America on the Road Sep 13, 2025

Does the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited Deserve the Hybrid Crown?

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This is America on the Road, named as radio show by the International Automotive Media Conference

and now in its 33rd year on the air.

Thanks for being with us.

This is we bring you the latest automotive information from around the world.

I'm Jack Neerad with me as co-host Chris Teague.

And Chris, I've got to ask this, are you getting hints of fall around your place

these days?

We are.

We're in that weird time of year when it's very cold, well not very cold, cold

overnight and then warm during the day.

So as you can see, I'm in a hoodie, but when I go outside, I'll probably put on shorts.

Yeah, there you go.

If it's 40 at night and then 70 during the day, that's a little difficult to deal

with.

Well, there's plenty of news this week to talk about in the automotive world.

New data show that Tesla isn't the dominant EV maker it once was.

Should we be surprised?

We'll have more on that.

Ford has recalled more than 1.5 million vehicles.

People will tell you what the problem is and help you determine if your car is one

of them.

Hint, if you own a Chevy, you don't need to worry.

Mercedes-Benz has just completed a monumental test drive and it has a strange connection

to my family.

And I'll reveal that connection coming up.

We'll have the details for you.

And Lexus has unveiled its 2026 IS compact sports sedan.

We'll see if Chris is salivating over this one or if he's disappointed.

I can't read his face to determine.

A lot of interesting things to talk about this week is whether one thing that really

piques your interest.

I do like talking about Lexus, so let's stick with the IS for that one.

Yeah, Lexus has a lot of news this week.

American on the Road is brought to you by drivingtoday.com, emlancy.com, the publisher

of my latest book.

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If you're looking to save some money, you should switch to mercury for your auto

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As you longtime listeners of the show know, Chris lives at one end of the country.

I live at the other each week.

We get together to talk about cars, the car industry, how you can save some

money on your car.

And Chris, what is your test vehicle this week?

I spent the week driving the 2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum all wheel drive.

I can't wait to tell you all about it.

I look forward to hearing about that.

I haven't been in a Nissan Rogue in a while.

My test vehicle this week is the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited.

We'll tell you all about that in our road test segment.

And our special guest this week is a delightful person, Anatalia Villaranda.

She is a car builder, DIYer, and Quaker State Influencers.

So stay with us for that as well.

We have tons of show coming up for you.

We're glad you're with us and stay with us because we have a lot

of show right here this week on America on the Road.

We'll be back right after this.

Welcome back to America on the Road with Chris Teague.

This is Jack Neerad with you for News Time on America on the Road.

A lot of news this week.

And I guess our lead story is about Tesla.

We do a lot of Tesla stories here because there's always a lot of interest

in Tesla and our friend Elon Musk.

We use that term friend in quotes, I think.

Tesla's once commanding grip on the US electric vehicle market is slipping.

This just in, I guess.

Or maybe it's just into Cox Automotive data.

Tesla's EV market share dropped to 38% in August.

This is its lowest level since 2017.

I'm wondering what the heck it was going on in 2017

to tell you the truth, hearing this, but that's something I don't know about.

The decline comes as you have a lot of car companies putting out electric vehicles.

It kind of makes sense that this would happen, right, Chris?

I mean, this shouldn't be giant news.

Yeah, I mean, it's easy to point to Elon Musk's politics

and all of his activities in the government.

But the reality is, you know, they just they don't have a modern product line.

They're having some trouble getting some of these these products out the door.

So there's a lot more going on than just his politics.

But I think it is interesting to see how the other automakers have caught up

to Tesla in some cases in trucks specifically have surpassed Tesla in sales.

Yeah, well, we're coming up to the end of the $7,500 tax credit on EVs.

That's going to end the end of this month.

So I expect September to be a big EV month, maybe the biggest EV month of all time.

And then those sales will probably fall off the cliff, I would imagine,

in October or be much lower.

You have Kia, Toyota, Honda.

You have a lot of brands with EVs now that are doing quite well

and maybe better than Tesla at this point.

But I don't think it's a giant surprise.

No, I think we've seen.

I mean, we've been hearing about this since the beginning of the year.

It feels like so it doesn't feel like a huge, a huge groundbreaking story.

I mean, at least in terms of being a brand new realization.

Yeah, I'm wondering what it's going to do to to Tesla's capitalization

to its market value.

I mean, it still has an immense market value.

And I think Musk is looking for a giant payday here coming up.

So we'll have to see what happens with that.

Yeah, the incentives are definitely in place for him to push the company

that far, but we'll see if it can actually happen.

Right. Let's talk about this Ford recall, which is a giant one.

One point five million vehicles in the United States.

The problem is faulty rear view cameras.

The regulators say the cameras that are found in vehicles between

2015 and 2019 Ford and Lincoln models can display distorted,

inverted or even blank images.

There is no truth to the rumor that they were showing

Simpson reruns on the display there.

But we'll see.

The recall covers a wide range of vehicles.

As I said, the Lincoln MKC navigator, Ford Mustang, Expedition,

Edge, Ranger, the Transit Vans, the Conline Vans.

And geez, they still make a Conline Vans.

F series trucks, of course, there's a lot of vehicles here.

Of course, 1.5 million vehicles.

What's your overall take on this?

Oh, another day, another Ford recall.

Ford was the most recalled automaker last year.

