When a lease ends, the car gets returned to the company that owns it. If lots of cars come back around the same time, there are more used cars for sale, which can make prices drop.
The hosts are talking about a big number of electric cars becoming available as used cars. When many EVs show up at once, it can affect what they cost and how easy they are to find.
Ford is a large car company. In this segment, they’re talking about Ford pausing a planned partnership in the U.S. and focusing more on Europe instead.
The Porsche Cayenne Coupe is a Porsche SUV with a sportier shape. Here they’re talking about a new electric version, which is Porsche making its SUV more EV-focused.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is a popular family SUV. They’re saying the 2026 refreshed version starts under $30,000, so it’s positioned as a more affordable option.
The Honda Prologue is Honda’s electric SUV. The host mentions it because their lease is ending, which is part of why more used electric cars will show up soon.
Used EV prices refer to what electric vehicles cost on the pre-owned market, which can move quickly as supply increases. In this segment, the hosts connect a glut of used EVs to falling prices.
Cox Automotive is a company that studies car-market data. Here, they’re being used as a source for the claim that used electric cars are getting cheaper.
Tax credits are discounts from the government that can make an EV cheaper to buy. If they go away, fewer people may want to buy right away, which can push prices down.
Residual value is what a car is expected to be worth when a lease ends. If the real used-car price ends up lower than that estimate, the company that financed the leases can take a hit.
The Buick Century is a car model made by Buick. It’s generally aimed at being comfortable for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it in the context of how long it’s been in production and how it has evolved.
Mini is a small car brand with a fun, distinctive personality. The hosts are comparing the newer, bigger Minis to the original smaller ones, and talking about why fans love customizing them.
This is how the car is set up: the engine sits sideways and the front wheels do the driving. It helps make the car more space-efficient and is common on smaller cars.
This describes automaker partnerships where one company provides engineering know-how and/or manufacturing capacity to another. The segment frames it as a potential way for Ford to access Chinese strengths, though they say Ford is backing away due to issues.
“Electric side” just means the EV part of the business—how a company makes and sells electric cars. They’re saying Chinese EVs are doing better in other markets.
This is Porsche’s electric take on the Cayenne in a coupe-style body. It’s meant to feel like a sporty, premium Porsche, but powered by electricity instead of a gas engine.
The Porsche Taycan is an electric car made by Porsche. It runs on electricity instead of gasoline. The podcast mentions it because people have responded well to it and it’s being considered as a more familiar kind of vehicle.
A 48-volt mild hybrid is a light electrification system that helps the gas engine. It can add a bit of electric boost and improve efficiency, but it usually can’t move the car on electricity alone.
Nissan is mentioned because the speaker says Mitsubishi’s SUV benefits from a partnership with Nissan. That kind of collaboration can mean shared parts or engineering know-how.
Infotainment is the car’s dashboard system for things like music, navigation, and phone features. Better infotainment usually means easier menus and smoother screen behavior.
Torque is the engine’s pulling force. More torque usually helps a heavy vehicle feel quicker when you start moving or when you accelerate from slower speeds.
A 10-speed automatic transmission is the car’s automatic gear system with ten different gear ratios. It helps the car choose the right “gear” without you doing anything, which can improve smoothness and efficiency.
Magnetic ride control is a suspension feature that can automatically make the ride softer or firmer. It helps the car feel smoother over bumps but more controlled when you’re driving harder.
Body-on-frame means the car’s body is mounted on a separate heavy frame. It’s a common design for big SUVs and trucks because it’s strong, especially for hauling, but it can feel a bit less nimble than smaller cars.
Apple CarPlay connects your iPhone to the car so you can use key apps on the dashboard screen. It’s meant to make navigation and music easier while driving.
Android Auto connects your Android phone to the car so you can use apps on the screen. It’s designed to keep you focused on driving while still getting directions and music.
XM radio is satellite radio, so you can get stations even when you’re far from regular radio towers. It’s often included as a built-in option in newer cars.
A touchscreen is the screen you tap to control things like temperature and settings. The host says the climate controls on this car are a bit awkward to adjust.
Super Cruise is a system that can help drive hands-free on certain roads. The host says it’s great on straight highway driving, but it has trouble on twisty roads and in strong wind.
Hands-free driving means the car can help steer without you gripping the wheel constantly. The host says it works well on highways but has trouble on twisty roads and in strong wind.
The Chevrolet Tahoe is a big family SUV. The host mentions it as a cheaper alternative to the Volvo if you want similar “family tech” without the same price tag.
The Chevrolet Suburban is a large SUV known for family space. The host mentions it as another option that could cost less than the Volvo while still being practical.
Power side steps are automatic steps that come out when you get in and go back in when you’re done. If they break, they may not retract or may stop working properly.
The Volvo V60 Cross Country is a wagon that’s styled to look more rugged, kind of like an SUV. It’s meant to be practical like a wagon, but with a higher, more adventurous look.
A turbocharged four-cylinder engine is a small engine with a device that squeezes more air in. That helps it make more power and pull harder when you accelerate.
This is an automatic gearbox with eight different gear ratios. It helps the car choose the right “gear” for the situation so it can feel smoother and respond better.
An integrated starter generator is a combined starter and small electric motor. In a mild hybrid, it helps the engine get moving and can add extra push when you accelerate.
0-to-60 time tells you how quickly a car accelerates from a standstill to 60 mph. Lower numbers usually mean the car feels quicker in everyday driving.
Stop-start is a feature that turns the engine off when you’re stopped and turns it back on when you start driving again. They’re saying this one does that smoothly instead of feeling jerky.
Multi-zone climate control lets front passengers adjust the cabin temperature separately. It’s a comfort feature that helps everyone stay at their preferred temperature.
A trim level is the version of the car with a specific set of features. They’re saying the Ultra version is the one with the nicer interior and more equipment.
Perforated nappa leather is a premium leather seat material with tiny holes in it. Those holes help the seats feel less hot and add to the luxury look.
