Wheel Bearings

This week the whole team converged on the Detroit Auto Show but we never managed to get more than two members in the same place at the same time with Robbie mostly focused on the nearby battery show. Sam drove the Toyota Crown Limited while Nicole had the most off-roady of GMC Sierras with the AT4X AEV Edition. Meanwhile Robbie managed to squeeze his lanky body into a tiny Honda Beat and a bonkers...

We've got a full team this week as Robbie drove the updated 2024 Polestar 2, Nicole had the Ford F-150 Raptor R and Hyundai Palisade and Sam spent time with the Mazda CX-90 plug-in hybrid. Sam got to spend a few days in Munich this week at the IAA Mobility show which included some ride and drive opportunities in some Chinese built cars. First up was the new Lotus Eletre, a radically different...

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 6 Limited AWD. Continuing with Hyundai sedans, the Elantra and Sonata get refreshes for 2024 with new looks and assorted other updates. Mercedes-Be...

Tanya Gazdik is back this week subbing for Nicole and she has been driving the Mercedes-Benz EQB and having a bad charging experience in Detroit. Tanya also spent time in the latest Range Rover LWB. Robbie tells us about driving the new BMW X5M Competition to Monterey car week and renting a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz. Meanwhile Sam got to do some shifting in the Toyota GR Supra with a manual gearbox...

This week Robbie hanging out among the fancy people covering Monterey Car Week so Stephanie Brinley is back with Nicole and Sam. Sam took a road trip in the Honda Pilot Trailsport. Stephanie had the Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV and Mazda CX-90 plug-in hybrid. Nicole drove the Mazda CX-30 turbo. In the news, we've got several of the vehicles unveiled in Monterey including the new Acura ZDX, Lamborghini...

In the garage this week we have two similarly sized electric crossovers that are very different. Sam drove the Toyota bZ4X Limited AWD while Nicole had the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. Robbie wraps up his time with the Mazda Miata. In the news, Cadillac took the wraps off its oversized, overweight Escalade IQ and GM promised to have bidirectional vehicle to home charging on all of its EVs by 2026.Charge...

This week Nicole is having a seriously fun time with the 2023 Honda Civic Type-Rrrrr! Robbie is also having fun with a car that surprisingly fits both him and his bass guitar, the Mazda Miata Club. Sam actually had a great Electrify America charging experience with the Genesis GV70 Electrified. In the news, it appears that VW may be getting ready to launch an electric GTI. Toyota revealed the all-...

This week in the Wheel Bearings garage, Robbie is driving the latest BMW M2, complete with what may be one of the last manual transmissions in a BMW. Nicole has the non-Max version of the new Lexus RX hybrid, the RX350h and Sam is driving the Honda CR-V hybrid. In the news, seven (really six, but who's counting) are teaming up for a joint-venture to build 30,000 DC fast chargers with cool acce...

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, the GR Corolla Morizo edition. Steph and Sam both drove the 2024 Ford Mustang this week which despite marketing claims to being "all-new" is...

This week Robbie and Sam both had Lincoln's baby plug-in hybrid, the Corsair Grand Touring. Aside from the position of the start-stop button, and Robbie's inability to arrange the 24-way driver's seat adjustment to comfortable, there isn't much fundamentally wrong with it, but is it worth the price? Meanwhile, Nicole had the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV which cost twice as much but lacks...

This week Robbie came to the realization that the Jeep Grand Cherokee L is a great vehicle for anyone with a Daft Punk cover band. Nicole drove a pair of Nissan Zs back to back with automatic and manual transmissions and Sam spent the week with the highest end Volkswagen Taos. In the news, Nicole got to sample Buick's new entry level model, the Envista and wonders what all the hubub is about w...

1It's been a busy week. Sam had both the Dodge Hornet GT+ and the Hyundai Santa Fe plug-in hybrid. Robbie finally gets to talk about the driving the Kia EV9 and also the Seltos. He also discusses an unfortunate crash while going to pickup guitar picks. Nicole drove to Accord to drive the Accord. In the news, Nicole and Sam both drove the refreshed 2024 Jeep Wrangler. Volvo and Polestar announc...

Robbie is back from Germany and Korea but he can't talk about that stuff yet. Nicole drives the Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV and Sam has better luck with the voice interface on the 2023 Lexus RX500h. Stellantis has launched a new compact pickup called the Ram Rampage in Brazil and while they haven't yet announced anything, it could be coming to America. The Kia Stinger has sadly left us too early...