And I think they broke the full year recall record by July of this year.

So they've got some issues to work through there.

I think, you know, and these aren't small recalls either.

We're not talking about a few thousand.

A lot of these recalls are one, two, one and a half million vehicles.

So I hope Ford figures it out.

Yeah, I mean, a lot of people might say, well, back up cameras.

It's not that big a safety issue.

You can turn around and look around and back up, you know,

doing it the old school way.

But I think a lot of people these days, I don't know if you've

noticed this, Chris, I noticed a lot of people back into parking places

these days, as opposed to pulling into them, because I think it's easier

with the backup camera and the guidelines than it is just to pull in.

Or I guess that's why people are doing that.

I mean, what's your thoughts about that?

Yeah, I agree.

And even if you're not relying only on the backup camera, it's still,

you know, once you get used to having it, not having access to it

would be a safety issue, right?

You're used to using that as part of your safety checks as you're backing up.

But yeah, it is one of those things that I mean,

you could do without it.

But once you're used to it, it's a lot more difficult to drive.

Yeah, Magna International is recalling more than 250,000 cameras

installed in some Ford and Stellantis vehicles.

So that's going on to these backup cameras.

You know, the more technology you have, of course, the more you can

have things go wrong.

And as you mentioned, Ford has had like a bazillion, maybe not a bazillion.

I'm not sure that's a real number.

But a lot of recalls this year, setting a new record.

Let's talk about this Mercedes-Benz test drive with solid state batteries.

We've talked about solid state batteries on the show for years and years and years.

That is the, I guess the holy grail of the EVs they have completed.

Mercedes-Benz has completed a 749 mile trip from Stuttgart, Germany

through Denmark to Malmo, Sweden on a single charge.

That's very cool.

It's also cool to me, frankly, Chris, because one of my ancestors

came from Malmo, Sweden.

My great-grandfather was born in Malmo and migrated to the United States

about 1870 or so.

And then my daughter went to school in Denmark and we actually took a trip

to Malmo not that long ago.

So interesting.

I'd never been there, but interesting that this is how this happened.

Enough about the NERED family.

Let's talk about solid state batteries.

This looks like a really big development, right?

I think it is or it could be, right?

This is one of those things we've seen automakers testing solid state

batteries. We've seen automakers talking about solid state batteries,

but we have yet to see one actually be able to produce them and any

quantity relative to the amount that they need to build vehicles.

So I think for Mercedes, this is an impressive showing, but I'll be

more impressed when I can see them actually build, you know, 10,000

of these batteries with reasonable cost and timeline.

Yeah. And I hope that becomes the case.

These batteries came from Factorial Energy, which is a U.S.

company and developed in collaboration with AMG, Mercedes AMG.

The result is 25% increase in usable energy without adding size or weight.

So that's the key about solid state batteries, right?

This is this is really a breakthrough, if indeed it happens.

But to your point, it's got to go into production and they have to be

we have to be able to produce them at cost that can make electric vehicles

viable. Yeah.

You know, the range, the weight is impressive.

The safety is very nice and, you know, the charging speeds improve on

lithium ion and the other formulas that we have.

But as you say, the costs are just ridiculous at this point.

I'm sure that somebody could build a solid state battery, but the vehicle

that gets it would be far too expensive for the regular everyday buyer.

Yeah. Well, hopefully, you know, economies of scale.

They always point to economies of scale, right, right, Chris?

We'll see if that happens in this case.

Let's talk about the 2026 Lexus IS.

This is a sports sedan that I think both you and I have

liked a lot for a long time.

It's kind of renewed in some ways for 2026.

What's your overall take on what Lexus is doing here?

I'm excited that the car is returning for the 2026 model year.

And a lot of people said or believe that it was going to be discontinued

as, you know, Lexus pushed towards electric vehicles.

So I'm happy to see it stick around.

But I will say the two configurations that we're going to get.

So a hybrid and then a V6 version.

Neither of them are particularly exciting to be from a driving experience standpoint.

We know these power trains.

We know the IS pretty thoroughly inside and out.

So I'd be happy to see the IS 500 with the V8 return.

But I think that might be a long shot.

Yeah, I just don't think that's going to happen.

And of course, that was the exciting car to us.

I think this will be a fun car to drive.

The three and a half liter V6 311 horsepower, 280 pound feet of torque,

not a ton of torque, but this is a rear drive platform,

which we like a eight speed automatic transmission.

The all wheel drive model has a six speed for unknown reasons.

I think it could be fun.

But again, it won't have the power and just the verb of the V8 powered car.

Will it? Yeah, you know, I think that Lexus did a lot with the styling.

They updated the interior. This is a small car.

It's kind of the entry level Lexus sedan.

And it has always been kind of that on the edge of being a performance car

and being a luxury car.

So, you know, I think this fits with the attitude,

but I would love to see the V8 return, man.

I just can't get over how good that engine is.

Yeah, well, don't hold your breath.

I don't want to see you turn blue.

Lexus is also changing how they build cars or where they build cars.

They're consolidating in their U.S. production.

I think a lot of people don't realize that some Lexus models

are built in the United States.

But there's a report from Nikke, which is a Japanese news service

that Toyota, the company will end Lexus sedan production

in Georgetown, Kentucky, which I find interesting.

