The Subaru Trail Seeker is a Subaru meant for people who want to drive beyond smooth pavement. Here, the interesting part is that they’re talking about how fast it is from a stop—so it’s not just an “outdoors” vehicle, it’s also surprisingly quick.
“Zero to 60 time” means how many seconds it takes a car to go from standing still to 60 mph. Lower time generally means the car feels quicker when you press the gas from a stop.
The Porsche Macan is Porsche’s smaller SUV, and it’s usually considered more “sporty” than typical family SUVs. Here, they’re saying even the Macan’s base version isn’t as quick off the line as the Subaru Trail Seeker.
Term
off-roaded
“Off-roaded” means driving on rough ground like dirt trails instead of paved roads. The host is saying it did well when they took it off the pavement.
The Subaru Outback is a car that’s built to handle rougher roads better than a typical sedan. It usually comes with all-wheel drive, which helps in bad weather. The podcast mentions it in connection with an electric version idea.
Term
Outback EV
“Outback EV” just means the Outback model, but powered by electricity. It’s a way to tell it apart from the regular gas Outback.
“Electrified vehicles” just means cars that use electricity to help move the car. That can be fully electric cars, or hybrids where an electric motor works with a gas engine.
Two-wheel drive means the car powers only one set of wheels (usually the front). It can be cheaper and sometimes more efficient, but it may not grip as well as all-wheel drive on slippery roads.
CVT means a transmission that can change “gears” smoothly without distinct steps. Some drivers dislike how it feels because it can hold the engine at a certain sound level instead of shifting like a normal automatic.
The Nissan Note is a small hatchback designed for everyday driving. It’s the kind of car people choose for practicality and easy maneuvering. The podcast mentions it in a reliability-style context, comparing it to other cars that may have issues.
The Outback Wilderness is a tougher, more adventure-focused version of the Subaru Outback. Here it’s brought up because the speaker is talking about whether they’d buy a Subaru with a CVT.
The WRX is Subaru’s sporty, enthusiast model. In this conversation, it’s important because the speaker wants to drive one and is talking about whether it comes with a CVT or mostly a manual.
A manual transmission is the one where you use a clutch pedal and a shifter to choose gears. The hosts mention it because Subaru sells the WRX manual much more than the CVT.
Take rate just means “how many people choose that option.” In this case, it means most WRX buyers are choosing the manual, so Subaru doesn’t feel pressure to offer the CVT as much.
The Subaru Forester Wilderness is a higher-trim version of the Forester SUV. It’s meant to be a bit more outdoorsy than the base models, and here it’s used as an example of a car people enjoy even if it uses a CVT.
Term
muted green
A “muted green” is a green paint color that’s toned down and not super bright. The host is saying the car’s newer colors are more subtle and upscale-looking.
Term
public perception
This just means what most people think about a car type. The host is saying people assume it’s only for outdoorsy buyers, but it can work for more everyday situations. It’s about the stereotype, not the car’s engineering.
The Crosstrek is a small crossover SUV-style car. It’s meant to be practical for daily driving and can handle rougher roads better than a typical sedan. The podcast recommends the newest version.
Sound damping materials are insulation and damping layers used inside a vehicle to reduce noise and vibration. They help lower cabin noise from the engine, tires, and wind, making the interior feel more refined. In this segment, they’re credited with improving the cabin experience in the “Cross track.”
Term
heated for the two outboard seats
“Outboard” just means the seats on the sides of the row. If only the two outboard seats are heated, that means the left and right passengers get seat warmth, while the middle passenger may not.
They’re talking about the Ford Maverick, a smaller pickup that’s usually priced lower than many trucks. They also point out it’s a hybrid, and that different trims cost different amounts.
A hybrid uses two power sources—an engine and an electric motor. That can help with fuel economy, and it often means the car costs more than the simplest version.
Charging access refers to whether a driver can reliably charge an EV at home or nearby. Limited access—like living in an apartment without a convenient charger—can make EV ownership harder and can affect which buyers consider EVs at all.
This means lots of EVs are parked and driven in the same area. The point is that even where many people have EVs, there still might not be enough charging spots.
Charging infrastructure is the system of public chargers and how well they work. If there aren’t enough working chargers, it makes EVs harder to live with.
A fleet vehicle is a car or van used by a business for repeated, daily work—often with multiple drivers and predictable routes. Fleet use matters because charging access, downtime, and real-world range affect whether the vehicle is practical.
Range is how far an electric vehicle can go before it needs to be charged again. If the range isn’t enough for your daily driving, you’ll have to charge more often.
A dual-motor setup means the car has two electric motors. That can help it launch harder and grip better because it can send power to the wheels more intelligently.
The LA Auto Show is a big car show in Los Angeles where companies reveal new cars. The hosts say they saw the idea there before hearing it again in the news.
The Dodge Charger is a larger sedan that’s designed to feel powerful. People often talk about it as a muscle-car style vehicle. If someone says they’d buy one, it’s usually because they like the performance and look.
The Rivian R2 is an electric SUV/pickup-style vehicle that Rivian is working on. People get excited about it because it’s meant to bring Rivian’s EV approach to a wider audience.
Polestar is a car brand that makes electric vehicles. The speaker says it feels similar to Saab in spirit—quirky and interesting for car fans—even though it’s an EV brand.
Saab was a Swedish car brand with a reputation for being different from most other automakers. The speaker is saying Polestar reminds them of that Saab vibe and fanbase.
An enthusiast audience means people who really care about the driving experience, not just getting from A to B. The speaker is saying Polestar aimed at those drivers, but early EV buyers weren’t mostly enthusiasts.
The Polestar 4 is an electric car from Polestar. The hosts are talking about its unusual rear-window/visibility setup and how they got used to it after driving it.
The Lucid Air is an electric luxury car. The speaker is saying it feels really good to drive—smooth and balanced—because the car is set up well, not just because it’s electric.
Driving dynamics are how the car behaves when you drive it—how it steers, how it grips the road, and how it feels when you accelerate or brake. A “masterful” driving dynamics car feels controlled and fun, not awkward.
The chassis is basically the car’s foundation for handling. “Tuned perfectly” means the suspension and steering are set up so the car feels balanced and responds the way the driver expects.
A wait and see approach means holding back a bit until you’re more sure what will happen. In cars, it can mean not jumping into a new technology right away.
