2026 Audi A5/S5: Putting Audi’s New Liftbacks to the Test
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Car
Kia Palisade
The Kia Palisade is another SUV from Kia that is similar to the Telluride, providing lots of room for families and good features for comfort and safety.
Car
Kia Telluride
The Kia Telluride is a family-friendly SUV that has a lot of space inside and is designed to handle rough terrains, making it great for outdoor activities.
Car
Hyundai Palisade
The Hyundai Palisade is a big family car that can fit a lot of people and their stuff. It's popular because it's comfortable and has many safety features, making it a good choice for families.
Concept
North American Car of the Year
The North American Car of the Year is an award given to the best new cars in North America. A group of car experts decides which vehicles are the best based on things like safety and performance.
Term
EVs
EVs stands for electric vehicles, which are cars that run on electricity instead of gas. They are better for the environment and can save money on fuel.
Car
Audi A5
The Audi A5 is a stylish car that is part of Audi's luxury lineup, offering a comfortable ride and good performance.
Car
Hyundai Ionic
Car
Hyundai Ioniq 9
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a new electric car that is expected to be released in 2026, focusing on being environmentally friendly.
Car
Honda Prelude
Car
Nissan Sentra
The Nissan Sentra is a small car that is good for everyday driving. It's known for being reliable and fuel-efficient.
Car
Dodge Charger
Term
electric motor
An electric motor is what makes electric cars move. Instead of using gas, it runs on electricity, which can be better for the environment.
Car
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a small car that many people love because it's dependable and saves on gas. It's also fun to drive, which makes it popular among younger drivers.
Term
straight six
A straight six is an engine with six cylinders lined up in a row. It runs smoothly and is often found in powerful cars.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. More horsepower usually means the car can go faster.
Car
Ram 1500
Car
Ford Maverick
Car
Ford Lobo
The Ram 1500 is a big truck that's great for carrying heavy loads and is comfortable to drive.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that can carry heavy loads and is great for work or play. It's popular because it's comfortable to drive and has lots of useful features.
Car
Ram 2500
The Ram 2500 is a bigger truck than the Ram 1500, made for heavy work and towing things.
Term
Hemi
Hemi is a type of engine that helps cars go faster and perform better by allowing air and fuel to mix more efficiently.
Term
Cummins diesel
Cummins diesel engines are strong engines that help trucks pull heavy loads and last a long time.
Car
Lucid Gravity
The Lucid Gravity is a new electric SUV made by Lucid Motors. It's designed to be a luxury vehicle, similar to their electric sedan but with more space and utility.
Car
Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is a popular electric car that is designed to be budget-friendly and easy to drive. It's often seen as a good choice for people looking to switch to electric vehicles.
Term
hatchback
A hatchback is a type of car that has a back door that opens up, making it easier to load and unload things. They are usually smaller than SUVs but can carry a lot of stuff.
Car
Toyota Rav4
The Toyota RAV4 is a popular SUV that many people choose because it's roomy and good for families. It's known for being reliable, which means it usually doesn't have many problems.
Car
Volkswagen Tiguan
The Volkswagen Tiguan is another small SUV that looks nice and has a comfortable interior. It's a good option if you're looking for a stylish vehicle with plenty of features.
Car
Tesla Model 3
The Tesla Model 3 is an electric car that doesn't use gas and can go really far on a single charge. It's known for being high-tech, but there have been some worries about safety after a few fires.
Term
electronic door latches
Electronic door latches are like electric door handles but specifically refer to the part that keeps the door closed. They can be opened with buttons or key fobs, making it easier to get in and out of the car.
Term
electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline. They are better for the environment but can catch fire in certain situations, which can be hard to put out.
Car
Hyundai Crater Off-Road
The Hyundai Crater Off-Road is a new vehicle idea shown at a car show. It's meant to see if people like it and if Hyundai should make more off-road cars in the future.
Concept
off-road
Off-road means driving cars on rough ground instead of smooth roads. Some cars are specially made to handle bumps, rocks, and dirt.
Concept
vehicle handling
Vehicle handling is how a car behaves when you drive it, especially how it turns and responds to your steering. Good handling means the car feels stable and easy to control.
Term
steering
Steering is how you control which direction the car goes. When you turn the steering wheel, it makes the car turn left or right.
Car
Audi S5
The Audi S5 is a sporty car that has a powerful engine and feels great to drive. It's also very comfortable inside, making it a nice choice for both fun and daily use.
Term
torque
Torque is a measure of how much force an engine can produce to make the car move. More torque helps the car speed up faster.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means that power goes to all four wheels of the car, helping it grip the road better and handle well in different weather.
Term
fuel economy
Fuel economy tells you how far a car can go on a gallon of gas. The better the fuel economy, the less gas you need.
Car
Chevrolet C7
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast sports car that many people dream of owning. The C7 model is especially liked because it looks great and drives really well.
Car
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a comfortable car that can fit a lot of people and their things. It's known for being reliable and lasting a long time, which is why many people choose it.
Car
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is a fancy sports car that goes really fast and looks amazing. It's designed for people who love driving and want a high-quality car.
Car
Mercedes-Benz Aclass
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a small luxury car that looks stylish and has lots of high-tech features. It's a great choice for people who want a fancy car without going for something bigger.
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This is America on the Road, named Best Radio Show by the International Automotive Media Conference, and now in its 33rd year on the air.
Thanks for being with us as we bring you the latest automotive information from around the world.
I'm Jack Neerad, and with me is guest co-host Matt DiLorenzo. Matt, it was great seeing you at the Los Angeles Auto Show as a vehicle there that caught your eye.
Yeah, I thought the Kia Telluride was kind of an interesting look, sister to the Palisade, but a little bit more rugged and off-road ready.
I had a chance to talk with its designer, Tom Curran, so we're going to have that interview coming up in a later show here.
There's plenty of automotive news to talk about this week.
The North American car, truck and utility vehicle of the year finalists have been announced.
They were announced in Los Angeles as jurors. Matt and I are both jurors. We'll have behind-the-scenes commentary for you.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has a new crash test dummy that better represents women, and we'll have the details on that in a few minutes.