Lexus manufacturing will be at a single location in Indiana

where they build the Lexus TX.

I think this kind of indicates how absolutely SUV oriented

the luxury market is, but quick thoughts on that.

Yeah, it's interesting that Lexus still offers

a handful of sedans and cars, but I'm happy to see them

shuffling U.S. production around to sort of figure these things out.

Right. Remind us of the vehicle you'll be testing this week, Chris.

I drove the 2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum all-wheel drive

and I'll be testing the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited.

Stay with us for that and we'll have all of that when we come back.

Welcome back everybody to America on the Road

with Chris Teague, Jack Knee Radback with you for road test time.

We have some spectacular, well, maybe not spectacular,

but I think certainly interesting vehicles to talk about this week.

And Chris, you have been in a vehicle I have not been in for a while.

So I'm really anxious to hear about the Nissan Rogue.

Yeah, Jack, I spent the week in the 2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum.

This vehicle got a decent update for 2025 with some new features

and a new trim level.

But this is not the new Rock Creek trim that came out.

This is the top Platinum trim.

You can get into this vehicle for around $30,000 with front wheel drive.

Mine was $40,000 to start.

And then with options, it came in at around $48,000.

So Jack, that gets you the safety package, heated rear seats

and a bunch of other stuff.

When was the last time you drove a Rogue?

Because I think it's probably changed

powertrain since the last time you drove.

You know, it's been years.

It's been maybe two or three years for one reason or another.

I haven't been in one.

Maybe it's changed enough that it's going to be

in North American car of the year this year.

But I think maybe that was the last time I drove one.

Yeah, well, that's interesting.

It probably had a four cylinder engine.

I think the last time you drove it and now it has a turbocharged

1.5 liter three cylinder engine.

It's 201 horsepower.

You have all wheel drive and a continuously variable transmission,

which is pretty standard for most Nissan vehicles.

I've said in the past that Nissan's continuously variable

transmissions are smoother and more refined than another vehicle types.

I think this vehicle slightly changes my mind.

It lets the engine be noisier than expected.

An acceleration is a little jerkier.

The throttle response here, you put your foot down and it takes

a second to kind of figure out what you're doing.

So there's some refinement issues, I think I would say here.

But, you know, it's pretty quiet in operation.

It's at low speeds.

You get those sort of in town accelerating noises.

And it's a little bit disruptive, Jack.

What do you think about that with the CVT, the combination there?

Well, I thought we got to the place where CVTs were getting so much better

and we didn't have this droning and, you know, weird drivability issues.

And it sounds like they haven't really solved that or new ones have come up,

but it's just kind of disappointing.

Yeah, I think what's happened is the other CVTs have gotten better.

As you say, you know, Toyota has figured out how to smooth things out.

Other people, other brands have done the same.

And I think Nissan's just kind of stayed where it is.

And I think that the others are becoming better.

And it's sort of sort of showing its age a little bit.

But the vehicle has a good as a smooth ride.

It's pretty quiet on the road, as I said, and it's got decent handling.

There's not a lot of body movement, not excessive roll.

And it does do a good job of soaking up the potholes

and things that we have here still, even after six months of summer here.

We still have a lot of plow torn potholes inside.

The Platinum trim has semi-aniline leather.

You get heated front seats, heated rear seats and heated steering wheel.

One thing I didn't notice on the Monroni level, on the Monroni sheet

for this vehicle is for $48,000, Jack, you don't get ventilated front seats

in this vehicle, in which I found to be a little bit of an oversight.

What do you think? Yeah, I mean, I'm surprised.

I'm surprised by that price for a Nissan road, period.

But I'm really surprised by that because the vehicle I'm going to be talking

about is a lot less expensive and has that kind of stuff.

Yes. But what do you do get for that money?

And I'll talk about it a little bit more later is the

ProPilot 2.1 safety equipment and some other stuff.

And that's part of the price.

But I'd really like to have seen some ventilated seats here.

You have good space across the front two rows.

Nissan Zero Gravity seats are fantastic.

They're wide enough for my American sized rear end.

There's plenty of head and leg room up front.

And even the back seats, the kids had plenty of room in their car seats

without having to kick the back of my chair to have me move up

and get out of their way.

You also have great cargo space here.

You have 31.6 cubic feet behind the second row seats.

And tech is also strong.

So the standard touchscreen is an eight inch unit.

But my car had a 12.3 inch touchscreen and a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster.

Jack, Nissan's infotainment system is pretty easy to use.

What do you think about it compared to some of the others on the market?

I think it's pretty straightforward.

I wouldn't say it has every bell and whistle, but maybe that's a good thing.

I mean, I think the complication.

We talk about this frequently.

These things get so complicated.

You throw so much stuff in the in the touch screen

that it's hard to drive the car.

Right. I mean, it's distracting.

So I like straightforward and I think Nissan does a good job with that.

I agree.

And one of the things I think Nissan might do even better than that

is with processing power.

So all the recent Nissan infotainment systems I've used are very snappy.

They're responsive and that makes it less distracting when you're swiping

through, you know, lists of songs and things on while you're driving.

And I really appreciate that.

You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa,

functionality, navigation and a whole lot more with this.

I could spend probably the whole review just talking about the infotainment

features and not to the safety tech.

As I mentioned, this car has an optional

ProPilot 2.1 hands free driving assistance program.

