983: The “New” Nissans, The One Dollar Car, The Wrong Song

Love them or hate them. Everyone has an opinion on cars. But we believe we're all one great car away from a car enthusiast. So we're here to help you find a car you love. And let it take us to everything else in life. I'm Todd. I'm Paul. And this is the everyday driver car debate. Happy Friday everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. Glad to have you with us. There's a few bits of news up front. We have a couple of cool car debates. Great questions from you guys. We're going to dive right in. I'm going to start here.

I read this on car scoops. I just thought, I mean, this was the general thing that they've announced. I've seen a lot of places as well. Here's the thing I want to note. They're saying they're going to launch 14 new and facelifted models over the next two years. All right. I would like to take you into the time machine back about three years. You remember all the commercials starring Brie Larson. She just come off doing Captain Marvel and Brie Larson was in the New Z car before it got released.

Yes, I do. I do. She was driving the New Z car, but then they also kept showing they were introducing something like 14 models in the next two years. So they've already refreshed their whole lineup in the last three or four years. Now they're claiming under the new CEO. They're going to do it again. Will they. I don't know. The interesting part of this here again. This is all just concept model stuff. I mean, let's jump back 15 years and load us so they're going to do six models and none of us came to think of, yeah, Danny Behr. Yeah. The guy that came out of

Red Bull was like, Lotus is going to be a high-end manufacturer. No, they aren't. Anyway, it's yes. Yeah. So I mean, they're talking about the Rogue is going to be refreshed again. But the thing I think is interesting here is that Nissan wants to reposition the Nissan leaf as a global EV product in small SUV packaging and without the completely ugly styling that it had for two generations. That seems like the right move. That's the one of these I think is the most likely. But again, this is potentially 14 models getting a refresh in a high speed period of time.

My question is, where's the money come from? But this is exactly what Nissan should do. Exactly. I'm just waiting to see how much of this is just PR and how much of this is real because right now it's just a line item on the news. Well, yes, but I also feel like the refresh that we've just gone through over the past five four or five years with Nissan. That was built on underpinnings that were maybe slightly re-engineered, but it wasn't necessarily brand new.

It wasn't necessarily brand new model, new chassis or different platform that will spawn this new generation that we think will be, you know, future customers. And it just seems like kind of the same cars and trucks being refreshed yet again on the same underpinnings. The pathfinder and, you know, a new fresh front, a new nose and styling only goes so far. And interior colors and trims and accessories, that kind of thing only goes so far before Nissan needs something that is

brand new. Ground up. Correct. Yeah. That we have really decided this is the future direction of the company that we can now say you can get behind customers. And this will serve our future trucks, our future SUVs. And you know what, we've come out with a sports car that isn't just based on something in the past because at this point, Nissan, I feel like would do well and would get a Mulligan from every car enthusiast to divest themselves of everything of the past and say, you know what?

Clean break. Here we go. It's time for a fresh start. Let's even with one model, one sports car, just a single model. This is based on nothing. The problem with that is, well, it's not tried and true. How do I know if it's going to be reliable. True. People won't know if it's reliable, but if they, if they stick with the names that people know, they could resurrect some names that are beloved and actually get places. This is very curious. This is what Nissan needs. Will they do it? I just don't know, but that is one of the bits of news.

So Nissan another thing on the news and in the firmly in the will see column, but everybody's talking about it and that is supposedly there's going to be 25% tariffs on all cars not built in the US. This is supposed to launch the first week of April, which is about a week away from now. And I'm putting this firmly in the will see column.

Everybody's talking about it, but the reality is the interest has been announced ever since the new administration came in. So the question just becomes, what's real? What's saber rattling and what are the responses that result in new changes? There's constant diplomacy going on anytime anything sweeping like this is attempted. So what's really going to happen? What we're talking about is a real potential for a lot of cars instantly be 25% more expensive is the worst case scenario.

We're going to run to your BMW now before tariffs hit. I mean, it's this kind of thing that we're talking about, but we just don't know what's real and what's just news right now because the potential exists, but the execution doesn't yet.

Yeah, I think the best course of action is to keep calm and carry on right now because we're seeing auto parts facing the same kinds of tariffs.

If it's not built, it's a wide ripple effect. Yes, they could be over by the weekend. They could last, you know, a long time. It could completely reshape the market. Yes. Or it could be a news item that fades away in a month.

Correct. Correct. So we're looking at mononies as they are. We're looking at what manufacturers build the cars and what they price the mat on the mononie. That's the baseline that we have to go on. So we still want to review and drive everything that we can and take it as it comes, really.

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Great car debate from Constance and Milo who have gone down the rabbit hole. Constance, thank you for writing. She's an oddball female car enthusiast who just recently lost her dream car of 13 years.

It was her tank. She felt safe in her and had great acceleration. She could tow with it. She was completely stable. Not generally the case. Because it was her 2009 BMW X5 DE70.

The X5 diesel from 09. That's almost a classic. It isn't, but it's almost a classic. Yeah.

Constance writes that her name was Brunehild. Brunehild? Brunehild. Okay, yes.

Brunehild was slammed into by a college kid while traveling over a mountain summit in Washington state. I'm wondering if I know where that is.

Snow call me pass. I wonder if it was that area. Probably was, yeah.

