Do Young People Like Cars Anymore? — The Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 238

The Porsche Taycan GTS is an electric performance model from Porsche, positioned as a sportier step up from the base Taycan. In this episode, it’s used as the example of “amazing engineering prowess,” highlighting how modern EVs can still feel like enthusiast cars.

Hagerty is an insurance company that focuses on car enthusiasts, offering coverage tailored to hobbyists rather than standard daily-driver policies. In the segment, it’s mentioned as the show’s driver/presenter connection.

The Porsche Taycan is Porsche’s all-electric performance sedan, built to deliver quick acceleration and strong handling without a gasoline engine. It’s frequently discussed for its engineering and how it feels as a driver’s car. The podcast highlights using the Taycan as a “springboard,” praising its engineering prowess.

The Chevrolet Suburban is a full-size SUV known for its very large body and roomy interior, built for families and long-distance hauling. It often comes up in conversations about size because it’s one of the biggest mainstream vehicles on the road. In the podcast, it’s referenced as a “suburban” size—highlighting how enormous it feels compared with typical cars.

The Porsche Cayenne is Porsche’s SUV line, combining everyday practicality with Porsche-style performance and handling. It’s significant because it’s a major part of Porsche’s modern lineup and often gets discussed alongside other Porsche models. The podcast specifically calls out “Gen 2,” meaning the second generation of the Cayenne.

The BMW E30 wagon is part of the E30-generation 3 Series lineup and is known for being unusually small and compact for a wagon. In this segment, it’s used as a reference point to argue that modern Mercedes options are still larger and that the E30’s packaging leaves very little usable space.

A frunk (front trunk) is the storage compartment at the front of some cars, especially many electric vehicles. Because the engine bay is smaller or absent, designers can use that space for luggage, but it can come at the cost of other packaging tradeoffs.

The Tesla Model S is a large electric sedan that’s often compared directly with other luxury EVs on interior quality, build quality, and performance. Here, the host contrasts it with another EV by calling out interior/build shortcomings and discussing how its acceleration compares to the other car’s Ludicrous-mode performance.

“Ludicrous” refers to Tesla’s high-performance software/drive mode for certain Model S and Model X variants, designed to maximize acceleration. In this segment, it’s used as a benchmark for how quickly the car can accelerate compared with another EV.

P100D is a Tesla Model S powertrain/battery configuration designation (a “P” performance variant paired with a 100 kWh-class battery). The host mentions it in the context of when the Ludicrous mode was available, tying the trim/configuration to acceleration performance.

The Tesla Model Y is a compact electric crossover designed for everyday driving with an all-electric powertrain. It’s frequently discussed because it offers a lot of capability for its price compared with other electric vehicles. In the podcast, it’s contrasted with the cost of a Tesla Model S, emphasizing how expensive the Model S can be by comparison.

A two-speed transmission (often described as a two-speed gearbox) uses two gear ratios to keep the motor operating in its most efficient or effective range. The host dislikes the “shift” feel, which can be more noticeable in some EVs that use a multi-speed gearbox.

One-pedal driving is an EV driving mode where lifting off the accelerator commands strong regenerative braking, slowing the car without using the brake pedal as often. The host dislikes the lack of one-pedal driving, implying the car they’re in doesn’t provide that familiar EV “lift to slow down” behavior.

A heated steering wheel uses built-in heating elements (typically in the wheel rim) to warm the driver’s hands. It’s usually controlled through the car’s infotainment or a dedicated control, and it can be especially noticeable on cold mornings.

An infotainment system is the car’s integrated electronics for media and information—think navigation, audio, phone connectivity, and vehicle settings—usually shown on a central screen. When people complain about “layers of controls,” they’re often talking about how many menus or physical/virtual buttons you must use to reach common functions.

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of electrical energy: it’s how much energy you get from using 1 kilowatt of power for one hour. EV efficiency is often expressed as miles per kWh (or kWh per 100 miles) to show how far the car goes per unit of battery energy.

Watt-hours per mile (Wh/mi) is an energy-consumption metric that tells you how many watt-hours the vehicle uses to travel one mile. Lower Wh/mi generally indicates better efficiency, since the car is spending less battery energy per distance.

The Volkswagen e-Golf is an electric version of the Golf, so it’s a useful baseline for comparing efficiency and packaging versus other EVs. In this segment, it’s brought up as a reference point for energy use and how vehicle size/weight affects real-world driving.

Rolling resistance is the energy lost as tires deform and as they scrub against the road while rolling. It’s a major factor in EV efficiency because it directly affects how much power is needed to keep the car moving at steady speeds.

Frontal area is the size of the car’s “front face” that air flows around. A larger frontal area generally increases aerodynamic drag, which can hurt efficiency—especially at highway speeds.