So you can do it's basically an advanced adaptive cruise control

system for the highway and you can do limited hands free driving with that.

And you also get blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alerts and all the

rest, Jack, I think for 48 grand, this is a little bit out of my budget.

The mid range trims somewhere in the high 30s range

feel like a good compromise and you still get most of the nice stuff

without leather and things like that.

But I think 48K is too much here.

Yeah, I think so too.

I think you can probably find a Nissan Rogue trim that would be a lot more

cost effective and still give you most of the stuff that you need.

So I don't think we should ding the whole product line for this.

But you know, I think this is just,

I would not go that direction with my $48,000.

Let's put it that way.

I agree.

Well, let's talk about the car I was driving.

And I'm sure you've gotten into a car, Chris,

and you've driven it for a few minutes and you just said to yourself,

I like this car.

And that's how I felt about the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited,

the vehicle I'm going to talk about here.

There's no way that it really pushes the envelope of what a compact sedan can deliver.

But it does offer a lot of features that are beyond that price.

And the price is around $31,000.

And this is the top tier Elantra Hybrid trim.

So it has a bunch of luxury features, pretty serious fuel economy too.

It's a nice compromise, I think, mainstream affordability.

I think $30,000 sadly is pretty reasonable these days for any kind of car.

And then you have the efficiency of the hybrid engine

or the hybrid powertrain.

And you'll have a lot of comfort tech too.

Let's talk about the hybrid setup.

It pairs a 1.6-liter Atkinson cycle.

I almost said that right.

Atkinson cycle.

I can't say that very well at all, I guess.

Inline four-cylinder engine with an electric motor.

It has a lithium-ion polymer battery pack.

So fairly standard issue kind of hybrid.

I wouldn't say it's necessarily quite as

sophisticated or operates quite as well as some of the Toyota systems.

But what's your take overall on the hybrid in this vehicle?

It's pretty smooth.

And if I'm not mistaken, Hyundai uses either an automatic or a dual clutch

transmission with this setup as well.

So I think it's a little bit more responsive.

But you're right.

It does have the sort of rough-around-the-edges field compared to Toyotos and some of the others.

Total output is 139 horsepower.

That doesn't seem like all that much because it isn't all that much.

But it is routed through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, as you point out.

And this makes quicker, more engaging shifts in the CVTs that you experienced in the Rogue,

for example.

And they're in a lot of hybrids as well.

So it's a pretty responsive vehicle.

And this is just a substantial vehicle overall.

I mean, it's a compact sedan, but it almost acts like a mid-sized sedan.

In terms of just road presence, it has a multi-link rear suspension.

So that's a fairly sophisticated rear suspension.

And handles pretty well.

Obviously, the power is not going to knock your socks off here.

And it's not really a canyon carver.

But it's fun to drive.

And then it gets 50 miles per gallon.

So that's pretty darn good, too.

I mean, the fuel cost is just about $1,000.

So that's a big savings versus average vehicles.

What do you take on that?

Yeah, fuel economy is fantastic.

And as you mentioned, it's not the quickest car, but it does handle well.

So it makes up for some of the lack of power.

But fuel economy is definitely the selling point here.

I think design might turn some people off.

It has this angular stuff that Hyundai is doing.

And I think a lot of people might love it.

And a lot of people might not so much.

What should you take on the exterior styling?

I like it because it's done well.

But I think you're right.

There are a lot of lines and angles that might be too much for people.

Right.

It has a power sunroof.

This is a vehicle, as the limited, that had a lot of stuff on it,

including a power sunroof.

So that was nice.

It had nice alloy wheels, 17-inch alloy wheels.

The interior is well-trimmed.

It has synthetic leather seats that you probably couldn't tell from leather.

And they are not only heated and ventilated,

but the driver's seat has power adjustment with lumbar support

and a memory system.

So this is really kind of luxury stuff.

I mean, the luxury stuff you were seeking in the Rogue,

but didn't find, right?

I mean, that's pretty darn good stuff, I think, for a vehicle that's $31,000.

Yeah, Hyundai and Kia both have done a really good job in recent years

of packing everything into the trim levels as you go up the line.

So it's very nice.

It's a breath of fresh air.

They come out of a $48,000 vehicle with no ventilated seats.

Right.

The rear seats have the 6040 split that's fairly standard and useful.

It has duals.

This vehicle, the Elantra Hybrid, has a dual zone automatic climate control,

electronic parking brake, a luxury feature, I guess,

and a proximity key with push button start.

That is certainly a luxury style feature.

So in a lot of ways, this acts like a downsized luxury sedan.

And then you have this dual screen presentation inside a pair of

10 and a quarter inch screens, a digital instrument cluster,

and then the infotainment display with a bunch of good stuff built in navigation,

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a dynamic voice recognition.

This vehicle also facilitates digital key,

which isn't part of the infotainment system really,

but wireless phone charging, Series XM.

What should you take on the infotainment system?

We've talked about it a bunch of times.

It's not as fancy or colorful as some of the other systems,

but it's easy to use.

It's responsive and it's not confusing.

So it's not very distracting while you're driving.

Yeah. Plenty of driving aids and safety equipment,

including highway driving assist,

although it's not highway driving assist too,

which is a little more sophisticated.

The test scores are pretty good on this vehicle.

