“Van life” means people live out of their vehicle while traveling. The hosts are pointing out that most people only do trips for part of the year, so the vehicle still has to work for normal daily life.
The Rivian R1S is an electric SUV built for both adventure and everyday driving. They’re calling it the best electric SUV for off-roading and saying it’s enjoyable to live with.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a compact pickup-style vehicle. It’s mentioned as another smaller truck option before they talk about bigger trucks being more useful.
The Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is a special Tacoma version built for off-roading. It comes with extra off-road gear and is meant to be tough enough for rough trails.
“Off-road routes” means roads or trails that aren’t paved. The host is saying the truck can handle that kind of rough driving without making you feel beat up afterward.
The Jeep Gladiator is a Jeep that’s built like a pickup truck. It’s known for being able to go off-road, so it makes sense as a contender in an adventure-truck category.
A data model is basically a scoring method. In this case, US News takes different things they can measure about cars and turns them into numbers to pick winners.
Off-road features are things that help a vehicle deal with dirt roads, trails, and uneven ground. The episode says these are part of the scoring for adventure vehicles.
Fuel economy means how far the car can go on a gallon (or tank) of gas. If gas prices are high, a car that gets better fuel economy costs less to drive on trips.
The Kia K5 is a regular passenger car (a sedan). In this episode, the 2026 Kia K5 is picked as the best road-trip choice, mainly because it should be efficient with gas.
The Hyundai Kona is a small SUV. In this episode, they’re talking about it as a great hybrid choice for people who want something easy to drive but still useful.
The Nissan Rogue is a compact SUV, which is a smaller family-friendly vehicle. The podcast calls it the best compact SUV, meaning it’s a top pick in its size category. It’s mentioned alongside other compact SUV options people might be considering.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that uses both electricity and gas. You can charge it like an EV, then it uses the gas engine when the battery runs low or when you need extra power.
They pick the Hyundai Palisade as the top mid-size hybrid SUV. They also compare it to the Kia Telluride and say the Palisade comes out just a bit ahead for the kind of road-trip buyer they’re imagining.
They bring up the Kia Telluride as the Palisade’s main rival. The idea is that both are roomy family SUVs, and they’re comparing which one is the better road-trip pick.
They pick the Mazda CX90 as the best mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV. The point they’re making is that there aren’t many mid-size plug-in hybrids to choose from.
The GMC Yukon is a large SUV, and the Yukon XL is the bigger, longer version. The podcast mentions it as a top choice in the large SUV category. It also notes that the plug-in hybrid option is no longer available, which affects what buyers can choose.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an electric SUV, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. The podcast includes it in a list of top electric SUVs, so it’s being compared to other electric options. People usually look at things like space and how practical it is to charge.
They name the Hyundai Ioniq 9 as the best electric SUV. It’s part of Hyundai’s EV lineup, and they’re treating it as a strong choice for longer drives.
They pick the Toyota Sienna as the best road-trip minivan. The big reason is you can get it as a hybrid and also with all-wheel drive, which helps in bad weather and on rougher roads.
All-wheel drive (AWD) means power is sent to more than one axle, typically improving traction when roads are slippery or uneven. In road-trip terms, AWD can make it easier to maintain grip in rain, snow, or on poorly maintained routes.
They pick the GMC Canyon as the best mid-size truck for road trips. The idea is it’s easier to live with than a full-size truck, while still being useful.
They pick the Ram 1500 as the best full-size road-trip truck. The host even says they like the back seat more than the Ford F-150, which is a big deal if you’re carrying passengers.
A Ram is a full-size pickup truck. It’s made for hauling and towing, but it can also be comfortable for long drives. The podcast brings it up because it’s considered a good choice for road trips among full-size trucks.
They mention the Kia Sportage as one of two SUVs that are really close to each other. The host is saying that even small differences can make one feel like the better choice for certain buyers.
In automotive terms, a “platform” is the shared underlying architecture—like the chassis layout, mounting points, and major components—that multiple models are built on. When the hosts say two vehicles are on the same platform, they’re implying they’ll feel similar in packaging and engineering fundamentals, even if tuning and styling differ.
Car
Hyundai Sportage
They’re comparing two Hyundai SUVs: the Sportage and the Tucson. They say the Sportage drives a bit better, which can make road trips feel more fun and less tiring.
They mention the Hyundai Tucson as the other SUV in the comparison. The point is that it’s similar, but the Sportage is said to be the nicer one to drive.
“Driving dynamics” is basically how the car feels to drive. It can include how it steers, how stable it feels, and how smooth it is over different roads.
They bring up the Chevrolet Silverado EV as the other truck in the comparison. The point is that it’s very similar to the Sierra EV, but the host prefers the Sierra’s interior.
They’re using the Chevrolet Malibu as a comparison for interior style. The point is that the Sierra EV doesn’t look like the Malibu inside, which the host prefers.
The GMC Yukon XL is a very large SUV meant for families and hauling. They say it’s great if you need lots of room and towing, but it’s not the right fit for everyone.
“Maneuverable” means it’s easier to move around despite being big. It’s about how controllable it feels when you’re turning, parking, or driving in tight areas.
This is a minivan from Kia that uses a hybrid powertrain. The point they’re making is that it can still get good gas mileage even while doing a long trip.
The Ford Bronco Sport is a small SUV that’s meant to handle rougher roads than a typical crossover. They’re saying it’s better than people assume—more capable than just a rebranded vehicle.
“Rebadged” means it’s basically the same car underneath, but with a different brand name. They’re saying the Bronco Sport didn’t feel like just a rebranded Escape once they drove it.
Genesis is a brand of cars made by Hyundai, and it focuses on more premium features. In the podcast, the speaker says they replaced their Grand Cherokee with a Genesis GV70. That’s relevant because it shows how someone moved from one SUV to a smaller luxury SUV.
This is a 2016 Lexus ES 300h, which is a hybrid version of the ES sedan. The conversation is about a dashboard warning problem on that car—mostly related to tire pressure alerts and a brief ABS warning.
This is the car’s system that checks whether your tires have the right air pressure. If it’s acting up, it might show blank/odd readings (like dashes) and then later show the actual numbers.
ABS is the system that helps prevent wheel lockups during hard braking. If the ABS light flashes, it usually means the car thinks there’s a problem or a temporary glitch in that braking safety system.