Hydraulically actuated anti-roll bars are roll-bar assemblies whose stiffness can be actively controlled using hydraulic actuators. The goal is to reduce unwanted body roll in corners while allowing the system to behave more softly when you’re going straight or hitting uneven bumps.

To decouple the roll bars means the system can reduce how strongly the left and right wheels are mechanically linked through the anti-roll bar. That lets the suspension respond independently to bumps on one side while still providing roll control when cornering demands it.

An “effective spring” is how the anti-roll bar’s twisting action can add resistance to wheel movement, making the car feel stiffer in certain situations. Here, when one wheel hits a bump and the other doesn’t, the bar twists and creates that added spring-like effect.

Hydraulically actuated roll bars use a hydraulic system to change how the sway bar behaves. Instead of being fixed, the bar can be made to couple or decouple left and right sides to reduce roll while improving ride comfort.

Sway bars are the same core hardware as anti-roll bars: they connect left and right suspension to reduce body roll. When they’re “disconnected,” each side can move more independently, which can improve ride comfort over bumps.

Air springs use compressed air instead of (or alongside) steel coil springs to support the vehicle. Because the air pressure can be adjusted, they can maintain a chosen ride height and help control how the suspension responds to load and road conditions.

Vehicle height refers to the ride height—the distance between the body and the ground. In suspension systems with air springs, controlling vehicle height can keep aerodynamics and suspension geometry more consistent as passengers and cargo change the load.

A high-voltage electrical architecture is the layout of a car’s traction power system—how the high-voltage battery, inverter(s), wiring, and motors are organized. It’s what enables electric drive components to run at much higher voltage than the car’s normal 12-volt system.

Adjusting the pressure refers to controlling hydraulic fluid pressure to change how a system behaves. In active suspension/actuation contexts, varying pressure can replace “viscosity adjustment” by changing the force delivered by the fluid circuit.

The 12-volt low-voltage system is the car’s traditional electrical network used for accessories and control electronics. Even in high-voltage EVs, this system typically powers items like infotainment, lighting, and many sensors.

“800 volt” refers to the EV’s high-voltage level. Higher voltage can reduce current for the same power, which can allow smaller cables and improve charging and power delivery efficiency.

A “kilowatt” is a unit of power, and “five kilowatt motors” means each motor can produce up to about 5 kW of power (depending on the system’s limits). In EVs, motor power ratings help explain how much electrical energy can be converted into motion.

Using “four” motors typically implies a multi-motor layout where power is distributed across multiple actuators. In this context, the speaker later ties them to “suspension motors,” suggesting the car uses multiple motorized suspension actuators rather than a single system.

“Suspension motors” are motors that actively control suspension behavior—such as ride height and damping—rather than relying purely on passive springs and dampers. Active suspension can react to driving conditions to keep the car more stable and comfortable.

A hydraulic system uses pressurized fluid to transmit force. In suspension, that pressurized fluid can be directed to control how the shocks resist motion.

Static ride height is the car’s baseline height when it’s not actively moving over a bump. With air suspension, that height is set by air volume in the air chambers.

Damping force is the resistance the shock provides to suspension movement. Higher damping generally controls how quickly the car settles after a bump, improving stability and ride control.

Actively pulling a wheel up means the suspension can generate force to lift that corner rather than just reacting to bumps. This is a hallmark of active suspension systems that can change wheel position on demand.

Valves route hydraulic pressure to different parts of the suspension. By switching where the pressurized fluid goes, the system can change whether it pushes or pulls a wheel and adjust damping behavior.

Weight distribution is how a car’s mass is spread across its wheels and axles. In cornering, changing weight distribution can help maintain traction and stability by keeping the tires closer to their grip limits.

The limit of adhesion is the maximum grip available between a tire and the road before it starts to slip. Traction control and active suspension systems try to keep each wheel near that grip threshold to maximize handling without losing control.

Handling is how well a car responds to steering, braking, and throttle inputs—especially in corners. It’s strongly influenced by grip, suspension behavior, and how the car manages weight transfer.

Power consumption is how much electrical or mechanical power a system uses while operating. In efficiency discussions, it matters because extra power draw (for motors, compressors, pumps, or electronics) can reduce range or increase energy use, especially under higher loads.

An EPA rating is the fuel-economy or efficiency figure measured under standardized tests run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It’s meant to be comparable across vehicles, but real-world driving can differ because the test cycle doesn’t perfectly match how people drive day to day.

The EPA cycle is the specific driving schedule used in EPA testing—how fast the car goes, how often it accelerates, and how it decelerates. If the cycle is steady or not very “dynamic,” it can under-represent situations like frequent load changes or aggressive driving.

Kilowatts (kW) are a unit of power—how quickly energy is used. When the discussion references applying 20 kW or 34 kW, it’s talking about higher power draw, which can make efficiency look worse on real roads than in a standardized test.

