The show kicks off with serious recall news: Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride stop-sales tied to a power-folding/adjusting second/third-row seat sensor failing to detect a child, with a software update underway. The hosts then swap driving notes on the redesigned 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser—cheaper, lighter, hybrid-turbo, and fun despite cheap-looking interior plastics. Sony-Honda’s EV joint venture is canceled, while Mercedes’ GLE 450 impresses on a road trip. The big tech focus ends with Mazda’s all-new CX-5, now using Google built-in (Maps, Assistant, Play Store) and moving away from the rotary knob, plus a CVT quiz and radish bonus question.
The hosts open the show noting that the power-seat recall affecting the Hyundai Palisade has expanded to the mechanically similar Kia Telluride. Listen in for details.
As predicted in a previous episode, Tom shares news of the dissolution of the Afeela electric-vehicle brand. Afeela was a Honda/Sony joint venture nearing production of a premium midsize sedan built in the U.S.
Tom also discussed the potential impact of E15 fuel, which has been federally approved for national distribution. E15 gasoline has 5 percent more ethanol content than E10, which is common in most states. The blended fuel may help lower gasoline pump prices, but has its downsides.
Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the Mercedes-Benz GLE450 midsize crossover. Listen in for her review.
In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Matthew Valbuena to the show. Mathew is Mazda Project Manager of In-Vehicle Technology, and shares with the hosts a number of connectivity features found in the all-new 2026 CX-5 small crossover.
In the last segment, Jill is subjected to Tom's "CVT or Automatic" quiz, featuring a bonus question about radishes.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
"Last week we talked a little bit about the Hyundai Palisade and that recall. And I suggested that perhaps the Telluride, the Kia Telluride would get caught up in that swirling mass and it has."
A recall means the car maker admits there’s a safety problem and asks owners to get it fixed. Until it’s fixed, dealers may be told not to sell the affected cars.
A recall is when a manufacturer (or regulator) requires a fix for a safety-related defect or noncompliance. It often includes software updates, parts replacement, or inspection steps, and can lead to dealers being told not to sell affected vehicles until repaired.
"Last week we talked a little bit about the Hyundai Palisade and that recall. And I suggested that perhaps the Telluride, the Kia Telluride would get caught up in that swirling mass and it has."
The Hyundai Palisade is a family SUV with three rows of seats. They’re talking about a safety issue that led to a recall because a person was hurt related to how the seats/sensors worked.
The Hyundai Palisade is a three-row midsize SUV. In this segment, it’s mentioned in connection with a recall and a serious incident involving the power-folding/adjusting seating area.
"That's the bad news. I just drove the Land Cruiser. It has been a minute since I've driven that."
The Land Cruiser is a large SUV made for tough driving, including rough roads and off-road trails. People talk about it a lot because it’s designed to last a long time. In the episode, they’re simply saying they recently drove one again.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a full-size, body-on-frame SUV known for durability and off-road capability. It often comes up in conversations about long-term ownership because it’s built to handle tough conditions and high mileage. The podcast mention fits because the host is reacting to driving one again after a long time.
"This engine just squirts from the line. It makes a wonderful exhaust burble..."
“Exhaust burble” is the little pop/burp sound you hear from the exhaust. Some cars make it more obvious to sound sportier.
An exhaust burble is the popping or “burbling” sound that can occur when you lift off the throttle or during certain throttle transitions. Some modern vehicles use engine management and sometimes hybrid/valve strategies to make the sound more noticeable.
"And that was, that was GM Bones.
Yep.
And it had Apple CarPlay."
Apple CarPlay lets you connect your iPhone to the car. Then you can use apps like maps and music on the car’s screen.
Apple CarPlay is a smartphone-integration system that lets you use compatible iPhone apps through your car’s infotainment screen. It typically supports navigation, music, calls, and messaging via the car’s controls.
"Because they're replacing the Highlander.
The Ascent has been a sales dog.
Yeah.
It's not doing a lot for Subaru there."
“Sales dog” just means a car model that isn’t selling very well. They’re saying the Ascent hasn’t been a big success.
“Sales dog” is a slang term meaning a model that isn’t selling well compared to expectations or competitors. In this context, the hosts say the Subaru Ascent hasn’t been performing strongly.
"So I'm going to the New York Auto Show. Oh, okay. Tomorrow. You're going to be there. And they are hosting a dinner."
The New York Auto Show is a big car event where companies show off new cars and updates. People often use it to talk to the press and answer questions.
The New York Auto Show is a major North American event where automakers showcase new vehicles, technologies, and sometimes concept cars. It’s also a common place for press briefings and interviews, which is why the host says they’ll ask questions and try to get a guest.
Term
E15
"Okay. But because of gas prices, the government, our federal government is considering actually has approved the use of E15. Now, most gas that we buy now..."
E15 is regular gasoline mixed with more alcohol (ethanol). Not every car can use it—only vehicles that are specifically approved for E15.
E15 is gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. It’s intended to reduce reliance on petroleum and can be used in vehicles that are certified for higher-ethanol blends.
"Now, most gas that we buy now, I think all gas we buy in Illinois is E10, which means it's 10% ethanol."
E10 means your gas has about 10% alcohol mixed in. Most cars on the road are made to handle this blend.
E10 is gasoline blended with 10% ethanol, which is the most common ethanol-gas blend in the U.S. Many vehicles are designed to run on E10 without major changes.
"Well, you remember many moons ago when they did the E85, you know, GM had that partnership with it."
GM is General Motors, one of the big car companies. They’ve experimented with alternative fuels like ethanol blends in the past.
GM refers to General Motors, which has historically explored ethanol and flex-fuel strategies through partnerships and vehicle programs. Their involvement is relevant because it ties to how automakers test alternative fuels in real vehicles.
"Cruz was shut down by General Motors. ... General Motors may have shut down Cruz. ... they're still working on it maybe."
General Motors is a big car company that has been trying to develop self-driving technology. Even after shutting down one partner, they may still be working on the tech elsewhere.
General Motors (GM) is the automaker behind major investments in autonomous driving. The segment suggests GM shut down Cruz Automation but still continues autonomy-related work.
"So Waymo, Zooks and Tesla still out there, very public people are watching them."
Tesla is a major car company that’s been pushing self-driving-related technology. The hosts bring it up because Tesla’s progress is more visible to the public.
Tesla is an automaker that has promoted driver-assistance and autonomy features through over-the-air updates. In this segment, Tesla is grouped with other highly visible players as a contrast to GM’s “operating in the dark” approach.
"You know, so I had the Mercedes GLE 450 and that is a really, really comfortable road trip vehicle."
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 is a bigger SUV meant for comfortable highway driving. It’s built to carry people and luggage, but it can feel a bit firm over rough roads.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 is a midsize, two-row SUV in the GLE lineup. It’s positioned as a comfort-focused road trip vehicle, but with a firmer ride and more driver-oriented handling than some softer rivals.
"[911.3s] But it's a mono screen that goes from the gauge cluster to the infotainment system.
[917.1s] What did we just see that didn't have that?
[947.6s] What's interesting about this is that it does bring the face of the gauges on the instrument panel,"
The gauge cluster is the part behind the steering wheel that shows things like your speed and fuel level. On newer cars, it can be a digital screen instead of traditional dials.
The gauge cluster is the instrument panel behind the steering wheel that shows key driving information like speed, RPM, fuel level, and engine temperature. In newer cars, it may be integrated into a digital display that can be styled and brightness-adjusted.
"[1000.4s] And it just essentially replicates analog gauges.
[1003.3s] And I'm like, why?
[1004.0s] Why are you doing this to me?"
Analog gauges are the classic dashboard dials with needles. The speaker is saying some digital screens just copy that old look.
“Analog gauges” are traditional physical dials with needles and markings. The speaker is contrasting them with digital clusters that try to imitate the look of those dials rather than using the flexibility of a screen.