So I think at $31,000 or something like that,

this is really a vehicle to look at.

I think they've done a very nice job with the

2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited.

I absolutely agree.

Well, I'm glad you do.

And when we come back, we will have a terrific guest for you.

Her name is Anathalia Villaranda.

She's a car builder and has some interesting things to say

about how she became a car builder

and has some interesting car stories.

So stay with us for that.

We'll be right back right here on America on the Road.

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Welcome back everybody to America.

On the road checking right back,

we have a terrific guest for you.

And Natalia Villaranda is a

branded ambassador for Quaker State.

Of course, Quaker State Motor Oil.

And I'm so glad to talk to you.

I'm kind of curious what we're going to say

to each other to tell you the truth, Natalia.

But it'll be a lot of fun in any case.

You are, I'm told, a DIY creator.

And I guess probably influencer, right?

Yes, yes I am.

I guess that's what they call it nowadays.

That's what I am and that's what I'm doing.

Tell us about yourself.

Tell me how you came to be associated with Quaker State.

Yes.

So basically, actually funny story,

which a lot of people would not have guessed.

But I started out as a professional singer.

And I have done that pretty much most of my life.

And then COVID hit.

And then my childhood, that was like kind of where I was like,

okay, I can actually like try different things.

Because you know, the way COVID works.

So I loved cars and I've always, always wanted to pursue it.

So now like that was like the perfect time to.

So I was always just dabbling with stuff here and there.

Because I was like, oh, let me modify my vehicle a little bit.

But I literally learned everything I like learned of

anything off of YouTube, videos, TikTok, all that fancy jazz.

So after that started rolling, I started videotaping, vlogging,

and just really DIYing life.

Not just cars in general, but just life.

So that's basically where it all started for me.

And then I got to meet the team at Quaker State.

And they are amazing.

I got some amazing opportunities,

especially going to NASCAR races, all that fancy jazz.

And now I get to do what I love full time.

I build and modify a couple of vehicles of mine.

I have a couple of them.

I have like three right now builds.

I'm building one for the SEMA show this year.

So I'm really excited for that.

Cool.

And yeah.

And I've been singing and drifting.

That's my new thing right now, Carpool Karaoke.

So yeah, it's been fun.

Cool, cool.

Well, so what was the first car you modified

and why'd you decide to do that?

Yeah.

So actually the first car I ever had to modify

was a 2013 Scion FRS.

It kind of just, it wasn't really planned.

I was kind of in a rut when I had left my childhood home.

So I had to get my first car and really navigate life on my own.

So I needed to get a job and I needed a car to get there.

And the FRS was the first thing that I saw him a lot

that my aunt helped me get.

And it was bright red, shiny chrome rims.

And I was like, wow, like, look at this thing.

It's a two door coupe, sporty look.

So that's where it all started for me.

And then I was like, I think I can make this a little better.

And I was like, I want to make it a little better,

just make it my own, really just DIY it.

So I started getting car parts off of eBay,

car parts off of Facebook Marketplace.

And then like, I was like, only one thing,

one thing led to another.

And then I was also balling on a budget.

So I was like, how do I do this a cheaper way

that's affordable?

And then also like learn how to do it.

So then I did like star ceiling lights.

I made a business out of that.

So that was the first car that really started it all.

Got it, got it.

Well, what are some of the first things you did?

Yeah, what did you decide to do?

So I did coil overs.

I was like, okay, the cool thing was like to lower your car,

stance out your car.

So I lowered it and did my first coil over job.

I think the YouTube video was like two hours long.

It took me about three days to do it.

I had no idea what I was doing,

but I was like, I could do this.

I could do this, I could do anything I put my mind to.

Coil overs was the first thing.

And then I was like, okay, mechanically,

let's pause right here and start doing aesthetic stuff.

So then I got louvers and then started doing things

on the inside, but coil overs was the first first thing

that I did on the car.

That's a pretty big thing to attack

as your first project, as you no doubt found out, right?

Yep, yep.

I mean, did it surprise you

how difficult or time consuming this stuff was?

Did you feel like, hey, I've got this, I can get this done?

I feel like it was pretty straightforward.

I feel like the process itself,

it's like you always run into something.

Like if you don't have the right tools,

if you're losing your 10 millimeter,

like stuff like that is where it gets a little,

oh, one hour job, one day job.

So that's where it gets a little tricky there.

But it was pretty self-explanatory

since you kind of sort of repeat the process on each side

and then you have four of them to do.

But I guess strength was a thing

that I didn't have at the time too as well.

And then lack of tools

and just making sure I had the materials to do everything.

But other than that, yeah, that's how that went.

I mean, giving yourself the right amount of time,

I think is a key thing.

I mean, I'm the kind of guy where

I think every task should take less than half a day.

And you know that a lot of tasks

don't take less than half a day, right?

I mean, they're going to take several days.

And then I kind of lose interest or just go,

I want to rush things.

And you shouldn't rush stuff as a do-it-yourselfer, right?

I mean, talk about some of the more difficult things

you've encountered when you were doing this stuff.

So after I started doing more under the hood stuff,

I really just went for it.

I feel like I don't really...

I wouldn't say jump the gun,

but I'm just like, I'm going to dive right in.

So then I bought a project car, $500, a Mazda, an Amiata.

The cutest car ever.

It needed a lot of work.

