-Tesla vehicles and there have been lots of unusual features in cars over the years. Finally, Sam talks with Chrysler brand chief Chris Feuell. Links VW ID3 refresh Latitude AI Charging non-Teslas… Read More »Just Get the XL