"And I will say, I'm going to be writing this story for US News and World Report.
[1041.3s] And they require that you take like a hundred photos of the car."
US News & World Report is a media company that does car reviews. They have a strict review workflow, including taking lots of photos and meeting presentation rules.
US News & World Report is a major U.S. media outlet that publishes car reviews and rankings. The speaker mentions their review process requiring extensive photo documentation and specific presentation standards, which can affect how reviewers capture interior/exterior details.
"...I'll take a picture of the shifter, the gear selector, usually on the center console."
The shifter is the lever or control you use to pick gears. It’s often on the center console and it’s a big part of how the interior looks in pictures.
The shifter (gear selector) is the control used to choose the transmission’s gear position, usually mounted on the center console. For photos, it’s a common spot to show how the interior layout and controls feel and look.
"...I'll take a picture of the shifter, the gear selector, usually on the center console."
The center console is the part in the middle of the car between the seats. It often holds the shifter and other controls, and it can be shiny so fingerprints show up.
The center console is the area between the front seats that typically houses the shifter, cupholders, infotainment controls, and storage. It’s frequently finished in glossy trim, which can be visually distracting in photos due to reflections.
"...I like the technology. The fit and finish is good. Seats are a little firm, but mostly comfortable."
Fit and finish is how well the car is put together—things like how tight the gaps are and how nice the surfaces feel. It’s basically a “build quality” score.
Fit and finish describes how well the interior and exterior components line up and how cleanly they’re assembled—panel gaps, surface quality, and how parts feel together. It’s a common way reviewers describe overall build quality.
"You who are German could probably say that in the black fabric headliner. But the black fabric headliner was like $4,000."
The headliner is the interior lining on the roof of the car. In this segment, the speaker notes that a “black fabric headliner” was an expensive option, illustrating how interior trim choices can materially affect price.
"So it's kind of like Google Assistant, but maybe on steroids... And when that comes out, the user will be able to do more by voice than what they can currently do with Google Assistant."
Google Assistant is Google’s voice helper. They’re saying Gemini is a newer, smarter version that should let you control more things.
Google Assistant is Google’s earlier generation voice assistant used in many connected-vehicle systems. This segment frames Gemini as an upgrade—allowing more tasks by voice than what Google Assistant can currently do in the car.
"If users out there already have Gemini on their smartphone... But with Google Gemini, you're able to take things to a deeper level. And you can say, hey, can you find me a gluten-free Indian restaurant that's also child-friendly?"
Google Gemini is an AI that can understand more detailed voice requests. Instead of just “find a restaurant,” you can ask for specific needs like “gluten-free” and “good for kids.”
Google Gemini is Google’s newer AI assistant that can understand more complex requests than basic voice commands. The speaker describes it as being able to interpret multi-part criteria (like dietary needs and family-friendliness) when searching for destinations.
"It's at dealerships nationwide now, so it's on sale as we speak."
“On sale” means you can actually buy the car now at dealerships. It’s not just a preview or announcement anymore.
“On sale” means the vehicle is officially available for purchase through dealers. For buyers, it usually signals that ordering and deliveries are underway, not just that a model has been announced.
"The CVT does not have stepped gears. There isn't just six speed, eight speed, seven speed, nine speed, three speed if you go back far enough, two speed if you go back really far."
Most cars have set gears—like 1st, 2nd, 3rd—where the transmission shifts at specific points. A CVT doesn’t do that; it changes smoothly instead.
“Stepped gears” refers to fixed gear positions (like 6-speed or 8-speed) where the transmission shifts between discrete ratios. CVTs avoid this by continuously blending ratios, which can feel different from a conventional automatic.
"But I mean, for what it was and the price point that it came in at, when it first came out, I thought it was amazing."
“Price point” just means the price level the car is sold for. A cheaper car often uses more plastic inside, and that’s part of what people mean by “value.”
“Price point” is the specific price tier a vehicle is sold at, which strongly affects what materials and features you should expect. When the speaker says the interior felt plasticky but the price point was right, they’re judging value rather than absolute luxury.
"And part of the deal is they sell the Eclipse Cross, which is sort of a fastback."
A fastback is a car shape where the roof slopes down toward the back. It’s mostly about styling, but it can help a crossover look different.
A “fastback” is a body shape where the roofline slopes smoothly down toward the rear, instead of having a more upright hatchback profile. Automakers use this styling to differentiate crossovers that are otherwise similar in size and packaging.
A plug-in hybrid combines a battery you can charge externally with a conventional hybrid powertrain. The key advantage is the ability to drive some trips purely on electric power, reducing fuel use.
"There was an aftermarket supercharger available for that. And I'm sure that no one bought one ever."
A supercharger is a device that forces extra air into the engine to make more power. “Aftermarket” means it’s added later by companies other than the car’s manufacturer.
An aftermarket supercharger is a belt-driven forced-induction system added by a third party to increase engine airflow and power. On a low-volume car like the Honda CR-Z, it’s especially notable because factory performance options are limited, so the aftermarket becomes the main path to more boost.
"The CX-30 is next. That's the subcompact crossover."
A subcompact crossover is a small SUV. It’s usually easier to drive and park than bigger SUVs, but still feels roomy.
A subcompact crossover is a small SUV-style vehicle that typically blends car-like driving with higher seating and more ground clearance. It’s usually smaller than compact crossovers like the CX-5, making it easier to maneuver and park.
"That car, the Lexus RZ 550E, which is a bunch of name, is Lexus's electric vehicle."
An electric vehicle is a car that uses a battery instead of gas. You usually charge it at home or at public chargers, so charging matters a lot.
An electric vehicle (EV) runs on electricity stored in a battery pack rather than gasoline. For buyers, EVs change ownership considerations like charging access, charging speed, and battery warranty terms.
Select text to request an explanation
Hey, I'm Josh Spiegel, host of the podcast Lunatic in the Newsroom.
If you enjoy journalism that drifts into mild panic, wild overthinking, and a guaranteed
nervous breakdown, Lunatic in the Newsroom is for you.
It's news like you've never heard before, the only newsroom with a panic button.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, and gasp in horror as the show spirals completely out of control.
It's not just news, it's emotionally unstable.
Lunatic in the Newsroom.
Listen today.
I'm Tom Appel, publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive.
Thanks for visiting with us today.
When you have a moment, check us out at consumerguide.com.
Lots of cool stuff there.
I won't get into it today.
With me in studio is Jill Simonillo, a contributing editor here at Consumer Guide, Freelancer,
and North American Car the Urger.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
It's lovely outside today.
Little humid.
If I was going to complain.
There is no humidity there.
Yeah, little.
Yeah, not even.
I'm going to check it during the break.
I bet there is.
I'm sensitive to humidity.
I love humidity.
So, um, yeah, I don't, but it is darn nice here in Chicago again.
Those days when we're like, why do we live here?
This is why we live here.
This is the day.
I mean, on Wednesday, not so much, but because it's going to drop back down to the forties,
but today's the day.
Is it?
Yeah, we get the crazy temperature swings, like 30, 40 degree temperature swings.
Last week we talked a little bit about the Hyundai Palisade and that recall.
And I suggested that perhaps the Telluride, the Kia Telluride would get caught up in that
swirling mass and it has.
They haven't delivered many of them, but about 600 of them.
And I think it's 600 that have the software.
And what we're talking about is that there was unfortunately a death in a Hyundai Palisade
in which the rear seat, the third row seat.
Was it the third row or the second row?
They're both power.
There's power sliding second row and then power folding third row.
And a young girl was crushed in the seat and the seat did not, the sensors in the seat
did not detect her presence.
So immediate stop sale on the two trim levels of that vehicle.
It's the limited in the calligraphy on the Hyundai side and the SX Prestige and SX
Prestige X Pro on the Kia side.
Stop sales on those.
A software update and over the year software update is coming quickly.
That is not the fix, but it probably fixes everything.
