The Toyota Land Cruiser is a famous Toyota SUV built for tough off-road driving. It’s the kind of vehicle people buy when they want something that can handle rough terrain for years.
“G-Wagon” is what many people call the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It’s a luxury SUV that’s also built to handle off-road driving, so it’s often used as a comparison point.
MSRP is the price number the manufacturer puts on the car’s sticker. It’s not always the exact price you pay, but it’s a common reference point for comparisons.
The Prado is a Toyota SUV that’s related to the Land Cruiser. The podcast says it’s smaller than the biggest Land Cruiser, which can make it easier to use day to day. It’s mentioned as a size comparison within the Land Cruiser lineup.
The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is a smaller Land Cruiser compared to the biggest one. The host is saying it’s more “everyday” and not as heavy-duty as the full-size version, but they still like its look.
“Light duty” means the vehicle is meant for easier, more everyday use. Here, it implies the Prado is not built for the same level of extreme off-road work as the bigger Land Cruiser.
The Lexus LX is a luxury SUV related to the Land Cruiser. The host is saying that if you want the bigger, more full-size version of that idea, the Lexus LX is the closest match.
A “four cylinder” engine has four combustion chambers. It’s usually smaller and lighter than bigger engines, and some people think it doesn’t feel as effortless as a V8.
“Decontented” means a manufacturer removes features or equipment to reduce cost—often without changing the core powertrain. In this discussion, it’s used to explain why some people feel the new, cheaper version doesn’t deserve the same name.
This is a car setup that uses both a regular engine and an electric system. The turbo helps the engine feel stronger, and the hybrid part helps with efficiency and extra push when you need it.
On-board power means the car can provide electricity from its battery. That can be useful for powering things outside the car, like tools or electronics.
Torque is the force that makes the car pull strongly, especially when you start moving or accelerate from slower speeds. It’s often what you feel as “oomph.”
This means the car automatically shifts through eight different gear ratios. That can help it stay in the right “power band” so it drives smoothly and responds well.
Low range is an off-road gear mode that makes the car move slower but with more pulling power. It helps you crawl over rough terrain without losing control.
“LX” here refers to a particular higher-end version of a Toyota SUV. The host is saying the vehicle they’re discussing looks better than the LX’s styling.
Rock sliders are tough metal bars on the sides of an off-road vehicle. If you scrape a rock, they’re meant to take the hit instead of damaging the doors or bottom of the car.
The Jeep Wrangler 392 is a stronger, more powerful version of the Wrangler. They’re comparing it to another SUV to show how both do on rough off-road rocks.
The Grand Wagoneer is a very large Jeep SUV. It’s meant to be comfortable and luxurious, with lots of space for passengers. The podcast mentions it because it’s a big vehicle and they spent time driving it.
The Toyota Tundra is a big Toyota pickup truck. Here they’re talking about a plastic trim/shield piece on it that looks nice, but they think a more rugged setup would be better for real off-roading.
Term
lift the window
They’re describing a rear door design where the back window can lift up on its own. That way you can reach into the cargo area without opening the whole back door.
“KO3’s” is shorthand for a specific tire model, typically the BFGoodrich KO3 all-terrain tire. All-terrain tires are designed to handle both pavement and rough surfaces, with tougher sidewalls and tread patterns for off-road use.
Overlanding means traveling far and often off the usual roads, usually with limited services around. Because gas stations can be hard to find, having enough fuel capacity matters a lot.
A Jerry can is a portable container for extra gasoline. Off-road travelers carry one so they can keep going if they can’t find a gas station soon enough.
Extended fuel tanks are bigger gas tanks than what the SUV comes with. People add them so they can drive farther between fill-ups, which helps when you’re towing or traveling in remote areas.
A traditional sunroof is the glass panel in the roof that can open to let in air and light. The host is saying they like that setup more than a roof that’s mostly glass because it can get hotter.
Term
entire roof that are made of glass
A full glass roof means a lot of the roof is glass instead of metal. It can make the car feel hotter because sunlight comes in over a larger area.
A “command driving position” means the driver sits in a higher, more commanding spot so they can see more of what’s going on around them. It’s one reason people like SUVs.
Driver assistance is the set of safety tech features that help you drive, like keeping you in your lane or helping you maintain speed. It doesn’t fully drive the car, but it can reduce workload and risk.
Fuel economy is how far the car can go on a gallon of gas (or how much fuel it uses). Bigger SUVs usually get worse fuel economy, so they’re saying this one does better than you’d expect.
The Discovery Sport is a Land Rover SUV that’s smaller than the biggest Discovery models. The podcast is saying they think it declined or didn’t meet expectations. It’s mentioned while comparing different Land Rover vehicles.
The Range Rover is a luxury SUV made by Land Rover. It’s designed to be comfortable for everyday driving but still capable on rough roads. It gets mentioned when people compare how different Land Rover models perform.
This is a V8 engine made by BMW with two turbochargers to help it make more power. The host is saying that particular engine is known for being very tough and reliable.
The F-150 is a large pickup truck made by Ford. It’s used for everyday driving but can also be used for hauling and towing. The podcast mentions it while talking about trucks and how people modify or compare them.
Term
Goodyear Duratrecht RT tires
These are all-terrain tires from Goodyear. They’re meant to handle both normal roads and rougher surfaces, so the SUV can be more capable without changing tires constantly.
Payload is how much stuff you can load into the vehicle—people and cargo—before you hit the vehicle’s weight limits. It’s a big deal if you actually plan to haul gear.
“6D active suspension” is a fancy way of saying the suspension can actively adjust how the car rides. Instead of being fixed, it can change height and stiffness depending on the mode.
An air spring uses air pressure to support the car instead of just metal springs. Changing the air pressure can raise or lower the vehicle and help it handle bumps better.
Compression is how the suspension squashes when you hit a bump. Damping is the “braking” effect that controls how fast it squashes and rebounds so the car stays stable.
Shock absorbers are what control the car’s bounce after you hit a bump. In this case, the host says the Octa’s shocks are controlled in a way that reduces the need for sway bars.
“Hydraulically controlled” means the suspension uses fluid pressure to adjust how stiff or soft it feels. That helps the car stay controlled without needing some other hardware.
Sway bars help keep the car from leaning too much in corners. The host says this suspension system can control that behavior without using conventional sway bars.
Up and down travel is how much the suspension can move the wheels up and down. More movement usually helps the tires stay in contact with the ground off-road.
Sport mode is a settings switch that makes the car feel more aggressive. Here, it makes the suspension stiffer so it handles more tightly on regular roads.
“Hydraulics” means the car uses pressurized fluid to help control the suspension. That helps keep the ride smooth and lets the car adapt to different terrain.
Car
Citroen DS
The Citroën DS is an old French car that’s remembered for being extremely smooth and comfortable. The host is using it as a reference point for how good the ride quality is supposed to feel.
The Ford Bronco Raptor is a tougher, more off-road-focused Bronco. They’re bringing it up as part of the lineup of SUVs they’ll compare for off-road capability.
Recovery points are strong spots on the vehicle you can hook a tow strap or recovery rope to. Integrated ones are built into the SUV so you can use them when you get stuck off-road.
Tow capacity is how much weight the SUV is rated to pull safely. They’re estimating it in tons/kilograms and then translating it into pounds so it’s easier to picture.
The Ram 3500 is a heavy-duty pickup truck. It’s built to tow and carry very heavy loads. The podcast is talking about its towing capacity to show how capable it is.
Quad exhaust means there are four exhaust tips/outlets. People often notice it because it can look more aggressive and sound more “performance” than a single or dual exhaust setup.
A receiver is the hitch opening on the back of the vehicle where you plug in towing accessories. They’re saying they prefer the common American-style hitch setup.
Four-zone climate control means the car can cool or heat different parts of the cabin separately. So each person can pick their own temperature instead of sharing one setting.
USB-C ports are the newer style of charging/data plug. You can use them to charge devices and sometimes connect them to the car’s screens or audio.
Term
Alpine windows
“Alpine windows” is a name for a particular window setup in the car. The idea is that it changes how much light and visibility you get, which can make the cabin feel more open and comfortable.
Carbon fiber is a strong but lightweight material used in some car parts and trims. It often looks cool, but it’s not always necessary for performance—sometimes it’s mainly for style.
The PIVI screen is the car’s main infotainment touchscreen. It’s where you control things like music and settings, and the buttons below it are for common controls.
Air suspension is a suspension system that uses air-filled springs. It can change how high or low the car sits, which helps with comfort and sometimes off-road capability.
The Kia Seltos is a smaller SUV/crossover meant for everyday driving. Here, the hosts are talking about how the newer version feels better than the older one.
Place
El Sonor
They’re filming at a lake in California and can’t quite remember the exact name. It’s just the location where they’re shooting the video.
The Honda Passport is Honda’s midsize SUV. It’s meant to feel a bit more outdoorsy than the Pilot, and in this chat they’re talking about how the newer versions look and feel much better than earlier ones.
The Honda Pilot is Honda’s bigger family SUV with three rows. In this segment, they’re using it as the comparison point for what the Passport is based on and how it’s supposed to look and feel.
The Explorer is a family SUV that can fit more than two rows of passengers. The podcast is talking about how the car’s shape changed in a way that made the back look a little odd. That matters because SUV styling affects how it looks and sometimes how it feels to drive.
The Ridgeline is a Honda pickup truck. It’s designed to feel more like a normal car to drive, while still having a truck bed. The podcast is saying Honda did a good job with the design and wants to see more of it.
Ground clearance is how much space there is between the bottom of the vehicle and the ground. More clearance helps you avoid scraping when the road gets bumpy or uneven.
A lift kit raises the vehicle higher off the ground. That can help with rough roads, but it can also make the ride feel different and may reduce fuel efficiency.