A skid warning means the car thinks the tires aren’t gripping the road as they should. That can happen when braking or driving on slippery surfaces, and the car may react by adjusting traction or stability systems.
This is a Lexus program for certain cars that have an issue with the brake booster. The brake booster helps your brakes work with less pedal effort, and the program tells owners what to do if their car is affected.
Term
certain codes
The letter says your car has to match “certain codes.” Those codes are identifiers that help Lexus confirm whether your exact car is part of the problem they’re fixing.
Vehicle stability control helps keep the car from sliding out of control. If the car starts to act differently than you’re steering, the system can brake individual wheels and limit power.
This is the part of the braking system that helps your foot pressure become strong braking pressure. If it leaks internally, the car may warn you and the braking/traction systems can act up.
Brake fluid is what carries the force from the brake pedal to the brakes. If it leaks, the system may not build pressure correctly and the car can warn you.
Techstream is a mechanic’s diagnostic program for reading the car’s computer. It helps find the exact fault codes and verify what the car is reporting.
A warranty extension is extra coverage beyond the standard factory warranty period. In repair discussions, it matters because it can determine whether a costly fix is covered or becomes an out-of-pocket expense.
Poor wire connections are electrical contact issues—like loose terminals, damaged pins, or incomplete mating of connectors—that can cause intermittent signals. These problems can lead to diagnostic trouble codes and symptoms that come and go.
Corrosion is the deterioration of metal caused by chemical reactions, often showing up at electrical connectors or grounding points. In automotive diagnostics, corrosion can create intermittent faults by increasing resistance or breaking electrical contact.
A rub-through on a wire happens when wiring insulation wears away due to friction against a bracket, clip, or other component. Once the insulation is compromised, the wire can short or intermittently fail, often triggering electrical fault codes.
Term
customer contacts
Customer contacts refers to the dealership or manufacturer process for communicating with the vehicle owner during a service campaign or warranty-related repair. It’s part of how the company ensures consistent messaging and documentation.
Term
media contacts
Media contacts are designated points of contact for journalists and press inquiries. The transcript describes a protocol to route media questions to corporate communications rather than frontline staff or customers.
Ed Helwig is named as a contact in Toyota corporate communications for media inquiries. The speaker is quoting a document that directs journalists to this person rather than sharing the number with customers.
A recall is when a car company says, “We need to fix something on certain cars.” Sometimes they expand the recall later if they learn more cars are affected.
A customer service bulletin is an internal “here’s how to fix this known problem” notice from the car maker to the dealer. It can sometimes mean the dealer will cover the repair or reimburse you.
Reimbursement means the company pays you back for a repair you already paid for. The amount is usually capped by a limit written in the program details.
A field service rep is a specialist from the car company who can help the dealer figure out the right fix. They’re often brought in when a case is confusing or doesn’t fit the usual checklist.
A field service engineer is a technical expert from the car company. They can help decide what’s really going on and whether the correct repair should be covered.
A cooling fan is part of the car’s cooling system that helps keep the engine from overheating. The host is saying the fan was hard to reach, so they had a shop do it instead of doing it at home.
The Volkswagen Beetle is a classic, easy-to-recognize small car. Here, the host says they bought one a while back and is using it as the car they’ll drive home in.
Fuel stabilizer is something you add to gas so it doesn’t go bad as quickly while the car sits. The idea is to help prevent fuel-system problems when you start the car again later.
A sealed automatic transmission is one where you usually don’t check or add transmission fluid yourself. Instead, the car’s maintenance schedule tells you when (or if) the fluid should be serviced.
Electric power steering helps you steer with an electric motor. Since it doesn’t use hydraulic fluid like older systems, there are fewer fluids to worry about.
Flat spots are when a tire gets a little “dented” from sitting in one spot too long. The host is trying to prevent that by parking on foam that compresses a bit.
A plastic engine cover is a panel over parts of the engine bay. It can help quiet the car down, and the host says it’s also meant to reduce some of the sounds you’d otherwise hear.
Fuel injectors are the parts that deliver fuel to the engine. When they work, they can make some noise, and the host says the plastic cover helps muffle that sound.
Damp Rid is a product that pulls moisture out of the air. Putting it in a covered, parked car can help prevent damp smells and moisture-related issues.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is an electric van. In the podcast, it’s mentioned during Hurricane Ian, where a cover helped protect the vehicle for a while. The story is about how to keep a car protected in bad weather.
This means the cover is made from multiple layers of material. More layers usually help it block rain and sun better and can include a soft inside to protect the paint.
UV exposure means the sun’s rays hitting your car. Over time, that can fade paint and damage interior materials, so the cover is meant to block some of it.
“Weather checking” means the rubber develops tiny cracks from being exposed to the elements. It’s a sign the tire is aging, especially with lots of sun and heat.
Vents in a car cover are openings that help air circulate. That reduces the chance of moisture getting trapped underneath, which can lead to mildew or corrosion.
This is a particular brand/model of car cover. The host is saying it’s meant to protect a car outdoors, and they’re comparing how nice the inside lining feels compared with cheaper covers.
Outdoor protection just means keeping the car safer when it’s outside. The host is planning to judge how well the cover holds up during hurricane season.
The host is talking about the soft lining on the inside of the cover. A fleece-like lining helps prevent the cover from scratching or rubbing the car’s paint.
“Labor” is the mechanic’s time to do the repair. Shops charge it based on how many hours they expect the job to take.
Term
fresh gas
“Fresh gas” refers to using newly purchased fuel rather than leaving old fuel sitting in the tank. Old gasoline can degrade and cause drivability issues, especially if a vehicle sits for a while.
Royal Purple is a company that makes motor oil and transmission fluids. Here, they’re being discussed as an option for a Corvette’s transmission fluid.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car made for performance driving. The podcast mentions one that’s in very good condition, which usually means it’s been well cared for. It comes up because it’s a notable car to maintain and keep in good shape.
Fully synthetic fluid is a “man-made” version of transmission fluid. It tends to stay stable longer, which can help the transmission shift more smoothly.
A manual transmission is a car gearbox where you choose the gears yourself. You use the clutch pedal to switch gears instead of letting the car do it for you.
Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) is the special liquid inside some transmissions that keeps everything lubricated and working smoothly. In some cars with a manual gearbox, the manufacturer actually wants ATF instead of the usual heavier gear oil.
Those numbers are a way of describing how thick the gear oil is. Thicker oil can protect gears better under heavy load, but it may be harder to flow when it’s cold.