An SUV is a type of car that sits higher and usually has a more upright shape. People often buy them because they feel more commanding and sometimes assume they’re better for rough roads. The host’s point is that for many SUVs, the “higher” feeling is mostly from where the seat sits, not from being much higher off the ground.
Ground clearance is how much space there is between the bottom of the car and the ground. More clearance helps when roads are bumpy or uneven because you’re less likely to hit the pavement underneath. Here, the host is saying many SUVs don’t really have that much extra space.
The greenhouse is the part of the car that’s mostly glass around the cabin—like the windshield and side windows. It helps define what the driver can see and how the cabin looks. The host is saying the “higher” feeling comes from seat height, not from the car being much higher overall.
A sedan is a car with a separate trunk in the back. People call it a “comeback” when more buyers start choosing this classic car shape again.
Term
Ferrari's new, quote unquote, manual
They’re talking about Ferrari offering a “manual” style gearbox. Ferrari usually uses automated gearboxes, so this is interesting—and the “quote unquote” hints it might not be a classic stick shift.
Term
lintake
This sounds like it might mean the car’s air intake. The intake is how air gets into the engine, and that can affect how the car runs.
The Chrysler Pacifica is a minivan made for families. It’s designed to be comfortable and practical for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it because some owners really love it.
Term
S plus mode
“S plus mode” is a sports driving setting. It’s meant to make the car respond faster and feel more exciting than the regular driving mode.
The Ferrari Luce is a model name from Ferrari. It’s mentioned alongside other Ferrari cars, suggesting it’s part of their lineup. The conversation is likely about how the models compare or relate.
Launch control is a feature that helps a car get off the line as fast as possible. It controls things like engine revs and traction so you don’t just spin the wheels when you floor it.
A gated shifter is a gear shifter that has fixed slots (“gates”) for each gear. It can feel more exact than a free-moving shifter, but the mechanism can wear over time if you use it a lot.
Ambient lighting is the soft colored light inside the car that sets the mood. Some cars let you change the color, and it can cost extra depending on the trim.
Term
club mode
“Club mode” sounds like a preset mode you can turn on in the car. It changes how the car feels or looks, kind of like picking a theme.
The Honda Prelude is a Honda coupe that became popular with car fans because it often had interesting, techy features for its time. Here, they’re using it as an example of Honda “trying new things.”
Four-wheel steering means the rear wheels can turn too, not just the front wheels. That can make the car easier to maneuver at low speeds and steadier at higher speeds.
VTEC (called “V-Tech” in the transcript) is Honda’s system that changes how the engine’s valves work. The idea is to make the engine feel more powerful when you need it, without wasting fuel all the time.
Simulated shifts are when a car pretends to shift gears, even if the transmission isn’t actually doing a traditional gear change. It’s meant to make the driving feel more like a manual.
The throttle is what controls how much power the engine is allowed to make. If something interrupts it, the car can feel less responsive when you press the pedal.
“Type R bits” means performance parts that are meant to make a Honda feel more aggressive and track-ready. The idea is that adding those parts to another Honda can make it handle and respond more like a Type R.
The Honda Integra is a sporty Honda, and a big part of its reputation is the manual gearbox in enthusiast trims. The host is basically saying the Prelude would be more fun if it had the Integra’s manual setup.
The Acura Integra is a smaller sporty car from Acura. Some versions are known for having a manual transmission, which means you shift gears yourself. The podcast mentions it because people like that manual driving feel.
A powertrain is the set of parts that make the car move—engine and the stuff that sends power to the wheels. If you want a different transmission or layout, you often have to redesign parts of the powertrain.
“Underpinnings” means the car’s basic structure and engineering foundation. It’s the stuff underneath that affects how the car handles and rides.
Term
suspension bits
“Suspension bits” are the parts that help the car absorb bumps and stay stable when you turn. Better suspension usually makes the car feel more controlled and fun.
Pebble Beach is a well-known luxury resort area in California. Car fans associate it with big, fancy car events where people show off rare and beautiful cars.
Off-road vehicles are built for dirt roads, trails, and rough ground. They’re made to grip better and handle bumps and uneven surfaces than regular cars.
The Ford Expedition is a big SUV that can seat more people and handle longer trips. It’s designed for practical family use and can also be good for towing. That’s why it often gets mentioned when people talk about popular large SUVs.
“Car Week” is when a bunch of big car events happen around the same time, so collectors and enthusiasts can see and buy cars. It’s a fun week because you can watch auctions and previews leading up to the big public displays.
“The Quail” is a well-known collector-car event name that’s part of the broader Car Week ecosystem. It’s typically associated with high-end displays and attracts serious collectors, which is why tickets can be hard to get.
“Buyer’s remorse” means regretting a purchase after you’ve already bought it. In auctions, it can hit when you pay more than you planned because the excitement takes over.
LIVE
Hey, it's that car show back with Lynn Woodward.
This is the part of the show where we actually
start talking about cars.
If you haven't listened to part one,
make sure you go back and listen to that.
Otherwise, enjoy.
It's Lynn Woodward and it's that car show.
The other thing that I really enjoyed
was the Subaru Trail Seeker.
Yes.
I've got that on my list here to talk about
because I was like, you're very impressed
other than the steering wheel.
But tell us about your...
We just say, never in my life did I think
I would be comparing or speaking about
a zero to 60 time of a Subaru being faster
than a zero to 60 time of a Porsche.
Yeah.
The Porsche Macan...
And yet, here we are.
The Porsche Macan base model is slower off the line
than a Subaru Trail Seeker.
I mean, there's your sound bite.
What about 10 apples, right?
And it's what?
Four times the price?
Yeah.
Three times the price?
Yeah.
And the Trail Seekers are so good all around.
I mean, I off-roaded it.
They had one at Mudfest.
It did fantastically.
You know, as you expect,
but like you've all off-roaded other Subaru's.
In Europe, they call it the Outback EV.
Wow, come on.
That's what it is.
That's what it is.
And in fact, it looks kind of like the old Outback
and you know, in profile, right?
I'm telling you, that's what it is.
And when you see them side by side,
you're kind of like, oh yeah, that's exactly what it is.
It's basically the wagon, but it's an easy wagon.
If you don't mind clashing plastic finishes or whatever,
that is a wonderful car.
I did struggle a little bit with that squircle or whatever.
I just felt a little silly with that.