We're going to try and avoid jokes on that.
Tesla is embroiled in yet another controversy, and we'll tell you much more about that coming up.
Hyundai showed off a cool new concept at the Los Angeles show. We'll give you our takes on that.
Matt, the North American car of the year finalists had some surprises in it, didn't it?
Yeah, you know, in the utility segment, we had one of the most expensive and one of the cheapest EVs on the market as finalists.
So it'll be interesting competition.
Yeah, we're going to talk about that in the next segment.
American on the Road is brought to you by drivingtoday.com, emlancy.com, the publisher of my latest book.
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Well, as your longtime listeners of the show know, Matt and I are both longtime auto journalists.
There's a lot of long times in that sentence, Matt, and members of the North American car of the year jury.
Now, Matt, you have a new book that has just hit the market.
We're going to talk about that a little later, but tell us the name of it.
It's titled Mercedes AMG, Racebred Performance.
It's a history of the AMG Performance Division of Mercedes, how it came to be, and some of the products that they have on the market today.
Very cool. What's your test vehicle?
My test vehicle is an Audi A5, which was a very interesting luxury sedan.
I'm going to be testing the 2026 Hyundai Ionic 9, an electric vehicle in calligraphy trim.
Our special guest is a really interesting guy.
Matthew Jones is a car enthusiast, and he started a trailer sharing website.
So stay with us for that. We're going to have so much more coming up.
We're glad you're with us right here on America on the Road.
Welcome back to America on the Road with Matt DiLorenzo.
This is Jack Neerad back with you, Chris Teague off this week having some stuff done on his house.
So Matt and I are getting the chance to talk. We always love that.
Matt is a North American car of the year juror, one of the founders of that organization.
I came along somewhat later than that, but Matt, we're both on the jury,
and the finalists have been announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
That was kind of a very nice event right at the beginning of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Kind of interesting contenders this time around.
Maybe I'll tell about the North American Car of the Year finalists, and then we can kick that around a little bit.
For Carthier, they are the Dodge Charger, the Honda Prelude, and the Nissan Sentra.
What's your take on this trio?
It's really interesting. The Charger is a big traditional sort of American luxury car,
but it also has an electric version that may or may not be around much longer, which is kind of ironic.
The Prelude is very interesting because it's a reintroduction of sort of the personal sporty coupe.
And it's really kind of fun to drive. It's very interesting because it uses an electric motor instead of a transmission.
So there's some interesting technology there.
And then we have the Nissan Sentra as the third traditional compact sedan, very nicely equipped.
We'll see how well it does.
Yeah, and in some ways maybe that's the most important of the vehicles,
or certainly in the biggest segment, but at the same time you have that really interesting tech
from both the Charger and the Prelude, different kind of tech, but interesting tech.
So I think there's a lot of interesting stuff to choose from here.
As an old muscle car guy from way back, I love the Charger, and I love kind of both flavors of this,
the electric and the Daytona, and then the six pack that's kind of cool.
You have a favorite amongst this?
I'm kind of leaning towards the Prelude because it is different from what's out on the market today.
The Sentra is a very nice vehicle, but last year the Civic Hybrid one,
and I don't think the Sentra really brings anything new to the table.
The Charger's pretty strong though, the fact that they do have an electric version,
and that straight six is amazing.
I mean it makes over 500 horsepower.
It's just really a true American muscle car.
Yeah, I think Charger has something for everybody there, so that might carry the day.
We'll see about that.
Let's talk about trucks real quick, the Ford Maverick Lobo Ram 1500 Hemi,
the return of a favorite, and the Ram 2500, their heavy-duty truck.
What are your thoughts on those three?
Well, you know, I like the fact that they've reintroduced the Hemi to the 1500 Ram, much needed.
I think they're going to do very well with that.
The 2500 really, you know, it's the Cummins diesel, nice interior, nothing new there.
But I did like the Lobo a lot.
I thought the technology there, they're trying to make it more of a driver's pickup,
which is kind of a contradiction in terms, but they pulled it off.
They've really done a nice job with it.
So I think it'll be tight between the 1500 and the Lobo.
Yeah, I mean, much as I love the Ram 1500 and I've loved it for a long time,
especially with the Hemi engine.
It's kind of just warmed over here.
Here it is again.
We have the V8 back again, where I think the Maverick Lobo is bringing something new to the party.
So I think that might be my favorite there.
I agree.
Those are great choices.
And then with the utility of the year, I mean, these finalists,
this is a wide-ranging kind of crazy group.
I think we had 18 or 19 eligible vehicles.
We do that drive back in Ann Arbor, and it was just a slog getting through all of them.
But we have, at the top end, the Lucid Gravity,
which is kind of like an SUV version of the Lucid sedan.
And then at the bottom end of the electric market,
we have the Leaf, which is an entry-level EV,
starts at around $30,000.
Nissan is trying to portray it as a crossover SUV.
It's still a hatchback car.
I mean, I'm sorry.
And I own a Leaf.
Much like the new Leaf, it's not an SUV in my estimation.
And right in the middle of the pack is the Palisade Hybrid,
which is a terrific, full-size, three-row SUV that gets over 30 miles per gallon.
Yeah, I mean, it is a very imposing vehicle, too.
I mean, the previous edition of the Palisade was a very good vehicle,
and I had a lot of proponents.
Man, I think they've taken it a long way here.
I have one in my driveway right now to do further evaluation,
so we'll talk about that.
But this is an interesting group, I think.
And what's most interesting to me was what isn't there.
Maybe my favorite amongst the bunch is the new Toyota RAV4,
the best-selling vehicle, I think, in 2024.
I mean, and a whole new generation of that that's all hybrid.
How that didn't make the finals.
I just can't tell you.
It's just a mind-blower.
I think one of the things that hurt them was the fact that they weren't able to get one to the drive in Ann Arbor.
They did take a lot of the jurors to the preview of the vehicle,
but I don't think enough of the jurors had enough experience with the new RAV4 to vote for it,
and it hurt them.
The other one was what was my dark horse was also the VW Tiguan.
A beautiful interior, terrific compact.