Gear oil is the thick lubricant used in gearboxes and differentials to reduce wear. It’s usually thicker than regular oil, and different “weights” mean it behaves differently when the car is hot or cold.
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Have questions? Call or text 7-8-1-837-4900.
Now, here's John Paul, the car doctor.
And good Sunday morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the car doctor program on 959 W-A-T-D.
My name's John Paul, the car doctor here to help you with your car problems on this very last day of May.
So welcome to the car doctor program.
Well, you just heard Jesse's weather forecast.
It's going to be warm. It's going to be sunny. It's going to be rainy.
Unless you live in the western part of the state, apparently up in the mountains, there was a little bit of snow.
So it's New England. You could get rain. snow. mud.
Apparently you can get meteors. Your house didn't get hit by a meteor, did it, Jesse?
I don't think so. But I heard about it. I always miss these things.
People are like, oh, did you feel the earthquake? Did you hear the boom? I'm like, I heard nothing.
No. You work too much. That's what it is.
But anyway, so do you need an all-wheel drive adventure vehicle if you never go adventuring?
Maybe in New England you do. And with us is John Vincent. He is the U.S. News senior editor for vehicle testing.
John, welcome back to the car doctor program.
Good morning. How are you? Good. Good afternoon there, I guess it is.
Well, not quite yet. Not quite yet. Another hour will be afternoon.
So U.S. News did best adventure vehicles for 2026.
Can adventure vehicles handle meteor strikes, which apparently we had yesterday?
Maybe the Hummer. Maybe not myself.
Yeah, exactly. What do you guys classify as an adventure vehicle? What is it?
So it's hard to describe because for every family, adventure means something different.
For some, the adventure is getting down the road to the next hotel.
For others, it's finding a place where no cell signal has ever reached.
So your adventure vehicle has to fit that.
And we know you're only going to be adventuring for a certain number of days per year.
So the car truck or SUV has to be good for the rest of the year as well.
That's a good point. I mean, even though there are people that sort of embrace the van life,
or maybe they choose to live in their vehicles,
most of the time you're taking two or three weeks vacation and you're going to go to National Park
or go camping or take your little boat somewhere or dirt bikes or something like that.
And you're right, the other 48 weeks of the year, you're going to go back and forth to work
in the supermarket and the home improvement store, right?
Yep, take the kids to school, all those daily tasks.
So that adventure vehicles got to kind of satisfy more than one challenge here, right?
Yep, so we broke it down into four classes.
We broke it down into best SUVs for off-roading, best trucks for off-roading,
best vehicles for camping, and best vehicles for road trips.
And there's a lot of overlap between those categories.
I bet there is. Well, let's start with the best off-road SUVs.
I mean, I always just sort of expect, oh, there's going to be a Jeep in here somewhere.
But was there a Jeep in there? There is, okay.
There was. The Wrangler's there. The Bronco is there.
Best hybrid SUV for off-roading was a little bit of a surprise,
and it's the new Toyota RAV4 Woodland.
And then we have best electric SUV, the Rivian R1S,
which I'm not sure whether you've been in that vehicle yet, but it's a fantastic vehicle.
It's a really capable, fun vehicle that you can live with every day as an electric
because it has such great range that you're never going to find yourself on a public charger.
Yeah, absolutely. The Ford Bronco, was it the Bronco or the Bronco Sport?
It was the best mid-sized SUV for off-roading is the Bronco.
And did the Bronco...
Bronco picked up an award here too, but a little bit later on.
Oh, okay. Let's talk about, you know, people...
You know, it depends what you live.
It seems like there's a pickup truck in everybody's driveway.
What's the... I mean, we have compact pickup trucks, sort of.
We have the Maverick and the Santa Cruz.
There are two trucks. I suppose they could be okay.
But more mid-size or full-size trucks are really, I think,
what people are looking for when they think about more usefulness.
What was the winner in that mid-size pickup truck for off-roading?
That was the Tacoma TRD Pro, which is the top end of the Tacoma lineup,
packed with off-road equipment, super capable, super well protected.
So, you know, you're going to be able to get out there and get back.
And it has these amazing seats in it that are air-ride seats.
So, your driver's seat is isolated from the rest of the truck by an air suspension of its own.
Yeah, I remember driving that last summer and looking at the seats,
which do take up a fair amount of rear seat room at the same time.
But those seats are engineering in themselves.
I mean, they were amazing.
I really wanted to find the roughest road I could find,
but I never really found anything that could challenge the comfort of the seat.
It was pretty amazing, though.
It takes a little bit to get used to,
because it feels like you're a little disconnected from the rest of the truck.
But they're amazing at keeping your body stable.
You know, you could pound on off-road routes all day long and you wouldn't come back sore.
Yeah, no.
And in the runner-up category, do I remember seeing a Jeep Gladiator in that mix?
I don't have the list of runner-ups on it,
but I would imagine if the Gladiator would be there as well.
Yeah.
How about full-size trucks?
I mean, we have so many good full-size trucks.
It must be hard.
I mean, there's F-150, Ram, GMC, and Chevy.
There's so many good trucks out there.
What was the winner in that category?
And not only are there a lot of good trucks,
but there are a lot of good trucks with off-road versions, which are fantastic.
But we gave it to the F-150 lineup.
They have the tremor.
They have the Raptor.
You know, incredibly capable trucks.
Get you there, get you back.
And, you know, with that livability for 365 days a year,
the F-150 just rose to the top of our rankings.
All of these awards are based on data.
It's not just what we're thinking in our mind that we want to award these trucks.
We go back and US News uses data to give these awards.
Well, explain to us a little bit what the data model used.
How does that shake out?
So we look at interior space, interior features, off-road features, performance, fuel economy, safety, reliability.
All of those are just built down into numbers that we use to determine, you know, who our winners are.
It's the US News way.
We just don't base it on our own opinions.
There must be a tiny little of opinion in there, right?
There's more than a bit of opinion in there, including our own opinion.
But our own opinions are boiled down to numbers as well.
Well, I can understand the F-150 because the F-150 rear seat reminded me of, like,
the last time I was in a full-size Lincoln Continental, you know, or a Lincoln Town Car.
I mean, the rear seat in the F-150 is ridiculously spacious, so I can understand that.
How about road trips?
You know, not everybody goes camping like you pointed out.
You know, the idea of, you know, an adventure vehicle for some people is just, you know, finding that next hotel four or 500 miles away.
