Hey Good Lookin’ — 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black Matches Luxury with Flash
America on the Road
Hey Good Lookin’ — 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black Matches Luxury with Flash
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Brand
Chevy
“Chevy” is short for Chevrolet. They’re talking about a long-running deal with baseball that’s ending, and that affects which car brand shows up in stadiums.
Company
Amazon's Zoox
Zoox is a company owned by Amazon that builds self-driving taxi vehicles. They’re trying to bring those robotaxis to real cities, but there are still big obstacles before people can pay to ride them.
Concept
IIHS crash test results
IIHS is a safety organization that tests cars in crash scenarios. Their results can help you see which vehicles are safer in crashes.
Concept
range-topping model
“Range-topping” means it’s the most fully loaded version of that vehicle. It usually has the most features and upgrades.
Car
Jeep Grand
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a popular Jeep SUV. It’s the kind of vehicle people buy for a mix of comfort and the ability to handle rough roads. The guest’s job title suggests they’ll talk about what makes this SUV special.
Brand
Chevrolet
Chevrolet is a big U.S. car brand. Here they’re just talking about how brands like Chevrolet have been connected to popular American sports.
Brand
Ford
Ford is another big U.S. car company. In this conversation, they’re saying Ford is becoming the more prominent automaker in baseball-related branding.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
A Chevrolet Corvette is a famous American sports car. The speaker is saying they’ve owned one for years, so they feel a strong connection to the brand.
Concept
no steering wheel or pedals
If there’s no steering wheel or gas/brake pedals, it means the car is meant to be fully self-driving. Passengers can’t grab control like they would in a normal car.
Company
Waymo
Waymo is a major autonomous-driving company known for deploying driverless vehicles in select cities. The transcript references “hoodoo things” around self-driving operations, highlighting that real-world deployment can face setbacks and public scrutiny.
Concept
electric vehicle (EV)
An electric vehicle (EV) runs on electricity stored in a battery. Instead of burning gas, it uses an electric motor, and companies bet that more people would want them soon.
Concept
write down
A write-down is basically a financial “we were wrong about the value” adjustment. If a project gets canceled, companies may have to admit that the money they put in won’t pay off.
Car
Acura RSX
The Acura RSX is a compact sports car, usually a two-door coupe. It was made to feel more fun to drive than a regular compact car. The podcast mentions it because it’s part of Acura’s history of sporty models.
Concept
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The IIHS is a group that tests cars for crash safety. If a vehicle earns a “Top Safety Pick” or “Top Safety Pick+,” it means it did really well in their evaluations.
Concept
safety standards from the IIHS
IIHS keeps changing what it requires for awards. That means a car that was considered safe a few years ago might not qualify anymore unless it’s updated to meet newer rules.
Car
Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy
The Hyundai Palisade is a family SUV with three rows of seats. “Calligraphy” is the nicer, more loaded trim level, and it’s the SUV Chris is testing this week.
Concept
ride quality
Ride quality is how comfortable the SUV feels over rough roads. They’re saying it’s tuned for comfort, not for sporty driving.
Concept
body lean in the corners
Body lean is when the SUV tilts to the side while turning. They’re saying you can feel it in corners, which is normal for a comfort-focused family SUV.
Term
head-up display
A head-up display shows important info in front of you, usually on the windshield. That way you don’t have to look down as much.
Concept
cross shop
To “cross shop” means you compare this car with other similar cars before buying. You’re looking for the best deal and the best features.
Car
Genesis G90
The Genesis G90 is Genesis’s top luxury sedan. It’s meant to feel extra smooth and upscale, with strong power and lots of comfort features.
Term
heated ventilated and massage seats
These seats do more than just warm up. They can also cool you down and even massage you to help you feel less tired on long drives.
Term
infotainment system
The infotainment system is the car’s main screen and controls for things like music, navigation, and phone features. The host says it’s easy to use.
Term
air suspension
Air suspension uses air springs instead of conventional steel springs, allowing the car to adjust ride height and damping characteristics. It’s often used to improve ride comfort and can help keep the car composed over uneven roads.
Term
zero to sixty
“Zero to sixty” is how fast a car can go from standing still to 60 mph. It’s a quick way to judge how punchy the car feels when you accelerate.
Concept
Stellantis
Stellantis is the big company that owns multiple car brands, including Jeep. The speaker is saying the Grand Cherokee is a major seller for Stellantis.
Concept
three-row seating
Three-row seating is a layout that adds a third row behind the second row, increasing passenger capacity for families. It typically requires more overall length and packaging, which can also improve cargo flexibility depending on how the seats fold.
Term
turbo
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. It helps a smaller engine feel stronger.
Concept
towing capacity
Towing capacity is how much weight the vehicle can safely pull. If you plan to tow a trailer, you want this number to be high enough for your load.
Concept
fuel economy
Fuel economy is how far the vehicle can go on a tank of gas. They’re saying you get strong performance without sacrificing efficiency.
Term
lumbar support
Lumbar support is adjustable support in the lower back area of a seat to help maintain posture and reduce strain. In this segment, the host highlights that many comfortable seats for back pain include adjustable lumbar support, which can be especially helpful on long drives.
LIVE
This is America on the Road named best radio show by the International Automotive Media
Conference and now when it's 33rd 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 I'm wondering if you guys
are in the midst of spring break right now.
