Don’t Call It A Hybrid

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Don’t Call It A Hybrid

FromWheel Bearings

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Released:

Nov 7, 2023

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Podcast episode

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Nicole is on the road this week so it’s just Sam and Robbie. But Robbie was flying back and forth to Singapore so he didn’t drive anything. Sam had the new Subaru Impreza and a short stint with the Kia EV9. In the news, details of the Stellantis tentative agreement with the UAW are out… Read More »Don’t Call It A Hybrid

Released:

Nov 7, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Dan, Rebecca and Sam discuss the cars they are driving each week and then dive into some of the big topics of the auto industry including the technology, trends and personalities.

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Ep. 124 – What’s Premium: This week as Dan helps the kids with homework, Rebecca and Sam perform an automotive duet. Sam drove the Honda Civic Type-R for a week while Rebecca had the Toyota Rav4 hybrid and Cadillac XT4. The timing of Rebecca driving the Cadillac was fortuitous as by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep. 121 – Wretched Excess: Sam has been driving the Lincoln Navigator, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Jeep Gladiator. Rebecca escapes a ticket in the Honda Civic Sport and Dan has been road tripping in the Cadillac XT6. We talk Monterey Car Week 2019 and the death of Ferdina by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep. 129 – From Basic to Supercharged: Were driving mainstream compacts, luxury sedans, and the $100,000 Ford Shelby GT500. Topics include the seemingly imminent merger of FCA and PSA, and the surprisingly reasonable price of the new MINI Cooper SE EV. by Wheel Bearings
93 min listen
Ep. 126 – Volvo Gets Recharged: With Rebecca bogged down in a big project that helps pay the bills, Dan recruited his friend George Kennedy from the Boston Globe and CarGurus to fill the third microphone. Sam spent time with the Honda Civic Touring sedan and then took a road trip to Pi by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Live On Zoom #2 – Subscriptions All Around: This episode is so nice, we had to edit it twice! The team reconvened this week for another live Zoom session with some listeners. In the garage, Sam reiterates his love for traditional station wagons and why they are better than any SUV or crossover for by Wheel Bearings
63 min listen
144 – Press On Regardless: As the lockdowns continue, our intrepid crew is still venturing out while staying isolated to bring you their impressions of the vehicles you might want to consider buying when this is all over. Rebecca spent time with the Jeep Gladiator in a seemingly d by Wheel Bearings
115 min listen
Zoom-Zoom #1: This week the crew took to Zoom for our first live show with our listeners. Dan has been driving the Hyundai Venue, Rebecca had the Lexus GS 350 and Sam had the new 2020 Hyundai Sonata. Thanks to everyone that joined in and we’ll be doing more of t by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep. 131 – Ford Mustang Mach-E – Dave Pericak interview: Ford has lifted the veil on the Mustang Mach-E. Its an electric SUV with a lot of hopes and goals riding on it. We take a deep dive into what we know so far, and Sam got a few minutes with Dave Pericak, who is the director of Ford Icons, and deeply invol by Wheel Bearings
59 min listen
145 – Preserving Your Ride: Bentley brought the launch of the Flying Spur to Rebeccas doorstep. We also sample the 2020 GMC Acadia, Sam wrung every mile out of the 2020 Audi e-Tron, and Dan tried the completely charming 2020 Toyota Yaris XLE. We talk Honda and GM partnering on EV by Wheel Bearings
116 min listen
Ep. 122 – Porsche Gets Charged Up: This week we have lots of vehicles to talk about. Rebecca drove the Mercedes-AMG GTC Roadster to the US Open, and the Honda Accord Hybrid in SoCal. Sam discusses the Mazda CX-5 Diesel and the base Volkswagen Atlas. Dan shares his take on the Toyota 4Runn by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Episode #120 – Ludicrous!: This week Dan and Rebecca are travelling so Sam is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to talk about his new book, Ludicrous, the Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. The book is available at Amazon and other booksellers. Link Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesl by Wheel Bearings
64 min listen
Ep 135 – Who’s Going To Buy All The EVs?: The crew gathers for a mid-holiday recording with Sam in the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. While it’s definitely gotten better with some recent updates, it is value challenged against the new Mazda CX-30. Meanwhile Rebecca has been in the Ram 15 by Wheel Bearings
112 min listen
