0:00 / 0:00
#71 - TRD Hammer or Raptor? Automotive Person Of The Year,  Robo Rivian, 2027 Offroad CX-5 & MORE!

#71 - TRD Hammer or Raptor? Automotive Person Of The Year, Robo Rivian, 2027 Offroad CX-5 & MORE!

Clutch Culture Podcast Mar 23, 2026 73 min
0:00
0:00

About this episode

Toyota’s rumored TRD Hammer desert-racer truck sparks debate on whether it’s finally dethroning the Raptor—16 years late, but maybe legit thanks to Toyota’s Baja pedigree. The hosts then go off on car media’s tech-obsessed “Person of the Year” pick (Nvidia’s Jensen Huang), and argue about AI agents and the future of dealership/direct-to-consumer sales. BMW M3 styling gets roasted, Lexus ES screen design is criticized, and a Hyundai Palisade stop-sale/recall tragedy is discussed. Later: Rivian’s robotaxi plans, vertical micro-dramas, and a Houston/AI/real-estate tangent before ending with Chuck Norris news.

Filter:
|
Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Term

third pedal

"Clutch. Third pedal. Dot club. And that's where you can sign up for our community..."

Most cars have two pedals (brake and gas). In a manual car, there’s a third pedal—the clutch—that helps you change gears.

Concept

Gen 1

"...this isn't a Gen 1 Raptor club. It's not an Alex 470 club. It is a car club..."

“Gen 1” just means the first version or early generation of a vehicle. They’re saying the club isn’t only for people who like the earliest Raptor.

Brand

Toyota

"I think most people that are in the off-roading or even just car world will say is Toyota is finally trying to dethrone the Raptor."

Toyota is a major car brand. In this conversation, they’re being talked about as a company trying to compete with Ford in off-road trucks.

Brand

Chevy

"I mean, to be exact, faster than what Chevy's done it. So I guess that's a win."

“Chevy” means Chevrolet. They’re being mentioned as a brand that hasn’t matched Ford’s off-road truck momentum.

Concept

TRD Hammer

"I saw I think a trademark or something of the name TRD Hammer or Toyota Hammer was filed that, oh, you know, finally they're coming, you know, for the Raptor."

TRD is Toyota’s performance/off-road brand. “Hammer” sounds like a new name Toyota might be planning for an off-road truck that would go after the Raptor crowd.

Concept

four-wheelers

"Or the Rough Riders just riding four-wheelers down New York City, you know what I'm saying?"

They mean ATVs—off-road vehicles with four wheels. It’s being used as a funny, exaggerated scenario.

Company

clutch.club

"Shoot us a line through clutch.club and we'll get back to you. Clutch.club, we'll get right back to you."

clutch.club is the website they’re telling listeners to use to sign up or reach them. It’s basically their online hub for the show.

Concept

off road

"What are these lame-os going to do off road, huh? To come in from guys with off-road vehicles. We'll get a question."

“Off-road” means driving on rough or unpaved roads—like dirt trails or rocky paths. Off-road trucks are set up to handle that better with tougher parts and suspension designed for bumps.

Brand

Motor Trend

"[520.7s] I mean, I know if somebody from Motor Trend is watching this or is going to [522.1s] see this clip, if you don't watch full podcast, like, what are we doing here?"

Motor Trend is a well-known car magazine/website that covers new vehicles and gives awards. Here, it’s being used to set the context for why they’re talking about a tech CEO in a car-related award.

Brand

Porsche

"I was just talking to somebody, a big Porsche guy... Evidently, a lot of people didn't know Porsche is kind of hurting financially... Porsche makes an announcement that they're looking at building something higher than the GT three..."

Porsche is a car company from Germany that makes high-performance sports cars. Here, they’re talking about how Porsche’s money situation and announcements can influence what fans think and want next.

Company

docuSign

"Most high end customers, you know, have somebody that is kind of facilitating the paperwork and running the paperwork to their office or docuSign or power"

DocuSign is a website/app for signing documents electronically. It helps people finish paperwork faster without meeting in person.

Term

push button start

"And just like push button start, you know, push button start started at the very elite level of cars. And now it's in every car."

Instead of putting a key into the ignition, you press a button to start the car. It used to be mostly on expensive cars, but now it shows up on many regular ones too.

Concept

direct to consumer

"we need to go or the manufacturer needs to go direct to consumer, this that and the other... we just need to go to direct to consumer no more dealership."

Direct-to-consumer means the car company sells the car to you without using regular dealerships. People like it because it can mean simpler pricing, but the big question is whether service and repairs are still easy to get.

Brand

Tesla

"There's a Tesla body shop right by a gym that I attend... I have dealt with some nightmare situations with Tesla... they've sold millions of cars."

Tesla is a company that makes electric cars. The speaker is talking about what it’s like when a Tesla needs repairs and how those experiences can be good or bad depending on the situation.

Concept

body shop

"There's a Tesla body shop right by a gym that I attend... I have seen the same car sitting there waiting to get repaired... Just take a picture."

A body shop is where cars go after they’re damaged, usually from crashes or impacts. They handle things like fixing the outside of the car and repainting it.