It was $500.

So given the price, it needed a lot of work.

The motor was knocking.

So it was like, if I could do coilovers,

like, let's try replacing a whole motor.

Let's take this motor out and put a new one in.

And you just think you just have all the enthusiasm.

You can do anything in the world you put your mind to.

And there's YouTube videos for a lot of this stuff.

So that was another thing that I got into.

Besides performance mods versus exhausts and intakes and stuff like that,

the motor was the biggest challenge.

Well, I mean, it just lifted the engine out of the engine bay.

I mean, how did you go about doing that?

Because it's not something to just pick up with your hands, right?

That's the beauty about the automotive community

is that the community is so helpful and so great.

And I made so many friends that I call family along the way.

So I had like five friends over.

We got a cherry picker.

We got an engine stand.

We were ready to tackle this.

And I'm glad I didn't do it alone.

I actually met my boyfriend through cars.

So he was a big, big aspect in all of this.

And of course, also the muscle around all of this.

Because I'm over here.

I can only do so much by taking nuts and bolts off of things,

but pulling the whole thing out.

I was like, ooh, okay, we got the cherry picker.

But we're going to need eyes on all sides

just in case I hit something.

I hit a fender.

I hit anything.

So we have to be very careful.

And again, it's like the process.

Ah, we can pull this out in a couple hours.

It'll take the day to pull it out.

And the next day we can work on it.

When we're doing things for the first time

with a video still, like watching,

like educating us on it, it still does not take a day.

But that's the beauty of it all.

And I feel like that's the fun part.

It's like the journey along the way to figuring everything out.

And it's amazing what YouTube can do for you.

I mean, we have a YouTube channel too, America on the Road does.

And certainly, I mean, you go to YouTube

and you can figure out how to do pretty much anything,

or somebody will show you.

It's kind of amazing how much video there is

about people showing you how to do these various things.

Right?

Exactly, exactly.

And that's honestly beauty of social media,

beauty of media is like you learn so many new things

that you just never knew about and so many experiences.

And so many different type of cars out there.

And also learning about so many different automotive enthusiasts

around the world.

So I thought that was a really, really cool thing

that brings us all together, I guess you can say.

Well, complete the story with the motor swap.

I mean, where did you get the engine?

And I'll go well, and do you still have that car?

Yeah, actually, so this was also around the time of COVID.

I got the motor imported from Japan

from a company called JDM California,

which we actually became really, really great friends with.

The motor was in immaculate condition.

And we did a compression test.

So we made sure that the motor that was going in

was still going to be good,

because you always have that worry.

We did that.

We went through with the motor swap,

and we are going to originally turn that specific Miata

into a drift car.

But we got a paint job from Mako.

We got a cheap paint job from Mako.

We got some new rims.

We got a carbon fiber hood.

We kind of went ham on that build,

because I was like, oh, Miata, this is fun.

But during that time, coincidentally too,

is when Miatas were really hot,

like everybody wanted a Miata at the time,

because it was like the drift tax.

I call it the drift tax, I think.

I don't know if everybody calls it that,

but they're like, oh, I want to buy that Miata.

I'll buy a Miata for literally $10,000.

So I was like, huh?

So I got offered someone that wanted to buy the Miata

for $10,000 after we fixed it all up,

took it to took car shows,

and ended up selling it because we're like,

wait, if I didn't put $10,000, I could make the money

and try to build another car with the $10,000

and then just keep the process kind of going

and learning along the way with different cars.

So that's what we ended up doing.

I wouldn't say instantly regretted it,

but I missed having a Miata so bad that back in 2021,

I bought another Miata,

and then we built that one the exact same way.

Blown motor, swapped another motor in it,

put a whole body kit, got a...

We actually did the paint job in our garage

and turned that into a little drift missile

for our little drift missile to learn basically

how to drift in that car specifically.

Yeah.

Interesting.

Yeah.

Interesting.

Yeah.

I mean, cars kind of mention that you're not to drift,

right?

I mean, in a lot of ways.

So you're kind of...

Yeah, so it's real good drive,

so it's easier to slide.

Yeah, so it was like, we welded the diff.

There's not that much power,

so it's not going to take you very far in terms of that,

but it is good to learn it and just get used to,

well, at the time, driving manual and stuff like that

and the car control, exactly.

So...

Let's talk about Quaker State a little bit.

How'd you get tied up with Quaker State?

And then I know Quaker State has something going on

that's worth knowing about too,

but tell us about that.

Yes.

Well, obviously, to run your engine,

you need oil and motor oil is really, really important.

Quaker State, I run it in all my cars.

Fun fact, Quaker State also runs their oil

and some of the NASCAR cars as well under track house,

so that's really, really cool.

I just loved learning about cars

and learning also about your daily car too.

So you can't forget about your weekend car,

about your daily car.

And it's really important to make sure

that you do your maintenance on your car,

because that's going to be,

yeah, the deciding factor on your longevity

on how long your car lasts.

Learn that the hard way that we may have blown a motor

before we got introduced on regular maintenance.

Oil changes are important,

and Quaker State has been and always will be my go-to,

especially like balling on a budget kind of stuff.

Make sure that you get your oil changes done

and the fact that they use it in NASCAR too

is pretty flippin' awesome.