Ep. 123 – Escaping From Focus: Rebecca has been off cavorting on a new Lexus yacht before coming home to move some stuff in the Toyota Sienna. Meanwhile Sam has enjoying the premium cabin of the Kia Telluride and Dan does a bit of four wheel drifting in the Audi Q3. Rebecca and Sam ea by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep. 128 – Bryan Salesky: This time around, the whole crew is on the call to talk with Bryan Salesky, CEO and co-founder of Argo AI. Argo is the company developing the production automated driving system for Ford and VW and Bryan shares his thoughts on testing AVs in multiple cit by Wheel Bearings
48 min listen
143 – Sheltering In Place But Still Driving: To start, we ponder the near-term future. Then we get to cars, including the Hyundai Venue, Nissan Rogue Sport, BMW M340i, and the Ford pickup lineup from Ranger to Super Duty. For news, we talk about the 20201 Hyundai Elantra and follow up on GM EV day. by Wheel Bearings
120 min listen
Ep 132 – Electric Trucks: We drive the Mazda 3 AWD sedan, Mazda 6 Signature, and GMC Sierra AT4 CarbonPro Off-Road. Topics include the Tesla Cybertruck and highlights from the Los Angeles auto show including the Audi e-Tron Sportback, Kia Seltos and Hyundai Vision T concept by Wheel Bearings
112 min listen
Ep 130 – Not Your Grandfather’s Mustang: In the news, we discuss a Ford Raptor being forceably removed from blocking an EV charger, Tata searching for electrification partners for Jaguar Land Rover and the official name of Fords new EV, the Mustang Mach-E. We wrap up with a couple of listener q by Wheel Bearings
2 min listen
Stash The Doors – Hit The Trails by Wheel Bearings
97 min listen
Ep 140 – Dependability, the Badger, and in-car exercise routines: Since Rebecca and Sam skipped driving impressions on the last episode, there’s a lot of cars to talk about. Rebecca hit the road in her cousin’s 2008 Honda Odyssey with nearly 200,000 miles on the clock. Even after all those miles, this one i by Wheel Bearings
105 min listen
Ep. 127 – Ford’s Jim Farley On Building Mobility Technology, Services and Brands: For this special episode Sam sat down with Jim Farley, Ford’s president, new businesses, technology & strategy to talk about has been learned about mobility services, automated driving and brands. Links Ford’s Jim Farley On Building Mobility Te by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep. 125 – Trusting Your Assistant: With the whole crew back in action, Sam has been driving the Lexus LS500h. Rebecca samples a couple of luxury SUVs in the form of the Audi Q8 and Volvo XC90 T8. Meanwhile Dan learns that you can trail-brake a Toyota Sienna minivan before jumping into the by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Ep 134 – SUVs, Big, Little and Faux: The whole crew is back with both Dan and Rebecca sampling the aging Acura MDX A-Spec. Dan also had the Honda CR-V Touring. Since our last team gathering, Rebecca and Sam both drove the Mazda CX-30 and declare it the best small crossover. Sam has also bee by Wheel Bearings
98 min listen
141 – Corvettes In The Desert: Rebecca gives first drive impressions of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Sam has been driving the value-conscious 2020 Nissan Versa and the fuel-hungry Armada. Dan shares impressions of the Infiniti QX50. We wrap with a run through Consumer Reports 2020 Top by Wheel Bearings
69 min listen
Ep. 138 – It’s All About the Context: This week the crew has a range of premium (at least price-wise) SUVs to drive. Since our last gathering, Sam has been in the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring (complete with a faulty 12V battery) and the Lexus LX570. Dan went from Mercedes-Benz GLC300 to the by Wheel Bearings
107 min listen
Ep 133 – Sedans, SUVs and More Cybertruck: Dan has driven the Dodge Durango SRT and Genesis G70 while Sam has been in the Honda Passport and Toyota Avalon Hybrid. GM and LG Chem form a lithium ion cell production joint venture and Mazda considers electrification options for the next generation Mi by Wheel Bearings
109 min listen
Delivery Charges: Technology let us down near the end of this episode, but we got in a good discussion of the 2020 Lexus UX250h Luxury, Hyundai Venue, Subaru Ascent and Toyota Highlander. For news, we talked about manuals returning to MINI, the next generation RWD I-6 M by Wheel Bearings
80 min listen
£500 Million To Learn That It’s Hard To Make Money Building Cars: 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 accessibl by Wheel Bearings
101 min listen
From Miata to Aston Martin: With Dan absent, Rebecca discusses back-to-back Aston Martin experiences with the Vantage and DB11. Sam again professes his disdain for anything that isn’t a Mazda Miata after driving the more powerful 2020 edition. In the news, Nissan launched a r by Wheel Bearings
60 min listen
There’s A New F-150 In Town: 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, by Wheel Bearings
73 min listen
142 – GM Gets Plugged In: Its a splice-fest! First, Dan and Sam talk about driving the 2020 Infiniti Q50 Edition 30 and the Ford Ranger XLT. Some of the early impact of COVID-19 is pondered, and development mules like the Plymouth Prangler finish it up. For part 2, Sam and Rebecc by Wheel Bearings
124 min listen