No they split spring break into two so we get a week in February and a week in April
so my kids are waiting till late April for that.
So still off in the future.
I think you might have told me that last week but you know I'm an old guy I forget stuff.
Plenty of automotive news to talk about this week.
Major League Baseball which is starting up is making a big switch.
Ending a 20 year Chevy partnership.
It's going to bring in some new programs to ballparks nationwide but what brand is taking
over for Chevy?
We'll tell you coming up.
Amazon's Zoox is taking its driverless robo taxis to two major cities.
Big hurdles still stand between testing and paid rides however.
We'll talk about that.
We have a lot of thoughts about those vehicles.
Sony and Honda are pulling the plug on their Affila electric vehicle.
This is months before launch.
This is a big deal thing I think.
This raises new questions about EV strategy overall.
I have to wonder if this was inevitable given to what's happening these days but Chris
and I will offer our thoughts.
He's nodding along.
New crash test results are out from the IIHS.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and there's one key family vehicle type that
isn't represented at all.
So that's a big one.
I'm wondering Chris are you disappointed by the Honda and Sony news?
I'm disappointed that they waited so late in the process.
I'm sure there's a lot of money wasted on this decision but we can talk more about that.
I was really curious to see what this combination would come up with so I am kind of sad about
that but we'll talk about that.
American on the Road is brought to you by drivingtoday.com, the publisher of my latest
book.
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If you're looking to save some money, you should switch to Mercury for your auto and
home insurance.
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Well Chris what is your vehicle this week?
I drove the 2026 Hyundai Palisade calligraphy.
It's the range-topping model of the redesigned SUV.
It can't wait to tell you all about it.
North American Utility of the Year.
My test vehicle this week is the 2026 Genesis G90 3.5 Prestige Black and I know how Chris
loves black editions.
We'll tell you all about that.
Our special guest this week is Jerry Canlas.
He's director of the Jeep Grand Cherokee name plate so we're going to talk with him about
that and so we've got a ton of show for you.
So thanks so much for being with us.
We do appreciate that and stay with us after the break.
We'll be right back right here on America on the Road.
Welcome back to America on the Road with Chris Teague, Jack in the red back with you.
It's news time and we're so glad you're with us.
That isn't news to us.
We love having you with us and we certainly love to have you extend America on the Road
to others you think might like it.
We appreciate that very much.
Thanks so much for being with us.
Big news I think out of Major League Baseball of course I think folks who listen to the
show know I'm a big baseball fan and played baseball for a long, long time and that kind
of stuff just amateur ball.
But I love it and you know baseball, apple pie and well Chevrolet used to be the thing
but it's not anymore and it's changing to Ford.
What's your quick take on that?
This is kind of one of those things that seems kind of legendary.
It is kind of legendary.
You know you said 20 years that's been almost half my life, not quite, that Chevy's been
associated with baseball so I mean it's another American automaker so I guess it's okay.
But I think Ford has some challenges it needs to work through before it makes big investments
in MLB.
Yeah I mean I watch a lot of baseball of course and I guess a Chevrolet fan I've got an old
Corvette that I've had for years and we kind of have Chevy's in the family and I just kind
of love that association and I'm actually going to miss it.
There are some Chevy ads that almost bring a tear to my eye sometimes that they're so
nostalgic and cool and now I guess that's going to go away at least in baseball so certainly
Ford has a wonderful American tradition too but it's a little different isn't it?
Yeah but I'm sure Ford will come up with some tear jerking commercials too.
They always tend to go back and forth so I'm sure you won't have to wait very long for
that.
Yeah that's true I guess I don't have quite the emotional attachment to Ford that I do
to Chevy but that's okay so that's I guess all things come to an end so after 20 years
something is something new.
Well here's another thing new it's Zooks this is Amazon the Amazon owned company it is accelerating
it's pushing to the autonomous ride hailing and ride sharing kind of business and they're
expanding to Austin, Austin, Texas and of course Miami later this year.
This is an interesting situation too because these are purpose built driverless vehicles
that don't have steering wheels or pedals at all I mean they're not kind of like a repurposed
car as you see with the Waymo cars that are I think Jaguars if memory serves what's your
take on what's going on here?
Well I mean I think you know the driverless steering wheel less cars could be a little
freaky at first but it's not like a passenger is going to hop into the seat of a Waymo and
take over if something goes wrong I think you know that's it's just a perception issue.
Look I've said that I'm not against this and I think the more miles these things do the
better I just hope that the regulations catch up with the industry and keep people safe
while they're doing it.
There have been although it was a couple years ago now there have been some pretty spotty
histories for some of the testing of these things so I hope that they're safe while they're
doing it.
Right.
Zook says it has already had about 350,000 riders and there are about 500,000 people
on its wait list I'm not sure exactly what that wait list is for I think there's some
cars in the future some self-driving cars in the future that people are looking at perhaps
buying it's done it has operations already in Las Vegas and San Francisco of course San
Francisco is where there's been some hoodoo things going on with self-driving cars Waymo's
and others so I'm wondering what happens when these cars break down as inevitably happens
I mean do they have to just go on a flatbed to go back I mean certainly nobody can get
behind the wheel and drive them back there's no wheel.