The Atlas Cross Sport is a midsize SUV made by Volkswagen. It’s meant to be a more streamlined version of a larger SUV model. The podcast is saying they prefer this one over another similar Atlas-style option.
The Outback is a Subaru that feels like a wagon but is higher off the ground. It’s meant to be comfortable for daily driving while still handling less-perfect roads. The podcast brings it up as an example of that wagon-style choice.
The Crown is a Toyota vehicle that can come in styles that feel more like a wagon than a tall SUV. The podcast mentions it as an option for people who want a practical, car-like shape. It’s used to compare different body styles in the same general “family” space.
The Toyota 4Runner is a rugged SUV that’s built for rough roads. The hosts mention it as a target competitor—basically, a vehicle people associate with capable, outdoorsy driving.
A unibody design means the vehicle’s body and frame are integrated into one structure, rather than using a separate ladder frame. Unibody construction is common in modern SUVs and can improve ride comfort and packaging, but it’s often contrasted with truck-like body-on-frame designs for off-road toughness.
The Subaru Outback Wilderness is a tougher version of the Outback wagon. It’s meant for people who want more off-road ability, and the host says it feels sturdy inside and drives well.
CVT means a transmission that can adjust to any ratio smoothly, rather than shifting through set gears. The hosts are saying that on the early Murano, the CVT was a known weak point.
The Nissan Murano is a crossover SUV. The host is saying the older (first) version looked better and still looks good today, especially when it’s well kept.
The Mini Countryman is Mini’s bigger, four-door version of the brand’s cars. The host thinks the newer one looks and feels less “Mini” inside because of the modern screen-heavy dashboard.
JCW is Mini’s performance version, tuned to feel more exciting to drive. Here they’re saying the manual version was especially fun, but when it became automatic-only it lost some of that appeal.
The Nissan Frontier is Nissan’s mid-size pickup truck, and this segment focuses on its newer generation. The hosts compare the current Frontier (out since 2022) to the older model that ran from 2004 to 2021, implying the redesign is a meaningful improvement while also noting strong sales performance.
The Prius is a car that uses a hybrid system to help save fuel. Instead of relying only on gasoline, it uses an electric motor too. It’s often mentioned because it’s one of the most well-known hybrid cars.
The Toyota Camry is a popular car in the midsize sedan category. Here, they’re saying the newer Camry is a great deal because it’s available with a hybrid setup that helps with fuel economy, and it uses its space well.
The Toyota Sequoia is a large Toyota SUV. They like the hybrid idea and how it looks, but they say Toyota made trade-offs that reduce space in the back (especially the third row) and changed the suspension in a way they don’t like.
A hybrid powertrain means the car uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The electric system helps it use less fuel, but in this case the battery takes up space inside the SUV.
Independent suspension lets each wheel move more on its own. That can make the ride smoother and can also help engineers fit the drivetrain and interior space more efficiently.
A battery pack is the set of batteries that stores electricity. If it’s placed in a way that raises the floor or intrudes into the cargo area, it can reduce usable space.
The Expedition is a large SUV made by Ford. It’s built for families or anyone who needs extra space and can handle longer trips. The podcast is comparing it to other big SUVs in the same category.
“Z06” is a more hardcore Corvette version. It’s the kind of model people buy when they want sharper performance and a more thrilling driving experience.
LIVE
Time you know it, TFL.
We drive everything.
Well, today I thought it'd be fun to go and do a hands-on podcast where we get hands-on
to somewhat competitive off-roaders.
Okay, they don't compete in price, but they certainly are both flagship models for each
brand.
What do we got?
That's right.
So we've got the new Toyota Land Cruiser, which is an icon for Toyota, and of course
a Land Rover Defender, which is the most iconic nameplate that Land Rover has.
And specifically, this is the top dog, the Land Rover Defender Akta.
Yeah, which is way cool.
I mean, it really does compete against a G-Wagon, but this is kind of Toyota's flagship off-roader,
at least in the United States.
And then after this segment, you've got a kind of an interesting conversation that you had
with our friend, Sofian.
Yeah, from Red Line Reviews, we talk about cars that have gotten better, but more interestingly,
cars that have actually gotten worse across generations.
So be sure to stay tuned for that, because that's a really fun discussion.
Now obviously, we should probably start with price, because the Akta is double, double
the Land Cruiser.
That's more than double.
The Land Cruiser is 75, and you multiply that by two, you get 150.
But what's the MSRP on the Defender?
This is $160,000, which is a lot of money, but wait until you see some of the things
that this Land Rover can do, which is a little mind-boggling in how it tackles terrain, on-road,
off-road, and especially that engine.
Yeah, but if we had a G-Wagon sitting here, especially the AMG version, that would seem
like a bargain, because those are more like 250.
So it really is about context.
But I still think they're a fair comparison, because they're both, like I said, the top
dog for each of the brands.
But let's start with the Toyota, because I think it's going to sell a lot more, and
it's a little bit more popular.
So as always, why don't we start with the styling?
Do you like what they did to it?
I do.
I think that, look, in Europe and in Asia and other parts of the world, they have the
300 Series Land Cruiser, which is somewhat considered the full fat version.
This is the 250.
This is a Land Cruiser Prado.
It's a little bit smaller, right?
A little bit more, we'll say light duty.
But I also think it looks a lot better than the 300.
I love the squared off, chunky grille, and the proportions of it, I think they just nailed
it.
Yeah, I mean, if you really wanted to have the 300, you'd have to have the Lexus LX,
which you've done a lot of videos on.
But I think what Toyota did was smart.
They took a vehicle that had gotten so expensive, I remember the last 200 Series, especially
the Heritage Edition, was scratching 100,000, and they made it more affordable, and they
made it more attainable.
And I think 75,000, you get a lot of truck for that.
Some people would agree, I think some people wouldn't, because it is still a four cylinder.
Yeah, well, that's all those Toyota guys, the Land Cruiser guys, who was not a real
Land Cruiser.
I'm really tired of that.
But hang on, I mean.
Toyota stuck, Toyota, that's the brand.
They get to call whatever they want, whatever they want.
Yeah, I do agree.
I think that it is worthy of the Land Cruiser name.
But I do understand the pushback, like $75,000 and you get a four cylinder, that's a hard
argument to make.
I don't get the pushback, because all I ever see in the comments is it's way too expensive.
So for the first time in the history of cars, I think, Toyota has actually made something
less expensive than everybody's idea, but that's not a Land Cruiser.
But the key is they decontented it, and that's what makes people upset.
They went from a V8, which people associate with luxury and effortlessness, down to a little
four cylinder.
450 pound foot of torque.
Yeah, but it's still four cylinder, right?
And people can't get over that.
I'd rather that's right or wrong as, you know, I think it's up for debate, but certainly
there is some validity in being like the old one was a 5.7, the new one's a 2.4.
But it is an interesting powertrain, turbocharged, hybrid system, and I love the hybrid system
because it means about 21 MPG.
You also get 1500 watts of on-board power.
So there's a lot of pros to the hybrid system that people don't discuss, especially compared
to the old 5.7, but on the flip side, it does sound like a can of marbles, you know, so
it is a little bit coarse.
Yeah, but like I said, 450 pound foot of torque, and while people buy horsepower, they drive
torque, and that torque number means that there is a lot of oomph when you put it, you
know, into a drag race, so you put it, you put into it.
This vehicle does feel like it does perform well, even though you're right, the sound
is not exactly rewarding.
So the total system output is 326.465, it's actually more than that.
So 50 more torques.
Yeah, so it is a very torquey powertrain, 8-speed automatic, and I do love, actually
after living with this, I do love the engine.
I think that it's a good match for the vehicle, and especially in low range, you get all this
kind of punch down low, and it just works super well.
But I also do think that some people's arguments are valid when they want the V8, which that
has, we'll talk about in a sec.
I also really do like the styling, and I'm going to be maybe a little shocking here,
but I think this actually looks better than the LX.
It's boxy, you've got the heritage blue combined with the white roof combined with this beautiful
coffee interior, almost chocolate-like interior, and we did take this one, and we did make
it a little bit more off-roady.
Actually, you encased it, so thank you for today for providing us the parts.
We put on rock sliders, we got Michelin to send us some KO3s, so now it goes from being
very much a city slicker looking vehicle to being very much off-roady, and we did pretty
much a full skid plate on the bottom, or at least several skid plates to protect it.
And that is why in the recent video we did where we compared this to the new Wrangler
392, we actually took it up the razor rocks, and it wasn't all that worried about it because
it had complete underbody protection, thanks to you and Toyota Encase.
Yeah, so it's a nice, I think it should have come standard with it like this, but it's
nice that Toyota has a really easy install kit for, like you said, a thousand bucks to
fully armor it.
No, I agree with you completely, I think the styling of this is better than not only the
LX, but it's bigger because of the GX.
Same size cousin, but fancier because of the GX, I think that it's a little bit more square
jawed and it just looks fantastic.
It's got the right proportions, and it's got the right greenhouse.
So many modern vehicles have these little tiny windows and these little low roofs, this
has got really big windows, and yeah, it's just great to drive.
The other thing I like about it is it's got that kind of Goldilocks size.
I just spent a week driving the new Grand Wagoneer, and boy, that is a big old truck, you know?
I mean, you really feel like you need like a Costco parking lot to be able to actually
park it.
Whereas this, even though in Japan it does come as a three-row and here in America it's
only a two-row, is manageable enough to be comfortable to park at, let's say, the Whole
Foods or the Trader Joe's, which is arguably the very worst parking lot in all of Boulder.
Power liftgate, check that out.
It doesn't have a third row option.
This is where the battery lives, underneath the floor.
So, kind of an annoying design feature, actually, that you lose some cargo space for the battery.
And I was wrong about the wattage.
I'm realizing that now.