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A Little Digital Kiss: Robbie is back from Japan and driving the BMW i5 M60. Nicole jumps from last week’s Suburban into the Nissan Altima and Sam had the Cadillac Lyriq with new better door handles and fully functional software. In the news, will Rivian partner with App by Wheel Bearings
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The Girl In The Trunk: As Robbie and his wife celebrate 18 years of marriage with a vacation in Japan, we’re joined this week by our friend Jill Ciminillo. Jill shares her thoughts on one of the most affordable new cars still offered for sale in the US, the Nissan Versa by Wheel Bearings
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Finding The Hidden Charge Port: 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 Chevro by Wheel Bearings
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No Soap Please: Nicole is still cruising European rivers so it’s just the boys this week. Robbie drove the Range Rover Sport and used a Ford Transit to get his bands to Salt Lake City for a couple of shows (hence why there was no episode last week). Sam has been d by Wheel Bearings
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Still Too Much: This week Nicole and her husband compare the 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE to their 2022 model that they own. Robbie takes the Kia EV9 on a snowboarding trip and is unimpressed by the new Lincoln Nautilus. Sam drives the 2024 Polestar 2 dual motor performance m by Wheel Bearings
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Faster Than Magma: This week, friend of the show Perry Stern is filling in for Robbie and he’s been driving the Mercedes-AMG GLB. Nicole tries out the latest variant of Honda’s pickup truck the off-road-ish Ridgeline Trailsport and Sam has the Acura TLX Type-S. by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Jumping Raptors: While Robbie is off doing some late winter snow boarding, Nicole and Sam are holding down the fort. Nicole has been driving Buick’s new entry level model, the Envista and the Hyundai Palisade. Meanwhile Sam had the new Toyota Prius Limited AWD and by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Touch The Vent Not The Screen: This week Sam has been driving the Honda Passport Trailsport while Robbie has the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid. Unfortunately, Nicole is under the weather so she couldn’t join us. Sam assesses the new Lincoln Nautilus and likes the big screen, but th by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Return of the Gremlin: This week Sam has been driving the Genesis Electrified G80. Robbie was picking speakers for his band in the Land Rover Defender 130 and Nicole has the Infiniti QX60. The core of Henrik Fisker’s original design for the Karma continues to live on, no by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Who Cares About Efficiency?: This week Nicole is driving the Ford Maverick Tremor, Robbie has the Range Rover plug-in hybrid and Sam has new Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. We’ve got lots of news this week. After a decade of work and billions of dollars spent, Apple has apparantel by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
What’s Happening at Jeep: This week Robbie got to spend some time with something really fast, the new McLaren 750s. Meanwhile, Nicole and Sam had some more pedestrian rides. Nicole got a few days with the Volkswagen ID.7 as well as the Jeep Hornet PHEV. Sam had the Toyota Crown P by Wheel Bearings
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Testing Tires: Robbie is back from Colorado where he attended the Bridgestone winter driving school and spent time with the Toyota Rav4 and 4Runner in the snow. He also rented a Ford Transit van to move ping-pong tables and drove a Kia Carnival. Nicole has been spendin by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Killing Unused Features: Robbie is off visiting some family this week, but even with just Nicole and Sam it’s a long episode. Sam has been burning up the gas in a Ford F-250 XL 4×4 while Nicole has a much more reasonably sized Subaru Outback. Nicole and Sam were both by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Bringing Back Hybrids: This week Sam is driving a very luxurious and pricey version of the J300 Land Cruiser in the form of the Lexus LX600. Robbie has been trying out the 2024 Ford Mustang Premium Ecoboost and Nicole had Toyota Prius. Nicole has first thoughts on driving the by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Lucy With the Football: Nicole has been having some fun with the Mazda 3 Turbo while Robbie has the Subaru Impreza RS. Sam is driving the most affordable Buick in a long time in the form of the new Envista. In the news, Chevrolet has revealed a second completely different and n by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Dealers be Dealering: This week, Nicole has the Mazda CX-50 in a disappointing color, Robbie has the Range Rover Velar in one of the 8 available non-colors and Sam is driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer in Cacti Green. In the news, Jeep teases the upcoming Wagoneer S EV with to by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Tell Me A Dinosaur Story: Sam and Robbie survived another year of CES and have lots to discuss. Sam has been driving the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid since returning. Nicole has had the Hyundai Tucson and Robbie got to ride the Honda Motocompacto at CES. At CES, large languag by Wheel Bearings