Robbie is on his way to Korea for a secret mission so it's just Nicole and Sam this week. Nicole drove the Genesis G80 Electrified and the "last call" Dodge Charger Swinger. Sam had the Ford Maverick Tremor. In the news, Sam and Nicole both drove the new 2024 Ford Super Duty pickups including towing some huge trailers. Ford also announced they are building a special Ford Ranger to take...

Sam spent the past week testing out the new version of BlueCruise in the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E and was pleasantly surprised at the energy efficiency. Nicole had both the Toyota Sequioa TRD Pro and Lincoln Corsair PHEV. Robbie drove the new Chevrolet Colorado and the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica. Nicole and Sam took a quick trip to Austin to see the unveiling of the 2024 Lexus TX and GX SUVs. Aft...

In the garage this week, Nicole has been driving two very different vehicles from the Hyundai Motor Group stable, the new Genesis G90 and refreshed Kia Telluride. Robbie has car for dog lovers, the Subaru Crosstrek and Sam was pleasantly surprised by what the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid could do with a fully charged battery. In the news, VW revealed the longer 3 row ID Buzz that's comi...

We're all back together for a brand new show after a week away for some vacation time. We've got lots of rides to discuss this week. Nicole had the Mercedes-AMG G63 and Genesis GV70 Electrified. Since we last had him on the show, Robbie drove the Ford Expedition to Tahoe for a band gig, the BMW i7 and the new Mercedes-Benz GLC. Sam reviews the Chevrolet Equinox that he and his wife had as...

Sam and his wife are on a beach somewhere in the middle of the Pacific this week so we're giving Robbie and Nicole the week off too. Instead of news we've got interviews that we recorded at the 2023 New York Auto Show. Most of these interviews have already been published for our patrons, but there are a couple that haven't been heard yet. First up is Tom Somerville, marketing manager f...

Robbie couldn't make it this week so it's just Nicole and Sam. Nicole has been driving the Rivian R1S and the Toyota Rav4, two very different SUVs. Sam had an SUV that sort of fits in the venn diagram of the previous two, with a gas engine and serious off-roadability, the Ford Bronco Heritage edition. Nicole has also recently done a couple of first drive programs with very different outcom...

This week, Robbie is playing at a wedding in Yosemite with one of his bands, so friend of the show Tanya Gazdik is back with a plethora of Stellantis vehicles. Among the Ram Rebel 1500, Chrysler Pacifica PHEV and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L you might be surprised to learn which is her favorite. Nicole has been driving the Subaru Impreza RS and Sam had the BMW X7 M60i. Nicole and Tanya both drove the new...

This week Robbie tells us about sleeping in and driving the new BMW XM. Nicole spends a week with the Mazda CX-90 and Sam drives the BMW i4 M50 and Maserati Grecale Modena. Lots of news including the NEVs Emily GT, an electric successor to Saab that didn't make it but is for sale. The dumb yoke is now a $250 extra cost option on the Tesla Model 3. Toyota buyers trade in for EVs at Carmax and o...

This week in the garage, Robbie is wondering why anyone would buy the Ford Bronco Everglades and Nicole wonders who uses the third row of the Toyota Highlander. Nicole also drove the Honda CR-V hybrid while Sam had the Cadillac CT4 with Super Cruise. Sam also got a first taste this week of the Hyundai Ioniq 6. In the news, we've got more new stuff from the Shanghai motor show including the gor...

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 between recording time and the embargos lifting. Lincoln has an all-new Nautilus midsize crossover with hybrid power and all the screen space. Buick ha...

This week Nicole has been using the big Ford Expedition to haul away an old bedroom set. Robbie drove the new Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV in Portugal and Sam and Nicole both had first drives in new Toyotas, the Prius Prime and Corolla Cross Hybrid. Nicole and Sam both went to New York for the Auto Show where they saw the new Hyundai Kona and Kia EV9. Stellantis also publicly showed its upcoming electric...

This week in the garage we've got the full spectrum of electrification from none to complete. Sam drove the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, Robbie drove the Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid and Nicole had the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Nicole and Sam also both had the opportunity to drive the new 2024 Mazda CX-90 with both a turbocharged inline-cylinder mild hybrid and a new plug-in hybrid variant. Robbie and Nico...