The 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe is a large SUV that's great for families and can carry a lot of cargo. It's known for being powerful and good for towing trailers.
LED lighting is a type of car light that uses small lights called diodes. They last longer and use less energy than regular light bulbs, making them popular in modern cars.
A power liftgate is a door at the back of an SUV that can open and close automatically. You just press a button, and it does the work for you, which is handy when you have your hands full.
Power assist side steps are steps that pop out from the side of a vehicle when you open the door. They help you get in and out of tall cars easily and go back in when you're done.
A power panoramic sunroof is a big window on the roof of a car that can open and close with a button. It lets in a lot of light and gives you a nice view of the sky.
These are big, shiny wheels made from a lightweight metal called aluminum. They can make a car look nicer and help it drive better because they're lighter than other materials.
A 6.2-liter V8 engine is a powerful type of engine with eight cylinders. It's designed to provide a lot of strength, which helps in towing heavy loads like boats.
The EPA is a government agency that measures how much fuel cars use. They provide numbers that show how many miles a car can drive on a gallon of gas, which helps you know how efficient a car is.
Magnetic ride control is a special type of suspension that can change how the car feels while driving. It uses a special fluid that can get thicker or thinner, helping the car handle better on different roads.
The base model price is the lowest price you can pay for a car without any extra features. It's like the starting point before you add anything else to it.
The Cadillac Escalade is a big, fancy SUV that has a lot of room inside and comes with many luxury features. People often talk about it because it's a popular choice for those who want a stylish and comfortable ride.
The Ford Expedition is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and their stuff. It's great for families and has features that make it easy to drive and use.
The Toyota Sequoia is a large SUV that can carry many passengers and has a hybrid engine option, which means it uses both gasoline and electricity to run, making it more efficient.
NASCAR stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It's a type of car racing that features specially built cars racing on oval tracks, and it has many fans in the U.S.
The Southern California Timing Association is a group that organizes races, especially for cars trying to achieve the fastest speeds on land. They are known for their events at places like the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Street racing is when people race their cars on regular streets instead of on a racetrack. It's often illegal and can be dangerous, but it's popular among car enthusiasts.
Hot rods are cars that have been changed to go faster and look cooler. They usually come from older American cars and have special modifications to make them unique.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast and stylish sports car that many people love for its cool looks and powerful engine. It's known for being one of the best American sports cars you can buy.
Open headers are a type of exhaust system that makes a car much louder because it doesn't have a muffler. This is often done to make the car sound more powerful.
'Greasy Wrench Garage' is a fun name for a group of friends who like to fix and work on cars together. It shows that they enjoy getting their hands dirty while working on their vehicles.
The Subaru Ascent is a larger SUV that can fit a lot of people and their stuff, making it great for families. It's known for being safe and good in different weather conditions.
A midsize SUV is a type of car that's bigger than a small SUV but not as big as the largest ones. It's good for families because it has more room inside.
Price as tested is the total cost of the car after adding all the extra features and options. It's what you would pay if you wanted that specific version of the car.
The Willys Jeep is a tough little vehicle that was first made for the military during World War II. It's known for being able to go almost anywhere, and it helped start the trend of making off-road cars.
The Jeep Wagoneer is a big SUV that can handle rough roads and also has nice features for comfort. It's a great option for people who want a mix of luxury and adventure.
LIVE
Well, guess what?
What?
Mr. Mars has driven probably one of the...
Yes?
Were you calling somebody?
No.
Yes.
Please, hallelujah.
Praise the Lord.
Mr. Mars had a chance to drive one of the most popular SUVs in the world.
That would be the Chevy Tahoe, and here is now to talk to you about that.
And it is the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe.
I haven't driven one in a couple of years, so I was really happy to see that it
was going to get this.
It's assembled in Arlington, Texas, so this is a Texas vehicle, very close to home, and
it comes in six different trim levels, LS, LT, RST, E71, which is obviously the off-road
suspension.
You've got the Premier and then the High Country, the luxury.
So we were driving the Premier, the four-wheel drive trim level.
Now, this is considered by the government as a standard SUV that we used to call
them full-size SUV, but I guess that means it's standard now, full-size.
I had the polar white tri-coat option.
I love black and white cars.
I love the color combination.
That would be the police version.
Yes, almost, except it had the white hood instead of the black hood.