The Volvo XC90 is a larger SUV made for families. It’s meant to be comfortable for passengers and practical for carrying things. The podcast brings it up because the speaker had their dog in the XC90 during test drives.
That’s an annual award where car journalists vote on the best new cars. The guest and host are talking about their leadership roles in that judging group.
Motor Trend is an automotive magazine and media brand that covers car reviews, news, and long-running industry reporting. The hosts reference it as a place where they worked together.
Haggerty.com is an automotive media website that publishes stories and journalism focused on car culture and enthusiast topics. In this segment, it’s mentioned as the outlet where the guest wrote stories about cars he owned and encountered.
Depreciation means a car gets worth less over time. The speaker is saying buying a car that’s about a year old can be cheaper because the biggest drop in value already happened.
The Ford Thunderbird is an older Ford car that was popular for comfort and style. The podcast mentions a 1960 model because it was the speaker’s first company car. People talk about it because it’s a recognizable classic.
Car
Ford convertible 57 Ford
They’re talking about a 1957 Ford convertible. It’s a classic American car from the late 1950s with a very recognizable look.
Car
Lloyd
They mention a Lloyd, a small German car brand that most people today have never heard of. It was the kind of compact, older car that’s pretty uncommon now.
The dealer deal turns into a 1957 MGA, which is a classic British roadster. The MGA is especially known for its simple, lightweight sports-car character and its popularity as an entry point into classic British cars.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. Older Corvettes from the 1950s are especially popular with collectors. People talk about them because they’re classic and have a strong reputation.
Racing stripes are stripes painted or applied to a car to give it a sporty, race-inspired look. They’re usually for style rather than changing how the car drives.
Tail lights are the rear lamps that signal braking and running status to other drivers. Customizing tail lights usually means changing their housings, lenses, or lighting design for appearance and sometimes visibility.
A three-speed manual transmission is a stick-shift gearbox with three forward gears. It means you control the gear changes yourself using a clutch pedal and shifter.
The clutch mechanism is the system that connects and disconnects the engine from the transmission so you can shift gears smoothly. When converting an automatic to a manual, the clutch hardware and related linkage must be installed and set up correctly.
A certified pre-owned car is a used car that gets checked over and comes with extra promises from the dealer or automaker. It’s meant to make buying used feel safer than buying something that hasn’t been certified.
The inspection process is a detailed check of the car before it’s allowed to be sold as “certified.” It’s meant to catch problems and give buyers more confidence.
The Honda Passport is a family-sized SUV. It’s designed to carry people and luggage comfortably. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because it’s replacing an older car for the in-laws.
A powertrain warranty covers the big mechanical parts that drive the car, like the engine and transmission. It matters because those repairs can cost a lot.
LIVE
This is America on the Road named best radio show by the International Automotive Media
Conference and now and it's 34th 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 with me as co-host Chris Teague and Chris I know you've been remodeling
the kitchen.
How's that been going?
Well we're nearing the home stretch here.
I can use the kitchen in the evenings when they're done working and so it's a big relief.
How are things on your side of the world?
We also use our kitchen.
I do some grilling here too but this is not a food show.
Although food shows seem to be very very popular but we're talking about cars.
There's plenty of automotive news to talk about this week.
A flood of used electric vehicles is about to hit the market.
Lease returns are going to surge over the next few years so prices could fall.
Buyers could have more affordable options.
We'll see how that sorts out.
I think it'll be fascinating to see how that all rolls out.
Mini is celebrating 25 years of modern production while also gearing up for its signature U.S.
road rally.
We'll look at how Mini is marking the milestone and bringing owners together on this rally.
I think these rallies tend to be pretty cool.
Ford and China's Geely are hitting pause on plans for a U.S. partnership.
They are shifting their focus to Europe.
Regulatory hurdles and political pressure here in the United States are complicating
deals in the U.S. so we'll talk about that.
I'm surprised that Ford is even considering a deal with a Chinese automaker but we can
talk about that later.
Porsche is turning up the power with a new electric Cayenne Coupe, a thousand or eleven
hundred horsepower.
This is kind of crazy.
And Mitsubishi is rolling out a much more affordable refreshed Outlander for 2026 with
a starting price under $30,000.
So what do you take on Mitsubishi these days, Chris?
I remain a fan, though they don't have a lot going on right now.
Yeah.
I'd like to see them do well.
American on the Road is brought to you by drivingtoday.com, emlancy.com, the publisher
of my latest book.
Only one thing stays the same.
And Mercury Insurance.
If you're looking to save some money, you should switch to Mercury for your auto and
home insurance.
Californians save an average of $670 with Mercury so imagine how much you could save.
Got a quote today at drivingtoday.com slash auto insurance.
That's drivingtoday.com slash auto hyphen insurance.
Chris, what is your test vehicle for this week?
I drove the 2026 Cadillac Escalade all the way to Vermont and back.
I'm fascinated to hear about that.
My test vehicle this week is the 2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country.
So we'll tell you about that.
We have a special guest, Gary Whitsunberg, former president of the North American Car
of the Year.
Our jury is going to be with us.
So stay with us.
We've got tons of show here.
He has just published a new book, by the way, Legends in Motion.
So stay with us and we'll be right back right here on America on the Road.
Welcome back everybody to America on the Road, Jackie Redd and Chris Teague with you.
We're so glad Chris is with us co-hosting and it is news time.
I love to hear Chris's comments on the news because there's a lot to talk about.
We're also really happy that you're with us and if you like America on the Road, please
pass it along to somebody else who might like to hear us talk about cars.
Let's talk about electric vehicles.
Use electric vehicles.
Tons of them are about to hit the US market.
Of course there were tons of them leased during the last two or three years and those leases
are going to expire.
There were 123,000 such vehicles, EVs coming off lease in 2025.
That's going to jump to 300,000 this year and then it will double again to 600,000 in 2027.
More than a million used EVs are going to hit the market by 2028.
What do you think that's going to mean, Chris?
Well, mine is going to be one of them.
Our Honda Prologue lease expires next year, so that's part of it.
