The AutoGuide Show Oct 27, 2025

New RAV4, 911 vs Vette, Revuelto, Scout VP Talks

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Term

hybrid

A hybrid car uses both a gas engine and an electric motor to drive. This helps it save fuel and produce less pollution than regular cars.

Car

The Toyota RAV4 is a popular SUV known for being versatile and fuel-efficient. The 2026 version is a hybrid, which means it uses both gasoline and electricity to run, making it better for the environment.

Car

Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is a type of SUV that uses both gas and electricity to run, making it more efficient and better for the environment. It has a modern look and is comfortable for passengers.

Car

Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage is a small SUV that is popular for its comfort and technology. The hybrid version uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor to save on fuel.

Term

limited

'Limited' is a name used for a version of a car that has more features than the standard model. It usually means it's a bit fancier or has more options.

Term

forester

'Forester' is a model of SUV made by Subaru that is popular with families because it's practical and spacious.

Concept

GR Sport

GR Sport is a special version of some Toyota cars that makes them look and feel sportier. It usually has better handling and a more aggressive design.

Brand

Subaru

Subaru is another car company from Japan that makes vehicles designed for tough conditions, like snow or off-road driving. They are popular among people who enjoy outdoor activities.

Term

TRD Pro

TRD Pro is a special version of Toyota vehicles made for off-roading, with better parts to handle rough trails and dirt roads.

Car

Chevrolet Malibus

Term

horsepower

Horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is. The more horsepower, the faster and quicker the car can go.

Car

Toyota Camry

Car

Chevy Tahoe

The Chevy Tahoe is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's great for families and has a lot of space inside.

Term

6.2 liter

A 6.2-liter engine is a big engine that can produce a lot of power. It's often used in trucks and SUVs to help them carry heavy loads or drive off-road.

Car

Chevrolet Camaro

The Camaro is a sporty car made by Chevrolet that is known for being fast and stylish. It's a favorite among people who love cars that look and drive great.

Car

Chevy SS

The Chevy SS is a sporty car made by Chevrolet that has a strong engine and is good for driving fast. It's also big enough to fit a family in it.

Car

Mazda Speed 3

The Mazda Speed 3 is a sporty version of the regular Mazda 3 that has a turbocharged engine, which makes it faster and more fun to drive.

Car

Mazda Speed

Term

infotainment

Infotainment is the system in your car that lets you listen to music, get directions, and connect your phone. It's like a computer screen for your car.

Car

Hyundai Palisade

The Hyundai Palisade is a family-friendly SUV with lots of space and modern tech features. It's great for road trips and everyday use.

Term

traction control

Traction control helps your car keep its grip on the road, especially in slippery conditions. It makes sure your wheels don't spin too much when you accelerate.

Car

Infiniti QX80

Brand

Mercedes

Mercedes is a famous car brand that makes luxury vehicles. They are known for their high-quality cars that often come with lots of features and technology.

Car

Nissan Armada Nismo

The Nissan Armada Nismo is a sportier version of the Nissan Armada SUV, made to be faster and more fun to drive. Nismo is the part of Nissan that focuses on making cars perform better.

Car

Ford Mustang

The 2026 Ford Mustang Mach E California Special is a special version of Ford's electric SUV that has sporty features and a unique look. It's designed for people who love driving.

Car

Porsche Macan

The 2026 Porsche Macan GTS is a sportier version of Porsche's small SUV. It has more power and better handling, making it more fun to drive.

Car

Ford Bronco Sport

Car

Porsche 911

Car

Porsche Cayenne

Car

Toyota Cruiser Fj

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ is a smaller version of the Land Cruiser, known for its off-road abilities. It's designed to be cute and compact, making it easier to drive while still being tough.

Car

Toyota Land Cruiser

Car

Toyota 4Runner

Car

Jeep Wrangler

Car

Toyota Hilux

Term

Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay is a feature that lets you connect your iPhone to your car so you can use apps and music on the car's screen.

Brand

GM

GM stands for General Motors, a big car company in the United States that makes many different types of vehicles.

Car

Chevrolet Corvette

Car

Cadillac Ctsv

Car

Bmw I8

Car

Lamborghini Urus

Car

Lamborghini Countach

Car

Honda Passport

Car

Audi Q7

Car

BMW M2

Car

Lucid Gravity

Car

Jeep Wagoneer

LIVE

Hello and welcome to another episode of the AutoGuide show.

This week we talk about nothing less than one of the biggest new car launches of the

year, some interesting new reveals in the news, and a whole bunch of hybrid sports cars,

supercars, hypercars, all over the place.

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Okay, everyone, welcome back.

This week, Greg is subbing in for Mike, who is out on the road because that's happening

a lot in this final quarter of the year.

And to that point, we're going to kick things off by talking about a vehicle I drove three

times in the last two weeks.

I am talking about the 2026 Toyota RAV4, which is now all hybrid.

The plug-in hybrid is back and it has a new GR Sport model.

And I drove this in both Canada, where it is built, and in the US, which is where it's

also built, although I didn't drive by the factory there.

I mean, it's a hugely important crossover.

It is among the best-selling vehicles in North America.

By some counts, it was the best-selling vehicle last year.

If you take out certain things and slice the dice, the F-series different ways than perhaps

Ford and automotive news and others do it.

But hugely important vehicle, I'm really curious to hear what you think.

I mean, does it measure up?

So I'm going to damn it with a little bit of faint praise here.

As all auto journalists do, right?

It is better than the vehicle that it replaced in nearly every way.

If listeners or viewers head to AutoGuide.com, you can see a bunch of coverage pieces from us on this.

I did talk about two ways that it maybe isn't better than the outgoing model.

But yeah, mostly better, although it's very frustrating that no one is talking price yet

because we need to know exactly where it lands to really get an idea of it.

I don't think it's the best vehicle in the segment, though.

I didn't think that of the existing model either.

But I make the comparison to McDonald's.

I'm sure you have a favorite burger in your neighborhood, and so do I.

And I'm willing to bet it's probably not McDonald's.

And yet I don't think McDonald's cares.

I don't think McDonald's is like, oh, darn, we're not the best hamburger.

They're the best selling hamburger far and away.

And I think that's kind of where this is, where it is good in so many ways.

And it's never the worst in the segment at anything.

And so that's why it's so appealing to so many people, right?

It does everything good or better.

Yeah, so almost like maybe like a Culver's or a Shake Shack.

Like, you know, maybe a little better than McDonald's or Wendy's,

but not quite the neighborhood pub or something.

You know, and I'm curious, too, what are your top one or two in the segment?

Since we've opened this can of worms, let's go down it.

I so I drove one of my favorites to the Canadian event.

I drove the Hyundai Tucson hybrid.

OK, I love how it looks.

I think the Kia Sportage hybrid, which is very similar.

I think that's slightly nicer inside than the Tucson and it drives a little bit better.

But the styling is, you know, up to everyone's personal taste.

I prefer the Hyundai look. Interesting.

OK, OK, but still up there kind of mid the top of class then.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And I think what's interesting with the RAV4, especially with going all hybrid,

you're losing out on the more off road oriented trims of before, like the TRD models.

They're gone. There is this woodland, which is pictured here.

And it's it drives very similarly to the outgoing model

in the sense that it's like just a little squiggier.

But I think that will appeal to most folks.

But if you're looking to take it properly off roading, it's not going to be the choice.

It doesn't have any additional under body cladding.

Something like a forest or wilderness is probably still my pick if I was staying in this segment.

And one of the things that I found most interesting about the RAV4, the new one,

and I will admit, all of these were pre prod models, right?

They're pre productions.

Some things may change very slightly for production models,

but the interior just doesn't feel special enough for me, especially in the limited lower trims.

I'm fine with it, but the limited is still pretty plasticky inside,

whereas especially the Koreans and then Mazda do a really good job of making a swanky interior, right?

And that just doesn't feel like the case for me here.

And maybe that's, I mean, not maybe.

That's definitely intentional.

I feel like Toyota is targeting more of a forester kind of buyer, right?

Someone who doesn't want the fanciest interior because they don't want to risk damaging it.

This is a family vehicle.

You don't want to muck it up.

Yeah. I mean, I think they are really playing the hits here.

They're going for volume.

It does seem like the off road and outdoorsy theme is,

it's very top of mind for a lot of consumers, maybe not for this market though.

So just doing all hybrid, bringing in the plug-in,

which I think is a really interesting play.

And then the GR Sport or whatever they're calling it, the GR model, that's cool too.

I think it's a different take on the segment than what you're seeing where like Honda, Subaru,

everybody's trying to make their baby off-roader type thing.

And whether it actually ever goes off-road or even has any additional capability,

that seems academic.

So Toyota is like, we're not going to play that game with this segment,

even though they legitimately could.

TRD Pro, hello, they could do that.

But would that really fit?

I don't know.

I think at that point we'd be looking at when Chevy was slapping SSs on Malibus and things like that.

So I kind of like what they're doing, the way they sort of fine-tune the lineup here.

But I guess that's a good segue to the GR Sport.

It is, yeah.

So I also want to add for all of the 26 RAV4s,

they are running the fifth gen hybrid powertrain.

Sorry, sixth gen for the plug-in if I'm not mistaken.

And so it is just quieter.

I think the move to all hybrid makes a lot of sense.

And the impact this will have on fleet economy and fleet pollution is massive, right?

I mean, they sell a half million of these things across the U.S. and Canada every year.

So going all hybrid is incredible.

And the sheer logistics challenge of doing that is impressive.

So talking about the GR Sport, it is the new trim for this year.

And it is only available with the plug-in hybrid powertrain.

This also gets a power boost.

So you're looking at 324 horsepower in a RAV4.

That's like a hot hatch.

Would you?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's kind of wild.

And it's a front-biased, it's a very front-biased system.

But nonetheless, I mean, it's quick.

And it isn't just a badge job because I don't know about you,

but that was one of my concerns, right?

It's like, are we diluting a brand that has done a lot for enthusiasts

and fairly affordable levels of performance too?

Nope.

This actually does have some unique stuff,

some stuff that has been optimized by GR engineers

to make it just a little sharper.

And sure enough, against something like an XSE,

this is just a little more engaging.

I don't know if it's necessarily the most engaging vehicle in this segment,

but like I was saying earlier, I don't think that matters.

I think it's the most engaging RAV4.

And it initially kind of stumped me as to who it was for.

And by the end, no, it made sense.

It's for dads.

It's for dads who miss the TRD Camry and now want an SUV.

And they want one that looks fun and also provides a little bit of fun

when you aren't shuttling the kids all over the place.

Yeah, this reminds me a little bit of the different segment

and different price points, but the Chevy Tahoe thing

with the police brakes and the up-level 6.2 liter,

they're just like they're going for it.

And it's sort of like for the dad who wishes he still had a Chevy SS or a Camaro,

but it's like, hey, you need something that you could put the dog and the kids in.

You know, hey, it makes sense.

And I mean, more horsepower than the Mazda Speed 3 back in 10, 15 years ago.

So, hey, that's a lot of power.

I just saw that figure.

I was like, they're really going for it here.

Yeah.

And while there are a few other plug-in hybrids in this segment,

none of them have that much power or this much range.

This will do, I mean, the GR will do 50 miles.

You can get a little bit more with different trims and a little bit less with others.

That's a lot of range to go on just EV power.

And it has 200 horsepower from the electric motor at the front.

So you can easily do just about everything without needing to wake up the gas engine.

So it's a very well-rounded package.

Again, I'm concerned about price.

But yeah, it's fascinating.

And like you said, it's such a major event this year

that that's why we needed to drive it multiple times.

I went to both launches and then I also drove it at Ajax Test Fest very briefly.

Before we move on, Greg, I know we're kind of spending a lot of time on the RAV4,

but I just want to point out one of the other aspects of the vehicle that I really enjoy

is the updated infotainment.

It is a whole new one.

Arena?

Yeah, I want to say it's arena.

It's how it's pronounced is Toyota's new infotainment.

It takes the basis of the old one and it adds more of a tile main menu,

which is a lot easier to deal with.

It's also bigger screen.

It has more computing power, so it's faster.

The voice assistant is quicker to respond.

If you have a plug-in and you use the native navigation,

it can root you based on where chargers are, which is a nice touch.

Overall, I found it a solid update over a system that is solid,

but maybe a little two bare bones, the existing one.

So this is good and easily my favorite feature is the built-in dash cam.

I love that.

I love that brands are doing this,

Hyundai did with the Palisade earlier this year,

and you can access everything directly in the infotainment.

It can be set to auto record if it senses any incidents

like traction control issues.

And because it's native, you are getting turn signal indicators.

You're getting your speed, your current location,

and these are all 30-second clips or minute clips

that you can then download, but they're stored only on the car,

which I think is a nice important security note too.

They're not beamed up to the cloud.

So yeah, I love that feature and it is standard on every Rev4.

That's cool.

I'm very modern, very of the times.

So moving on to this week's news,

and we're going to start with something that Mike caught

at the beginning of the week.

Infinity is teasing a R spec version of, well, they only have SUVs,

but it's their biggest SUV, the QX80.

I mean, I drove the QX80 this summer and it makes a statement.

It's huge.

It's, I think, back to what Infinity should be,

especially when they were really rolling with Shiro Nakamura

and some of their sedans with the V8.

But hey, this is giving them a little more guts, I guess.

It's certainly not necessary in their lineup,

but I mean, this is kind of...

We mentioned how Toyota is slicing and dicing their Rev4.

If Infinity is going to mainly be SUVs right now

and they got to kind of add some extra things.

So I think this makes sense.

So this is what buyers in this price point, more is more.

When you have a huge SUV and you just more is more.

It helps them better compete with Mercedes and BMW.

Yeah, I agree.

I think the QX80, it's not in my cup of tea,

but it does what it's meant to do very well.

And it makes a statement.

It's also, I mean, if we've learned anything

from the American brands,

big body on frame luxury SUVs print money.

So why not offer buyers a more exclusive option?

And knowing that the Armada Nismo is coming,

you can't have Infinity not have a performance model.

It would seem unfair.

So yeah, tons of sense.

We'll just leave it at that.

Moving on, sticking to performance SUVs.

So I actually paired off two stories here.

I'm just going to swap back and forth for viewers here.

So it is the 2026 Ford Mustang Mach E California Special

and then also the 2026 Porsche Macan GTS.

Both of these are just more enthusiast oriented versions

of existing EV SUVs.

Yeah, I mean, if I'm picking one,

I really like the California Special Treatment for the Mach E.

I've always over the years liked the California Special versions

of the Mustangs.

Generally, you know, you see them more like the coupes

and the convertibles.

But this is, this I think dresses the Mach E up.

It gives it a little bit of a different vibe.

I like some of the graphics, the color scheme.

It reminds me a little bit of, I don't know, a few years ago,

they showed one in Wimbledon White

and that was like an anniversary edition.

And I think Ford sometimes does a nice,

they do a really good job of playing to their heritage.

And I think it's good that they're doing that

with the Mach E a little bit.

I think at times you get in the Mach E and it's,

it is a crossover and it doesn't really feel like a Mustang.

And I think they could do some things like this

to make it feel a little more of that Mustang vibe.

Sort of like what they do, I think actually quite better

with the Bronco Sport.

I think the Bronco Sport feels way more like a Bronco.

Than the Mach E does for a Mustang, for obvious reasons.

But, and I like all of the vehicles I just mentioned,

but I like that one.

I think it's a good, nice treatment.

Yeah, I'm with you.

I really enjoy the Mach E.

I realize that now it's starting to seem a little old

and yet every time I get into one, it still drives really nicely.

There is, it doesn't drive like a Mustang, fair,

but against a lot of the other EV SUVs,

it does have a distinctly more eager vibe that I enjoy.

And yeah, the California specials

have looked good on Mustang GTs.

Now it'll work on this GT pack.

And then similarly, I mean, it's right there in the headline,

the Macan GTS.

GTS models have been the sweet spot for Porsche brands

or Porsche models for, geez, decades at this point.

It's the same.

It's just below the turbo in price and performance,

but you get all the things that everyone

puts on their options list anyway.

Just standard.

I think that's a good way to kind of make this car

just a crossover, a little more interesting and gauging.

I think the GTS nomenclature has a fair amount of,

you know, brand cachet with Porsche loyalists especially,

but like as enthusiasts, we know what it means.

So I think it's a logical step.

And the last few times I've been in the Macan,

I've generally liked it.

So I think this is a, it's a little bit of a sleeper

in the Porsche lineup for obvious reasons

because it's, you know, it's not the 911.

It's not even the Cayenne,

but I think it's a very solid product.

So another good move for Porsche.

Yeah, yeah, I'm with you.

And Mike and I drove the Macan 4

and the Macan Turbo earlier this year.

The Turbo, I mean, it was very quick, right?

But it was so expensive that it was hard to justify.

And this feels a little like I get everything I want.

I get the sharper responses,

but I don't need 630 horsepower.

Fair enough, fair enough.

So other reveal this week,

which I think a lot of us really enjoy,

except then we know that it's not coming here.

Toyota has brought back the FJ,

or I guess to give it its full name, the Land Cruiser FJ,

but it is a smaller, cuter version of the Land Cruiser.

That's really all I can say.

Yeah, so I think they should, frankly, bring the FJ back.

I think there's still a bit of a cult of, you know, enthusiasts who like that.

I think there's other brands that are doing stuff like Scope,

who we'll talk to.

Rivian's got a bit of an off-road, outdoorsy theme.

I mean, I think there's room.

And at one point in the Toyota lineup,

they did have the 4Runner, the Land Cruiser, and the FJ Cruiser all at once.

Was it overkill?

Well, yeah, it probably was,

and that's why the FJ was the first one to go overboard.

But I mean, that's sort of my hot takes.

I actually think they do have room to build.

It was like a three-door, technically, kind of coupe, bring it back.

It can't be the small, obviously.

The way they've positioned the current Land Cruiser would be problematic,

just because when they had all three of them,

the Land Cruiser was more or less like a grand wagon here or something,

competitor, you know, bigger, you know, much bigger vehicle.

So they would have some,

like their product planners and marketers would have their work cut out for them.

But I always really like the FJ Cruiser.

I see a bunch of them around town.

You see a ton of them on the AutoGuide listings.

They'll give a plug for that.

And they really hold their value well.

They were something unique.

And if you actually look at the lineup of what Toyota has,

like, do they have like a real two-door Wrangler competitor right now?

Not really.

You know, when you look at like all the four-door versions that they have,

these are like bigger SUVs.

So I don't know.

I'd say it's not my money.

It's Toyota's.

So I'd spend it.

I think where you're going with this,

I agree because I was just saying with the RAV4,

there isn't the TRD models are gone, right?

And it's like, that does leave a bit of a gap.

Because if you want something from Toyota

and you want to actually go do real off-roading things,

your choice is a four-runner now.

Like you don't have anything smaller than that.

And so maybe, maybe Toyota is just kind of making space now.

This is based off the Hilux platform.

So I don't know if maybe that's the limiting factor

is maybe it can't come to the US or Canada

because it's not federalized.

I think it looks great.

It takes the Land Cruiser styling.

It's very narrow, which I appreciate because

as anyone who has done a decent amount of off-roading will tell you,

it's sometimes the width that is more of a problem than anything.

So this looks nice and narrow, funky.

It has a really cool backend treatment

that kind of looks like a big porthole.

And it has a little electric scooter

that they're concepting to go along with it.

I just think this is the sort of fun thing that we really need.

And I understand that it's going to more developing markets.

But maybe, maybe we can get something along this flavor

in a few years, because as you pointed out,

used FJs aren't getting any cheaper.

Yeah. Don't you love when they do the throwing like scooters

for these reveals?

For a while it was drones and scooters and bikes.

So I always like random things.

It's sometimes when Jeep will do like a reveal.

Maybe the Jeep concept is obviously just a concept.

They're like, oh no, we're going to sell this bike at like REI or somewhere.

And so pretty intrigued about the scooters too.

Yeah, yeah.

So one other thing about this,

it will be at the Japan Mobility Show, which we will be at.

So I am very excited to poke around it and see what it's all about.

Hands on, get some pictures.

Let's all want to hear more about this thing.

Yeah, so look forward to it in a future episode and article.

All right, moving on to nice light subject matter.

We are talking tariff relief.

Greg, you want to take it away?

Well, again, it's just sort of like the latest news hit beats in the Trump

administration's seemingly daily tariff changes.

It's interesting because it's like 25% tariffs on medium and heavy duty trucks

and then 10% on buses.

But then this is where it gets a little nuanced.

They're going to serve up almost 4%, 3.75 rebate and US vehicles.

And this is through 2030.

So Ford and GM have basically said they seem to like this move,

but it also I think sort of complicates the whole tariff situation.

It's pretty confusing.

So we'll just we'll see how it plays out.

Heavy duty trucks are sort of they're like a highly profitable part of the market.

Sales are usually very consistent because like OEMs and like generally their customers,

like there's like established cycles, like you know these trucks last almost forever.

And then there's like a sort of expected replacement period.

So interesting to see how it plays out.

It's another kind of interesting segment that I will say this.

It doesn't seem like you really need to throw tariffs on here,

but I mean that's really going down the rabbit hole.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's it's very odd to me to introduce a rebate on top of a tariff instead of maybe

just lowering the tariff.

I also find it really optimistic that they think this is going to run through 2030.

But true.

But anyway, I'm sure we'll have more updated tariff news.

Well, pretty much daily, like you said.

Moving on to other industry news, not reveals.

And I think this is going to be met with about as much joy as the last piece.

GM is doubling down on its move to remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its infotainment.

Currently, it is limited to just the EVs and the Lyric actually still has it.

But moving forward, nothing will have either of the popular smartphone pairings.

I don't get it.

I just don't.

Like, I mean, I've used Android Auto.

Some of the best applications of Android Auto have been at GM vehicles.

You know, it just works.

You pair your phone.

I had a Google Pixel for a while until in fact, I think I still have it.

My wife uses it as like her backup kind of like phone workout thing.

And just it works great.

You know, to me, this is like introducing a problem to a question that nobody asked.

You know, like everybody likes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

And it seems like they're trying to do the thing where they're like, well, no,

we have a better solution for you.

And people don't like that.

You know, people don't like when you sort of tell them like, hey,

we have this better solution when you don't want that solution.

So I don't know.

It seems over complicated, which again, this feels like they're stubbing their toe here

because their integrations between phones and their vehicles using Android Auto specifically,

because GM always seems to be more Android than Apple, have been very good.

And I actually think their infotainment systems have made some strides in recent years.

Like the navigations are good, the turn-by-turn directions work.

It's they're not the best, but they're not the worst as far as using the buttons and the touch

screen.

But like it's a competitive thing.

It's not like when we were talking before about previous generations of Toyota infotainment

systems that were like, yeah.

So GM, I think, is in a good place.

And this is just kind of like unnecessary.

I've seen a lot of comments about this.

I reached out or rather colleagues reached out to me on social media.

We were chatting about this when the news dropped.

And I agree that GM's infotainment is its native system is one of the better ones.

And I understand from an OEM's perspective, especially with EVs where you would want to

guide people to use your native navigation as opposed to say Google Maps off your phone.

Because the native system can read the car's battery health, its current temperature,

all those things.

And it can give you routes based on optimal charging or what have you.

I understand that reasoning for the EVs.

And if you have a really good infotainment system,

people aren't going to miss something like CarPlay or Android Auto.

But to your point, you're removing a choice.

And I feel like that is the tough pill that GM is swallowing here is you're forcing people

into something that maybe they don't want to do.

And I realize as journalists, we complain like, oh, there's no CarPlay,

but we get into new cars on a regular basis.

If you own this, it's far more likely that you're going to get in, get the apps that you want,

like your music streaming or podcast or audio novel apps.

You're going to log in on the car once and you'll never think about it again.

So you get most of the functionality of your phone.

But it's just, we all, our lives are on our mobile devices, all of us.

So I think it's just a matter of wanting that separation, right?

I don't want my car to have all my login info.

I want it on my phone in one spot and I want to then beam it onto my screen in the car.

No, that's, that's very true.

And I would also even say to like, if you have like, you know, multiple people driving cars

in your household, maybe you don't, I mean, yes, you own the car, you set it up.

It's different than us journalists who maybe want to get in and kind of grab and go.

But like, I'll drive my wife's car and it's like, do I, would I rather just plug in my phone or

have it just pair with Apple CarPlay?

Absolutely.

Versus messing up like, you know, whatever setting she has, you know,

it's like, this is maybe the one time this week I'm driving this thing.

I'll just do Apple CarPlay.

Boom, away we go.

Versus messing with the whole native infotainment system.

So again, it's just sort of like, you know, you mentioned McDonald's earlier in the show.

Like, don't tell people they can't have their burger and fries every now and then.

You know, this is, you know, a pretty simple system that almost everybody uses.

So, and I think it's kind of telling that nobody else is like, hey,

we're going to kill off Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because we think we have something better,

you know.

Yeah, that's, that's a great point is this is unique.

But, you know, we'll see how it plays out.

All right.

Moving on, we're sticking with GM.

I managed to get a very fun comparison in this year against two,

or with two hybrid sports cars, the world we live in in 2025.

So I had the Corvette E-Ray and the Porsche 911 GTS,

both of which have electrified powertrains in very different ways.

And yeah, it was nearly 1200 horsepower combined.

It was definitely a fun week and it illustrated some very different facets of these vehicles.

I did not expect to like the Corvette as much as I did, but it is now a very pricey vehicle.

It's easily the biggest jump from a regular version of a vehicle to a hybrid.

The price gap is huge.

And when you're playing in this category, some of the shortcomings of the E-Ray start

to become a lot more noticeable.

Yeah.

I mean, this is, this sounds like a real tough week here.

Corvette versus 911.

What a week you had.

Yeah.

I love how the color is actually lined up too.

That's spectacular.

Yeah.

I lucked out there.

So the E-Ray is in some ways the more advanced vehicle, right?

I can, you can drive very short distances on electric power alone,

because the electric motor works on the front axle,

which means when you're doing that, you're driving a front drive Corvette.

It has more power.

It has 655.

We expect Corvettes to have more power than 911s, right?

That's, that's just a fact.

Yeah.

Table stakes.

Yeah.

It is the smoother one to drive in the city.

And that's for two reasons.

One, the Porsche did not have a nose lift option, and it is the only 911 I have driven

in my entire time at AutoGuide that didn't.

So that was strange to me because living in the city, there are speed bumps,

and I have to try and maneuver around them.

The Corvette does have one.

It's very good.

And it also has the, I can never say the whole word because it's 20-some odd letters.

The magnet dampers, the magnetic dampers, it has those.

And I don't even try to like pronounce that properly.

I actually just was looking at a CTS-V listing here,

which also probably had versions of those earlier versions.

Yeah.

I digress.

And it gives it a pretty wide range of ride comfort.

It is stiff.

They're both pretty stiff, but it was the 911

that I actually had a harder time living with day to day.

Whereas the Corvette, you can do it pretty well.

And the interior, which has been a Corvette shortcoming for so long, is fantastic.

It's, this one had two-tone blue leather, which was a lot,

but it really does feel like a quality item.

And I love that the dashboard is pretty dramatic.

