The Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid is a small SUV that uses both gasoline and electricity to run, making it more fuel-efficient. It's designed to handle different types of roads and weather, which is great for drivers in various conditions.
The Hyundai Ionic 5 is a cool electric car that has a unique look and lots of space inside. It's made to be eco-friendly and has some neat tech features.
The Polestar 4 is an electric SUV that offers a mix of luxury and performance. It's designed to be stylish and tech-savvy, appealing to those looking for an electric vehicle.
An AI-driven lane guidance system helps drivers stay in their lane by using smart technology to look at the road and lane markings. It makes driving safer and easier.
BlueCruise is a technology from Ford that lets you drive without using your hands in some situations. It uses cameras and sensors to help keep the car in the right lane.
Volvo is a car company from Sweden that is famous for making safe and reliable vehicles. They are also known for their commitment to sustainability and electric vehicles.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can use both gas and electricity. You can charge it like an electric car, but it also has a gas engine for longer trips.
Vehicle fire risk means that a car might catch fire, which can happen for different reasons like problems with the engine or electrical systems. It's important to be aware of this risk for safety.
The Toyota Mirai is a special car that runs on hydrogen instead of gas, which means it doesn't pollute the air. It's a unique option for people who want an eco-friendly vehicle.
Electric motors are what make electric cars move. They use electricity to create motion, which helps the car go faster and use less energy.
Car
H2 Overlander
The H2 Overlander is a new type of vehicle from Toyota that runs on hydrogen, which is a clean fuel. It's designed for off-road use and represents Toyota's shift towards more exciting and performance-oriented cars.
The Ford Mustang is a famous sports car that looks cool and goes really fast. It has a strong engine that can give you a thrilling ride, and many people love it for its style and power.
The Ford Lobo is a big pickup truck that's popular in Mexico, similar to the Ford F-150. It's strong and can be used for work or just driving around comfortably.
A CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission, is a special kind of automatic transmission that can change gears smoothly without any noticeable shifts. This helps the car accelerate more smoothly and can save fuel.
A touchscreen is a screen in the car that you can touch to control things like music and directions. Instead of using buttons, you just tap on the screen.
The Tesla Model Y is a modern electric SUV that doesn't use gas. It's known for being high-tech, having a long driving range on a single charge, and lots of space inside for passengers and cargo.
The Kia EV6 is a new electric car that looks great and can go far on a single charge. It's designed to be fun to drive while being good for the planet.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a new electric car that looks very modern and can charge quickly. It's designed to be roomy and comfortable while being good for the environment.
The Polestar 3 is a new electric SUV that looks sleek and is made to be eco-friendly. It's part of a brand that focuses on making high-quality electric cars.
The BMW X5 is a fancy SUV that feels nice to drive and has a lot of high-quality features. It's designed for people who want a comfortable ride with a bit of sportiness.
The Porsche Macan is a small luxury SUV that drives really well and feels nice inside. It's made for people who want a fancy car that still has the fun of a sports car.
The Porsche 917 is a famous race car that was super fast and won a lot of races. It's known for being really advanced for its time and is a big part of car racing history.
LIVE
This is America on the Road, the best radio show by the International Automotive Media
Conference and now in its 30-30 year on the air.
Thanks for being with us as we bring you the latest automotive information from around
the world.
I'm Jack Nierad, with me is co-host Chris Teague, and Chris, how is Halloween in your
neighborhood?
Is it a big deal there?
My blood sugar levels are just now recovering, but our neighbors are super generous.
The kids only have to hit like three or four houses and they get a big bag full of candy.
Yeah, we had a bowl of candy here, kids didn't come by, and so we're being forced to eat
it.
That's where it goes.
Plenty of news in the auto world to talk about this week, rather than our waste lines.
The sales results are in and they're not so pretty for electric vehicles.
We'll give you all the details at our two cents coming up.
Polestar and Google have just combined to launch a new era in electronic navigation.
We'll tell you why.
We think it's a big deal a little later.
Jeep has just announced a recall of more than 300,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles, and we'll
have much more on that.
That's a very big deal, and there's news from the SEMA show, where there are a couple of
vehicles that caught our interest.
So we'll tell you about them in our new segment, which is just minutes away.
Chris, what do you think about SEMA show vehicles?
I always love them, even though they're mostly over the top and you can never really live
with them, but man, they're cool to look at.
There's so many.
I mean, that's the only problem I see with them is there's just too many to digest.
America on the Road is brought to you by drivingtoday.com, emlancy.com, the publisher of my latest book,
Only One Thing Stays the Same, and Mercury Insurance.
If you're looking to save some money, you should switch to Mercury for your auto and home insurance.
California has saved an average of $670 with Mercury, so imagine how much you could save.
Get a quote today at drivingtoday.com slash auto insurance.
That's drivingtoday.com slash auto hyphen insurance.
Well, as you longtime listeners of the show know, Chris lives at one end of the country.
I live at the other each week we get together to talk about cars.
And Chris, I'm curious as to what your test vehicle is this week.
I spent the week behind the wheel of one of Maine's official vehicles.
It was the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid.
Can't wait to tell you all about it.
I look forward to talking about that.
And I had the 2025 Hyundai Ionic 5 Limited all-wheel drive.
We'll tell you all about that in our road test segment.
Our special guest this week is Ola Aldenque.
He is Polestar 4 product manager.