But look, this is going to drive down prices hopefully.
I mean, the glut of used EVs is already starting to cause some prices to fall.
I think Cox Automotive reports that used EV prices are lower.
The challenge is that the demand isn't following yet.
It's not really a challenge, but I think the interesting thing is that people aren't
necessarily jumping up to buy these cars yet.
Yeah.
My grandfather, who was a great businessman, always used to say,
you can sell anything, it all depends on the price.
I think that's going to hold true with these EVs.
But the prices are going to plunge, I think, with this number coming back into the market
without the support of the tax credits that we've seen in the past.
I just think it could be kind of a bloodbath for some of the companies that financed these leases.
The residuals that they wrote for these things are much higher than, I think,
what they're going to realize when they sell the vehicles.
Your thoughts on that?
Yeah. I mean, some of the deals that were going out in 2023, 2024,
those were very aggressive incentives on those vehicles, and I don't think they're going to
be able to recover some of those residuals, as you say.
I think it might be a good time to start looking at a used EV if you're in the market
for an electric vehicle at all, especially as gas prices are kind of hovering above $4,
almost $420 nationally, so it might be a good time.
Yeah. I think what mitigates that, of course, is, and you know this better than I do,
if you don't have home charging, an EV is not a particularly convenient item for you to have
at any price. I mean, I think a lot of people can maybe find a place for an EV as a second vehicle,
and it would make a lot of sense for them if they can home charge, but a lot of folks who are
looking in the used car market and looking for affordable vehicles, it's just not going to work
out all that well for them. Yeah. And if you live like where I do in Maine, our electricity rates
are pretty steep here, and the trade-off isn't always as clear as it seems, but you're right,
owning an EV without a home charger or a reliable way to charge every day or at least have the ability
to, if you need to, can be a real hassle. So at any price, that would be very annoying.
Yeah. Well, let's talk about something a little more positive. Many is marking its quarter century
of kind of modern production under the BMW Group ownership. I was kind of right there at the beginning
when BMW was reintroducing or introducing their version of Mini. I got a chance to drive one
all across Ireland. They did a rally in Ireland with older Minis and the new ones, and so that
was a blast. That was back in, well, they introduced the new Mini in April of 2001. I imagine I was
doing it in the early 2000s with the Mini rally. Number one, what's your take on new Mini versus
old Mini? Well, they're not so Mini anymore, or they're quite a bit larger than they used to be.
It's one of those brands that, even working in the industry, I tend to forget that they exist.
They're not the most prolific vehicle seller here in the United States, but the people that love
them absolutely adore them. They have a great customization series. You can put the Union
Jack on the roof of your car and all sorts of other cool things that they offer, and people
really like them. My daughter is one of them. She's 13. She's already asking us to buy her one
when she turns 16. Yeah, they're very cool. Well, they were a landmark when they were conceived and
went to market in 1959. I guess Sir Alec Izagonis was the guy who came up with this design.
I mean, this is a design, basically, the front drive, transverse engine layout. It kind of took
over the industry. It certainly took over the car industry, and Mini introduced that. It was
definitely a landmark vehicle. Very, very cool. Much smaller. I think they had something like
12-inch wheels or something on that order when they were introduced. I think one of the reasons
they wanted small wheels and tires was to give them more interior space, and larger wheels intruded
into the cabin. They were that small. They're still making them. As you mentioned, they're not
nearly as small as they were, but they're still, I think, a really fun to drive kind of car. One
of the things Mini's going to do is they're going to have this Mini's Across America group of rallies.
This time around, it's going to be more than one rally. It used to be, Mini takes the states with
a cross-country rally. Now, it's going to be a series of three rallies in California, New York,
and Florida. They're going to link cities like Monterey, Buffalo, and Miami, which is the outlier
there, Chris. Yeah, Buffalo, wow. Yeah, the chance to go to Buffalo. I think this is kind
of cool, though. For $150, you can participate in this and have a kind of a cool weekend of
rallying in your Mini. I like the idea. Yeah, if I had a Mini, this would be something I would
want to do, obviously. They don't come to Maine. We're pretty far out of the way, thankfully. The
British Cars of New Hampshire Car Club does a good rally, and they have quite a few Minis there.
But yeah, I mean, this is great for owners. It's just like the Jeep rallies, right? Those owners
really get into it, and they have a great time. And $150 is probably one of the cheapest rallies
you can attend these days. Yeah, I'll tell you, I think that's a bargain. I think it's very, very
cool. Well, here's the story that really caught my attention, and I want your comments on it, Chris.
I mean, Ford and Geely, China's I think second largest automaker, have been in talks for
sharing technology, maybe sharing some production, maybe in the distant future, sharing some vehicles
that would be produced in China and sold as Fords in the United States or sold through Ford dealers.
They're kind of backing away from a lot of this because of many issues.
Yeah, the Chinese brands are obviously much more popular in Europe and
globally than they are here for many reasons, not only for the fact that we don't get them here,
but I can see Ford looking to tap into some of that. I mean, they've got great technology,
they have reasonable prices, so if Ford's able to borrow any of those elements, it could help
them boost their sales. I haven't looked at Ford's Europe sales recently, but I could only assume
they want to improve them. Yeah, I would think so. And really, the Chinese on the electric side are
eating the lunch of the European manufacturers, I think, because they're coming in with very
inexpensive vehicles compared to, say, things from Mercedes-Benz or Porsche or you name them.
So that's been an issue there. I mean, we have decided through high tariffs and other things.
I think there's also really, and it seems odd maybe to talk about, there's some security,
national security concerns with the connected car software of the Chinese brands.
Yeah, I mean, all we have to do is look at TikTok for an example of what the Americans think about
Chinese technology and connected technologies. The vehicles that Europe sees, Chinese vehicles are
significantly cheaper than a lot of the European brands and American brands. I'm still skeptical
that the Chinese government can continue subsidizing their domestic brands to the tune that they have
been and that they would arrive here and anywhere near the same price range that they are there.