They really raised their game on it.
And again, it's very affordable.
It starts at, you know, right around $30,000.
So I was kind of surprised that didn't show stronger.
Yeah, terrific vehicle.
You're absolutely right.
I'm glad you pointed that out.
Well, let's jump from that to this new crash test dummy,
because the U.S. Department of Transportation says it's finally willing to acknowledge
that something women have known for a long time,
that seatbelts are not particularly designed for them,
and so they have designed a new crash test dummy that is supposedly going to reflect women's real bodies
rather than putting falsies on a male dummy,
which I think is what they've done in the past.
What did you take on this?
It's kind of a long overdrive, don't you think?
It's about time, you know, and this is nothing new.
I mean, that is the thing that really astounds me about this story.
Here we are, 2025, and they're just getting around to doing this.
And I remember 30 or 40 years ago, they actually had pregnant crash test dummies, you know?
They had, like, so, well, okay, if pregnant women are different than men, obviously,
then women are also different than men.
You know, why didn't you have a non-pregnant woman dummy?
It just escapes me.
Yeah, that's a long time coming, and I'm glad it has come.
Let's talk about this latest Tesla controversy because there's been another Model 3 fire,
and the thing that's frightening to me here is the fact that not only the vehicles burst into flames occasionally,
and when electric vehicles burn, boy, they burn.
It's a rough thing.
But what was most problematical was the vehicle's door handles, which are electric,
failed to operate, and that resulted in trapping people within the vehicle.
I mean, that's a giant problem, and it's something we're seeing.
The more you see, quote, unquote, tech like these electric door handles,
you're going to see stuff in that, not just in Teslas, but I think in vehicles across the board.
Yeah, you know, I think the manufacturers have to take a step back from some of this technology.
Now, I don't know if it's cost-driven to go with these electronic door latches and things.
You have to have a way to get out of a vehicle, you know, whether it's gas or electric.
The thing about that makes it even more terrifying with the electric vehicles
that those fires really burn hot and long, and they're very difficult to put out.
It's just really a frightening scenario.
Yeah, absolutely true.
Well, here's something we both saw at the Los Angeles Auto Show,
the Hyundai Crater Off-Road concept, a striking looking vehicle.
What's your take on that?
I thought it was kind of cool.
You know, it shows that the Koreans are interested in hardcore off-road,
that it's not going to be left to Jeep and Land Rover.
It'll be interesting to see if it's just a one-off model,
or if they're going to try to spin out a whole family of vehicles for the off-road set.
But striking looking, good. I didn't care for the name.
To me, a crater is a big smoking hole in the ground.
A big hole.
Yeah, a nice vehicle.
Yeah, we'll see what happens with that.
I think we're going to see a lot of that styling coming in vehicles
from Hyundai moving forward, so I think it's very cool.
And if you like kind of off-road, I mean, really kind of manly
or masculine looking vehicles, I mean, that's certainly one of them.
So take a look at that.
We'll have some photos up on our website to show that as well.
When we come back, we will be testing two very cool cars.
Remind us of the car you're testing, Matt.
The Audi A5 Sportback.
Can't wait to talk about that.
And I was driving the Hyundai, speaking of Hyundai, the Hyundai Ionic 9.
So stay with us for all of that.
And we'll be right back right here on America on the Road.
This is the time when we're all thinking about Christmas presents.
And if you're like me, you might have a difficult time coming up
with great gifts, especially for guys.
Well, I have a couple of suggestions for you,
both from companies that make all their products right here in the USA.
The first is Dearborn Denim and Apparel.
They make great jeans, shirts, and accessories in my old hometown of Chicago.
I've bought several pairs of jeans from them,
and I think they're among the best jeans I've ever owned.
Great materials, high quality workmanship, I just like them a lot.
Look for them at Dearborn Denim.us.
That's Dearborn Denim.us.
The second gift idea is Razors and Razor accessories
from a company called Western Razor.
Again, all of their products are made here in the USA,
and they are terrific.
The Razors aren't cheap, but then neither is your face.
I love using my Western Razor, and let me tell you,
those double-edged blades last a long, long time.
You can find them at WesternRazor.com.
That's WesternRazor.com.
This isn't a paid commercial.
These are just two personal suggestions I have about products I've purchased and used.
Take a look at Dearborn Denim.us and WesternRazor.com.
I think you'll like what you see.
Welcome back to America on the Road with Matt DeLorenzo.
Jack Neyred back with you.
Chris Teague off this week, but Matt substituting so capably,
and he has a really cool car to talk about in the road test segment.
The latest Audi.
Tell us about it.
The A5, which is actually a sedan in a world of SUVs.
It's kind of refreshing to get into something that's a little bit more traditional car-based.
When I drove it, I've driven it twice.
I drove it at the car of the year, testing it back in Michigan for 20 minutes or so.
Then I had one for a week here out in California.
Good for you.
I liked it.
I think it's a different feeling.
You sit closer to the ground.
It takes a little more effort to get in and out of the vehicle.
But I think the vehicle just hand ...
Germans really have a secret sauce when it comes to handling.
Steering was spot on.
Brakes felt good.
The two-liter engine, which, you know, this is kind of the base model,
makes 268 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque.
Plenty of power for that type of package.
And then there's the versatility of this lift-back.
So it's actually a hatchback.
It looks like a sedan, but you have this lift-back, and it's great.
I mean, you drop the back seats, and it offers you almost SUV-like cargo carrying capabilities.
And it's just comfortable.
My only ...
And the price is a little steep.
This one is slotted.
It kind of replaces the A4.
It's moved up a little in price.
It starts at about $1,000.
Which, ironically, is about the average price of a new vehicle.
But the interface system I found a little difficult to use.
It's a touchscreen, a lot of capacitive touch things,
some issues with starting the car up,
and then, you know, it has a personalization.
That's a problem.
Yeah, well, you start it up, and then it says,
Are you a guest?
Are you this?
And you're punching all these different buttons.
And some of the features that, you know,
I had a hard time getting the radio to work.
But I did get it to work eventually.
The navigation system was good.
They're powered by Alexa.