I had a chance to sit down with him to chat at the recent Polestar introduction event in Austin, Texas.
So he has a lot of interesting things to say.
A very interesting vehicle.
It has some idiosyncrasies that we'll talk about.
That I think are kind of fun more than anything else.
Stay with us and we'll have a ton of show when we come back right here on America on the Road.
We're so glad you're with us and stay with us.
We'll be right back.
Welcome back everybody to America on the Road with Chris Teague.
This is Jack Nierad back with you.
You're so glad you're with us and it is news time and plenty of news to talk about.
We kind of alluded to this in previous shows what was going to happen.
In sales in October and for EV sales, electric vehicle sales, they didn't just cool off.
You could say they plunged.
They hit a record high in the month of September with nearly 13% of new vehicles
being battery electric vehicles.
That figure dropped to just over 5% last month.
So what triggered this of course was the end of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit
that ended on September 30th.
From your point of view, Chris, what do you have to say about this?
Yeah, I mean this sales decline is not a surprise.
We've been talking about this for months kind of speculating that it was going to be the case.
But look, I don't think this is going to be a permanent change or a permanent
depression in the sales.
I think automakers will kind of get their feet under them and figure out
how to price these vehicles, how many to build and that sort of thing.
And then buyers will kind of follow there.
So my opinion is that it will recover at least slightly.
I don't know that it'll go back to where it was with the credits.
But who knows?
I'd like to be wrong.
Yeah.
Well, I think it will recover too.
And I think it's going to fall somewhere between the 5% that we saw in October
and the 13% that we saw in September.
I think that's kind of the high watermark or the watermark for that going forward.
Fords, all electric sales fell 25% in October.
This is a good one.
Toyota sold only 18 BZ4Xs compared to 1400 in the same month of year earlier.
And Hyundai's EV deliveries were down 57%.
So it was pretty serious.
But the overall light vehicle market wasn't all that great either.
Light vehicle sales fell 6.5%.
Some of it was driven by the fact that there were so few electric vehicle sales.
It's just interesting.
And when you see this, it points out very clearly that the subsidies had a big effect
on what people bought.
And now that they're gone, well, things are quite a bit different.
Yeah, it is interesting to see how sensitive EV sales are to even a slight economic bump
in the road, more so than gas vehicles, it seems like.
But like we said, I would like to see our conversation about this a year from now.
I can't wait to see what we're talking about in November of 26.
Yeah, I look forward to that.
And I think it'll be interesting.
It'll be fascinating to see.
Here's something that I saw actually at the Polestar event.
And I think it's actually a pretty big deal.
Polestar and Google have debuted what they call the next level lane identification.
And I think you probably run into this situation as I have.
Chris, when you're driving on a multi-lane highway, multi-lane interstate,
you probably get this less than I do being in Southern California where I am.
The car doesn't typically know exactly what lane you're in.
So you might be in the carpool lane, and it thinks you're not.
And it's giving you directions based on the fact that it believes that you're not in a carpool lane.
And the carpool lane exits are completely different and all of that.
This solves that.
Polestar's new AI-driven lane guidance system figures out essentially what lane you're in
by a forward-facing camera.
It's scanning lane markings, road signs, and that kind of stuff.
It figures out what lane you're in.
I think it's a boon.
It's a big deal.
I agree.
I was testing Ford's BlueCruise system in Atlanta a few weeks ago.
The multiple turn lanes or the multiple exit lanes, it struggles with that.
And you're struggling trying to figure out when to take control of the system and where to step in.
So I can see this being a huge step forward for the people who use it.
I know a lot of people who are uncomfortable using the systems altogether.
Yeah.
Well, I think just for basic navigation, again, a lot of times we'll be in a carpool lane and
you'll have a left exit when the other exit is on the right and it's telling, you know,
that navigation is telling you to get in the right lane and you know that you should be
in the left lane or vice versa, something like that.
So the fact that this is happening, I think, again, is a big advance.
The result of all this technical wizardry appears on the 10.2-inch driver display
in the Polestar 4 that I just had a chance to drive.
So I think it's pretty cool.
And I think it's going to be very good going forward.
I think we're going to see this on multiple vehicles going forward.
But it's interesting to me that it was introduced on the Polestar 4.
Yes.
Coming to a Volvo near you soon, I would assume.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And many others, I think too.
Here's a big deal.
Jeep recalling more than 320,000 plug-in hybrid Jeeps,
they're SUVs.
The recall covers 2020 to 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4 by E's and 2022 to 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee
4 by E's.
I think the Wrangler 4 by E was the best-selling plug-in hybrid for many a couple years in a row.
So there's a lot of them out there.
There have been 19 vehicle fires and this investigation was prompted by customer data.
This is what has been suggested.
Until repairs are made, owners are being told not to recharge their vehicles
and to park them away from buildings or other cars, even when the ignition is off.
The good news is they can use them to roast marshmallows.
Well, I made that up.
But the other stuff is true.
I mean, basically it seems like those vehicles become pretty unusable until there's a fix.
What's your take on all this?
Yeah, I'd love to make jokes about it, but this is a pretty serious problem.
If you own these things, these aren't cheap vehicles.
I think some of them, you know, you can spend up to $70,000, $80,000 on them.
We've talked about these vehicles too.
You know, this is one of the clunkier plug-in hybrid systems,
despite being the best-selling vehicle of its type.