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And The Winners Are…: This week Sam and Robbie both have large, luxury, three-row SUVs with turbocharged inline-six cylinder engines. Robbie has the BMW X7 and Sam has the Cadillac Escalade Platinum diesel. In the news we have the winners of the 2024 North American Car, Truck by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
We Can’t Have Nice Things: This week, Sam has been driving the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce and Nicole shares her experience renting a Volvo XC60 diesel in Switzerland. Daihatsu which only briefly sold its small cars in the US in late 1980s and early 1990s reveals that for more than by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Winter Socks for Tires: Nicole is back and she has the new Honda Accord Hybrid Sport! Robbie is back and he’s got thoughts on the Volvo C40 and Electrify America! Sam gets a bunch of electric miles out of the Alfa Romeo Tonale Ti eAWD. In the news, the Chevy Blazer EV we by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Strategic Crown Vic Reserve: This week Robbie and his wife are visiting New York for the holidays and Nicole and her hubbie are hitting the Christmas markets along their European river cruise route. Fortunately, Stephanie Brinley is back to join Sam. Steph has been driving the Nissa by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Are We Ready To Swap?: 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 ne by Wheel Bearings
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Better Late Than Never?: This week Sam drove the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4 and guest host Tanya Gazdik tells us about her experience with a rental Jeep Renegade in Utah and the new Honda Civic. Tanya also got a first drive in the new Toyota Tacoma. Almost 4 years to the day after smas by Wheel Bearings
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Not A Daily Driver: It’s just Robbie and Sam today as Nicole starts a European vacation with her hubbie. Next week we should have a third participant. Sam drove the 2024 Ford F-250 King Ranch which is a really impressive truck for doing work, but trucks this size have by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Frunk-Gating: This week Sam drove the 2024 Hyundai Kona and also got a bit of wheel time in the new Volvo EX30. Nicole got another stint in the Subaru Crosstrek, this time in Sport trim. In the news, there’s lots of stuff from the LA Auto Show including the 2025 by Wheel Bearings
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Appropriately Named: This week it’s just Nicole and Sam. Since she last joined us, Nicole has been driving a fabulous wagon, the Volvo V60 Cross-Country and the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 high-performance SUV. Sam has had the Chevrolet Tahoe RST with a big, classic American V by Wheel Bearings
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The Tardis of EVs: Sam is back from Korea and Japan and has driven the 2024 Chevrolet Trax. Nicole has the Ford Maverick Tremor and spends time riding on a GoCycle e-Bike. Robbie spent the week with the Subaru Crosstrek. In the news, Sam has highlights from the Japan Mobil by Wheel Bearings
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Falling Short and Expensive: Sam is in the middle of a 2 week jaunt in Korea and Japan so it’s just Nicole and Robbie today. Robbie has the Ford F-150 Lightning again and Nicole is driving the refreshed Kia Seltos. In the news, Toyota dropped a bunch of images of new EV concep by Wheel Bearings
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A Very Expensive Bumper: This week on the show we’ve been driving a broad selection of stuff even though Robbie had nothing new to report on the Kia Niro EV. Sam had two very quick but very different red cars, the Kia EV6 GT and an all too brief stint with the Maserati MC2 by Wheel Bearings
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A Long Note: This week Robbie gets his hands on the almost base model Lucid Air, the all-wheel drive Pure. Nicole has the new Subaru Crosstrek which is no longer offered in high-visibility orange and Sam drive the Lexus RZ450e with its flimsy charge port door. In the by Wheel Bearings
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Creeping Featuritis: Nicole is travelling again so it’s just the boys this week. Robbie returns from a trip to Japan to drive the Rivian R1S while Sam spends time in between trips with the Polestar 2 Performance package. This week Sam attended the BMW test fest where h by Wheel Bearings