So you talk to Alexa, and she'll get you to wherever you want to go.
And that's the other thing.
I did like is that it's more of a natural voice command system.
You just say what you want, and they'll kind of figure it out.
Some of these cars, you have to go through a specific protocol
to get what you want.
And it can be very frustrating to use at times.
Yeah, and I think using the voice control like Alexa
kind of gets you past everything being in the touchscreen,
right?
I mean, you can help a car to do stuff.
Exactly.
And I think as you get more comfortable with talking to your car,
it helps out a lot.
Right.
Right.
And you had experience in the S5,
which is the more powerful, sporty version of...
Yeah.
Well, I'm glad you brought it up because I jumped in that S5.
And number one, I loved being in a sedan.
It was very cool to be in a lower vehicle.
Yeah.
And I lowered my old bones into it
and really had a great experience.
And then I just was wowed almost from the beginning
about how good that car is.
I mean, it is just absolutely spectacular
in terms of just overall performance,
plus being comfortable, a five passenger vehicle
with, as you say, a lot of interior space
and a lot of cargo space.
You know, I'm an autojournalist, so I love hatchbacks.
I'm not sure that the average car buyer in the United States
is such a fan of that.
But I think the nice thing about the A5 and the S5
is they disguise that hatch pretty well, don't they?
Right.
Yeah, they do.
They do.
And that S5 is a monster.
It's got a V6 turbocharged engine that makes 362 horsepower
and over 400 pound-feet of torque.
So it is a real rocket.
Audi is known for its all-wheel drive system.
So, you know, you'll have very sure-footed handling.
Very nice vehicles.
I think in the A5 I was driving, the fuel economy
was pretty decent.
It's a combined 26mpg.
You can get 31 on the highway, which isn't bad.
So for the money and the luxury and having something
that you're not going to see on every corner,
I think Audi's done a pretty good job.
Yeah, I think you have somewhat of the practicality
of an SUV.
Certainly it's not a tall vehicle.
You're not sitting up above traffic,
but I think there's a lot to like about this
and the fact that they folded together the A4
and the Sportback and all that into one vehicle
that's both good looking and really fun to use,
fun to drive.
I think it's a winner.
I really liked it a lot.
Well, I was driving a vehicle very different than that.
The Ionic 9, I drove it in calligraphy form.
The Ionic 9, if you're not acquainted with it
and probably you're not,
because I don't think a lot of people are,
is a three-row electric vehicle meant to be full-size.
I think Hyundai is positioning it as quote,
quote, a full-size SUV
and maybe from an interior space point of view.
They have a point.
From the outside, it doesn't look full-size.
If you put it next to, say, a Chevy Tahoe or Suburban,
I don't think you're going to say,
oh, they're the same size of vehicle.
But it's a pretty cool vehicle.
It uses the Hyundai e-GMP platform
that they use on so many of their vehicles,
including vehicles we've reviewed here,
the Ionic 5 and Ionic 6, of course.
Then they scale it to make it a full-size family hauler.
They put a long-range battery in it.
And one of its secret sauces is its charging capabilities.
So we'll talk about that.
In calligraphy trim, it's the most luxurious version of this car.
It features the highest level of noise isolation,
which is an electric car.
There's not much noise except tire noise
and the wind rushing by it.
From a 50,000-foot level,
what's your take on Ionic 9
before I dive into this even more?
It's pretty cool.
I think the styling is kind of striking.
When you walk up behind the vehicle,
it really kind of looks like a spaceship.
The back end tapers down a little bit.
They have this kind of interesting LED light arrangement
that wraps around the hatch.
It's really a different-looking vehicle,
which I think if you have an EV,
you kind of want to stand out from the crowd.
And certainly the Ionic 9 does that.
I think maybe there is that element of EV ownership
that wants to do that.
I think if they're trying to broaden the base of EV buyers,
maybe they don't want to make it so spaceship-like,
but I guess we'll have to see how that all unfolds.
Let's talk about drivetrain here.
All Ionic 9 models use a 110.3 kWh battery.
So that's standardized.
In a lot of electric vehicles,
you have all kinds of different battery types
and drive types, and it gets confusing.
I don't know how people even figure out how to order them.
This is available in rear-wheel drive, dual-motor all-wheel drive.
There is a high-performance all-wheel drive version of this.
The longest-range version is the rear-drive version,
which is one of the lower-level versions,
actually, posts up to 335 miles of estimated range,
which that's pretty substantial, right, Matt?
Yeah, it's kind of, you know, that's one of the things.
You know, we used to go through specs
and there'd be all these different engine types
and all this other stuff.
EVs now, they come in about six different range options.
And it all gets down to, you know, whether it's,
you know, you're driving one axle,
you're driving both axles,
how much accessory loads you have on how heavy the vehicle is.
So, like with the Ionic 9,
you can go from, I think, around 280,
maybe up to 335 in range.
And it's kind of ironic is that the more range you get,
the cheaper the vehicle is.
You know, like the really all-in high-performance
has the worst range.
Right. I mean, I'll run through the powertrain thing
a little bit.
The long-range rear-wheel drive model
has a 214 horsepower rear motor,
or driving the rear wheels anyway.
The long-range all-wheel drive adds
an 89 horsepower front motor.
So, you get 303 horsepower.
And then the performance model
has dual 211 horsepower motors for 422 horsepower.
So, kind of interesting, but as you say,
as you go up in horsepower, you go down in range.
So, and as you go up in price in horsepower,
you go down in range, which is kind of an oddball thing
when people are so concentrated on range.
Now, you're an electric vehicle driver.
How important is range?
Like, is 330 miles of range a lot better than 280,
or does it not make much difference?
Well, I look at it a little bit differently.
You know, I agree. I think range is very important.
I think the thing is, do you really need
a sub-5-second 3-row SUV?
Right, yeah.
And that's the thing.
These things offer incredible performance.
You're paying for it.
But what are you going to use that?
You're hauling around the kids to go to a soccer game.
You're going to be, you know, street racing.
Yeah, I'm with you.
I think you're probably just as well off
with the 214 horsepower long range vehicle
to do exactly what you're talking about doing.