But Constance believes the weight of the BMW saved her life. Of course, the insurance company totaled her. And now she's on the search for a replacement for Brunehild.

Brunehild? I mean, a 2009 BMW X5 diesel is probably worth what? Maybe 10 grand. It was going to be total. There was no other way out of that.

But it's too bad because it's not like a lot of people make a vehicle like that, which is what creates this problem.

She grew up with a dad who was a car dealer. So she's been on car dealership lots forever. And he didn't like that she was driving a German car, but she said,

Okay, it was the right thing. She never wants to buy an appliance. She likes driving too much, which is probably why you listen to this show and we're thrilled to hear that.

The reason the BMW was your dream car is how it handled. Again, this is a big old SUV. Those first gen X5s actually all of the X5s handled pretty well.

But those first gens were real surprise on the market when they came out. They were tanks. So it had all her camera gear in it. Never got stuck in the snow or mud. My question is, what tires were you running?

Anyway, handled her camera gear, her last in Malamute trips to Costco. No kids. So the backseat stayed down most of the time because of dog.

So she needs to have something that continues to carry all the camera gear, flat back seats for the dog, rough terrain and snow, excellent hand against luxury as well.

She likes that track that this is one of those cars that she could take, get it muddy, dirty, nasty, take it down the muddy thing, whatever.

She does real estate and architectural photography. So she sometimes goes down kind of unfinished roads to see this really cool house.

It could do all of that, but then you wash it off and what is it? It's a luxury vehicle.

By the way, the Malamute is shedding in the back. That's happening too.

But because she has a detailer. Probably. That's hope so. But because it's a diesel, she would get 600 miles to a tank, which is going to be I got admit right now really hard to do again.

The favorite car that Constance has owned is the Volvo P1800. Yes.

Cool. With sway bars. She said it was fun. 1968 cutlass convertible comes in a hard second.

She fully restored both cars and sold them.

She also has tucked away for summer, her 1999 BMW 3 series convertible. The Sunday car.

I love it. She says she loves that it has glass headlights.

And a great engine. Okay. Constance also has a Vespa for tooling around when she just wants simple fun and has the wind in her hair.

Because she's had motorcycles for the last half of her life as well. So working on cars, maintenance, clutch repair, isn't an issue with her.

She and her husband do a lot of automotive maintenance, but she's no diesel mechanic, but she's rarely had an issue with that diesel engine.

She's only replaced one turbo the whole time she owned the X5.

As with most BMWs, it's had its glitches here and there and thrown a few codes, but otherwise loved it.

BMWs throw codes, you blank them out and then you keep driving. That's kind of what happens.

Or the people that we've met many times where they have a BMW that they love, they've had it for a decade or more and you get in and it's a Christmas tree on the dash.

Oh, it's all fine. There's like six lights on right now. It's all fine. It's going to be okay.

Put some electrical tape on that. It's just like the old VCR. Just cover it with tape. It'll be fine.

So here's the dilemma for constant. She needs off-road capability hidden with an aesthetically pleasing car, but she wants a car that's fun to drive as well.

She is an architectural photographer. Sometimes these homes are up mountain roads that aren't developed yet or construction crews have torn up the roads.

Large aggregate paves the way. So she needs ground clearance too. She likes the beefiness of the X5 and hasn't found a replacement yet because she cannot make up her mind.

She's torn between the love of her old car, the capacity that car had to drive down rough roads and then be so great on freeways all while looking very nice.

I get it. That's hard.

She's looking at the X5D. The next generation.

Another one. What's holding her back? Well, the systems of which she knows aren't so great.

Do you have to put this stuff called DEF and the all of the diesel cars that is essentially the Urea stuff you have to put in the off-subbiteration?

So you have to find that. Now many cars that have that have various issues. The X5 is known to have issues related to that.

So she's concerned about that a little bit. She didn't have problems with her last one, but she knows it's an ongoing issue.

That makes her look at the X5 hybrid, but she's not thrilled about battery-powered cars. She's just she's scared.

This is interesting. She's scared of battery-powered cars because she's had those terrible lithium battery issues with some of her camera batteries.

And so the idea of a lithium battery is her daily. She's just not comfortable. That's to each your own there. I get it.

Well, Consuz has also been looking at Porsche, but she's not keen on the interior styling.

I'm thinking you're talking first-gen. And as with somebody that owns a first-gen, I agree with you.

Okay, fair. She's not a fan of Toyota or Nissan or Mazda. She thinks the design of those brands bore her.

Interesting. She is also not a Subaru driver. She drives a lot and being safe is very important.

She's not against a gas-powered car. She just prefers that six-year-mile diesel range that she had.

That's so hard to come back to. Anyway, all right.

So she's open to new things. She's not limiting her options to just BMW, but I'm glad you are shopping BMWs because Constance, you weren't done with it.

And as we've said for years, that car was taken from you and you were not done with it yet.

So I don't blame you for looking at X5 diesel.

Yes, for sure.

And if you find one and you like it, get another one.

Yeah, I agree with you on that. There's really, I mean, I've got other ideas here and I've got one I really like for you.

But if you just ended up in another X5, I say good for you.

I think the situation here and the love that you still had for that car was taken as Paul said.

So I think there's no reason to not be back, but I have other thoughts.

Constance's budget is under $20,000.

So what do we suggest? I'm going to do my best.

I'm going to push on you a little, Constance.

Just, I mean, you knew that. You knew it was coming, right?

But I'm going to start out with what I think could be interesting and obvious.

It is the 2022 Jeep Wrangler 3-liter ECO diesel V6.

Oh, interesting. Okay, all right.

Now, it's not a luxury vehicle like you're used to.

It does the off-road thing. It does the rough and tumble.

You will be fine around all the contractors and the house building and all the stuff.

But then when you do want, you know, really luxury experience, it's still a Jeep Wrangler.

It's not. It's not going to have the highway manners at the X5, which is too bad.

So there's one that I'm really wrestling with.

And because you have such a unique job, cool job, too.

Like a petrol photographer. Yeah, very cool.

I'd love to tag along on your photoshoots.

That would be really cool to see what you, the kinds of things that you focus on.

Oh, great. For customers or what your clients require, it could be really interesting.

This car is not a car. It's not an SUV. It's a Ute.

Oh. Constance, I am recommending a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz 2.5, the Turbo XRT.

Okay.

Now, this is because the XRT is the rugged trim level with the off-road styling additions to it.

And it is the first of the trim levels that introduces the Turbo engine.

There are lower trim levels that have the same 2.5 without the Turbo.

And those are right about 20 grand.

True. Yeah, yeah. I think the Turbo is worth it.

I think so, too. For only $8,000 or $9,000 more, you can get the Turbo.

And the ones that I was finding very lightly used.

10 to 13,000 miles on most of the ones that I found on auto-tops.com.

All XRTs, and they drive well.

The biggest thing that we discovered about the Santa Cruz was it has a longer wheelbase than the SUV that it's based upon.

So it rides great on the freeway, but it also handles like you wouldn't expect.

It's actually cooler than you really. I agree. They're really cool.

And you get into the Turbo engine and it feels really worth it and fun. I agree with that.

There is fun to be had. That's good. I like that.

So used. I found most of them between $28,000, $29,000.

Yes, that's more than your budget.

It even crossed my mind because we're at a place, finally, where interest rates have come down,

and Hyundai in particular is offering some great deals on the website.

You could investigate new.

I don't necessarily want you to have car payments, but if you could get something brand new.

Yeah, you defend yourself a lot.

It would be compelling.

So the XRT, it's got the rugged look.

It's unique because you don't see them, and the buyer is unique, and your job is unique.

And you are unique, Constance. I think your job, your life, everything about it

could be cool for the youth.

The other cool thing is it's not just a pickup because it's got that built-in tonneau

that closes and locks.

I agree with that.

So you could put the dirty stuff out there and keep that in the short bed.

The dog can be in the back, seats fold.

The dog could be right in the back.

Put the dog bed back there, but it's also fun to drive.

And that's the biggest thing that I've discovered about the Santa Cruz is.

Okay, it's a, it's a youth.

It does the off-road thing.

I can scramble up a dirt fire road.

No problem.

Sure, yeah, for sure.

But then it's actually kind of luxurious.

It's kind of, it's no Genesis product.

It's not a luxury.

It's not the BMW level.

But also you're buying an outstanding warranty with that thing.

Some of the other ones I found.

I found early Santa Cruz's that had 100,000 plus miles.

One had 157,000 miles.

They just drive these things.

And you do a lot of driving.

So that connected with me.

You want something fun to drive.

It's interesting.

It's compelling.

It's got character personality.

At least entertain me and go look at them.

Try it out.

Do a test drive.

But I do suggest, if you're not done with that BMW,

for your needs, that's also hard to beat.

That's great stuff.

I hadn't gone there, but I think that's a great new car bike.

Because I was struggling with what new car might get close.

And you've gotten really close.

I like that.

Constance, I'm going to, again, echo Paul with you.

One another X-5.

I see the logic.

I'm going to defend the Cayenne diesel real quick.

Okay?

Because I think that could be the answer.

I really do.

The problem is that the first generation, I'll agree with you.

I don't like the interior of the first generation.

It took me a long time.

That weird triangle steering wheel.

It comes with the first gen.

I don't like it to this day.

Even with the fun we've had with the Rubik Cayenne.

I'm still like, well, yuck.

I just don't like it.

But here's the thing.

$20,000, you can probably find an early second gen.

That's $20,000 and higher for $20,000.

In the second gen interior, I actually think it's pretty great.

So I want to encourage you in that.

Go look at a Cayenne diesel.

See what you think of it.

We're talking like 2014 for the diesel.

Right?

2014 Cayenne diesel?

Well, but here's the thing.

The second gen started at 2011.

So I'm pretty sure they rolled all the way through all of the power trains

when they introduced the second gen.

So we'd have to look it up on auto-tens.

But that's the thing.

Starting at 2011, you're into second gen with the new interior.

So that gets you away from the triangle and the weirdness.

So I think that might work out.

Definitely want you to look at it.

I also want to ask you, is the interior bad

or is it just different than BMW?

Because you've had two BMWs.

You have the one in the garage and you have the one that's the SUV.

So it is different than BMW.

Is that bad?

But then the thing that really struck me is your desire to have something

that can do any off-road situation, but can get cleaned up,

go on the highway, have a nice highway ride, and then go to a nice dinner.

You want to do all of that, which is hard.

But then I thought of the brand that is known for that.

And that is Land Rover.

Okay.

So then I went looking.

Did you know everyone, especially Constance,

with $20,000 on auto-tempest right now,

you have your choice of Range Rover Sport diesels.

Seriously, 2016 and newer, Range Rover Sport.

So once decay diesels, really.

Ranges of miles, but I found a lot of them.

So here's diesel like you want.

Range Rover, which has all the off-road running gear,

you clean up a Range Rover you could take it anywhere on the planet.

You pull that up to a valley and they'll park it out front.

Range Rover just says something.

Okay.

Now, some of you were screaming, and I hear the screaming,

Range Rover, what about maintenance?

Right.

But here's a couple things.

I've known a few people.

anecdotal, I realize, but I know a few people.

Some back in Texas and there's a guy,

our friend Gary here, that's where by Land Rover products.

But here's the key thing, both of those scenarios.

They've owned a string of them.

The guy we know here that has them,

the reason they're reliable is because he does all the maintenance himself.

You have the capability and the background

to do the maintenance yourself.

The way these things nickel and dime you to death

is because you fix everything that broke by taking it to the dealer

and then you just throw up your hands.

Yeah.

You guys have the knowledge and capability

to fix the little stuff that poor becomes big stuff

and before you have to send it to the dealer.

Hmm.

So I really think that this, the number one thing I would say

about Range Rover is what about maintenance?

I think you guys can solve the stuff.

And that, to me, is the pinnacle of what you're going for.

Off-road capability drives well on the highway,

clean up and go to dinner.

Land Rover.

Really good.

Wow.

You've got some great choices here.

You've got some drive homework.

Sounds like.

And we're wishing you the best with all of your car searching.

Yeah, you're in this dilemma right now.

Keep the X5 in the back of your mind as you go shopping.

And just go have a Saturday.

Go have some fun.

Absolutely.

Yes.

Wishing you the best.

If you've got a debate like constants,

write to us every day.

DriverTV at gmail.com,

topic Tuesday's car conclusions.

Those great car conclusions.

We love those.

Yeah.

And car debates.

Here's a quick podcast for all you true crime fans.

The case of the missing Reese's.

It was me at the store with my mouth.

Motive?

Um, their Reese's.

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Spoiler, I will.

Wow.

That had everything.

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Reese's.

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Tom C writes to us about the $1 car.

I wasn't sure where this was going,

but now I get it.

It makes sense.

$1 car.

We've talked about all the price points,

the $5,000 car.

That one we haven't had before, but it all makes sense.

Tom drives a 2003 GMC Denali XL.

It's now to the point where it needs to be replaced.

It was bought new by his parents and it became the car

that Tom learned to drive on and his car

through high school and college,

with him eventually buying it from his parents for $1

when he graduated college.

We need to officially make this a transaction.

Pay me $1.

What I want to see is I want to see the DMB

when you hand on the sheet.

I'm sure they've seen it all.

Yeah, hand on the sheet.

It's like a $1 right now.

I'm going to charge you $0.10 in taxes.

Exactly.

Well, this 03 now has just over 194,000 miles on it.

It's in great condition cosmetically,

but needed two to three grand in mechanical repairs

every year for the last four years

because age and mileage.

Sure, yeah, I get it.

Tom and his wife recently welcomed their daughter

to the world.

Congratulations.

They've also got a big dog that comes with them

on road trips to the in-laws

four and a half hours away.

So they need something good for road trips.

I got it. Yep.

But here's where it starts to get a twist.

They live in a condo.

They have two assigned parking spaces.

So he bought his wife a barely used Mercedes

GLC 63, 17,000 miles at the time of the car.

That's a hot car.

Replacing her Chevy Sonic.

Talk about a leap.

By the way, that was not a $1 car.

That GLC 63 cost real money.

It's a very, very cool car.

And a car with decent space.

I'm going to come back to that.

But that is now his wife's car.

So she has a practical car as a mom.

So that's cool.

This gets us to where Tom would like to go.

Again, 2003 GMC Denali XL.

That's the big long one looks like a suburban.

Okay.

What he'd like is an Escalade V.

So he could laugh every time he drives it to the neighborhood

just the pure absurdity.

He's been looking at new eucons and tajos

following the recent refresh.

But he's asking what other similar SUVs he should look at.

In the perfect world, this new SUV

will last as long as the current Denali has lasted his parents,

which is 20 years.

That's a while.

Exactly.

He's hoping that whatever this purchase is,

allows him to just have something he doesn't have to worry about.

So in the coming years, he can use quote-unquote extra money.

Hey, what is that for fun cars?

Tom has told his dad.

He wants the first ride of a fusel.

If he ever sells their Maserati Grand Turismo MC convertible.

Yes.

Good.

Paul might fight you for it.

But otherwise, it's good.

Yeah, it's good stuff.

Tom, you did not include a budget.

So we're going to have to extrapolate.

Yeah, from new eucons and tajos.

That's the better part of like 80 grand.

Yeah.

I'm going to spend some money here.

Yeah, yarn.

But we want you to get something long term here.

Something good for the long term.

And that's what I think you're looking for.

And that's why I bring up finance.

Buying for the long term is financing an option.

Is that on the table?