What were the best vehicles for road trips?
So the best vehicles for road trips.
And on this category, you know, it is 2026.
Gas prices are through the roof.
So we heavily weighted fuel economy into these rankings, at least for this year.
Best car for road tripping?
2026 Kia K5.
Best hybrid car for your previous phenomenal mileage.
Subcompact SUV Hyundai Kona.
Subcompact hybrid SUV Kia Nero.
Best compact SUV Nissan Rogue.
Compact hybrid Kia Sportage. These lists are long.
Compact plug-in hybrid is the new Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid, which gets like 50-some miles on an electricity alone before the gasoline engine even has to kick on.
Best mid-size SUV GMC Acadia.
And all these awards GMC was the big winner with, I think, the 1-8.
Best mid-size hybrid SUV Hyundai Palisade.
Great vehicle.
You know, it competes with the Kia Telluride and they are both fantastic, but for this, the Palisade came out slightly ahead.
There aren't that many mid-size hybrid SUVs anymore since the Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid's gone away.
Best large SUV GMC Yukon XL, the long-wheelbase Yukon.
Best electric SUV Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Best minivan for road tripping, Toyota Sienna.
It's the only minivan you can get that is both hybrid and you can get with all-wheel drive.
You can get both of those features individually, but Sienna's the only one that offers both of them on the same van.
Best mid-size pickup for road tripping, GMC Canyon.
Full-size pickup for road tripping, Ram 1500.
And I will tell you, I actually like the backseat of the Ram 1500 more than the F-150.
And then the best electric pickup for road tripping is the GMC Sierra EV.
It's quite a list and it must have been a little bit hard to sort of separate these out.
For instance, the Kia Sportage versus the Hyundai Tucson.
I mean, they're so close together, but I'm guessing the Kia felt a little bit more solid for the person that might go on the road trip,
but also maybe venture a little bit off-road?
Those two are extremely close. I mean, they're on the same platform.
The Hyundai wins a lot in that category because its cargo space is slightly better,
but the driving dynamics of the Sportage are slightly better than the Tucson.
And you kind of pointed out earlier, GMC's everywhere.
And GMC's almost, I don't know, it's sort of the forgotten stepchild of General Motors sometimes,
but the vehicles are so good and they do offer a little bit more unique feel and look than their Chevrolet counterpart.
They are definitely a step up in interior quality.
You know, I compare the Silverado EV to the Sierra EV and they're essentially the same truck,
except I would take the Sierra EV every day just because its interior doesn't look like a Malibu.
Good point.
You know, when we look at this category and we looked at things like the GMC Yukon XL,
again, it's a big, big vehicle. It's not made for everybody,
but if you're somebody with a bunch of kids or you have a need for towing, the Yukon XL,
certainly with the ridiculous amount of space inside of it, something that can fit a bill for a lot of people.
And even though it's a big, huge SUV, it's a vehicle that, I don't know, I mean,
17 or 18 miles per gallon probably combined is not fantastic, but considering the capability of it is not terrible.
Absolutely. I mean, and that vehicle drives smaller than it is. It's a massive vehicle, but it's maneuverable comparatively.
It is not an inexpensive vehicle. At the high end, those things came, you know, 80, 90, close to $100,000.
But yeah, they earned this award.
Yeah. No, I think the last one I drove was the, you know, you couldn't put anything more in it.
I think it was $109,000 or something. It was very expensive.
And, you know, you mentioned best minivan for road tripping. People, you know, people sort of shun minivans,
but minivans are probably one of the best vehicles for road tripping there is because of the space and the maneuverability and the fuel efficiency.
Absolutely. I mean, my wife and I don't have kids, but we have a minivan for the dog.
We do dog shows. We do long road trips for dog shows.
We recently purchased the Kia Carnival Hybrid, and on a road trip to California, we got 34.5 miles per gallon from a minivan.
That makes for one heck of a road trip vehicle.
I bet it does. Well, we have to ask, what kind of dogs?
English Bull Terrier.
Oh, okay.
Like Spuds Mackenzie or the Target Dog.
There you go. Both good choices.
We like both the Target Dog and Spuds Mackenzie, so there we go.
If people want to find out more information about this list, which, you know, let's face it, U.S. News does this fantastic job of lists
everything from best credit cards to, you know, you're paying too much for car insurance,
but automotive, there's all kinds of stuff here.
Simple enough, usnews.com, right?
Just go to usnews.com, and I did misspeak earlier.
Best subcontract SUV for off-roading was the Bronco Sport, and was the midsize for the Bronco.
And the Bronco Sport is an interesting vehicle because I have to say, I don't think I drove it in the Badlands edition recently.
And, you know, I was like, it's a rebadged Ford Escape.
Until I drove it and realized it had some real capability.
It does.
Yeah, thinking about it as a rebadged Escape isn't fair to that vehicle anymore.
They've done a really good job on that.
Yeah, they really did.
And I'm somebody who likes sort of compact and midsize SUVs.
So I felt the size was maneuverable, comfortable enough for full-size people.
It seemed to work really well.
So yeah, great choice.
John, I want to thank you.
I just replaced my grand Cherokee with a Genesis GV70, which is a little smaller.
And I'm realizing how much I enjoy a slightly smaller SUV.
Especially if you have to go to the storing park somewhere.
So much less.
Hey John, I want to thank you for taking a little time out of your Sunday morning and informing our listeners with all the different news that U.S. news has.
I always appreciate you taking the time and joining us on the CarDoctor radio program.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Hope to speak again soon.
All right, take care.
That was John Vincent.
He is the U.S. news senior editor of vehicle testing.
We need to take a break and pay some bills.
When we come back, we'll talk about something a little bit different.
Not your normal car review.
Not your normal thing review.
You know, last week I think I talked about flashlights and all kinds of stuff.
Talk about something a little different when we come back.
My name is John Paul.
This is the CarDoctor program.
You're listening on 959WATD.
We'll be right back.
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Now, back to the car doctor.
And welcome back to the car doctor program on 959WATD.
Our phone number is 781-837-4900.
781-837-4900.
Let's talk to Mike in Bridgewater.
Michael?
Hi, John.
Hi, Michael.
Yes.
Hi, John.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Hi.
I hope you had a good Memorial Day.
Weather wasn't cooperative as you were talking about weather today, but anyway, the reason
I'm calling, may I give you the latest update on my Lexus 2016 Lexus 300.