It has these little fold-ups by the A-pillar that look kind of like the back of a BMW i8.

And I mean that in the best way possible.

I still don't like the big wall in the middle in the center console.

I'm glad that's disappearing for next year,

because it just makes passengers feel like an afterthought, right?

They're just glorified ballast at that point.

They can't access the touchscreen.

They can't touch anything.

They're just off in their little corner.

There were a lot of creaks and moans though.

That was something that I found to be a bit of a problem when you're spending,

you know, over $150,000 on a sports car.

But largely, day to day, Corvette, fantastic.

When you get into this territory,

I feel like you're almost entering like professional athlete territory.

Because you can for like half the price easily, even less than that,

for both these get like as much Corvette or 911 as you will ever want or need.

And you don't even have to approach this territory.

But if you do want like the hybrid performance, which is what it is,

you know, this is certainly here for you.

If you're, you know, like Otani or somebody like that who wants to like,

who has the money and, you know, wants to spend money,

or Justin Verlander is another guy who used to buy like a new sports car every year.

It seemed like, but I digress.

And we're not even going to mention the Blue Jays despite the colors of these cars.

I know I was teeing it up for you.

If you wanted to go there, I was teeing it up for you.

That was my thought.

But they'll probably they'll get one of these eventually, I'm sure.

Yeah. So really quickly on the 911, I should point out the hybrid system is a little different here.

It has a electric turbocharger, which means that it has almost no turbo lag.

It does have a small battery that is integrated into the transmission.

So you get a little boost there.

And basically it just feels like this engine is just a large displacement version of an existing 911 engine.

That's the thing is it doesn't necessarily feel like a turbo.

It just feels huge and capable and always ready to go.

It's a very impressive package overall.

But kind of like a lot of the 911s that I've driven the last few years, it almost feels too good.

It's too polished except for the ride, which is really stiff.

But it is an excellent everyday vehicle, right?

Because I have a useful front trunk.

The visibility is fantastic, whereas it's terrible in the Corvette.

And it's also weirdly good on gas.

I know that that's not really a concern for people who are spending this level of money,

but it's good to know.

And this one had the larger fuel tank.

So it has a range approaching 450 miles, 500 miles.

You can do big distances in this thing.

It handles sharper than the Corvette.

And in a weird twist, this was actually a rear-drive 911 too.

So it has that added agility of not having a powered front axle.

I think if money were no object, I would still go with the 911.

But I find that the suspension just pushes it closer to GT3 category than I really expected.

I wanted more of a blended everyday vehicle, like we were saying earlier,

which is a hallmark of GTS models.

I think they do walk the fine line with this one as far as making it,

dare I say, a little too aggressive as far as the setup.

But I guess the market will determine if this is the way to go or not.

We'll see.

All right.

And it's been a lot this week, I know.

But we're on the last story here, which is another hybrid sports car.

Real tough, tough summer.

It's been for you, Kyle.

It was.

I shouldn't even call it a sports car.

That feels insulting.

It is a hypercar.

Supercar?

Supercar.

Supercar, for sure.

The 2025 Lamborghini Rebel Alto.

Greg, I was a little intimidated knowing that I would get to drive this.

It was my first, oh man, I hope I don't offend at the PR people,

my first real Lamborghini.

I drove the Urus last year and it was really impressive to drive around LA

because it does things that no SUV does.

But I mean, you say Lamborghini, this is what people picture.

They picture a brightly colored wedge.

And to find out that it's going to be the first plug-in Lamborghini,

it's a thousand and one horsepower.

It still has the V12.

It ticked all the boxes.

And yeah, it's like the 911.

You have to be very careful where you drive this

because the nose is impressively low.

You know how Ford has the navigation system that tells you

if your trailer will fit on certain roads?

We need that.

But for ground clearance, for the Lamborghini,

it's something like four inches.

It's interesting.

I was in a McLaren this summer.

We'll just really bouge up this segment here.

Yeah, why not?

It has a really good nose lifting feature.

It'll auto sense.

And also it's very easy because obviously this is a problem

if you're driving a car like this,

unless you're literally on a track and even some tracks can get a little bumpy.

You need this feature.

One of the ironies, aside from it's an expensive fix,

the motor's in the back.

So it's not like if you curb it,

you're going to crack an oil pan.

You're just going to look like a fool.

So there's a little bit of irony to that feature,

but we don't want to break noses, human or cars.

So you've got to be able to raise the front end.

Yeah, yeah.

So this one has a memory setting as well,

which is really nice.

And it can activate up to 70 kilometers an hour.

Which is impressive too, because that just meant

I drove around the city with the nose lift active all the time,

because I don't know if there's going to be a bump or not coming.

So that was one aspect of the vehicle.

You can't go anywhere in something like this in a brat green,

without people asking you questions, taking photos.

My wife and I were heading for coffee the one morning,

and we watched a group of teenagers literally

just drop, point at the car and track it as we went by.

And she laughed about how if she saw a group of kids do that in a movie,

she'd say it was overacted.

And yet here we are in the real world.

You are everyone's jester.

You have to be the nicest person, which is fine.

And I think one of the important things that I did with this vehicle

is I shared it with as many people as I could.

I went and visited nieces and nephews,

and gave them a short little ride around the block.

That's what you have to do with these cars,

because let's be honest, that's why you're getting it.

If you're spending this level of money,

which is full-on condo or house amounts of money,

you are trying to make a statement.

And while it does, I also just want to point out

it is incredibly comfortable and easy to drive.

Way easier than I expected.

Visibility out the back is basically non-existent.

You just have engine and intakes.

But beyond that, this thing is comfortable on the highway.

The plug-in will do 10 miles of range or 10 kilometers,

but I beat the official quote.

When the engine wakes up, it scares everyone in a half block radius.

I can't believe how friendly this vehicle was to drive.

The Revuelto is really, I guess,

kind of the ultimate evolution of the original NSX concept

of this idea of you can have an exotic vehicle,

but it doesn't mean you have to suffer for it.

And that's what I witnessed,

although I never got used to turn signals being on the steering wheel front.

That was always something that was awkward for me.

Yeah. Lambo has some weird takes on some very basic driver mechanics.

So I don't know.

I mean, this is one I'd be interested to drive.

The last couple of Lambo's I've driven

have been kind of outliers.

I drove the Urus and that I really liked it,

but it was so much like just an Audi and Lambo clothing.

And I drove the Strato, which is you don't have to worry

about bumping the nose with that thing.

You're it's a lifted, you're well off the ground.

I was very confident.

Like all the things that like actually make you nervous

about driving like a supercar,

like usually it's the visibility or the like,

just how hard it is necessarily.

You really have to be on your toes.

It's kind of a race in the Strato.

So we'll have to do maybe a list of like,

that could be a fun end of year list or something.

Our experiences of the different Lambo's or something.

I drove a I drove a Countach once too.

And that was that was also very challenging and intimidating to drive.

I can only imagine.

Yeah. So overall, I mean, I'm just this is one of those pinch me moments, right?

Where it's like, I've been doing this for many years

and to be able to get into V12 Lamborghini is a thing.

And it lived up to the hype.

Unsurprisingly, I guess, given the sheer cost of the thing.

But wow, wow.

So I'm going to end it on that note.

I know this has been a long news and reviews segment

here on the AutoGuide show brought to you by eBay Motors.

But Greg and I are going to take a short break.

And then when we come back, we are going to talk to Ryan from Scout Motors.

And yeah, so we'll be right back.

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All right, joining us now on the AutoGuide podcast is Ryan Decker.

He is the Scout Motors Vice President of Strategy and Brand.

Welcome to the show, Ryan.

Glad to be here, guys.

All right, I figured, you know, there's so much going on in the world,

especially as it relates to EVs and what's going on with Scout.

I figured you'd probably want to talk for half an hour about Virginia Tech football, right?

So that's where you're from.

That's a sad and gloomy conversation at the moment.

I'd rather not talk about that, Craig.

Well, you're talking to a guy who went to Michigan State,

so worried about the same boat as far as college football this fall.

I can empathize then.

I can empathize.

So why don't we start off by telling us a little bit about what got you into cars

in the first place?

What kind of just give us a little bit of your mini origin story?

You know, did you play with Hot Wheels?

Just how did you get into this kind of crazy business?

You know, I definitely grew up with a dad who loved the tinker.

Usually it was on big bore American muscle car type stuff,

but almost everything happened in my parents' driveway,

much to my mom's chagrin because I think he spilled oil like four or five times,

and it was impossible to get it out of the driveway.

But we had a lot of fun over a lot of years replacing brakes,

replacing carburetors, everything from dots in 240s to several generations of Mustangs

all took place in that driveway.

That was the early years?

That definitely transitioned into Virginia Tech.

You brought that up, Greg.

I did study mechanical engineering there,

and a lot of that undergraduate engineering coursework

was focused on automotive at the time.

And that was a really exciting time

because that's when autonomy was starting to sort of become a thing.

That's when Formula One, Formula E was starting to pick up

and bring some excitement to it.

So just a really exciting time in automotive.

My first careers, my first job, they didn't pursue automotive,

so I had a bit of a homecoming when in 2015,

I finally got back into the automotive game, so to speak,

and that's ultimately what led me towards Scout Motors.

Nice. Very cool, very cool.

I'm curious, Scout Motors, it's obviously a relatively new company

backed by Volkswagen.

Our readers are very interested in it because,

I think obviously part of it is because of the history.

Going back to the, I think we could call them iconic vehicles

from the 60s right up into the early 1980s.

I'm curious, what attracted you about moving over

to kind of a newer venture like Scout?

On the personal note, it was definitely the chance

to build something from a complete clean sheet of paper.

I viewed that as just a generational opportunity

to build something.

And like you said, Greg, to build something

that has existing heritage, that has existing authenticity,

and to build something that has the backing,

the expertise and the scale of the Volkswagen group behind it,

I did view it just as absolutely once in a lifetime.

And the more you got into the details,

the more you understood what Scout was.

It was kind of the OG in the segment.

It was a great vehicle, but beyond the vehicle,

it was definitely this really inspiring community,

this great brand, it stood for optimism,

it stood for adventure, right?

The chance to reimagine that was really special alone,

but then the chance to sort of reimagine

what those Scout products were.

And they did some really cool things.

Iconic design, sort of the OG of the SUV category,

really rugged characteristics, really tactile characteristics.

The opportunity to imagine that in a way

that feels cool, exciting, modern, innovative

was just something that you couldn't pass up on.

Yeah, I was going to ask,

and it feels like you already kind of nailed it there, Ryan,

but you're pretty unique in the EV space,

or actually, I mean, in the broader automotive space,

for being a brand that is new,

but also balancing that with decades of history, right?

And history from a brand that some people

may not even remember ever seeing on the road.

I've seen a handful, right?

In terms of when they stopped being sold.

So how do you balance those two very different worlds?

It's a great question.

And the first thing I want to address is just,

I want to make sure we don't put Scout motors

in too much in this EV space box,

because although we do have an electrified powertrain,

we're also quite excited by our Harvester range-extended powertrain.

We love what that delivers from a customer perspective.

We think it's a game changer in terms of technology,

but we're also not shying away from the fact that

the wheels, the drive units, are always powered by battery.

So it's just super exciting, great torque, great acceleration,

but at the same time, having a total combined range

that can do over 500 miles.

We think that checks a lot of really,

really interesting boxes from a customer perspective.

Going back to the broader company question,

I think the two words that I would anchor that conversation on

are trust and enthusiasm.

There have been a lot of new entrants,

typically EV entrants, that have brought a lot of enthusiasm.

They've been cool, they've been fast, they've been innovative,

they've been entrepreneurial,

but some of them have lacked a little bit of trust, so to speak.

Some of them have had questions whether they'll be around next year

or whether they're going to go bankrupt.

Some of them have had questions,

can they service my car or am I going to have to wait six months

to get an appointment?

You can imagine, there's been some questions

on whether these new entrants will deliver.

On the other hand, you have a lot of really strong incumbents

who have been around literally for decades, hundreds of years.

And they have some challenges, I would say,

in just being perceived as sort of new and cool and exciting.

And that's what Scott Motors has the opportunity to do,

to really throw a dart right between those two,

to be new, cool, exciting, innovative, modern,

to sort of have a little bit of that scrappy American startup spirit,

but to do it in a way that has the trust of having a large OEM behind us,

which means we have money.

That's nice.

But beyond money, we have expertise.

We know how to build a factory.

We know how to get good terms of trade and good pricing from suppliers.

We know what we're doing here.

And I think that's a very unique combination in automotive

that hasn't really been seen before.

Interesting.

You talk about, you mentioned the eRef,

and I know originally you launched the company in 2022.

It looked like it was going to be all electric.

And then you offer this sort of new opportunity.

The market has certainly shifted in the last few years, too.

Things have changed for a variety of reasons.

Can you kind of tell us about that decision?

And do you think it'll be a different customer for Scout,

or just talk about this extended range type of vehicle?

Yeah, Greg, I would say considerably might be a bit of an understatement on that.

I'll answer this through two dimensions.

The first way is through the regulatory environment,

and the second way will be coming back to the customer perspective.

And from a regulatory perspective,

when Scout Motors was being conjured up in 2022,

it was a very different environment.

There was a federal regulatory landscape,

and then there was the state regulatory landscape

being driven by California and many other states.

That had very ambitious, very comprehensive emissions

in electric vehicle targets that were out there.

And so for us a new company that would be selling products

well into the 2030s,

the decision was made to succeed in that regulatory environment.

We had to go all electric.

Now, obviously the regulatory environment significantly shifted.

We'll come back to what that means for Scout.

From a customer perspective,

we're also paying very close attention to what's going on in the marketplace.

The first thing I'll say is that the last time I checked,

EV to EV loyalty is still a very high number.