There's going to be further word of a complete and total fix to make sure that everything's
gotten done.
So that's the thing.
You can still go buy one if it doesn't have this.
If you have one, you're told not to move that stuff if there's a child in the car.
Yes.
That's that story.
Okay.
All right.
That's that.
That's the bad news.
I just drove the Land Cruiser.
It has been a minute since I've driven that.
The big news about the Land Cruiser redesigned for 2024 is that it became a very different
vehicle.
The old Land Cruiser was a very large, very expensive, very luxurious vehicle and it was
based on the Lexus LX 570 or the Lexus LX 570 was based on this.
I don't care how you want to put it, but it was far more expensive.
The vehicle would crack $100,000 and had a big V8 engine.
For 2024, the vehicle was redesigned, new architecture, weighs less, a little bit smaller,
a little bit tidier, now uses the I-Force turbocharged hybridized engine.
I-Force Max.
Yeah, I was like, I-Force?
I-Force Max.
I-Force Max.
Anyway, I shouldn't love this vehicle for a bunch of reasons, including the fact that
in making it a less expensive car, the interior got frankly cheap.
It's hard plastic everywhere.
Okay.
They don't even pretend it's not.
But what a joy to drive.
This engine just squirts from the line.
It makes a wonderful exhaust burble.
It handles so well for a vehicle of this size with an off-road mission.
Outward visibility is excellent.
The commanding drive position is great.
Everything about this is fun.
I love driving this vehicle.
There's one thing that you will hate about this vehicle or would have hated about this
vehicle that I kind of found entertaining.
Okay.
Very, very, very active stop-start system.
The funny thing about that is that the exhaust burble is very pronounced.
So you'll come to a stop, nothing's going on, you hit the gas, the minute you hit the
gas you just hear this crazy burble.
Okay.
And then it squirts away from the line.
I love this vehicle.
I wish it wasn't 65K.
Yeah.
And I wish I had a chance to drive it off-road, but it feels fantastic.
So I'm just saying this newly positioned vehicle that costs 35K less than it used to, kind
of cool.
Okay.
Also great mileage.
Okay.
Given the size, given the mass, given the power, I got 23 miles per gallon.
Okay.
Yeah.
I have Force Max.
I have Force Max.
All right.
I'm just crossing things off my list.
Are you ready?
Crossed off.
What's next?
We predicted this one and it happened to Fila.
Yep.
Of Fila.
Fila was a project from Sony Honda Mobility.
It was a joint venture between the two companies.
They were going to build premium electric vehicles with Honda drive technology and Sony, whatever
technology.
I'm not entirely sure what it was Sony was going to bring to the table.
They were going to build these vehicles.
One was coming out later this year in Honda's East Liberty factory.
Anyway, they've canceled it.
And who knows what comes of this joint venture?
Probably nothing.
There were two vehicles that were going to come out of this sedan because the world needs
more premium electric sedans and an SUV, which probably would have sold better, but it's
gone.
Yes.
So that leaves Honda having recently killed the prologue, the Acura ZDX, the Honda Zero
Series car, which included a sedan, a Saloon and an SUV, and now these.
So this is what is it?
One, two, three, four, five, six.
There's another car in there.
Oh, there was an Acura electric compact SUV that killed as well.
You said ZDX.
That's the Acura.
Well, that already, but there was another vehicle coming.
Oh, okay.
Coming, coming.
Yeah, I really, I only had a brief opportunity to drive the ZDX on a different, like they
kind of snuck it into, I think the MDX program.
And then I had, I had the prologue for a full week test and I loved it.
I thought it was great.
Yeah.
And that was, that was GM Bones.
Yep.
And it had Apple CarPlay.
There you go.
Yeah.
But there, I feel it not going to happen.
Nope.
So there you go.
Strangely, strangely, New York Auto Show coming up, New York Auto Show.
We're going to see a new electric vehicle from Subaru.
It turns out, I don't, I don't know if this is actually out there or if it's official,
but the Toyota Highlander, which is going, all EV is going to have a Subaru companion.
Yeah.
So think Ascent, Subaru Ascent.
So I wonder if that means they're going to replace the Ascent with this three-row vehicle.
Oh, I don't know.
Because they're replacing the Highlander.
The Ascent has been a sales dog.
Yeah.
It's not doing a lot for Subaru there.
So therefore.
They could, they could replace it.
They could still sell, it says about 50,000 units a year.
It's not, it's not a disaster.
Well, isn't that about what the Highlander was selling?
At the end.
Yeah.
At the end, I think it's 56,000.
So.
So maybe.
We'll see.
I mean, you know, I'm having dinner with Subaru Wednesday night.
So.
Oh.
I will ask questions.
Is there an event?
So I'm going to the New York Auto Show.
Oh, okay.
Tomorrow.
You're going to be there.
And they are hosting a dinner.
So I will, I will ask questions.
Get us a guest.
I will, you know what?
I will make that happen.
All right.
Here's a little story I just saw.
And I think it will confuse people.
Okay.
But because of gas prices, the government, our federal government is considering actually
has approved the use of E15.
Now, most gas that we buy now, I think all gas we buy in Illinois is E10, which means
it's 10% ethanol.
Okay.
They're talking about expanding this now to 15% ethanol.
I think which works better in the summer for a bunch of reasons.
But here's the deal.
This goes way, way back to 1977 and the Clean Air Act.
E10 was approved for use in 78.
The wide adaptation, wide adoption was not till much later.
Okay.
But now we're all using it.
Couple of problems with it.
Now, if 5% of our gasoline is suddenly replaced with alcohol, maybe that will reduce prices.
But the bad news is the alcohol has less energy.
I know.
It's like fuel economy.
Your fuel economy will drop.
Yeah.
And it'll drop about half a mile per gallon.
Yeah.
As a result of that.
Also, alcohol is not a panacea as a fuel.
It is cleaner burning overall, but actually contributes to evaporative emissions, which
means that in places like maybe Chicago, but definitely LA, more smog.
Yeah.
So there's a downside to this.
We'll see that right now, this is very strange.
It's approved for use for about a month.
Okay.
Which isn't going to have the world's biggest impact on the supply of fuel.
And then further approval awaits how well that goes.
So we'll see what happens.
And if anyone listening has ever driven through like Iowa, I don't even know how this is legal.
They sell E30.
It just, you go to a pump and they're like seven different.
Yeah.
Seven different nozzles.
I feel like Iowa, Nebraska, and you know, some of the plane states have different.
Weird blends.
And I don't know how they're legal and they're very strange.
But the thing is, it's the kind of thing that will, it's 10% less.
So it looks cheap, but your fuel economy is going to drop by 20%.
Yeah.
Not worth it.
You're going to be paying more.
Yeah.
Well, so I have to say over the weekend, I drove down to Indianapolis and gas there for premium was $5 a gallon.
Oh.
For premium.
And because I was driving in Mercedes.
I've seen five bucks for diesel.
Yeah.
No.
Around here, around Chicago.
Indiana though.
I mean, Indiana usually has significantly lower gas prices than we do up here in Chicago.
But thankfully, I have a Kroger card and I got 30 cents off a gallon.
That's good.
Yeah.
One thing I wanted to say about this too, one of the concerns when E10 was adopted was that alcohol, ethanol, is bad for your fuel system.
Yeah.
And there was some evidence to suggest that the alcohol would in fact advance or accelerate the corrosion of rubber gaskets and rubber parts and nylon tubing and things like that.
I reached out to a couple of mechanics.
None of them got back to me.
I'm not aware that this became a broader issue.
And cars are now built for that anyway.
Yeah.
So I'm thinking that just going from E10 to E15 won't be an issue.
But heck, if you could avoid it, avoid it.
Yeah.
Why?
Yeah.
Why tempt fate?
Well, you remember many moons ago when they did the E85, you know, GM had that partnership with it.
What was the name of that?
Cascada or something?