2.4 kilowatts of onboard power.
So that would power pretty much everything you could need it to.
I mean, we're talking fridges and little electric stoves.
It's a big battery.
Yeah.
For a hybrid.
That's a lot of output out of a 120 volt plug there.
So very impressive stuff.
I always find it funny that there are cupholders in the back here, there's no seat.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, that's just stupid.
Yeah.
I mean, it feels like that in other markets they do get a third row, but not here in the
U.S.
So let me give you the top five things I like about it before I give you the top five things
that I don't like about it.
So first and foremost, this is a 2025 and it's got this kind of diaper slash binnacle.
I heard they redesigned that for the hitch cover and they redesigned it.
They made it look much nicer and we just took it off-roading and it almost fell off.
The other thing, and this is a Toyota thing, not just a Land Cruiser thing, I'm really
getting tired of all this like plastic that just hangs down.
I tore off the plastic little, let's call it, like, it's basically just for looks, right?
It's a decorative plastic piece, shield, makes it look like it's metal, but it's not off
of the tundra when we had it.
I almost did the same thing on this vehicle and I just wish for a serious off-roader they
would consider going with something more, you know, you pop the clip out of it.
Yeah, exactly.
Something more serious than a plastic piece with a plastic clip.
Yeah, I agree.
Luckily that's been redesigned.
I haven't actually seen the new redesigned.
Have you seen the new diaper?
Yeah, I have.
It looks really good.
They actually, it's a little tiny cover and this big like diaper thing is gone.
That's good.
The other nice thing, of course, is that you've got the ability to access the back with just
lift the window.
I think that's always a nice touch and it's actually very expensive to engineer this.
It's a lot cheaper to just, you know, have a regular lift gate as opposed to this two
part one.
I do also love the fact that it does start to look really good when you put on beefy
tires.
I'm not in love with how much sidewall there is because these are, I think, 20's.
20's, yeah.
Yeah, which is a little too big for, you know, an off-roader, but we did stuff these KO3's.
Let's see what size these are, so if you're looking to do it yourself, you can do it.
275.60's.
And they don't rub at all.
Yeah.
They're really good.
Yeah, it looks like they should rub, but they don't.
No.
I mean, I think that the interior, they've done a bunch of nice stuff with too.
Certainly, if you're looking to play bongos on the top of your dash, it's not super soft
touch, but as a whole, they did a really nice job with it.
The touch points feel really good.
So the center console, the kind of coffee brown seats are great.
The door panels are nice.
And what do you think of the tech?
Do you like the tech in it?
Well, there's two parts.
There's the good part and there's the bad part.
Let's start with the good part.
Uh-huh.
The good part is that Toyota does keep adding value to it, and for 2026, they have included
a respectable sway bar as standard.
Which is great news.
Now, ours has a little empty spot where it should be, because in 2025, it was optional.
But it does give you both front, I'm sorry, rear and center locker, no front locker, but
it does have Toyota's traction control, off-road traction control system, which is really good.
The thing that's super annoying about it, after having lived with it now for maybe three
months or four months, is that if you do have two modes of controlling the drive modes,
there's an on-road control, there's an off-road control, so it's very confusing.
I think what Ford does, where you just put it in like rock mode, and it does everything
for you is much better.
And then you've got this really, why don't you show them, why don't you hop in there and
show them.
You've got this really confusing way of actually getting at all of the acronyms.
It's way inside the, well, so why don't you show them.
I don't actually remember how to do it, Dad.
I remember how to do it.
I've been doing it a lot.
So what my dad's talking about is all the driver's business stuff.
You're going to go to settings, up, up, go up, I can do it, it here.
Not what I was hoping to be doing here.
I know.
Unless it's fine.
I'm sorry.
Oh, click that.
There you go.
So you click this.
Okay.
And then you look at all these acronyms, LDA, BSM, PCS, PDA, it just keeps going, R-C-T-A-R-C-D-S-E-A-R-S-A.
It's just really confusing.
It's different airports.
Yeah.
For instance, I spent a good 20 minutes yesterday trying to figure out how to turn that screen
off from going into like the visible see-through screen every time I got on the road and came
to a car that was stopped in front of me.
The good news is, I kind of think this is a one and done thing, you know, like you set
it and then you don't think about it for the next 20 years you own the truck, right?
Like I haven't actually looked at that screen ever because I turned off the things I don't
like and then you just leave them on.
All right, but let's say you want to go to see what kind of fuel economy we're getting.
Good luck with that.
One of those should have it.
There you go.
Average, 20.6.
Yeah.
So not too bad.
The problem is like, I think that we just need to spend more time configuring this because
once it's set up.
Oh, I spent a lot of time configuring.
Well, yeah, but once it's set up, it's pretty good.
You don't like it?
I find it pretty good.
There's three different versions that you can have and then you got to go between the
left side and the right side.
You're missing the biggest problem with this thing.
Which is?
There's one catastrophic issue.
Okay, what's that?
It is constantly out of gas.
It's got a small fuel tank.
It's an 18 gallon fuel tank and it's just ridiculous.
You know, I've talked to multiple Land Cruiser owners now at this point who've either messaged
me or talked to me on the street and every single one has the same complaint and that
the fuel tank is just too small.
Especially if you're towing or if you're trying to overland.
Oh, and like off-road too.
It's just almost borderline unacceptable.
I'd love to know.
Someone can drop me a comment below.
What are people doing to upgrade the fuel tank size?
What are some of the solutions?
Because it is just very annoying.
A five gallon Jerry can, Tommy?
Yeah, there you go.
What else are you going to do?
Let's see, I'm in the room in the back here.
Well, there might be like extended gallon fuel tanks too.
I'm not sure about that, but we've got plenty of leg room, plenty of head room.
I do like the traditional sunroof.
I'm not a huge fan of those entire roof that are made of glass because it does heat up
the car.
This you can close.
We also have independent temperature controls back here.
So three zone, which is nice.
USB-C ports and plenty of ventilation.
Just in general, you can see the vents up here, which is nice.
We've got them right at you, not necessarily down here.
This thing has one of the coolest features, Tommy, which I actually used and they did
something clever.
So we were off-roading it and I put my iced tea in the cool box.
Oh, very nice.
So it comes as a cool box, right?
Yeah, I forgot about that.
And unlike the auto hold, which turns off, which I hate every time you cycle the car,
in other words, every time you turn it on and off, you've got to hit the auto hold
so that you don't have to hold on on the brake when you're at a stop light, the cool
box actually stays cool when you turn it on and it just stays on, even if you turn the
car off.
So I put it in and, of course, we filmed, we spent the whole afternoon and it was hot
as hell.
And then I reached in and I'm thinking to myself, this iced tea is going to be tea
and it was still iced tea.
So thank you, Toyota, for keeping the cool box on, even when the truck is turned on and
off.
So I think that as a whole, I love the way it drives.
Really smooth, tall seating position.
They actually, in my opinion, took that from Land Rover, the command driving position.
The windows are huge.
You get a great view out of the world.
It's very quiet on the highway.
The driver assistance is okay.
It's a great thing to drive.
$70,000 is a lot of money, but I do agree with you, actually.
I think it is fundamentally worth it because you get all the features you want, ventilated
seats, heated steering wheel, all the safety stuff.
You get slightly better fuel economy than what you might expect out of a brick.
And thank goodness, because the fuel tank is tiny, but other than that, it's such a
good car.
And you get two things that you could say you may not get with the Defender.
A lighter blue and a white blue?
No, two things that I think most people, at least on TikTok, seem to value over everything
else.
And that is one, reputation for reliability, and two is slight or very little depreciation.
So this will still be worth $70,000, even though now it's a 2025, and I bet you we can
get close to that if we sold it, even with 12,000 miles.
Now for $160,000, I'm not sure you can say the same thing about the Defender A that it
could hold its value, or B, the reliability once it's out of warranty.
At least that is the online perception of these two.
What I will say about these Defenders, though, is they are holding their value a lot better
than you'd expect.
So discoveries just fall off a cliff, discovery sports, rangers fall off a cliff, but Defenders
are doing a much better job than any other Range Rover or Land Rover I've seen in the
past.
And they're really desirable.
It's been a massive, massive seller for the brand, and actually interestingly enough,
because I follow it pretty closely on the forums, there's not a lot of horror stories.
So back in the day of the Discovery 1s and 2s with engines catastrophically exploding
and air suspensions falling apart on the early Range Rovers and that kind of thing, these
are holding up much, much better.
And this one's got a really cool powertrain.
It's actually got a BMW 4.4 twin-turbo V8, and this is an engine which has been bulletproof
like a rock for people.
And as a native Czech person, Tommy, from Eastern Europe, can you unlock it, you find?
I am so excited to let you know that this is built in Slovakia.
Very cool.
Did you hear their partner in the Stalantis and start building them here?
That's what I've heard.
I think that has to do with the tariffs.
It sure does.
But the Akta is probably the wrong Defender for this comparison.
The coolest thing are these three little HD lights, basically.
They had to do it because it is so much wider than a standard Defender.
Anytime they take a vehicle, be it a TRX or Raptor Bronco or even, you know, a Raptor
and they make it wider, give it that classic Coke bottle shape, I'm in for it.
I'm always in.
So we're looking at a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, 626 horsepower.
Unless you live in Europe.
Yeah, the 27 has been downgraded to about 93 horsepower less in Europe for emissions
for the next model year.
But America, we don't have that issue.
626 horsepower, 580 pound-feet of torque.
This is a beast of an engine.
Like I said, from BMW, but it is super smooth, doesn't sound like much, but it is a rocket
chip for what it is.
Yeah, now both of these are on 33s.
Yes, and check this out.
Most Defenders are on, like, a street tire.
Land Rover sent us this one on 20-inch wheels with Goodyear Duratrecht RT tires.