And it'll do all of that.
I talked a little bit about the charging.
It charges very fast because it uses 800-volt charging.
Now, it will charge fast if you can find
a charger that is compatible with that.
And I think it's like 350 kilowatt charger,
something like that.
You need to do that.
But it's not just every fast charger
is going to charge that amount.
It is 350 kilowatt charger.
It will give you a lot of range
in a fairly short period of time,
I think close to 80% or to 80%
in something like 15 minutes, which is great.
I mean, you get a cup of coffee
and have a comfort stop and move on from there.
But this is not a vehicle, as you say,
that I think is going to be used
for cross-country driving very much.
I think it's more picking up kids at the soccer game
or taking carpool to school and that kind of thing.
And I think for that kind of operation,
it is a terrific vehicle to do that.
I think the only thing that stands in the way there
and is luxurious inside
and the infotainment system very, very good.
I think we both like the Hyundai infotainment system.
But what I'm getting to here is price.
I mean, this is $77,000.
I think that's a lot of change for this thing.
What do you think?
Yeah, it's an expensive piece
and I think it will only appeal to the fraction of the market.
Yeah, I'm with you.
And when we come back, we'll have a terrific guest for you.
Matthew Jones is the founder of a fascinating
trailer-sharing site called Tolos.
You'll enjoy our interview that we have with him.
He's an interesting guy.
So stay with us and we'll be right back right here
on America on the Road.
I received a letter from a reader this week
and I thought I'd share it with you.
Here's what he wrote.
I just got around to reading Dance in the Dark
and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it.
I'm a compulsive reader and this one was right up my alley.
An unlikely hero.
A lot of twists and turns.
Some adult content.
And humor that rose naturally from the action.
Keep on writing and I'll keep on reading.
Of course that's just the kind of letter
any author would love to get.
I hope that others get the same enjoyment
from reading Dance in the Dark
and my newest crime novel,
Only One Thing Stays the Same.
Both are available exclusively at Amazon.com.
That's Dance in the Dark
and Only One Thing Stays the Same.
Both written by me, Jack Arnie Red.
Thanks for looking for them today.
Welcome back everybody.
We're back with you.
We have a terrific, really interesting guy.
Fascinating career path for our next guest.
His name is Matthew Jones.
Matt, thanks so much for being with us.
We appreciate it.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
because your career arc is a really interesting one.
Yeah, Jack.
It's an honor to be here.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a nomad in some ways.
I like to tell people that I'm a recovering orthopedic surgeon
and now a starving entrepreneur.
Yeah, well that's a cool thing
and you have founded a company called Tolos
which is a trailer sharing marketplace.
Tell us about that
and the genesis of that
because I think there's an interesting story behind that.
So yeah, it's Tolos and you pronounced it correctly
so good on you.
One in a row.
Yeah, there you go.
There you go.
You know, Google, if you type in Tolos,
Google likes to try to redirect you to towels.
You know?
Yes.
It's like, no.
Tolos, T-O-W-L-O-S.
Don't redirect me to...
I don't want to look at towels.
And so it's a...
Yeah, exactly.
It's a trailer sharing marketplace.
Just like what you think of Airbnb
but rather than homes,
we deal with trailers.
You know, and for those who know Turo, T-U-R-O,
that's a peer-to-peer car rental marketplace
and I kind of got familiar with Turo.
I think about 10 years ago
and I just kind of loved the concept of it, right?
I mean, 92% of cars sit there unused.
We all know those cars that just sit in your driveway,
sit in your garage,
sit in the parking lot at your work
and so Tolos follows a very, very similar concept
where we're trying to make better use of these underutilized assets
and by being a peer-to-peer marketplace
we give people an opportunity to monetize something that they own.
They own and mostly don't use, right?
Exactly.
You see grass growing under trailers a lot of times, right?
Right.
Because they're used maybe a dozen times,
half a dozen times a year or less.
90% of these trailers, Jack, are not used, you know?
Similar to the cars, right?
So we like to think of this as just making better use
of the world's resources, you know?
It's a cool way to kind of be a part of that shared economy
and what we've realized, Jack,
is that unit economics of renting a trailer, the type...
So we focus on car haulers, dump trailers, horse trailers,
boat trailers, utility trailers, specialty trailers,
motorcycle trailers, you know,
things that you can't rent from U-Haul.
We don't really focus on RVs.
We don't focus on things that require a CDL.
So none of the big semi-trailers.
And so we have kind of a fairly...
And not like a house or camping trailer or something like that, right?
Exactly.
Not an RV, not a camper.
Exactly.
That's right.
There's a couple other really good peer-to-peer marketplaces
that have done, that are doing that now, have done that.
I think most, a couple of those outdoorsy and RV share
are a couple of the ones that might come to mind.
We got our start in 2021.
I was solving my own problem, Jack.
I just got a C7 Corvette,
which you may be able to see behind me.
And I met a couple Corvette buddies,
and they were like, have you tracked your car?
And I said, no.
And I said, do you want to?
And I said, I'm not sure.
Right.
And they convinced me, you know, we all need a buddy, right?
Rarely do we do something nefarious on our own.
And so I started going to a couple of tracks around Chicago.
I know you're a Chicago guy.
And so we drove our cars up to Road Atlanta, Jack,
which is just up there in Wisconsin about...
Road America.
Road America.
Sorry.
Road America.
Right up there in Wisconsin, beautiful part of the country.
Iconic racetrack.
And that's kind of where I got my first, you know,
kind of my first experience on a racetrack.
And so I think I got a little...
It could be scary in a Corvette, I think.
It was.
That's a high speed track.
That's a big track.
That's a big track.
Yeah.
Exactly.
High, you know, some big braking zones.
And so that we kind of, you know, we got the bug
and we thought, man, it would be so cool to get to other places
like VIR or Mid-Ohio or NCM or Road Atlanta,
get to some of these other race,
these iconic racetracks.
And we were like, okay, it doesn't matter.
Even though we have street legal cars,
these are not race cars.
Right.
So we don't want to get stranded there.
So let's just rent a trailer.
My buddy had a truck.