You know, Jeep has struggled with quality on these things.
So I hope they get it figured out.
You know, the fix is imminent.
We'll see what that is, but not being able to use your vehicle is a problem.
In addition to potentially catching fire.
Yeah. I mean, potentially we have something like 300,000 vehicles that might catch fire,
and there's another 55,000 vehicles in other countries that are experiencing the same thing.
So look out for that.
And though we joke, it is a serious situation, especially if you own one.
Yes.
Well, here's a cool thing from the SEMA show.
And, you know, we see probably 100 vehicles, 100 special SEMA show vehicles each year.
But this one really caught my eye.
It is the Toyota H2 Overlander.
This is based on a Toyota Tacoma truck, but it uses fuel cell powertrain,
the fuel cell powertrain from the Mirai, rather than the typical powertrain.
And then it allows you to capture the water that comes from the system.
So you can use it to shower when you're overlanding.
Really inventive, I think.
Kind of crazy, but at the same time, quite inventive.
What's your take on that?
I agree.
One of the cool things about SEMA is that you get concept vehicles,
but they're not necessarily vehicles that you're going to see put into production.
What you see is all the accessories and the cool stuff that they slap onto it.
I doubt we'll see a hydrogen fuel cell powered off-roader,
but some of these technologies to be really cool to see in a production vehicle.
Yeah, for off-roading, you've got 547 horsepower from two electric motors,
and the powertrain is nearly silent on top of everything else.
You're certainly not going to get hydrogen on the trail anywhere.
So there's that or anywhere near the trail.
It's a pretty cool vehicle.
I think they're doing some pretty cool stuff with that.
So that is the H2 Overlander.
Clever name, too.
Cool thing about Toyota is that we all laughed at them for making appliance cars for several
years, and now they're the ones out making the performance cars and the cool concept.
So good for them.
Another cool concept is the Maverick 300T project truck.
What is real cool to me is it has a turbocharged eco-boost Mustang engine under the hood,
300 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque, so that gives you an additional 50 or so horsepower,
an additional 40 pound-feet over a stock truck.
I think this is kind of cool, too.
I think you reviewed Maverick just last week or something like that.
I mean, what should you take on this super hot Maverick?
The Maverick is surprisingly fun to drive, even just the basic format.
It's a small, not-so-heavy pickup truck.
It's got good handling.
The extra power here would make it feel pretty great.
Ford came out with a Lobo, I think for 2025, which was a street truck with a little bit
different powertrain.
So I hope we see this in production.
The Maverick's a great truck and great for Ford for making all the different variants.
Yeah, I think we might see something like this come to fruition, which would be very cool,
and I can't wait to test something like that.
Well, remind us, Chris, of the vehicle you're testing this week.
I drove the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid.
And I will be testing the 2025 Hyundai Ionic 5 Limited all-wheel drive.
I've done some special research on that.
So stay with us, and we'll be right back with so much more.
We're so glad you're with us, and it'll be road test time when we come back with
the official vehicle of Maine and an electric vehicle.
That's pretty cool.
So stay with us, and we'll be right back right here on America on the Road.
Welcome back to America on the Road with Chris Teague.
This is Jack Neurad back with you.
It is road test time, and boy, cool road test vehicles.
Chris, as a Maine resident, you had a perfect vehicle to test this time around,
and tell us all about it.
Yes, I have to tell you that even though I've lived in Maine for almost 16 years now,
I am not the Subaru fanatic that many of my state colleagues are here.
But the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid returned for 2026, and I got to tell you,
it fixed a lot of the things that I didn't like about the gas-only Crosstrek.
But taking a step back, you can get into this vehicle.
The base trim is around $27,000.
The top trim is about $34,000 or $5,000 somewhere in that range.
And then the sport trim I tested was right in the middle at around $32,000.
Jack, have you driven the new Crosstrek or the hybrid?
And if so, what did you think about it?
You know, I have driven the Crosstrek.
I don't believe I've driven the hybrid version.
So I have not much to share here, Chris.
Okay. Well, the hybrid comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine,
and it comes with a single electric motor.
The pair makes 194 horsepower combined.
It sends power to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission.
Now, we talk a lot about continuously variable transmissions,
and I think Subaru does it just about as good as anybody else.
And one of the things here that the hybrid system really helps
is it fills in the gap, that torque gap at low speeds.
So when you put your foot down, even just a little bit,
the vehicle feels responsive, feels lively, and pretty quick too.
I don't think you're going to win any drag races here,
but I do think that you're going to be surprised by the acceleration.
Jack, what do you think about Subaru's CVT?
I think of all the CVTs out there, it's a pretty decent one.
They've been building CVTs forever.
When I was at Motor Trend, I was driving Subaru products that had CVTs in them,
and it was very leading edge back then.
I think the only other vehicles that had them were snowmobiles back in that day,
but I think they do a decent job with them.
They do, and as I said, the hybrid system here improves the powertrain a lot,
and you can feel Toyota's influence here.
Toyota is a minority owner of Subaru,
and you can feel their influence in the hybrid system.
It's a lot, it's very refined, it's not very noisy,
you don't hear the whining and the whaling of the engine
at high speeds that you would normally hear.
And then Subaru's all wheel drive system is excellent.
I was able to take this Apple picking, a late season Apple picking run,
and there's a gravel road that goes probably three miles out and up a very steep hill,
and some pretty big rocks and things,
and I got to tell you this thing scampered up the hill without any issues.