Yeah and you know you also and I'm bringing this up a lot but you have to think about
these areas if they want to keep expanding they're gonna have to build infrastructure
to back these vehicles because if they come to New England come to Maine come to the Midwest
anywhere like that the charging infrastructure isn't there and you know they're gonna be
traveling a lot longer distances so maybe this ends up being just a very contained
urban sort of thing I guess maybe that would that's the future of this but I'm interested
to see where it goes.
Yeah, Zooks is asking the feds the federal government to get permission to deploy up
to 2,500 autonomous vehicles in the country I mean that seems like a lot of these vehicles
but I guess they know more about it than I do by a ton and you're nodding along so I
think you probably agree with that statement too that they know a lot more about it than
I do.
It's interesting that Sony and Honda this is something that I think had a lot of promise
the Sony Honda Mobility Initiative they were developing an electric vehicle and basically
I think within months of launching this the Affila electric vehicles and now they've decided
just to pull a plug on this no pun intended but I guess there is a pun there this is not
a cheap decision this could cost them a write down of about $15.7 billion that doesn't grow
on trees you know that's but I guess launching in this environment just doesn't make sense
for them.
Yeah I said this to someone earlier today it feels like the Affila vehicle was designed
for a very specific moment in time people were excited about EVs they felt like the
future they felt like you know that was where we were going and that moment passed pretty
quickly and you know it's surprising to me that it took Honda this long to make this
decision you know a few weeks ago they announced that they were canceling the was it the Accura
RSX and a couple of other EVs that they had planned I kind of feel bad for Sony I guess
you know they're kind of getting dragged along with this but I wouldn't be surprised to see
them use some of the technologies they developed with this maybe in partnership with another
automaker.
Yeah that would be interesting I mean certainly you don't want to if you're me you don't want
to get in the brick and mortar business of trying to build cars I mean that seems like
a very expensive proposition with not a ton of margin but you know that's a little inside
baseball on that.
One of the things that was interesting to me was this vehicle was going to cost about
90,000 bucks I mean I can kind of see why they would bail on that I mean it certainly
doesn't seem like any kind of high volume play.
No it doesn't I think they were going to be limited in where they were going to be sold
I'm not exactly sure I think California and maybe a couple other markets but yeah they're
going to start in California.
But yeah I mean it's not surprising but it is surprising that they waited as late in
the game to do to make this decision as they did like I said.
Yeah I found this amusing in the release both the companies say the financial impact is
expected to be quote unquote minimal like if I can write it right off 15.7 billion dollars
and call that minimal I guess I got a pretty big company and I guess these are two very
very big companies so but interesting stuff there it just kind of shows what's going on
with the electric vehicle industry I'm going to be fascinated to see what electric vehicle
share is at the end of the year might not be as strong as a lot of people had hoped
Yeah I mean the over and under of 5% I think is something to look at there.
Well the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its 2026 top safety pick and
top safety pick plus awards they've named 63 vehicles have made the list for those two
categories.
Notably there is one big family type vehicle that has not made the list any example of
it and that's Minivan and it's kind of sad right you know you're a family guy I'm a family
guy I've got three daughters you've got two you know having protection for our kids is
like the job one you know the highest priority I think in our lives right so it's kind of
amazing that a family vehicle like the Minivan doesn't make the cut.
Yeah I've always said I'm a fan of a good van and there are a couple of good ones out
there but you know missing the top safety pick awards doesn't mean that these vehicles
are unsafe I think that's important to say but it's interesting to see that they missed
these increasingly tightening safety standards from the IIHS and the organization has done
this for the past few years now they've been tightening and tightening and tightening knocking
some vehicles out that have been there for years so I think you know many vans will
probably make it back.
Yeah yeah it's interesting and I'm glad you pointed that out they have been tightening
the criteria and that has knocked some vehicles out that would probably would otherwise be
there and I think maybe they're looking at well we can't name everything a top safety
pick or a top safety pick plus I think it's confusing enough to have top safety pick and
have another category that's higher the top safety pick plus so maybe there's a little
splain in today from IIHS but kind of interesting stuff there.
Yeah I'm understanding the difference is you kind of have to read the details right
there are some very specific things that are required to get the plus and not the plus
so yeah a lot of times it's things like headlights and some stuff that seems kind of arcane actually
but how easy it is to latch a car seat into the third row and stuff like that so.
Well remind us of your test vehicle for this week Chris.
I had the 2026 Hyundai Palisade calligraphy.
And I was testing the 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige black yes black so stay with us for
that and we'll be right back with black.
I'd like to tell you about my newest crime novel only one thing stays the same.
As the story unfolds an unemployed aeronautics worker named Bill McCurdy becomes disillusioned
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Only one thing stays the same is available in Kindle ebook and paperback form exclusively
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Welcome back everybody to America on the Road with you and it is road test time and we've
got some really interesting vehicles to talk about including the North American utility
of the year for 2026 that is the Hyundai Palisade and Chris tell us about it.
Yeah Jack I spent the week with the 2026 Hyundai Palisade calligraphy that is the range topping
trim of this vehicle you can get into the vehicle for around $41,000 after destination
that's for a front wheel drive model with cloth interior missing some of the popular
luxurious features. My calligraphy trim was close to $60,000 after options,
custom paint color and things like that. Jack I believe you reviewed this vehicle late last
year do you remember what you thought about it and the general impressions.