And let's then, you know, we can increase the chance
that we will get there safely
and that we will return safely.
Right.
And not ruin a weekend that we had kind of planned
months in advance, you know.
And so what we found is that it was surprisingly hard
to rent the right trailer.
You can rent a U-Haul car hauler.
And that's great for hauling a Honda Accord.
But it does not work well if you're trying
to haul a sports car or a race car.
And so I started talking to some of these guys
that were in the paddock.
Some of these guys had enclosed trailers.
A lot of them had open car haulers.
And, you know, just started asking them how often
they used their trailer.
And the answer was always the same,
two to five weekends a year.
It was that answer every time.
And so that's what kind of got me thinking like,
I wonder if we could serve two different populations
with the same business, you know.
And so that was kind of the origin for TOLO.
So it is a bit of a motor sports inspired.
We then have expanded into more, you know,
things like dump trailers.
But what we love is the passion, the enthusiasm.
We see trailers as just a tool.
We want to inspire people and decrease the barriers
to allow people to take their ATVs out into the desert.
To take these guys, you may know more about this
than I do, but these guys that love their Jeeps
and they love to take them out to Moab, you know.
And they're not driving those things out there.
They're hauling those things.
Yeah.
And they're wise if they're hauling them
as opposed to driving them
because it wouldn't be all that comfortable
to take a long street drive in those vehicles.
Yeah.
So that's kind of how it started, Jack.
It's been a pretty exciting journey.
I am an orthopedic surgeon by training,
as I mentioned at the beginning.
I did that for 10 years.
I worked at Northwestern in Chicago.
And I enjoyed that.
For those inside medicine,
they'll understand this for those outside
that may be a little bit harder.
But I would say I really enjoyed
95% of orthopedic surgery.
I did not love American medicine
and at least the way that medicine has kind of gone
over the last two decades.
And it's become more corporatized.
There's just, it's become,
the distance between a patient and a doc
has gotten pushed apart.
Yeah.
And it's kind of, there's been some wedges
that have come in,
whether it's insurance, whether it's bureaucracy,
whether it's just other things.
And I think it's, unfortunately,
it's decreased some of the professionalism
of this still very noble profession.
And my wife's an internist,
and so I have all the respect in the world
for docs.
But yeah, I made a massive pivot about two,
sorry, about four years ago.
I guess I did both for about a year
before pivoting full time
into running this tech startup.
What was the discussion at home
when you decided to do this?
Don't ask that.
Don't ask me that.
I really want to know
because I'm really curious to know that.
Well, so, I mean, as you can imagine,
I mean, one of the things,
so I kind of, I go around and I tell,
I do a little bit of keynote speaking
and then I've been on several podcasts
kind of just sharing this journey
because it is somewhat unusual.
But one of the things that I say is
always remember that your spouse
is your number one investor.
You always have to keep that in mind.
And you have to have a spouse
that is supportive.
I mean, this is running a tech startup
is hard enough, even,
but think about if you add on a spouse
that's just kind of bitter
or just not supportive.
So I have to give all the credit
in the world to Emily
who allowed me to take this leap.
I mean, it was and it still is a leap.
And we're not kind of through it yet.
We're still, you know, we're still in.
So in the tech world,
we use this term called,
some people call it the trough of sorrow
or I call it the trough of despair
where, you know,
it's these gears that are turning
and they maybe haven't quite meshed yet.
So you haven't quite found product market fit.
And so it's these gears that are spinning
and so it's this.
So we're probably just now
climbing out of the trough of despair.
What have you learned that is customer focused?
I mean, obviously you have to be customer focused
at something like this
and provide a service that others aren't providing.
Hopefully, I mean, that's kind of marketing 101.
Talk about that a little bit.
Well, so I think one of the,
you might think, man, there's, you know,
what kind of parallels are there
between trailers and surgery?
And at first, the answer is very little.
One thing that though that I would say has helped us
and helped our team is as a doc,
of course, we're taught to listen well, right?
So you ask good questions of your patients
and they say that 95% of the time,
you know the diagnosis.
Like I saw patients all the time for shoulder pain.
They come in with shoulder pain
and I try to ask a bunch of different questions
and really try to listen.
95% of the time,
I was pretty sure of the diagnosis
before I even examined the patient.
And so then what you're doing is
you're in some ways confirming
your suspected diagnosis, right?
And so we've carried those same principles
into tolos because we try hard.
We have kind of two separate audiences.
We call them hosts and guests.
You know, hosts are our trailer owners
and guests are our trailer renters.
And rather than trying to come in
kind of with some ego thinking
we have some kind of these good ideas
that, hey, we're going to roll this out
and people are going to love it,
we've worked backwards where we say,
no, let's go out there.
Let's talk to our early adopters.
Let's try to understand their pain.
And again, that's natural for me to do
because I'm, you know,
my job is to uncover the source of people's pain.
Literal pain, yeah.
And then, exactly.
And then see if we can just solve that.
And sometimes we can and sometimes we can't.
But if we can understand
where their pain points are
and if we can leverage technology
to solve those, we're doing pretty well.
Yeah.
It strikes me one of the hurdles here
is getting enough hosts, right?
Getting enough trailers, the proper trailers.
Kind of a consistent presentation to people
and it's not going to be super consistent
because it's going to be individual trailers, I think.
And kind of one-offs as opposed to
you go to a big brand and every trailer is similar,
a U-Haul kind of situation.
Talk about that a little bit.
Just recruiting the trailer owner to participate.
Yep.
And you're exactly right, Jack.
And because it's not a one-size-fits-all, right?
It's our focus.
I mean, the whole part of what we offer
is these kind of different specialty trailers.
So you're exactly right.
And so in any marketplace,
there's always this chicken and egg problem, right?
You're working through.
You're trying to build.
You don't control either one.
The challenge of a marketplace like this
is that you don't control the supply.
It's not like we can just go to the factory
and say, hey, there's some big demand for what,
for our product.
Let's increase our production.
So we have to find ways to increase our supply.
And that's what you're talking about.
And then match it with the demand.
And so that's a hard thing.