I don't know if that was a GM partnership.
It was a project with mobile oil.
Yeah.
And it was Cascada.
Yeah.
Because I remember taking a plant tour, but it was the GM who had the E85 cable vehicles.
Oh, you went to the plant?
Yeah.
They were going to make alcohol out of algae.
Yeah.
And sugarcane.
And that didn't happen.
The funny thing is anything you're going to make fuel out of will immediately become expensive.
So you have to allow for that.
It's not the, like you can get pond scum anywhere right now, but if you're going to start using
pond scum to make fuel, you're going to run out of pond scum.
Yep.
Famously.
Famously.
Do you remember Sea Monkeys?
Yes.
They were advertising the back of comic books in the 60s and 70s.
And they were just brine shrimp.
They were just, and the eggs were very, were very sturdy and could be mailed.
So that was the whole scam here, right?
And kids were buying these things believing from the ad that you could train brine shrimp.
Anyway, let's get past that scam.
Okay.
The minute they were popular, they ran out of brine shrimp eggs.
It was just self-defeating.
They easily accessed brine shrimp eggs.
By the way, brine shrimp are really aren't fun pets.
My daughter got some Sea Monkeys at some point and they live for a little while then they die.
They can't be trained.
They can't be trained.
They don't recite poetry.
They're just boring.
Not fun.
Okay.
All right.
Interesting story.
You ready?
Auto-line.
Yes.
Now hosted by Sean McElroy, son of John McElroy.
Yes.
John's been our guest.
Sean recently spotted two years after Cruz Automation.
Cruz was shut down by General Motors.
A Chevy Bolt running around with equipment on the top of it, including what he thought were LiDAR pods.
So he did some checking, good journalism, called General Motors and got sort of a half answer
that, yeah, they're still working on this stuff.
So General Motors may have shut down Cruz.
Right.
And it's big expensive office in San Francisco and the programs that were highly visible,
but they're still working on it maybe.
Well, I mean, in some ways that makes sense because didn't they promise to have like a
fully autonomous, capable, like a escalated Cadillac in like 2028 or something like that?
A full level three.
Yeah.
Full level three, which means that you don't have to pay attention.
Right.
That's the big bump from level two plus plus plus.
And level three is that the driver doesn't have to pay attention.
So Waymo, Zooks and Tesla still out there, very public people are watching them.
General Motors kind of operating in the dark here.
They're on the QT.
It's yes.
It's very interesting.
You had mentioned driving a Mercedes to Indianapolis.
Do tell.
Yeah.
You know, so I had the Mercedes GLE 450 and that is a really, really comfortable road
trip vehicle.
I mean, the ride and handling is certainly a little bit firm.
So once you're on the highway, it's usually pretty good.
Tell us what that is.
What the GLE is.
Yeah.
It's kind of like their midsize two row SUV, plenty of cargo space for luggage.
So you fit five passengers and their things, which is really nice.
But yeah, firm ride, potholes, not good, but sporty, fun to drive, gets the EPA recommended
fuel economy.
I was at least combined.
I think they're combined as like 20, 23, 24.
And I was right, right in that range.
And you said this was the 450.
So that's the three liter inline six with 48 volt mild hybrid assist.
Yep.
And what?
375 horsepower, I think.
I don't know.
I'm pretty sure.
Okay.
99.9% sure.
Not Googling it.
But it was smooth, fast, fun.
You know, my husband fell asleep, so I'm going to assume it was also comfortable for him.
Like the technology, you have like one of those big screens.
It's like 12.3 inches and 12.3 inches.
But it's a mono screen that goes from the gauge cluster to the infotainment system.
What did we just see that didn't have that?
What did you and I meet for lunch?
Oh, the Jeep Cherokee.
Right.
The Jeep Cherokee does not make use of that.
I think that's the only new vehicle I've seen.
It does not have a mono screen.
Not using the giant mono screen.
It's so trendy, but it's a great look.
And it packages so easily in a dashboard.
I do think it's a great look.
There are a lot of people who are against it, but I like it.
What do people, what have you heard that people dislike about it?
They just, they prefer like the little screen built into the infotainment system.
I don't know.
What's interesting about this is that it does bring the face of the gauges on the instrument panel,
you know, between the steering wheel closer to you.
Yeah.
They're like, and they can be made much more bright.
Yeah.
Because they don't have to be back lit or anything.
I like it a lot.
And credit, I think, Hyundai Kia for starting this.
Yeah.
Very trendy, but incredibly effective.
Yeah.
And I mean, Cadillac, I think, was an early bringer of the mono screen as well.
Yes.
Because the Escalade did that crazy wall-to-wall thing first.
And then Lincoln ripped that off, but very effectively.
And differently.
Yes.
Because it's set further back and it's more, it follows the arc of the windshield.
Yeah.
But, but no, so this, this is, this is good.
And you have like adjustable gauge cluster.
So you can do like sport, you can do classic, you can do efficiency assistance.
So you have like options.
Oh, these are themes.
Yeah, themes that you can adjust.
And so I always get really irked when you have a digital display.
And it just essentially replicates analog gauges.
And I'm like, why?
Why are you doing this to me?
Maybe the analog gauges.
There are more of those than I think people know.
I've driven a lot of vehicles that have a digital, and it just looks exactly like an analog screen.
Yeah, why?
Also, I have to bring it in and show it to you.
I have a watch.
It's, it's, it rips it off, but it's, it's a Mercedes-Benz classic themed watch.
I wonder, I wonder if it looks like what you were looking at.
Maybe.
Maybe.
But the face of it is basically a dial from an old Mercedes.
Yeah.
But you know, and the fit and finish is really well done.
As it should be.
Because you haven't gotten to the price yet.
No, no.
And I will say, I'm going to be writing this story for US News and World Report.
And they require that you take like a hundred photos of the car.
And they, I know, right?
And the interior shots, they don't want any dust to show.
And there are some.
Also, dear God.
Yeah.
Like there's lots of shiny bits on this as I was realizing this morning when I was taking
the interior shots of the car.
And I'm just like, holy, you know, really?
And so I was, I was like out with the little cloth trying to, to wipe all that down, get
the fingerprints with the Windex, you know, off of the gauge cluster and stuff.
Yeah.
I need to create a photography bag that I bring with me to go when I go to take pictures of
cars.
My wife always helps me with that, which is nice.
But I need to bring a feather duster.
What's amazing is I'll take a picture of the shifter, the gear selector, usually on the
center console.
And it always looks like I don't see it when I'm taking a picture and then I get home
and I blow it up and I'm doing Photoshop.
And it looks like I sneezed all over it.
I'm like, what is this crap?
Yeah.
It's hard.
It's crazy.
So like I have like one of the disposable Windex wipe things.
So I keep those in the car and then I have the soft cloths that you can kind of wipe stuff
down.
But yeah, I mean, so there are some shiny bits, which are kind of annoying, but I like the
screen.
I like the technology.
The fit and finish is good.
Seats are a little firm, but mostly comfortable.
That's German.
That's German.
And I mean, like I was trying to think about some of the things that I didn't like about
it.
And I like the price.
Yeah.
I mean, $79,000 is a little bit ouchy.
Oh, and now you drove the standard version, right?
Because there was a coupé.
Yeah.
No, no, no.
I had the regular version and this did have some options.
So $72,000 is the base without destination.
And then it added what the manufacturer edition.
I can't even say that.
M-A-N-U-F-A-K-T-U-R.
Maybe don't say it.
Yeah.
You who are German could probably say that in the black fabric headliner.
Randy has his hand on the red button.
I know, right?
But the black fabric headliner was like $4,000.
What?
And then the DX1 exclusive trim was like, am I getting these right?
I don't know.
But at any rate, there were some expensive, maybe it wasn't the black fabric headliner.
I don't know.
But there was a $4,000 option, $1,600 option.
And I mean, so the ass-tested price was $79.