I do think that that's something
that a driver will get used to for better or for worse.
I will say that I think the partnership between Toyota
and Subaru when it comes to the electrified vehicles
has probably been one of the most successful
that I would, that I, you know, to date.
I think Subaru also, Subaru oddly enough,
might even be taking a little bit of an edge from Toyota
to me with the way that they're rolling those things out.
I think the getaway is gonna be
a really interesting vehicle too.
Even more impressive than the Highlander EV.
A, it's got a, I mean, just a monstrous power number.
But you can also get it as a two-wheel drive vehicle.
You can't do that with the Highlander.
And it's funny because I had lunch with them not long ago
and they, I don't know if this was off the record or not,
but I think they all, but kind of admitted, yeah,
like, you know, that maybe we should have done something
different, breaking news that it may be
that that's available at some point.
But yeah, the styling on the getaway
was really intriguing to me.
And I can't wait to drive that vehicle.
So yeah, I think they're making a lot of really,
like terrific choices.
Yep, in Lynn with the EVs, you don't have to worry
about the one thing that's always prevented me
from buying a Subaru and that's the CVT.
I just, I'm not buying a CVT.
I'm just not, I can't do it.
I know it's not 2,000 and it's not Nissan or whatever,
but you know, where those would fail after 40,000.
I have, so right now I'm driving the Outback Wilderness
as a long-term vehicle.
And I was in the same camp as you.
I still don't know if I could buy one, but I will say this,
I don't hear it in the way that I thought
I would hear it all the time.
Subaru have refined it so much.
And I'm really curious to drive it on the WRX.
That's where I really would like to have some time with it.
But they don't, they're not interested in giving anybody
a WRX with a CVT because they have an 80% take rate
on the manual transmission.
Why would they even care?
Which is a beautiful thing to hear.
I love it, I love it.
There's a whole crew of guys out right now in England
who are driving the snot out of the WRX all over the place
before a festival of speed, which is awesome.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, I do think that the CVT has come a long way.
And while it may not be the right transmission for you
or for another enthusiast, I will say this,
I think most customers, most car buyers, they don't notice,
they don't care.
They don't care.
And they don't know the difference.
They've got their music on, if there is some noise.
They've also, they're putting kind of paddle shifters
on everything, which I'm like, oh, this is so performative
and like theatrical.
But if that makes them feel better about like,
oh, I need a little bit of a boost
and I can kind of boogie on up the highway,
then that's fine.
But they've come a long way.
So I'm not gonna give them as much crap as I used to.
True, true.
And they're wonderful cars.
I think Lindsay and I both had one of those
for at least a week and-
Yeah, we had the Forester wilderness.
Forester, that's right.
But at least I had the Outback as well.
And enjoyed them both.
I mean, I can see living with it,
but I liked that trail seeker even better.
That's one of those cars to me though,
that it doesn't check off all the boxes
because that one, I wouldn't put on a lovely dress
and pop to a fancy party or a restaurant.
I don't want to be driving around
in a hiking boot all the time.
Yeah, it's a good-
Yeah.
And that's kind of what it feels like,
which is why I think the getaway is so intriguing
is because that looks sexy.
That looks good.
I saw it in the purple paint that I was like,
what is that color?
It's fabulous.
Yes.
Well, and you know what I think was funny
that Tori and I kept commenting when we had the Forester,
and I think a lot of it is the public perception.
Like you said, people think of them as hiking cars,
camping cars, outdoorsy things.
The interior on it was so lovely and impressive.
And felt very high-end,
but that's not what people see
when you're pulling up to the gala in your gown.
And they're like, oh, this is an interesting contrast.
Which is why I would say,
and I haven't confirmed this with them,
but the redesign of the Outback,
I'm betting that that's why they made such a departure
because if you're not buying the Wilderness edition
and you're just buying the regular edition,
it's much more refined.
It looks less rough and tumble.
The colors that they offer it in are very kind of muted.
It's like that kind of a cement color.
It's like a beige color.
It's a muted green color.
These are very sort of sophisticated colors now
that I think they're trying to broaden their base
away from, we're just granola and camping.
Yeah, because there is such,
there's such good cars now.
And I think there's a whole,
like there's a much wider group of people
that would enjoy and benefit
and really would fit their everyday lives
who maybe have not thought of them up to this point
because of the public perception of them as being like,
well, but that's the outdoorsman
or outdoors woman's car.
I need Perry armpit to drive that.
And if that's not me, then I need to look elsewhere.
But really they are like much more universally applicable.
And like I highly recommend.
Cross track, like the latest iteration of the cross track,
they have upped the ante so much on that car
even to the extent of adding some great
sound damping materials
that really have refined the cabin quite a bit.
It's an affordable vehicle,
but now it has just this kind of a,
I won't say sophistication that may be taking it too far,
but I am very impressed with the improvements
that they've made on it.
Oh, and I loved,
you guys just had Dominic Infante on the show.
You guys do.
I loved that sound bite of him
that said, you know, like, we want to be controversial.
We like, if everyone likes us,
then whoops, we're doing something wrong.
And I had never thought of it that way.
And I really appreciated that statement so much
that I was like, oh, I hope people think that way
about me too.
It's like, I know, everyone to love me right out of the game.
I want to go with swimming king.
You want a little trimmer?
I want to be a little, like, I don't know,
I should be crazy or should be not crazy.
Is that this cool or is she weird?
I can't tell.
You're like bringing the turmoil since, you know, yeah.
Always, always.
That was great.
You gotta have a little all the way.
So I just had a cross-track.
So the week that we had Dom on the show,
like totally by chance,
I got a cross-track that week also.
And same thing, I came away.
I'm like, this is a great car.
And like, what an amazing car.
I mean, I, my impression of it, it's so useful.
I think it would be fantastic for like a college student
or somebody that's going to be moving.
Perfect first car.
Because it's a perfect first car.
Perfect first car, great gas mileage.
You can, like we went and picked up, you know,
a bunch of like wheels and car parts
and it handled that with a plumb.
Were they Volkswagen?
There's a strong chance they were Volkswagen.
And, but so we made,
we made that into a day trip to San Diego.
There was no driver fatigue,
like did great on the highway, visibility's great.
And mine was this like lime tennis ball green color
because our friend Andrew Florin,
who's Porsche Oz on Instagram,
he does an all-you-move card and coffee.
