The Toyota Highlander is a family-sized SUV that can fit several passengers. It's popular for its comfort and features, and now they're making an electric version, which means it will run on electricity instead of gasoline.
An electric SUV is a type of car that runs on electricity instead of gas. This means it’s better for the environment and can save money on fuel. Many people are excited about electric SUVs because they’re becoming more popular and available.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 is a classic luxury car that was made a long time ago. It has a big engine that makes it fast and is known for being very comfortable and stylish.
Ride quality is about how smooth or bumpy a car feels when you're driving it. A good ride quality means it's comfortable and you don't feel every little bump.
The Nissan Rogue is a type of SUV that is good for families and everyday use. It's known for being reliable and having enough space for passengers and cargo.
The Audi e-tron is a fully electric SUV made by Audi. It offers a comfortable ride and modern technology, making it a good option for people interested in electric cars.
The Audi RS 3 is a super sporty car that is part of the Audi family. It's smaller than a regular sedan but packs a lot of power, making it really fun to drive fast while still being comfortable inside.
The GMC Sierra EV is a new electric truck that runs on batteries instead of gas. It's designed to be powerful and useful for hauling things while being better for the environment, and it has lots of modern tech features.
The Acura RDX is a fancy SUV that offers a nice mix of comfort and sporty driving. It's designed to be a step up from regular SUVs, giving you more luxury and features while still being practical for everyday use.
The Jeep Cherokee is a type of vehicle called an SUV, which is designed for both everyday driving and off-road adventures. The 2001 version is known for its square shape and strong build, making it popular among people who like to drive in rough terrain.
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Jerry's co-host. He's a noted voiceover guy and a celebrated Tibetan throat singer.
So get ready to either call in with your question for Jerry or a song request for Todd
on The Car Pro Show. Good to have you with us. This is The Car Pro Show coming to you live
from downtown Dallas, Texas in the RetailMyRide.com studios right next to the American Airlines
Center where the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars play and it is a rainy day in Dallas. We
are just getting flooded here but that's all right because we haven't had enough rain in a long,
long time and we need it. So we're talking cars. This our final hour of this particular Saturday
and if you would like to call, I do have one line open right now. It can be yours at 800-926-7777,
800-926-7777. You nice folks on hold. I'll be with you in just a minute. I'll get to every one
of you if you're hanging tight. 800-926-7777-carpro.com. That's the website. Todd Chimblis is with me as
always. Yes, sir. And boy, interesting news about the Highlander going electric this week. I
understand that you were a little kind of surprised by all that as well as everybody, even the
dealers were. I'm curious to see how the reaction is going to be when all the information comes out,
the price and obviously when that's going to actually drop. With the pictures you have in
the newsletter, it looks phenomenal. I mean, it looks really nice. Boy, if you're thinking about
going electric and you need a three-row SUV, this one is probably going to be a fantastic choice.
Toyota set aside a long time before they came out with an electric SUV and here they come.
It's Toyota. You know they're going to do it right. They do. Could be a game changer too. I mean,
when it's all said and done. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. I am getting a lot of questions
from people on the start-stop system and the EPA regulations that the president signed on
Thursday. I don't know. We know the start-stop is likely to go away and I say likely because
the auto manufacturers, if they want to continue to do that and put it on cars, they can.
But it's not smart. It wouldn't be a smart thing to do. There are a lot of people,
my wife included, who are lined up and ready to do something about theirs if the opportunity came.
And you mentioned there could be some smart manual, some car dealer or some car company saying,
hey, well, if you want to come in and get that either disabled or
software to update where that doesn't happen, we can do that now. That'd be so smart to do.
Yeah, I think so too. Now, as far as the other regulations on fuel economy standards and those
sort of things, I don't think any car company is going to get too far away from where they are
right now. And the reason I say that is there were lessons learned in this electric car debacle.
The previous administrations to this one put in a lot of rules about fuel economy and, you know,
air quality and all those things. And they were sweeping rules that the last administration
wanted you in an electric car. And a lot of people were not ready to go into an electric car
and that should be your right. I think the car companies now that the electric car thing has
been completely reversed are not going to go too far because the next president, whoever it is,
could reverse everything that this president just did and go back to the way we were. So
exactly. You keep going back and forth. That could be rather expensive and just irritating for the
folks making cars. No question. Yeah, let's go to Mike in Tom Ball, Texas. Mike, you're next on
the car pro show. How can I help you, sir? Hello, Jerry Todd. Yeah, I'm looking for some information
on the Mercedes 300. Yeah, the C class. Yeah, the C class. Okay. I'm in a
Audi Q7 right now and I just want to get something that's a little more sporty and,
you know, I'm getting older, but I'd like to get something that is a little more sporty.