So they are compatible.
Oh, yeah.
Sure.
Wheel size.
Look at the brakes.
You're probably wondering, ah, maybe you could get 18s.
Absolutely no way.
Are you putting 18s on this thing, because the brakes are massive.
Now, I honestly don't know the answer to this, and there's that old journalism saying they
never ask a question that you don't know the answer to.
But which one has the best payload?
The Land Cruiser probably is more.
Let's find out.
Yeah, even though this thing is 6,000 pounds curb, 5982, let's see.
Let's see what the payload is on this.
The Land Cruiser is 1,100, which is okay.
And the Land...
I mean, it'd be me, Andre, Nathan, and Blaze.
Yeah, the Land Rover is 825.
Oh.
So that's like me and you, basically.
And Blaze.
Because I've been putting on my marriage weight here.
So it's not a lot of payload, but what you're buying the Octafor, in my opinion, is not
the wide body, not the engine, not the fancy seats or special steering wheel, it's the
suspension.
Okay.
So this is a 6D active suspension, is what they call it.
And the way it works is you've got your air spring.
And if I remember right, defenders actually use a dual air spring system.
They've got one for compression and damping and one for actual lift.
So you can lift the suspension and still retain down travel, which is cool to begin with,
but that's not unique to the Octa.
What makes the Octa special are the shock absorbers, which are hydraulically controlled, which means
there's no need for sway bars.
So you can get 5.5 inches of up and down travel, and then put it in sport mode, have them locked
down and be really stiff for on-road use.
It is an incredible piece of technology.
I'm buying it for two words, the bad assery.
Well, sure, that's another reason.
The most bad ass defender there is, and that's why I would buy it, because you're getting
the top dog in the defender, dare I say, Range Rover lineup even.
But this is unbelievable tech, like McLaren's been doing it a little bit with their lack
of sway bars.
The combination of the hydraulics and the air mean that it is so buttery smooth everywhere.
It's so adjustable for the terrain you're on.
I just love it.
From you that they benchmark a Citroen DS for their on-road ride quality, which is crazy
because that's got to be the most comfortable car ever built.
Absolutely.
Great place to start.
You're right.
What do you think of the little Octa symbol here, this little diamond?
I like it.
I like the matte paint.
I mean, I like everything about this.
What I don't like is it's almost too nice to take off-road, which we will do by the
way, because that's what we do.
But if I own this myself, I'd be very worried.
I worry about the Land Cruiser at $70,000 at $160,000.
That's a tough one.
It is a bit of a pill to swallow, absolutely, but it was built for it, right?
It was engineered for it.
Well, that's why they gave it to us.
So thank you, Land Rover, because we will compare it to the Land Cruiser off-road along
with the 392 along with the Bronco Raptor, which we have coming.
So I'm so excited to take all four off-road.
And I really appreciate this.
They actually give you not only the gold, so they work better, but their integrated recovery
points for the back.
It's better than red.
I'm tired of red.
Yeah, the red's a little overdone.
How much is a toad, you know?
I think it's around $8,000.
It should be.
Yeah.
So it's a lot.
Yeah.
I think it's two tons, sorry, what am I saying, 3500 kilograms, I think, is the tow capacity,
which is about 8,000 pounds.
I love the quad exhaust out the back.
And I actually like the fact that it doesn't have one of those European hitches that kind
of comes out from underneath.
Nope.
I like the fact that it's got the standard American.
Normal receiver, for sure.
Yeah.
Which means you can tow a horse trailer with it, or a boat, or a seven-pin connector, too.
So it's the real deal.
Or maybe if you're a very rich or race car.
And check this out.
This is also cool.
You see all the carbon in it.
Case hates carbon in off-roaders, and I kind of understand.
But in this one, it kind of makes sense, because this was Nurburgring tested and approved.
So you get these really interesting high-back single-piece buckets with the carbon.
And then this has got a really unique two-tone interior, as well, with the gray on the white.
Really comfortable interior.
You get unique seats in the octa, unique steering wheel with the paddle shifters, and the illuminated
red plus minus.
And there's your octa mode, which is the button down here in the base.
I love the little, what are these called, safari windows?
Well, alpine windows.
Alpine windows, that's right.
And maybe you could tell me this.
But what's that control for in the back?
You went on the program, so I didn't go on the program.
This right here?
Yeah.
Is it a fan control?
So I don't think it has, I'm pretty sure this one doesn't have a third row.
Although now, for 27, the fender will be available with the third row.
No, that's the 130, right?
That's the one with the kind of the back.
But they're adding it to the 110, too, for 27, yeah, that's what they announced.
I'm going to say the 130 is kind of weirdly proportioned, because the back end hangs.
It's kind of candle-y-ward over the rear axle.
But I think if you're hanging out back here, you can adjust their fan speed to kind of
cool off if you're done camping, for example.
So what about here?
Ooh, only 180 watts, not 2,400 like the Toyota.
Well, look, this is not going to be the one you're going to take for overlanding.
This is the one you're going to take for overlanding.
If you're awesome, you'll take it for overlanding.
You'll take it to the country club.
Or you'll take it to the racetrack, the new country club.
If you're boring, you'll do that.
But if you're awesome, you'll take it to Baja.
But this is one of the few press trips I've been on where they actually let us jump a car.
That's a pretty great...
How does it jump?
Great.
Yeah, like I said, that hydraulic ability to control the dampers means it just lands so, so soft.
Now, you know we've owned two defenders at this point, two new versions.
Three, technically, yeah.
We own the old one, too.
We own the truck.
But I'm still a little bit on the fence when it comes to the interior.
I like the fact that it's very utilitarian, but at $160,000, that kind of very basic look
is trying to feel a little on the inexpensive side.
Sure.
Yeah, I can see that.
The materials are good, but it is a kind of still a utilitarian design, definitely.
Yeah.
The other head scratcher is why did Land Rover, Range Rover, actually walk away from the defender?
And what I mean by that, I mean, I mean, obviously we have a defender.
Yeah, it's going to say they walked into it, I would argue.
No, I mean, they gave up the classic defender, which was, let's face it, just...
A tractor.
A tractor, but, you know, a utilitarian, no gimmicks, just a very basic but very capable off-roader.
They gave that all up to Ineos.
So, Ineos basically built what should have been the next defender, and
Allah, here, kind of became Range Rover Lite, or maybe, you know, a Discovery.
It just feels like they should have had a defender that was in the same tractor, let's
call it that, heritage of the old one.
Well, I would argue it was 100% the right call.
Really?
Because Ineos is struggling to sell those things, and they can't keep defenders on the lots.
I think they sold a lot of them.
Initially, but they're not selling well now.
I mean, ultimately, there's just kind of a niche audience for someone that wants to
sell for an axle and a tractor like ride quality, right?
People want the tough look, but they also want it to be comfortable.
Well, let's see how much room there's in the back.
I haven't sat in the back yet.
Let me see.
That's pretty good.
So, this does have the big old roof that goes all the way across.
Yep, and it's got tons of headroom.
Not as huge as an EV, but you do have separate controls here, which is nice.
I think you have four-zone instead of only three-zone, two USB-C ports, and tons of headroom.
Like I said, the Alpine windows, and these are extremely comfortable seats.
Out of all the defenders I've been in, these just really hug your body in a good way.
And that's saying a lot, because I've got a fat body to hug, and usually the part that
would hug normal people would poke me, and these really do hug me.
I'm not sure I love the carbon fiber.
I don't need it.
I do like this little map pocket back here.
It's a very comfortable place to be.
Let's see what we've got in here.
We've got two cup holders, of course.
Yeah, it's nice, Tommy.
And I do like white interiors, even though, man, if you have kiddos and baby M&Ms, that's
going to be trouble.
Yeah, maybe avoid the white if you have kids.
But I do like that, at least it still has some physical buttons below the PIVI screen
here, obviously for your different drive modes, your air suspension controls.
These are also your climate control settings, volume knob.
Thank goodness they still have that.
And then they've got this really cool tray here for storage with some USB-C charging built
in.
But let's see, we've got your fridge in this one as well.
Woo-hoo.
That's luxury, Tommy.
Fridge and charging there.
Yeah.
You got it.
All right.
Well, sweet.
So, why don't we cut to your video with Sofian?
What's the topic again?
Well, first we have to decide, is it worth double?
I'm going to say absolutely.
No, no, no.
We'll do it when we get back.
Don't.
Don't.
Let them wait.
We're going to make you guys wait.
We're going to come back after your little segment of Sofian and then you'll decide whether
it's worth 2X plus a Land Cruiser.
Okay, my video with Sofian, we talked about cars that have gotten better with time and
cars that have gotten worse while driving the new Kia Seltos.
Hit that now, Cole.
Well, you joined us in an area that can only be described as hot as balls.
And California ball places too, Tommy.
We're supposed to be mild all the time.
So, Sofian and I are on a press trip right now driving a new Kia.
And cars are actually really, really cool.
It's the Seltos, which is the baby SUV.
And they've actually made it pretty attractive.
But we're at this lake.
I wish I remember the name of the lake.
El Sonor.
I'm probably mispronouncing it.
El Sonora.
Thank you.
Good job, Sofian.
So, Sofian Bay from Red Line Reviews, best YouTube channel online makes us look like
we have no idea what we're doing.
Check them out on YouTube.
And we're here at this lake to film this new Seltos.
But it got me thinking, because I think that this car, objectively, is a much bigger improvement
than the old one.
Wouldn't you say?
I would say so.
I mean, the old one I actually already was kind of a fan of is because it just had a presence
to it and style and technology that the old one or that other competitors didn't have.
And they basically just made everything better for this new one.
They did.
Yeah.
I mean, it's got way more interior space.
It's got way better technology, I think, as a whole.
It's just a really cool little car now.