So the point here is that domestic vehicles, because I just wrote, I just finished my review
of the Lincoln Aviator black label.
That's with the black label package.
Right.
Which adds $20,000 to the price is hardly more money than this.
Yeah.
And that's with the Blake label services.
We should talk about black label someday because there's a lot of really weird stuff
involved in that package.
I don't think we could probably get somebody from Lincoln on.
Yeah, we should because I would like someone to justify the non-
Justify.
Well, the non-mechanical bits that are included in the option, a lot of it is service.
Right.
They'll pick you up, they'll wash your car, they detail your car, free service.
There's a lot of interesting stuff there.
That's included.
And I wonder who that matters to.
Right.
I don't see that working very well in my life, but I can't afford an $85,000 Lincoln.
But anyway.
All right, so you drove this car, it came to $80,000.
Yep.
You drove it on the highway, long trip.
Final thoughts?
You know, if you're looking for something that is sporty, that could operate as a family
vehicle for smaller families, so you don't need a third row, but you like to drive, you
like the connection with the road, you like the firm suspension.
This is certainly worth considering if you have $80,000.
Yeah, it's expensive, but very good.
It's very good.
I mean, and the acceleration is amazing.
You know, I did, you know, you do get a little bit of turbo lag because it has the auto-stop
start engine, so the engine shuts down when you're at a stop.
And so there's like a little bit of lag when the engine comes back on if you're doing like
a hard acceleration out of a stop.
Yeah, but you know, I didn't find it egregious, like I found other ones that are worse.
All right.
And I just, I liked it.
All right.
Your review is going to go where?
I, in the U.S. News, it'll end up in U.S. News.
Remind us from that post.
I shall do that.
All right, we're going to take a break.
When we come back, we're going to talk some Mazda tech and the all-new Mazda 5.
Yes.
Still around.
Still around.
Still their best-selling car.
And do it well.
Yeah, that's a great car.
We'll be right back.
Questions or comments?
Drop us a line at carstuffatconsumerguide.com.
That's carstuffatconsumerguide.com.
Welcome back to the Carstuff Podcast.
And we're back.
This is the Consumer Guide Carstuff Podcast.
I'm Tom.
She is Jill.
She'll throw me a bone.
Hey, Tom.
Are you on social media?
I am.
Thanks for asking.
Yeah.
People can check me out on Facebook.
Just use my name.
I'm an ex.
I'm Car Guy Tom there.
And I am on Blue Sky.
Yes.
Where the car conversation has turned.
Uh-oh.
Blue Sky is fun.
Okay.
I was going to say turn negative.
No, no.
It just seems like all the people I used to know from ex have gone to Blue Sky and it's
very car-oriented.
Okay.
So it's a lot of fun.
All right.
We're going to talk a little bit, actually a lot bit, about the Mazda CX-5.
Mm-hmm.
This is an interesting vehicle for a bunch of reasons.
Mazda updated its whole lineup going from single digits to two digits.
Mm-hmm.
CX-3 became CX-30.
That was just continued.
CX-50.
CX-60.
CX.
Well, CX-70.
Not CX-70.
CX-70 and then 90.
Mm-hmm.
At the top of the lineup.
And these vehicles all got better, longer.
And part of Mazda's move to go slightly upscale with its lineup.
And I think they did that successfully.
Mm-hmm.
But the Mazda CX-5 still, by a lot, the best-selling vehicle in the vehicle lineup, just redesigned.
It got bigger.
Yep.
And it got a lot of tech inside.
Yeah.
Here to talk to us about that is Matthew Valbuena.
He is the project manager for InVehicle Technology at Mazda.
Matthew, how are you?
Not too good.
How are you guys doing?
Doing really well.
Thank you for joining us today.
You'd feel bad about being stuck inside if you were here in Chicago.
It's very nice outside.
No, I'm in SoCal, so it's never really not nice here.
Oh, okay.
I'm okay.
Well, then the heck with you, dude.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We're sad to be inside because we're missing the goodness outside.
We just survived a brutal winter.
But you guys have an all-new vehicle in your hands.
Can you tell us a little bit about the new CX-5, how it's different, and what we should
be watching for?
Yeah, so the new CX-5 has had a couple of big changes to it.
One of them has to do a lot with interior passenger space.
We've increased the wheelbase, so there's additional leg room for the second row.
Excellent.
There's much more spacious second row, and then there's also a larger cargo area.
So, you know, a lot of the improvements were made around addressing how the vehicle is
used and the idea of family and being able to, you know, easily load kids in car seats
or child safety seats in the rear of the vehicle.
The rear doors open almost at a 90-degree angle, so it's a lot easier to get those car seats
in and out.
I noticed that about the 70.
That is super handy.
Right.
And with the additional wheelbase, you know, you can easily, with both hands on either
side of the car seat, get it docked into the base much easier.
But my area of expertise with the vehicle is really around the in-vehicle technology,
the tech that's in the car.
And the biggest advancement with the new CX-5 is the fact that we are now utilizing
Google built-in as part of the infotainment system.
So, Google Maps is now the native navigation solution.
Google Assistant is now the native voice solution.
And then the infotainment system has the Google Play Store built-in so that users can download
their favorite apps directly to the vehicle and utilize them natively in the car.
So, if you leave your phone at home, you don't have that despair of, oh my, you know, oh
my gosh, I feel naked.
I don't have my playlist.
I don't have my calendar.
I don't have my schedule.
Well, with Google built-in, you have all that capability built into the vehicle so you
can move on with your day even if you happen to leave your phone at home.
Is this the first Mazda with Google built-in?
It is.
It is.
And, you know, obviously, as you mentioned earlier, the CX-5 is Mazda's best-selling vehicle.
And we knew it, you know, in order to kind of keep that momentum up, we needed to address
the technology expectations of our consumers.
And the challenge with the in-vehicle space is so much of what you expect to be able to
do inside the car is influenced on what you can do outside of the car.
Years ago, before cars had connected voice recognition systems, the built-in voice recognition
was really quite limited, but it was seemingly acceptable until the advent of Alexa or Google
Assistant or Siri on the smartphone.
And once you got really familiar with conversing with your phone or your smart speaker, you
started to realize that your car couldn't keep up.
And so a lot of what people are doing outside of the car is kind of shaping those expectations.
So those swipes, those taps, those flicks, those gestures that you're familiar with on
the phone, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and teach or force the user to adopt
a different way of interacting, we wanted to kind of bring those familiar interactions
to the vehicle.
And with Google built-in, we're really able to leverage that familiar user interface.
Now, is Google built-in standard on all trims or is it when you get to a certain trim, you
will get it?
No, it's standard on all trim levels.
So if you get the entry trim or if you go all the way for the premium plus, you'll have
Google built-in.
And the differences that you'll see in the trim level is basically the size of the center
display screen.
There's a 12.9-inch screen standard and then a 15.6-inch screen on the top trim.
And both are considerably larger than the old screen?
Correct.
And is it full touchscreen now?
Yes.
Yes.
So it's full touchscreen, touchscreen in motion.
The only thing that you can't do when the vehicle is in motion are some of the more detailed
settings and, of course, keyboard entry.
So if you want to enter a destination, just say, hey, Google, find the nearest in and
out being in SoCal, that would be something you could say and the system would respond
and show you the nearest in and out burger and route you there all by voice.
So the flexibility of the system is one of the key driving points.
And because of the ability to download over 300 apps to the system, the touchscreen interface
was best suited to handle that because of all the variety of user interface designs and
elements that could be shown on screen with these various apps.
So full touchscreen, but do you still have the rotary dial?
No.
The rotary dial went away in the new CX-5, mainly as I was mentioning for that compatibility
with apps reason.
Trying to map a commander knob that had rotating left, rotating right, tilting up, down, left,
right, and enter.
So basically seven directions of input to a interface that was designed around touch was
kind of a challenge.