“Scrub from the tires” refers to energy losses when tires are forced to slip or deform while turning, braking, or dealing with uneven surfaces. That wasted energy shows up as extra power demand, which can reduce efficiency on real back roads compared with smoother test conditions.

This is describing regenerative braking in an EV. Instead of wasting the car’s kinetic energy as heat during braking, the motor acts like a generator and converts some of that energy back into electrical energy stored in the battery.

Regenerative braking is an EV (and hybrid) feature where the drive motor slows the car while generating electricity. That electricity is routed to the battery, improving efficiency compared to friction brakes alone.

Horsepower is another unit of power, commonly used for engines and motors. The speaker is roughly converting EV motor power (kilowatts) into an equivalent “horsepower-ish” figure to make the energy/efficiency discussion easier to visualize.

The Dakar reference is about applying the energy/efficiency discussion to a high-demand off-road endurance context. It’s a way to frame how much power and energy matter when conditions are harsh and speeds are sustained.

Aerodynamic efficiency means the car produces less aerodynamic drag, so it needs less power to maintain speed. That’s especially important for EVs because at higher speeds, energy use is often dominated by overcoming drag rather than just drivetrain losses.

The Skyhook principle is an active suspension concept where the car is controlled to behave as if it’s “suspended from the sky.” Instead of relying only on springs and dampers, the system uses sensors and actuators to minimize body motion like pitch, roll, and vertical movement.

Wheel travel sensors measure how far each wheel moves relative to the vehicle body. That information helps an active or controlled suspension system estimate suspension compression/extension and respond appropriately to road inputs.

Speed tables are raised sections of road designed to slow vehicles down. They’re typically flatter and longer than speed bumps, so the suspension has more time to react as the car transitions over the rise.

A speed bump is a raised obstacle in the road that forces vehicles to slow down. If you hit one too fast, the suspension can bottom out—meaning the suspension runs out of travel—leading to a harsh jolt.

Bump stops are rubber or hydraulic limits that prevent the suspension from compressing too far. When the car “slams into” them, the suspension can’t absorb the impact anymore, so the chassis gets the harshness.

Mercedes magic ride control is an active suspension system that aims to smooth out bumps before they hit the wheels. It uses sensors (including a laser scan of the road surface) to predict upcoming road conditions and adjust damping so the car can react earlier.

In this context, “predictive” refers to suspension control that anticipates road conditions rather than waiting for the impact. By sensing what’s coming, the system can pre-adjust damping to reduce how violently the suspension compresses.

“Waft” is car-enthusiast slang for an ultra-smooth ride that feels like it floats over road imperfections. It’s often used to describe luxury cars that isolate occupants from bumps and vibration.

A “hybrid system” combines an internal-combustion engine with an electric motor and a battery. In this context, the key detail is the high-voltage battery that can “activate the system” for electric assist or hybrid operation.

The Porsche Panamera is Porsche’s four-door performance sedan, and in this segment it’s used as the “gas burning equivalent” to the car being discussed. The host ties it to Porsche’s hybrid system, specifically the high-voltage battery used to run the hybrid functions.

Wheel size (like 21-inch) affects ride quality because it changes the tire’s sidewall height and how much the tire can flex over bumps. Larger wheels usually pair with shorter sidewalls, which can make the ride feel firmer and less forgiving.

“70 series” refers to the tire’s aspect ratio: the sidewall height as a percentage of the tire’s width. Higher aspect-ratio tires (like 70-series) have taller sidewalls, which generally improves ride comfort and helps absorb impacts compared with low-profile tires.

This is a shorthand way of saying that if the braking hardware (calipers/rotors) is designed for large wheels, reducing wheel size can create packaging constraints. In practice, brake components must fit within the wheel’s inner barrel, so smaller wheels may limit brake size or require different brake calipers/rotors.

“G” is a unit of acceleration, where 1 g equals the acceleration due to gravity (about 9.8 m/s²). When the host says “more than half a G,” they’re describing how strong the braking deceleration is in terms of lateral/longitudinal forces felt by the car and occupants. It’s a common way to compare performance without quoting a single speed.

The Ferrari 308 GT4 is a 1970s-era Ferrari grand tourer known for its distinctive driving feel—especially how it rides and communicates grip. In this segment, the hosts use it as a reference point for what they consider the “defining characteristic” of the car’s driving experience. They specifically mention the ride feel as the standout trait.

“205/70/14” is a tire size code: 205 is the tire width in millimeters, 70 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width, and 14 is the wheel diameter in inches. Tire size affects ride comfort, steering response, and how much grip the tire can provide. The hosts mention it to describe the specific setup that contributes to the car’s feel.

Control arms are suspension links that connect the chassis to the wheel, controlling how the wheel moves as the road changes. Their shape and mounting determine ride comfort and steering feel because they affect alignment and how forces are transmitted.