Your Lexus that only stops when it wants to?
Yes.
Sort of kind.
It's not quite that bad, but all right.
So it's a 2016 Lexus ES300H.
Right.
And the issue started last winter.
The tire pressure monitor on the dash would show dashes and then it would show the actual
numbers, whatever.
It would come back and then every once in a while you'd get the ABS icon flashing for
a nanosecond.
Your foot's still pushing on the brake.
It says, oh, there's a skid.
Something's going on.
So it obviously would pump the brake for you and you'd stop a little further along.
I've gone to two places.
I went to juniors and I went to Lexus and they said there was a program and that's something
that we talked about.
And when I called Lexus, I think I told you I was on the phone with the first guy for
an hour and 15 minutes, but they were supposed to get a phone call back.
Never got a phone call.
Waited a few weeks, whatever.
Anyways, this week I talked with the rep again and the rep kept going back to the supervisor
and it got interesting because I had gotten a letter from Lexus that my car was involved
in this brake booster program, but it had to show certain codes.
And anyways, the bottom line is the rep told me that the supervisor doesn't need to speak
with me, that my VIN number doesn't qualify.
And I said, gee, that's interesting because they never told you my VIN number.
So whether they looked up my name or whatever, be that as it may, I was supposed to get a
phone call Thursday.
Never got the phone call back from the supervisor and somehow missed.
They're supposed to call me.
Let's put it this Monday at three o'clock.
I'm supposed to speak with the supervisor in this situation.
And I have the letter in front of me, John, that was sent to me.
My car fits in with parameters.
But I have some interesting, I don't know how I ended up getting it, but it's actually
from Lexus out of the plain of Texas.
And it shows, this is what you need to do.
Don't give this out to the media.
Don't do this.
Anyways, yeah, it was, yeah, I may, if it works, I could maybe email the information
to you just so you can see what I'm talking about.
But the point is, it's really, it's really interesting, John.
You know, I have the letter in hand that was given to me back years ago.
Your car would qualify.
But now it's getting, the reason August works is because it's August for me is my car was
built in one 16, 2016.
I bought it in 816.
That's why it's 10 years or from the date of due.
So that's why my car is going to be out by August.
And now I've asked, is there somebody else I can speak with?
You know, I talked to your advice about trying to get a field engineer, but that became a catch-22
unless the dealership does it.
And I never asked them for the codes that was actually shown because it gives you the four codes
in this paperwork that I, and I went to, they told me to go National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
and report it.
And I ended up going there and there's a couple of, you know, that would qualify in here that they
described, especially one of them described it was in L.S. 2015, and about the problem.
So I was told basically when I wouldn't accept just the fact that, well, you've got to go to National Highway,
you know, Traffic Safety Administration and report it because your VIN number doesn't qualify.
I just thought that was curious.
So we'll, we'll see how this goes.
It's kind of interesting that they told you ahead of time there could be a problem, but now that the
problem is starting to exhibit itself again like it did last winter.
I'm starting to get ashes on the dashboard and then the numbers.
And I had one incident where the brakes become fun.
So that's where it's at.
Yeah.
The, the, the tire pressure one's a little curious because that's, you know, looking at the bulletin,
the one that it says, you know, some 2016 to 2018, you know, ES models may exhibit a condition
where the brake, ABS, and or traction warning lights are on or a check vehicle stability control message displays.
And it says one of the following specific trouble codes will be stored in vehicles memory to use for verification.
And it goes on their C code, C1391, C1252, C1256, 1253.
And it says this condition may be caused by a small internal brake fluid leak inside the brake booster assembly with master cylinder.
And it says follow the repair procedure.
And it goes on to say it's going to take three hours to do the job.
And, and, and it, but it does go on through the, the repair procedure.
It says, are the brake ABS track warning lights on or do the check VSC message display?
Yes, it did.
So continue to step two using tech stream, which is their scanner, check for any store codes.
And it says, if, if any of the following of those four codes are displayed, it says yes, go to step three.
If no, it says this bulletin does not apply.
Continue diagnosis using the applicable repair manual.
So, but you're right.
It does.
You've been getting all of those except the code.
So I don't know.
To me, I know it's, I know it's hard for, you know, any, you know, to be able to, you know, come up with something when they're kind of, they, you know,
certainly have their, I guess, corporate hands tied that, you know, we can't do this unless we do, unless we see that.
But to me, I don't know.
It seems like, seems to me like, I mean, if this wasn't, if we weren't trying to do this under some sort of warranty extension,
what you describe, you know, once you've completely eliminated possibilities of, you know, poor wire connections,
you know, corrosion of former, you know, not your car, but, you know, a car that may have been repaired once,
and a wire got pinched or a wire that's, you know, got a twist in it somewhere and it's being held in place by a clip and that clip is causing,
you know, a rub through on a wire somewhere, you know, something along those lines.
You know, once you've sort of completely eliminated any possibility of those, it seems to me like brake booster and master cylinder are the things you need to think about replacing.
Yeah, I'm looking at the trouble code.
You've got other people joined, but the codes here are C1391, C1252, C1256, or C1253.
But as you go further on down in this document that I have, customer contacts gives you questions, give them the 800 number.
And then it says, it says, I found this interesting media contacts.
It's imperative, I'm just reading quote, it's imperative that all media contacts, parentheses, local and national, receive a consistent message.
In this regard, all media contacts must be directed to it.
It gives this gentleman's name Ed Helwig and his number in Toyota corporate communications.
And then it says, please do not provide this number to customers, please provide this contact only to media.
So then it goes on explaining, you know, I just may, if it's okay, I'll just email it and whatever.
I don't want to beat this up, but you know, John, it seems like they know about the problem and to fix it, it's $4,000 out of pocket.
So it's not a cheap, and I understand, I wish I had said, what are the codes that you said, you know, when Lexus took Martin, when Junior,
and I never asked them for it, because you know, I'm figuring I just need to replace the batteries on them.
Yeah, so, all right, well, I'll see how Monday's phone call, tomorrow's phone call goes.
Don't expect much there, but it just becomes an issue.
Yeah, it is.
You know, and I don't even, you know, I'm not even sure the dealer, you know, would want to even say, you know what, we'll take a chance,
and we'll, you know, if you went in and said, look, this is the symptom I'm having, this is what's going on, can we just replace it?
And if they said, well, you know, we can replace it, but we can't guarantee that's going to fix it.