When we introduced the 2019 Mazda 3, that system was entirely operated around the commander
knob.
And we heard a large number of comments from consumers that were saying that using CarPlay
and using Android Auto, those two interfaces being distinctly designed around touchscreen
input, trying to use a commander knob for those interfaces was actually more challenging.
And so when we introduced the CX-50, we brought back touchscreen functionality specifically
for CarPlay and Android Auto.
And that helped address some of the concerns.
But again, with this system supporting native Google applications and the ever-changing
app landscape, being able to guarantee compatibility with a variety of apps with that commander
knob, that commander knob became a limitation.
It became a challenge.
And because the system supports over there updates and will evolve with the ownership
experience, we didn't want the hardware to be a limiting factor.
The average customer in North America keeps their smartphone for 33 months.
In that 33-month span with their smartphone, they will see two to three major OS updates.
So even if their phone is one or two years old, they still have that fresh, latest and
greatest operating system experience.
The Google built-in system in the Mazda CX-5 is going to behave the same way.
So the customer is going to see over there updates, and they're going to see fresh user
interface updates over their lifetime with that vehicle.
And so because of that, we wanted to be able to adapt and change and keep the user experience
fresh without having the constraint of a hardware controller to consider.
I got to tell you what, Matthew, I'm a little bit hurt personally.
I have defended deeply and profoundly the rotary knob, which I really liked, and I found
really easy to use while moving.
But I guess I understand the time moves on.
I do want to say my daughter just bought a CX-30, and she likes the knob.
She's about the knob.
Yeah.
There are some serious defenders of the knob.
I've been posting content the past couple of days about the CX-70.
Knobbies.
We call them knobbies.
And I had some comments about the knob, and they were just like, we love the knob.
So I just have to say, what do you say to people who are going to miss the knob?
Like me.
Yeah.
The knob has its benefits, but it also had its challenges in the fact that there's always
a learning curve when there's something new.
And the knob required you to kind of adapt, OK, I want to use CarPlay.
How do I rotate this knob to then highlight this icon?
Or I want to do this in Android Automotive.
How do I do that?
So there was always that cognitive load in trying to figure out how to do something when
interacting with something that was really designed for that touch-first interface.
So we were trying to reduce the cognitive load required.
So because these interfaces are really designed around the use of touch, it's a much more
familiar experience.
And so when we were doing user testing with the systems, that initial ease of discovery
and the ability to figure out the system without any sort of instruction was much greater,
much better with the new CX-5 than it is with the existing systems.
But the existing Rotary Commander knob-based systems are still available.
So if you are a die-hard knob loyalist, the CX-50 or knob enthusiast, those vehicles still
have it.
So it's a lot like the Apple iPod versus the iPod Touch.
So they were sold alongside each other in stores for, I think, a seven-year overlap.
So the current time being, the user has a choice of deciding, do they want to stick with
the existing experience or do they want to go with the touchscreen experience?
But our belief in the system is so strong that we were willing to do this on our best-selling
vehicle.
We saw the upside, we saw the benefits, and the flexibility that this new system has,
I think outweighs any of that initial concern that, okay, I love the knob, I hate to see
it go.
Matthew, correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the things that you guys chose to do when
redesigning the CX-5 interface was to move some of the physical controls to the touchscreen,
right?
And I believe you've moved climate functions to the touchscreen.
Interesting decision, I think, at this point because there are some manufacturers who are
coming back the other direction.
But you guys have committed to this.
Talk about that.
Yeah.
So when we designed the user interface layout, we wanted to make sure that certain elements
were always surfaced or always shown on screen.
So the climate controls, most of the functions are on the touchscreen.
There are still physical buttons for the front and rear defrosters.
Okay.
Those are still tactile switches.
But the rest of the climate control experience, so the temperature, the fan speed, the heated
seats or the ventilated seats, those are on the touchscreen, but those controls are docked
along the home navigation bar that's at the bottom of the screen.
So it's not like you have to pull up a secondary screen to access those things.
So even if you're in CarPlay, even if you're in full screen navigation, you still have access
to the climate control.
And of course, those functions are also supported by Google Assistant.
So you can say things like, hey, turn up the temperature or set the temperature to 72 degrees
or turn the passenger seat heater to maximum.
And conversationally, the system will understand and adjust the climate control settings based
on your voice feedback.
Yeah.
That's exactly what I was going to ask about.
One of the features that I love on Google built-in vehicles is the ability to initiate
changes without taking your eyes off the road just through voice commands and really good
natural language listening.
And I don't know if your vehicles have this, but I know in some, I'll just say, hey Google,
I'm cold.
And I don't like turn on my heated seat, my heated steering wheel and turn up my heat.
So I don't know what level of command you guys have, but like even just being able to
say, hey Google, set my temperature to 72 degrees is just really a nice option.
It would be funny actually if the car responded, you're always cold.
You know what?
And then did nothing.
I feel like it has done that to me before.
You're always cold.
Matthew, can you tell us a little bit about what Gemini is and how that works in the interior
environment?
So Google Gemini is a more advanced voice assistant that leverages artificial intelligence to
deliver more contextually aware results for the user.
So it's kind of like Google Assistant, but maybe on steroids is more advanced.
And it is rolling out soon to the automotive space.
So when Google Gemini becomes available in vehicles, it will also be available in the
new CX-5.
And when that comes out, the user will be able to do more by voice than what they can
currently do with Google Assistant.
If users out there already have Gemini on their smartphone, they'll kind of understand
the differences that you could do with Gemini on a phone that you weren't able to do with
just Google Assistant.
And so when that comes out, the user will be able to download Assistant to the car and
then interact with it the same way they would on their phone.
But in the vehicle, it allows them to string their requests in a little bit more of a detailed
way.
Because like right now, I can say, hey, find the near-send it out, or hey, can you find
me a Japanese restaurant near the beach?
Like those types of queries are supported with Google Assistant.
But with Google Gemini, you're able to take things to a deeper level.
And you can say, hey, can you find me a gluten-free Indian restaurant that's also child-friendly?
And it'll, it'll dig.
Wow, that's a big ask, sir.
Right.
But what it's doing is Gemini is doing a deeper dive on all of the points of interest data
that Google has in Google Maps.
So when you look at a destination, it tells you, you know, like parking, tells you about,
you know, food, hours, you know, accessibility and all those things.
All that criteria is now accessed by Gemini.
So it's doing a deeper dive into the existing data that Google already has and makes it available
for query by the user.
So yeah, if you have very particular taste or very, you know, exacting requirements,
Gemini will help you find those results.
So when you ask Gemini a question, I've used Gemini on my computer and on my phone, but
I haven't used it in a car yet.
So like, will it put something on the screen?
Does it speak to you?
Like, how does it interact with you?
It'll speak back to you.
If you're looking for navigation destinations, it'll show you options.
Okay.
So it'll show you the name of like three places that may meet your criteria and you can just
either touch or say, I want to go to, you know, place A, place B or place C.
So it's not much different in terms of how it resents the information than Google Assistant
does.
It's just the ability for it to kind of grab greater granularity or finer details in those
queries.
Oh, cool.
So this is basically the foundation for all infotainment systems in Mazda's moving forward.
It's the basis for the infotainment system in the CX-5, apparently, yes.
You know, we don't know how it'll go.
We don't typically talk about future product development or anything like that.
Wow.
But I didn't think I was pushing my luck.
You were pushing your luck.
But obviously, you know, looking at the trend of technology and looking at how user expectations
have shaped things and you're looking at the Gen Z and the Gen Alpha customer base, you
know, that's entering the marketplace, this is that type of user experience that's being
expected these days.
And so we're trying to address those that demand as well as adapt to the ever-changing
flexibility that people are looking for and the capability they're looking for.
So that's why, you know, again, we started with our best-selling vehicle with this platform.
Sure.
Well, I'm looking forward to driving the vehicle.