It's still over 80%,

meaning people who get behind the wheel of an electric car,

they typically don't say, I hated this.

I'm never going to buy one again.

In fact, they do the opposite.

And it's quite clear why, right?

They get comfortable with range.

They get comfortable with charging.

They quite like the torque.

They quite like the performance.

They like the cost of ownership, on and on and on.

But we're not naive.

And we recognize that from a customer perspective,

going all electric, not quite right for everyone during the stage.

There is still some charging anxiety out there.

There is still range anxiety out there.

And so we thought that our range extender harvester solution

was very interesting from that point of view.

Now, what we like about it is it's still an electric vehicle first,

meaning the battery is always driving the wheels.

You can still do around 150 miles of all electric range.

A lot of day-to-day driving will still be in all electric mode,

which is great.

It's efficient, slow cost, all of the reasons that you guys know.

But for those road trips, for those long drive scenarios,

introducing the gas engine, being able to do over 500 miles,

it's a game changer.

We listen to our customers, recognize that in a lot of off-road applications

and a lot of long distance application,

just having to stop the charge is not really ideal.

And so we think that this is a game-changing breakthrough for the customer.

Now, how we did it, we also really think is interesting, right?

So the engine is packaged in the rear,

so we still always have the front trunk.

We still have always the good parts of being an EV, so to speak.

But it comes with the additional confidence of just, again,

over 500 miles of range.

We think it's quite compelling.

Very cool, very cool.

I'm curious too, have you had a chance to connect

with maybe some of the older Scout owners or people who own older Scout vehicles?

Perhaps that's a better way to say it.

What's been your experience with the Scout community like so far?

Yeah, great.

This is a really important part of the broader company,

is that community orientation.

And when we looked at what Scout was,

and we paid attention to it from 1960 to 1980,

and then I would say more specifically from 1980 to 2022,

it was a community that kept the flame burning.

And there's several layers to it, right?

There's sort of the OG, RestoMod, Barn Find, like hardcore crew.

And we love them, we respect them, we've gotten to know them,

we really value their feedback.

And then there's a whole other bigger slice,

which is, for lack of better words,

call it like the nostalgic connection crew, right?

It's people who didn't own one.

It's people who aren't looking for carburetors and junkyards,

but they recall their grandpa having one,

or they learned how to drive on one, or they rode the prom in one.

And we love that, we love that as a place to be building from.

We think that's just like a really special, authentic place

to build a brand from.

Now, so okay, great, we recognize that it's out there.

What have we done about it?

One of the first things we did as a company,

and it was in November 2022,

we invited 10 of those Scout OGs to a warehouse

in Dallas, if any of them are listening,

they'll know who they are.

And we showed them a lot of what we're up to.

We kind of gave them a peek behind the curtain

of the entire company,

including showing them what we're at the time,

our earliest full-size design models.

And we leaned in, we listened,

we sincerely wanted their feedback,

they gave us a lot of feedback,

some of it a little bit more critical than the others.

But we listened, and in many cases,

we actually did adapt some things.

And so that was in 2022.

And then in actually exactly one year ago, in 2024,

when we showed our show cars off to the world

for the first time,

we had a lot of those community members there as well.

And I think based on their reaction

to hear them kind of hoot win and holler,

and to hear their applause when we showed the vehicles,

and then to hear their little appreciation

for all of the Scout DNA we weaved into the products,

that was a really nice affirmation,

a nice vote of compliments.

And I think we're doing right by the community so far,

and the company should be proud of that.

It's interesting how Scout is

sort of like almost below the radar cultural touchstone.

Like I've noticed Scouts have been turning up

in like sort of novels I've been reading

by indie publishers, things like that.

I've seen a few of them on the road recently,

which is kind of trippy.

It almost feels like the resurrection of the company

has maybe brought some of these people out of like,

wherever they've had their vehicles,

maybe just were noticing it more.

Can you talk about, I guess, the challenges

of bringing back a brand that was very well known,

but then did go away for like 40 years,

and there's some companies like Abercrombie,

like Indian Motorcycles,

a lot of ones that have done this before

with sort of a mixed record of success.

What are the challenges you think you're going to face here,

and how do you get people who are just interested

in a new off-road type thing,

and they're shopping it or cross-shopping it

with like Rivian, a Honda Passport,

Trail Sport, like a Jeep Wrangler, you name it.

How do you connect with those types of folks, I guess?

Yeah. Greg, first I'll adjust it

just from the kind of 30,000-foot trend perspective.

And I do think that there's a moment here,

and whether it's, I won't name the brands,

you can imagine who I'm getting at,

whether it's Workwear, whether it's sneakers,

whether it's record players,

there is kind of this push back towards a little bit of authenticity,

and that spans across generations.

And I do think that there is a certain appreciation

and value in knowing that you're buying a product

or a brand that's been here before,

and that they've kind of earned it before.

And so I do think Scout can check that box

and kind of ride that little bit of cultural zeitgeist

that we're in at the moment, that craving for authenticity

that we're in at the moment.

Now, on the other hand, you do need to be careful

that you don't overindex, because we're definitely

not like a retro vintage throwback machine.

We are innovative as heck, we're cool, modern, safe.

So it's finding that balance.

And from a strategic perspective,

right now we're still telling a little bit of a comeback story.

If you watch some of our brand assets,

if you watch some of our creative campaigns,

we lean into that heritage, but we embrace that.

We're building something new on top of it.

As we look forward and we get closer to actual

building and selling cars to customers,

I think that we start to look more and more modern,

cool, useful, safe, exciting, just really a vehicle

that's fit for the 21st century,

but always anchoring on that authenticity and DNA.

And Greg, then since you brought up some competitive products,

I think our right to win will be that very sincere connection

to combine the best of Old World and New World.

And our product does have some really interesting

Old World DNA to it.

So it's built on a body on frame, increasingly rare.

It has this wild, rowdy, solid rear axle that we love,

still disconnecting sway bars, optional mechanical

four by four lockers, real tactile switches on the interior,

real door handles, which are becoming quite rare, right?

So we're doing some of these kind of Old World product choices,

which I think the market's actually going to really love

and enjoy and has missed over the last few years.

But again, at the same time, it's not a retro machine

because then it's going to have really great UX.

We're going to have really great software.

We're going to have these really impressive drive units

that can do over right around 1,000 pound feet of torque.

So it's that combination of Old and New

that I think is really going to uniquely position Scout

in the market and allow us to go head to head and win.

I just want to add really quickly,

talking about seeing Scout around the older models.

I just want to point out that Forza Horizon,

which is probably the biggest racing game,

has had an international Scout knit for the last few editions.

And I remember just being like, oh, well, this is interesting.

But I really appreciate, Ryan, you talking about this combination

of authenticity and modern.

And talking about body on frame, that, like you said,

is an increasingly rare thing.

And we've seen more capability from unibody vehicles recently.

But still, I mean, when you're properly off-roading,

you need that proper foundation.

Do you find, you're talking about the moment of authenticity.