And I was like, that's a super colorful event.
So what's the most colorful?
And it was this like bright lime,
you know, kind of muted tennis ball.
Every time I went to get in it, it made me smile.
And I'm like, that's what you want in a car.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
I'll say one more thing about the Outback Wilderness.
I just did a little bit of a road trip
to go to a friend's memorial a couple of weekends ago.
I crammed five people in that car.
So there were two of us up front and three in the back.
And we drove for probably all told three hours.
Those people in the back seat,
totally comfortable.
I mean, and that's,
and that was three across.
And I just thought, oh gosh,
this is going to be terrible.
I'm like, you guys, like, uh, they were, they said,
oh no, these seats, the seats are very comfortable.
They're heated for the two outboard seats.
They were very comfortable.
And I thought, okay, that's the ultimate test is,
is can you smush, can you smush three back there?
Cause I ain't coming.
I mean, yeah, well now, but I have to drive it.
Yeah.
I've got to know because I got to know because this has been
the automotive story, you know, the last couple of weeks,
but what is the Lin Woodward slate take?
I'm so, I'm so curious about this car.
I'm just going to turn my light on for one second.
Because it's getting a little dark in here.
Hang on.
And I can't.
That car show after dark.
Oh, there.
Now I don't look like a ghost.
Okay. So I'm really curious about this vehicle.
Listen, anytime somebody starts a new car company,
I'm all for it because I let the more players are in the,
in the game, the more exciting,
certainly something that is inexpensive at that price point.
I think, yeah, that's fantastic.
A couple of things that I think that maybe I'm questioning
and I not 100% sure how they're going to play out.
Like I look at that little wall behind you, Lindsay,
and I think, okay, great.
That's a lot of options.
You can do that for anybody to make it a really,
truly personalized car.
How much is it actually going to cost them?
So we have a very entry level vehicle,
but you start adding things on there.
It's kind of like the Porsche configurator, right?
That thing we can, it's almost like a fun game.
How expensive can I make this Porsche?
And I do think that those extras,
things that we might not even consider as an extra
are going to start really driving up the price.
So that fabulous price point that you have,
which is entry level,
you're going to blow that up pretty quickly.
Don't forget that the Maverick, I think starts at like 29.
It's not that much more expensive.
And you don't need to be all bare bones on the Maverick.
So not any of the, it's a hybrid,
and that's not the base model, I get it.
There are not, it's maybe apples to oranges.
But my other big question is this,
who's going to buy that?
Because here's the deal.
I think somebody who is looking for a low priced car
is probably somebody who lives in an apartment building.
Like me, I cannot, I don't have access to charging.
When I go out into the world,
my little surrounding neighborhood,
and I live in what I would consider
a high density of early adopters,
high density of EVs,
the infrastructure around here sucks.
You're still waiting five deep in a line
at the grocery store to charge.
Really?
So the people who probably are going to buy this car,
whether for novelty or their kid,
because it's a great first car, inexpensive,
these are people who are probably going to be
a little bit more affluent,
who are probably going to be able to like,
yeah, I can make it purple with a pink this
and a now and then that.
And they have-
Wait, that's Tori's build, wasn't it?
Yeah.
Love it, I love a man-
He's going for the trapper keeper look, if I recall.
Oh yeah, I'll trapper keeper.
But those are the people who have
that infrastructure already at home.
And then you're already kind of discounting
and you're almost eliminating
that low price point necessity.
Until we get the infrastructure sorted out,
I am very skeptical that we are going to have
a high adoption rate of electric vehicles.
And listen, I know it's going to happen eventually,
I embrace it, I love it.
I think they're fun to drive,
but I don't know how,
I just don't, I don't know how it's going to play out.
Yeah, I thought it was interesting that they've leaned
so heavily into this customization thing,
because I thought this was going to be
the perfect fleet vehicle, right?
You've got a warehouse, you plug them in each night,
your plumber or whatever, your Amazon, driver, whatever.
And I think you're on to something there
and it's so location specific.
For me, it's a non-starter
until they come out with all-wheel drive, right?
They can drive a rear-wheel drive pickup truck.
You know, that's 4,000 pounds or whatever it is
in the winter, I just can't.
The other thing to me is, is like this,
it kind of feels like a novelty car.
And who are the people who can afford novelty cars?
Rich people.
Yeah.
Because even the range that you're looking at,
it's not an exorbitant amount of range.
There was one point going to be a dual-motor version,
that's gone now.
So I'm kind of, I want to be excited, I really do.
I want to see them all over the place with polka dots
and different, you know, different configs,
but I'm just not 100% sure that I'm going to see that.
I just, I don't know who the audience is.
Yeah, yeah.
And did I read something that the Fiat Topolino
was coming to the stage?
Yes, 14, $14,000, $15,000.
So there's your novelty car, hell,
you get two of them for the price of a slate
and you don't have to, you know,
claim your slum in it, right?
Yeah, it's, where did that come from?
That was completely from out of nowhere,
that announcement.
I think we saw them, we saw it at the LA Auto Show.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right, that's right.
New York Auto Show.
And I do tours at the show and I just, you know,
I was like, don't get too excited about this, everybody,
cause it's not coming to the US and here we are.
That's going to outsell the 500.
That's going to outsell the 500.
Better believe it.
You heard it here first, everybody.
Yeah.
You're a thief.
Well, Lynn, it's not going to take much, but I mean,
it is cool and it's, it's so cute.
And it's cheap enough, it can be sort of like a goof, right?
I mean, that's, I mean, listen,
if I had just extra cash flowing out of my pockets,
it's like nobody's business.
And I had a charger, right?
That I could, I would buy that thing in a second.
That, that's awesome.
Have you driven one?
Did they let you drive one at the show?
No.
Okay, I just didn't, you know,
I'd like, I'd like Fiat and tell, tell you now,
I'd please send me to Italy and I will go drive one.
Let's, Lindsay will come with me.
We'll have two outlets for one, let's go.
No, I, it would be really fun to be able to do that.
I can't imagine there's a press trip for that though.
There is now.
I tell you what though, I've got a 13 and a half year old,
so does Lindsay, right?
I mean, a few years off from, from driving and, you know,
licenses and all this.
And if that is a safe vehicle,
and I have no idea how that could possibly could be,
but I guess they're selling it, right?
You know?