Of course, it had LED lighting all the way around on the exterior, including the fog
lights, daytime running lights, had the heated folding side mirrors, all the things you
would expect off of a high-end SUV, power liftgate with power panoramic sunroof,
power assist side steps with perimeter lighting.
So whenever they would come on and they would start going back and forth, they would
light up the ground so you could see it.
22-inch polished aluminum wheels were also an option that we had.
Now, it did have the seating for seven, front and second-row bucket seats, both of
which were heated on this particular vehicle.
It had a 17-inch infotainment screen up front.
Now, this was not the vertical type of screen like some of the cars have.
This is more of a horizontal screen, and I like it much better than the vertical
because it just seems I could find things a little bit easier looking across
instead of trying to search up and down.
15-inch heads-up display that was really good at seeing how things were going.
And the rear seat had the media system.
Now, this is the 12.6-inch touch screens that are on the back of the front seats.
Now, I don't particularly care for the way they did that.
To me, it's kind of like an add-on.
It's like it's hanging there.
I like it much better when they build it in.
But it worked.
Worked well.
Everybody seemed to, hey, happy with that.
Now, to make this thing go, because this thing is a little bit on the heavy side,
5,700 pounds, we had the 6.2-liter V8.
Now, this is a $2,400 option on it.
The standard engine is a 5-point liter, and I'm thinking that that's probably
a very adequate engine.
But the 6.2-liter has 420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque.
And putting that with a 10-speed automatic, it is rated to tow 8,200 pounds,
which is a pretty good size load.
You can see him pulling big boats and things.
Now, the miles per gallon.
The EPA says you should be looking for about 14 on the highway, 18, excuse me,
14 in the city, 18 on the highway, and with a combination of 16.
Now, the week I had it, I drove 267.8 miles.
I got 16.8 on as an overall average for that time.
And I was real happy with that, because I really liked driving this vehicle.
It's got plenty of power to spare, particularly if you're thinking about
towing something.
It's going to give you plenty of juice for that to get to that 8,400 pound.
So I also like driving it.
It was very quiet.
I thought it had very responsive steering in that it's not a race car,
but you get into round town where you're moving around the streets
or through a parking lot.
I thought it worked really well for that size of vehicle.
I was really impressed with it.
And it's also got a lot of glass.
So you've got a real nice field of view whenever you're looking around
to see what's around you.
The pillars don't get in the way of the Asian.
No, no, it was really nice.
I also like the magnetic ride control.
I mean, that was that was some nice stuff there.
Absolutely.
Damn cost.
Now, the base model price, the LS base model price, $62,995.
That's what it'll take to get into a Tahoe.
Now, the base trim price for the premiere that we have.
There we go.
$78,000 was pretty good.
But we had an option or two.
We did our MSR PS test.
It was 92,000.
So we had some options, like I say, the paint, the wheels,
and lots of other things.
The only option that it didn't have is the Cadillac option.
That would have been 192,000.
Yeah, yeah, they'll be called an Escalade.
If you're looking for something to compare this to,
I mean, you could look across at the Ford Expedition
of about the same size, $64,995 to get started.
Nissan or Mata, $58,800.
Toyota Sequoia, which is strictly all you're going
to get there is a hybrid.
You're not going to get a straight gasoline engine,
but it's $64,000.
Now, the GMC Yukon is the sister vehicle to the Tahoe,
or the cousin, whatever you want to call it.
And it'll start at about $69,000.
But I've always thought the GMC is called, you know,
it used to be the working man's truck.
And the GMC, GMC now is the step between the Chevy
and the Cadillac.
Yeah, yeah, it's got a lot nicer.
So its base price, that makes sense
that it starts a little bit more.
But I really enjoyed this vehicle.
I thought it would do a lot of things.
And I don't know what all I would do to improve it.
And that's my review of the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe
Premier four-wheel drive.
Nice.
Thank you very much.
Hey, if you'd like to.
OK.
It's time now for Jeff's car culture, the effective car
clubs, and the effect that the car clubs have had on us.
Sure.
And as if a classic car and customs
didn't have enough history of their own,
car clubs bring another aspect of excitement
to the culture for many individuals to film
American graffiti, Don, was an intriguing and mesmerizing
look into the past lifetime.
Being given a slight glimpse into the Faro's car club,
that was the gang back then, there
was always a wonder towards what that lifestyle would
be like in a tangible scale.
Car clubs weren't always the way that the majorities of them
are today.
Now they're peaceful and altruistic.
So good for them.
Car clubs have been around since the automobile
was available to the general public.