I think a lot of other vehicles would too,
but for a small subcompact crossover, it was very surprising.
And you get 1,500 pounds of towing here, which isn't a ton,
but you can pull a small boat, a small utility trailer.
As my neighbor owns a cross track,
he frequently pulls loads of brush to the dump with his, so good for him.
It also comes with Subaru's X mode all wheel drive driving mode,
which alters the throttle response in the all wheel drive system,
and then you get torque vectoring,
and all of that comes with up to 33 miles per gallon on the highway.
So I think that the hybrid here is a big, big selling point.
Inside the sport trim comes a leather wrap steering wheel.
You get a premium cloth upholstery here.
Jack, it almost feels like synthetic leather,
but it's a very nice water resistant, dirt resistant trim in here.
What do you think of Subaru's interiors for people who own pets
and go hiking and things like that?
I think they figured out who their buyers are, right?
They're probably the most dog friendly brand out there,
and certainly indicates that every time I'm in one.
Yep, and the sport trim also comes with heated front seats,
and then you also get plenty of rear legroom.
One of the things I love about the cross track,
even though it's built on the Impreza platform,
and it looks very small on the outside,
is you get a generous amount of rear seat space.
So if you have kids in booster seats or car seats,
or even just a big goofy 90 pound dog like I've got,
you can get everybody in the back, and it's pretty comfortable for them.
The car comes standard with a seven inch touchscreen.
My sport trim came with an 11.6 inch touchscreen.
Jack, I feel like we've talked about this to the point
that we're picking on Subaru,
but everything is jammed into this infotainment system screen.
Jack, I think that the sport trim is the sweet spot for this vehicle.
$32,000, and you get all this equipment,
and you get a sunroof, all-wheel drive, and the hybrid,
like I said, makes all the difference for this vehicle.
So I'm a fan.
Yeah, well, rightly so.
I think it's a good one, and I think it's perfect for your locale and other areas.
I think Colorado is also a big Subaru territory,
and it makes some sense.
Well, I was driving a vehicle that I've liked from the beginning,
and I think I was on the launch.
It's the Ionic 5.
This is the 2025 that I'm testing here.
In limited trim, which is the top of the model lineup there,
and this is their battery-electric quasi-SUV, I would say.
It certainly has a design forward presence.
There's loads of tech inside.
It has a spacious interior.
I talk about that at some length.
There's smart updates for 2025.
It's been restyled a bit.
Restyled bumpers, for example.
The cabin ergonomics are somewhat better,
based on exactly what we just talked about here.
There's, I think, more knobs.
And there's better connectivity,
which is one of its strong suits, too.
The limited trim, as I said, is the top of the Ionic 5 lineup,
and the one I had had the dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup,
among other things, panoramic sunroof,
and, of course, the 12.3-inch infotainment display.
I won't even get into price yet,
because I want to do a little discussion about that
as we get to the end of this.
But it competes with the Model Y from Tesla,
the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Kia EV6, among others.
From your point of view, before I dive into the details,
what's your take on the Ionic 5?
I think it's got a strong value proposition,
very unique styling, and a comfortable interior
with more space than you probably expect.
Yeah, good stuff.
Certainly, the exterior turns heads, positively or negatively.
I think you like it more than I do, maybe.
It's kind of spaceship-esque for me.
Ventilated front seats, a sliding center console,
which I think is a pretty cool feature,
and a lot of premium tech, so all that is good.
320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque
from this dual-motor setup.
So that's a ton of power, and this thing is super quick.
Maybe to the point of...
I'm wondering what the point is, actually,
because I don't know that somebody buying a compact SUV
needs to go from zero to 60 this quickly,
but I guess they do.
Pretty good overall ride and handling,
kind of leans toward a comfortable, quiet ride.
This has 20-inch wheels that are slightly harsher ride,
but I don't know that a lot of people would object to that.
Steering is light, kind of precise,
but light to the point of it doesn't have much feel, right?
It kind of feels like driving a bumper car.
I mean, what should take on the overall driving demeanor of this vehicle?
Yeah, the steering is light, and it's an interesting contrast
because the vehicle itself feels heavy,
so there's a little bit of a disconnect there.
I won't say that it's bad or by any means,
the vehicle handles pretty decently,
but yeah, it's a little strange.
Yeah, I mean, that's the important thing too,
and I'm glad you pointed that out.
You do feel the weight of the battery in the IONIQ 5,
and I don't know, it just feels kind of funky,
to the point where almost it makes me prone to being carsick in it.
Just the way it feels.
A lot of upscale interior features.
The infotainment system is terrific.
12.3-inch infotainment display,
and then a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster,
so that's cool.
It finally has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hooray, we're jumping up and down.
All good stuff.
I think there's a ton of good stuff in this vehicle.
There's a quiet mode,
so you can mute the rear speakers
while keeping the front audio going on.
Range and charging are pretty good.
260 miles per charge, kind of okay.
I would say not stellar, but pretty okay.
It uses 800-volt systems,
so recharge is pretty quick in as little as 18 minutes
when connected to a 350-kilowatt charger.
The only problem is trying to find a 350-kilowatt charger.
They're just not out there, really, in any kind of numbers anyway.
Home charging is fine.
You do all that.
Plenty of safety equipment.
This is filled with safety equipment.