But I've said this many times, more competition to me is always a better thing. More choice is
always good for buyers. I would love to see a BYD, a Geely here, those vehicles. But again,
I think there are some hurdles, as you said, that need to be overcome. Yeah, and I'm sure
in favor of keeping some domestic auto industry here. I'm not a protectionist kind of guy either,
but that would be a tough one based on the subsidies that the Chinese are giving to their
car companies. Quickly, your thoughts on the 2026 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Electric. It really just
caught my eye as something very, very cool. And then it's got a 1,100 horsepower in the highest
version. What should you take on that? Yeah, it's gorgeous. It's electric. I hope people like it.
People did like the Taycan, but we'll see. This is a more traditional vehicle. So I'm a fan. It's
pricey though. Yeah, pricey $168,000 for the top one. $168,000, yeah, for the top one. And
zero to 60 in 2.4 seconds, and that's quick enough. Quickly about Mitsubishi, they kind of renewed
their Outlander. I think it's a pretty good value. Now it has a one and a half liter turbocharged
engine and a 48-volt mild hybrid system. You can get into one for under $30,000, which strikes me
as screaming bargain these days. Yeah, Mitsubishi, the Outlander has a nicer interior than a lot of
people think it does, and they benefit from their partnership with Nissan. They borrow a lot of
Nissan infotainment tech and things like that. So I can't wait to drive one. Yeah. When we come
back, we'll be looking at the Cadillac Escalade in the Volvo V60 Cross Country. So stay with us,
and we'll be right back right here on America on the Road. Welcome back to America on the Road
with Chris P. Jettner and back with Hugh at his road test time. And Chris, you were driving a vehicle
that actually we've been talking about in the family a lot lately, and some neighbors have a
Cadillac Escalade and some others that I've known have talked about them recently. So I want your
take on that thing. Yeah, it was, I've driven a few Escalades before, but it's been a few years. So
this is one of the more recently updated models, the 2026 Escalade Sport. This is kind of in the
middle of the lineup, Jack. I mean, you can spend as little as I say as little, you can get into it
for around $94,000. That's the base price for the entry level model. My as tested price was about
$121,000, but you can spend more than $170,000 on an Escalade with the Supercharged V8 engine. So
you can you can spend a lot of money on one of these. When was the last time you drove one? What
do you think of it? It's been a while since I've driven an Escalade. I'm trying to think. Probably
several years. It hasn't changed much. I bet if you drove an Escalade from, you know, 10 years ago,
it would be kind of similar to what you're you're seeing now. Yeah, the thing they've done well
with and I'll get into this is updating the interior with technology and things to keep it
feeling fresh. But this vehicle comes standard with a 6.2 liter V8, which is GM sort of flagship V8
engine, 420 horsepower, 460 pound feet of torque. You get a 10 speed automatic transmission.
Rear wheel drive is standard, but you can get four wheel drive, which my test vehicle did have.
And it comes with magnetic ride control. So it's adaptive magnetic ride control
that shifts the stiffness of the suspension, depending on the road that you're on and also
the drive mode that you're in. Jack 420 horsepower, 460 pound feet of torque is quite a bit on paper.
This is a full size three row SUV body on frame. So basically you're driving a luxury Chevy Silverado
here. So it's not super quick, but there is more than enough power to get out of its own way.
It makes a good V8 sound, although I don't know how much of that you're going to want in an Escalade.
And the ride quality is sublime. I drove, like I said, from here to Vermont. Most of that was
highways, but we're still driving on a lot of the plow-torn roads. And this vehicle is just
just floats along. I had absolutely no problem driving it for four and a half hours from here
to Burlington and back again. In fact, I didn't really want to get out of it when I got there,
even though I was kind of tired of driving. And you know, it's a good, it's easy to control on
the highway. I would just say, like if you're taking road trips and you want a luxury SUV,
this might be something that you'd want to take a look at. Inside, you get leather upholstery
across the board. Mine have the, it's an ivory color. I forget the name of it, but it's an option.
It's an ivory color leather interior. He did ventilated and massaging front seats. He didn't
ventilated second row seats. Jack, there's plenty of room here. The captain's chair is in the second
row. There's basically an aisle to walk down the middle of this vehicle. What do you think of the
Escalade's interior? It's terrific. I mean, there's, there's a reason they use these to take wealthy
people to the airport, right? I mean, there's just perfect for that. A lot of luggage space,
just interior comfort is, as you say, sublime. Yes. I had enough room to haul myself and six of my
colleagues around Burlington, Vermont, and all of our bags, our backpacks fit fine behind the third
row seat. Nobody complained about being too close to anyone else. So I think it was very comfortable
inside. The big story here, I guess, with technology is that you get 55 inches of screen display
real estate in the dash. Now, the last Escalade I drove had three screens. I had a passenger display
screen, a very large infotainment screen. I'm sorry, no passengers say display screen, a large
infotainment screen, a digital gauge cluster, and then a small control cluster over to the left.