Matthew, when does the CX-5 go on sale?
The new...
The CX-5?
It's at dealerships nationwide now, so it's on sale as we speak.
Sounds good.
Matthew, we run out of time.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you, guys, for having me.
All right.
That was Matthew Valboyna.
We're going to take a break and when we come back...
Quiz time.
Quiz time.
Questions or comments?
Drop us a line at carstuffatconsumerguide.com.
That's carstuffatconsumerguide.com.
Hi, this is Alex Kanstruitz.
I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on-air contributor
to CNBC.
And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing
the business world and our lives.
So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech
and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going.
They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more.
So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your
colleagues, and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get
your podcasts.
Welcome back to the Car Stuff Podcast.
And we're back.
This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast.
I'm Tom.
She is Jill.
We were just talking about the New York Auto Show this week, news from Subaru, news from
Volkswagen.
There's going to be news from Hyundai as well, I think, and I'm trying to think, I haven't
looked at the press conference schedule yet, but I feel like maybe Kia might have something
and maybe Genesis.
Oh, wow.
Genesis.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, that's the news.
So we'll see.
I mean, I'll obviously have more information for you next week, but this is a show that
something is happening at.
Yeah.
There's some stuff.
There's some stuff.
All right.
Real quick, your social media, mediaing.
Yes, my social mediaing.
You can find me on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Threads, Blue Sky.
I'm on Twitter, all the things, at Jill Siminello.
And I use the hashtag Car De Jure, because Siminello can be hard to spell.
It's not with an S. And so, Car De Jure, all one word, like soup De Jure, but yeah.
So you can find me there on all the things.
Sounds good.
It is quiz time.
All right.
It is quiz time.
Today's quiz involves the CVT.
Oh, lovely.
The continuously variable transmission for people who don't know.
Which everybody loves.
The CVT does not have stepped gears.
There isn't just six speed, eight speed, seven speed, nine speed, three speed if you go back
far enough, two speed if you go back really far.
Yeah.
It's a continuously variable thing.
It's very efficient.
It's very lightweight.
And often it doesn't perform in the smoothest possible way and people don't like it.
However, a bunch of manufacturers, Subaru, for example, exclusively.
Subaru, Nissan.
So today's quiz, I'm going to, is CVT or automatic?
I'm going to give you a car model.
You just have to tell me.
Or a car, a whole, yeah, car model.
Okay.
Are we ready?
Yep.
And I just want to say thank you for the cinnamon donut today.
Yeah.
Powdered cinnamon.
Yeah.
Although I think I'm going to have like powder all over the place.
I already have powder all over the place.
They should, when you order that donut, you should get a free mini vac.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I need to go do video after this.
I'm going to have powdered sugar all over the place.
A dog would lick up the cinnamon and sugar.
Yeah.
All right.
Are you ready?
As ready as I can be.
Five questions plus the bonus question.
You need three for a victory.
Okay.
Bonus question, of course, always related to the topic of the day.
All right.
Always.
Honda Accord.
CVT or automatic.
Honda Accord.
The vehicle that is no longer beloved by the public and it should be, it's a fantastic
car.
But sales have fallen as people have moved to the CRD, the very popular compact crossover.
I'm going to say automatic.
Conventional automatic?
No.
Every Honda Accord is now a CVT.
Oh, that breaks my heart.
I knew they did away with the manual transmission.
They used to have a manual transmission in the sport model, which was amazing.
Yeah.
They did a coupe for a while.
It was a V6, 3.5 liter V6 six speed manual coupe.
Oh, that was a cool car.
All right.
You have no points.
The Nissan Altima CVT or automatic.
That is Nissan's midsize sedan.
I'm going to say CVT.
Yes.
Yeah.
Only CVT made it to a 2.5 liter conventional four cylinder engine.
All right.
You've got one point here on the board.
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.
Oh.
That is Mitsubishi's most affordable and it ties for smallest with the Eclipse Cross.
Small crossover.
I'm going to say CVT.
Yes.
You have two points.
I read a review of this vehicle today before I put together this quiz.
You know, here's the thing.
When the Outlander Sport first came out, I loved it.
Really?
I loved it.
I thought it was cute, small, perfectly, you know, perfectly done for a city situation.
It's a good size and it's good looking.
It was affordable.
I mean, the interior has always been a little bit plasticky.
I'm not going to, I'm not going to fudge that there.
But I mean, for what it was and the price point that it came in at, when it first came out,
I thought it was amazing.
But I just realized like what it came out in...
1911.
Yeah.
It feels that way like that.
But I think it only has one single generation.
Yeah.
They've never done a serious update of the vehicle.
They've never, it's built on the same platform.
Was it 2011?
I don't know.
It goes way back.
Yeah.
And part of the deal is they sell the Eclipse Cross, which is sort of a fastback.
It's a different crossover.
I think it's probably mechanically very similar, different drivetrain.
But it's kind of a fastbacky thing.
So they have two vehicles roughly the same size, hard to differentiate them for any meaningful
reason.
And then they have the Outlander, which is compact.
And it's in the market that it's against the CR-V and the RAV4.
So there's the volume there.
So they get some sales from that.
Right.
Oh, man.
Mitsubishi needs some help.
Well, you know, fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed it's coming.
Well, they need an all-new compact crossover.
Yeah.
I mean, they really need to do...
That's not dependent on Nissan.
They use Nissan today.
Yeah.
They really need to redo the Outlander Sport.
Alrighty.
You've got two points.
Alfa Romeo Tonale.
That is the smallest and most affordable Alfa Romeo.
We've been talking a lot about that vehicle lately.
It was related to the Dodge Hornet, which has been discontinued.
And it had...it was PHEV.
Or a fifth.
Pee-hev, I think that's what the kids are saying.
It's Pee-hev.
The Pee-hev, the plug-in hybrid is gone.
Yes.
For 2026.
And thank God because it sucked.
Alfa Romeo with a CVT.
I'm going to say no.
No.
It uses Chrysler's Stellantis's popular nine-speed auto.
Yeah.
And the vehicle without the plug-in hybrid situation.
A lot of fun.
Yes.
Alright.
Finally, the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
By the way, I won.
I've got three points.
You've got three.
Big deal.
Woo.
Yeah, me.
Confetti.
Yeah.
You're using Cinnamon for Confetti.
I'm using this.
I could sprinkle some on you if you like.
So you said which?
The Palisade?
I don't remember and I didn't write it down.
The Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
New for 2026.
I'm going to say yes.
No.
Ah.
Interestingly, that uses a six-speed automatic.
Interesting.
Yeah, hybrids that use automatics are interesting.
Mm-hmm.
And that's because they use a different system.
And typically they use more than one electric motor then.
I probably need to know a little bit more about this
before I start gabbing about it, but it's interesting.
You know what was even more interesting?
A hybrid that had a manual transmission.
I can only think of one.
Two.
I can only think of one.
There was that rebirth of the Hyundai Insight, that two-seater.
Mm-hmm, that wasn't it.
It was the CRZ.
That's what I'm thinking of.
Yeah, the CRZ.
I'm sorry, that is what I'm thinking of.
Okay, yeah, the CRZ had the...
Briefly available with a manual.
And it would have been weird to drive that
because you could be like between shifts
and then it could decide to kick in.
The engine shuts down and you think you're stalling?
I don't think that.
I feel like I drove it and I had like...
Oh, I never drove one.
Oh crap moments.
Unbelievably available for that vehicle.
So we're already talking about a low-volume vehicle
with a low-volume option, the manual.
There was an aftermarket supercharger available for that.
And I'm sure that no one bought one ever.
Maybe one.
Maybe one person.
I don't know.
I don't know who that person would be, but maybe one.
So what was the other one that you were thinking of with the manual?
The original.
I thought the original insight going back to like 2000.
I thought was briefly available.
Maybe not in the US.
I would need to check on that.
Okay.
In fact, that's my homework.