I liked it a lot of course we named it North American utility of the year for a reason and
it was up against a pretty strong competition. I just think it's a really good value in its
segment I think it's going to now have very tough competition from the Kia Telluride that I
recently drove and maybe even has some advances over the Palisade but we'll talk about that in
another show. Yeah I agree you know it's a little bit more expensive than it was to start I think
when it came out you could get a fully loaded one for just under $50,000 so we're a little bit
away from that at this point in time but for what you get you're not spending a ton of money I should
say but taking a step back this vehicle comes standard across the line with 3.5 liter v6 making
287 horsepower 260 pound-feet of torque you can get a hybrid with a four cylinder I did not review
that vehicle but the gas model comes with an eight speed automatic transmission front wheel drive is
standard all wheel drive is available in my calligraphy model came standard with all wheel drive
Jack this is a big vehicle the Palisade has always been a relatively large vehicle
but it doesn't drive as small as the related Kia Telluride it feels big feels heavy and I think
this redesign kind of accented that for better or worse probably for worse in this case but the
ride quality is good it's got a very comfort oriented ride quality but the trade-off there
is that handling you know nothing anybody's going to take this on a canyon road and expect it to
be a performance car but you do notice some body lean in the corners and things like that
it's also not as maneuverable in parking lots as the Telluride feels or even something like
the CX90 do you remember that what do you think about that well I think it's kind of a matter of
relativity right let's talk to Einstein about that you know I drive a Chevy Tahoe a lot I drive
larger cars so to me the Palisade isn't all that big it is a little longer than it was before I
think if memory serves wheelbase is like 2.7 inches longer or something like that so it is a bit
longer the Telluride is riding on the same platform so the new one has the same wheelbase
I think it's fairly maneuverable but again like I say depending on what you're coming out of if
you're coming out of a GR Corolla it's a lot different than if you're driving a Tahoe and
then get into the the Palisade well to be fair I had this vehicle sandwiched between a Lincoln
navigator and a Ford Expedition so it was a refreshment a refreshing change over those two
vehicles but you're right coming from a smaller car it does feel big but the good news is the
higher trims especially the calligraphy has a very good camera system it's got a 360 degree
camera system and very touchy parking sensors I will say so you're you've got some good monitors
to help you get around when you need it inside this vehicle with captain's chairs which is what
my vehicle had seats seven people if you get a second row bench seat you get eight seats
the interior in this vehicle could easily come from one costing 10 or $15,000 more than what this
car does feels very nice especially in the calligraphy trim you get Napa leather upholstery
which is a big upgrade over the synthetic leather the cloth upholstery that lower trims have
he didn't ventilated front seats in the calligraphy trim he didn't ventilated second row seats and he
did third row seats in this vehicle so if you live in northern in a northern climate like I do
then all the people on all the roads can be warm from their seats you have a good room up front
the ergonomics are great here this vehicle also has a head up display so you're not looking around
to figure out your speed and things like that and Hyundai the redesign moved the gear selector from
the center console to a stock selector on the steering column so you have more space to kind
of move around and put things down in the front if you have kids it's a good place to store like a
diaper bag down and underneath some of the area there so I really like that even though I don't
love hitting my knee on the stock shifter on the on the steering column quite a bit you get a 12.3
inch touchscreen in all models higher trims come with a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster wireless
apple car play and android auto are standard and a 14 speaker both stereo system comes in the
higher trims jack we've talked about this until we're blue in the face I adore Hyundai and Kia's
infotainment systems they are not as flashy or have as many animations as some of the others
but they're easy to use the swipe menu system is very nice it's not that distracting while you're
driving and you still get plenty of great features even in the lower trims because of the standard
infotainment system this top trim also came with a wide range of safety equipment that you get in
in the lower trims too like blind spot monitoring forward cross rear cross traffic alerts forward
collision warnings adaptive cruise control and my test car also had blind spot cameras which helps
a lot getting onto highways and changing lanes so I think if I were going for this vehicle I would
go for a middle trim you still get nice features like a sunroof and synthetic leather feels pretty
nice too so you don't have to spend the full 60k here to get the full experience so all around I
enjoy the vehicle I like the redesign I think the styling updates were nice and I approve yeah
I think it's a terrific value and I would cross shop it against the telluride these days because
that's coming out interesting stuff any interesting powertrains in those vehicles too so very very
cool stuff I was driving a vehicle I don't usually lead with looks but in this case I'm going to
because the genesis g90 especially in this trim the trim that I had was it was the 3.5t prestige
black just is arresting in a lot of way I mean it was stopping traffic it was I parked it in front
of a ritz carlton hotel because I was going to an event there and there were you know a lot of
fancy cars there and this was getting a ton of attention by the civilians who were walking
through the lobby and walking out into the the plaza there this is a vehicle that really does
stop traffic especially in this trim I mean this is something that it's just darn good looking I
mean we have praised genesis styling for a long time but this is one that really stands out what's
your take on that Chris yeah I've said this before the gb70 was the only vehicle I ever had one of
the first vehicles I had that people stopped and took pictures of and it remains a great looking
vehicle so yeah I'm a fan yeah so they've they've done some good stuff with this I mean it was good
looking before pricing for the g90 starts at just under $95,000 so this is not inexpensive
and climbs past $107,000 so that's certainly a full-size luxury trim this is what I think the
the vehicle I was driving is the brand's most refined expression of its flagship it has a 3.5
liter twin turbocharged v6 standard oil will drive and just good comfort good performance
not as not sports car type performance but just absolutely what a big luxury sedan should be like
plenty of power plenty of torque when you need it effortless passing power I drove from my house in
in the beach cities here near Los Angeles up to Santa Barbara and beyond for this event and