So you're going to go from a SUV to a relatively small sedan?
Yes. Okay. I'm all good with that. Let me tell you, the C300, I like the car and I like the way
they priced it. It starts in the 40s. It's got 250 some odd horses. So it's going to have
plenty of acceleration and yet the gas mileage is really good.
The drive and ride is good. It's been a couple of years since I've reviewed one,
but I remarked when I did that they had made some really, really good improvements into it. The
more expensive than say a Toyota Camry or a Lexus ES and it didn't drive as well. It wasn't as quiet
inside and the ride quality wasn't good at all. I remember remarking about running over a railroad
track and I felt like my teeth were going to fall out of my head. Now, the last one I had,
the car seemed way more substantial. It seemed much quieter inside. It was actually bigger than
the one I had reviewed the time before and I became a really good fan. So if you're going to move to
a sedan, I mean, I think it's a good choice. How long do you think you're going to keep the car?
Well, we're planning on a three year lease.
Perfect. And it's a it's a 2025.
Okay. I have absolutely no problem with that. Now, I've got Mercedes Benz of West Houston,
which is a Sewell dealership. Sewell does it. They're amazing. I got a new BMW from them last
year. I bought other cars from them. Mitch Loftus is the general manager. I don't know who you're
talking to, but before you sign on the bottom line, I would recommend you talk to Mitch and see
if he can save you some money. He typically always does. You may have a great deal now.
If so, he'll tell you. But your choice of the car is a solid one. And I have nothing but good to
say about that car. The car pro Jerry Reynolds knows things you just can't know. So call it
on thechase.com car pro listener line 1-800-926-7777.
Well, people like lists. Sometimes they're good lists and things that Jerry the car pro recommends.
Sometimes it's like, well, this is just interesting to kind of check out. And
the latter of the two might be the situation for the Kelly blue book brand watch that was
included in this week's newsletter. By the way, if you're not getting that newsletter,
need to be doing that to the car pro dot com. The bottom has a link where you can
get the latest one immediately on the Kelly blue book list. They list a non luxury and luxury brands
and they were comparing all kinds of factors like technology, driving comfort, durability,
and other factors. And the non luxury, most of the top three or four, maybe even five,
not surprising. But I think you had mentioned that you were a little surprised by the luxury list
being a little bit down. No, that was on the JD power dependability study, which would be
a next week's newsletter. Oh, okay. So I'm confused that because so the top 10 luxury models,
the top one, even though it's number one was down just a little bit swear. I was going.
That we're going to find out next week's newsletter that that was
that appears to be an issue across the board with luxury vehicles. So wonder what gives there?
I don't know. I don't know. You know, sometimes car companies
try to make too many cars. And so they speed the line at the assembly line up to where they can
turn out more cars per hour. And sometimes you lose, you lose some of that quality. Yeah,
it's not a good idea. And some of the prices, I guess, maybe just not as marketable.
Some people just depends on where you are, really. Yeah, it does. Let's talk to Andre in
Katie, Texas, Houston area. Andre, welcome. Thanks for holding. I appreciate you.
Yeah, no problem. You hear me? Okay. Yes, sir. Yeah, I have a 2016 Nissan road that I bought
for my wife who bought in 2018 with 6,000 miles only has 57,000 miles on the now and I want to
give this to my daughter because she really doesn't go very far. Okay, ever something reliable.
I'm hearing that Nissan's having some issues because she really likes the road the wife does.
Is Nissan having any issues? I mean, no, they're going through a period of reorganization, if you
will. They had a CEO that just wasn't real smart and didn't know much about the car business.
And so they've suffered some losses, but Nissan is not going anywhere in their quality. Their
quality is better today than it's ever been. And the car companies ebb and flow, we see it with
every single one of them. The ones that are hot today weren't hot 10 years ago. I mean,
if I had to say one car company that's been consistent over the past 30 years, probably Toyota,
but the rest of them and even Toyota's had their issues. I mean, nothing like what Nissan's going
through now. But I went through it with Ford when I was in the Ford business. Stilatus is going through
a lot of changes right now. Nissan's going through changes right now. They'll come out better
because of the changes. And car companies get fat and lazy. And they take their eye off the
ball. It's true. And they quit working on their quality as hard. They waste a lot of money. Car
companies are some of the biggest money wasters I've ever seen. And every once in a while,
they get slapped in the face and they've got to reorganize. That's where Nissan is today.