Term

Vin

"I know the Vin... I know, I know what it is... I'm going to need this for the show evidence."

VIN is the car’s unique ID number, kind of like a fingerprint. The speaker wants it to make sure they’re talking about the exact right car for evidence.

Car

Pontiac Aztec

"you know, people bought the Pontiac Aztec."

They bring up the Pontiac Aztek because it was a very controversial-looking car. The point is that some people will hate a design, but others will still buy it if they like it.

Term

front grills

"They're really going down with the ship on these front grills, aren't they?"

They’re talking about the car’s front grille—the part up front that you can see first. They’re saying they don’t like how it looks.

Term

starting price

"I think I know it's not a $35,000 starting price, but you know, starting at 50 going all the way up with 812 trim packages, you can be at $98,000 for the top trim package, probably."

Starting price is the cheapest version of the car you can buy. The full price can jump a lot when you choose higher trims and add features.

Car

Lexus LX

"I like what I have in my LX and in my GX because I don't have the GX with the bigger screen that was redesigned."

The Lexus LX is a big luxury SUV. Here they’re talking about whether a bigger infotainment screen is actually useful or just something you pay for.

Car

Lexus GX

"I like what I have in my LX and in my GX because I don't have the GX with the bigger screen that was redesigned."

The Lexus GX is a luxury SUV that’s built to handle rough roads. They’re saying they don’t need the newer, bigger screen because it doesn’t feel worth the extra cost.

Concept

average consumer

"You got to take that hat off and you got to look at the average consumer. And the average consumer wants a bigger iPad."

This just means the typical person buying a car, not the hardcore car enthusiasts. They usually care more about comfort and easy tech than performance details.

Term

cockpit

"They don't speak to me from just a simple sitting in the cockpit and looking at this screen that's not integrated into anything."

The “cockpit” is the driver’s area inside the car—where you sit and where the controls and screens are. It’s about how comfortable and easy it feels to use everything.

Brand

Audi

"If you look at Audi, if you look at BMW, if you look at Mercedes, this is kind of the German brand selling point as they thought through the interior a little bit more than an American manufacturer or Japanese manufacturer."

Audi is a German car brand. The point here is that Audi is known for putting a lot of thought into how the inside of the car looks and feels.

Brand

BMW

"If you look at Audi, if you look at BMW, if you look at Mercedes, this is kind of the German brand selling point as they thought through the interior a little bit more than an American manufacturer or Japanese manufacturer."

BMW is a German car brand. In this discussion, it’s mentioned as a company that tends to design the car’s interior more thoughtfully.

Brand

Mercedes

"If you look at Audi, if you look at BMW, if you look at Mercedes, this is kind of the German brand selling point as they thought through the interior a little bit more than an American manufacturer or Japanese manufacturer."

Mercedes is a German luxury car brand. The speaker is using it as an example of a company that usually designs the inside of the car with more care.

Term

iPhone

"we got the guy who designed the iPhone... look at this interior. It's like, yeah, it does look like an iPhone."

The iPhone is used as a shorthand comparison for a minimalist, touch-screen, consumer-electronics design language. The speaker’s argument is that copying that look doesn’t automatically deliver the brand identity or design coherence people expect from a Ferrari.

Concept

traffic

"[2631.9s] Like if you really think about it, the traffic's insane, the behavior's insane. [2637.5s] Certain places don't even feel like you're in Houston when you are."

They’re talking about how crazy busy the roads are. When traffic is like that, driving feels stressful and you burn more fuel because you’re constantly stopping and going.

Concept

I-10

"This is I-10. This is the biggest highway in the country. And I'm going to be at a standstill at some point of the day."

I-10 is a big interstate highway in the U.S. It’s the kind of road you’d take for commuting or getting around a large metro area, and traffic can get slow.

Concept

Barnedominium

"[3445.2s] I just know I understand why things get built. [3447.7s] And I think the Barnedominium thing, [3450.4s] I think it could speak to a lot of car enthusiasts. [3453.4s] The problem is, I noticed some people have gotten burned pretty heavy on Barnedominiums"

A Barnedominium is basically a house built in a barn style. People like them because they look cool and can be customized, but you have to plan carefully.

Car

Land Rover introduced the 2026 Range Rover Sport SV Winter Dusk Bespoke

"Anyway, all right, let's get to a couple more quick car stories before we wrap up today's show [3555.3s] Land the Plain. One of your favorites, Land Rover introduced the 2026 Range Rover Sport SV Winter Dusk Bespoke. I haven't seen that. Did you see it? I haven't seen it."

Land Rover made a special version of the Range Rover Sport for 2026. It’s from their “SV” customization program, so it’s meant to look and feel more premium and unique than a regular one. “Bespoke” usually means it has special, tailored details.

Brand

Rivian

"or whatever, or it's Rivian, or, and we can end with this, really end on a light note."

Rivian is a company that makes electric trucks and SUVs. The point here is that people also argue and defend Rivian like they do with traditional car brands.

4 cars featured

Request an Explanation

Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.

Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.

Want to learn more?

Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.

Explore Terms

Help improve this episode

See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.

Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars