Monster Jam is a big live show where giant trucks do jumps and tricks. It usually happens in an arena with a dirt track, and the trucks perform stunts for the crowd.
Dirt bikes are off-road motorcycles made for dirt tracks. The host is basically asking whether the event also included motorcycle action or if it was only monster trucks.
Freestyle is basically the “show off” part of monster-truck events. Drivers try big jumps and cool moves, and judges score how well they do it. This championship is also paired with dirt-bike/motocross events.
TNN was a TV channel that showed a lot of country and outdoors-type programming. The host is saying they remember watching these kinds of events on that channel.
Spike TV is another cable channel name the host connects to TNN. They’re basically recalling how the TV network changed names but the kind of content they watched stayed in the same general world.
Mud bog racing is a motorsport where vehicles accelerate into deep mud and try to go the farthest or fastest without getting stuck. It’s a different discipline than monster-truck freestyle, but it’s often part of the same “off-road chaos” entertainment ecosystem.
In tractor pulls, a tractor drags a heavy sled and tries to make it move as far as possible. The tractors are built to have a lot of pulling power, not to race fast.
Monster trucks are big, specially built trucks made for doing crazy stunts. They can jump, spin, and smash cars, and the shows are usually a mix of races and trick competitions.
Concept
freestyle mania championship
Freestyle monster truck events are more about showing off skills than racing to a finish line. Drivers do jumps and tricks, and they’re judged on how impressive and controlled the performance is.
It’s like a short sprint where the truck goes fast, then has to make a tight turn and come back. That turn is hard because the truck is heavy and the tires need traction to pivot and speed up again.
Two-wheel tricks are when the truck lifts up so it’s balancing on just two wheels. The driver has to control the throttle and keep the truck stable so it doesn’t tip over and can land safely.
Concept
bouncy pad for landing
It’s a landing surface meant to soften the hit. Instead of slamming hard into the ground, it helps the vehicle slow down more gradually.
Concept
massive ramp
A big ramp is basically a launch platform. It helps you get higher into the air so you can do something in the air and then land more safely.
Concept
aerial 180
It’s a jump where you spin halfway (about 180 degrees) while you’re in the air, then land facing the other way. The whole point is having enough height and time to complete the spin before you hit the ground.
A backflip is a stunt where the vehicle rotates backward in the air. In monster truck shows, it’s typically achieved with careful ramp design, throttle control, and suspension setup to generate the right launch angle and rotation.
Sometimes a truck can catch fire during a stunt, usually because something gets damaged or a fluid ignites. Shows have safety crews and equipment to respond fast.
Topic
four wheel jamboree
A four wheel jamboree is basically an off-road show where trucks do driving demos and sometimes competitions. It’s not always the same as monster trucks, but it has a similar vibe.
Concept
monster truck component
They’re saying the event includes parts that feel like a monster-truck show—like big obstacles and stunt driving. That kind of driving needs special trucks with lots of suspension travel and grip.
To race monster trucks safely, you need a big track with room to speed up and space to land after jumps. That’s why these events often happen outdoors or in very large stadiums.
Concept
Olympic Stadium
They’re talking about a big stadium in Montreal and whether it was used for the Olympics. Big venues can change how the monster-truck track is built and how the show runs.
Horsepower is basically how much “pull” the engine can produce. Monster trucks are famous for having huge horsepower so they can launch, climb, and keep moving through rough terrain.
Nitromethane (often shortened to “nitro”) is a fuel used in some high-performance racing because it can produce very high power. The host’s uncertainty (“nitromethy… maybe it’s alcohol”) highlights that monster-truck fuel can vary by series and engine setup, but the key idea is that these trucks run specialized fuels to make extreme power.
Monster trucks are loud enough to damage hearing if you’re not careful. The host is saying they planned ahead and made sure their child wore ear protection the whole time.
Sensory overload just means there’s so much happening at once that your senses feel “maxed out.” With monster trucks, the noise and size can make it feel like an instant, unforgettable experience.
These trucks are built to do tricks like big jumps and wild balance moves. Regular trucks aren’t set up for that kind of movement, so monster trucks can handle it better.
That phrase is basically saying it’s like the X Games, but for cars and trucks. Instead of just going fast in a normal race, it’s more about stunts, big action, and entertainment.
Concept
Truck hood coming off
If a truck’s hood comes off, it usually means it wasn’t secured properly or got shaken loose. The important part is that there are mechanics who can fix it so the truck can keep going safely.
The Toyota Tacoma is a pickup truck that’s smaller than the biggest trucks. It’s designed for hauling and for driving on rougher roads. The podcast brings it up because it’s a common example of a “smaller” truck choice.
Car
Bigfoot
Bigfoot is a legendary monster truck—basically a huge off-road truck built for stunts and big shows. People remember it for its recognizable theme and history, not just for how it drives.
A livery is the design on the outside of the truck—paint and graphics that give it a theme. Monster trucks use it so the truck looks like a “character” at the show.
The BYD Shark 6 is a BYD vehicle, and the podcast is talking about different versions of it. The speaker mentions different themes—like a shark theme versus a bull theme—so the differences are mainly about styling or branding. It’s brought up to explain what those variants mean.
Concept
motif
A motif is basically the main theme or style that keeps showing up. In this context, it’s the classic monster-truck look and branding that makes the truck feel recognizable.
Company
Bob Chandler
Bob Chandler is mentioned as a key early figure behind the classic monster-truck idea. The point is that some of today’s monster-truck traditions started with early builders and promoters.
Concept
Grave Digger (early monster-truck era)
Grave Digger is a famous monster truck. They’re saying it helped mark an early turning point where monster trucks became more than just modified pickups with bigger tires.
Monster trucks run huge tires so they can climb over things and still grip the ground. They’re talking about some Bigfoot versions that had tires so enormous they weren’t even normal “monster truck” sizes.
They’re describing monster truck events as part competition, part show. Even if the judging or outcomes feel unpredictable, the drivers are still highly skilled performers putting on a big entertainment act.
Concept
WWE-style performance vs sports competition analogy
They compare monster trucks to WWE, meaning it’s not only about winning—it’s also about putting on an exciting performance. The drivers are like performers who do impressive, crowd-pleasing moves.
They’re saying they should’ve bought tickets earlier, because later they became much more expensive on resale. That’s common with big, in-demand events.
They’re basically saying that watching racing or truck events can spark a lifelong interest in cars and driving. Even if the details change later, the excitement can stick.
If a truck loses its hood, it means the front cover falls off—often because of a hit or because it wasn’t fastened tightly enough for the event. It’s a safety and mechanical issue people notice right away.
Company
warplane museum
They’re talking about a museum that displays military planes. They’re using that as a comparison to explain that monster trucks are also something you don’t see every day.
They mention World War Two because the museum is showing planes from that era. The idea is that learning the background makes the whole experience more interesting and easier to understand.
“Four by four” (4x4) means the vehicle has four-wheel drive, sending power to all four wheels for better traction on loose or uneven surfaces. In off-road contexts, 4x4 helps reduce wheel slip and improves control when climbing, descending, or driving through mud and sand.
Radio Shack was a store that sold electronics and lots of kid-friendly gadgets. In this story, it’s where the remote-control monster-truck toy came from.
The Ford F-150 is a popular full-size pickup truck. Monster trucks often use a pickup as the starting point, then heavily modify it so it can handle huge tires and jumps.
High/low gearing refers to using different gear ratios to trade speed for torque. Monster trucks (and off-road vehicles) use this so they can crawl up steep inclines at low speed, while still having a higher ratio for faster driving on flatter ground.
CRT is an older type of TV or screen technology. It’s mentioned here because the host is talking about powering and setting up equipment, not about cars.
Term
laserdisc
LaserDisc is an older way of watching movies using a disc. The hosts bring it up as a hobby topic, not a car-related one.
The Chevrolet Volt is a car that can run on electricity, but it also has a gasoline engine for extra range. You can charge it like an EV, and when the battery runs low, the gas engine helps keep you going. The podcast mentions it because it has a specific battery arrangement that supports this system.
RC car means “radio-controlled car.” Someone uses a controller to drive it, like a toy version of a real car. Here they’re talking about electric RC cars versus gas-powered ones.
Concept
toy grade one
They’re basically saying there are different “levels” of RC cars. Toy-grade ones are simpler and cheaper, while hobby-grade ones are built tougher and are meant for more serious use.
A drive shaft is the part that sends power from the “engine” area to the wheels. If there are multiple drive shafts, it usually means the power is being sent to more than one axle/wheel set.
A differential is what lets wheels turn at different speeds. A locking differential “locks” that behavior so both sides spin together, which helps when one side loses grip.
If it only turns one way, something in the steering system isn’t working correctly. That could be a broken part, a stuck linkage, or an electronics/calibration problem.
Your steering gear is the part that takes your steering wheel turn and turns the wheels. If it feels like it’s “binding,” something inside may be sticking or not moving smoothly.
Think of the steering gearbox as the “gearbox” that helps your steering wheel move the wheels. If it’s not moving evenly, the gears inside may be damaged or out of sync.
Gears have teeth that mesh together. If one tooth slips out of place, the mechanism can feel like it’s not catching properly, so steering won’t work smoothly.
A bigger battery can give the motors more energy to run harder for longer. But if the gears or electronics aren’t built for it, they may break or overheat.
A slippery slope means “one change leads to more changes.” If you add more power, you may quickly run into other weak spots that weren’t designed for it.
Motors can overheat when they’re asked to produce more power than their design allows, especially under heavy load or aggressive acceleration. Overheating can damage motor windings, reduce efficiency, and shorten service life.
Plastic gears are lighter and cheaper, but they can wear faster and are more prone to cracking under high torque or sudden starts. If the truck is “on it too hard from a start,” the shock load can exceed the plastic gear’s strength.
The steering unit is the main steering assembly. If you take it out and something comes loose—like a wire—you may need to reconnect it so the steering works correctly again.
RC trucks are toy trucks you drive with a remote control. People often fix them like real vehicles—if something breaks, you may need to repair parts or electronics to get it running again.
They’re basically saying that if you can still buy replacement parts, you can fix things and keep using them. If parts are hard to find, even a cool toy or vehicle eventually gets stuck or thrown away.
The Toyota BZ4X is the earlier-generation BZ electric crossover that the hosts say had a weak reputation for both performance and range. They frame the BZ name as a reworked/improved version of that original model.
They’re saying that in some countries, car names are more “informational,” like telling you what kind of car it is or how powerful it is. They’re comparing that to Toyota’s earlier naming approach.
Concept
4X
The “4X” part of BZ4X is talked about as a naming choice that was probably meant to hint at drivetrain (like all-wheel drive). The hosts say Toyota is giving up on that naming idea.
The Toyota C-HR is a small crossover, meaning it’s higher than a typical sedan and made for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it because the speaker is talking about name changes and what the C-HR corresponds to. It’s essentially a compact Toyota crossover that’s being discussed in the context of branding.
Range is how many miles (or kilometers) the electric car can go before it needs charging. They’re saying the newer BZ can go much farther than the older one.
Level 2 is a faster way to charge an electric car than a basic household outlet. It’s the kind of charging you’d use at home with the right charger or at many public stations.
The Subaru Soltera is basically Subaru’s version of Toyota’s BZ EV. It’s a “twin” car, meaning it shares a lot of the same basic design and engineering, but it may feel different in details.
A shared platform means Toyota and Subaru are using the same underlying architecture (hard points like the battery layout, chassis structure, and major systems). This can reduce development cost and speed up production, but it also means the cars may have similar driving dynamics and packaging constraints.
The Subaru Uncharted is a specific trim level (a particular version) of a Subaru model. In the podcast, it’s described as the entry-level option compared to other versions. The point is to explain what “Uncharted” refers to within Subaru’s lineup.
Trailseeker is one of the Subaru EV variants, described as the bigger “Woodland” style version. It’s part of a lineup strategy where the models are meant to line up with similar Toyota BZ versions.
X-Mode is Subaru’s driver-assist/off-road traction feature that adjusts engine response and traction control behavior to help the car maintain grip on loose or slippery surfaces. The hosts find it notable that Toyota’s EV twins include an X-Mode button, highlighting how Subaru’s software/feature identity is being carried over.
The Subaru Outback is a car that looks like a station wagon but is built with higher ground clearance. It’s meant to handle everyday roads and also tougher weather. The podcast mentions it because the speaker talks about their own Outback and how they use it.
Concept
dual mode X mode feature
The hosts refer to a “dual mode” version of Subaru’s X-Mode, implying there are multiple operating modes within the traction/off-road system. They also mention a Reddit modification where someone tried adding dual-mode behavior to a different Subaru model, raising questions about compatibility and effectiveness.
“Outback” refers to the Subaru Outback, a car that’s built for everyday driving but also handles rougher weather better. The podcast mentions it while comparing different versions and how they fit different types of cars. The key idea is that Outback can come in different trims or styles.
CVT means the car doesn’t use traditional gears. It smoothly changes the “gear ratio” all the time to help the engine stay in the best range for power and efficiency.
Concept
software-defined driving (EVs as "a piece of software")
A lot of how an EV drives comes from software. That means settings and updates can change how it accelerates and behaves, even if the car’s hardware stays the same.
They’re talking about the fastest charging speed the car can take—150 kW. Faster charging usually means less time at the charger, though it can vary in real life.
They’re basically saying the charging speed isn’t the best, but it’s not terrible either. For road trips, how fast you can charge can make a big difference.
“X mode with grip control” refers to a driver-selectable traction/handling mode that adjusts throttle and traction management to improve grip on different surfaces. It’s designed to help the car maintain control when road conditions are poor.
They’re talking about the car’s main screen for things like music and navigation. The “14-inch” part is just the screen size, which can affect how easy it is to use.
An aero spoiler is an aerodynamic add-on (often on the trunk or rear) designed to improve airflow and reduce drag or manage lift. On many modern cars, it’s also part of the styling package tied to specific trims.
A panoramic sunroof is a big glass section in the roof so more light gets in. The power shade is an electrically operated cover that you can open or close.
Heated seats warm you up, and ventilated seats blow air through the seat to help keep you cool. Some versions of the car include both, and others only include heat.
They’re saying the car is sold differently depending on the country. In one place you might pick drivetrain without changing trim, while in another place drivetrain is tied to a separate version of the car.
Front-wheel drive means the front wheels do the work of moving the car. They mention it because it’s one of the drivetrain choices tied to the car’s versions.
They’re talking about a dark-looking part on the front of the car that used to look like it wasn’t painted. Now they say you can paint that section so it matches the rest of the body.
They’re complaining about where the driver’s instrument screen sits. If it’s pushed toward the windshield, it can feel awkward or distracting compared with a more traditional dashboard position.
Term
fake HUD
A HUD is supposed to show info in front of you so you don’t have to look down. The host thinks this one doesn’t really work like a real HUD and makes the dashboard layout feel awkward. They prefer being closer to the normal gauge cluster.
A driver attention monitor is a driver-assistance system that uses sensors (often cameras) to detect whether the driver is paying attention. In this segment, the hosts say Toyota’s system is overly sensitive and triggers alerts (“dinged”/“pinging”) during normal head turns or arm positions. The takeaway is that calibration and detection thresholds can affect how annoying or intrusive the system feels in everyday driving.
They’re talking about how efficiently the electric car uses electricity. If it uses more energy per mile/km, you’ll get less range.
Term
kilowatts per 100 kilometers
They’re using a measurement of how much electricity the car uses to drive 100 kilometers. Less electricity used usually means you can go farther on the same battery.
EV incentives are programs that help make electric cars cheaper to buy. If those incentives go away, fewer people buy EVs and the company may lose money, so they may slow down or stop selling certain models.
They’re saying Toyota was late to fully jump into early electric cars. The idea is that Toyota waited until EV tech and costs improved, then had to catch up by developing new battery and motor solutions.
The Nissan Ariya is Nissan’s electric SUV. The hosts are saying Nissan is pausing or ending sales in North America, which usually happens when sales aren’t strong enough or the business case isn’t working.
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is an electric car from Hyundai. The hosts say it’s being pulled back because it’s made outside the US, and that can affect whether it qualifies for incentives or meets local requirements.
Concept
Manufacturing location affects EV availability (built in the US vs built in Korea)
The hosts connect EV availability to where the car is built, specifically contrasting US-built vs Korea-built models. This matters because incentives and eligibility rules often depend on domestic production or sourcing requirements.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a fully electric car. The hosts are saying Hyundai has a factory in the U.S. that makes it, which can help avoid extra costs like tariffs.
Tariffs are extra taxes on products that are brought in from other countries. The hosts are saying making EVs locally can help avoid those extra costs.
Car
EV six
The Hyundai EV6 is an electric vehicle. The point here is that Hyundai is building EVs in the U.S., so it’s less affected by trade barriers.
The Chevrolet Bolt is a smaller, more affordable electric car. The hosts bring it up to illustrate how different EV models and segments can have different business outcomes.
“Generational life” is basically how many years the same basic version of a car is sold before it’s replaced. A longer run can make it easier to plan factories and supply chains.
The Volkswagen ID.4 is an electric SUV sold in the U.S. The hosts are saying Volkswagen invested a lot of money to build it locally, and now that can lead to having more cars than the market needs.
Overcapacity means a company can make more cars than people are buying. If that happens, companies may have to discount or slow production.
Concept
capital reason vs strategy reason
This is about why companies change direction. The hosts are saying it might be because they don’t have the money to keep pushing EVs, not because they chose a different plan.
Honda is one of the car brands the hosts talk about in the context of EV decision-making. They’re basically saying Honda’s choices don’t seem to match what the market is doing.
The Toyota Camry is a very popular regular car (a sedan) that many people compare other cars to. They’re saying it was a really good option before the conversation shifted toward EVs.
This is Mercedes’ electric version of the GLC crossover. The point here is that Mercedes is launching newer EVs with updated looks and a stronger push than before.
The EQS is Mercedes’ big, high-end electric sedan. The hosts are basically saying the earlier EQ designs didn’t look as exciting as they could, and Mercedes is trying to change that.
The EQE is another Mercedes electric sedan, smaller than the EQS. They’re saying Mercedes is trying to make the next wave of EVs look better than the earlier EQ models.
The BMW i3 is BMW’s earlier electric car. They’re bringing it up to show BMW has been investing in EVs and that EV design is influencing what comes next.
The BMW iX3 (G08) is an electric SUV made by BMW. It’s meant for people who want an SUV but with an all-electric powertrain. The podcast brings it up because it’s talking about BMW’s electric vehicle lineup.
The hosts argue that electric vehicles are now setting the design language for entire brands, rather than EV styling being separate from gas cars. This is an important industry shift: once EV platforms and design teams lead, traditional models often adopt similar exterior and interior cues.
The Kia EV4 is an electric car model from Kia. The podcast mentions it as something listeners should watch for because it’s part of Kia’s EV lineup. It’s essentially a future EV option being discussed in the show.
LIVE
Hello, and welcome to the unnamed automotive podcast.
My name is Sammy Hajisad and with me as always is my good friend and fellow automotive journalist, Benjamin Hunting.
Say hi to the people, Ben.
Greetings, second spring listeners.
Greetings to everyone. If this is the first time you're listening to our podcast, thank you for trying something new.
I'm very excited to talk to you guys about what is going on in my life and in the automotive industry.
But before we get to that, I want to reiterate, Ben and I are a pair of automotive journalists.
But seriously, more importantly than that, we're very, very good friends, right, Ben?
Who can truly say the importance of friendship?
I'm saying so. It's very important. It's what makes this podcast kind of like, it's like the oil of this podcast.
The oil of this podcast?
Yeah.
As in like, we bottle it and sell it or we drain it and throw it away?
No, no, no. It keeps things going. I mean, if we weren't friends,
even if we were, if we were just regular, non-good friends,
I don't think we'd be able to do like 10 years of this.
Where can people find your latest work, Ben?
They can find my work at Motor Trend at Hagerty and at Inside Hook.
And you can find my work at driving.ca, autotrader.ca and driving.ca's YouTube channel.
Ben, don't you also have like a whole graphic novel comic book coming out?
Yeah. Two days from when this goes live, April 28th, the Dead Air comic book is back on Kickstarter.
Issues one to three are going to be available at deadaircomic.com.
I know in the past, a bunch of you have supported the book and I really appreciate it.
It means a lot.
So if you feel like reading a comic book about a world where one day out of the year,
you can talk to the dead and it's a book that also has a heavy 90s university slash college radio component.
You can check it out Tuesday, April 28th, the campaign goes live at 8 a.m. eastern www.deadaircomic.com.
This week, I wanted to talk about something, something really interesting happened to me in my life.
A long time ago, actually, three years ago, I had a child.
I'm having another one, which is also crazy, but this week...
Oh, is that a first announcement on the podcast about the second child?
Is it?
I think so.
Oh, no.
Do we have to edit that out?
No, it's fine.
But this week, I think I unlocked a core memory for my child, which is something really...
I think I've achieved something as a parent that I didn't think I could really pull off, but I did it.
And it made me really emotional.
I want to talk about it with you because it's tangentially related to the automotive industry and motor sports and stuff like that.
In town, Monster Jam came rolling into town, and I had some time to kill with my son, and we went...
I decided to drop all the dollars I've had for this, and we went to Monster Jam, which was really cool for me.
I have questions about Monster Jam, so this happened at Hamilton's giant new arena that you haven't taken me to.
Yes, it's kind of...
We used to have an arena called Cops Coliseum.
Now they've changed it to TD Coliseum, and I think renovated it significantly, and everything's dropping by in here, and it's pretty cool.
What was the question?
The question is, did it...
So I've been to Monster Jam a few times, more than a few times, and I wanted to know if there was a support series that came with it.
Was there dirt bikes and stuff beforehand or after, or was it straight up just monster trucks?
Yes, so this is something they call Freestyle Mania...
It has this whole name, Freestyle...
I've got to make sure I get it right.
Why? Because the monster truck people are saying...
Yes, I think it's called the Freestyle Series Championship, or Freestyle Mania Championship, and it comes with a motorcross or dirt bike show as well.
All of the teams that were represented on it with the motorcycles also had corresponding monster trucks.
So when I was a kid, I watched a ton of monster trucks.
I got to see it live a bunch of times, but it was also...
There used to be this channel called TNN, the Nashville Network.
Did you ever watch that?
I think it eventually became...
What is it called?
Spike TV?
Spike?
Yeah.
No, it's Spike.
It evolved into Spike, I believe.
But back when it was TNN, there were three things that that channel would play.
One was Ralph Emery's talk show, which was basically promoting country music.
Then there was Mud Bog Racing, which I never see anymore, but was a lot of fun.
Also, there's four things.
Mud Bog Racing is the second thing.
The third thing is tractor pulls, with the giant tractors.
This is also a whole bunch of memory fog has been lifted, and I know exactly what's going on for sure.
Then the fourth thing was monster trucks.
Yeah, exactly.
There would be monster trucks all the time.
The reason I'm bringing this up, my own child's part of it, is because you're talking about
how it's like a freestyle mania championship.
When I was young, mostly what I would see on TV, and I guess when I went in person, although
in person, it was even less clear what was happening, there would be...
It was like a drag race with a U-turn at the end, and then they would come back again.
Yeah, that's what I remember.
They would crush cars or jump cars.
Yeah.
That was the whole deal.
We did not have that happen.
I was really surprised that that did not happen.
They had a couple of different things they had to do.
First, they had a very short race.
It was basically a 10-second long race.
It's nothing.
Hey, hey.
Fast and furious, a 10-second race is everything.
That's true.
It would race around a mound and jump over the finish line, basically.
Are they racing head to head?
No, they're racing a clock, basically.
Then they would do a two-wheel tricks showcase or competition.
Then the dirtbites would come on.
They would do two sets of tricks.
They would launch off this massive ramp and onto a pad, like a bouncy pad for landing,
which is something I was not expecting because in my childhood, when you jumped off a massive
ramp, there was no soft landing at the end of it.
When have you ever jumped off a massive ramp?
Have you done that?
Yeah, with bicycles when we were kids.
You did?
You built ramps and did that?
Of course.
We busted so many bikes that way, and our parents never wanted to get us new bikes.
I never jumped off like a purpose-built ramp, but I do remember jumping off dirt ramps
that we would find on the bottom hills.
Yeah, that too.
The first time I lost comp.
No, at the end of a tobogganing hill, we would put a huge ramp.
We're not talking about tobogganing.
We're talking about bikes.
Okay, fine.
But have you ever done an aerial 180 on a toboggan?
I don't think that's a thing.
We used to have those wicked GT snow racers.
I don't know how to describe them to people who have never dealt with snow or tobogganing.
I remember the first time I was knocked out was probably jumping a bike at the end of
a hill like that.
Yeah.
Okay, well.
I opened my eyes, and I was upside down in a tree, and the bike was above me in the
tree, and I had no memory of how any of that happened.
Okay.
So then after that, they did these two tricks.
They did two series of tricks for the dirt bikes.
Basically what they did, one set would be no flip style trip tricks, and then the second
one would be all the flips you can think of.
So that's what happened.
Was there a truckasaurus?
There was no truckasaurus.
Robosaurus?
Has he sometimes called?
Absolutely no.
There was no secondary entertainment.
Okay.
It was monster trucks and dirt bikes.
And then the monster trucks came out, and they did I think a minute of as many tricks
as they can do.
I saw a truck do a back flip, which was super cool.
I saw a truck roll over and have to get rescued by a construction truck, which my child thought
was really important.
And then I saw a truck catch fire, and the driver stood out on top of it cheering.
So it was really cool.
What's fascinating to me, and I'm going to sound really ignorant to everyone who is a
hardcore fan of monster trucks.
I know.
I'm worried that some of our listeners are going to be like, I can't believe this guy
is watering down the beautiful motor sport.
It's something that I really liked a lot when I was a kid.
I went to a four wheel jamboree as well, which is like something similar to monster trucks
in that there's like a monster truck component, but there's also like truck poles and more,
I guess you would call them realistic pickups doing things.
Yeah.
I remember doing that in my early 20s or my late teens.
I can't remember exactly when, but what I want to say is I think that maybe the racing
happened less at your event because of the size of the venue.
I think they need like a really big space to be able to.
Probably an outdoor space, too.
Well, I think I've seen them do the racing at the Big O in Montreal, which is pretty enormous
like 65,000.
It's huge.
Yeah.
Was that the one that was that was built or used for the Olympics?
The Olympic Stadium?
It's absolutely awful.
Were you going to say bicentennial?
Bicentennial?
What is it called?
Canada is not that old.
Canada?
Centennial.
1867.
We're still a little ways away from a bicentennial.
But the other thing that this makes me think of, and this is where I'm going to sound ignorant,
is the evolution of monster trucks.
It seems to have absorbed a lot from extreme sports, quote unquote, where you have basically
these monster trucks are being treated like they're skateboards and going out of the court
and doing crazy, like skateboarding style tricks, which I think is incredible because
they're like what, eight or nine?
I don't know how a thousand horsepower.
How much horsepower do these vehicles have?
I think they have like 1500, if not more.
They burn nitromethy, right?
That's insane.
It's so cool.
Obviously, maybe not nitro.
Maybe it's alcohol.
One of the things that it is not my first rodeo for a monster jam.
And it's also not my first rodeo for a racing event.
I did have ear protections from my child and he was really well prepped for that comfort.
Like I talked to him about this thoroughly during the day.
I'm like, you're going to have to keep these things on because these trucks are loud.
And even with the headphones, they're going to be quite loud.
And he's like, okay, daddy.
And so yeah, he kept those on the whole time and which was, which was useful, but they were
so loud I couldn't hear him when he needed to tell me really important things like he
needs to use the potty or the bathroom.
Yeah, you need like a system of hand signals.
I know.
So at first I was like, he couldn't have possibly said that because we're going through potty
training right now, which again is like the wild.
I don't know if we should be talking about this on the podcast, but I don't know why
that came up, but people want to know what's going on in our lives sometimes.
But it's such a wild event for me to be like, yeah, sure, I'll just go like solo parent,
my potty training child to this insane event that he will not want to peel his eyes off
of.
And yeah, I want to know what he thought of it.
Yo, he loved it.
Of course he did.
It's amazing.
It's so cool.
Like I was saying to you, I think pre-podcast is that like I'm always so curious about
a child's perspective on something that is so wild to us.
But if it's the first time they see it, it might, they might just be like, oh, this is
normal.
Like this, this is what people do.
This is what happens when you were so worried that he wouldn't understand the quote unquote
significance of monster trucks.
And that was like, there's not much else out there that is more of a window into your
personality than that statement.
We were like, but yes, I was basically saying like, I don't think he's going to get it.
I don't think it means anything to him.
You were so worried about his internal reaction to monster trucks.
And then when it turns out that he loved it, because of course it's an incredible spectacle
for a child, right?
Like it's just amazing.
It's just this whole sensory overload.
They're huge.
They're loud.
They go really fast.
It's like, all of these things are super appealing.
And I just don't think there's much internal reflection on what that means in the world.
Like I think that they just, I think a kid's going to see that and be like, I'm really enjoying
this right now.
This is cool.
And then I'm going to want to talk about this for like a long time afterwards.
And you, you were like, you were like, hmm, does he have the context for understanding
why monster trucks are so neat?
Yeah.
Like normally, like, does he understand that trucks normally stay generally on the road,
don't have wheels the size of like human beings, don't jump over things, don't roll
or flip or balance on their rear wheels or front wheels or whatever, right?
But he got all of it, man.
He got the gist of it.
I didn't have to explain to him that these are crazy and cool.
And they're basically, like you said, it's like X games for, for, for, for auto sports.
And you took them there in a Tacoma, right?
Yes, I did.
Yeah.
So what was this?
What was it like for him when he came out?
What?
Like, did he like come out to this Tacoma?
Cause like to him, all trucks are monster trucks, right?
Like he's literally two feet tall.
Yes.
He's like working on, he's working on his height.
He's actually closer to three now, but yeah.
Closer to three.
He's working on his height.
So like that's pretty, I mean, even a mid-sized truck is tall for like an adult.
So like for him.
I'm so glad she talked about this.
Okay.
So me and him had several discussions afterwards because he just experienced something that
was, uh, I think it was truly like a life changing core memory thing.
And I got really emotional afterwards just thinking about this.
Like I was really heavily involved in making something like happen for him that he's going
to be thinking about and dreaming about and thinking like wants to be a part of his personality
in some way or another.
So he's like, so, you know, I'm kind of like tired.
This is how I know that something's kind of like made some, made an impact.
He'll ask me, uh, can you tell me the story about how we went to go and see the monster
trucks?
Even though that happened like half an hour ago, he will want me to like relive it through
my words, his, his experience and he'll like chime in all the time.
And then it did this, he was, he got really anxious when I, when a truck lost its hood,
he really pointed that out and he looked, he sounded like he was like about to cry.
I had to explain to him that there are truck doctors, truck mechanics, we'll fix it up
and it'll be okay.
Um, and, um, but anyways, later on, he had this whole conversation about how, you know,
I'm like, if you had a monster truck, what would it, what color would it be?
What would we call it?
Um, and so he gave, he's given me all these like weird answers, you know, childish,
childish answers, but eventually he was like, I'm going to get a truck that's the first
time he said it is bigger than your truck, which I assume is a suit.
He's talking about the Tacoma and then later on he revised it to say smaller than your
truck, which I sent you a clip of him saying that I want to, I want a monster truck that's
smaller than your truck.
And he also had a whole, he had, it wasn't just like the trucks he was into, he had a
whole routine worked out for how he would entertain the crowd, like including the music
that would play when he got out of his truck and like what he would do when he got out
of his truck.
I will, I will make sure that he said, I'll make sure that I'll do a flip and land on
my wheels because he saw a truck fail to do that.
Um, I will get out of the truck and play hollow notes.
He only knows a few bands right now, like real bands right now, including hollow notes
and Michael Jackson, which we have on our record player and he'll be like, I'm going
to put, we're going to play hollow notes.
And so anyways, it's just such a, I'm glad that 30 some odd years later after I've like
I watched it, it was, it is as much of a spectacle.
And again, I, I didn't go to a live event until I was an adult, but I watched on TV
and I was like, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen.
And they would always have those like static Bigfoot displays, I think at the X or something.
Yeah.
And Bigfoot was my jam.
Now I look back.
Have you ever seen a photo of Bigfoot?
And you're like, I've seen Bigfoot in real life.
It's the most basic looking truck.
There's no like livery of any kind.
No, so compared to what you see now, there's like one is like a shark theme.
One is a bull theme.
One is a zombie.
It played Michael Jackson all the time.
I don't, I have two minds on that because I really think that the classic monster truck
thing is a very cool motif.
Like I really think that like the original, it's his name, Bob Chandler.
Was that his name?
The guy who created Bigfoot.
Right, right.
So I think that like that, that design for a monster truck, and there was like USA one
and all of that stuff from back then.
There's Grave Digger, which was, I think one of the first trucks to push past the
standard pickup truck with big tires thing.
Okay, here's an old school panel delivery body style.
I think the old school stuff really works, but I also think that the new school like
Hot Wheels style monster trucks are very cool too.
Like I think that that's the natural progression.
Like why not do that, right?
Like it makes, this is entertainment and that's an entertaining thing to see.
But the thing about Bigfoot that I think about most when I look back is like how
many different versions of Bigfoot there were?
And they were like in, they're like unusable car, like trucks.
I don't know if they are.
There were some with like giant, gigantic, like I say giant tires, but I mean like
not standard monster truck tires, like tires that were, I don't know, 20 feet tall.
Yeah, yeah.
And like there were also, there was Bigfoot Shuttle, which was the, I believe,
tracked version of a Ford Aero Star that was a Bigfoot.
Okay.
There was all sorts of fun stuff like that.
It just, just neat things.
I remember there was one called Ripsaw.
I think that was like not a Bigfoot, but like another vehicle that kind of pushed,
it was a tracked vehicle again, like a tank that I think pushed monster trucks in a certain
direction of like experimentation and cool things that they could do, right?
And also just the idea of like the competition between the drivers,
it seems so loose and arbitrary.
Yes.
Like I'm so surprised that they like, I'm so surprised at that.
Like sometimes, I don't know if, like I need to explain to you now,
Bigfoot was our thing, like Bigfoot was like the, the peak entertaining truck, right?
Yeah, for a very long time.
Now it's turned into this grave, into Gravedigger, who is basically the last truck of the show.
I would say like the 90s were like the transition where Gravedigger kind of took over
by the end of that decade.
And this whole thing where it feels like, like I heard somebody,
we went, me and my son went for gelato afterwards and I heard somebody talking about
this and they were like, well, it's kind of like the Harlem Globetrotters and everyone
else of the Washington Generals and Gravedigger is like the Harlem Globetrotters.
You just know he's going to win at the end.
I don't know if it's like Harlem Globetrotters, so much as it is WWE.
Where you have like very, very skilled athletes and performers who are doing something that's
extremely entertaining to a large audience.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
So I mean, I'm looking at this and while, you know, Gravedigger won the overall event,
quote unquote, yeah, there were the other teams won the other parts of it, like the
motocross and the racing component of it.
So it's interesting, I think, that I don't know.
I can't tell you for sure whether or not one is, if it's like planned in any way or form.
But it's a really it is a it is a great spectacle for children.
It was quite it was a little bit expensive.
I should have gotten the maybe before they were on resale the tickets because I think
I paid through the roof for that.
But it was so worth it.
I really think I unlocked some crazy memory for my child.
And I think I inadvertently create this sort of like
motorsport enthusiast in a way or something like that.
But or or he just loves trucks, right?
Like maybe that's his jam.
He just loves what's not to like.
And that's fine with me.
I don't need him to be a motor enthusiast.
I don't really I'm terrified of him being like really
building something up in his in his mind in terms of like something.
And by the time he's driving.
Yeah, very little from what we do now will be relevant.
I guess so.
I wonder.
Yeah, I truly believe that because like he's he's like, you know,
15 years away from getting behind the wheel of anything, right?
Pretty much.
And and I don't think that the experiences you and I had
in growing up with vehicles will in any way reflect his reality.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I'm curious now when we go when we next time go down to like Walmart
and he sees the the toy lane, if he's going to like gravitate
towards the monster truck style hot wheels, he might or or the regular
hot wheels or the Lego as usual or whatever like that.
It's very I don't know how many parents.
I think we actually do have quite a few parents listening to the podcast.
Of course.
And I don't know what they I mean, I don't know how to.
I don't know how to be a parent.
I'm going to be blunt about this.
I'm I don't know what I'm doing.
Well, you're doing a pretty good job if you if you're taking your son to
Monster Jam.
So but I trendily try to think what would I enjoy doing?
How can I make it something that he might enjoy doing or the other way around?
And we find a way to like have a ton of fun.
And I think he pulled it off.
But it was so interesting.
Again, I think he shows my personality a little bit because the entire show,
he's not saying anything.
He has no facial expression.
He's not like cheering or clapping or anything.
OK, one only thing that caught me out like he pointed at the truck that lost its hood.
And that was like, OK, so he's actually like he's like seeing things that are happening.
Like his eyes, he's not surprised.
He's not like just sitting there.
But at the end of the day, it was very clear that he took every every last bit of of that
event into his memory and and is just constantly recycling it.
So much so to the fact that when I'm putting him to sleep, I can hear him whispering like
that day, whispering monster trucks into my shoulder.
The monster trucks like monster trucks.
And I'm like, OK, but finally, we know.
I mean, he got that from you too, right?
That's how you go to that's how you go to bed at night.
You have that app.
Yeah, I mean, I try to I do have a little mantra that I try to repeat all the time
to I can have like a lucid dream about it.
And it doesn't work out.
Is that what it's for?
It's like that in some like Valerian route.
And then like you do.
But anyway, it was it really caught my my like I didn't know that it would be so well.
Like it was so good for kids.
It's so it's such a trap for parents to get into because he loved it.
He was hooked instantly.
But I don't think too much of a trap because like monster trucks don't come around every month.
Well, yo, he thinks they come every day, every day.
He asked me, are we going to go see monster trucks today?
And I have to be like, no, man, they're not in town anymore.
They went to the next show, the next city over.
He was like, well, after nap, can we go see them?
And I'm like, no, man, they're not here.
But the next day the next day he woke up, he's like, they are in town.
So we're going to go and see them after nap.
Okay.
And I'm like, bro, you also take him to the air the aeronautical museum, right?
Yes, we have a we have something called the it's called the warplane museum.
And I haven't quite explained the logistics of war or what happened in World War Two,
where these airplanes were around.
But he thinks that's pretty cool too.
And we get to he knows that like that's not an everyday thing, right?
Like and that the planes aren't always the same when he goes there.
I think so.
I think that's true.
Maybe that will help him understand monster trucks.
That's a I will try to explain that to him tonight when I when I have this conversation.
Monster trucks are like the comet of motor sports.
Like they come in and out of your life seasonally.
The airplane thing is so sick though, too.
I mean, I'm we're subscribed to like the the the airplane museum.
They have a quarterly, I think a quarterly or maybe every other month they send a magazine.
And he's like, that's my magazine now.
Like he reads it.
He flips through it.
Daddy, tell me what's going on on this page on this page on this page.
And sure enough, shortly after this monster truck thing, he was like, tell me,
can we get like the monster trucks in the mail?
Like the plan is this four by four off road magazine still exists.
I remember reading that when I was a kid.
Maybe that's a great point.
OK, yeah, I will look at I'll look at there was another.
There was another four four wheeler was another magazine that was out.
I don't know if that's still around.
It's funny though that you mentioned toys because did I talk about last week
about the remote control truck that I'm trying to bring back to life?
You did send me lots of pictures of it.
And I don't know if you're asking to for me to to troubleshoot your truck.
But I thought maybe it would just interest you.
I don't know.
It was interesting.
It was very cool.
So it's it's tied into monster trucks because it is a monster truck.
When I was a kid, I had there was this very popular toy that was from Radio Shack.
Sometimes it was marketed as a Tandy, which was the Radio Shack parent corporation.
And mine was blue.
There was a yellow one as well.
And it was a based on the Ford F-150 of the late 70s.
So like the I believe they're called dead side trucks.
Um, 1978, 1979 body style and the truck, excuse me, it's blue.
It looks a lot like a big foot.
It has the big foot monster truck tires and it has high and low gearing in it.
Actually different gearing.
So like you can if you wanted to crawl up like a steep incline, you could.
Or if you just wanted to drive fast on flat, you could and it was called like the dash 49.
I think that was the frequency that was running on across the across the windshield.
So I had this toy and I was at my parents a couple of weeks ago,
picking up a CRT because I'm still trying to come up with the ultimate
laserdisc setup for you.
You're also reliving your childhoods or no, no, I never had laserdisc as a kid.
Are you kidding?
We weren't kings and queens.
Um, the ones we couldn't get really.
Yeah.
I'm not going to talk about laserdisc on this podcast, but the truck still works.
I it's interesting because it requires four C batteries in the truck and a nine
volt battery in the truck.
Like that's a combination.
Yeah.
And in the controller, there's a nine volt battery.
So I got everything powered up, but it's an electric.
It's an electric.
Like it's clearly an electric in that case, an electric RC car.
And the big thing lately, what else would it be?
What do you say?
There's gas ones, bro.
Yeah.
I had a gas powered RC car in the 80s.
Dude, come on.
I was a kid.
This is a toy.
It's not a hobby grade thing.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
You think my parents were giving their like six year old child gasoline?
You've got the coolest.
Like, I don't know.
You have the wildest stories about your childhood.
About all the gasoline we used to play with.
No, so this is this is not a hobby grade RC car.
This is like a toy grade one, but I've done some research and it turns out it's well regarded.
It was it was strongly built.
It has like multiple drive shafts and locking differentials kind of.
And it was just a fun toy.
So I picked it up when I was picking up the TV and I saw it in the same storage space.
So I brought it back with me.
Turns out it still runs in drives, but it will only steer in one direction.
When I try to steer in the other direction, it's like it's binding.
So I took it all apart and those are the photos that I sent you.
And the gearbox for the steering, the steering gear looks OK.
And it doesn't feel like there's any.
I was trying to see if there was like dust or something or dirt that had blocked it
physically from moving to one side.
And it doesn't seem like it.
It seems like the motor inside the steering box will do a full actually more than a full
turn in one direction and then only like a quarter turn in the in the opposite direction.
So it's like the motor itself, I don't know if it has a gearing inside of it
and it skipped a tooth or something like that.
I don't know what to do at this point.
This is where I'm going to have to go online and start talking to people who build model
model RC cars on a regular basis because I found people who've taken this RC truck
and replaced parts of it with hobby grade things like specifically faster motors
or larger battery packs is a popular one.
I don't want to do that because the slippery slope.
For one, it's a slippery slope.
But the other thing is the truck was not designed to have a huge amount of power,
right? So you can easily overheat the motors.
You can also there goes your there goes your childhood up in flames.
Yeah, it's like young Ben would have wanted.
No, I was not a destructive child.
It's also a plastic gearing.
So if you get on it too hard from a start, you can crack things.
So I just but some people have also replaced the steering gears entirely.
And that is something I think that I might be able to do
and not risk damaging any of our part of the truck, right?
But I don't know how to do that kind of stuff.
So I bought a soldering iron because I couldn't find my soldering iron after I moved.
It seems to have disappeared completely.
I need to reconnect one of the wires that came off when I was removing the steering unit.
But other than that, I don't know if this is like a new project for me,
like how involved I'm going to get in this truck,
because I could still drive it as it is now, like it does drive around.
I just have to maneuver it by like backing it up and moving it forward kind of deal.
So if anyone out there, I'm very curious if you're into RC trucks,
if you can help or if you have a memory of either the blue or the yellow
Ford monster trucks that that radio shack sold, I'd love to hear from you.
Yeah, me too. I actually want to hear that super like, I don't know, I'm interested.
And you see these things all the time, like in in in thrift shops
or vintage or like community markets or something like that.
And if they're if they're easy to sort out, that's cool.
But anyways, the other thing that was cool about this particular monster truck
is that radio shack sold replacement parts throughout its whole run.
So if something broke, you could fix it and just keep going.
So that's why they survived this long.
That's wild. I love that. I love that.
I love how I mean, I hate that as a community now or as as like any any like toy or anything
like that, getting replacement pieces or parts for toys or even expensive toys is really difficult
to do. I mean, it was difficult back then, too. I think this truck was probably an anomaly.
I think that like a lot of kids toys were and still are, as you're saying, considered disposable,
right? It's like something breaks and then you just buy the new toy.
But I feel like this was produced for enough years that they also use the fundamentals of it
for other RC trucks. And I think that allowed them to like justify the expense of building spares.
But also it's a radio shack, right? Like, so again, this is going to date me,
but you used to be able to go into radio shack. And in addition to how it is now,
is there still radio shack? I don't think so.
So are you going to talk about like the bins of?
I'm going to talk about not the bins. I'm going to talk about the walls of parts
and movable walls. It was like, you know, when you go into a store and they have posters up and
it's like a big rack of posters and you flip through them and they're on a hinge.
They used to have that, but it was just parts like electronic parts. You could actually buy
things like capacitors and stuff. Yeah, you would buy things and build things at radio shack.
So it's kind of their MO was to offer that. So it makes sense that their toys would have that as
well. I wish, you know, I mean, I guess you could maybe do that through like Amazon or something,
but oh, nowadays you can buy cheap motors from anywhere from what I gather. Like that's what
I'm seeing a lot of people doing. I'm sure it's easier now. It's just not something like
you don't have a corner store where you can go to or you have to wait. It's not like as impulsive as
it was before, I guess, or being able to see the piece in person and see if it fits before
committing to a purchase as well. So we do have some real cars.
We should have wasted like half an hour on non real things, but I got very, yeah, I'm sure
they did. I'm sorry about that. No, don't apologize. I enjoyed it. Who wants to go first?
You got to go first. I have to go first. Okay. So I drove the 2026 Toyota BZ.
Hey, I've driven that before. Yeah, we're not going to talk too much about it because we have
talked about it in the past. I believe two, three months ago, Sammy, you drove it.
In January. So the BZ is the previous aka BZ4X, which is the one of the worst modern
names for a vehicle ever to exist. BZ is still bad, but so much better. Yeah, yeah.
That was my thing. Well, I wouldn't say it's bad. It's just significantly improved.
To the point where it's like potentially, it's like actually competitive now.
I don't know my impression. No, no, I'm talking about the name. Oh, sorry. The name, Jesus.
Instead of BZ4X. BZ is still a bad name for a car, but it is better than BZ4X.
Right. I think we can agree on that. Yes. So in other markets in China, the BZ is a whole line
of cars. There's like BZ23 and BZ27 and whatnot. And it's like, it's like how car companies here
tried to use horsepower and torque numbers to delineate their vehicles, except in China,
they use like power and the size of the vehicle and the body style and all these numbers mean
something. But I think Toyota at one point thought they were going to do that. And that's
why they had 4X because they think 4X meant like all wheel drive or something. They're giving up
on that, right? Because now we have BZ Woodland, regular BZ. There's like a baby BZ that's not
even called the BZ anymore. CHR, right? CHR, yeah. They're just renaming our old favorite
unusual car. Yeah. So that's one of the things that's changed. But the other
things that's changed, it's got like 50% more power pretty much. They made a big upgrade
for both front wheel drive and all wheel drive models. The range is way better. The internal
charging is a lot higher. They went from 6.6 kilowatt to 11 kilowatt on level two.
314 miles of range, which is like what, 400 and something? 460? Something like that? 468
kilometers? That's the highest you can get for the front wheel drive models. That's up 75 miles,
I think. 60 to 75 miles of improvement for the best range you could get from BZ. So all these
things, I'm not going to get too much into the details of the truck, of the truck, the crossover.
I will say this. The original BZ when I drove it was extremely uninteresting, was not competitive in
terms of power and was not competitive in terms of range. The new model. And not to mention design,
like interior exterior design. Yeah, it was very plain. Now, it's still pretty plain. I'll get to
an improvement by BZ standards, right? Yes. So it is a much better BZ. Is it a much better EV?
I mean, I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone, but I also wouldn't discourage them from
test driving it or buying it. I think that Toyota, which has dragged its feet for so long on EVs,
is finally starting to come up with what a Toyota EV actually is. And that's where we're seeing this
proliferation of different BZ models. And I think that's a good thing for them. Better late than
never. I think we should, I want to talk to you about this in a minute, but yeah, keep going.
Better late than never on that. This is still a platform that is shared with Toyota, with a Subaru.
The Soltera is the BZ version, is the Subaru version of the BZ. The BZ, there's also the
Uncharted. Uncharted is the entry level CHR model. No, no, that's
I think it is. What's the name of the other one then? Trailseeker. Trailseeker is the larger
Woodland version, right? I'm so sorry. I mixed them up. Yeah. Trailseeker is closer to the BZ
Woodland. Yeah. So there's a lot of twinning there. And when you're inside the Toyota,
it's super weird because it actually has an X mode button, which is totally a Subaru thing.
It would be like, so we thought, right? Like, it's so funny to think that like,
this is such an important core feature of a Subaru. Oh, and Toyota.
What's an important core feature? I always thought it was like an extraneous feature,
like something that is unique to them, but not one that I don't, I don't know how many people
use X mode. Personally. Yeah. Have you ever used it? I have not, but I have it. I have it in my
new one. We've never used it in our Outback. And I've gone on events. Obviously, I've gone
on events with Subaru with vehicles that have the X mode and the dual mode X mode, where
they showed their, their functionality. I will say recently, I saw on Reddit that somebody put
the dual mode X mode feature onto a Subaru legacy, specifically the one from the,
from the wilderness, like an Outback wilderness onto a legacy sedan. And I don't know if that
worked, if it did anything, but it's so funny to think that this is just a piece of software
that can just manipulate the way that the, basically the CVT operates. Well, I mean,
holding that thought, that's pretty much all electric cars going forward, right? It's just like
a piece of software. Would that mean we can get like the Han Zimmer soundtrack from a BMW?
Yeah, you can get like an M drive mode in an AMG, like I guess in theory. Imagine you can get that
much hacking going on, or our jail breaking going on and make that kind of thing happen.
Yeah, my warranty instantly on my $100,000 car. The real risk is like bricking on the highway.
That's what you don't want to happen. You don't need to, you don't need to, I'll tell you,
you don't need to modify some cars to get that to happen. Yeah. The BZ also has a Naxport now,
so I'm not happy about that. It can still only charge at 150 kilowatt, like that's the max.
That's again, nothing wrong with that, but right in the middle of the pack.
Yeah, that's like closer to the end of the back of the pack.
Yeah, that's that's something you would expect to find from an EV of like three years ago,
maybe I would think. And even three years ago, Hyundai was way ahead with still there. Yeah.
Driving it was fine. It's actually pretty quick. It's like less than five seconds to 60,
which is unexpected for a vehicle like this, especially one that's relatively affordable.
I mean, in Canada, the one I drove was a Midtrim XLE all-wheel drive model. It starts at,
this is so weird, because on the Toyota website, it starts at $56,390. And I have a
Monronius, a Windows sticker for mine that was $55,810. So I don't know how I drove one that's
cheaper than what they're selling now. There's a more expensive limited all-wheel drive
that is like literally 10 grand more. I think that's what I drove.
That that seems to have, I don't know what you get for that. Like,
is that the dual wireless phone charger? Did you have that?
It has. Yeah, I had the dual wireless phone charger. Did you try to why? Like I like you tried
to ask me to do like have a phone race or put the like charge with both of them at the same time?
Is that what I said? I didn't try that. No. This has X mode with grip control,
if that means anything to anybody. It has a 14-inch multimedia. What does that mean?
That is the least productive point in a Toyota brochure. You know what I mean?
I'm trying to figure out the differences between them. I think it's coming down to
an aero spoiler, a panoramic sunroof with power shade. I didn't have a,
I don't think it had a roof at all. You're driving a convertible. No, I'm trying to remember.
It might have had a sunroof. It might not. I don't think it did.
Heated and ventilated seats. I know mine had heated. It didn't have ventilated.
I think it has a louder stereo system. It's not a lot for your 10 grand,
so I don't know what's going on there. In any case, in the US, it starts,
there's only two trims, 34,900 for the base XLE. In Canada, we get a base XLE front-wheel drive.
I think the way the States runs it is you can build, yeah, you can choose front-wheel drive
or rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive instead of upgrading to a different trim.
Okay.
Whereas in Canada, they make it a separate trim. It starts at 35,000 basically,
and then the limit is 43,300. Now, the biggest problem I have with this vehicle,
I mean, you, Sammy, two things. You said it looks better than the old one, right?
Marginally, yeah. I still think it's-
Because they did that, they did that like, it used to have this black body color,
this black, seemingly unpainted bit on the front. Do you remember what I'm talking about?
Vaguely. This is again, this is a wallpaper car for me.
That's funny, yeah. Okay. Well, they used to have this thing, and now they've made it like,
you could paint that bit, so it will look good.
It's, I think that the vehicle is bland. I think it's okay. It's inoffensive.
Inside, it's really not doing itself any favors. It has the same thing that I didn't like about
the first BZ, which is the gauge cluster is pushed all the way to the front to the windshield,
which I guess is like a fake HUD, essentially. Right.
And I don't like that. I don't need to be that far away from the gauge cluster.
I think it leads to odd proportions on the dashboard. The second thing about the interior
design that bugged me is it has a very, very, very overactive driver attention monitor.
Yes. And not only is it like, I'm talking, if you look to the side to check a house number
while you're looking for an address, you're going to get dinged. I took my dad on a road trip in it,
and he kept asking me why it was pinging all the time. And it was because I would like,
turn my head to answer him, turn my head to look at something outside and it would ping.
But the other reason it was going off was if you hold the steering wheel so that your arm
goes in front of the steering column, the sensor monitor is right on the column where
your arm is going to completely block it when you're turning. And that will set it off too.
And this just sucks. This is a not a good design. And I don't appreciate it.
Yeah, I agree with you. I think Toyota has particularly a very sensitive driver monitor.
I don't know how they calibrated it or what they're expecting from drivers, but it seems like
just natural actions while driving can cause it to do some pretty,
yeah, can cause can cause alarm for it. And I tried to turn it off. I couldn't figure out how.
Okay, I don't know if you can, but I was unable to do it. The second also the interior is functional
though. There's room, there's cargo space. It's going to do what you need it to do. I just don't
think it's a standout. The other thing though, that's more problematic. So we were talking earlier
about range. The US range says 299 miles for the top limit, top limited. We talked about that a
little bit. 236 is the base in Canada. The exact numbers are not posted on the website, which I
think is funny. But if you go like just a quick conversion, 299 into miles, sorry, into kilometers
is about 470, 480 kilometers, right? Just super okay. Like just fine enough. I never saw more than
299. That's insane. And I had it for a full week. And I know I talked to some people who work with
these cars and they're like, well, maybe after a full week, it will reset. Maybe it's the person who
was driving before was somehow knocking down the estimated range. Okay, first of all, you'd have
to drive pretty hardcore to knock like literally 180 kilometers off of the estimated range.
But second, when I first got the car, it was a little bit chilly, but it warmed up quite a bit
during the week to the point where on the final day where I did my road trip, it was 22 degrees
outside. So that's like 68, 69 degrees, I think right around there versus the 10 degrees, 15 degrees
when I first had the car. Even then with that huge temperature increase, I didn't have any
improvement on the efficiency of the vehicle. And in fact, Sammy and I did some calculations
based on the average kilowatt usage out kilowatts per 100 kilometers. And it was accurate. What we
were seeing on the screen, like even if we fudged it a little bit, it was not going to give us more
than like 330 kilometers on a battery charge. So I think there might have been something wrong
with my tester. I had it in a very, I had the busy in a very cold winter and I was expecting,
you know, the usual like 20 ish percentage drop. And I did get a little bit more of that. But
what I saw was that the car wasn't like was occasionally like not logging one kilometer
is a kilometer off on its range estimation. And eventually like, then it started doing
so like it took a while for the the range estimate to kind of like pick things up. So I
remember asking you like, maybe it's just being really conservative or something like that. And
you're like, no, it's clock, it's it's clocking every single yeah, it was going down at a fairly
steady rate. And then there's not a great feeling with 299. And like I said earlier, like we did
the calculation based on energy consumption. It was much closer to the worst case scenario
than the best case scenario. Right, right. What is your overall sort of like impression here?
As I said, it's a very average vehicle, which is a win for Toyota. But I don't think it's
necessarily a win for owners. Okay. I haven't driven the Woodland. I haven't driven the
smaller version whose name escapes me. Is it still called the CHR? Yeah. Okay. Maybe those are
better choice. I don't know. For this money, you could do a lot better. That's the problem.
Yeah, absolutely. The thing that caught me off guard, and we can talk about this just very
briefly because it's more of like insider baseball, maybe, but other automakers are turning their
backs on the on the EV segment in in the upcoming years. And that has a lot to do because of
either incentives are being shut off or the profitability just isn't there to see Toyota
like engage with the EV market in a way that is unexpected for Toyota because they've dragged
their feet so hard on the first generation EV that they had to suddenly develop a new battery in
new motors and new like product packaging. While we're getting the news that Nissan is just turn
is just not going to sell Arias in in in the US or both US and Canada, I can't recall. But like
Ioniq 6 is also like going to take a break for a minute. The the ID for is gone. I think that I
think that it's product decisions that were made way before. That's also interesting. Like which
product decision? Sorry to cancel those cars? No, to improve the BZ. Yes.
And now that they've they've they've committed now they have to keep going with it, right? You I
mean, although you could be Honda and just kill the car. Honda's decision is totally baffling,
but Honda also had no product. So like it's not like it's not like they would have had to build
out an entire network of training mechanics to work on these vehicles, having parts supply
for EVs. Toyota's already done that. Yes, they are committed in that sense. And I think the other
companies that you named Nissan Volkswagen, who are backing away, they are companies in trouble.
Okay, do not have a lot of cash and no necessarily have a plan for North America that makes a lot
of sense. And Hyundai with the Onyx six, Hyundai is actually bringing more EVs to North America.
They're they're bringing stuff to Canada that the United States isn't bring isn't getting the EV
five, I believe is out now for Kia and the the overall Canadians. I'm sorry. Well,
isn't the EV four for Canadians? Yeah, I said the I said the EV four. You said the EV five. I said
the EV five after that. Okay. The the EV four is coming to Canada. And then I mentioned the EV
five is out now. And that's both countries as far as I know. The reason the Ioniq six isn't coming
anymore is because it's not built in the United States, which is why the the the Ioniq six has
gone and the EV six GT is no longer available in the US because that model is built in Korea as well.
But that's like a niche vehicle, right? Well, I in a sense, but it's also a range topper. But the
more important aspect of it is they have a plant that builds Ioniq fives in the United States. They
have a plant that can build EV six is the United States, I believe. So they're not facing tariffs
there. The only companies that are backing away from EVs are the ones that are in trouble
and the ones that are based in the United States. And I think that's very telling because I think
Ford and then there's the whole thing with the Chevy Bolt as well. Although that's a different
class. But I also would like to point out that like ID four, a little Arya, not so much, but ID
four was like it had a full generational life in my opinion, like it was out for a fairly decent
length of time here in North America. And I think and they upgraded a plant to build it in the
States. Yeah, cost them one and a half billion dollars. And now they're going to have massive
over capacity at this plant. Yeah, like how was that a plant? That's true, too. So I just think
it's so it's so interesting to witness Toyota like executing a bit of a plan, even though they've
really, really taken a long time to get here. The other thing to consider too is like the reason
I mentioned North American car companies is because all the companies we're talking about,
they sell cars outside of the United States. And outside of the United States, people are buying
EVs. So it makes sense for them to do this. And if they can't do that, it's probably going to be a
capital reason, not a strategy reason, although Honda's decisions are baffling to say the least.
But the North American car companies do not really sell cars outside of the United States,
at least not using the same brands. And so we've talked about it in the past, we could be looking
at 10 years from now, companies that are only able to sell in the US, because they don't have a
vehicle that is competitive anywhere else. Right. So now we've got a car that is not,
I mean, more competitive than it's ever been, of course, and right in mid pack.
Is that your advertising for the busy, the busy now more than ever?
Now more than ever, it is right there in the middle of the pack.
And we'll see if it sticks. If other automakers pull out of the segment, which is, I mean, not like
when people pulled out of sedans, the Camry was like a pretty top notch product. So
it's not like they just cleaned up on what was left over. But is that what they might do with
the busy? I don't think I don't know. What do you mean? I'm just thinking out loud.
I don't think so. I don't think people are going to be flocking from other EVs to the
busy. They'll go to ram and get a V8. I just don't think that the vehicles that are leaving
the US market are the ones where the owners are going to be like, well, now I want a very average
EV to replace my very good EV. I don't know if that sentiment is there.
Yeah, I guess so. Anything else you want to talk about this week?
I do want to bring up the fact that European car companies are also doubling down on EVs.
We have the, in the last month alone, we've had the GLC electric and the C-Class electric come out
from Mercedes-Benz. And both of those vehicles are essentially new and are big upgrade style-wise
over the EQ line that I think Mercedes is essentially backing away from the very bland
styling that they had on the EQS and the EQE. I think that the days of those vehicles are very
numbered. BMW has the i3 and the iX3 that are coming out. They're making a huge deal about.
This is a huge, this is as big of a push from BMW as I've seen in such a long time. Well,
I think what's happening with both of those vehicles is we're seeing the future of styling
being led by electric versus in the past it was kind of kept separate. But I think that the
gas-powered 3 Series, the next generation, which should be coming very soon, will likely take
its styling from this new class inspired version of the EVs. And that's exciting. And it shows that
it's not just Chinese car companies that are investing heavily in EVs. European car companies
are doing it too. A couple of Japanese companies and the Koreans are very, very committed to EVs.
Yep. Is that it for this week's episode? Yes. I'm going to say that I'm pulling the curtain on
this one. If you enjoyed this week's episode, and I hope you do because we've got more like this,
well, maybe less, yeah, maybe less parenting, you know, like discovery conversation from my end.
But I really encourage you to head on over to our website, unnamedautomotivepodcast.com,
where you can see all of our previous episodes, as well as links to the stories that we've written
about some of the cars that we're talking about this week. Next week, I'll be talking about the
Lexus TX. Ben, what are you talking about? I'm going to be talking about a vehicle that you
can't buy in the United States. And I think that's a sad state of affairs. It's the Kia EX,
I'm sorry, the Kia EV4. And I would really encourage our listeners to either head on over
to our website, or send us a message. We've got a contact form on our website. So you can fill
that out, send us a question about those two vehicles we just mentioned, or you can email us
the old fashioned way at itsbenjaminatbenjaminhunting.com, or you can follow us on Instagram,
I'm at Sammy underscore, ha, like you're laughing, and Ben is at Hunting Benjamin,
you can send us some messages there. If you've got any questions or comments about either this
week's episode, or any future episode that you want us to talk about, we love hearing from you
guys. Thanks for listening, everybody. Thank you. Bye.
About this episode
Monster Jam sparks a surprisingly emotional parent-and-kid story, with the hosts comparing how the show’s format (short timed racing, freestyle tricks, and dirt-bike segments) differs from their childhood memories of car crushing and Bigfoot-style spectacle. They also trade nostalgia about monster-truck toys and an old Radio Shack RC “Dash 49” project. The episode then shifts to a review of the 2026 Toyota BZ: improved power, charging, and range versus the BZ4X, but still bland, with a fussy driver-monitor system and range estimate concerns. They close with broader EV market talk and Toyota’s late-but-steady EV pivot.
How do you create a toddlers core memory? The Unnamed Automotive Podcast discusses Sami taking his son to see Monster Jam when it crashes and bashes into town. Hear how a child—who believes all trucks are monster trucks—can still enjoy the spectacle of jumbo-sized motorsports.
Then Benjamin reviews the significantly redesigned and upgraded 2026 Toyota bZ, and has many things to say about it, both positive and negative! Is the bump in power and range really noticable? What about all of the bZs rivals? Benjamin shares his thoughts and more. Thanks for listening!