I suspect so.

I love that you're looking at those eucons and Denali's.

You're thinking, well, shoot.

This one lasted 20 years.

22 years.

Yeah, true.

True.

Why not just go get another one?

You can get that with the diesel too.

Those eucons and Denali's, you can even get this a bourbon.

The diesel, they're long lasting too.

And I think you'd really like that.

Really good power out of that.

I have the car that I think you should consider.

And the couple others that I was thinking about,

we just recently drove the new sixth gen Toyota 4Runner,

which we really like.

You could go look at those.

It is a different experience than the fifth.

It is not just a little bit different.

It's not just styling.

It's a completely different platform.

Every concept is different.

Yeah.

So, 4Runner's got to be on your list.

Mazda CX70, CX90.

There's a lot of Toyota's and Honda's and Mazda's

and a lot SUV's that you could consider

and do really well with.

If those pop up, if you decide, great,

I encourage you to go for a drive.

Have fun testing.

Or you could just skip to the end.

I think you and I are on the same page.

We keep going.

Skip to the end.

Lexus GX550 overtrial plus.

Oh, okay.

All right.

The end.

It's 80 grand.

The overtrial plus.

You can do off-roading if you haven't seen our

Rubikayan versus GX550 overtrial plus video.

Yes, we took a Lexus on the trail.

We bashed it a little bit.

Yeah, we did.

And people were shocked to find a Lexus out there on the trail.

But this thing,

towing capacity, power.

It's a Lexus.

This thing will last you 20 years.

Another 20 years.

Yeah, okay.

And it's got the towing power for towing race car.

Track car.

Just saying.

To the track car.

Okay.

Great space for growing families.

It has all that,

that, you know, broad shoulder kind of big on the road kind of thing.

Yeah.

I think you're looking for the Denali's and Yukon's.

They're awesome.

But they're huge.

Yeah, I agree.

I agree.

Huge.

I mean, I could suggest the AT4 Denali,

which I think is the really cool version.

But that's also like way up there.

80, 85 grand.

I agree.

It's huge.

It's a Lexus.

I think it's great styling.

I think it's interesting.

Got lots of power.

Great freeway ride.

Yeah, it does.

And I think you need to go look at that GX 550.

Don't get the luxury version.

It comes with 21s.

No, don't do that.

Stay away.

The one you want is the overtrail plus

because you can do some light off-roading.

Yeah, you can actually do some rock crawling.

Some serious off-roading if need be.

Yeah.

I think that is your car.

I think you'd love it.

Rock and Mercedes and a Lexus.

That's not bad.

I like that a lot.

Tom, I'm going to back up here into your description

and I'm going to ask you some hard questions.

And that is, look, I realize you've been driving a 2003

GMC Denali XL, the suburban sized one, for a long time.

I realize that car has been in your family's life for 20 years.

Okay?

That is your first car.

It is your college car.

It is your I've started a life.

Have a wife.

Have a kid.

We have a dog.

Experience car.

You're Tom and your wife.

What do you need that for?

There is no, I have a hobby that takes up a lot of space.

There is no, I have six kids.

There is no, we tow a boat.

Why do you need something that large?

There is nothing in your description here, especially considering the fact

your wife has a GLC63, which by the way,

you, your wife, the dog, and the child, in the GLC63

and could go anywhere.

True. Good point.

What do we need another one that you want an Escalade V for what?

Sport mode on startup.

Which is, which is allowed.

Which is valid.

But it's just now, but Tom, now it's just you laughing in a shipping container

that goes like a bullet.

True.

I don't understand what it's for.

For 150 grand.

You don't need anything that large.

This is my big question.

I'm going to answer you with stuff that I think you should look at.

That is that large or is almost that large.

But I'm really, I'm really digging down here and asking you why.

Okay?

I don't think you need anything that big again.

So I'm going to go all over the map.

First off, I'm going to say to you in my thinking of why that large.

Macon.

BMW X3.

These are four seats, a little bit of space.

But good to drive, like dynamically good to drive.

Even the Escalade V.

There's no dynamics there.

I mean, dynamics for its size.

Sure, but there's not dynamics.

The engine is dynamic.

The engine is very dynamic.

So I think why not go with a small SUV.

The Macons, the X3s of the world that are actually dynamically fun to drive.

And are still SUV shaped, but are now smaller because you don't need that big.

Yeah, true.

So I started there.

Okay.

Now let me go to something a little bit more like what you're looking for,

which is a big SUV that's going to run forever.

I'm saving you money now.

What about the prior gen?

I know there's a brand new one, but I'm talking the prior gen like a two-year-old Toyota Sequoia.

With the big, naturally aspirated engines that will run forever.

That's the newest generation just a couple years old.

Yeah, right.

The last gen.

Not the one they're selling right now in the new platform.

Not the new boxy one.

The prior one.

The prior one with the naturally aspirated engine.

Don't even get into the turbos.

Okay.

Because everybody's asking what's the reliability of the turbo engine is going to be.

Nobody knows.

Go back a gen.

Oh.

It's only two or three years old.

Get the last of that breed.

Okay.

They're like 40 grand.

I've got them pulled up in front of me right here.

They're like 40, 50 grand.

I think that you get a pro version rides the best.

But either way, you just get that.

It does.