The control cluster is now gone. You get a very large gauge cluster, a touch screen, and a passenger
display screen, as well as a display screen to control your climate system seats and all the
other stuff. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless and they work great. There's plenty of
options here. Series XM radio, Bluetooth, all of that. I think if, you know, you're kind of tech
averse or if you don't love learning how to use a system, this is one of those things. Even with
Google built in and all the features, there's just a lot of stuff to learn. And I spent, you know,
10 hours driving this vehicle with time to kind of fiddle with things. And I still wasn't extremely
familiar with it at the end of the day. And then the passenger display screen, you can stream YouTube
and Disney Plus and all those things and as well as on the back screens as well. It had rear seat
entertainment. So it's very screen heavy. The touch based climate controls are a little bit
annoying dragging your finger up and down to adjust the climate system. One thing I'll say is cool
about this vehicle is it had optional soft clothes powered doors. So you can open any of the doors
from the touchscreen and close them again. My kids really enjoyed that. But again, it's probably
unnecessary unless you are a chauffeur taking someone and you want to open and close the doors
remotely. This vehicle has a panoramic sunroof and an AKG 38 speaker audio system, which was also
a $4,000 option helping push that price tag up. And you also get a full suite of safety equipment
here blind spot monitoring a blind spot camera system in this vehicle for collision alerts
and super cruise. And the only thing I want to say about super cruise hands free driving is
it works great on the highway. It's my favorite hands free driving system to date. However,
it does not deal well with super curvy highways like they have in Vermont. And it doesn't love
high winds, which were happening while I was up that way. It just has a lot of trouble centering
in the lane. It kind of weaves around trying to find the lane. You know, it didn't leave the lane,
but it makes me feel like I'm moving around a little bit too much. But Jack, I'll say for 94
grand for this vehicle, I'd probably go for a suburban or maybe a Tahoe or, you know, a Yukon,
something like that. Still very expensive, but a little bit less. Yeah, I think the problem for
if it is a problem, maybe it's not a problem at all for Cadillac. But what Cadillac has to deal
with is how good the GMC Yukon and the Chevy Tahoe and suburban are. So it has to then ladle on a
lot more stuff like doors that can you can open and close with the touchscreen, things like that,
which are great when they work. You know, wonderful when they work, they kind of scare me a little
bit. Maybe I'm just too much of a Luddite today. Can't tell you how many trucks and SUVs I see
driving around with the power side steps still folded down because they broke and they were just
down. But yes, yeah, don't want that. So, but I think of value in its own way. And kind of the
last gasp of the big American car, right? The body on frame kind of America. Yeah, absolutely.
As you mentioned, basically a truck, but in a lot of ways, a huge American station wagon.
Well, I was driving and we know how journalists love station wagons. And I was driving one that
actually claims to be a station wagon or doesn't hide from it. It is the Volvo V60 cross country.
Maybe it hides from it a little bit with the cross country nomenclature and it kind of has
SUV light styling, has a lifted suspension, some exterior accents that some might call rugged.
I'm not sure how rugged they are. It's aiming at buyers who want something more distinctive than
just another crossover. And I think that's a great thing. I mean, auto journalists love
station wagons anyway. And I certainly do high end materials inside a clean Scandinavian design,
both inside and out. It isn't all new for 2026. But you know, this is a vehicle that
basically I have an affinity for from the get go. I just got in it and started to drive it and went,
boy, I just plain like this thing. What's your take from high above?
I'm a big fan of Volvos. I'm a big fan of station wagons and the cross country models
kind of do it for me. They're not super rugged, but they look great.
Yeah, look great, feel great, do great things. Two liter turbocharged four cylinder engine
rated 247 horsepower, 280, 258 pound feet of torque. So that's nice. Eight speed automatic
transmission works just fine has standard all wheel drive and this is a 48 volt mild
hybrid system too. So you get the advantages of that low end torque or torque wherever you
need it with this integrated starter generator, good efficiency or at least better efficiency and
more torque. This feels good when you drive it. It actually felt quicker than this 6.6
zero to 60 time that I'm seeing here. But I think it really feels good as you tip into the
accelerator, right? I mean, you're getting that electric power right off the get go.
Yeah, Volvo does good with powertrain refinement, especially with the mild hybrid system. It's not
really clunky and you don't feel a lot of things happening. So yeah, I'm a fan.
Fuel economy is estimated at 26 MPG combined. So not bad for a vehicle with these capabilities.
All wheel drive wagon. It has pretty smooth stop start operation. That used to be a problem,
but I think it is not a problem now. And this is a vehicle that I think feels good to drive without,
you know, like rubbing your nose in it. The suspension is tuned for comfort, but
it's fairly aggressive. You can drive this very hard, I think, and have fun with it. I certainly
have fun with it. Your take on the driving of the V60. Yeah, I wouldn't call it a canyon carver,
but it definitely does hold its own. And the ride quality is nice enough when you're not trying to
be enthusiastic, I'll say. So yeah, that's good. Good stuff. Yeah, good combination. Interior,
both looks great and works well. It's a nice combination. Of course, it uses Volvo's design
language. It has soft leather inside. I like that. Real wood. I'm in favor of real wood.
Metal accents. So it looks upscale. It looks upscale without rubbing your nose in it.
We had the Ultra trim with perforated nappa leather seating, power adjustable seats with memory,
multi-zone climate control. So I mean, it's just a super comfortable place to be for five passengers.
Plenty of cargo capacity, 22 cubic feet behind the rear seats. That expands to 51 cubic feet with
them folded. So it's a practical vehicle. I just think there's a lot to like about this. And I think
it's a nice alternative to a crossover like everybody else has, right? Thoughts on that.
Yeah, you can't really buy that many station wagons these days outside of the German brands
in Subaru. So yeah, this is a great option. It's very refined. Like you said, it's comfortable inside.
And they're good for people with pets. You know, we had our dog in our XC90, but I've taken my dog
in several of the test vehicles I've had and they're great. Yeah. Guru-based infotainment system
works pretty well. You know, I guess the only gripe I have is so much stuff is in the touch screen.
But I think you can live with that over time. Maybe you can't, but probably can. Tons of safety
equipment as you would expect. So all in all, I think there's just a lot to like about this.
In ultra trim, it starts at $58,895, which is, you know, gulp. And then the as-tested price
was close to $70,000. It had some stuff that maybe you didn't exactly need, like a retractable
trailer hitch for $2,000. But overall, I mean, it's a vehicle I like a bunch.
I agree. So we're in agreement. I think we're in agreement on both of those vehicles. And maybe
we'll be in agreement on our guest, Gary Wittzenberg, a former president of the North American Car of the
Year Jury. He'll be right with us when we come back. 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 to America on the Road, Jack Arnie Red back with you. We have a terrific guest for
you right now. Gary Wittzenberg has been on the show before. He's a renowned automotive journalist.
He's got a brand new book called Legends in Motion. In fact, I'm going to hold this up to the camera
for those of you who are watching on video. Thanks for being with us. I mean, we've known
each other for the better part of 40 years. I think we worked together on Motor Trend among other
places. I think you did some stuff for me at Kelly Blue Book too. And we've both been on the
North American Car of the Year jury for a long, long time. You were president of the organization.