It's gotta be like driving a paper clip.
Or like a dog.
We're a mile to the high school.
Right.
Like I see the MRI.
Oh, I don't know.
Oh my gosh.
I'd have to drive one, yeah.
I don't know about safety guys.
Like I'm sure it has an airbag.
Right, right, right.
Maybe one.
An airbag.
An airbag.
The required amount of airbags.
It's like a ziplock that just pops out of your,
out of your steering wheel at you.
It's just a pump of air, really.
There's no bad.
The air.
It's a puff.
It's a delicate Italian puff.
You know?
Yeah.
No, I love it.
Again, I love it.
You know, this is, anyone who doesn't believe
this is a great time to be alive
and be watching the automotive industry,
they're not paying close enough attention.
Yeah.
Well, and those are just-
You get cars like that.
You get cars like the Rivian,
like the R2, which I haven't seen it,
but I just, you think, oh my gosh,
this thing is like magic and it's gonna be amazing.
And then you still have, you know,
hypercars and you have electric vehicles
and then you, it's just like, come on, it's awesome.
It's awesome.
I love it.
I love that I get to look at this.
We did lose one recently, Lindsay and Lynn,
and Lindsay, you had just driven a new motorcycle.
Yeah, I had just turned it in when that happened,
the news came out about Polestar being no longer.
Yeah, I'm a fan, you know?
And it always appealed to me because it was kind of like,
kind of took the spot of like what Saab used to be, right?
You know, I know they're Chinese-ish,
but you know, they're still Scandinavian.
You know, they checked off a lot of the same,
you know, quirky boxes for me,
you know, that Saab used to, and now they're gone, you know?
And-
Yeah, I think,
I don't, first of all, I don't know that the U.S.
was really a super strong market for them to begin with.
I liked those cars because they really catered
to an enthusiast audience.
But the problem is, at least they catered
to an enthusiast audience with the way that those cars drove,
but not a lot of enthusiasts were buying EVs.
Yeah.
And so, at least not like at the beginning,
and so I think they really had kind of a difficult proposition.
I kind of almost wish they had not separated from Volvo,
because it doesn't make any sense, right?
No, that was the-
Like, they were the EV arm of Volvo, right?
Okay, perfect.
And then Volvo decided to kind of go all in on EVs too.
And I'm like, well, where's the other guy?
Yes, when you could still buy a Polestar Volvo as of 2026,
right, the performance wagon, right,
that you don't see anywhere, but-
I mean, I love one of those.
And that-
Now we're talking.
Oh, that's the one with like the yellow, you know,
seatbelts, seatbelts, all those things.
It's just, but Lindsay, you just had the,
what was it, the Polestar 4?
I had the 4, yeah, which-
The one without the window.
Without the back window, yeah.
Oh, I haven't driven that.
Was that a weird sensation?
Initially, but you learned to work around it.
And I didn't have it for a full week,
just the way the schedule, my schedule worked out.
So I would say I was like 90% used to it by the end.
I think if I'd had the full week,
it would have been a non-starter,
wouldn't have bothered me at that point.
But you just, you do work around it, you figure it out.
And the rest of the car was so good that I was like,
oh, there's no question that I'm willing to figure out
how to work without the back window.
Because it was just, it was one of those cars you get in,
at least for me.
And it was like an instant,
you were talking about the exhale or the relief,
where you're just like, ah, yeah, I'm home.
And so much space in the backseat,
like my daughter's in the backseat and she's like,
this is amazing, it's cavernous back here.
And just like-
It's literally cavernous because-
Yeah, because there's no window, yeah.
There's no window.
Yeah, literally and figuratively, yeah.
We're in the long town in here, mom.
That's right.
Well, and it just had like,
it was just so many little touches.
And we got back to our building because,
and it's interesting, like I had the lucid air before that.
And like you Lynn, I don't have charging capabilities
in the building that I live in.
So I was like,
this is gonna be an interesting exercise
in figuring this out.
And so, but then we got back to the parking garage
and I'm like, the lights that it had on
when I picked it up were pink.
So of course I was into that.
But it just, it drove so nicely.
It is, it really is.
I was like, this is, yes, I'll say yes.
But yeah, just like-
They're masterful at driving dynamics, right?
I mean, those things are, they're so well sorted.
They're really fun to drive.
There's like a dynamism to them that's great.
The chassis is tuned perfectly.
That's why I was always such a conundrum in my head
because I thought, God, this is an enthusiast car.
Like it's still Polestar, right?
It's still a racing company at heart.
But yet I'm kind of like,
I don't see how this could be like a mass market proposition
in the way that I think they needed to be successful.
I will say this.
I don't like when a company is forced to do something
that maybe is not something that they had planned
or that they wanted to do.
I have no doubt that we will still see them in Europe
that they are successful there.
And so that makes me, that pleases me very much.
So yeah, I mean, it's definitely interesting.
I think there, like any administration you have
is gonna be sort of changing rules.
And I think I was having this conversation
with another, with an automaker and I just,
I said, gosh, especially now, anyone who's not,
anyone who's hanging their hat on something
that one administration says, you can't do that anymore.
Because the pendulum is swinging so far
that you really do have to, I think, be cautious
and kind of walk down the middle of the road
because a lot of those mandates that we were all like,
oh, this is gonna be it, this is it.
And I just think all it's gonna do
is changing one administration
until it goes all the way over here.
And then the next administration, the next time,
it's a different brand of politician in the owner's box
and you're gonna go all the way back over here.
So I think, again, it's a terrible thing
to do to car companies
when you're talking about such expensive decisions.
But I also think that you caught a lot of,
we caught a lot of OEMs kind of with their pants down
because they thought, well, I thought we were all going all in.
What the hell?
Suddenly we're not doing that anymore.
What's going on?
And again, I think it's very unfair
because you're talking about, you're talking about
people's lives and people's livelihoods
and this is a tremendous amount of money.
And not that I feel like a lot of this is political,
political gamesmanship, but some of it feels like it.
And it doesn't feel like it's the right venue
to be playing, because you're playing with people's money.
Yeah, which is, yeah.
So it's a tough thing.
And yeah, I am sorry to see a car company
that I thought was making good products,
even though I didn't necessarily see it
being a broad proposition for the US.
I'm still always sorry to see people leave.
Yeah, unless player in the game, yeah.