You just get that old Toyota Sequoia.

But again, I'm looking at ones here that have got like 40,000 miles in there, like 40 grand.

That's going to run for 20 years.

It is big.

It's going to be bulletproof.

I think that is one play.

If you're wanting absurdity in your SUV, but you don't want to spend escalated V money,

I can get you for 50, 60 grand into a Durango SRT.

You don't need all the space of the big Yukon.

But it's still a seven-seater, surprisingly dynamic for what it is.

SRT Hellcat.

Believe it or not, yes.

Believe it or not.

Seriously.

Yes.

We're talking 50 to 60 grand for the 392's and 60 to 80 for the Hellcats.

Really?

Yes.

So my point is here, if you really want absurdity in your SUV, go SRT Hellcat.

Or SRT 8392 Durango and have a nice day.

But I have a wild card I kind of like for you.

Total wild card.

I'm just thinking about what's the vehicle you could get a deal on that's probably going to run forever that is SUV shaped.

You have a car that does all of this.

Again, I'm reminding you, Tom.

The GLC does all of this.

But if you're actually shopping for an SUV with some flavor, some dynamics,

some speed that you don't have to worry about so you can go shop fun cars.

Mustang Mach-E.

Really?

Why not?

You're clearly using this as a daily electric cars typically have less maintenance.

You can get ones coming off lease for like a song.

True.

That's probably just going to run.

You're using it as a run about if you need the long distance thing.

I'm going to remind you again.

Mercedes GLC's in the garage.

True.

Okay.

Or you could come, I mean, pardon me, you could long distance the Mustang.

You're just going to think about it differently.

Why not get a Mustang Mach-E and then start shopping sports cars.

Just regular Mach-E because the GT, I think we discovered it was just, it was too much.

The suspension was all wrong.

It's too stiff.

You know, here's the thing.

For what that needs to be, there's no reason to get the GT.

But you're telling me that the performance of the standard Mustang Mach-E is not going to eclipse any of these SUVs you're talking about.

Of course it will.

Yeah.

Just you be shaped, plug it in in the garage, plug it in in the condo, whatever.

And then shop for fun cars.

Interesting.

Ooh.

Well, Tom, you've got some very different choices.

You're right.

He has not written to us justifying.

There's no reason.

Space.

Unless there's something huge not telling us.

He's not telling us.

But I see here as a safe salesman.

Exactly.

What I see here is I've always driven something this big.

What's my next thing this big?

And to that I say, go smaller.

Yeah.

That's good.

All right, Tom.

If you can justify the space, you've got your choices, of course.

But I thought you were going to say still the O.

Cool.

But I think it's different dynamic.

But I also think it starts against the Mercedes.

Yeah.

Duplicates the GLC too much.

Yeah.

Okay.

Tom.

Let us know what you end up getting.

Really appreciate it.

EverydayDriverTVEdgeMail.com.

Yeah.

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On Instagram, Brafter asks, how do you know when to stop iterating on a design?

I'm excited for you to do this.

For example, when we mentioned that the Kia K4 should have cleaned up

the rear three quarter, but clearly Kia thought it was done.

How do you find that point?

We've done yet.

In general, most projects, whether it's a design of something or a book or a film, could you

not say that it's done because it was due?

Yeah.

It's done because I reached the deadline.

At some point there's a deadline that we really have to move on.

I don't think there is a creative pursuit on the planet where if you asked the artist

honestly, they wouldn't go, well, yeah, I really would change X if I could.

Any car could be tweaked endlessly.

You could change this, you know, flare that surface a little bit more.

It's the design team's call, but then the manager leading that team meeting the design

brief and what they believe handed down from the head designer, this is the direction.

The VP of design for a company will be invited in, but only at milestones.

The rest of those iterations are decided upon and they move through depending on the feedback

they get from the VP of design.

So at these big milestone presentations, the hard questions are going to be asked.

Does it meet a particular anything?

That platform doesn't meet the design brief?

Does it meet what the VP of design has established as the corporate direction?

Does he or she think that that will sell?

Ultimately, the question everybody's mind, and this is why their designer is not artists,

is will this sell?

Yeah, true.

Or a designer if you're designing something to sell for a profit.

So it comes down to the taste of the humans who are designing that object through.

Yeah.

It comes down to a lot of time looking at it and turning it around, looking at reflections,

applying different colors to it, doing digital visualization, which is really important.

But then making a mock-up in the studio and really looking at it,

there's sometimes focus groups that come into play.

But sometimes, in the case of BMW, sometimes Kia, it's different for the sake of being different.

Yeah, I think he is doing a lot of that.

Part of it wants to know on the Kia K4 did nobody go.

So what's going on with that C-pillar?

Do we like the C-pillar?

Should we change the C-pillar?

Because wow.

Something that's ugly to one person is beautiful to another.

Absolutely true.

Yeah, for sure.

And I also admit, something that I see in photos, I have recoiled at.

The Mazda 3 hatch.

Recoiled at that.

The C-pillar's too thick.

The proportions are way off.

What are they doing?

I saw it in person.

Oh.

You know what?

That's actually really, really nicely done.

It is amazing how that changes things.

It's sensitive.

Yeah.

So you have to see in person, digital visualization is definitely part of the process.

That is what design is relying a lot of times.