I was vice president under your presidential tutelage. But now you have this book. Tell us
about the book and the genesis of the book, how the book came to be. The book came to be because
in the last several years, I've been blessed to be allowed, I say, enabled and actually paid for
writing stories about some of the cars I've owned and encountered and had adventures with
through my life, mostly for a website called Haggerty.com, the same people that sell the
Haggerty insurance and have a nice monthly magazine or an outscored magazine. And so they've
let me write about cars I had as a kid and some races I ran when I was racing and stuff like that.
And a couple of book authors whom I respect greatly, independently, after reading one of
those stories suggested that, you know, you ought to put a bunch of these together and make a book
out of it. And I kind of blew it off at first. I said, who would read that? And I'm not all that
famous and, you know, who would buy it other than a few family and friends. But I finally thought
about it more and more. And I thought, yeah, okay, and I self published. So I had to pay for it myself,
because I didn't think I could sell it to a major publisher. That's the idea of just a collection
of stories through my whole from my car writing life. But it turned out pretty good. And if you
know, you've seen it and read some of it, at least if not all of it. The first chapter is,
is kind of adventures with cars I've owned starting actually way back before I was when I was a
little kid growing up with with some of my dad's cool cars. And I was very fortunate in that in
many ways. But also, my dad happened to be a farmer son from Nebraska who did some racing in his
youth. And he liked cars. And he was, he was never wealthy, but he progressed in his career
through better and better jobs to the point where when I was old enough, he was able to buy me,
not new cars, but some fun new fun used cars. You had some pretty cool stuff. And I mean,
that kind of what struck me about the and it is a must read legends in motion. You should look for
it. It's available in various places. I'm certain. But what struck me was the number of cool cars you
were associated with either you owned, or were able to drive before you were 21. Are you know,
as you're going off to college, an amazing collection of vehicles. Tell us about that a
little bit. Well, the first, the very first story, as you know, is growing up in my dad's
cars. And we don't need to get into that so much, except he liked to use Buick. He would buy a Buick
that was a year old because somebody else took the first year depreciation. And so I grew up
taking, you know, long road trips to see relatives all over the country in those Buicks. And then
as time goes on, he he earned, he got to the point in his job where he got a company car. And his
first company car was a Thunderbird, a 60 Thunderbird. That was pretty cool. And then he had a Bonneville.
But we don't need to go into that so much. I was driving my mom's Ford convertible 57 Ford
convertible before I had a license. And that's the second story. Every Friday night, my parents
were in a bowling league, and they would go out bowling. And I had that time that I could steal
my mom's car and go out joy writing in my mom's car when I was 15. And I figured that was only
fair because I was a year ahead in school and everybody turned 16 before I did. So they had
licenses and I didn't. But I knew how to drive. So let's go joy writing. That was that's the
second story. And that's a kind of a fun one. I got caught a few times by the authorities,
but I somehow got away with it. My parents never found out that I was driving mom's car.
Well, and I find I'm baffled by that that you could do this essentially every Friday and be
taking a fairly flashy car and never get caught by your parents. It's wacky to me.
It was a lot of luck and a little bit of evil planning, I guess. I mean, I was out one one
night with a friend, they given him a ride and he got carsick and threw up in the car. So I had
to clean that out before my parents got home on Friday night. And then there'd be winter time when
it would snow while I was out. So I'd be out sweeping the driveway to cover up the tracks
after I got home. But that's a good story. But then I get into the cars that I have owned.
And the very first one, my dad actually bought a stupid little German car called a Lloyd that
probably nobody's ever heard of. There was like a mini mini mini or something like that used.
And it broke down about a block from the dealer's lot, thank God. And so he went storming back.
My dad was 64 and pretty imposing guy and he went storming back and the dealers gave him a
really good deal on a 57 MGA. So this little red sports car, I called it a poor man's Jaguar
because of the way it looked, the shape of it. That was my very first car when I turned 16 in
high school. I'll tell the story quickly about when it was Christmas Eve when he he had already
bought the car, brought it home. I was getting ready to go to bed. They were out at some party
or something Christmas Eve. And I went outside in a snowing and I noticed there our garage was full
of smoke, white smoke. And I go in there and there's this beautiful little red MGA smoking.
There's an electrical short in the thing. And my dad is frantically looking for the battery.
My mom is standing there in horror. The doors closed because they didn't want me to see this
until Christmas morning, but this was still Christmas Eve. Finally with my help, we located
there were two six volt batteries behind the seats in that car instead of one 12 volt up front like
you'd expect in any normal car. By the time we got it all disconnected, it was pretty well fried.
So he went back to the dealer again. I'm sure he got a fairly good deal to get it fixed. And that
was my first car for about a year in high school is a red MGA, which is really cool. It wasn't,
you know, it didn't have synchro and first gear at the door went flying open. I almost
lost a date that way one time when I made a quick U turn and she went almost went flying
out the door. There were a few other glitches with it. When it rained, it sometimes didn't want to run
because of that British electronics. I wanted something a little cooler and a little faster.
And I was kind of looking thinking that maybe I could get rid of this. I owned it. Maybe I could
sell it and get a used older Corvette. I looked at 54 55 Corvettes. Bottom line is
my dad on a business trip in Detroit, we were in the Cleveland area. He's up in Detroit. He found
a used 57 Corvette, just a base car with automatic and it was a young couple and they
desperately needed to sell it because they needed the money and he walked out on him a couple times
and came back and he finally bought that car for 1500 bucks and drove it home and that was
just a base Corvette though. Your second car, you were what like 16 17 years old at this time.
Right. That was my senior year in high school car at 17. Yeah, I've got nice. Now let me say I went to
what's called a prep school and there were people in my class at school who were from wealthy families
but we were not but I had the coolest car in the parking lot by far with the 57 Corvette.