I don't know, to me, I don't know, I'm looking, I'm trying to find the part and see what it is, and, you know, it looks like...
John, don't waste your time, John, you don't have to worry, I've got information, it gives you the pot numbers and everything that's involved,
how the dealership to go through with it, let me just, you know, whatever, and that's kind of where we're at.
I don't want to pick up all of you, but I just find it curious.
No, I agree with you, and, you know, this is something we run into once in a while where, you know, somebody will write to me or call me and say,
hey, look, you know, my car is exhibited this, this, and this, and I went to the dealer and they said, oh, your VIN number doesn't apply to this,
but it's exactly the same problem, and it never fails, or almost never fails, that a year or two down the line, all of a sudden they extend that recall
or customer service bulletin out enough where all of a sudden that gets covered.
And then usually in there, there's somewhere that says something like, well, if you've already paid for this, we can reimburse you up to X amount.
Yeah, you know, it's going to be a decision, and you know, if my car, if my car didn't fall within the parameters of the, of the one that was built,
because it falls in between 20 and 2016, but I've got the paperwork in front of me, you know, so, well, I just, my only other thing is,
you would suggest to try to get a hold of a field service rep, you know, that kind of person to come down, and I don't know how to go do that,
other than the dealership says, well, we have to ask that because, and I'm saying, who pays Lexus for that guy?
And they said Lexus, you said, so I don't know.
Yeah, I mean, it seems like if you, how can I put this?
If you become a big enough pain in their side, that maybe they will say, hey, look, you know, the Lexus district field rep,
field service engineer only comes here once every 30 days.
Let's make an appointment for you and him to get together to talk about this and see what they think.
Okay, but I think you might have to be, you might have to be the squeaky wheel.
Listen, if I tell him I know you, John, I know what's going to happen right away.
Well, good luck with that because it's never worked with me.
So yeah.
All right, John, I was going to appreciate your timing.
Okay.
Thanks, Mike.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Well, I talked about something that wasn't exactly a car review, but it's a review of sorts.
And by the way, if you would like to join us, 7-8-1-837-4900.
The lines are open at 7-8-1-837-4900.
And it is time for me to head north and I'm still in Florida.
My wife is actually home and kind of a long story, but we had a death in the family and she needed to go home to be with her sister.
So I put her on a plane on Tuesday and this will be the first time I've actually driven this amount of distance by myself.
So this should be sort of interesting.
And this year, I'm leaving the Santa Fe here and I'm taking the Volkswagen Beetle back north.
And the reason behind that is we have another Volkswagen Beetle that I bought from a former co-worker, Dave Juve, who I used to work with years ago at AAA.
And I still occasionally, I guess, kind of hear from him.
He lives out in Arizona now, but his wife had this Volkswagen Beetle that she bought in 2009.
And when they were getting ready to move, he wanted to get rid of it.
I said, what do you want for it?
And he says, I don't know, $500,000.
I'm like, well, it's got to be worth $1,000.
So I gave him $1,000 for it.
And as crazy as he was, him and his wife actually delivered the car to my house in Abington, dropped it off.
I left him a check in the mailbox.
He left the keys in the mailbox and I was actually in Florida at the time.
He brought it to me with a full tank of gas.
Car dealers highly do that.
So I am forever indebted to him for that car.
And the idea of that car was only going to last a year or so.
It hasn't.
It has lasted four or five years now.
I did have Junior's automotive put a cooling fan in it because you have to take off the whole front clip, the fenders and bumper and all that stuff to get to the fan.
I wasn't prepared to do that in my driveway, so I had him do that.
It had just recently, my wife in Easter went up and actually got the car, brought it to Junior's for a state inspection.
Junior wasn't there, but his guys ran it through the normal inspection process.
It passed just fine.
But anyway, it's time to replace that car.
So we have this Volkswagen Beetle here that we bought back in 2015.
It only has 32,000 miles on it.
So that's the vehicle I'm going to drive home in.
So I wanted to store and cover the Hyundai.
So first I topped off the fuel.
I added fuel stabilizer.
I changed the oil.
I checked whatever fluids were left to check.
There's not that many anymore because of the electric power steering and sealed automatic transmissions.
And I don't know if this does any good, but it makes me feel better.
A couple of years ago, I went to Home Depot or someplace and bought some like one inch thick pink construction foam, the stuff they stick to the side of houses.
And I cut it into like one foot squares and I park on top of it thinking that maybe it prevents the tires from getting flat spots.
It does squish down, so it kind of does something.
I also removed something I'm doing now because of what I've seen in the past.
Almost every car has some kind of plastic engine cover.
Plastic engine cover is there for a little bit for parents, but also quite the noise of fuel injectors and other stuff going on under the hood.
It has foam under there.
So it can become a home for homeless animals like mice and rats.
And I remember last year when I pulled the engine cover off of the Volkswagen, it looked like perhaps rats were up inside there once.
They didn't eat anything, which was nice, but they may have been there once.
So I pulled the engine cover, put it in the back.
I aired up the tires, which I actually forgot to do till this morning.
As I was writing this, I said, start to think of the things you do when you put a car away.
And one of them, max out the tire pressure, so 35, 36 pounds, whatever the maximum tire inflation is, did that.
I have a battery tender.
It's actually battery tender junior, the little small one.
It fits under one of those in use electric covers, the clear see-through ones.
So it fits right under there, so it stays pretty waterproof.
I put some damp rid, those things that eliminate moisture, one in the front seat, one in the back.
And then the earth kind people that have the stuff that's supposed to keep bugs and things away that smell like fir trees.
I put one of those under the hood and maybe another one in the back, I don't remember.
And worse comes worse, it's going to smell like Christmas inside.
And then I locked the car.
So now it's time for car cover.
And in the past, I've used Empire covers.
I like the quality.
We've had folks from Empire on the program before.
I like the quality.
I like the custom fit.
The last cover I got was a custom cover for the Volkswagen Beetle.
It was actually made for Volkswagen Dune, which is kind of the Beetle that was kind of on steroids jacked up a little bit.
Fits perfectly on the Beetle convertible.
I like the idea.
It has things like pockets for the mirrors, so you don't have to fold the mirrors in.
Good car cover, it went through last storm season with no problems whatsoever.
So folded that all up.
But I couldn't find one.
It's not that I couldn't find one for the Hyundai.
