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Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?
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The whole team is back this week with lots of LA Auto Show news. Nicole drove the Audi SQ8 around Los Angeles for the week. Robbie had the new Toyota Land Cruiser. In the news, Jaguar has launched new branding ahead of the reveal of concept version of its next new EV. Stellantis talked about the STLA Frame platform for its new EV an EREV large trucks and SUVs, and we spoke with Stellantis executives including NA COO Antonio Filosa about where Jeep and the other brands are headed. Nicole got to try out the new GMC Sierra EV Denali. Lotus is also bringing out some EREVs. We also discussed some of the products announced at the LA Auto Show including a refreshed Genesis GV70, new VW Tiguan, the Hyundai Ioniq 9, and the NACTOY finalists. We also answered some listener questions. Links Nissan N7More… Read More »Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?

Simulated Engagement

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Simulated Engagement
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Nicole is still riding the rails in Europe so Stephanie Brinley joins Robbie and Sam again. Stephanie has been driving the 2025 Lincoln Aviator and the Toyota Crown Signia. Robbie got to try out the new electric motorcycles from Can Am and Sam got some quality time with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Sam also got to sample the new 2025 Nissan Kicks which is bigger, more powerful and more expensive than the original. Ontario premier Doug Ford has a crazy scheme to build a 34 mile tunnel under Toronto to fix congestion on highway 401 and it probably won’t work. Stellantis has begun the search for a successor to CEO Carlos Tavares while Jeep and VW are planning to add hybrids to their North American lineups. Honda is developing a new hybrid Prelude coupe and there are reports it could be offered with a… Read More »Simulated Engagement

Do You Need An AI Best Friend?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Do You Need An AI Best Friend?
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This week, Nicole has been driving the Genesis GV60 Performance, Robbie spent time with the Ineos Grenadier and Quartermaster and Sam drove the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Nicole also went on an electric off-road adventure with the Polaris Ranger EXP in Michigan’s Upper Penninsula and drove the new GMC Acadia. Sam went to the Stellantis investor day and got to try out the Peugeot e-3008 and rode in the Maserati Gran Turismo Folgore. Dealers are once again demonstrating why customers hate them by slapping huge markups on the Chevrolet Equinox EV. We also answer listener questions. Wheel Bearings listeners get an extra 3 months for free when they sign up for ExpressVPN at https://www.expressvpn.com/wheelbearings Links VW ID Buzz CampersStellantis investor dayPolaris off-road adventureMaserati Gran Turismo FolgorePeugeot e-3008STLA Brain, Cockpit, AutodriveGMC Acadia first driveDon’t pay markups for the Chevy Equinox EVHamilton’s North Coast Adventures Wheel Bearings has… Read More »Do You Need An AI Best Friend?

Are We Ready To Swap?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Are We Ready To Swap?
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Tanya joins us again this week as Nicole’s European Christmas vacation continues. She spent time with the Toyota Sequoia and the Honda Civic sedan. Meanwhile Sam spent a week with the updated BMW X5 eDrive50 that went 45 miles on a charge of the new larger battery pack. In the news, friend of the show Jamie Kitman shared his first driving impressions of the Fisker Ocean and concluded, that it’s not yet fully baked. Stellantis is winding down production of the Chrysler 300 and partnering with Ample to test battery module swapping for a fleet of 500es in a car sharing service in Madrid. Once batteries reach the end of their life, they need to be recycled and Toyota is partnering with Cirba to develop a collection and distribution system for hybrid and electric vehicle batteries to go to recycling centers. Honda has teased the… Read More »Are We Ready To Swap?

Dodge Will Sell American eMuscle

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Dodge Will Sell American eMuscle
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This week in the garage, Roberto is driving Volkswagen of America’s new entry level model, the 2022 Taos compact crossover. Nicole has the new 11th generation Honda Civic sedan in a strange sort of silver color with a hint of blue and same discusses the VW ID.4, the brand’s first dedicated electric vehicle for the North American market. In the news, we have lots more electrification stuff to discuss. Croatian EV startup Rimac has taken over control of Bugatti from the Volkswagen group. BMW brings its i4 and iX roadshow to Detroit and Stellantis spends a couple of hours fleshing out its plans to sell mostly electric vehicles by the end of the decade including the 2024 launch of a battery electric Ram 1500 and a new Dodge eMuscle car and battery-powered versions of every Jeep by 2025. Also from Stellantis, Peugeot has taken the… Read More »Dodge Will Sell American eMuscle

Say Hello To Roberto

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Say Hello To Roberto
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Episode 192 of Wheel Bearings brings an updated lineup as the internet’s Roberto Baldwin joins Nicole Wakelin and Sam in place of Dan Roth who has started his new job. We talk about the rip-snorting Dodge Durango Hellcat that just left Nicole’s driveway, Robbie takes a ride in the new Lucid Air Grand Touring and contemplates moving his house with the GMC Sierra HD diesel while Sam ponders how the Chevy Volt might have evolved into the Toyota Rav4 Prime. In the news, Toyota launches the Beyond Zero sub-brand for battery electric vehicles with a new concept creatively named bZ4X. Cadillac prices its first EV, the 2023 Lyriq crossover and Stellantis kills the “too expensive” Giorgio platform. We wrap the show with our usual listener emails. Links Riding in the Lucid Air Grand Touring Stellantis kills Giorgio Toyota launches Beyond Zero sub-brand for electric vehicles… Read More »Say Hello To Roberto

The End of an Era

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
The End of an Era
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This week in the garage, Nicole has the first of a pair of very different three-row crossovers. First up is the Toyota Highlander. Next week she will have something just a bit louder. Sam shares his thoughts on the turbocharged Mazda3 hatchback and despite still being on winter tires, it impresses. Dan wraps up his time with the new Acura MDX and discovers it is quite different from most of its direct competition and he also gets a taste of the new Lincoln Nautilus Black Label with its 13-inch touchscreen In the news, we discuss the US launch of the Mazda MX-30 and the return of the Wankel rotary as a range extender. GM launches a new cloud-based navigation app for recent OnStar users that don’t have built-in navigation and aren’t using the maps from their smartphones. Dan interviews Chrysler Pacifica chief engineer Brian Swanson.… Read More »The End of an Era