But I was thinking about this.
I'm like, what are some examples of cars that have big glow-ups, we'll say.
Or cars that have maybe gotten worse from generation to generation.
I mean, obviously, that's all subjective, but there's a pretty good list.
I mean, we've been driving a lot of cars, Tommy.
And I could think of a few off the top of my head.
Should we start with what's worse or what's better?
Let's start with what's better.
And you had a really good one I want to start with, which was the Honda Passport.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
So the Passport nameplate first, I think, came out in the 1990s.
It was a rebadged version of the Zuzu Rodeo.
Honda brought it back in 2019, and it was a short and stubby pilot.
Like, I hated the way it looked because it looked like it had the rear end from the previous
Gen Explorer, but then it just looked oddly proportioned because it was supposed to be
like an off-roady version of the pilot, but then it still looked like a minivan.
And then, Tommy, we got the new 2026 model year, which just looks fantastic.
And Honda just needs to hurry up and make a ridgeline with that.
They did such a good job with the design.
They squared it off to give it these really cool headlights that are surrounded with these
yellow halos or orange halos.
It is one of the best-looking SUVs.
It's crazy to me that the ridgeline and the pilot didn't get that face.
I know.
And that's the thing is, like, that look would look amazing on the ridgeline.
Because the ridgeline currently is one of Honda's oldest products.
They're due to replace it in the next 18 months.
And that truckish, like, boxy front end would look great on a ridgeline.
It would be so perfect.
That is such a good example.
We had one for a while that I got to play around with on-road and off-road.
And just like it's an easy car to use, right?
Fuel economy is awful.
But one of the best all-wheel drive systems in the industry, period,
it's got just enough ground clearance for light off-roading.
They need to give it a couple more inches, which I heard they're doing.
That's what I heard, too.
They're supposed to refresh it in the next couple of years
and give it an actual lift kit, which is what I was complaining about.
The rumor to do that, which is great.
Fuel economy is going to get even worse, but the rumors are going to give it a lift.
And, yeah, I mean, I just think it's such a good value for what it is.
It's probably, in my opinion, it's way better than the Atlas Crossport.
Yeah, I mean, that class of vehicle is certainly interesting
because it's for people who don't necessarily need the third row,
but you either can go with more like a car-like wagon route,
like a Subaru Outback or a Crown Signia,
or you can go like trucky SUV like the Passport did,
or which I guess they're trying to go after a Grand Cherokee and a 4Runner
with a unibody design.
And actually, I'm going to say the other side of this coin,
I think one of its competitors didn't necessarily get better, actually.
Oh.
In this next generation.
I think I know who you're talking about.
What are you thinking of?
The Subaru Outback.
No.
No, but let's talk Outback really quick.
I had a chance to drive it recently, the new Outback Wilderness,
and I loved a lot about it.
Like, it holds a ton of stuff.
I think the interior feels very durable.
I think that the powertrain is actually pretty good.
It's pretty zoomy.
The ground clearance and off-road capability is very impressive for what it is,
but I also think it looks like a shoebox covered in wax.
Like, what, why is there so much plastic specifically on the wilderness
on the outside of that thing?
Yeah, it's very much an overreaction for Subaru's design department,
I feel like, especially on the wilderness, Tommy,
because people have literally compared it to like a Subaru Raptor.
Yeah.
That's like how it spells out Subaru in the front.
But I think the non-wilderness looks better.
The look is slowly growing on me, but I get it.
Like, when people see it for the first time, they're like, ooh, fidious.
The non-wilderness is okay.
Yeah.
You're right.
But the thing about it is, it's kind of like the Raptor's a big muscley guy, right?
Yeah.
But the Outback Wilderness is someone like me who really isn't muscley at all,
but then puts on like a muscle shirt,
and you're like, what are you doing?
Why are you looking like this?
You know what I'm saying?
Why are you wearing tight-fitting spandex when you've got little chicken legs?
Oh my gosh, Tommy.
See what I'm saying?
Yes, that's very much me.
That'll be the day.
The car I was going to say that I think in some ways got worse was the Murano.
Oh, yeah.
The Murano, you know, it's been doing well for Nissan sales-wise,
and I'm rooting for Nissan, but you're right,
because I saw like a Basertrim Murano the other day, and I was not impressed.
Okay, real talk.
Yeah.
Still making the Murano, right?
Yes.
The new generation.
I think that there are a lot of aspects that have gotten better,
but I also think it's got kind of a confused personality.
Like especially the first generation Murano was so innovative.
I know it had the CVT, which was a big problem,
but like if you ever sit in an early Murano,
like the dash is crazy, the design was super ahead of its time,
it was just really, really funky,
and I think that they lost some of that magic.
I 100% agree.
I feel like Nissan is still trying to figure out where to take the Murano's design language,
because you know, when you had such a successful first gen,
the second gen kind of reminded me of like a beluga whale.
I was not a fan of it, and then the third gen, I don't even know.
It looks odd.
Yeah.
It's very oddly proportioned.
But have you been in a first-gen Murano?
It has been a long time.
They're pretty interesting.
They are, and they still look good.
They do.
If they're clean, they still look good today,
so it's a shame that Nissan can't find that design mojo for the new one yet.
And then this is another car, and I hate to say it,
but I think it's gotten worse, and I just thought of it,
because I'm looking at it right now, the Mini.
Oh, the new, or the current Mini Countryman, or Cooper.
The standard Cooper.
Oh, yeah.
And especially in the four-door, it doesn't look great.
Because the new Mini has gotten even bigger than the old one,
and they've got this new center-sack thing,
which is one giant round screen right in the middle,
with hardly any buttons surrounding the screen, right?
And it's just like, you can see it's like someone's impression of what Wimsy should be,
but it just feels very fake, kind of, that screen.
And then the coolest part about the Mini,
is one of the reasons they were so fun,
and a better alternative for someone to the hatchbacks,
is they were really tiny, and they always had a manual transmission.
Yeah.
Right?
Especially in the JCW, manual transmission JCW was a really fun car.
Right.
And now that it's auto-only, it just has lost some of the appeal to me.
Yeah.
I could understand that, especially if you are a big fan of the older Minis.
I like the new Mini.
I mean, I would like them to have a manual,
but I actually don't mind the screen, Tommy.
You don't mind the screen?
Because it looks like a big Apple watch,
or watch that's in the center, and I just appreciate how it's a different shape and design
versus what everyone is doing, and that's basically the big tablet
that's like a square tablet in the center.
So what's another car that got better?
I would have to say another Nissan, actually,
but this time it's the good thing, it's the new Frontier.
Yes.
That's been out since 2022, and remember, Tommy,
the old one was what, 2004 to 2021?
Yeah.
One of the oldest cars out there, or trucks out there,
and Tommy, it's been doing really well sales-wise for Nissan, too.
Well, the thing about the Frontier is I really do like the old one
for just being kind of like a simple, basic rugged truck.
Yeah.
But they were able to apply that kind of thought process to the new one
and still have it be like...
Old school.
Old school.
Yeah.
Yeah, still a naturally aspirated V6, a nine-speed auto.
It's immensely cheaper than a Tacoma.
Like, easily loaded up, it's like five to ten grand cheaper than a Tacoma,
which is kind of crazy.
For sure.
And you can also get deals on them, so I'm not surprised that people are buying that
and their sales are going up.
Because I genuinely still like the Tacoma,
but I like the fact that the Frontier is a V6 still.
Yeah, definitely.
All right, I'll give you one brand, two cars that have gotten way better,
one car which I think has kind of gotten worse.
Uh-huh.
Prius.
Yep.
Glow up of the century.
Yep, for sure.
I just wish the sales were matching how good it was.
Is it not selling?
It's not selling very well.
People are buying Camry and RAV4 instead.
Okay.
Which doesn't surprise me.
But my second one, Camry.
Okay.
New Camry, I think, for the money, phenomenal.
Oh, yeah.
Fuel economy being standard hybrid, phenomenal.
All-wheel drive system, pretty good.
Yep.
You know, like they just kind of knocked that thing out of the park for the money.
I think it's really good value, really good use of space.
So that's going to be my one that is like, okay, yeah, good.
So Prius, Camry gotten way better.
Mm-hmm.
One that I think has not gotten better is Sequoia.
You know, the Sequoia is a tough one for me because I want to love it.
I love the way it looks.
I love the hybrid powertrain.
I love the fact that it's more capable, more powerful, more technologically advanced.
But they went backwards, Tommy, in one critical area.
And that's the suspension, the hybrid battery taking out space,
and the cargo area in the rear, the third row legroom.
That's the issue, right?
That's the biggest problem, and that's what people buy that for.
They went from that independent suspension to a solid axle,
plus a battery sandwiched on top,
and it just squeezes the available trunk space into way less than it should be.
And that affects trunk space and third row comfort and space.
It's just, it's a very compromised machine.
And I know that the story is they had to,
they had to do it that way to keep it budget friendly,
or they weren't going to get the green lit to do it at all.
So I'm like, I am glad that it exists,
but I don't think in a lot of ways it's better than the older ones.
Yeah, I mean, I think Toyota should try to offer a non-hybrid version,
like take the battery pack out and see if they can try to make it,
so the floor doesn't raise up so much.
I mean, yes, they tried to give us that adjustable shelf, which helps,
but I mean, if you just look at a Tahoe, or a Yukon, or an Expedition,
or even the Armada, Tommy, they all have so much more space,
and that's the whole point of buying something like that.
Yeah. Have you got any others?
Something that got worse or better?
You can do either one.
So something that got better, this one's pretty easy.
It's the new Corvette.
Yeah.
It's been out since 2020, but I mean, the old C7 I loved,
but they were kind of at the limits of power
with how much they could send to the rear wheels with a front engine car.