What I'm rushing kind of through here
is I kind of want to get to the value equation here,
because the price of this vehicle, as tested,
was around $60,000.
So for a vehicle of its type, that's not bad,
and this is a heavily loaded vehicle of its type,
but then I did a little math here and I got a little paper.
So I compared it to the Hyundai Tucson Limited all-wheel drive,
virtually the same size, and its list price is $41,000.
So there's a difference there of close to $20,000, $19,000,
or something like that.
Now that vehicle is a conventional vehicle,
26 miles per gallon, so you're burning gas.
No doubt about that.
You're putting out CO2, and if that's an issue for you, yeah.
364 miles of range versus 260, and then you, of course,
can fill it up.
It actually has more rear seat leg room.
The Tucson has more rear seat leg room than the Ionic 5,
which kind of surprised me.
The vehicles are virtually the same length.
I'm just thinking, as somebody who's going into a dealership
and struggling to buy a new car financially,
heck, $19,000 is a heck of a lot of money, isn't it?
Yeah, you just described why EVs have struggled to break out
of single-digit market share in the country,
and I think going forward is going to be even more challenging,
as we said earlier, without the tax credits,
but man, it's hard to justify.
Yeah, I mean, I like the vehicle a lot, but there you go.
Well, when we come back, our special guest will be Ola Aldenque
of Polestar, talking about the Polestar 4,
so stay with us, and we'll be right back.
I received a letter from the reader this week,
and I thought I'd share it with you.
Here's what he wrote.
I just got around to reading Dance in the Dark
and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it.
I'm a compulsive reader, and this one was right up my alley,
an unlikely hero, a lot of twists and turns,
some adult content, and humor that rose naturally from the action.
Keep on writing, and I'll keep on reading.
Of course, that's just the kind of letter
any author would love to get.
I hope that others get the same enjoyment
from reading Dance in the Dark,
and my newest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same.
Both are available exclusively at Amazon.com.
That's Dance in the Dark, and Only One Thing Stays the Same,
both written by me, Jack R. Neyred.
Thanks for looking for them today.
Welcome back, everybody, to America on the Road.
Jack Neyred back with you,
and thanks so much for being with us on America on the Road.
We appreciate it.
We're in Dallas, Texas, driving a vehicle,
a fascinating vehicle from a fairly new brand to the market,
Polestar.
We're driving the Polestar 4.
And with us, Ola Eldencred.
Thanks so much for being with us,
expert on the Polestar 4, expert on things Polestar.
From a very high level,
tell our listeners about Polestar
and what they should know about that,
about the brand before we talk about the car.
Polestar is a brand.
We have just recently launched our fifth car.
Four of them have been to States.
One is on the way out for Europe,
and we see when it can come to more markets.
We are a performance brand,
and we are in our DNA having pure performance,
passionate, sustainability,
and some of these more lead words.
Would you say you're kind of a spin-off from Volvo?
I mean, Polestar started as a performance version.
Absolutely.
And racing Volvos, right?
So some 25 years back, Polestar were a racing company,
and then it was kind of inherited to Volvo
to put the racing touch on their vehicles,
and then it was a spin-off six, seven years back.
Interesting in that it's a spin-off,
not only as a performance version,
but electrified battery electric performance version,
pretty much, right?
Yeah, yes.
So we're having three electric cars on the roads
here in the US market, and it was in Canada,
and yeah, we're purely electric.
So tell us a bit more about the lineup.
Just walk us through the lineup a little bit
before we talk about Polestar 4.
So what's up for sales here right now?
It's a Polestar 3.
So that would be the luxury SUV.
It's an E-segment car.
It's very luxurious.
It's got strong motors.
It's got very good audio.
It's got air suspension.
All the good bits and pieces needed.
What would you say it competes with here in the United States?
I would say BMW X5, and similar cars to that.
Got it.
Okay.
It just puts it in context a little bit.
And then we have, just today,
driven by the Polestar 4.
It's an E-segment car.
It's also electrified.
It's a SUV coupe.
It's a coupe without a rear window
that we had a little bit of discussion on a few minutes back.
I think that's a bit of a lot of discussion about that.
Yeah, yeah.
And that competes with Porsche Macan and Tesla Model Y
and some more cars in that size.
It's a very roomy car.
It's got a sporty behavior, sporty looks.
Right.
And it's powerful.
You're driven it.
Very powerful.
And it handles well on the roads.
Yeah.
Especially powerful in dual-motor form.
Walk us through the powertrains a little bit
because there's basically two powertrains.
Yeah, we have two powertrains.
It's, in both of them, there is a 100 kilowatt hour battery.
And we're having two variants.
So we have a rear-wheel drive on 272 horsepower.
And it's 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.9 seconds.
And then we're having the dual-motor version,
where it's 544 horsepower and 0 to 60
in 3.7 seconds.
It's really a quick one.
Yeah.
Crazy fast, crazy quick.
At the same time, not intimidating.
And I think that's part of the DNA,
part of what you're trying to put out there.
Not trying to make something that's so on the edge
that it's difficult for the typical consumer to use.
But it's fairly easy to make an EV with strong two motors.
And you get a very good 0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration time.
But that is a little bit too simple for us.
So we like to, sometimes we a little bit joke on,
that we like to make a car that feels confident on a curvy winter road.
If we manage that, then we have a car which we are happy with.
You don't have that in Sweden though, do you?