The individual's interpretation of how
make a factory production look better
or how to make the machines faster, stronger
were always the top priorities.
Groups of builders, drivers, they
used to stake out the availability of back roads
before the drag strips were created.
Absolutely.
The existence of car clubs has kept
the pursuit of building and restructuring cars
popular to this day.
Through the 50s and 60s, car clubs
became immensely popular for building faster
and the one-off looking cars.
The process involved chopping, channeling, splicing,
different parts of the car, different pieces
to make a wild creation.
The NASCAR and the Southern California Timing Association
gained tremendous fan following.
Street racing also arose from that time, within that time
frame.
With street racing came territory.
Builders flocked together to create
the meanest of the mean street
machine in order to race down a local strip.
With the desire of speed also came
the importance of being flashy and standing out, Don,
from the normal appearance of everyone else's cars.
What are you saying?
I'm telling you.
Clubs would hold local events, flaunting
their custom creations around the neighborhoods
while other car clubs would join to flaunt off their own.
With blood boiling about those who was better
and who was worse and who was faster,
tempers would flare into violent outbursts.
One notorious example was the territory battles
that happened in Artesia, California in 1959,
March, to be exact, while hosting meeting
with 16 members of the Dutchman Car Club
suffered a brutal attack by the Townsman Car Club.
Allegedly 30 members were involved.
The rumble took place at the Moose Lodge Hall
on East Artesia Boulevard, March 25th.
From once the investigation went on,
the outcome ended up with 13 townsmen arrested.
Members of them confessed to the crime.
The experience was thought to be
the end of the Long Beach Car Club scene.
Well, while the spirit of territory was simmered down
and less violent, car clubs seemed to pursue
to gain the respect throughout building
outstanding hot rods and the customs.
While still having separate desires
of what's cool and what's not,
there's still outspoken opinion between the groups.
Whether or not chopped or dropped is the way to go,
billet everything, that's just your taste.
Opinions on greasers versus gold chainers,
well, that's always a popular opposite.
Despite the difference between the culture
and different clubs, there will always be one thing in common,
the love that each of us have for their cars
and moving on to what could become
even a better organization.
So there you go, classic cars.
You know, Don, George said
that you started a club in Westbury.
I did not, it was kind of a club.
We didn't have a name,
it was just a bunch of us friends hanging together.
We didn't have a club per se with a name.
Everybody had that.
You know, your buddies in the neighborhood,
you get together, you go to Don's house
and bring your cars over and we'll, you know,
tune them up or talk shop.
We went over to Ross's house at his 55 Chevrolet
and his hot ride engine and open headers
and all that stuff.
And I'll never forget the last time I saw that car,
he had done a bunch of work to it
and didn't adjust the valves.
Okay, before he started it,
tried to start it and it coughed and sputtered
and bent every pushrod in it, like that.
When Jason had his 50 of Chevy,
he, they had his buddies from school.
So they would go over to like your house for a weekend
and work on your hot rod.
And then in a couple of weeks when everybody's got time,
they'd come over to somebody else's house.
It could involve painting, it could involve wiring,
could, you know, whatever the case.
We had a group like that.
You know, we go from one house to the next.
But we call ourselves the Greasy Wrench Garage.
I believe it. I believe that.
Let me see your fingernails, there you go.
But yeah.
You've turned into an old man.
I know.
Or maybe you've always been an old man.
Well, not quite.
Just since yesterday.
Okay. All right.
All right. Time now for this hour's car review.
I personally had a chance to drive the 2025 Subaru Ascent.
Do we have pictures of that?
Yeah. If you give me just one moment.
Why?
Because I had it listed that you were in the next hour.
But we got it, Bob.
We are there.
It's right there.
So it's right there.
OK, so did.
Yes, the Subaru Ascent for 2025 is built in Lafayette, Indiana,
not Louisiana.
OK, they're both in today, though.
Yeah, available trim levels include the premium,
the Onyx Edition, the limited, the limited bronze
touring and Onyx Touring.
Uh, I got to drive the Ascent Onyx Touring S,
which is a subculture, so to speak, midsize, three row SUV.
It will seat seven or eight human beings and a dog or two.
Cool. All new in 2019.
Modern, grill, conservative SUV body.
It's attractive, but it is conservative.
No bells or whistles with it.
Black wheel opening trims and over the wheel wells
and the wheels themselves are designated
per the trim level that you buy.
Sunshade atop the rear hatch glass.