And fun fact, fun fact,

if you buy 10 quarts of Quaker State oil

right now available at your local Walmart

till September 30th,

you can upload your receipt

and get a $10 Visa Mastercard back.

To me, girl math, that's like free oil,

which is just a great deal.

So I am very, very, very prominent on my DIY stuff

and my DIY videos,

making sure that people know how to do their oil change

or even just going to go get your oil change done

when you need to get it done,

just like when you need to change your tires,

when you need to change your oil,

when your car is showing you signs,

you gotta make sure that you're listening to them.

So that's pretty much where I'm at.

Just educating a lot of people that car maintenance

is a real thing and oil changes are a real thing.

And I know my girls' girls, I'm a girls' girl

and some of my girls, my girlfriends,

have not gotten an oil change in years

and I'm like, oh no, no way, come on over.

I'm gonna do it.

Do they know what an oil change is?

I'm asking that and it's on you.

I'm not gonna point out some of my friends

but some of my friends do not know.

They've learned from, you know, mishaps with their car

after they're like, okay, okay, so I needed to change this

and I'm like, well, yes.

And Quaker states an excellent go-to.

It keeps your motor reliable.

I know I can always rely on my engine

and then also just helps with the longevity

of your motor itself.

So that's why I'm like, okay, come on over.

Literally have them come over.

We changed the oil.

I'm teaching them a little bit of a lesson

and girl turns too.

So it's like really, really easy to understand.

So it's like, first, you need a 10 millimeter.

Do you know what a 10 millimeter?

And it's like one of those things.

So I'm like, okay, guys, no, don't worry.

I got this.

We got this.

We can do it.

So yeah.

It sounds like you do have this, Anataya.

Absolutely.

And I wish we had more time to talk

but we come to the end of our segment.

So it's been fun talking to you.

Thank you for having me.

Yeah, Anataya Villaranda,

Quaker State spokesperson

and just a delightful person.

Thanks so much for being with us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you for having me.

It was a great time.

I enjoyed it.

And stay with us, everybody.

We'll be right back right here on America on the Road.

Welcome back to America on the Road

with co-host Chris Teague.

This is Jack, you read that with you

and it is listener question time on America on the Road.

We'd love to get your questions and comments.

So send them to editor at drivingtoday.com.

That's editor at drivingtoday.com.

Let's get right to this question, Chris.

This is from Ian in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ian says this.

I hear Jack talking about owning his Chevy Tahoe

for a long time.

What's the best way to keep a high mileage car

running smoothly?

Well, seeing as I've only owned a couple

of high mileage cars in my life

because I switched so much.

No, I think there are a few things you can do.

So the first is routine maintenance, right?

Oil change, air filters,

filter changes, tire rotation breaks, suspension.

All those things will keep your car.

That's the absolute best thing you can do

to keep your car running and on the road.

And then I think the other way, Jack,

and you probably have other ideas,

is your driving style.

Drive carefully.

Don't, you know, floor it out of every stop light.

Don't break as hard as you can

and take every corner at full speed.

What do you think?

Yeah, I say do regular maintenance is the key here.

You know, you can have some fun with your car.

I'm not saying that you have to baby it

to get longevity out of it.

Probably taking it out and driving it hard every now

and then is good for the vehicle.

I think vehicles like to be driven number one.

They don't like to sit in garages really.

I think that's harder on a vehicle

than being driven oddly.

But there's good reasons for that.

Running fluids through the hoses

and things like that are useful.

But do regular maintenance.

It really helps to have a fairly simple car

to begin with.

If you have a complicated car

that requires a bunch of different things

and just is high strong,

I think that's going to be more difficult

for you to get the longevity.

But a vehicle like our VA-powered Tahoe,

very standard kind of situation there.

If you give it good maintenance,

it'll run a long time.

And I guess that wraps up our show for this week.

My new crime novel,

Only One Thing Stays the Same,

is now available in both e-book and paperback form at Amazon.

We have links in the show notes on that.

If you like our show,

please pass it on.

Listen on this radio station each week.

Let your friends know where you hear America on the Road.

And of course, America on the Road

is also available as a podcast, right, Chris?

That's right.

A quick Google search for the America on the Road podcast

will bring us to you on all the major platforms,

Apple, Spotify, all the others.

Like us, download the show,

leave us a review.

All of those things help us out.

And you can take us with you wherever you go.

We would appreciate that.

We have YouTube and Rumble channel.

So check those out and please subscribe.

Our thanks to Mercury Insurance

for sponsoring the show

and to our sports byline network stations

for caring it.

Most of all, thanks to you for listening.

You're the reason we do what we do.

So join us again next time

for another edition of America on the Road.

Hi, I'm Jack Arnie Redd

and I'd like to tell you about my newest crime novel,

Only One Thing Stays the Same.

In a style reminiscent of James M. Kane

and Jim Thompson, two of my writing idols,

the book Chronicles of Blue Collar

workers up and down love affairs

with two modern Southern California women

who continue to surprise, shock,

and ultimately confound him.

As the story unfolds,

an unemployed aeronautics worker named Bill McCurdy

becomes disillusioned with his wife

and slips into an illicit affair

with a teenager from down the street.

Before long, he begins to think

of doing the unthinkable.

But despite his desperate attempts

to make things work,

almost nothing goes as planned.

His misguided quest for simple love

doesn't turn out to be simple at all.

