Recent Episodes   April 15, 2024 Off-Road in the Toyota Tacoma, GM is Moving, Why Electric Vehicles Need Special Tires Brendan Appel of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this week. The hosts covered a number of topics in the first segment, including the news that General Motors will be moving out of the Renaissance Center--which it has occupied since 1996--for a new building in Downtown Detroit. Brendan and Tom also discussed the origin of Alfa Romeo's Verde Montreal color, which turns out to be an homage to an historic brand offering. Still in the first segment, Tom lamented the challenge of dealing with "inherited music," a song which starts from the middle when the car is started. Brendan will restart a song if it is worthy, while Tom, as it turns out, always advances to the next song. Brendan went on to share his impressions of the new-for-2024 Toyota Tacoma, noting that even lower trim-level versions of Toyota's midsize pickup perform well in off-road driving. Brendan discussed the finer points of the redesign, including the move to a coil-spring rear suspension, and small turbocharged engines. In the second segment Brendan and Tom talk to the folks at Goodyear about electric-vehicle tires. Joining the crew are David Zanig, Goodyear's Senior Director of Tire Technology, and Brad Heim, Vice President for Product Development. Listen in to learn why EV tires are different from those found on conventional vehicles. In the last segment Brendan is subjected to Tom's "Which Sold Better" quiz. Brendan wrapped up the show discussing dash-cam use, and the terrible driving he witnessed on a recent road trip.   April 08, 2024 Tesla Abandons $25,000 Model, Jill Drives the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Talking to the EVP of SUV Startup Ineos Jill and Tom talked briefly about the eclipse that was taking place during the recording of this week's episode. The conversation turned to the news that Tesla will not be producing the long-promised Model 2, a small electric vehicle with a base price of around $25,000. In other news, the hosts discussed the sudden decline in large pickup-truck sales, a thing which Jill believes is temporary, and not a harbinger of economic weakness. Jill shared her impressions of the 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, a vehicle which the hosts agree is best suited for performance-loving extroverts. Jill noted that the Stelvio is very fast, and that the Verde Montreal (green) color of her test car is not for the faint of heart. In the second segment Tom and Jill welcome Greg Clark, Vice President of Ineos Automotive of the Americas to the show. Greg talked about the Ineos Grenadier, an off-road SUV, which is now on sale in the States. The Grenadier was designed to be an homage to the original Land Rover Defender, and is built for severe rock-crawling activity. Greg talked about the process by which Ineos was able to bring a vehicle to market in less than three years. Greg also discussed the Ineos Quartermaster, a Grenadier-based pickup truck arriving in Ineos dealerships later this year. In the last segment, Jill is subjected to Tom's "Mitsubishi or Golf Club" quiz. Jill's quiz winning streak may be in jeopardy. After the Quiz Tom talked about the 2024 GMC Sierra AT4X he is currently driving. Tom is generally impressed, and had a few things to say about the diesel engine his truck is equipped with.   April 01, 2024 Half-Price Fiskers, New York Auto Show Highlights, Never-Ending Auto Recalls Jill and Tom opened the show discussing the Fisker Ocean fire sale designed to raise quick capital for the fledgling EV carmaker. Fisker has cut the price on most Ocean models by as much as 40 percent, in a desperate bid to raise cash. Listen in for more details. Tom let Jill know that--despite not having driven stick in more than a yea--he has not stalled his test 2024 Ford Mustang GT, unless you count a single backing-up incident. Tom also shares his thoughts on Ford's latest pony car. Still in the first segment, the hosts recapped the news from the New York Auto Show. Highlights including news from Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Nissan. In the second segment Jill and Tom welcome Andrew Collins of The Drive to the show. Andrew provides a primer on the automotive-recall process, and talked about the ongoing Takata airbag recall, including updates on that situation. In the third segment, Tom is--for the first time ever--subjected to Jill's April Fools Day-themed fake automotive-feature Quiz. Did Tom pass? Listen in. Jill wrapped up the show with a brief review of the Kia EV9 3-row electric crossover.   March 25, 2024 Updated Ford Ranger, Redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe, and Traveling with Cats and Dogs Jill and Tom opened a topic-packed show by acknowledging carmaker Fisker's grim fiscal situation. The once-promising EV start-up has broken off collaboration talks with Nissan, and seems doomed to enter bankruptcy. The hosts then chatted briefly about Cupra, a spin-off of Volkswagen's Spanish brand Seat. Talk is that the Cupra brand will come to the U.S. before the end of the decade with a duo of small crossovers and a small sports car. The vehicles will likely be produced by VW in the U.S. Still in the first segment, Jill shared quick reviews of the redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe, and the updated Ford Ranger. In the second segment Jill and Tom are joined by pet expert and radio host Steve Dale (SteveDale.TV) to talk about traveling with cats and dogs. Steve shared plenty of information about taking your pet on a plane, or bringing it along for extended car rides. Steve also shared a few tips on how to get the most from airport lounge buffets. In the last segment Jill is subjected to Tom's "Is it Real" fake-model quiz, after which Tom talked about his new review of the 2024 Subaru Outback Touring XT. Oh, and the quiz bonus question includes Uhura. Visit the complete archive...

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