Conservative design in the back end, too.
Dual exhaust.
At least it looks that way.
I have a feeling that one of them doesn't really work all that well.
What I liked.
Overall, conservative design is distinct
in today's flood of SUVs on the market today.
Interior highlights also complementing the conservative exterior.
The dash layout is conservative as well.
Big infotainment screen, one that you really like.
One of the best in design and ease of use, too.
Seating is comfortable with high quality materials.
Third row headsets, sorry, head rasts
retract to open up a rear view
across all of those seats behind you.
The cargo area is tight with the third row up, as you can imagine.
What I liked about it.
This is a very comfortable ride designed for long trips with the kids.
What could use improvement?
Lots of three row competitors with more room in the back.
Engine, 2.4 liter turbocharged four cylinder.
It's a flat engine or horizontally opposed cylinders in it
keeps the weight really low in the car, which is good for handling,
if that's what you're into in an ascent by Subaru horsepower.
Two hundred and sixty horses with three hundred and seventy seven pound
feet of torque with a CVT transmission tow.
It'll tow up to five thousand pounds, which is pretty darn good.
City gets nineteen miles per gallon in the city.
Twenty five on the highway for combined of twenty one.
I've got twenty three point one miles per gallon over three hundred and forty
point seven miles.
What I liked, happy engine that marries well to the CVT.
What could use improvement?
Nothing, actually, it works really well together.
Low center of gravity helps the ascent have some very good handling.
A ride and handling high safety scores with a great ride.
What could use improvement?
More of it.
That's all I can say.
Base trim price, fifty two thousand and fifty dollars price as tested fifty three
thousand eight hundred and two dollars base model price is thirty nine nine
ninety five competitors Toyota Grand for forty one three sixty.
That's where it starts.
The Chevy Traverse forty thousand eight hundred dollars and the
VW Atlas starts at thirty nine thousand three hundred ten next week.
We're going to review the twenty twenty five Jeep Wrangler S.
I'm sorry, Jeep Wagoneer S limited four by E.
And I've got some news on the engine on that one as well.
Cool. So that's my review this week of the twenty twenty five Subaru Ascent.
All right.
About this episode
Mr. Mars shares his experience driving the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe Premier, highlighting its impressive features, powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine, and luxurious interior. The discussion includes comparisons with competitors like the Ford Expedition and Toyota Sequoia, along with insights into car club culture and its evolution over the years. The episode also features a review of the 2025 Subaru Ascent, emphasizing its conservative design, comfortable ride, and practicality for families. Listeners will find a blend of vehicle reviews and automotive history in this engaging episode.
Power meets perspective from the street to the driveway. We start behind the wheel of the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe Premier 4WD, unpacking what a modern full-size SUV gets right: a serene cabin, a 17-inch horizontal infotainment screen, a crisp 15-inch head-up display, and magnetic ride control that smooths rough pavement. The 6.2L V8 and 10-speed automatic serve up 420 hp and 460 lb-ft, real-world confidence for towing up to 8,200 pounds and threading parking lots without drama. We talk price reality too, from base LS to a Premier build that climbs with paint, 22-inch wheels, and comfort options, and we stack it against the Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia hybrid, and GMC Yukon.
Then we widen the lens to car culture and remember why we fell for this world. From the chopped and channeled customs of the 1950s and 1960s to rivalries that sometimes boiled over—like the 1959 Artesia Moose Lodge rumble—car clubs shaped style, speed, and community. That legacy lives on in quieter ways: charity cruises, skills shared over open hoods, and the unspoken code of friends rotating from one garage to the next. Personal stories bring it home, reminding us that culture isn’t just events and logos; it’s late-night fixes, bent pushrods, and the pride of making something run right.
To round it out, we jump into the 2025 Subaru Ascent Onyx Touring. Built in Indiana with standard all-wheel drive, Subaru’s three-row plays the long game with a conservative design, a stellar, easy-to-use infotainment interface, and thoughtful touches like retracting third-row headrests for a clear rear view. The 2.4L turbo flat-four and CVT deliver a smooth, efficient drive—around 23 mpg over a long stint—while keeping 5,000 pounds of towing in its back pocket. If the Tahoe is about power and presence, the Ascent is about calm and confidence: stable handling from a low center of gravity, high safety scores, and the kind of ride that makes family trips feel shorter.
If you enjoyed the blend of real-world reviews and car club heritage, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what are you driving, and which garage story still makes you smile?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
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