Do you have any wintry conditions?
You do have some good wintry conditions.
And we love to go there.
We take every car we develop, north of Arctic Circle.
And we have the frozen lakes.
And we have the tire makers up there with us.
And that's a really good time to be working with chassis and tires.
And we get a good reason for that.
It seems like I drove this Polestar 4 for something like six hours today,
between driving and riding along.
I think it's got a nice combination of ride and handling.
Handle is very sharp, but at the same time doesn't beat you up.
It's comfortable to ride in.
Super quiet, of course.
Exceptionally smooth as electrics have a tendency to be.
Tell us about the kind of compromise between handling and ride
and what you were seeking here.
Yeah, we know to make good handling, you can make stiff bodies.
And that will really impact the comfort and also the noise level in the cars.
So we have invited...
And by stiff, you mean twisting and that kind of thing.
Not a stiff suspension that is harsh suspension.
But a body that doesn't flex really, it helps.
Yeah, yeah.
So we tune it in hard conditions.
We start like in wet conditions.
Because if we can handle wet conditions,
we know we'll also be able to handle dry conditions.
So that's where we start.
We invite, in this case, it's a big German supplier,
ZF coming to our tracks.
And then we spend quite a lot of time with them driving on the track.
And then we change the top mounts.
And then we drive again.
And then we change anti-roll bar stiffness.
And then we ease up the next tune of a part and the next tune of a part.
And when we're fairly happy with the hardware,
then we go softer wise and also tune these.
Because the dual motor car, the performance car you drove today,
it has a CCD chassis that you can control from inside the center screen.
Yeah, it has an adjustable suspension.
It has, correct.
That's what you're telling me.
And how does it adjust?
What adjusts?
Is it shock damping that adjusts?
Is there anything else that adjusts?
Or is it essentially shock damping?
Yeah, it's shock damping.
So it's some electronic valve that basically gives ability to the oil
to go faster or slower through the valves back and forth.
One issue always with electric cars is weight, right?
These are heavy cars.
Batteries are heavy.
Batteries to get substantial range are very heavy.
And that's kind of diff...
I imagine it's difficult to engineer a car that feels light
and feels easy to maneuver at the same time being much heavier.
Talk about that a little bit.
How are you able to do that?
First of all, we on this car have a long wheelbase.
And that is what we find how the car takes a corner.
Because it doesn't really matter about overhang in front or rear.
So we started with a good wheelbase and good stance on the car.
And then we have good geometries on bearing on different details in the chassis.
And then we start to tune them step by step to get them where we want to.
And having that power doesn't hurt either.
No, no, no, it's just fun.
It's just fun.
Another nice thing I think about long wheelbase is it lengthens the doors.
It makes ingress and egress getting in and out easier, right?
I mean, it's fairly big, I think, rear door.
There is no wheelhouse in the rear that interferes with you.
And it gives a good ride, but also it enables for a good sized battery
to have a long distance between the front and rear axes.
And also the roominess of the car gets bigger.
So in many a sense, it would be like a one step bigger interior than what you would imagine.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's talk about infotainment system.
I know this isn't exactly your daily work, but I think it's important in this vehicle.
And I think we're used to a portrait kind of presentation from Volvo,
typically, and I think Polestar earlier on, right?
But now we've gone to a horizontal landscape style.
Talk about that and talk about what's going on in that.
So in infotainment, that is Google based.
So it's well known.
And I would say we are very, very happy doing this with Google.
And we're having it oriented in horizontal.
Then we can have, like in most drive cases, you have a map and navigation on half of it.
And then you can have some customized function to the right of it.
You can have a section for music.
You have a section for your phone book.
And then you have some shortcuts to open trunk or child locks or elimination.
And then you can have a four four.
So it gives fairly easy and instant access to the most functions you need
and most of all to navigation, which you tend to use a lot to avoid traffic.
And a lot of functions, maybe virtually all the car functions are in the screen.
But by having those kind of tiles and by customizing that,
that's very readily accessible.
And some of the stuff is also accessible, I think, on the steering wheel, right?
On the steering wheel.
Yeah.
So from a steering wheel, we control pilot assist and driver support functions.
From a steering wheel, we can also do a shift in between range and performance mode of a car.
So the all wheel drive car, it can declutch the front motor.
And that would give you extra range since you're having a little bit less friction
and less system integrated in the rolling.
So by an easy click by your left hand side thumb, you disengage or engage the front motor.
Let's talk a little bit about range because I talked about powertrain and we talked about
powertrain, but we didn't really get into range.
I think usable range is something you stress.
I think tell us about that and what people can expect.
Yeah, we went to the cars and certified them.
We target the range to be as similar as what you could expect when driving in a real life case
as possible.
And the real life case would be like mainly driving highway speeds,
like 60 miles per hour or 65 miles per hour.
And then we would like the customer to come to the actual distance as we claimed we can do.
And we had one test in northern Norway.
It's always done in November in really dreadful conditions.
And it's snow and wet.
And I think we won both the longest drive and also closer to certified range.
Yeah, yeah.
And range, give us some idea what range.
All right, so we're having the performance car and we're having the dual motor car
and the long range car.
And the long range car is on three 10 miles.
And then you have a dual motor in 270-5-ish and performance on 255.
Home of a range from the performance to dual motor can be recovered by your left thumb
by clicking to range mode from performance mode.
And you're so right.