so a lot of cool cars were going along and I was getting a lot of stairs in this thing
and it felt terrific doing that going up the the 101 there it has those blacked out exterior
details that I know you're so in love with Chris and nice looking 21 inch wheels I just think this
gets your attention in so many ways and then there are the premium materials inside it has
heated ventilated and massage seats so something very appreciated when you're driving two or three
hours at a time plenty of tech in the cabin it has frankly an infotainment system very similar
to the one you were talking about in the Hyundai Palisade but easy to operate giant and then it
has the bang and all of a sudden audio system so sound is terrific super comfortable inside
as I say plenty of passing power and all of that it has air suspension plenty of driver
assistance systems that are not not really intrusive and I appreciated that what do you think about
the the level of safety and convenience features in in these Genesis models that we're testing
well it's hard to call it the car of great value at a hundred thousand hundred seven
thousand dollars but you do get a lot right I mean even the the less expensive one at ninety
five thousand dollars comes packed with with a lot of these technologies and as you say they
work well they work as expected and they're not like scary when they do alert you to things yeah
I think one of the things I kind of appreciate about this is it seems like the German luxury
vehicles are so filled with tech you almost they almost overwhelm you with it and overwhelm you with
everything and I think the G90 maybe it just shows I'm a simpleton or something it just kind of has
just enough tech and and just enough horsepower and just enough overall goodness to to make it seem
really good yeah I think you'd be hard pressed to get the all that the s-class or the seven series
could offer you in this segment so it's nice to have a good smattering of useful technology and
then generous safety tech on top of that yeah it has what they call an electric supercharger it's
really a hybrid system a a mild hybrid system that adds some electric power to this in the
ESC model zero to sixty and five point one second so certainly quick enough fun to drive eight speed
automatic transmission works well and like I say as you're driving this thing around I should
mention the back seats because I you know put some of my family into the backseat and boy they love
that the stretch out room is amazing I noted that in a lot of areas this is a chauffeur driven car
and the backseat is where the owner sits so it's certainly well equipped for that too isn't it
it is the back seats are great especially if you have kids my kids love getting back there and
pressing the buttons and experiencing the reclining seats and things like that so
even if you're not an executive being chauffeured you can get some good use out of the back row
in this car yeah I mean certainly you don't have the prestige of the BMWs or Mercedes Benzes but
boy this is a looker and you know certainly one I think to examine if you want a large luxury car
I think there's a lot to like about the Genesis G90 especially in this trim I agree even though I'm
not a big fan of the black editions yeah yeah this is maybe a cooler one than the usual well when
we come back we're going to have a terrific guest his name is Jerry Kanlis he is in charge of the
Jeep Grand Cherokee nameplate so stay with us for that and we'll be right back
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check your head back with you getting the opportunity to drive some great jeep vehicles today outside
Malibu california we're in the hills above Malibu at the calamigos ranch and with me as a
terrific guest jerry canlas is the be all and end all on the jeep grand Cherokee one of the most
popular vehicles out there uh thanks for being with us thanks jack thanks for having me big changes
to the 2026 grand Cherokee put it in context i mean this is a vehicle that's super popular has
been for a long time so tell us a little bit of history before we dive into what's going on for
26 absolutely so grand Cherokee you know we introduced it back in 1992 and we consider it
one of the original luxury SUVs you know when we brought that out we drove a lot of excitement
into the segment and in the entire landscape in fact since then we've sold over 8.2 million globally
so very proud and that's a testament to the innovation but also to the owner loyalty
because a lot of our customers come back and repurchase another grand Cherokee and we're very
proud of that yeah heavily awarded too right tons of awards for those people we consider the most
awarded SUV yeah because it's been around so long and again a lot of owner loyalty and that's
probably the biggest award that we we cherish right owners coming back to repurchase another one
yeah yeah well where's your one thing but people coming back really tell you something
so there's a lot of history with this vehicle and a lot riding on it this is a very important
vehicle for Jeep for the you know Stellantis tell us about that a little bit yeah so for the last
few years it's been the number one selling nameplate for Stellantis even within the segment
some of our key competitors at retail we outsell them as well and we're very proud of that because
you know we've got some flexibility we've got the two row for five passenger seating we've got
the three row right for the bigger families and that's a big thing when we introduced the three
row in 21 model year there were a lot of young families that needed the flexibility the third
row sure right so when that came five inch longer wheelbase more cargo capacity more rear
leg room and that helped change the uh or help keep a lot of the young families that might have
migrated because we didn't offer the third row now we go from that flexibility yeah I mean I
had three kids so you could think well maybe you can get by with a two-row vehicle that seats five
but really you can't right I mean people come along you do some carpooling this and that and
it's nice to have that third row they want the leg room they want the extra storage capacity right
they still want to be able to put stuff behind the seats so that's what the Grand Cherokee L does
yeah yeah very very cool well important changes this time around right I think you know let's go
under the hood I mean that's a major major change I think tell us about what you got going on there
sure so let's start with the face right so we updated the face of the 26 model year we got new
headlamps new updated grille updated lower fascia you go on the inside even on the uh
inside the vehicle with the interior we got a 12.3 uh you connect five navigation system standard
on the raito altitude limited and summit uh but the so on most of the volume trims right yeah
not the base trim but yeah over 90 of the volume is covered with the standard uh 12.3 now yeah
but the bigger news is under the hood we've got the new two-liter hurricane four turbo
324 horsepower 332 pound-feet of torque better performance numbers than the v6 penistar but
more importantly even though it's a four-cylinder it still has the best in segment 6200 pounds
towing capacity yeah that's important isn't it yes well again for young families right if you
want to tow your boat or tow something with the Grand Cherokee with the new engine you still have
the same towing capabilities as the v6 yeah i mean it's kind of incredible output for a two-liter
four-cylinder engine right i mean uh really stout output and and tons of torque and torque available
through most of the rev band which is really really important tell it tell how you're able
to do that and why that's important so you know i think when we looked at when the the question
came how do we to our engineers and our powertrain folks we need a package that delivers better
performance in terms of horsepower better performance in terms of torque but it doesn't
lose its capability in terms of towing capacity yeah right and what powertrain can deliver that
so the hurricane four was developed this is the first application in the slantus uh the company
with the hurricane four it is uh exclusively for grand Cherokee right now but again the good thing is
it doesn't underperform versus the v6 it actually overperforms in terms of horsepower and torque
and it doesn't give up any of the capability yeah yeah good fuel economy at the same time a lot
of power and torque right yep yep it's 27 highway 23 combined so and with our large uh 23 gallon
tank we can get over you can get over 500 miles in range yeah and what kind of towing are we talking
about here because towing is important to a lot of these folks is yeah so it's up to 6200 pounds
yeah up to 6200 pounds so that's that's the best in segment versus some of these key competitors
yeah let's talk about the interior of this vehicle uh you know we talked a little bit
about infotainment system but maybe we can dive into it more i'm i'm a big fan of uconnect i
i think it's one of the easiest to use best systems uh a lot to like about that a lot to
like about larger screens right without distracting folks tell us what you think about it yeah so
this is the uconnect 5 it's a continued evolution of the uconnect system now we upgrade from what was
the 10 1 and the limited in the summit now it's a 12 3 that's 10 1 10.1 inch 10 to 12.3 now it's
12.3 right so bigger screen uh easier to use uh and then on the summit we still have the front
passenger display uh that's available on the summit so a lot of technology again for young
families right sure you want the ease of the infotainment for young families we still have the
available um rear uh video for on the three row so a lot of technology infotainment that's
available for our customers yeah yeah it's important this this is a kind of a family vacation cross
country vehicle right i mean not only use day to day which of course most of the time it's being
used day to day but at the same time i think people picture themselves as as taking family
road trips in this and they really do don't they yeah you can imagine a young family right
want to take a vacation go see their grandparents having to drive down maybe down to florida right
get into the uh pack up the grand Cherokee put the kids in the second row put the video monitors on
back in the third row right if there's any you know a little bit older but then the nice thing you
still have storage capacity behind the third row which is best in class and then you've got the
performance with the two-liter engine right better horsepower to get out of the way better torque
but if you want to tow something right no problem you got a trailer sticking in the back
still have the best in class towing i like the fact that you talk about the uh storage capacity
behind the third row because i drive so many vehicles i you know i'm testing a different
vehicle each week and many three rows have just a minuscule amount of space behind the third row
which to me kind of makes them much less useful right i mean you can't really use that third row
if you're going to do any kind of vacation travel at all so that's the benefit right we have the
grand Cherokee two row but the grand Cherokee three row gives you a five inch longer wheel base
so you don't have to sacrifice right with that five inch longer wheel base yeah you get more rear
leg room for the passengers but you also get more storage capacity like you said behind the seats
yeah and the storage capacity in the five and in the two row in the five passenger immense right
still still a lot of room right so if you don't need the third row you you opt for the two-row
this is a vehicle that um both has capability so rugged but at the same time i think very elevated
and you know smooth and in many ways luxurious i mean be maybe beyond brand even uh talk about
that a little bit the nice thing about the grand Cherokee between the laredo the limited
the summit right those trims you can go from hey an entry into the full-sized sv segment
with grand Cherokee with laredo and then you work your way up as you you know get a little
bit older your family gets a little bit bigger you have more discretionary income and you decide
okay you know what i want leather seats i want 20 inch wheels i want dual paint instead of single
paint you know what i want nappa leather right with the limited reserve you know i would i want the
top of the line i want air suspension i want oh now you have polymer leather you get 19
beaker macintosh you absolutely we can go all the way up it's appropriate it's the summit right
sure it's you're going to the peak the ultimate yeah with the summit yeah we can we can draw
a lot of people that might consider hey maybe i get um maybe not so mainstream of vehicle but
with the summit trim they get all the premium amenities in a mainstream brand yeah absolutely
let's talk about four by four systems i mean and you can also get this as a rear drive vehicle
right yes several trims and i think that's important i think there's a lot of areas where
a vehicle that size doesn't necessarily maybe i'm living in one right here in southern california
doesn't you don't really need the four by four capability but at the same time this is a jeep
and you have i think three four by four systems right talk about that yep so it is available in
rear-wheel drive only um and there are plenty of folks right that especially in the small states
that say yeah i don't need i'm not gonna i'm not gonna counter any snow uh but we do have three
old drives four wheel drive systems we have the select track one um that gives you that's standard
on the laredo on laredo x there's no buttons to push it's automatic you don't even have to think
about it that's good because i'm not that bright then once you get into the laredo altitude and
the limited you get to select track two but you get to pick with the select train management system
so it's it's automatically set to auto but you can do sport mud uh and um there's three four different
snow sand and mud sand and mud snow sport and auto and auto yep those are the four yeah
and then you go to the summit yeah now you get the quadri-drive two system so that combines the
select track two plus you get the two-speed transfer case plus you get ELSD electronic
limited slip differential plus you pick up the quadrilift air suspension system so that combination
is not offered in our mainstream competitors yeah one of the things that jeep has done and
you've certainly done with grand Cherokee is kind of repriced and repositioned um i for more value
right yes walk us through that a little bit well so listening to the customers and looking at the
vehicles that they were ordering and buying we decided for 26 module let's reset the grand Cherokee
lineup so as an example when we look at the laredo laredo wax laredo wax used to be just a sunroof
single pane but many customers would get the single pane sunroof and get the tech package
which gives you heated seats heated steering wheel power lift gate remote start so we said
let's combine it let's make it simpler so now laredo wax includes a sunroof and all those
technology features for 2495 on limited customers said you know what i want the 20 inch wheels once
i go to get the leather seats so now we made leather wheels or excuse me no 20 inch wheels
no charge on the limit a lot of customers and dealers would order the limited with the dark
appearance 20 inch wheels and the dual pane so now for 26 model year we created the limited
altitude what does that give them it gives you the same things they could get in 25 but it's a 50
percent discount in terms of that combination yeah i mean it's great consumer service it probably
also helps you build them better right i mean your permutations make it simpler to build i think
yeah once so if you if you really listen to the customer and say okay this is the way we want
to configure it at this price point this is the way we want to configure it at this price point
and if you can build it that way it just makes it easier for them to understand what they're
getting for that price right and it makes it easier to pick the vehicle they want and work
with their dealers yeah that's important for dealers to order be able to order you know the
proper stock right and you want the stock that turns to quickest and that's what we've
tried to do with our reset plan yeah yeah what else should people know about the grand Cherokee
for 2026 i would say you know with the reset plan with more value more content more available
features uh more performance with the new powertrain system uh more call it uh i call i call it it's
got a new face it's got a new heart with the infotainment yeah right or the brain and that
it's got a new heart with the powertrain so yeah that's what i want to leave them with yeah and
thanks jerry canless thanks so much for being with us we appreciate it thank you Henry and that
was our interview with jerry canless he's director of the Jeep grand Cherokee name plate and it was
interesting to me chris that um they have switched over one of the powertrains on the grand Cherokee
to a really interesting new engine that is a small displacement i think it's a two-liter turbo
charged engine it's a pretty big vehicle in fact it could be a three-row vehicle in in some
instances what'd you take on that yeah i think the base engine in the silverado 1500 right now
is a turbocharged four-cylinder engine just like this one look i mean the power's there it's more
powerful it has more torque than the v6 which was the standard the previous standard engine i think
from a perception standpoint buyers are probably gonna look at this and say oh this is a flagship
suv you know i'm paying whatever the number is for a grand Cherokee i would like a bigger engine
in this thing but it probably lets jeep put more money and effort into other areas of the vehicle
because this may not be that expensive or as expensive to produce so go for it i guess the only
thing you're missing there is probably the sound right yeah the sounded i i'm worried about complication
i mean when you add a turbocharger to something i and i think the engine's probably more stressed
than it would than a big v8 wouldn't be but you know i'm speaking like a leadite here so we'll see
how this unfolds kind of interesting and when we come back we will have a listener question so stay
with us for that and we'll be right back right here on america on the road
welcome back everybody to america on the road with christig jack knee rad with you and it is
listener question time our our final segment for this week we'd love to answer questions for you
based on our long experience with automotive so send those questions along to editor at driving
today dot com that's editor at driving today dot com here is a great question i think from leon
and sacramento california which vehicles have the most comfortable seats for bad backs oh what do you
what do you think well surprisingly well not surprisingly i think volvo has some of the
best seats in the business right now and has for many many years uh they're a little bit
pricier but the level of adjustability you get and then the shape of just the seat itself is very
supportive most of them come with lumbar support adjustable lumbar support so you can really settle
in especially on longer drives are very comfortable i think the surprising answer that i'm going to
give is nissan some versions of nissan zero gravity seats are also very good although you
generally have to pay i think you know you go to the higher trim levels or the more expensive vehicles
to get them and then i think as you the vehicle you reviewed earlier genesis has some very comfortable
seats too but my pick is always going to be volvo i think is the top in the industry yeah i mean
for decades volvo has had the reputation of having the best seats out there and i don't think that's
changed much although like you say that genesis is kind of rivaling that now especially with that
massage function that just comes on for you erger motion i think they call it's great yeah well that
wraps up our show for this week i'd like to remind everyone that my new crime novel only one thing
stays the same is 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 we'd love to double our listenership this year and we need
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podcast on any of the major platforms with a quick google search will come to you on apple podcast
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those things will help us out and you can take us with you wherever you go absolutely true we
have a youtube channel we're posting a lot of our road tests and stand-alones on there uh these days
so look for those our thanks to mercury insurance for sponsoring the show into our sports byline
network stations for carrying it most of all thanks to you for listening we do appreciate the
fact that you're listening to america on the road and we hope you join us again next time for another
edition of america on the road i received a letter from 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 arnie red thanks for looking for them today
About this episode
A wide-ranging roundtable covers MLB’s 20-year Chevy partnership ending for Ford, Amazon’s Zoox driverless robo-taxis expanding to Austin and Miami (with big questions about safety, breakdowns, and infrastructure), and Sony/Honda killing their Affila EV project just months before launch—raising doubts about EV strategy and timing. IIHS safety awards also spark debate, notably the absence of minivans. Road tests highlight the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy value and comfort, the traffic-stopping 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black luxury, and a deep Jeep Grand Cherokee 2026 update with a new 2.0L turbo “Hurricane” engine, plus a listener question on best seats for bad backs.