They're going to be fine. I don't worry about them at all. You know, they're going to,
luckily, they're going to reorganize infinity as well, which needed to be done. They weren't getting
the new product like they should. The dealers were suffering. That's changing. Nissan's going to
be fine. I'm not worried about them in the least. So yeah, if she wants a Nissan, I think that's a
great idea. Okay, also, you might have answered this earlier with the lady talking about Enterprise.
I went to a Hertz place and they had some surprisingly inexpensive 2024-2023
robes. Is that not a wise buy to go through the rental car people? Just like I told her,
if you do your homework and you get somebody to look at it to make sure it'll cost a couple
hundred bucks, but it's probably the best money you could spend when you're buying a former rental
is to get it checked out closely. And, you know, I've got good Nissan dealers there in Houston
and sometimes they'll really cut my listeners a good deal. I shop in both ways. Just be careful
when you're buying a rental. You really need to be careful. The car pro Jerry Reynolds knows
things you just can't know. So call it on thechays.com car pro listener line 1-800-926-7777
Hey, let's talk 809267777 thechays.com car pro hotline 809267777 Cecil. Welcome to the car pro show.
Thank you, sir. Thanks for taking my call. Can you hear me okay? Just fine. Okay.
My question is I would like to get your opinion on the all electric Audi e-tron. Yeah,
either that, you know, run the 20, 21, 22 year, even 23 run that that that air out of the years.
Look, the Audi makes a fantastic electric car. There's no question about that.
And right now with the market, the way it is used EVs are really good buys.
Have you have you owned an electric car before?
I have a Prius, but it's not it's a it's a hybrid. Right. You know,
there's there's just so many good buys out there on electrics right now between the
Audi's and the Tesla's. You know, General Motors makes I think one of the best SUVs out there.
And they're all bargains as compared to new cars, new electrics. I typically tell people
if you're going to get an electric, do what I did. And that's lease it, lease a brand new one.
So what you might want to do, Cecil, look, the Audi is great. I've we've reviewed, I don't know,
five, six, seven e-trons. Everyone has been fantastic. But look, if you're going,
are you going to finance the car? Yes, but I'm looking to get a news one because my budget's
around 25,000. One thing that I've noticed, you know, these e-trons, the you know, the original
value comes from 70 to 80, especially like the prestige or the premium. Yeah. And when it throws
me off, how come the value drops so so much? Well, all of them have. And it's because of the shift
in the market. New SUVs aren't selling the $7,500 federal tax credits gone. And the values have
really, really dropped. They're great buys. But compare the payment to it to a brand new one on
lease. The car pro Jerry Reynolds knows things you just can't know. So call it under chase.com
car pro listener line 1-800-926-7777. Imagine if today was the day your idea changed someone's life.
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If you want to talk to me about your car situation, let's do it right now. It's a good time. I've
got a line for you at 800-926-7777-800-926-7777. If you've tried to call many times in the past
and get nothing but a busy signal, which happens today, for some reason, I got lines open. 800-926-7777.
I tell you what, every single week, the newsletter full of great test drives.
This is a red letter week. Typically, you have two. There might be three on occasion. This week,
though, you got four of them. Four reviews. You did two. Amy did two. And yours pretty varied
between the 2026 Audi RS3, that green monster you were driving around. Oh, it was it ever.
Add a little speed to it. Oh, yeah. But the color. Oh, my goodness. It's a bit much.
Yeah, there's somebody who will love that vehicle. I had people all week long say,
oh, that's beautiful. Yeah. That's just neon green. That's rough. I'm color blind.
Yeah, you mentioned that, which can you tell like even an extreme color? I can tell that color.
I think if you were asleep, you could tell that color. Yeah. Yeah, you were quite
fine to that one. Then you drove the GMC Sierra EVAT 4, which is a big monster.
Oh, it's a big truck. Holy cow. You said you had trouble. Did you say you're having trouble
getting that parking park someplace because it's so big? Yeah. I'm sure it's not cameras.
Well, and unfortunately, you know, parking spaces have gotten smaller. Yeah, they have.
As cars have downsized and things like that. So, you know, I don't know. It was big. I mean,
it probably was a bit of a challenge compared to what you normally drive around. It was tall.
It was wide. It was long. Yeah. You know, but very enjoyable. It's a cool looking vehicle. And
well over 450 miles of range. That's a game changer. That's a game changer right there.
Just about travel with that, honestly. And it weighed 800 pounds.