Yeah, and I read an article,
they were quoting a source from one of the dealerships
like right after the announcement or the news.
And they said, there's almost 3,000 cars inbound
for the US like right now still.
But like you said, Lynn, like the adoption had not been,
I think it was gaining, but not rapidly.
And so there's an element of like, I don't know,
in the long run, does this possibly help Polestar regroup
if they were struggling in the US anyway,
they can bow out under the guise of this other thing
without having to say like, we decided to pull out
because sales are not great.
And then did they get to come back stronger in the future?
Because they are making a great product.
Like it was really good.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Who knows?
I mean, that remains to be seen.
All I know is this.
I would not want to be an automotive executive
who is in charge of making those decisions
because I do think you're almost damned if you do
and damned if you don't, right?
I almost feel like the companies who have taken maybe
what some people would call as like sort of a,
let's like hang back and wait and see approach,
maybe not at the tip of the spear.
I look at Toyota and I think, boy,
no one looks smarter than Toyota right now, right?
Throwing in hybrid technology and really like,
leaning so heavily into that that now they're like,
well, hey, we're not the EV, V8,
we're the hybrid guy.
And they're kind of, they're kind of looking like geniuses.
I mean, they can't make grab force fast enough.
Yeah, it's true.
It's true.
So we're at an hour and a half and I told you,
yeah, if we can get a good hour and.
Oh, it's fine.
I think we can run over two hours.
No, no, this is wonderful.
I just, you know, I don't want to keep you all night.
No, this is great.
But you know, anytime I can come in and hang out with you guys,
it's always so much fun.
And I mean, listen, there's plenty to talk about, right?
We live in an awesome time when it comes to cars.
We're fortunate enough to be in a fantastic industry.
So yeah.
And there are people who actually want to listen
to what we're saying, which is great.
It's amazing.
Who knew?
I teach myself every day.
I do have one last question for you and Lindsay,
if you have any as well, but what's the state
of like the enthusiasts seen in LA right now?
It seems kind of quiet.
What's going on?
Like what events are you going to?
What's the buzz?
You know, there are the sort of the standard ones,
the local cars and coffees.
I kind of wish I lived in the South Bay a little bit,
you know, to be honest with you,
because I think that the culture there is so much better.
Honestly, I think it's simply by, you know,
matter of parking availability,
that there are more cars and coffees down there.
I have a friend who lives in Torrance
and he's just every weekend,
he seems to be going to a fun cars and coffee
for a couple of hours and making various
and sundry vehicles that he has.
And to me, it would be a long drive to get down there.
And so it's a little bit harder
for me to kind of participate,
but Orange County is just a ripe environment for that.
And so Lindsay, you're so fortunate
that you have an opportunity to be there.
I don't worry about car culture.
I don't worry at all about, you know, the kids.
I think they, from what I hear,
and this is what I love,
sedans are definitely making a comeback.
So the interest in sedan has been refreshed.
I've been saying this for a long time.
I used to work in advertising in a different life.
I worked with Nike.
And I worked with Nike in the late 90s,
early 2000s, like early 2000s, maybe late 90s.
And they were panicked.
They were in a total panic
because they had gone from the number one shoe company
to the number two shoe company behind Adidas.
And they didn't understand why, why, why, what.
I'm sorry, but your kid doesn't want to wear the sneakers
that you are wearing.
And I feel like it's the same kind of thing.
Kids don't want to drive what their uncool mom drove.
And so for us, it was wagons.
I mean, I'm not like, I love a wagon.
But the uninformed people who thought,
oh wagons, minivans, yikes, ew, no, thank you.
I think that we kind of, that's where we,
this proliferation of SUVs came from.
So, you know, Jen, why is that a Jen?
Millennials, do we call them millennials?
I think we should call them millennials.
And Jen Z.
Those little shits.
Right, they're not so little anymore.
Oh my God.
No, that's the problem, yeah.
But I think there was that, you know,
again, it's pendulum swinging, right?
It's like, okay, so SUVs became this thing.
Everybody's like, all in, in.
Ford, we're killing all of our cars.
We're doing all of this stuff, like big drastic things.
And now we're seeing that there's this group of people
who they do care about efficiency.
They do care about economy.
They don't necessarily want to be driving what it is
that their parents are driving.
And frankly, an SUV right now is a little bit
of a poor excuse for just like a slightly raised car.
I mean, can we talk about the ground clearance?
That's ridiculous.
It's like, it's the same.
The ones that can actually claim like ground clearance,
it's a small group.
The only thing that gives them the illusion
of that higher seating position
is where the seat is bolted in, which is higher up
and you've got no greenhouse.
So you're looking out a window that's like this
and you're elevated because the roof is a little higher
and it's puffed up like a puffer fish.
You're not any higher up off the ground.
Your seat is just higher up.
So let's just call the truth the truth.
However, I am very encouraged
because I think sedans are on the comeback
and you know the other thing
that I think is gonna make a comeback?
Yes, wagons, wagons, wagons, wagons.
I mean, we all love them.
We love wagons, but we love them.
We love wagons for a good reason.
It's not just like, oh, it's cool and it's brown
and it has a manual transmission.
No, they're excellent to drive.
They are definitely more efficient
and they are still as practical as an SUV
but you're not having to sit up here in order to do it.
So I think for those people who have that kind of mentality
of like, well, again, we're checking off boxes, right?
It's like, what is the mission here?
I think for those people who use their car
as a utility item, we'll see the logic in that.
Yep, yep.
There's so much we didn't get to.
I wanted to ask you about Ferrari's new,
quote unquote, manual.
Can we just talk for one second about all of these things?
I wonder the lintake on this because.
Okay, okay.
Oh my Lord Jesus in heaven.
Ingalls, take the wheel.
Ingalls, take me now.
I can't deal with this.
No, okay, so I mean, I think it's really funny.
Can you guys follow Angela's death highway?
We love Angela's death.
And speaking of what?
You had him on before Spike did, yeah.
This is a cut in?
No.
Was it anonymous?
Yep, with a voice disguise there.
Yeah, all of it, anonymous Gmail account, all that.
Oh yeah, the whole thing.
But so we do have to drop in a little callback
and Easter egg for those dedicated fans.
He might be the most ardent Chrysler Pacifica enthusiast
there ever was.
Get out of here.
You may not be a crew, but yeah.
Well, then he's probably not a journalist.