Okay.
I'll check on that.
So you have three points.
Yes.
And it's bonus question time.
Okay.
Are you ready?
Always.
Today's topic is radishes.
Oh, I like radishes.
Yes, this is from Healthy Lifestyle Farm and Food Online.
There are 144 varieties of radishes.
Okay.
I have four here.
By the way, Jacques Pepin.
I like Jacques Pepin.
The legendary Jacques Pepin makes a radish sandwich.
Interesting.
It is based on the James Beard onion sandwich and it looks so delicate.
He doesn't do anything to like take the sting or the bitterness out of the radish.
He just uses a very thin layer of it on bread and butter and chives.
That's the whole thing.
And apparently it's fantastic.
It sounds simple.
It sounds too easy.
It sounds like it'd be weird.
But he's Jacques Pepin.
He is.
Who questions Jacques?
I do not.
I don't.
All right.
I'm going to give you four varieties of radishes.
One of them is fake.
Okay.
Are you ready?
Yeah.
I'm not super familiar with the radish variants.
Well, there's 144.
I know.
Who is?
I know.
I think I know one radish variant.
I wish there was like the North American Radish Institute.
We get someone from there to talk about all 144 varieties.
Yeah.
And you're asking me for the fake.
Yep.
Okay.
The fake.
Are you ready?
Yep.
Speaking of Jacques, French breakfast.
Okay.
Cherry bell.
Mm-hmm.
Rat tail.
Or Polish wonder.
Rat tail?
Rat tail.
Rat like the rodent tail, like the rodent's tail.
Oddly, I almost feel like that could be real because the radish tails look like a rat tail.
I hadn't thought of that, but yeah.
Yeah, so French breakfast, cherry bell, rat tail, or Polish wonder.
My buddy Dave, he's the Polish wonder.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Hey Dave.
French breakfast.
What was the second one?
Cherry bell, B-E-L-L-E.
Okay.
As in bell of the radish ball.
Or bell shaped.
Sure.
Rat tail, Polish wonder.
I think it's either going to be French breakfast or Polish wonder is my guess.
French breakfast is weird.
It's just great, some radish on your pancakes.
Well, I mean, why not?
You could have a breakfast salad.
There's a restaurant in Arlington Heights.
It's very good.
It's a Mexican restaurant, a little of an edgy, called Mago.
Mm-hmm.
It's very good.
We should meet there one day.
Okay.
Mago.
But they do a lot with radishes as garnish.
Mm-hmm.
It's very artistic.
But it's funny because when the radish is really thin, really light, it adds some crunch.
It's kind of fun.
I agree.
Like eating raw radishes, I don't want to.
I like raw radishes.
Okay.
I'm going to go with Polish wonder.
You're correct.
All right.
You did good today.
You got four.
Yeah.
But no, like I said, I can logic myself out of some of these, but like the tail of a radish
does look a little bit ratty.
It does.
Yeah.
It does.
Alrighty.
I'm going to sign this and hand this over to you.
There was something else I wanted to get back to really quickly.
What was it?
What was it?
Oh, the Mazda CX-5.
I just wanted to talk about the most popular products there in 2025.
Okay.
So the CX-5.
Mm-hmm.
136,000 units.
Okay.
That's a big number for Mazda.
Mm-hmm.
But the CX-50 is catching up.
Mm-hmm.
And the CX-50 for people who don't know is this sort of longer, more SUV looking version.
Like off-roading, more cladding.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's about the same price.
Yeah.
It's like within 500 or 1,000 bucks.
It's not significantly more expensive.
Yeah.
And I feel like when they first came out with that, I was like, how are you coexisting these
vehicles?
And they said, well, the CX-5 is more sophisticated, urban, and then the CX-50 is more rugged every
day.
And I was like...
Is it?
I don't know.
The thing about the CX-5 is that it's a little upright.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a little more...
Bubbly.
Yeah.
It's probably better for getting people in and out of.
Mm-hmm.
Especially if you have, like, old relatives.
I have a lot of friends who actually have the CX-5 and love it.
Do they?
Yeah.
Yeah.
The CX-30 is next.
That's the subcompact crossover.
That's the car my daughter bought.
And then the CX-90 is the big three row.
So again, we talked about this.
The five is the only single-digit Mazda.
The 30 replaced the three, the 90 replaced the nine.
There wasn't a seven before that.
There was.
Way back when.
Once upon a time, there was a seven.
Way back when.
Yeah.
And that was a weird vehicle.
Yeah.
Also, it was ugly.
It was really strange looking.
There's a weird kick up in the side of it.
All right.
Guess what I just got?
Well, you know this.
You had to get my phone out of my car.
Yeah.
And by the way, who puts their phone in the sun visor?
Me.
Yeah.
I get this call from our producer saying, hey, could you get Tom's phone out of his
car?
What's amazing is I am convenience to people.
Yeah.
So I'm like in there looking for your phone and I'm like calling your phone and something
is vibrating and I can't figure out what's vibrating.
I'm pulling stuff out of the console.
I can't figure out.
It's on your visor.
You have a very funny voicemail message from me.
Oh, good.
I'm looking forward to that.
That car, the Lexus RZ 550E, which is a bunch of name, is Lexus's electric vehicle.
The only electric Lexus at the moment, but the ES is coming.
Yes.
The ES it is.
Really nice car inside.
Yeah.
This is a nice car.
I'm looking forward to spending some more time with this and I do have to do some driving.
Yes.
So I will put some miles on that.
Yeah.
I haven't driven it since the launch a couple of years ago and I just remember really liking
it, but it has more range now, right?
Because the old one was the 450E and maybe that was one engine that wasn't all-wheel-drive.
Motor.
This is all motor.
This is all-wheel-drive.
So two motor.
But because I know the Beezee Woodland got an increased boost in range, so I would assume
that the RZ did as well.
No, it's not good.
It's like 226 miles.
Really?
Yeah.
Because it's always been about that then, because I know that the Beezee went up.
Dual motor and a lot of stuff, because I think the 450, do they still sell the 450E?
I need to check now.
Yeah.
This is why you get test cars.
Yes.
I can do another deep dive into this vehicle.
Very quick, very nicely put together, squirts away from the light, very roomy up front.
There's a lot here to like.
I like the digital interface.
Also, they may have changed the instrument panel a little bit.
I'm not sure.
I thought it was that kind of look-over-the-wheel thing before.
Was it not?
It was.
And I even drove a version of the RZ with a yoke.
Okay.
This is not that.
You're like, this is not that.
This is far more traditional.
Okay.
So I'm digging that.
What are you driving?
So I actually have two vehicles right now, the Mercedes, which I will turn in tomorrow,
and I have the Genesis GV80 also, which I drove here.
And it's the GV80 Coupe.
Oh, I've got that coming.
Yeah.
That is a beautiful, I love, you know, I don't like the egg shape on some of the, like the
BMWs and the Mercedes, but I like it on this GV80.
I think they did a good job.
I've got that coming.
Steven Johnny, our good friend Steven Johnny, who do our intro and our bumpers, they have
a GV80 old school.
So I think the coupe would interest them.
Yeah.
No, it's, it's very comfortable.
And again, the mono display and I like in the GV80 how the map kind of pulls from the
infotainment screen and you can pull it all the way through into the gauge cluster.
That's something people need to see.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
I mean, I'll take a picture of it and we'll have to post it on the Facebook page because
it looks really cool.
Cool.
All right.
Guess what we did?
We had a great show.
We did.
Yeah.
Big thanks to our guest who Matthew Velboina.
Yes.
Of Mazda.
Thank you, Jill.
Thank you, producer Randy and the good folks here at TalkZone.
Let's talk more about cars again next week.
Next week.
Remember to check us out at consumerguide.com.
The Car Stuff podcast is produced by J-Turn Media.
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Hey, I'm Josh Spiegel, host of the podcast Lunatic in the Newsroom.
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