Was the road breaking underneath it as you drove? Yeah, probably. Yeah. There was also the,
I guess, Amy had the VW Taos SE and the Mazda CX-50 Turbo. So there's some great choices there.
And of course, you've got a backlog of Lord knows how many test drives on the store on the car pro
website. Oh, I don't know. Hundreds probably. Oh, maybe not probably. So good resource for you there,
of course. You can get the newsletter sent to yourself immediately. If you go to carpro.com,
there's a link at the bottom. And that way you can go to carpro.com while you wait for it and
look at some of the test drives and get some good information from all the work that Jerry and Amy
have done. Ezell in San Antonio. Welcome. How can I help you? Welcome. Good morning. Good afternoon,
I guess, already. Yeah, it is. I'm looking at a smaller truck. I have a big truck and I'm trying
to downsize. And I used to have a little Ford Ranger, the old ones. And I enjoyed it. And,
you know, just for piddling around. And I've test driven a couple of Maverick pickups. Ford.
I drove basically the hybrid. That's the exact, that's the only one I'd have. If I were getting
to Maverick, it would definitely be the hybrid. I tell you what, I drove it. It has a lot of pick
up and everything. And it's, it only comes, it comes in the Lariat package. It has a lot of
things that are included. And the thing is most dealers here in San Antonio don't carry a Lariat.
There's not very many of them. They're all XLTs and XLs and some other. And so I wonder what your
take is on that Maverick. I've been a fan since the first one I reviewed when they first came out.
And I loved it. I first had the regular gas, then later I reviewed the hybrid. I've had it one other
time since then. Now for 2026, you can get a hybrid with all wheel drive. That's first. Right.
We haven't been able to do that before. And that's exactly the truck that I would order.
The last one I had was the Lariat. You're still going to be, you're still going to be under 40
grand for an all wheel drive Lariat if you get a deal on one. And for me with being able to get
42, 43 miles to the gallon, you still got enough pickup bed to be able to go to Home Depot and
get a whole bunch of stuff. The back seat was surprisingly big for me. I thought it was great,
a great size truck. And if I were getting a small truck, that's exactly the one that I would buy.
Now let's find the one that you want, even though dealers aren't stocking a lot of Lariates.
If you will talk, if you'll talk to Henry Finley, the general manager at McCombs,
Ford West, McCombs, Ford West, Henry Finley, he's the GM. Great guy. You'll love him. You'll probably
end up talking to his son Curtis as well. And he's a great guy. They love my listeners. If they
don't have what you want, they'll get it for you. The dealers trade inventory every single day.
So they can find it somewhere else, get it in for you, get you down the road. You'll be a happy
camper. That's the way I would go. I appreciate the call, Iselle. Good to talk to you. And Donna
in Charlotte, North Carolina. Donna, welcome. Hi, you do a good service for the public.
Thank you, ma'am. I have a Honda HIV and I'm considering an Acura RDX and I know that
they're going to fool around and mess around in 2026 and stop it for a while. But I'm not interested
in a hybrid, but what year would you recommend and model? I know this basic and blah, blah,
and the A spec advanced. Yeah. And my full ability would be limited. So what would you
recommend, sir, and what's your opinion of the RDX? I love the RDX, but I'm going to tell you
to make sure that you take a really good test drive. And here's why. The suspension on an Acura
is tighter than it is a lot of SUVs in that size. And by tighter, I mean it's more of a driver's
car. You're going to feel more of the road. You're going to feel more of the bumps in the road.
So if you're a lot of people get the RDX or any Acura for that matter, and they think they're
getting a luxury car because it's got a luxury car look and it's got a luxury car interior.
It's nice. But then they find out they don't like the ride. And so you got to be really careful
with that. If you personally, for me, I like that ride and drive. I want to feel the road. I want a
good handling vehicle. But for some people, they're looking at, you know, they're looking more of the
luxury line. You know, as far as trim levels go, Donna, it's just that that's a personal decision.
That's just up to you, whichever one you like the best. The A-spec will have an even rougher ride
than the regular RDX. So I'd look at the technology package if it were me, but you can't go wrong
with them quality wise. They're great. The CarPro Jerry Reynolds knows things you just can't know.
So call it on thechase.com CarPro Listener Line 1-800-926-7777.