I couldn't find one I could get soon enough because I kind of procrastinated on, am I taking the Volkswagen?
Am I taking the Hyundai?
Am I taking the Volkswagen?
Am I taking the Hyundai?
My wife wasn't crazy about taking the Volkswagen.
She thought it'd be too small, too cozy.
But now where she's up north, I'll drive it by myself.
So I actually, so I went to Budge BUDGE covers and I believe they make Empire car covers.
I think they're the same company and I bought a Budge cover from Walmart.
And why did I buy it from Walmart?
Because I looked online and it was, I don't know, $100 or something.
And they literally delivered it the same day.
I ordered it in the morning and it was here by like four in the afternoon.
And it was cheaper.
They don't have them in the stores anyway, but it was probably cheaper ordering online anyway.
But here's where it gets interesting.
At the same time when I purchased the Budge cover, I took it out of the package, which also was like shrink wrapped.
It was like they put it in one of those dehydrator things and shrunk it down.
By the time they took it out and took all the wrinkles out of it, US car covers sent me a cover.
I had not heard of US car covers before, but they sent me a cover.
It must have been because I reached out at some point.
And the cover is called the Dushield Ultimum Car Cover.
And it's from US car covers and it's D-A-S-H-I-E-L-D, Ultimum, U-L-T-I-M-U-M.
And I would say its position is a premium option for people looking for a heavy duty all around vehicle protection.
I will say during Hurricane Ian, which was the worst hurricane that Florida has seen in decades,
the car cover that I had on the Volkswagen, I think, did a pretty good job until it just couldn't anymore.
I think 150 mile an hour winds finally took the cover off.
But what's interesting is I had some minor scratches, one or two decent sized dents.
But I think looking at cars around where I am, there was a lot of heavy scratches, more dents, things like that.
I really think the car cover really helped protect it, which I think this Ultimum Car Cover will do the same.
It's really designed for durability and weather resistance, and we'll see if it delivers on that promise.
Could it be more car cover than people need? Depends on what you're looking for.
I think the key strength in this is it's got six layer construction.
It's got an inner fleece lining, so it should be gentle on the paint.
I always kind of worry about that a little bit because when it starts rubbing back and forth, can that damage paint?
Maybe. I did wash and wax the Hyundai, which was good and bad.
It was really slippery and made putting the cover on a little bit annoying.
The outer layers are built to handle rain. It really looks waterproof.
I think it should do really good for UV exposure at the same time.
Hopefully, the unpredictable weather that we have down here that can be tough on the overall finish.
We've had some Florida rain, and so far it's done a good job.
It's pretty tightly woven, waterproof layers.
It should reflect UV rays, which should help reduce fading and interior buildup.
I wouldn't call it a custom cover. I would call it a semi-custom cover.
It fits a little bit loosely. It does have a silhouette shape.
I'm sure it would fit on a Lexus or probably fit on a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Probably the same overall size.
What I do like about it, because it is a little bit bigger, it covers most of the tires.
In Florida, you need to worry about UV damage to tires, cracking and weather checking and all that sort of stuff.
It does a pretty good job of covering the tires.
It also has two vents built into it, which should help prevent moisture from getting trapped underneath.
Years back, I got a car cover that was designed to go all the way to the ground to keep rodents out.
We covered the old Volkswagen up north.
We actually had a problem where it got mildewy inside.
I don't know if it was because it didn't breathe enough.
The company said they breathe well because they fit loose.
This one has vents in it, so it should vent out any moisture that's inside of it.
So I like that.
Fit and Secure are also pretty well executed.
It has pretty good feeling of elastic hem, so the wrapper on the front bumper.
It also has three reinforced straps with tie-down grommets to help keep it in place.
We'll see how that does.
My neighbor hasn't been here this year.
They have a Saturn SC of the sporty Saturn.
They got a car cover for it last year when they left.
I've probably put that cover back on a dozen times.
Finally, I tied it to the wheels and then wrapped rope around it and tied it to the back wheels and wrapped rope around it.
Then threw a piece of rope underneath the car and wrapped it around the long way to hold it in place.
So hopefully it stays where it's supposed to be.
Where it is multi-layer, it is a little bit cumbersome to install.
Does it take two people? No.
But a second person would be helpful, I think.
I put it on both times by myself to test it for fit.
So it seems good.
In terms of durability, it does feel really solid.
The real key down here is going to be wind and rain.
Last two years ago, we had Hurricane Milton and Helene where we had incredible storm surge.
I don't live near the ocean, but I do live near a creek.
The creek did rise, and in fact, between the combination of all the rain and the creek rising,
the room that I'm sitting in right now had about six or eight inches of water in it.
The mobile home tin shack itself was fine, but this room was pretty damp.
I don't know where all the water went. It was gone by the time we got here.
But anyway, so it's waters and issues, so hopefully it takes care of that.
The car is parked in a carport, so it does help to somewhat, unless, like Ian, the carport blows away.
But anyway, in terms of durability, I think it should do a good job.
It looks pretty solid, so we'll see how it handles winds if we get them.
Hopefully, hurricane season will be lighter than it's been the last three years, although last year was fine.
So we're happy for that.
So for users who only need basic indoor protection or occasional coverage,
if you're somebody who keeps their car in the garage all the time but you go visit friends
and you cover your car with a car cover when it's sitting outside,
there's probably simpler and more affordable options,
and they're probably available through U.S. car covers as well.
Overall, though, I think this DeShield Ultimum stands out as a high-end car cover
that should do well in outdoor protection.
I'll let you know in six months at the end of hurricane season how it did.
I think it's a good cover for someone who's willing to pay a little bit more.
Like I said, the car cover that I purchased, which seemed fine.
The budge cover seemed fine, but it didn't have that nice, fleecy material inside.
It was a little rough on the inside.
It did fit well.
I will admit the fit was good.
It was about $100, I think.
This one has a retail price of $200,
and when I checked the U.S. car cover website today, in fact,
there was an instant 15% savings and there's no charge for shipping,
so you're going to spend $175, $165 for a good quality, heavy-duty car cover
that should do its job.
So there you go.
There's our review of the U.S. car cover, DeShield car cover,
and again, we'll see how it makes out.
Why don't we take a quick break when we come back?
If you would like to join us, our phone number is 781-837-4900.
Phone lines are open.
We need to take a quick break.
We'll be right back.
Remember to mark your calendar, folks, and we'll see you Sunday night at 5
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Make an appointment Sunday morning at 11 for John Paul, the car doctor, on 959-WATD.