Do you also find that the last few years,

seeing people shift to wanting more of an outdoorsy life,

we've seen that since 2020, for reasons we won't get into.

Do you think that has also really aligned well

with this plan on bringing Scout back?

Well, that is definitely one of those other strategic trends

that we have been paying very close attention to.

And I'm really glad you asked, because I agree.

So if trend one is this yearning for authenticity,

trend two is that Americans are more active outdoors

in building things more than ever before.

And you're right, those events in 2020 accelerated that trend.

But that was a trend that has been ongoing for decades.

And we see it everywhere we can measure it, right?

If you look at, for example, national park visitors

or the amount of people on hiking trails

or the amount of people going to fishing holes

or pick your own orchards, or you name it outside,

busier than ever.

If you look at sort of where population trends people

are moving to and from, America is one of the only countries

in the world that is de-urbanizing.

Americans are moving out of our mega cities

and moving into more mid-sized cities and even small towns,

which is quite rare, quite unique.

And then the third element is this idea of sort of DIY culture.

And whether it's DIY a house or a trailer or furniture,

Americans are simply more hands-on than they've ever been before.

And when they do those three things,

we are very confident that they need the tool to enable them.

We're very confident that they need a more versatile vehicle.

And so that is what is really defining

a lot of the requirements of Scout,

is we want it to be a vehicle for people

who are exploring, doing, and making things, full stop.

We haven't driven any of the Scouts yet.

I don't think really anybody has outside

of maybe some of your in-house testers, things like that.

Can you kind of preview what that driving experience

will be for people who might be interested in getting

on the reservation list or what's it going to be like?

We have a really unique potential here.

And in some ways, we have what I would call

a little bit of American off-road rowdiness.

Body on frame, solid or axle, up to 35-inch tires from the factory,

all the stuff I already said, which in theory gives you

that really rowdy off-road.

But then when you pair that with a battery,

with really capable drive units, with the range extender,

you get this very precise technical performance orientation

to the vehicle as well.

So it's really unique.

And in some ways, when you look at it,

you're like a vehicle that size and with that capability

shouldn't drive that good, that exciting.

I had, actually, I drove it for the first time,

one of our first test mules last week,

and I was like geeking out because it's just,

it's very unique in how it combines capability

with precision and technicality.

It's just a very impressive vehicle.

Obviously, I might be a little bit biased,

but I'm looking forward to more people getting behind the wheel of it as well.

All right, sounds good.

Well, you've been very generous with your time.

Kyle, did you want to ask something?

Sorry.

I mean, actually, so this might be an interesting one,

because usually if we talk to people who work for an OEM,

we can guess what's in their garage.

But, Ryan, what's in your garage?

Yeah, great question.

Well, right now, I'm driving an Audi Q7.

Okay.

That's what's in there.

Still a little bit of Volkswagen group love

and plenty of space for my family.

So it works quite well for me at the time.

All right, sounds pretty good.

Daily driver, pretty comfy.

Yep.

All right, well, it looks like we're right kind of up against it

as far as your allotted time.

We really appreciate it.

You've been very generous with it.

I guess final thoughts, anything we haven't asked you

that you would like to throw in here?

I have to do it every time.

I always have to shout out to Scout community.

You know, we value them.

I know they're probably going to be listening.

We want their feedback.

We want to continue to engage with them.

And frankly, I just want to thank them for keeping the flame burning.

We're going to make it even brighter moving forward.

So got to shout out to community and the OGs out there.

I like that.

Yeah.

Sounds good.

Well, thanks for joining us, Ryan.

It's been a really great conversation.

We can't wait to see what's going on next with Scout.

Thanks, Kyle.

Thanks, Greg.

All right.

Thanks so much.

All right.

That was a pretty informative interview.

I think Greg and I are on the same page there.

Here on the AutoGuide show brought to you by eBay Motors.

Now we're at the end of the show.

And so Greg, I feel like we haven't caught up in a little bit,

even though we've been recording this whole thing.

So what have you been in or have driven or are driving soon?

So I just got back from North America in car of the year testing.

I've been out there for the most, the better part of this week.

Drove a lot of cool things.

I'm actually quite tired.

It's just I feel a little foggy just being in my laptop this morning.

Coming up soon, we will have a prelude first drive.

So that's under a bar go.

I can't tell you right now how it was like, but that will be coming up.

And I also just, I think you drove this car recently.

Mercedes AMG E53, the plug-in hybrid, just left my driveway.

Really liked it.

I'm about probably two thirds of the way through some like a short piece on that.

So those will probably be the next two things you have coming from me.

Excellent.

I look forward to it.

I'm also going to point out that the wagon version of the E53 is coming.

And I feel like that will be the new ultimate journalist.

Oh man.

We have to arm wrestle over that one or do some sort of beaten Windsor and trade it or something.

That is, I'm super fired up to get in that one.

Yeah.

So I'm also very jealous of prelude.

That's exciting because I'm still quite a ways away from driving that one.

So similarly, I know we talked about this before the show, but we never really got around to it.

I was also doing some car of the year judging.

I was at the automobile journalist association of Canada's annual test fest,

where we collect dozens of cars from across brands.

We get journalists from all across the country to fly in and we spend two days

driving them and scoring them.

I am very fortunate because being where I am,

I've driven most of the vehicles already before test fest,

but there were still some big surprises.

When this goes live, you will be able to head to Autogad.com and see my first drive review of the

Palisade hybrid.

The BMW M2 CS was also there, which was a big shock to all of us because,

yeah, that thing was just announced pretty recently, like this summer.

So those were exciting.

The Lucid Gravity was there.

People really wanted to get their hands on it.

It was a good time.

I drove the Mercedes CLE 450 Cabriolet up there, which was excellent.

We had a lot of rain at the event, but it was pretty good weather there and back.

So I got to drive at the top down, use those air scarves.

It is kind of a unique vehicle in the market in terms of being a proper four seat convertible.

So that was nice.

And then currently I am in the Jeep Wagoneer S or the Swagoneer, as we like to call it.

There you go.

It's been interesting.

I drove it at the beginning of the year and driving it here on my roads has revealed some

good and not so good aspects of the vehicle, but I'll save that for a proper review.

And then next week, I'm not driving anything because as of Sunday, I, or well, when this airs,

I will be in Japan at the Japan Mobility Show with Toyota and Lexus.

I'm going to be there for almost two weeks because while the show takes up a good chunk

of the time, I'm also staying there for a little while because I've never been to Japan.

So the next episode of the AutoGAD show will not feature me unless I jump in on a call,

13 hours ahead of you guys.

There we go.

I guess we'll have to figure that one out.

We'll either do early recordings or time travel, one of the two.

Yeah, we've got options here.

We do.

Some more realistic than others.

Slightly.

But yeah, that's been this episode of the AutoGAD show.

And yeah, until next time, everyone, have a good week.

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73:16

New RAV4, 911 vs Vette, Revuelto, Scout VP Talks

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