Car Stuff Podcast

Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions sits in for Tom this week. Jill and Sam open this episode of the podcast touching on Sam's recent involvement with the 2026 Greenbrier Concours d'Elegance, a classic car show held in West Virginia each spring.

The conversation turns to car news, with the hosts touching on Chinese car makers setting up shop in Canada, Tesla producing its last Model S sedan, and Honda deferring much needed updates of key models--including the Odyssey minivan. Listen in for details.

Still in the first segment, Jill discusses her participation in the first Trinitē Road Rally, and her time behind the wheel of the $250,000 Lucid Air Sapphire electric sedan.

In the second segment, Jill and Sam are joined by XPEL Product Manager James Melfi. XPEL produces, among other things, car-finish Paint Protection Film (PPF). James shares information related to the value, cost, installation, and longevity of XPEL's PPF products.

In the last segment Jill shares sad news regarding the show's long-time producer Randy. In his honor Jill subjects Sam to a Pontiac Fiero quiz. Sam wraps up the show sharing some news about the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles.

 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this week, as she participates in the Trinitē Road Rally. Follow the link here for details.

The hosts open the show with a number of topics, including blue-dyed diesel fuel, and Tom's one-mile test drive of the Mitsubishi Outlander SEL.

Paul and Tom go on to discuss Stellantis's "Four Core Brand" strategy, which prioritizes a few of the carmaker's high-volume brands, in terms of product development and positioning. Tune in to hear what this means for lower-volume marques.

Still in the first segment, Tom reviews the 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness.

In the second segment, Paul and Tom are joined by iSeeCars.com Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. Karl walks the hosts through some used-EV price data, noting especially interesting price swings for pre-owned Tesla models.

In the last segment Paul is subjected to Tom's "Best Seller" quiz. Also, Paul shares his review of the Ferrari Roma.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

 

 

 

 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.