And then now with the new C8, which has been killing it for sales,
like it's been drawing in younger buyers, of course,
and then they have the huge range of vehicles.
Like I just saw the Grand Sport model,
and I was amazed at what they are now doing with the performance
and for the price.
And then you have, of course, the crazy ZR1X.
And then you guys, you guys still have your Z06, right?
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, it's unbelievable the value of money and the excitement, right?
Like, that's Z06.
Don't give me money.
It's still a bunch ton of money.
I think we paid 120 something for that car.
Okay.
But I think that car is way more exciting than a 911.
Yeah.
That's $70,000 more expensive.
Oh, yeah.
The Corvette is an insane value.
And it's just like you fire up that flat plane crank.
It just makes the whole barn rumble.
Everybody stops and look.
It's a screaming 8,000 RPM monster, right?
It's just for the money and for the performance level,
you just can't come anywhere close.
Yeah.
I mean, for 100%, so I think Chevy did a great job.
It'll be hard to see how they followed up for the next gen.
Because you know they're obviously already working on that.
But the CD8 is going to be around probably for at least another five more years.
I'm going to assume.
But it's such a good car.
Would you say out of all the cars you guys own,
that's the one that your dad will snack keys for the most and go drive?
Well, he's got this 2010 911 Turbo.
Oh, okay.
That's one that he will grab the keys and drive those.
Okay.
Okay, let's keep going down the list, Sophia,
because there's some good ones that we're missing.
Oh.
You got one?
Something like a glow-up, something that got better or worse.
I got one that got worse.
You got it.
Yeah, and kind of going back to that iconic nameplate thing,
it was actually a good car, but it just wasn't representative of what it should be.
The NSX.
Oh.
You know, I think that most people would agree that that was a very interesting car
that was perhaps even ahead of its time with the hybrid system.
But it wasn't a good successor to the original one.
Yeah, I would say so, because the original got such a huge following
And then, of course, with the new one coming along,
Sport Hybrid system added a lot of weight, added a lot of complexity.
I enjoyed the way they drove, but it didn't quite have the same character and soul
of the old NSX, so I agree with you.
And, of course, I mean, the price was reasonable for what it was,
but then, of course, you know, the last version of it was the Type-S,
which was like 200,000 for the Type-S model,
and they really only added, like, what, 30 horsepower?
Right.
It wasn't that much more.
And they're still worth a lot of money,
and they're still like enthusiasm around them,
and it's got a little bit of that LFA situation where, like,
because they didn't sell very well, there's not a lot of them out there,
so I think that does help boost kind of some of the values of them.
But I don't think that, as a whole, it was a good replacement
to the naturally aspirated V6, a really sports car of the 90s,
in the early 2000s.
Yeah, it's almost like Acura should have made it more like the way the Supra is
for Toyota.
Yes.
Just, like, it's more simple.
100% manual transmission.
Under $100,000.
I think they could have had a little more sales success, perhaps, with it,
so who knows, maybe they'll try again.
And the Supra's one of those cars that does get hate online for being BMW-based,
but it is such a good car to drive.
Oh, yeah.
I just had the final edition, and despite the fact, I'll bust you,
despite the fact that it's been around Tommy for seven years,
that car breaks next everywhere you take it.
Oh, yeah, I know.
And it, like, it just got better, I think, you know, when they put the manual in,
and the final edition made it even better.
I also think, like, starting, because the car convictions, guys, we just saw.
Yes.
So they have one?
Yeah, they bought a 2026 manual, not a final edition,
but just, I think, a premium manual.
And that's, like, a high $50,000 car.
Yeah.
That's a lot of car nowadays for the money.
Yeah, but honestly, I feel like that car is going to become something
that people are going to sort of, like, go after when it gets older.
Uh-huh.
Especially if Toyota decides not to go with a six-cylinder for the next gen,
and there's rumors of it getting a four-cylinder turbo hybrid system.
Yeah.
To me, that wouldn't be appropriate for a Supra.
Supras, they've got to have the six-cylinder.
Yeah.
They could just borrow it from Dodge.
Yeah.
For sure.
Have you driven that new charger?
I have.
I really think that that inline six-cylinder charger feels very BMW.
It sounds very BMW.
It sounds very BMW.
The way that the power builds, the way that the turbo hits,
feels a lot like, in my opinion, the older, like, N54 BMW turbo stuff.
It kind of has a similar personality, but it is a really good engine.
It's just maybe not what you'd expect in a Dodge.
No.
And that's another car we should talk about, right?
The new charger.
That's going to be people's obvious go-to.
Yeah.
So do we think that the new charger is better or worse than the old one?
Well, I think, objectively, in a lot of ways, it is better.
The interior on the old one, pretty off.
Oh, it's garbage.
It's an old rental car.
But I think what made the old one appealing is it was a cheap way to get a big V8.
Cheap speed, yeah.
Cheap speed.
And I think that the new one is a lot more sophisticated.
I think that that inline six is actually a good engine,
but maybe not what people are expecting.
And it just transforms the character of the car in ways that I think folks weren't
ready for or prepared to accept.
Well, especially the Dodge people, because let's be honest.
The typical Dodge clientele is all about V8 American muscle.
It's got to have a hemi.
That's their saying.
So with the new one launching as an EV first, which was a fail, and then they followed up
with a six-pack, which I actually like the six-pack.
But when you rev it up and you drive it, it sounds like an import tuner car.
Exactly.
Which is not bad.
I like it.
This is not a Charger.
It doesn't fit with the whole persona of a Charger.
And obviously Dodge hasn't said that a V8's coming, but we know it is.
We know it's coming.
We know there's a V8.
The Hellcat engine's going to make its way, hopefully with all-wheel drive.
And hopefully ASAP.
Yeah, hopefully ASAP.
I'm hoping, because literally, Tommy, this week and I was actually at the Carlisle Nationals,
like local to me.
It's like 45 minutes, because Chrysler, Dodge was there with the new Charger.
They even bought a Pacifico, which was ridiculous.
But it's basically a giant gathering of Mopar enthusiasts from all over the country.
There were thousands of cars.
They're classic cars.
Honestly, you probably would have had a good time there.
And they didn't even bring the EV.
Yeah.
I didn't even see the EV.
And I could still see the annoyed, disappointed faces on the Mopar enthusiasts when they were
revving up the Charger six-pack, even doing the burnout in it.
I could tell.
This doesn't sound as good.
The sound, yeah.
I mean, I like it, but it just doesn't resonate well.
I think.
Not a V8 sound.
Yeah, sadly it's not.
So speaking of Stalantis, two cars, one that got way better, and I think one that got way worse.
I like that new Grand Cherokee with the two-liter.
You do?
I do like that one.
Really?
You don't like it?
Really?
Uh-uh.
Interesting.
What do you not like about it?
The sound is horrible, Tommy.
It sounds like a diesel with a vacuum cleaner noise, and then the performance is very inconsistent.
When I had one for a week, the first couple zero to 60 runs were quick.
They were in the low sixes.
Uh-uh.
And then by the third run, it increased to the sevens on the same stretch of road.
And I was kind of just like, why is this not consistent?
I just don't understand.
But mostly, I could probably get past.
Maybe that one's just a fluke, but it was just the sound of the car.
It didn't match the character and the persona.
There was a lot of turbo lag.
Did you have an overland or summit?
It was the summit reserve.
That's the one I had.
The engine doesn't sound good, but what I like about the summit is it's so insulating.
You don't really have to listen to it.
That's true.
And especially where I live in Colorado, the V6 is kind of an anemic thing.
It's not slow, but it's working hard.
You get the impression it's really working hard to get up the hills.
And the new two-liter kind of just putts up on no problem.
It feels more effortless.
The four-wheel drive system is still incredible.
I could put on the roller test.
It was unbelievable.
I think that the value for that overland, or sorry, summit reserve, isn't awful.
It's 60,000, but you get this wonderful kind of like orangey brown leather.
You get all the best tack.
I think it's not terrible value, but I can see why you wouldn't like it.
I think that's very valid.
No.
I mean, I agree with you on the value part because the one that I actually had a four-runner
Platinum at the same time and the Grand Cherokee was cheaper, more luxurious, road better,
more comfortable, had massaging seats, which were awesome.
But the turbo lag for the engine is probably what I think.
I think that if Jeep could just fine-tune the engine a little bit, make the sound nicer,
get rid of some of that turbo lag.
So the car I think that got way worse is the normal Cherokee.
Oh.
I really did not like the normal Cherokee.
Yeah, I had that around the same time as well, and I kind of see what you mean about that.
The one that I had was the Laredo trim, and it was like $42,000, and it had cloth seats,
no power lift gate, no wireless charging.
Yeah.
I was just like, oh.
It's so expensive.
Yeah.
The fuel economy is pretty good, and it's pretty roomy.
Mid-30s is what I got.
But it performed unbelievably poorly off-road.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, no, it's not a trailhawk, but it still has the Jeep badge on the front of it.
I didn't feel like the quality was very good.
I didn't like the almost complete lack of buttons on the inside.
It was just, I was so disappointed.
And I'm not even comparing it to the 01 Cherokee.
Yeah.
I'm like talking about the 2014 Cherokee.
Oh, OK.
I think the new one is worse than that one, too.
Because that one was ugly, but it had buttons.
It had a really good four-wheel drive system.
Like, it did the off-road thing really well in the trailhawk.
It was unbelievable.
Even the limited had a low range.
Like, it was interesting.
Yeah.
But the new Cherokee, there's just, I hate to say it, there's no reason to buy that
over a CR-V hybrid.
I see what you mean.
I mean, I think my, with the new Cherokee, obviously Jeep was, they're trying to go after
that CR-V and RAF4 buyer, right?
Oh, for sure.
It's hybrid only.
It's bigger with more space.