But certainly seeing it, your relationship next to the product, to the thing.

So it's a judgment call, always.

But sometimes companies need to allow themselves to push.

Because imagine this, Brafter.

There's a front end design.

It's a center grill shape, two headlights with whatever tack is in the headlights.

And some vents on either side for bright cooling or some other turbo ducting.

Sure.

And the center radiator cooling opening.

The engineers are always pushing for openings as big as you can get them.

That's cool this thing down.

I'd like it to have no front end.

But that particular, those five design elements, five six design elements,

how many more times can car companies keep rehashing that?

How many more times?

Shutlines are what customers look at.

Shutlines that indicate something or in the case of the key of K4.

Shutlines that make you think it is something like a hatchback when it actually isn't.

True.

Then they've got different versions of it.

So they need to design something that can accommodate different trim levels or different openings.

So you're trying to do a lot with one platform.

Sports cars that are definitive and is what it is, trim aside,

they can get away with more definitive shapes and really make it, you know, for high speed,

for something that's really aesthetically pleasing.

Sometimes just being the most beautiful car isn't number one on the requirements list for buyers.

Yeah, true.

And that's what the design team has to keep in mind.

And that's what happened with the K4.

I'm finding beautiful parts of it.

Do I think it's a pretty car?

No.

But I can find beautiful interesting shapes or clever design resolutions that,

all right, make it appeal to this segment, to this market.

Because we all think that the most beautiful objects should be paramount.

It's got to sell.

It's got to be pretty.

Yeah.

But look at the cars that are on the market that aren't beautiful and sell like crazy.

Well, so many cars that are very bland looking.

Oh, that's super powerful.

Sorry.

Yeah, that's true.

Why do they sell?

They're not pretty.

The Santa Fe is terribly ugly and they can't keep them on lots.

Is the RAV4 beautiful?

No.

It works.

Yeah.

Beautiful design isn't for front of everybody's mind.

It's the clever.

You know what?

That door opens in a great way.

Or the hatcher.

It's a clever design.

It really fits our needs.

And, you know, I guess I like it enough.

That might be third or fourth down on the list where all of us are thinking,

wow, that's an ugly car.

Why do you buy an ugly car?

Well, it fits our needs.

Yeah, true.

Fair point.

Third pedal, Nirvana, is asking an interesting question.

He's currently got a four hour round trip commute.

So two hours in the morning and two hours at night.

His wife is letting him use her electric Chevy Bolt, which is working perfectly

for what is clearly a mind numbing stop and go commute.

So he's appreciating it, making the drive easier.

But he's driving a little tiny Chevy Bolt EV.

And he said he's realizing certain music tracks don't work in an electric car.

For example, born to be wild by step and wolf,

doesn't feel like it should be played blaring from the speakers of a Chevy Bolt.

And I kind of got to go with you.

So his question is, can we think of other songs that feel like they should never be

listened to in an EV and should only be blasting out of an internal combustion engine vehicle?

I have a song and a band.

Okay.

For a song, Cowboy by Kid Rock.

Should never be in an EV.

Blaring out of an EV.

That's good.

Nope.

Yeah.

The other one?

Rage against the machine.

Anything in their portfolio.

Blaring out of an EV.

I think that's wrong.

No, I'm sorry.

That's wrong.

I mean, frankly, high is a middle-aged white guy.

Sometimes like, Rage against the machine.

I love it.

But should I be playing this?

Really?

Is this really me?

I don't know that that's really what I'm putting out to the world.

But I've been in an EV wrong.

Van Halen in any Dodge Hellcat, anything.

That works.

That's just like peanut butter and jelly.

Absolutely.

That's practically the theme song of the Hellcat is Van Halen's portfolio.

Yes.

Okay, not every song for sure.

Maybe roll the windows up and turn the volume down if you really want to...

I'm going to try to quietly blast up at wolf.

But here's the thing.

We've all been next to a car in traffic that is blaring some song that doesn't work.

And they're sitting there in traffic with the windows up.

And it's rattling the door panels.

You'll be like, I know what that song is.

Oh, that was me in high school.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

That's totally me.

Like, I'm a bass head.

I've got a lot of leeway for those drivers because that was totally me.

The license plate is buzzing.

Like, yeah, that was me.

I was an idiot.

Diego Ivara on Instagram asks for our thought process when looking for a parking spot.

I love this.

I'm curious to hear from you.

I have less parameters than you, but I do have some.

Back at the parking lot, farthest away.

As possible.

Paul parking.

Yes.

Not near a tree.

Yes.

But some bear.

Like, the end of a row with a concrete curb there.

So I'm guaranteed at least somebody won't park next to that side of the car.

Yes.

What I look for is how other people park.

It's not just where the spot is located.

It's how have the other people parked on either side of that open space?

That is key.

Because some people just don't care.

You know what?

Okay.

They might, you don't know their life story.

They could be in a hurry, distracted.

Yeah.

They just don't care.

And they leave the wheels turned when they're in the space parked.

Oh, that drives me up a wall.

And the vehicle is candid and it's not perfectly centered.

Yep.

And the wheels are square parallel and finished.

Let it be done.

Have you ever turned off a car, gotten out, walked to the end of the space and gone,

oh, I got to fix that and gotten back in.

Yes.

As have I.