Every single week in the newsletter, there's always a closing message from Jerry. And we
mentioned this earlier. This isn't just a generic, hey, thanks for reading the newsletter. Hope you
enjoy the show, blah, blah, blah. It's got more substance to it, even though it's at the very
end of the newsletter. And you may not know there's a little bit of a gem down there that you can
actually read and take some time with and get to the heart of what's on Jerry's mind. I would highly
recommend you do that. Every single week, he puts a lot of effort into it. This week, the little things
that make a car a good one. Yeah. That's what you mentioned. You know, talking about the seats,
the way the doors close and the way the thud sounds whenever the door closes, the cup holders,
all the different things that make a car just an enjoyable ride. And it's a good reading.
If you don't get the newsletter, you probably should. And you can get the latest one sent to
you today. If you go to the bottom of CarPro.com and click the link and get signed up. I've had more
people tell me that they really enjoyed reading my closing message. You can tell you put some time
into it. Oh, yeah, I definitely did. Next week, the closing message ties into bringing back my true
stories each week. And so I titled my closing message, The True Stories Behind the True Stories.
Okay, there you go. I would explain it. Yeah. It's cute. Looking forward to that. I like that
title, by the way. Thank you. Yeah. John in San Francisco. Welcome. How can I help you, John?
Hello. Thank you for taking my call. Hey, buddy. I've got a 2007 Lexus RX400H 146,000 mile
great car. I've loved it. But with that hybrid battery, it's a ticking time bomb. And at some
point sooner rather than later, I'm going to be faced with replacing that. And it'll be more than
the value of the car. So I'm looking at my next vehicle, what it should be, another Lexus SUB,
or perhaps something that's a lesser price point, like maybe a RAV4. I'm looking at something a
couple years old, maybe. And another question about that is whether I could go with a regular
hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. Okay. You, the only thing that would cause you to have to replace
the hybrid battery on the one that you have is age, not miles. Right. Because those things are
typically good, well past 200,000 miles. But you're right. It's going to go at some point. Now,
nowadays, you can get a remanufactured hybrid battery installed in there for under $2,000.
So, okay, that's good news. Yeah, that is really good news. And then if you get a newer hybrid from
Toyota or Lexus, now we've got the technology to change out just a cell. So if one of the cells
goes bad, that can be switched out. But look, you've had this vehicle a long time.
And I don't blame you for wanting to trade it. There's been a lot of improvement to it,
especially in the area of safety. So I'm on board with you trading it. I think the RAV4 is going
to be as good as it is. I think it's going to be a culture shock coming out of Lexus.
And so I might advise you to look at it in X, either regular hybrid or plug in. Now,
question for you. How many miles a day is your commute?
Well, I'm retired, so not very many, you know, 10 miles.
Okay. I don't recommend the plug-in hybrid under those circumstances,
because you're not driving enough. The only way to make a plug-in, the only way to make a plug-in
really pay for itself because you're paying more upfront is if you have a daily commute
somewhere between 20 and 30 miles, and you're using it, using battery every day,
charging it every night, and you'll never have to go to a gas station again. For you,
I'd go with the regular hybrid, and I'd go with the NX if I were you. Take a look at that,
but I don't think you got to be in any hurry. The CarPro Jerry Reynolds knows things you just
can't know. So call in on thechase.com CarPro Listener Line 1-800-926-7777.
Teresa Portland, Oregon. Happy Valentine's Day. How could I help you?
Well, thank you, Gary, for taking my call. I'm a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited,
the last year of the square box. Okay, and it's probably going to be the last vehicle I can afford
to get because I'm elderly, and I wanted your opinion of it, the longevity of the engine,
the transmission, the car itself, the electronics, anything that you might
have to offer on that. How long have you owned it? I got it from a rental company,
a major one, and so I bought it when it was about two to three years old.
Okay, so you've had this thing over 20 years. Oh yeah, she's pretty old.
And how many miles on her right now? Oh, approximately. I didn't have time to run down
and look, but I'd say about 120, 125. All right, here's the main question.
Have you done the maintenance the way that you should have?
If I didn't, exactly as Jeep said, I'd be broke.
Every few, you know, every six months to a year, everything.
Yeah, I understand. Theresa, we've only got about 25 seconds left. I'm going to tell you
that I'm worried for you given the history of those. I think you're probably coming near
the end of the line with it, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Baby it as best you can
and see how far it will go, but you really need to be thinking about getting something else.
926-7777
About this episode
The Car Pro Radio Show dives into the latest automotive news, including Toyota's surprising announcement of an electric Highlander, which could be a game changer in the three-row SUV market. The hosts discuss the potential end of start-stop systems due to new EPA regulations and share insights on the reliability of Nissan vehicles amidst company restructuring. Listener calls cover topics like the Mercedes C-Class and the Audi e-tron, with expert advice on buying former rental cars and the importance of thorough inspections.