Like, they're trying to, I feel like they prioritized efficiency and space versus it
being a Jeep.
But maybe they'll surprise you with the trailhawk model that's coming.
Maybe they will.
I got my fingers crossed.
You're exactly right.
But the thing is, it's like, the Toyota and the Honda are already pretty spacious.
Yeah, they are.
It's not like it's three times bigger or three times more efficient.
Like, it might be a little bigger and a little bit more efficient.
Right.
But it doesn't have that brand associated in most people's head with reliability.
Yeah.
And it's expensive.
You know?
Yeah.
So that's a tough one for me.
All right.
Any others that you can think of?
Oh, something that got better or worse.
Okay.
Here's a good one.
Okay.
Lexus ES, the new one.
Oh, yes.
Actually, I'm glad you brought that one up.
So, the new one.
Yeah.
We just drove that.
And we were on the same program with that.
I think the hybrid really good.
Like, immensely better versus the old ES 300H hybrid, more power, better efficiency.
I love the interior.
I love the space.
The look of this, of the car, like, that's where it's kind of like, that's up for debate.
The electric version, I thought was fine, but just didn't have enough range.
Is it better than the old one?
That's debatable because the old one was just so smooth, Tommy.
Like, the V6 was amazing.
The new one's still smooth, but I don't know.
Like, it's, I'm, I'm, I can flip a coin with that one.
I'm not really sure if it's better or worse.
It's just kind of like, I need more, I need more time with it, I think.
Okay.
What about you?
I think it's, as a whole, I think it's, it's having the opposite boat.
I think that the EV specifically is way better because the price point is super compelling.
It is.
So, the gas and the EV ones are basically a price parity, right?
Yeah.
And on the upper end, the electric one gets a bunch of really nice features.
You can't get into the gas one, right?
Like, that like executive receipt that does that full, full down thing is really neat.
Yeah.
And the range is what?
250 for the 500H, I think.
And what was the front wheel drive?
I think it's closer to 300.
So, like, it's not that bad.
Yeah.
And for like 50s, realistically, mid 50,000 dollar point, I think it's,
as a whole, pretty good.
Yeah.
No, I, I see what you mean on there.
We'll see.
We'll see how it goes with sales because I do feel like, you know, like that executive
receipt package, they're only offering it on the front wheel drive electric model.
I feel like Lexus did that on purpose because they want you to buy the EV.
Yes.
They're almost like trying to say, here, look at, look at all the cool stuff you can
get on the EV, but you can't get it on the hybrid.
Yeah.
Which kind of annoys me because the hybrid is going to be their volume seller.
I do agree with you that the gas, the gas V6 was great.
It was really, really nice.
So, that's kind of what's keeping me from being like, the hybrid is way better than
the old one because that gas engine was, was very, very neat.
All right, cool.
Anything else we're really missing that are like way better, way worse.
This is the hot topic, Mazda CX-5.
Yes.
That's the one we were talking about earlier.
So, yeah, the CX-5, Mazda's best selling model.
It's been around since 2013.
The new one we've been waiting for because the old one was like a decade old and Mazda
made a lot of good changes.
Tommy, like it's bigger on the outside, way bigger backseat.
It's got a new 15 inch, 15.6 inch display on the top trims, but they also went backwards,
Tommy, because they got rid of all the buttons and knobs and now we have just this massive
screen and they got rid of the turbo engine and then the hybrid's still a year away.
So, I got blamed a lot for this in the comments because I never liked the knob, the old knob.
Control.
So, people were blaming you for exactly that.
Oh man, people are savage.
And it was very vocal and it's not that I didn't like the knob because it was tactile.
I didn't like the knob because I feel like it was a little confusing to use, maybe it's
the right way to put it.
And especially on the older systems, you had to use a knob.
You couldn't use your fingers.
Correct.
Right?
So, like, I wanted a touchscreen in that thing with a better infotainment system, but I also
wanted them to have climate control buttons, you know, and like a volume knob.
So, maybe I should have been more clear, like, I didn't like the knob, but the massive tablet
that they put in the dash is also not the answer.
Like, there's got to be kind of a middle ground there, right?
Yeah.
I mean, I also, I want to put a little bit of blame maybe on Mazda because why didn't they
look at the comments from other brands?
For the record, Mazda didn't ask me my opinion.
Right.
Well, because like, if you think about it like, like Honda got rid of the volume knob for
so long, Volkswagen started getting rid of all these buttons and now they're starting
to add it back.
Because people hated it.
Right.
So, why didn't Mazda look at those comments?
Why didn't Mazda say, hey, look, people are complaining about Volkswagen taking this out
and Honda digging that.
Like, maybe we should just be proactive and just give people back their volume knob and
their climate control knobs.
Right.
And then have the touchscreen.
Have both.
Right.
For sure.
Like this Kia that we're in has a combination of both.
Mm-hmm.
Like, you still have a volume knob, you still have tactile controls, you have these toggles
for the climate control functions, but you still have, you know, the dual 12.3-inch displays.
They made it work.
Yeah.
And Kia even listened and got rid of that annoying feature where you had to tap to switch back
between climate and radio functions.
They got rid of that feature because everyone complained about it, didn't like it.
So, I think Mazda has a tendency to, I don't want to say not be proactive, but it seems
like they're a little bit behind.
Oh, yeah.
They'll do something.
Yeah, they'll do something which is like, okay, we've been waiting for them to do it,
but then they didn't kind of stay on top of it and realize, okay, here are the mistakes
our competitors have made.
Right.
Let's go ahead and make sure that we don't make those same mistakes.
Yeah, it always feels like they're a little bit on the back foot and they gotta come out
with that hybrid like yesterday.
Yesterday.
I mean, I'm just like, I know that Skyactiv engine's reliable, which is certainly worth
something, but it is such an old powertrain to drive and it's still got a six-speed auto
in 2026.
I know.
Well, Mazda's all about zoom, zoom and driving matters, but honestly, the RAF4 Hybrid will
zoom, zoom right around it.
Yeah, there's not a lot of zoom left in that thing, it's exactly right.
So that's when I was a little bit disappointed in, okay, two good ones, both from Nissan.
Even though people won't admit it, I think the new Z is a good car, way better than the
old Z.
Again, it's Nissan basically taking an old car on the old bones and freshing it up and
like, but still like making it even better.
Yeah.
And I think that even though it is fundamentally still, like you said, related to the old 370,
it looks totally different, which I think matters a lot.
It's got real power now, 2026 power.
They listen to customers, they put the manual in the Nismo.
Like it's a cool car.
And you can get it in Shintai green.
I love that green, I can't wait to see one in person.
So even though it is a little expensive, I do think it is a fun, fun car to drive, it's
a little soft in the Supra, but maybe it doesn't drive quite as well, but that's okay.
They're still building it.
Yeah, they are still building it and Tommy, it is expensive, but it's cheaper than the
Supra.
It is much cheaper than the Supra.
So if you're looking to like basically move up from a Miata or a BRZ or an 86, that's
what you're going to want from Jets Japanese.
And then a car I loved, really loved, is actually the new Leaf.
Really?
I think, especially compared to the old Leaf, which we owned, which was a great little car,
don't get me wrong, but it's also a total toaster.
The new Leaf actually has some personality.
It's got real range.
It's got battery cooling now.
It's got the right charge reports on it.
It's a good car.
I would get one over the Bolt, honestly.
Yeah, I would too.
Like the Bolt is cheaper a little bit, but I think the Leaf is a better car.
Yeah, right.
That's a more desirable car.
Now granted, I haven't driven the newest Bolt, but again, it's a weird thing because it's
only offered for one year.
But compared to the old Bolt, which I also haven't driven the newest, newest Bolt, no,
for sure, we're on the same page.
I think that that new Leaf was pretty darn good.
I mean, even Mitsubishi borrowed it.
Yeah.
The Eclipse Cross?
No.
What are they calling it?
The Eclipse Sportback.
That's it.
Eclipse Sportback or Sport Cross?
Sport Cross.
That's it.
They really are milking that Eclipse name.
Yeah.
Oh, Mitsubishi.
Oh, geez, guys.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a whole other kind of word.
So last car we'll finish it with better or worse than the previous generation, the Prelude.
Oh.
Okay.
So the Prelude has been such a controversial topic ever since it came out because here
we are 25 plus years later with the sixth generation Prelude.
And the Prelude has always been about Honda's legacy of innovation.
They introduced new features here.
This one is the first Prelude to be a hybrid model.
And it borrows the excellent hybrid powertrain from the Civic, which I love.
But then it kind of goes backwards, Tommy, and a couple of things.
The Prelude was the first Honda to introduce a sunroof, and the new one doesn't have it.
I don't even know how that one managed to get through product planning.
And then the other big controversy is the price.
You guys just had one, I think, right?
It was like $44,000 plus destination, and it can get up to almost $48,000 when you get
it with some of the options on it, some accessories.
And that's a lot.
A Civic hybrid sport touring hatch is about $35,000 fully loaded.
So in reality, Honda wants $7,000 more for the Prelude, which is rich.
It's a little too rich.
I think the most I would pay over a Civic hybrid is about $3,000 to $4,000 more.
What about you?
Well, and that's exactly right, stuff like that.
Fundamentally, it is an excellent car, as is the Civic hybrid.
But from a driving standpoint, it doesn't differentiate itself enough from the Civic
hybrid, which is a compliment to both of them, and that they both drive phenomenally.
But if I'm going to be spending mid-40s for a Prelude, I want it to be probably faster
than my neighbor that has a Civic hybrid, because it looks like a million bucks.
And the powertrain just cannot cash the checks that the exterior design and actually interior
design is sending.
And if they just put the Type R engine into that, or even an SI engine, I think that it
would be a really desirable thing.
And there's nothing wrong with a two-motor hybrid setup, but it doesn't inspire enthusiasts.