Original notes
This week on America on the Road, hosts Jack Nerad and Chris Teague test the eye-catching 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black AWD and the award-winning 2026 Hyundai Palisade. In the news, they discuss Chevrolet’s swansong as Major League Baseball’s official automotive partner, Zoox expanding its driverless robotaxi service to new cities, and the latest IIHS Top Safety Pick awards that notably exclude a popular family vehicle type. Jack and Chris also dive into the report that the Sony-Honda Mobility project is halting the introduction of the Afeela EV right before it was due to launch.
🚙 Jack Nerad’s Road Test: 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black AWDLooking for high-priced eye candy? Jack Nerad reviews the 2026 Genesis G90 3.5T Prestige Black, the brand’s flagship luxury sedan. It combines a refined 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 (up to 409 hp in e-SC form) with standard all-wheel drive, air suspension, and a quiet, comfortable ride tuned for effortless long-distance travel. The Prestige Black trim adds dark chrome accents and 21-inch matte-black wheels, while the interior offers premium materials, heated/ventilated/massaging seats, executive-style rear seating, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, and an impressive dual 12.3-inch digital display setup. Jack highlights its strong value, smooth performance, and focus on flash.
🚗 Chris Teague’s Road Test: 2026 Hyundai Palisade CalligraphyChris Teague spotlights the top-trim 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy three-row SUV. It features Nappa leather-trimmed seats, a driver-side Ergo-Motion seat with leg cushion extension and integrated memory system, ventilated front seats, and second-row captain’s chairs with 4-way power adjustment and “Relaxation Mode.” Additional highlights include a hands-free smart liftgate, power-folding third-row seats, acoustic laminated glass on the windshield and front side doors, 21-inch alloy wheels, a dual-pane sunroof, an integrated front and rear dashcam, and “Remote Smart Parking Assist.” The Calligraphy is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 287 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, and available with all-wheel drive.
🎙️ Special Guest InterviewJerry Canlas, Director of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Nameplate, joins the show to discuss the latest on the 2026 Grand Cherokee. The popular SUV has significant changes for 2026, including a new turbocharged 4-cylinder powertrain.
📰 This Week’s News Headlines Ford Replaces Chevrolet as MLB Automotive PartnerFord steps in as the new official automotive partner for Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and Little League International after Chevrolet’s 20-year run, with plans for fan engagement, community grants, and sweepstakes featuring F-150, Expedition, and Bronco vehicles.
Zoox Expands Robotaxi Service to Austin and MiamiAmazon-owned Zoox will begin testing its fully driverless vehicles in Austin and Miami later this year, building on operations in Las Vegas and San Francisco while facing regulatory and scaling challenges.
Sony Honda Mobility Halts Afeela EV ProgramThe joint venture cancels the upcoming Afeela 1 electric sedan and puts future models on hold as Honda shifts its EV strategy, issuing full refunds to reservation holders.
IIHS 2026 Safety AwardsThe Insurance Institute for Highway Safety names its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick Plus winners under stricter criteria. No minivans qualified, with officials recommending three-row SUVs for better rear-seat protection.
❓ Listener QuestionLeon from Sacramento, California asks: Which vehicles have the most comfortable seats for bad backs? Jack and Chris lean into their long experience in sitting to answer this important inquiry.
📚 Jack Nerad’s New BookJack’s crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, is available now in paperback and eBook on Amazon — currently at a sale price.
🎧 Where to ListenCatch America on the Road on this station each week, or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Follow for newcar reviews, guest interviews, auto news, and road tests.
Sponsored by Mercury Insurance and DrivingToday.com
📺 Watch & SubscribeFind America on the Road on YouTube and Rumble. Subscribe for road test videos, shorts, and extended reviews.
📨 Email: [email protected]
Check Out Matt DeLorenzo’s Book:Pick up a copy of co-host Matt DeLorenzo’s terrific new book Mercedes-AMG: Race-Bred Performance
Special Price for Jack’s Newest Crime NovelJack is now offering his newest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, at a 67%-off price of just $4.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at this special limited-time price.
America on the Road
Jack Nerad - Host
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