“70 series” refers to a tire’s aspect ratio—how tall the sidewall is compared to the tire’s width. A higher aspect ratio (like 70) usually means a taller, more flexible sidewall that can improve ride comfort by absorbing small bumps.

In ride quality discussions, “high frequency” refers to rapid, small oscillations from road texture—like the chatter you feel on rough pavement. Softer tire sidewalls and suspension tuning can reduce how much of that vibration reaches the cabin.

Range and efficiency are energy-related measures that can be affected by wheel/tire choices. Larger wheels and lower-profile tires can increase rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag, which may reduce fuel economy or EV range.

Deflection is how much a tire or suspension component moves under load. More deflection can help absorb bumps, but it also changes steering response and can make the car feel less immediate if the system is too compliant.

Tire pressure affects ride comfort, grip, and steering response by changing how stiff the tire sidewall and tread contact patch behave. Lower pressure generally increases compliance (smoother ride) but can reduce precision and increase heat buildup if taken too far.

Turn-in response is how quickly and precisely the car begins to rotate when you turn the steering wheel. Suspension and tire compliance can improve comfort, but too much softness can make turn-in feel delayed or “muddled.”

“21s” refers to 21-inch wheels. Larger wheels typically require lower-profile tires, which reduces sidewall flex—often making the ride harsher and more sensitive to road texture unless the suspension is tuned to compensate.

PSI (pounds per square inch) is a pressure unit. When someone mentions “PSI of hydraulic fluid,” they’re referring to how much pressure the fluid is under in a hydraulic system, which affects how that system behaves.

EV means electric vehicle—cars powered primarily by electricity stored in a battery. In this discussion, the speaker contrasts an EV’s tradeoffs (like ride quality and packaging) with what they prefer in older cars.

The Lotus Elise is a lightweight, driver-focused sports car known for its small size and agile handling. In this segment, it’s used as an example of an “old car” that avoids the compromises of modern full-size vehicles and EVs.

The Ford Maverick is a compact pickup that became popular for its practical size and modern design. In this segment, the hosts mention it as a recent new-car experience that developed issues quickly, including noises and perceived build-quality problems.

“Clunks” are audible or felt knocks that often show up when suspension components have play, worn bushings, loose fasteners, or alignment/fitment issues. In this context, the host links the clunks to the car’s underside and suspension behavior rather than normal road noise.

The front suspension is the system that connects the front wheels to the car’s body and controls how the wheels move over bumps. When the host says “front suspension clunks,” they’re pointing to the front-end hardware or mounting points as the likely source of the knocking sounds.

“Trickle down” is the idea that advanced technology introduced in high-end products eventually becomes cheaper and spreads to mainstream cars. Here, the host uses it to argue that engineering improvements will make their way into everyday vehicles over time.

Xenon headlights (often called HID—high-intensity discharge) use an electric arc in xenon gas to produce bright light. Compared with older halogen bulbs, xenon systems typically provide a whiter, more intense beam and are often associated with higher-end lighting performance.

NVH stands for noise, vibration, and harshness—how loud the car is, how much it vibrates, and how “rough” it feels over bumps or under load. It’s a key refinement metric because two cars with similar performance can feel very different if one has more engine/drivetrain noise or vibration transmitted into the cabin.

The Toyota Corolla is a compact car that’s often chosen for affordability and practicality. In this segment, the hosts are specifically criticizing its NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) when driven as a rental, implying the powertrain/overall refinement can feel unpleasant.

“409” refers to the Chevrolet 409 engine, a famous big-block V8 from the 1960s. It became a cultural icon because it was associated with powerful performance cars and was referenced in songs as shorthand for speed and muscle-era style.

“Maibach” appears to be a transcription error for Mercedes-Maybach, the ultra-luxury sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. Maybach is associated with top-tier comfort and opulence, and here it’s referenced as a status “prop” in rap lyrics.

A muscle car is an American-style performance car known for a powerful V8 engine and strong acceleration, especially popular in the 1960s. The term usually implies a focus on straight-line speed and a relatively affordable, mass-market attitude compared with more exotic sports cars.

A hot rod is a modified car—often an older model—built for performance and style, typically by upgrading the engine, suspension, and drivetrain. In car culture, hot rodding is closely tied to the idea of customizing and making a car personal, not just buying it as-is.

The BMW X5 is a midsize luxury SUV that’s positioned as a more performance-oriented alternative to typical family SUVs. It’s often discussed because it offers multiple powertrain options, including diesel in some markets. The podcast calls out an “X5 diesel” as unusual, implying it’s not the most common configuration.

The Land Rover Range Rover is a flagship luxury SUV known for off-road capability and high-end comfort. It’s often referenced in discussions about status and presence because it’s a long-running, premium model. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in a broader point about what certain drivers are perceived to be driving.