I think the time you would care about range is when you're in that kind of use case
where you're driving at fairly high speeds over long distances.
If you're around town, range is kind of immaterial.
And for now, we think having a range of real life range on 250 miles,
most likely you would anyhow benefit from a food stop or restroom visit.
So it's not really an issue coming 250 miles.
Then you take a 10-15 minute break.
And then you're on the road again.
Give us a sense about your two more hours.
You know, that kind of thing.
Not normal.
We do 10 to 80% in 30 minutes.
So that would give you some 200 miles.
I'm a kilometer guy in that area of 200 miles.
So a little bit more maybe.
Let's talk a little bit about the elephant in the room here,
which is the lack of a rear window in this vehicle.
And it's one of the more controversial features.
But as it was explained to us, it just makes a heck of a lot of sense,
especially in this type of vehicle.
Tell us about that.
Yeah.
No, from start, when we started to design this car,
we knew that many of the SUV coupes are compromises.
So they start with a coupe or a SUV car.
And it's a really good car.
And then they make a coupe.
They take it down from a B-pillar, the roofline.
Yeah.
They make a more sloping rear roofline more rapidly.
An SUV would be squared off.
A coupe style would be more rapid in terms of decline.
And then we have some important metal head structures
that are needed there for safety and rollover protections.
And normally, where it's located,
you would not see anything out from the interior view mirror.
So then they are pulling that a little bit forward.
And it's even more compromising the head clearance in second seat row.
So we knew that from the very beginning and said,
we will not compromise.
So instead of having that on your head,
we just moved it further rearwards and freed up
gap on top of your head.
We could basically lower the roofline
to make it even more sleek.
And then we added a camera on the roof of the car.
If you had a rear window in this vehicle,
it would essentially be almost horizontal, right?
And that would be like a mail slot.
It would be very narrow kind of view, kind of useless.
So the solution is an electric rear view mirror.
Are you using a camera system?
And the system itself is well known to the market.
So we didn't go for anything unknown.
It's just not been used on this type of car so much before.
Thanks for letting me drive this car.
I appreciate it.
And thanks for being with us and sharing so much about it.
My pleasure.
Thanks.
And stay with us, everybody.
We'll be right back right here on America on the Road.
Welcome back to America on the Road with co-host Chris Teague.
This is Jack Neyred with you.
It's listener question time.
And we love to get your question and comments.
We love to hear from you.
Send them to editoratdrivingtoday.com.
That's editoratdrivingtoday.com.
And here's a question from Timothy in Santa Maria, California.
The end of the year is coming up.
And I'm thinking about getting a new car.
Should I buy new, used, or lease?
Chris, you are the car buyer.
Par excellence.
What's your take?
Well, I just bought a used vehicle because it's a luxury brand that depreciates very heavily.
But I think the decision is going to come down to can you get the features that you want
with the vehicle type that you want that fits your budget.
I think some cases used vehicles are a great deal.
You can get one that has someone else has already eaten that depreciation for you.
But some vehicles Toyota Camrys, RAV4s, you know, more popular models.
A lot of those used vehicles, especially within a couple of years,
are pretty darn close to their new purchase price.
And then on the whether you should buy or lease,
that's a whole other conversation.
I think we could spend hours talking about it.
But if you like keeping your cars, if you drive a ton,
that sort of thing buying is probably better.
If you like swapping cars every few years, you have a short commute
and you take care of your vehicles very well.
Leasing can be a good deal.
Jack, what do you think?
I'm right with you.
I think you've summed it up very, very well.
I really don't have much to add.
I mean, we buy cars and then keep them forever.
And I don't think the typical person is going to do that.
I think odds would say that buying a used vehicle is probably the cheapest way to have
transportation.
But there you go.
That wraps up our show for this week.
My new crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same,
is now available in both ebook and paperback form at Amazon.
So look for that.
If you like our show, please pass it on.
Listen on this radio station each week.
Let your friends know where you hear America on the road.
And of course, America on the Road is also available as a podcast, right, Chris?
A quick Google search for the America on the Road podcast will bring us to you on all the
major platforms, Apple, Spotify, all the rest.
Like us, download us, leave us a review.
All those things help us out.
And you can take us with you almost anywhere you go.
Maybe wherever you go, but don't tell us all the places you go.
We have YouTube and Rumble channels.
Check those out.
Look for our America on the Road videos.
And our thanks to Mercury Insurance for sponsoring the show
and to our sports byline network stations for carrying it on terrestrial radio, which we love.
Thanks to you for listening.
We really do appreciate it.
Join us again next time for another edition of America on the Road.
I'd like to tell you about the most exciting and authentic racing novel I've ever read.
It's called Closing Speed, written by award-winning author Ted West.
In 1970, the Indy 500 pole speed was 170 miles an hour.
But at Le Mans, Vic Alfred's Porsche 917 raged down the Mulson Strait at 248 miles per hour.
The racing pit of the Porsche 917 versus the Pevrari 512.
The fastest road racing ever.
And Rodentrack sent a promising new rider, 27-year-old Ted West, to cover it.
He traveled from Brands Hatch to Monza, the Targa Florio, Spa, the Nurburgring and Le Mans.
You got to know the races personally and the women who loved them.
The racing was blindingly fast.
Driving horrifically fragile cars at those speeds took unheard of courage.
That was around every corner and the drama tensely real every moment.