Yeah, I'd say I can fast forward there to the one I had that Corvette. I well you did some
weird things to that Corvette and and kind of in some ways depending on how you look at it and
I'm kind of a purist with Corvettes and I've got a 62 that I've had since I was 20 or so or 25.
You kind of messed with it a bit. Tell us about that growing up. I always liked custom cars. I
used to read magazines about custom cars and so I decided I would customize this Corvette. I got a
couple tickets. One of them was a pretty major one which cost me my license for three months
over the winter of my senior year in high school. So while I couldn't drive it, I was
customizing it and I put stripes over the top of it like like racing stripes the length of it.
Changed the tail lights, put little little chrome things in the coves in the sides, changed the
grille, the fenders, even the interior. I spray painted the interior. It was all kind of an orangey
red color with a black car and the part that I did on the dashboard actually looked pretty good
because I made it two-tone white and orangey red. The part where I spray painted the upholstery with
upholstery paint didn't work out. I ended up buying seat covers at Sears or something to cover that
up after that paint started coming out but bottom line was when it was time to go to college my
dad had to sell that car to send me to college and he had a hard time selling it because I had
customized the hell out of it. One dealer said you're kidding and ruined that car and of course
at the time it was just to use a sports car. Nobody knew it would be a highly desirable
collectible. And that's one of the most collectible. I mean not necessarily in that form, not with a
power glide and the base engine but at the same time there were very few of those built. I had
fewer than 10,000 certainly, right? 57s, yeah they're fairly rare. I did by the way with money
I earned in a summer job I paid a guy to put a four-speed in it. I bought a three-speed manual
transmission and paid a mechanic to put it in there and do the clutch mechanism and so on. So
I converted it from an automatic to a three-speed manual but yeah it was not a real good used car
and I think my dad sold it for 1200 or something like that. I don't know. While I was in college,
this first summer I was back, I was not allowed to have a car my first year of college but
then he bought me this 348 Chevy convertible that was a monster. It was about as fast as
anything on the road at the time. It's a beautiful car I thought, the 60. The 59 was the weird one
but the 60 was a little better. They kind of toned down the wings on the 60 a little bit,
right? I mean the 59. Yeah the tail lights were more normal and so on but I liked it a lot
but it was and it had a somebody had put a I think a three or four-speed four shift in it.
Anyway but it was super fast and I'm lucky I didn't get myself killed or maimed in that car
but I was fairly responsible most of the time. It did have a situation where when you got on it
really hard which I would do occasionally a lot of blue smoke came out the dual exhaust and I think
it had something to do with lifter seals or something. So before it was time to go to college,
my dad took it into a Chevy dealer and had that fixed and it wasn't fixed exactly right because
about halfway down to school I went to Duke University. I was about somewhere in Virginia
when the the engine blew up so that wasn't good. My next car it's not in the book because it was
boring. It was a 63 Chevy 2 convertible that got me through the first couple years of college and
then I had a wagon that I could had a motorcycle like it had an old Ford wagon to haul the motorcycle
around. Those are not in the book but the most probably the best car memories of my life came
with the car I bought just out of college with some help. My dad helped me get a loan. Before I
worked a day I was going to work at Chevrolet Engineering but before I had reported to work
he helped me borrow the money. I picked up a Triumph TR4A at the factory in England and drove it
all over Europe and that's that's the story in the book that's a lot of fun I think because
where we went I drove three laps probably half in the bag one night at Nürburgring after watching
a race and drinking good German beer with some with some German guys and they said you know you
can drive the track if you want it only cost a mark a lap to drive the track and I ended up doing three
probably the last three laps before they closed the track before I took off to drive across the
mountains to Belgium or someplace but my brand new TR4A here I am you know cruising the Nürburgring
but I drove it like a just like a mountain road I didn't know you know I drove it fairly aggressively
to have some fun but I was still careful I didn't know what was over every hill or around every
you never know what's over yeah around each corner and there are a lot of corners
years later I raced at that track that's the story in the book I got to race with a factory
AMC team with BF Goodridge and we won our class co-driving with Lynn St. James and the guy named
Jim Downing he was an MSA champion that's a story later in the book in the racing but the thing
getting back to my tour with that car and I picked up the hitchhiker who I took nice looking young
man in a suit I think I took to be a Brit or an American and he turned out to be a Dutch medical
student he rode with me for two weeks of my three week trip we became great friends we drove to
Copenhagen we threw Copenhagen to Stockholm because he knew a girl in Stockholm let's go to Stockholm
it was like 1200 miles or something no problem you know we drove we drove through East Germany to
get to West Berlin and that was an adventure and luckily the Dutch educated Dutch people are
quadrilingual they know their own language plus French German and English and his German got us
in and out of communist East Germany without being assailed or kidnapped or shot we spent
one night there in East Berlin that was enough and headed back that car became my first race car
that's the next story that the year I spent racing it when I was back in the States and then I went
to Navy OCS and did some three years of active duty in the Navy and that was the car that went to
Navy OCS with me well I mean terrific stuff I mean so many great stories in the book legend in
motion legends in motion is the name of the book Gary Whitsunberg of course who we're speaking to
is the author of that book so you should look for it well thanks so much for being with us we
appreciate it we'll talk to you again soon thanks so much thanks Jack I really 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 Co-host Chris Teague this is Jack Newhead with you it
is listener question time our final segment of this week's show we love to answer your questions
based on our long experience providing car advice send those questions to editor at drivingtoday.com
that's editor at drivingtoday.com here's a great question from Roscoe in Buolton, California
he asks this new car prices are so high I'm thinking of buying a used car for the first
time since I was in my 20s is it worth it to buy a certified car oh I'm a fan of certified car
certified pre-owned vehicles it takes a lot of the guesswork out of buying a used car and also
many of them come with extended warranties like up to a hundred thousand miles for you know Honda
and some of the others that have these vehicles the thing I'll say is this is that you're you're
typically paying a premium for a certified pre-owned vehicle over a regular used car
