Car Stuff Podcast

Car guy Dave Piluski of RTM Engineering Consultants sits in for Jill this week. Tom opened the show by complaining about contemporary country music, especially someone named Luke Combs. This because Tom did not have time to Bluetooth connect with his new test car prior to recording.

Dave and Tom discuss two major news items: Ford's constricted F-150 pickup supply, and Nissan's newly revealed turnaround plan. Because of the Iran Conflict, Ford is struggling to source aluminum for the F-150's body panels, and Nissan is working to rebuild sales in the U.S. and globally. Listen in for details.

Tom also reviews the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy. Turns out there's little here not to like.

In the second segment Dave and Tom are joined by friend of the show Robert Colangelo. Robert shared the details--some horrifying--of his recent Model Y voyage from Northwest Indiana to Canada to catch a Guess Who concert. You don't want to miss this.

In the last segment Dave is subjected to Tom's "Which Came First: Eighties Edition: quiz.

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The hosts open the show by discussing Tom's new refrigerator, and his inability to keep Subaru's suite of new electric vehicles straight. Jill agrees to help him remember the names of the Subaru EVs.

Jill and Tom go on to cover a number of news items, including the discontinuation of the Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover, Chinese vehicles being built in Austria, and Kia's plan to build a midsize EV in American by the 2030 model year.

In related news, a listener from New Zealand checks in to let the hosts know that he owns a Chinese-built Leapmotor EV (discussed last episode) and is very happy with it.

Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the all-new Jeep Cherokee.

In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Alex Knizek, Director of Auto Test Development at Consumer Reports, to the Car Stuff Podcast. Alex describes the process by which Consumer Reports evaluates new vehicles, and walks the hosts through the outfit's 2026 Top Picks list.

In the last segment, Jill is subjected to Tom's "Dead Brand" quiz. Listen in to hear how she scored.

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Tom opens the show with news regarding Stellantis' joint venture with China's Leapmotor. Stellantis currently distributes Chinese Leapmotor-built electric vehicles in Europe, and may be looking to build Leapmotor models in its idle Brampton, Ontario factory. Listen in for more details.

Jill gives a quick rundown of the new-product reveals seen at this week's New York Auto Show. A number of noteworthy introductions are covered, including models and concepts from Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, and Subaru.

Still in the first segment Jill reviews the redesigned Toyota RAV4, which is now offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain. With gas prices rising, will the RAV4 Hybrid be in especially high demand?

In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome James Bell, Kia Head of Corporate Communications, to the show. James discusses the new Kia products seen at the New York Auto Show, as well as the redesigned Telluride midsize crossover. James also shares some insights regarding Kia's sales success in the U.S.

In the last segment Jill is subjected to Tom's "Muscle Car Engine" quiz. Jill also discusses in-depth the Hyundai Boulder off-road concept vehicle seen at the New York Show. Tom has some doubts about the show car's viability as a production model.

 

 

 

 

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The hosts open the show noting that the power-seat recall affecting the Hyundai Palisade has expanded to include the mechanically similar Kia Telluride. Listen in for details.

As predicted in a previous episode, Tom shares news of the dissolution of the Afeela electric-vehicle brand. Afeela was a Honda/Sony joint venture nearing production of a premium midsize sedan built in the U.S.

Tom also discussed the potential impact of E15 fuel, which has been federally approved for national distribution. E15 gasoline has 5 percent more ethanol content than E10, the latter of which is common in most states. The blended fuel may help lower gasoline pump prices, but has its downsides.

Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the Mercedes-Benz GLE450 midsize crossover. Listen in for her review.

In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Matthew Valbuena to the show. Mathew is Mazda Project Manager of In-Vehicle Technology, and shares with the hosts a number of connectivity features found on the all-new 2026 CX-5 small crossover.

In the last segment, Jill is subjected to Tom's "CVT or Automatic" quiz, featuring a bonus question about radishes.

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Jill opens this week's show with a correction. Listen in for her begrudging mea culpa. The hosts go on to discuss briefly Tom's time in the Toyota Corolla Hybrid SE AWD. Toms's review of the car is live now on ConsumerGuide.com.

Tom shares a few details of the coming redesigned Lexus ES midsize sedan. New for 2026 is an EV variant of the popular model, while other examples of the ES will be hybrid only. Listen in for details.

Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the Toyota Crown Signia. Both hosts are fans of the wagon-like midsize car, but agree that it may be slightly over promoted as a luxury vehicle.

In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Jamie Butters of the Butters Bureau LLC to the show. Jamie shares his take on how the Iran conflict will impact U.S. auto sales. Jamie also talks about Toyota's counterintuitive move deeper into EV sales at a time the rest of the industry is recoiling. Listen in for details.

In the last segment Jill is subjected to Tom's "It's a Fact!" quiz, after which Tom shares some interesting Porsche sales statistics.

 

 

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