Now, back to the car doctor.
And welcome back to the car doctor program.
Let's go to Tom and Kingston.
Tom?
Tom?
Good morning.
Good morning.
I feel so bad for that guy, Mike, dealing with the Lexus.
I know.
Do you know why?
One of those things is like, oh, you know, right away you want to start a GoFundMe or something for him, you know?
Yeah, I know.
But that's tough.
And $4,000, I, you know, I tried looking up the, I didn't look, I just used Google to search out
master cylinder, brake booster assembly, and $4,000 seems steep.
What?
You know, it is three and a half hours labor and, you know, dealers now are charging $1.75.
And so call it, you know, call it $200 an hour for easy math.
You know, that's, you know, $600, $700 in labor.
I only saw a couple thousand dollars for the parts, but still, you know, $3,000, $4,000, you know, it's a lot of money.
Do you like kidneys?
It's not like the old days, you go to a lap and model and get things there.
You know, it happens at lap-ins.
I was just going to say that.
Yeah.
So when you go to store your car, are you going to start it up for us to get the stable going through?
Oh, yeah.
I actually put the stable in it probably a week and a half ago or probably even a little bit more than that.
But since then, I sort of mentioned we had a death in the family.
My nephew passed away and I used the car to take my wife to the airport.
So it was all mixed through the air and then I topped it off with some fresh gas.
So the tank is pretty full.
Oh, that's good.
Yeah.
And refresh my memory.
Remember the days used to give away motor oil?
Yep.
Was it blue stuff?
Royal purple.
You're close.
Purple.
Yeah.
Is that product around anymore?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
It's still a premium quality oil.
It's a boutique supplier, I guess.
And I don't know if they're actually a refiner or they just have a refiner make it up for them.
But it still is kind of, when you pour it, it still is sort of purple looking.
In fact, someone sent me a question the other day.
They're from your town, actually.
They have a Corvette and they said it's in beautiful condition.
It only has 14,000 miles on it.
It was 15 years old.
And the transmission feels like you're shifting a box of rocks, was his comment.
And he wanted to know the dealer says put just Dextron transmission fluid in it.
The Corvette clubs all say use royal purple synthetic fluid.
And sure enough, royal purple makes a slight upgrade in fully synthetic fluid that is more than compatible for that Corvette.
So you're talking transmission now, right?
Yep, for transmission.
Yep.
Yep.
For a manual transmission.
It's a manual transmission.
It's a manual.
It's a manual that uses automatic transmission fluid.
Wow.
Yeah.
Which, which a lot, a lot do, you know, they're not all, they're not all 90, 150 weight, you know.
I know.
Miss those days.
I don't miss it.
I don't miss the smell, though.
The smell of heavy gear oil just is stinky.
I don't miss that.
You know, funny thing you said that the funny thing is my grandmother used to love the smell of motor oil, paint thinner, and pine salt soap.
Well.
And mothballs.
And mothballs.
And she lived to be 99 and a half.
So there might be something to it.
It might be something to that.
You could be right.
You could be right.
So are you going this week home?
Yes, I am.
I'm going to probably leave first thing in the morning.
And here's where it gets adventurous.
I used, I used AI to, to plot a route for me.
So I used artificial intelligence to plot a route for me, avoiding Route 95.
And, and, and it looks pretty close to the way I normally go.
I kind of go up through Florida and into Virginia and, you know, the Carolinas and part of Georgia and then kind of skirt Virginia, go northern part of Virginia through northern New Jersey and northern New York or not northern New York.
Sort of through white planes and then down this time, I'm going to try instead of going on 195 through Connecticut or 95 through Connecticut.
I'm going to try, I think it's 84, 84, 84 up to 495 take 495 to Cape Cod that way and see if I can eliminate that constant traffic jam in Connecticut.
If you ever see the blue diner when you go up through to Connecticut up to 84, don't hesitate to go in there, great food.
Yeah, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm, my wife and I are sort of the same this way that we, we just want to get where we're going and she hates road trips.
Maybe if we did something like that, we'd make it more fun.
Yeah, get out, stretch your legs.
Yeah, we do that. Usually, usually it's a, how do they say it in proper terms, a bio break.
Oh, okay.
So you're doing the AI triptychs.
AI, well, I, you know, I have my AAA triptych right there next to it.
But I'm like, I wonder what, I wonder what artificial intelligence will tell me which way to go.
So we're going to see how this works.
Awesome.
Well, and of course, and of course I have my Garmin GPS, of course, too.
So always I want to tell you what to do.
Yeah, yeah, because when my wife's not there, you know, the Garmin's got to tell me what to do.
That's right.
Yeah.
Well, listen, have a safe trip.
Hey, thank you. Take care.
Take care.
All right.
So that music means we need to go.
I want to thank John Vincent from US news for calling and telling us about best adventure vehicles.
We'll see how a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle does as an adventure vehicle.
And hopefully next week, I'll be calling you from the home studio in Cape Cod.
So until next week, make sure you wear your seatbelt, drive safely, be good to your car.
And if you do see an emergency vehicle by the side of the road, slow down or move over and save lives.
Talk to you all next week.
Bye bye.
About this episode
Adventure vehicles get defined in real life, not just on paper—“for every family, adventure means something different.” The hosts walk through U.S. News’ 2026-style categories and winners, from off-road picks like the Toyota RAV4 Woodland, Jeep Wrangler/Bronco, and the Tacoma TRD Pro to road-trip standouts such as the 2026 Kia K5, explaining how fuel economy and scoring categories factor in. The show then pivots to a practical car-cover review and storage tips, plus a listener’s Lexus brake-booster diagnostic and recall eligibility story.
In this episode, we sit down with John Vincent, Senior Editor Automotive testing at U.S. News & World Report, to break down the best adventure vehicles on the market today—whether you're planning off-road trips, overlanding, or your next big road trip. John shares expert insights on what makes a great adventure-ready vehicle, top picks across different budgets, and key features drivers should look for.
We also review a car cover from USCarCovers, discussing build quality, protection, and value to help you decide if it’s the right solution for keeping your vehicle protected year-round.
🔗 Explore U.S. News Best Cars: https://cars.usnews.com/
🔗 Check out USCarCovers: https://www.uscarcovers.com/
Tune in for expert advice, practical tips, and gear recommendations to elevate your next adventure.