you're paying for that inspection process you're paying for the warranty and the backing of the
manufacturer but I think in a lot of cases it can be worth it the peace of mind is is worth it to a
lot of people alone myself included even though the vehicle I have now is not certified yeah you
have to figure out what that certification is worth and and you know what the length of time on
the certification is over this past weekend we bought a Honda Passport for my in-laws is a
replacement for the car that had been destroyed and it is a certified pre-owned vehicle with I
think about two years or so left on its powertrain warranty and that's a great thing I think because
you're otherwise we'd be this was a 2021 vehicle so five six years old with still some warranty to
it so I think fairly cool and that wraps up our show for this week I'd like to mention that my
crime novel only one thing stays the same is available in both ebook and paperback form at
amazon 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 we'd love to double our listenership this
year and we need your help don't we chris that's right we are growing but we'd like to continue
doing that a little bit quicker you can do you can help us do that with a quick google search for
the america on the road podcast that'll bring us to you on all the major platforms apple spotify
the rest of them like the show leave us a review subscribe to get our downloads every week that way
you can help us continue growing and take us with you wherever you go yeah we'd love to be with you
check out our youtube channel we have the america on the road youtube channel subscribe to that if
you'd like because there's some interesting videos there thanks to mercury insurance for
sponsoring the show into our sports byline network stations for carrying it on terrestrial radio
which we love and most of all thanks to you for listening we do appreciate it we know you have
a lot of choices so the fact that you're listening to america on the road honors us and we do
appreciate it join us again next time for another edition of america on the road
inner peace self-respect emotional fulfillment are you finding these worthwhile goals difficult to
achieve are you looking for success and satisfaction in your job but not finding it are you thinking
about starting a business but don't know what will set it apart from all the others you can
continue to struggle on your own or you can unleash the undeniable power of the gr factor
i'm jack arne red host of america on the road for years i found success in business and in my
personal life by using the concepts i outlined clearly in my book the gr factor your best self
is inside you right now just waiting to be unleashed inspiring all that is the best in you the gr
factor will guide your journey elevate your game recast your relationships and transform your daily
life if you want to change your life for the better read the gr factor it's available at amazon
barnes and noble and at emlancy.com that's the gr factor by jack arne red thanks for checking it out
About this episode
The show opens with a look at the coming used-EV supply surge, then moves through Mini’s anniversary rally plans and a quick market check on competition and pricing. The centerpiece is a road test of the 2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country, where the hosts praise its wagon charm, standard all-wheel drive, mild-hybrid setup, and practical cargo room, while noting the premium price. A guest segment adds colorful car-history stories, from teenage mischief and custom builds to European road trips and a Nürburgring anecdote, before the conversation closes with advice on certified pre-owned buying.
This week on America on the Road, host Jack Nerad and co-host Chris Teague review the 2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country and the 2026 Cadillac Escalade. In the news this week, they discuss the tsunami of used EVs that’s about to crash over the market, MINI’s 25th anniversary, and Ford pressing the pause button on its partnership with Chinese automaker Geely. The intrepid hosts also take a look at the new Porsche Cayenne Coupe Electric and the refreshed 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander.
🚙 Jack Nerad’s Road Test: 2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country
Jack tests the 2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country, a likable vehicle that blends station wagon practicality with SUV-like capability. Powered by a 247-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter mild-hybrid four-cylinder, it delivers refined comfort, confident handling, and 26 mpg combined. Jack covers its upscale Scandinavian interior, strong safety suite, practical cargo space, and why it stands out as a distinctive alternative to traditional crossovers.
🚗 Chris Teague’s Road Test: 2026 Cadillac Escalade
Chris Teague puts the 2026 Cadillac Escalade through its paces, evaluating the flagship luxury SUV’s commanding presence, powerful V-8 performance, and opulent cabin. With a maximum towing capacity of 8,100 pounds and available supercharged Escalade-V muscle that rockets to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, the Escalade delivers surprising capability alongside flagship-level luxury. Chris highlights the massive 55-inch OLED digital dashboard, premium leather interior, advanced Super Cruise hands-free driving technology, and how the Escalade balances comfort, technology, and sheer size in the full-size luxury SUV segment.
🎙️ Special Guest Interview
Veteran auto journalist Gary Witzenburg joins the show. The former President of the North American Car of the Year jury discusses his new book, Legends in Motion.
📰 This Week’s Headlines
Porsche Unveils 2026 Cayenne Coupe Electric
Porsche introduces the high-performance Cayenne Coupe Electric with up to 1,139 horsepower, ultra-fast charging, and coupe styling inspired by the 911.
Get Ready for a Used EV Glut
A surge of leased electric vehicles is returning to the market, with lease returns expected to jump to 300,000 this year and 600,000 in 2027. The influx could lower used EV prices for buyers but create challenges for dealers and automakers.
MINI Marks 25 Years of Modern Production
MINI celebrates 25 years since the first modern MINI rolled off the line in 2001. The brand is also launching registration for MINI Takes the States 2026 rallies across California, New York, and Florida.
Ford and Geely Pause U.S. Partnership Plans
Ford and China’s Geely have put U.S. collaboration talks on hold and shifted focus to Europe amid regulatory and political hurdles.
Mitsubishi Prices Refreshed 2026 Outlander
The updated 2026 Outlander features a new 1.5-liter turbo mild-hybrid powertrain and starts at $29,995, offering strong value with upgraded tech and a 10-year powertrain warranty.
📩 Listener Question of the Week
Roscoe from Buellton, California, asks: “New car prices are so high — I’m thinking of buying a used car for the first time since I was in my twenties. Is it worth it to buy a Certified Pre-Owned car?”
📚 Jack Nerad’s New Book
Jack’s crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, is available now in paperback and eBook on Amazon — currently at a sale price.
🎧 Where to Listen
Catch America on the Road on your local Sports Byline Radio Network station each week and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Follow for new car reviews, guest interviews, auto news, and road tests.
Sponsored by Mercury Insurance and DrivingToday.com
📺 Watch & Subscribe
Find America on the Road on YouTube and Rumble. Subscribe for road test videos, shorts, and extended reviews.