And then you're trying to kind of constantly find
that kind of that dynamic equilibrium.
All right.
Tell us, as a guest, if somebody needs a trailer,
how do they just go about doing that whole thing?
Yeah, absolutely.
You just go to tollos.com, T-O-W-L-O-S.
And it'll take you right there.
Again, as an orthopedic surgeon,
I have a high demand for attention to detail.
That's another thing that I've carried over.
And we've tried to hopefully people will kind of see
the design, the emphasis on design with the website.
It's designed to be intuitive
and it's designed to be mobile friendly.
We don't have an app yet, Jack.
We're working on it.
We're probably going to do that.
That probably might be Q2 of 2026.
So right now, just tollos.com on most...
90, 92% of our users are on their phones.
And so you just go to tollos on your mobile browser.
And then you can type in your city and state,
hit the magnifying glass, and it'll pull up the trailers.
And then you can always filter for the type of trailer
that you want.
But that's about it.
And it'll just walk you through the steps
and you can rent it right there in your PJs.
Yeah.
Well, I did that, found it to be very, very easy.
Okay.
Something that works really well.
Well, you know, we've come to the end of this segment.
Fascinating stuff.
I hope we can talk again.
And I want to check in with you
to see how this develops over time.
Because I think it's such a great idea.
It's cool that you came out of the motor sports thing
and you're a car guy.
And maybe we can talk about that a little more
the next time we chat.
Let's do that.
Yeah, that would be great.
Because I'd love to talk cars with you
as I'm happy to talk cars with pretty much anybody.
Yeah.
Great to meet you.
Great to talk with you.
And we look forward to doing it again.
Find us again at the name of your site
and all that stuff.
Yep.
Justtolos.com.
T-O-W-L-O-S.com.
Thanks, Jack.
Really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for being with us.
We appreciate it.
And stay with us, everybody.
We'll be right back right here
on America on the Road.
Welcome back to America on the Road
with Kess Co-host Matt DeLorendo.
This is Jack Neerad with you.
This is normally our listener question
portion of the program.
But Matt has a new book,
so I want to hear about that.
Let's spend this time talking about your new book.
Tell us the title and tell us all about it, Matt.
It's called Mercedes AMG Racebred Performance.
And it tells the story of how AMG came to be.
And it started with a couple of sort of
disaffected engineers at Mercedes
who wanted to go racing at a time in the factory
and wanted nothing to do with racing.
So they left the company
and they started tuning race cars
and the factory wasn't too happy about them being a tuner.
But they turned out being so successful
and they actually ran a race team for Mercedes
that Mercedes turned around and bought the company
and turned it into Mercedes AMG division,
which is the performance division of Mercedes.
And so you were able to, I think, visit over there
and, again, kind of chronicle what they did, right?
They have some really interesting vehicles.
They built their own car, which was the SLS Gullwing
about 10 years ago.
Now they have the AMG GT, which is their own car.
They build their own engines using one technician
to put the engine together, which is kind of cool.
And then they offered a hypercar.
There was a limited production run,
which actually took the Formula 1 engine
and put it in a road car.
Fabulous story about that.
And all the other stuff that they tuned.
Everything from G-waggons to A-class that ants.
So it's a compelling story.
Yeah, very, very cool.
That book is out right now.
Yeah.
It's selling on Amazon.
It's through motorbooks.
And I think you'll be able to find it in some bookstores,
Barnes & Noble.
And remind us of the name of the book again, Matt.
It's called Mercedes AMG Race Spread Performance.
By Matt DiLorenzo, autojournalist, par excellence
and a frequent guest host on America on the Road.
We'd love having Matt with us.
I guess that wraps up our show for this week,
my new Crom novel.
Only one thing stays the same.
It's now available in both e-book and paperback form at Amazon.
Makes a great Christmas gift.
It's like crazy inexpensive right now.
If you like our show, please pass it on.
Listen on this radio station each week
and let your friends know where you hear America on the Road
and of course win.
America on the Road is available as a podcast
and we have YouTube and Rumble channels,
so check those out.
Our thanks to Mercury Insurance for sponsoring the show
and our sports byline network stations for carrying it
and to Matt DiLorenzo for so capably co-hosting
as he normally does.
Thanks Matt.
Thanks for having me on. It was great.
I always enjoyed being here.
I love it when you're with us.
Most of all, thanks to you for listening.
We do appreciate it and join us again next time
for another edition of America on the Road.
Hi, I'm Jack Arnie Redd
and I'd like to tell you about my newest crime novel,
Only One Thing Stays the Same.
In a style reminiscent of James M. Kane and Jim Thompson,
two of my writing idols,
the book chronicles a blue collar workers up and down
love affairs with two modern Southern California women
who continue to surprise, shock, and ultimately confound him.
As the story unfolds,
an unemployed aeronautics worker named Bill McCurdy
becomes disillusioned with his wife
and slips into an illicit affair
with a teenager from down the street.
Before long he begins to think of doing the unthinkable,
but despite his desperate attempts to make things work,
almost nothing goes as planned.
His misguided quest for simple love
doesn't turn out to be simple at all.
And before the roller coaster ride stops,
he learns quite personally and very finally
that Only One Thing Stays the Same.
Only One Thing Stays the Same
is available in Kindle e-book and paperback form
exclusively at Amazon.com.
I'd appreciate it if you'd look for it today.
This is the time when we're all thinking
about Christmas presents
and if you're like me,
you might have a difficult time
coming up with great gifts,
especially for guys.
I have a couple of suggestions for you,
both from companies that make all their products
right here in the USA.
The first is Dearborn Denim and Apparel.
They make great jeans, shirts and accessories
in my old hometown of Chicago.
I've watched several pairs of jeans from them
and I think they're among the best jeans I've ever owned.
Great materials, high quality workmanship,
I just like them a lot.
Look for them at DearbornDenim.us
That's DearbornDenim.us
The second gift idea is
Razors and Razor accessories
from a company called Western Razor.
Again, all of their products are made here in the USA
and they are terrific.
The Razors aren't cheap,
but then neither is your face.
I love using my Western Razor
and let me tell you,
those double-edged blades last a long, long time.