I don't know.
All of us are like, was he at the event?
I don't know because I was at that Mercedes event
with the things going off on the bridge
and he got it all down very, very perfectly down to Brad Pitt,
literally getting out of a car going, hey,
and walking out and getting probably paid a lot of money
for it.
Loss and loss, yeah.
Here's the deal.
And I feel like this about the Honda prelude
kind of did a little bit of this with their S plus mode.
And I'm not, all of the Mercedes and Ferrari engineers
are probably like rolling around going, ah, no.
But this whole idea that theater or a lot of spectacle
is going to actually change your driving experience,
I'm a little on the fence about.
To me, it's tantamount to the Star Wars ride at Disneyland
where you're sitting in a seat and there's a screen
and they're like rattling you around like this
to make you feel like you're going like this.
But you're not really going light speed.
It's just, it's like a sensation.
And to me, it almost feels like a little bit of a novelty.
I'm very curious to see all of the people who buy those cars.
Yeah.
Whether it's the prelude, whether it's the luce,
whether it's the the GT four door coupe, how many times,
how often are you putting it in that theatrics mode
and driving like that?
Lynn, it's like launch control, right?
You impress your friends a couple of times,
then you forget about it.
And I think that's what's going to happen to this damn gated
shifter and this.
I think it wears.
I think it wears thin.
I think that wears out when you're like,
I'm not going to press a button because it's fine.
Like I'm just going to get in and drive it.
To me, it's almost like ambient lighting, right?
What person goes in there and is like,
I'm in a purple mood right now.
I mean, maybe there's a couple of people,
but I don't want to spend the extra money on ambient lighting.
If that's going to cost me some cash,
just set it to blue or don't do it at all.
And I'm cool with it.
Again, I might be the old lady in the room
who where the kids are like, no, I'm in a club mode
and I'm going in the, you know, rocket red.
Oh, it's like fine.
I just don't think over and over while I'm driving.
So it's rotating through for like a true club, right?
Where's that mode?
Where's the disco ball mode?
Yeah.
So I'm just not convinced that the juice
is going to be worth the squeeze.
Yep.
I wouldn't, I'd be like, OK, oh, oh, brrr, brrr.
Like it's making a big noise, that's bad.
And it's a moot point because they're what, making 14 of them
or something.
But it almost felt, and this is my issue.
This is my issue with Honda because listen,
the prelude is another great example, right?
Yeah.
The prelude was known for coming out
with really innovative new technology, right?
Like this is what they like hung their hat on.
Four-wheel steering.
Four-wheel steering, the V-Tech, you know, engine,
like all of these things that they had,
that they implemented in these cars.
And they're telling me that the new thing
that they're trying out is this like noise
and simulated shifts.
And I think, OK, that's supposed to be the secret sauce.
Oh, it's going to change the way you drive.
And I'm like, no, it's not.
I'm still driving exactly the same.
In fact, it's making me slower to put that stuff on
because you're actually just interrupting my throttle.
So I'm not a fan of that.
To me, the secret sauce in the prelude
is the fact that you've got Type R bits underneath there.
That makes it a great driver.
It makes it really fun.
It's like really fun.
But you've got a 200-and-something horsepower engine
that's like whatever.
But put the manual from the Integra in the prelude, right?
Done.
I asked them, I'm like, when's the SI?
When's the prelude SI coming out with the manual?
And they're just like, maybe?
Well, we can't talk about future products.
I don't know how they would do it because they have
to change the powertrain on that.
Right, right.
It's a delightful car in so many ways.
Got a lot of looks for the hell.
It's a little too, it's too rich for people.
It is, that is.
It should be $10,000 cheaper.
I have a theory, though, on who that car is for.
That car is for somebody who's in my generation
who is a car enthusiast for sure.
They love the idea of driving a manual.
They just don't want to actually drive a manual.
They love the idea of a sports car,
but they still need it to be a little practical
because they got a thing and they got to do a stuff
and they got it, but I can't.
But they also do, every once in a while,
they like to do a little spirited drive like,
oh, I'm going to get on this on-ramp.
I'm going to hit this impact right here on this on-ramp
and I'm going to zip on out of it.
And so they do appreciate the underpinnings
and some of those suspension bits on the Type R.
And are there 6,000 of those people?
Because that was the number that Honda wanted to hit, right?
6,000 was how many they wanted to sell.
I asked one of them not that long ago,
did you hit the number?
And he said, yep.
Okay.
So maybe there are 6,000 people who are like,
I don't want to commute the manual.
Why do I want to do that?
Why would I do that to myself?
So, you know, is it sustainable?
I doubt it.
I don't know.
I don't know that they're going to be able to hit
that number every single year or that they even want to.
But I got to also tell you, gosh, I love that they tried it.
I love that they did it.
Maybe there are those people who are moaning and,
well, this is just basically the coop.
They should have just continued the coop
instead of doing this and it's $10,000 more than the sport
and what are you doing?
Yeah, sure, those are all really valid arguments for sure.
But boy, that interior is gorgeous.
That's top notch interior, that's a top notch interior
for someone, again, for the demographic
in which I am discussing.
That's like, I want it to be nice.
I want it to be lovely.
So I don't know.
We all turn into our parents eventually
and our priorities change.
Oh, that's sad.
It's sad.
It's a great little car in so many ways.
I think so.
Fun to drive.
We're four weeks from car week?
Is it four weeks?
Crazy.
Is it that?
Oh my gosh.
We should do a show if you're up for it afterwards,
sort of just unpacking the whole thing.
Because each year it's just a little more
than the year before, as you know.
But what are you looking forward to?
Like, what do you do during car week?
Like, what are the things you hit didn't avoid?
I am a guest of JLR this year.
So I do attend a lot of the events that they put on.
From what I hear, they're doing quite a bit with Defender,
which I think sounds really terrific.
They always, they have a great reveal always
for some special Range Rover that they do,
which is always usually really, really,
it's like a special edition.
It's always super cool, super luxe,
and like really beautiful interiors and great colors.
I'm actually looking forward to the quail this year.
I have not been the last couple of years.
I kind of got burned out a little bit on it
because I like the cars.
I don't necessarily like the crowds.
So I've sort of kind of avoided that event
because it does get very packed.
But I am really looking forward to it this year
because it's been a minute.
Sometimes when you have in a while,
you're looking forward to it.