I would agree with that.
There's a reason that Honda didn't make the new SI the hybrid.
They could have, because they make the same horsepower pretty much in the Civic.
They still have an SI, and they have a hybrid.
And I know that the Preludes never typically been like this crazy high-performance thing,
but I think in 2026, you can't do the CR-Z again, right?
But you can't have this beautiful looking car.
Oh, yes, the CR-Z.
Well, that's kind of what they did.
Yeah, I hear you on that one.
They gave it a much better name than CR-Z, and it looks like a million bucks.
Seriously, it's one of the best looking cars I've reviewed all year, and it drives really
well, and it's super comfortable.
And like you mentioned, your partner loves it, but it's just too slow for the money.
Yeah, I mean, I guess like, you know, Honda likes to say like they went this direction
because they wanted it to be more of a commuter car, so it gets the better gas punch.
Now, here's my question.
That's a Civic.
A Civic's a commuter car.
Well, did you, when you had that Preludes, Tommy, did it get a lot of attention around
Denver?
Do you remember people like looking at that thing?
Because I got a lot of people giving me thumbs up.
Did you really?
Yeah, around Pennsylvania.
It was interesting to see so many people excited about that car.
I didn't drive it enough in like a major metropolitan area for really me to notice that, but I
wouldn't be surprised by that because it's stunning to look at.
Yeah.
But like, I understand they want it to be commuter, but that's what a Civic is.
And a Civic's a better commuter.
It sits a little bit taller.
It's got way more room.
It can hold more stuff.
Yeah.
And it's way cheaper.
Yeah.
You know, I hear you on that and I was a little surprised that Honda didn't want to at least
put like the SI motor in it or the Type R motor, although what shocks me though, Tommy, is
the Civic Hybrid, for example, is faster than the Civic SI.
So it kind of makes sense that like, why would you, why would you want to put the slower
power train?
But with the Civic SI, it's got the tune ability at least.
Right.
Because it's got the manual.
It's got the turbo engine.
Yeah.
Like it's something, you know, enthusiasts can put an exhaust on the SI and they can do
the same on a Preludes.
You're not going to put an exhaust on the Preludes because it's a hybrid.
Well, there's also this weird thing they did where they, they've got like the enthusiast
mode, that S plus mode, which does the fake shifting, which then makes the car slower.
Yes.
We're on 1.3 seconds slower in our testing.
Which is crazy.
It's a big difference.
So I'm way on the fence in that car, like, and there's so much they did absolutely right
at the, what's that blue color they do?
Boost blue.
Oh, God.
It's a good color.
I mean, that was a Type R color back in the day.
And it has the Type R's brakes, the Type R suspension system steering.
So that car has the potential to be excellent.
Now, Tommy, do you think it would have been better if it was an Acura?
Any improvement?
No.
No?
Not a CL?
No, I don't think.
I mean, maybe it would have maybe made people a little bit less of that.
Justified the price a little more.
Yeah, maybe a little bit more.
I don't think it would have sold any better.
Probably not.
But yeah, maybe you're on to something with that.
I just like, someone out there is doing a Type R manual swap right now.
I just know it.
Oh yeah.
And that thing is going to be wicked cool.
Yeah.
Honda needs to do it themselves.
I just don't really understand why they did to begin with, because like, if you're a young
enthusiast like we are, and you're cross shopping like GR86, BRZ, Miata, maybe Niko
Boost Mustang.
Yeah, Mustang.
Right?
Like, a lot of those cars are Jetta GLI, WRX maybe, right, if you own four doors.
A lot of those cars are going to be as quick or likely a lot quicker, still handle really
well, offer manual transmission for less money.
Well, you know, you could also get Tommy for the similar money as a Prelude, a BMW
230i coupe.
The rear drive 230i.
That starts in the low 40s.
Oh really?
It does.
It does.
Yeah, you can get an all-wheel drive one for 44.
Wow.
It's amazing how you could get a rear-wheel drive 2-liter turbo BMW coupe, like the actual
2-series coupe.
That's a tough one.
It's tough, but now granted, when you start adding some options on the BMW, it can balloon
the price to closer to 50, but it's a BMW at least.
Yeah, right.
So I don't know about that.
Anyways, thank you, Sophia, for doing the segment.
Any other last burning ones you want to talk about?
Should we talk if the RAV4, the new one, is the better one or the better one?
Or is it better or worse?
Well, yeah, we'll finish with the RAV4.
I think there are things that are better, like I'm glad that they're all hybrid.
The new plug-in hybrid system is very impressive.
The fuel economy is impressive.
I think the exterior is kind of fine.
It's a little boring unless you go for the GR Sport or the Woodland.
Or the Woodland.
I think the interior has gotten worse.
Yeah, it's cheaper.
It's very kind of feels cost-cut.
Yeah, especially that center console where you can flip it over to create a table, but
it feels so wobbly and cheap.
Yeah, you can take the middle and just the whole center console just wobble it around.
So I think that the Woodland's a cool option, the GR Sport is a really cool option.
The plug-in hybrid in general is great.
It's a little expensive, as is everything nowadays, but the interior is not as good
as its competition anywhere.
Well, especially if you compare it to the new Tiguan.
The new Tiguan is an amazing interior.
That's an Audi interior for Volkswagen money with the red wood, the massage, the 15-inch
display.
That's the direction that I was hoping Toyota would take the interior of the RAV.
But instead now we have Volkswagen.
I mean, I'm happy that Volkswagen is pushing it.
So I think whenever the new Tiguan hybrid comes out, that's going to be the one that
I'm going to personally say, that's the one you should get.
Yeah, I agree with that completely.
Well, guys, thank you for listening to our podcast here, and I appreciate you doing this,
Sofia.
Yeah, thanks for having me as always, Tommy.
I had a lot of fun.
If you want to follow Sofia on red-liner views, check them out.
All right, Tommy, we kind of tease this saying, would you rather have two Land Cruisers or
one Defender Octa?
And I don't think that's a fair comparison.
Like we started at the beginning of this video, that really competes against the G-Wagon.
So maybe the real question is, would I rather have a G-Wagon G63 versus an Octa?
That would be the real comparison.
Yeah, that's the better comparison for sure.
Because in this comparison, I'm going to take the Land Cruiser.
I'm just cheap.
No, take the Octa.
It's double everything.
It's like two-axis suspension travel, two-axis cylinders.
I mean, it's like it's double the price, but it's kind of double the SUV.
Yeah, but as a company, because we have done this.
You could buy this, and we just bought the Wrangler 392.
Yeah, but this and a Wrangler as opposed to that.
But the Defender is a Wrangler plus a Land Cruiser.
It's both in one.
So it's faster than the Wrangler, it's more comfortable than the Land Cruiser.
What else do you want?
Let me finish the comparison.
So if this were a G sitting here, I would rather have that over a G550, but I'd rather
have a G AMG63 over that.
Sure, fair enough.
So that's where we're at with that.
But the great news is, thank you to Land Rover and thank you to Ford, and actually thank
you to Toyota.
These manufacturers really appreciate the fact that we do real-world testing, and I really
appreciate that they really appreciate it because it is something that most publications
won't do because you're putting vehicles in harm's way.
So we're going to have this, this.
We're going to have a Bronco Raptor, and we're going to have our 392 over here, and we're
going to take them on one of our harder off-road courses and see which of these four does best
when it comes to serious off-roading, and I can't wait.
I'm a little nervous, but I can't wait.
All right, guys.
We'll see you in the next video.
Thank you so much for watching.
Yep.
Ciao.
About this episode
The hosts kick off a flagship off-road showdown, weighing Toyota’s Land Cruiser against Land Rover’s Defender Akta, starting with MSRP and moving into what each SUV does best. They debate “full fat” vs smaller Cruiser variants, torque feel, and how cost-cutting and decontenting can sour the Land Cruiser name. Land Rover counters with active suspension tech, underbody protection, and real-world off-road hardware, while Toyota leans on reliability and resale value. The discussion also covers hybrid power, onboard outlets, and how driver-assistance controls can get confusing.
Go to https://www.autotempest.com/TFL for everything you need when searching for a new vehicle!
In this hands-on, field-trip edition of the podcast, the team hits the dirt with two legendary nameplates to settle an ultimate flagship showdown: does Toyota or Land Rover make the better top-tier off-roader? On one side sits the Heritage Blue Toyota Land Cruiser, packing a torquey i-FORCE MAX turbocharged hybrid powertrain, complete with aftermarket rock sliders and beefier all-terrain tires. Facing it down is the ultimate expression of British luxury and muscle: the all-new, ultra-exclusive Land Rover Defender OCTA. Powered by a massive, twin-turbo V8 pumping out serious horsepower, the ultra-wide OCTA brings mind-boggling tech to the table, including its game-changing hydraulically cross-linked air suspension and specialized high-back bucket seats. The guys debate whether the ultra-utilitarian, hyper-engineered Defender justifies costing more than double the price of the Toyota, especially when factors like historical reliability, vehicle depreciation, and the Land Cruiser's notably small driving range come into play.
Before making their final verdict, the crew cuts to a scorching-hot field segment from California featuring Sofyan Bey from Redline Reviews to break down automotive "glow-ups" and generational downgrades. The group heaps praise on the stunningly boxy redesign of the latest Honda Passport Trailsport, comparing its massive styling victory to the heavy plastic cladding found on the Subaru Outback Wilderness. The conversation takes an honest turn as they critique vehicles that have arguably lost their spark across generations, targeting the styling identity crisis of the Nissan Murano and the ballooning size, lack of physical buttons, and missing manual transmission option in the newest Mini Cooper. They round out the discussion by highlighting the incredible longevity and value of the redesigned Nissan Frontier before heading back to the pad to crown the definitive flagship SUV king.
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