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Extinction Event: We had record early this week because Sam is flying to Germany this weekend, but Robbie is trying out new Bridgestone tires so it’s just Nicole and Sam. Nicole had the fraternal twin of the Toyota Supra, the BMW Z4 while Sam drove the Hyundai Ioniq by Wheel Bearings
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What’s Happening at Jeep: This week Robbie got to spend some time with something really fast, the new McLaren 750s. Meanwhile, Nicole and Sam had some more pedestrian rides. Nicole got a few days with the Volkswagen ID.7 as well as the Jeep Hornet PHEV. Sam had the Toyota Crown P by Wheel Bearings
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Getting Buzzed: Over the past week we’ve had an assortment of travel and gigs but we’re back in the saddle with fresh material. Now that the embargo has lifted, Robbie can finally share his thoughts on driving the VW ID Buzz, while Nicole had the new Kia Spo by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Champagne Mode: 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 bet by Wheel Bearings
1 min listen
Off-Road Supercars: It’s a shorter show this week as Nicole is vacationing with her hubby in Europe and Robbie had to run off early for a dinner with McLaren. Sam drove the Genesis GV60 Performance this week and discovered that Electrify America ripped out the nearby by Wheel Bearings
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Killing Unused Features: Robbie is off visiting some family this week, but even with just Nicole and Sam it’s a long episode. Sam has been burning up the gas in a Ford F-250 XL 4×4 while Nicole has a much more reasonably sized Subaru Outback. Nicole and Sam were both by Wheel Bearings
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Top Novice: 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 vehic by Wheel Bearings
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Coexisting Assistants: Nicole is off again this week caring for her mom, but the boys are carrying on. Roberto has been putting more miles on the BMW i4 and found it to be surprisingly efficient. Meanwhile Sam also got very good fuel efficiency while driving the Honda Civic Si by Wheel Bearings
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Some Compromises: Robbie is on vacation this week, but Nicole is back. She’s been driving the Infiniti QX55 and the Toyota 4Runner, one of which was very pleasant. Sam had the Mazda CZ-9 Signature. We’ve got lots of news this week starting with the Lincoln Sta by Wheel Bearings
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It’s Mostly New: Nicole is travelling again this week so our friend Stephanie Brinley from S&P Global Mobility is filling in. Stephanie has been driving the Lexus LC500 while Robbie had the Lamborghini Urus Performante. Sam meanwhile had to make do with a Corolla, th by Wheel Bearings
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Teslas Can’t See Aircraft: This week, Robbie has been testing out the Audi Q5 Sportback, Nicole continues Hyundai-Fest with the new Tucson N-Line and Sam drives the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Sam also got a Kia EV6 for an EV road trip to Wisconsin. In the news we discuss why it’s not by Wheel Bearings
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Lucy With the Football: Nicole has been having some fun with the Mazda 3 Turbo while Robbie has the Subaru Impreza RS. Sam is driving the most affordable Buick in a long time in the form of the new Envista. In the news, Chevrolet has revealed a second completely different and n by Wheel Bearings
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Just Get A Maverick: Nicole is back from her European River cruise and she and Robbie have been been driving the Kia EV6 GT. Sam had the Toyota Tundra i-Force Max Capstone, which is much improved except for fuel economy. During a Ford holiday reception recently Jim Farley po by Wheel Bearings
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The Perfect Mulch Hauler: Lots of stuff in the garage in this week as Nicole gets to spend more time with the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness. On the opposite coast, Robbie has one of his two ideal cars, the Audi RS6 Avant and also shares some thoughts on the BMW 330e plug-in hyb by Wheel Bearings
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They Can’t Be Hard When It’s Cold: This week in the garage, Roberto enjoyed some top down time with the Jaguar F-Type Roadster, Nicole finished her time with the Nissan Sentra and Sam drove the Mitsubishi Eclipese (not a real Eclipse) Cross. Robbie shares his impressions of ice driving in by Wheel Bearings
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Big Enough For A Drum Kit: This week Sam and Robbie are both driving BMW i4s, but different varieties. Sam had the base eDrive40 for a run to Chicago, while Robbie got an M50. Since the last recording session Nicole had both the Subaru BRZ and the Genesis GV60 Performance. In the by Wheel Bearings
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Don’t Call It A Hybrid

Don’t Call It A Hybrid

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Wheel Bearings

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