And before the roller coaster ride stops,

he learns quite personally and very finely

that Only One Thing Stays the Same.

Only One Thing Stays the Same

is available in Kindle e-book

and paperback form exclusively at amazon.com.

I'd appreciate it if you'd look for it today.

About this episode

The episode dives into the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited, exploring its features, performance, and value in the compact sedan market. Hosts Jack Neerad and Chris Teague discuss the latest automotive news, including Tesla's declining market share, a massive Ford recall, and the unveiling of the 2026 Lexus IS. Special guest Anathalia Villaranda shares her journey from a professional singer to a car builder and influencer, discussing her DIY projects and partnership with Quaker State. The episode balances industry insights with personal stories, making it engaging for listeners.

Chevrolet Tahoe Ferrari 512 M Ford Edge Ford Expedition Ford Mustang Ford Ranger Hyundai Elantra Lincoln MKC Lincoln Navigator Mazda MX-5 / Miata Nissan Rogue Porsche 917 Scion FR-S

Original notes

In this week’s episode of America on the Road, host Jack Nerad takes a close look at the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited and walks away thoroughly impressed. This top-tier Elantra hybrid doesn’t try to reinvent the compact sedan, but it delivers a balanced blend of premium features, smooth handling, and outstanding efficiency. With a 50 MPG combined rating, dual 10.25-inch digital screens, ventilated front seats, and Hyundai’s full suite of advanced safety tech, all for just over $30,000, the stunning hybrid punches well above its class. The dual-clutch transmission offers a more engaging drive than typical hybrids, and the sharp styling gives it a confident, upscale look. It begs the question: Is this the best-value hybrid sedan you can buy?

Also in this episode, co-host Chris Teague takes the 2026 Nissan Rogue Platinum out for a week-long spin to see what the top-trim version of the popular compact SUV brings to the asphalt. The answer is: quite a lot. From quilted leather seats and a panoramic moonroof to an intuitive Google-powered infotainment system and advanced ProPILOT Assist 2.1 semi-autonomous tech, this SUV makes a case for itself as a true luxury-lite option. Its overachieving 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder puts out 201 horsepower, while delivering laudable fuel economy. Comfort and convenience are clearly the priorities, with wireless smartphone integration, a premium Bose sound system, and clever cargo solutions among its bag of tricks. But is the Rogue Platinum a high-end bargain or just an over-equipped, over-priced niche vehicle? We’ll share our thoughts.

This week’s special guest is car-builder, DIY expert, and Quaker State influencer Anatalia Villaranda. Known for her energetic presence and hands-on knowledge, Villaranda talks about how she got into cars, her favorite builds, and what it takes to grow a garage-based brand in today’s automotive landscape. Whether you’re into turning wrenches or just watching builds online, her passion and insights bring a fresh voice to the enthusiast community.

Auto News This Week

In the news, Tesla’s EV market share is slipping, dropping to just 38% in August, its lowest since 2017. With rivals like Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen gaining ground in the EV space through aggressive pricing and fresher lineups, Tesla’s once-untouchable lead looks anything but secure. It’s a wake-up call for a company that’s been slow to refresh its core models while its CEO’s attention has drifted elsewhere.

Things aren’t especially rosy at Ford either. The giant automaker is recalling over 1.5 million vehicles due to defective rear-view cameras that can display blank or distorted images. Affected models span from Mustangs to F-Series trucks, and some units even had cameras supplied by Magna that are now part of a separate, broader recall. It’s the latest in a long string of issues that have made Ford the recall leader this year.

Mercedes-Benz has completed an historic 749-mile drive from Germany to Sweden using solid-state battery tech. Using lithium-metal cells developed with Factorial Energy, the test highlights how this next-gen battery format could radically improve EV range, performance, and durability. The brand says it aims to bring this breakthrough to production by decade’s end.

Lexus has unveiled the 2026 IS 350, giving its compact sports sedan a sharper new design, more tech, and upgraded materials. With F Sport trims, forged bamboo accents, and an available 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, Lexus is hoping to keep performance-sedan lovers from switching brands. A 311-horsepower V6 and retuned suspension aim to keep things fun behind the wheel. But where’s the V8, Chris and Jack ask.

In additional Lexus news, Toyota will consolidate Lexus production in Indiana, shifting ES sedan production out of Kentucky in response to tariffs and changing market demands. Some high-end models will return to Japanese factories, as the automaker retools its U.S. strategy around SUVs and hybrids.

To close out this episode, Jack and Chris answer a listener’s question from Ian in Atlanta: “I hear Jack talking about owning his Chevy Tahoe for a long time. What’s the best way to keep a high-mileage car running smoothly?” Their answers touch on routine maintenance, choosing the right fluids, replacing aging components before failure, and how being proactive can extend the life of any vehicle, regardless of brand.

Don’t Miss the Next Episode

If you enjoy America on the Road, make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, check out our YouTube and Rumble channels, and spread the word. And don’t forget to send your questions to: [email protected].

Check Out Matt’s Book:

Pick up a copy of co-host Matt DeLorenzo’s terrific new book How to Buy an Affordable Electric Car: A Tightwad’s Guide to EV Ownership.

Look for Jack’s Newest Crime Novel:

Jack is now offering his newest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, at a pre-publication price of just $4.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at this special limited-time price.

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