You can find them at WesternRazor.com.
That's WesternRazor.com.
This isn't a paid commercial.
These are just two personal suggestions
I have about products I've purchased and used.
Take a look at DearbornDenim.us
and WesternRazor.com
I think you'll like what you see.
About this episode
The episode dives into the latest automotive news, featuring discussions on the 2026 Audi A5/S5, North American Car of the Year finalists, and a new crash test dummy designed to better represent women. Co-hosts Jack Neerad and Matt DiLorenzo share insights from the Los Angeles Auto Show, including thoughts on the Hyundai Crater Off-Road concept and Tesla's recent controversies. They also review the Audi A5 and Hyundai Ionic 9, highlighting their performance, features, and pricing. The episode concludes with an interview with Matthew Jones, founder of a trailer-sharing marketplace called Tolos.
all wheel drive
Cummins diesel
electric motor
electronic door latches
EV
fuel economy
hatchback
Hemi
horsepower
North American Car of the Year
Audi A5
Audi S5
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Charger
Dodge Ram
Ford Lobo
Ford Maverick
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda Prelude
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Hyundai Palisade
Kia Telluride
Lucid Gravity
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
Nissan Leaf
Nissan Sentra
Ram 1500
Ram 2500
Tesla Model 3
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen Tiguan
Original notes
This week on America on the Road, Jack Nerad and guest co-host Matt DeLorenzo test two vastly different vehicles, both with stellar performance potential. In our road test segment, Matt and Jack share their drives of the new 2026 Audi A5 and S5, now a liftback duo that replaces both the A4 sedan and A5 Sportback. Jack also reviews Hyundai’s most luxurious electric SUV yet, the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy. And in our interview segment, Jack speaks with Matthew Jones, founder of Towlos, a fast-growing trailer-sharing marketplace with a unique origin story.
Jack and Matt also reflect on the aftermath of the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the pair got a first look at several major debuts. They also share insider commentary as longtime jurors for the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards, which announced their 2026 finalists at the show.
🚗 Road Tests Matt DeLorenzo Test-Drives the 2026 Audi A5Matt gets behind the wheel of the redesigned Audi A5, now a single model that blends the roles of the A4 and former A5 Sportback. With standard all-wheel drive, a 268-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, a spacious hatch, and a composed ride, the A5 aims to balance performance with everyday usefulness. Matt walks through the car’s comfort, cabin design, and how it stacks up against key German rivals. Jack and Matt both chip in with info on the S5, which Jack drove during NACTOY testing in Michigan recently.
Jack Nerad Reviews the All-New 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 CalligraphyLooking for a family-size EV? Jack tests Hyundai’s flagship three-row battery-electric Ioniq 9. Riding on the brand’s E-GMP platform, the Ioniq 9 Calligraphy offers a large 110.3-kWh battery, available AWD, up to 335 miles of range, fast 800-volt charging, and a quiet, lounge-inspired interior. Jack explains where it shines on refinement and technology, and what buyers should know as Hyundai pushes further into premium EV territory.
🎙️ Special Guest Interview Matthew Jones, Founder of TowlosThis week’s guest is entrepreneur and self-described car enthusiast Matthew Jones, who created Towlos, a peer-to-peer trailer-sharing platform that’s solving a long-overlooked problem in the towing world. He joins Jack to talk about the idea that sparked the company, how the platform works, and why trailer accessibility matters more than people think.
📰 This Week’s Auto Headlines 2026 North American Car, Truck & Utility Vehicle of the Year Finalists AnnouncedThe Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off with the reveal of this year’s NACTOY finalists. As jurors, Jack and Matt share inside perspective on the surprises and standouts.
Car Finalists: Dodge Charger, Honda Prelude, Nissan Sentra
Truck Finalists: Ford Maverick Lobo, Ram 1500 Hemi, Ram 2500
Utility Finalists: Hyundai Palisade, Lucid Gravity, Nissan Leaf
DOT Introduces a New Female Crash-Test DummyFor the first time, regulators are adopting a crash test dummy built to reflect real female body proportions. With more than 150 sensors, it is designed to better measure how women experience crash forces. Safety gaps between genders have persisted for decades, and this marks a long-overdue shift.
Tesla Faces Lawsuit Over Model 3 Crash and FireTesla is under new scrutiny after a lawsuit alleges sudden acceleration, battery-fire risks, and electric door-handle failures contributed to a fatal 2023 Model 3 crash. The case adds to a growing list of complaints about Tesla’s door designs and comes as federal investigators review similar failures.
Hyundai Reveals CRATER Off-Road ConceptHyundai showed off the CRATER Concept in Los Angeles, an adventure-ready compact off-roader with 33-inch tires, removable camera-mirrors, a rugged cabin, and playful touches like a recovery hook that doubles as a bottle opener. The concept hints at future XRT-themed models.
📚 Book SpotlightMatt DeLorenzo has a new book out: Mercedes-AMG: Race-Bred Performance. Jack and Matt spend a few minutes discussing the project, AMG history, and what readers will find inside.
Jack’s latest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, is also now available in paperback and ebook formats.
Catch America on the Road every week on this station, and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Rumble. You’ll find new-car reviews, interviews, industry news, and more. Special thanks to Mercury Insurance for sponsoring the show and to our Sports Byline Network stations across the country. And thank you for listening.
🎙️ HostsJack Nerad — Award-winning auto journalist and author of Only One Thing Stays the Same
Chris Teague — Longtime auto critic and journalist
📢 Presented by• DrivingToday.com
• EMLandsea.com
• Mercury Insurance – Switch today and save. Californians save an average of $670.
Find America on the Road on YouTube and Rumble. Subscribe for road test videos, shorts, and extended reviews.
📨 Email: [email protected]
Check Out Matt DeLorenzo’s Book:Pick up a copy of co-host Matt DeLorenzo’s terrific new book Mercedes-AMG: Race-Bred Performance
Special Price for Jack’s Newest Crime Novel:Jack is now offering his newest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, at a 67%-off price of just $4.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at this special limited-time price.
America on the Road
Jack Nerad - Host
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