All the time.

I've done it with my family and they always shake their head at me.

I'm like, no, no, no, no.

I can't walk away from the car park that badly.

I can't do it.

I cannot let myself do that.

So if the other people around that space have decently parked,

it doesn't have to be perfect.

I will do my very best to put the car in the parking spot

and fold the mirrors in for sure.

If your car can fold the mirrors in, that's really nice.

You know, be courteous and really make an effort.

But if it's sloppy parking, if the person is crowded either side of the painted lines

and you just don't think, yeah, I just don't think there's enough space.

Find a different space, man.

I just don't trust.

It's going on.

I don't park at the back of the parking lot as often as you do.

But I completely agree with your assessment.

It depends on the car I'm driving to whether or not I park at the back of the lot.

Like the Amira, back of the lot.

Back of the lot.

Okay.

But the cayenne, especially the Ruba cayenne, I can fit in there.

But now I'm looking at the stuff you're looking at.

It's like, who's parked beside me?

And here's the other thing I think about.

How nice is their car?

And I don't mean how expensive it is.

I mean, how nice have they kept it?

Right.

If it seems like they care for their car, then I'll park next to them.

Right.

If it seems like pieces are coming off the bumper

and they've never washed it.

And it doesn't matter.

I'm like, you know what?

I'm going to park somewhere else.

Because you're just going to fling your door open.

I know you are.

Exactly right.

I don't want to get a note on my windshield.

Like, thanks.

Leave me a can opener next time.

So I can get my car out.

Dami is giving us a track daily crush.

The Speed Front Wheel Drive Edition.

The Mazda Speed 3.

The Dodge Neon SRT4.

And the Nissan Centra SER.

Track daily crush.

I'm going to daily the Mazda Speed 3.

That has the nicest interior of those three.

I actually really liked that in the time I drove it.

I was a huge fan of those.

I liked the manual transmission.

Mazda Speed 3 would be a fantastic front wheel drive daily.

It also is hilarious.

How much torque steer that thing has when you floor it will pull right completely off the road.

Like into the lane next to you if you're not careful.

So there you go.

So Mazda Speed 3 daily.

I have never driven a properly sorted Dodge Neon SRT4.

But what I understand of their reputation is when they ran,

they were surprising all the time.

We saw a brilliant, gorgeous, perfect one recently.

Blue with gold wheels, thundered bias.

We were like, that's like the nicest one ever.

Total WX mask array.

Couldn't believe it.

So I think the Dodge Neon SRT4 is my track vehicle.

I just want to see what that little beast can do.

And that means by default, the Nissan Centra which is very cool gets crushed.

So long as you play some Van Halen in your Dodge Neon.

Yeah, for sure.

Only because it's the SRT4.

Exactly.

Get away with it.

Jorge, on Instagram, I really enjoyed the last topic Tuesday.

We're talking about the influence of films in our car love.

His question is what was it about any one of the films or shows that spoke to you and spoke to either one of us.

He really enjoyed the replays of the Japanese anime speed racer as a kid and when he thinks about it,

what spoke to him the most was the sense of motion or speed that they animated into the show.

Which was typically the anime trick of the thing is still in the front when there's a blurry background going by.

It's all the in-betweening of the animated, right?

I think for me, I can't believe they just did that with a car.

Whatever it is, the speed, the wrecks, the anything.

I can't believe they're using a car and they're doing that.

Wow.

And the car is holding up or it's not.

You know, it's doing great.

Oh my gosh, the car can do that or...

Oh my gosh, look at that crazy rash or something.

The suspended disbelief because in films and movies, of course, what do directors want to do?

And speaking on half of all directors, they want to get action.

They want to pull something.

If it's just cruising along, well, then I suppose the script is all about the interior dialogue.

You're just using the car.

But if the car is part of the character, part of the scene, you're trying to make it do stuff.

That's what I love about all these films.

They're doing stuff.

This is where I'm ruined and every now and then my wife will just look at me with total side eye when I do this

because you'll watch a movie that has nothing to do with cars.

And then they have a car transition scene.

I'm not talking action scene.

Okay.

I'm talking these two characters are going to drive in this vehicle to this place.

Okay.

There's no action involved.

Okay.

I judge the way that car is shot so badly.

It's like, well, that's a terrible crane shot.

Can they operate or not hold the camera still?

Oh my gosh.

Why is that lit that bad?

I have pulled because what we do, I have pulled completely out of normal Monday movies so many times

when they have a 10 second shot of subcar going from point A to point B.

And I'm like, that's just not well shot at all.

But wife's like, just stop it.

It's not even about the car.

That's a little bit like a GMC Yukon going for groceries.

Stop carrying about how they filmed it.

Although we do that with commercials.

We'll see car commercial and be like, our stuff's better than that.

I know how they shot that.

We could shoot that easier and quicker than they did with that.

What's really terrible is when we see a car commercial and we go, oh, I know where that road is.

Yeah.

That's really been really good.

We've shot right there.

That was the video.

We know where it was.

You could stand on that corner.

Get a totally different shot.

It doesn't matter.

Okay.

Thank you for all your questions.

We really appreciate it.

Looking forward to hearing from everybody.

DriverTV at gmail.com.

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983: The “New” Nissans, The One Dollar Car, The Wrong Song

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