I always love going to the Concord Delemons,
which is fantastic fun.
I mean, it's like top notch, great car show.
It's just hilarious.
It's entertaining to me.
That is the spirit of enthusiasm at its finest or worst,
whatever, whichever way you want to put it.
And so I always get really excited about that.
But my favorite event by far is Concord Sunday.
Yeah, especially.
Last year, I had another event that I went to
during the week and so I wasn't able to come
until I think I showed up on Saturday afternoon.
And it was kind of perfect
because all I did was like a dinner on Saturday night.
And then the next day, I just did the Concord.
I like going early, not dawn patrol.
The only way I'll do dawn patrol ever
is if I'm staying at the lodge at Pebble Beach,
I can roll out my pajamas.
I can get the donut and the hat
and then I can go back to bed for a couple hours.
But that'll never happen and that's fine.
Well, and it's the 75th anniversary of...
Is it 75?
Oh, this year?
I hear they're also doing a mirror.
There's a Lamborghini mirror display
that's happening, which is fabulous.
I think it's the 75th year of that car, maybe, 70 years.
That's hard to believe.
50 years, 60 years.
I can't remember.
It's my anniversary.
The mirror is gonna be featured.
I'm pretty sure that Land Rover is doing something as well,
which, I will say this,
the last couple of years they've had off-road vehicles
on the lawn, they were the first ones
to really do a significant showcase of off-road vehicles,
whether it was the Queens, some of the Queens vehicles,
or some of their great expedition vehicles last year.
Huge hit, which to me also indicates,
oh yeah, we're doing fine
because the young people love those cars.
They're not necessarily into the pre-war Duesenbergs
and the Dela Hays, they don't necessarily know what that is,
but boy, a lot of the young people
really love those kinds of vehicles.
There is so much to look forward to at Pebble this year,
so yeah, I cannot wait to go.
Are you guys going?
Yes, so excited, cannot wait to be there.
Awesome.
I'm very fortunate to be there.
Look forward to seeing you guys there.
Do you go to the auctions?
Sometimes I think the auctions
are some of the most fun moments.
Absolutely, and this is what I tell people,
like I want to go to car week,
but I can't swing a ticket to the quail or whatever.
I say, go to the auctions.
Yeah, there's so much excitement there.
Right, go to the previews or whatever, at least.
And see what's out there, because you're gonna see
the stuff that's gonna show up on the lawn next year, right?
100%.
Also, it's really fun to watch all of those loaded people
get just super frothy about like,
because that's the moment where you're just like,
you're really like, you're shooting,
you're way out over your skis.
You're just like, yeah, I want it, it.
Sure, I'll pay a million dollars for it.
And then afterwards, you probably have buyer's remorse,
but the environment, the in the moment is epic.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, there's nothing like car week,
and it's just, you know, you two are somehow managers
to be more and, you know.
I know, talk about it.
We say this every year.
I mean, talk about a trip that is re-entry
is nearly impossible every time,
because you're just like, no, I just came back from.
I'm older now, and to me, the re-entry is a relief
because it's so exhausting.
It can be so exhausting.
But I mean, that really was the event
that first got me into this business.
I mean, I think I told you guys this last time,
I went, 2015 was my first year going,
and I was working on the infinity activation
that was at the top of Peter Hay Hill.
I had no idea the world I was about to step into,
and I just was overwhelmed.
And ever since then,
it's had a very, very special place in my heart.
So I love being able to go back and kind of relive that,
that almost childlike excitement and exuberance,
because it's just cars,
and you're just like, what's that?
What's that?
Well, your head's on a swivel.
Well, I'm like, where the drive there and back
is just as crazy as whatever you're gonna see at the event.
I mean, there's one place,
that's the only place in the world where that's true.
Decided today that I'm taking the Porsche up there,
so have fun. Nice, nice.
Well, we look forward to seeing both of you.
Thank you.
Yeah, yeah.
All right, we better call this a night
because we're in your two hours
and you have been lovely.
Okay, fine, fine, fine.
Well, no, it's always, I mean,
any excuse to hang out with you, right?
Yeah.
It's really fun and we have to get together
and have dinner again sometimes.
I know.
In person.
And Ryan, I can't wait to see you up in Monterey.
It's gonna be great.
I know.
I look forward to it.
I look forward to it.
Maybe we can do like I said, a post mortem,
or whatever you want to call it.
Well, let's do it.
Yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it.
Awesome.
Pencil it in.
Guys, thank you so much for having me on.
Thank you.
Thank you.
We will have you back soon.
Until next time.
Thank you so much for joining us to our audience
and thank you to Lynn always.
It's so much fun to have you.
And we appreciate everybody being here,
listening, sharing the show with their enthusiast friends
and of course, leaving five star reviews.
Remember, always be driving.
We're that car show and we'll see you next week.
And if you don't follow me already on Instagram,
follow me on Instagram.
That's right.
She's in.
She's a good follower.
One and two underscores.
Woodward.
Two underscores.
Awesome.
All right.
Thanks so much, Lynn.
We'll let you get on with your life,
but I really appreciate it.
This was a great conversation.
You bet.
Always.
Talk soon.
About this episode
Lynn Woodward returns for part 2, diving into Subaru’s latest EV and gas lineup with plenty of real-world impressions. A standout debate: a Subaru Trail Seeker can beat a Porsche Macan base model 0–60, raising eyebrows about value and performance. They discuss Subaru’s refined CVT fears easing over time, plus the WRX’s manual popularity. The conversation also covers Subaru’s shifting “granola” image via nicer interiors, muted colors, and cabin upgrades, while highlighting practical wins from the CrossTrek and Outback Wilderness (including road trips and fitting three across). They end by weighing a new, customizable car concept—great entry pricing, but concerns about option creep and who it’s really for.
This week, on That Car Show, it’s one of our favorite people: Kelly Blue Book’s Lyn Woodward.
This one’s got of laughs and goes really, really. long… as we tend to do when Lyn is on. So, we split this one in to two parts. Make sure you download both.
We have mixed opinions on the new Jeep Cherokee, Lyn shares her own unique take on SLATE, we give the 5th-generation 4Runner some love, celebrate the surprise of the year in the Subaru Trailseeker, and bemoan how poor Polestar got the Showtime at the Apollo hook. Also, Lyn faces the Black Death with The Dream Academy as soundtrack.