Closing Speed is the most realistic, intimate racing novel ever written.
It's a look into the very heart of the sport, an incomparable racing read.
It's available now at Amazon.
That's Closing Speed by Ted West.
Look for it.
About this episode
The episode dives into the current state of electric and hybrid vehicles, featuring in-depth reviews of the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid and the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD. Hosts Jack Nierad and Chris Teague discuss the significant drop in EV sales following the end of federal tax credits, the latest innovations from Polestar and Jeep recalls, and highlight unique vehicles from the SEMA show. Special guest Ola Aldenque shares insights on the Polestar 4, emphasizing its performance and design choices, including the absence of a rear window.
This week on America on the Road, co-hosts Jack Nerad and Chris Teague get behind the wheels of two fascinating 2025 and 2026 model-year vehicles that approach electrification from very different angles. Jack tests the refreshed 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD, an EV that combines futuristic design, high-speed charging, and luxury-grade comfort. Meanwhile, Chris reviews the all-new 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid, which brings a new hybrid powertrain and off-road chops to a beloved crossover. And in our special guest segment, Jack sits down with Polestar 4 Product Manager Ola Aldensjö to discuss the Swedish automaker’s sleek new battery-electric SUV and its first-of-its-kind lane-level AI navigation system.
🚗 Jack Nerad Test-Drives the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD Limited
With updated bumpers, cabin refinements, and digital upgrades, the 2025 Ioniq 5 remains one of the most forward-looking electric crossovers on the road. Jack explores the high-end Limited AWD trim, which produces 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque from its dual-motor setup. Built on Hyundai’s 800V e-GMP platform, the Ioniq 5 offers ultra-fast charging, competitive range, and loads of tech, including a head-up display with augmented reality navigation and a new camera-based driver attention monitor. Jack dives into the interior design, real-world driving feel, and what sets the Ioniq 5 apart from rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E.
🚙 Chris Teague Test-Drives the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid
Chris checks out the all-new Crosstrek Sport Hybrid, which pairs a 2.5-liter Subaru BOXER engine with electric motors in a new series-parallel hybrid system. Good for a combined 194 horsepower, the Sport Hybrid also brings key tech and safety upgrades like a 12.3-inch digital cluster, 11.6-inch infotainment screen with navigation, and standard blind-spot monitoring. With signature Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a rugged new attitude, this Crosstrek promises to deliver fuel savings without sacrificing off-road capability.
🎙️ Special Guest Interview
Jack chats with Ola Aldensjö, Product Manager for the Polestar 4, from the vehicle’s North American debut in Austin, Texas. The conversation covers Polestar’s use of artificial intelligence, how the Polestar 4 rethinks EV design, and why the company believes intelligent, driver-focused features are key to EV adoption. Ola also shares details on how the new lane-level navigation system works and where it’s going next.
📰 This Week’s Headlines
• EV Sales Go Cold After Incentives End
After peaking in September, U.S. electric vehicle sales dropped significantly in October, falling from nearly 13% of the market to just over 5%. The expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit on September 30 triggered a sharp pullback. Ford, Hyundai, and Toyota all saw major EV sales declines. We look at the numbers and what it means for EV adoption going forward.
• Polestar + Google Debut Next-Level Lane Guidance
Using a forward-facing camera and AI, the new system knows which lane your vehicle is in and shows which one you need to be in, all verified in real time. This breakthrough tech will roll out first in the U.S. and Sweden through over-the-air updates for the Polestar 4.
• Jeep Recalls Over 320,000 PHEVs Over Fire Risk
Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe models from 2020–2026 are under recall after a series of battery fires. Owners are being told not to charge their vehicles or park them near buildings until a fix is in place. Stellantis says a remedy is coming soon and affected drivers will be contacted.
• Ford’s Maverick 300T Brings Turbo Muscle to Small Truck Game
Ford revealed a 300-horsepower version of its Maverick pickup at SEMA. The concept uses a turbocharger borrowed from the EcoBoost Mustang, upgraded cooling, and a Borla exhaust. With 20-inch wheels and a lowered stance, it’s a preview of what could come to market in 2026.
• Toyota Tacoma H2-Overlander Concept Debuts at SEMA
Toyota’s hydrogen-powered Tacoma concept uses Mirai fuel-cell tech and three onboard H2 tanks to create off-grid energy. It features an exhaust water recovery system for camping use and enough power output to charge other EVs or run an entire off-grid site.
📩 Listener Question of the Week
Timothy from Santa Maria, CA writes: “With the end of the year approaching, should I buy new, used, or lease my next vehicle?” Jack and Chris walk through the pros and cons of each option, especially with model-year-end incentives starting to hit dealership lots.
🎧 Where to Listen
Catch America on the Road on this station each week, or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Rumble. Be sure to follow us for new-car reviews, guest interviews, auto news analysis, and more.
📚 Jack’s Newest Book
Jack’s new crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, is available now in paperback and eBook exclusively at Amazon.com.
🎙️ Hosts
Jack Nerad — Award-winning auto journalist and author of Only One Thing Stays the Same
Chris Teague — Longtime auto critic and journalist
📢 Presented by
• DrivingToday.com
• EMLandsea.com
• Mercury Insurance – Switch today and save. Californians save an average of $670.
📺 Watch & Subscribe
Find America on the Road on YouTube and Rumble. Subscribe for road test videos, shorts, and extended reviews.
