Stellantis is a big car company that owns a bunch of different car brands. The hosts mention it because it controls models from brands like Jeep and Alfa Romeo.
Ram is a brand of trucks. The podcast mentions it as part of a larger group of car brands that includes several others. It comes up because Ram trucks are a big part of their lineup.
The Jeep Gladiator is a pickup truck that’s made to handle rough roads. It has a truck bed in the back, but it’s designed with off-road features. The podcast mentions it because it’s a cool mix of truck practicality and adventure.
SRT is Jeep’s (and other Stellantis brands’) way of labeling the faster, sportier versions of a vehicle. An “SRT version” usually means more power and more performance-focused tuning.
The Lucid Air is an electric luxury car. The podcast talks about a version or feature that can make the cabin feel more open, like removing roof panels and doors. It comes up because it’s a standout idea for how the car can be used.
This is the sporty, high-power version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. “SRT” usually means it’s tuned to be faster and more aggressive than the regular models.
The Jeep Compass is a smaller Jeep crossover SUV. It’s the kind of model people buy when they want something Jeep-like but not as big as the Grand Cherokee.
The Jeep Recon is a Jeep vehicle name that the podcast talks about. The discussion is about what powers it—whether it’s electric or uses a traditional engine. It comes up because it’s part of Jeep’s future plans.
The Chrysler New Yorker is a Chrysler vehicle model name. The podcast talks about it in terms of whether the company will sell more gas versions or electric versions. It comes up because it’s part of the brand’s plan for future power choices.
“Airflow” is the name of an old Chrysler car from the 1930s. The idea was that the shape was designed to cut through the air, and now Chrysler is bringing that name back for newer designs.
A “nameplate” is the branded model name used to identify a vehicle line over time (like Airflow, Town & Country, or other model families). The hosts are pointing out Chrysler reviving an older nameplate rather than creating something entirely new.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a very expensive luxury car. It’s designed to be comfortable and quiet for long drives. The podcast mentions it as part of a discussion about luxury vehicles.
Car
Dodge GLH
Dodge GLH is the name Dodge is using for a smaller SUV in this discussion. The hosts also say there’s likely to be a more performance-focused version (SRT).
The Dodge Durango is a big SUV with room for more than two rows of passengers. The host is saying Dodge is likely updating it with a “refresh” so it stays current.
A “refresh” means the automaker updates an existing car with changes like new styling or features. It’s not a brand-new model, but it’s meant to feel current.
The Ram Rampage is described here as a compact truck, positioned as smaller than a mid-size and likely aimed at buyers who want pickup utility without full-size bulk. The host compares its likely size and market role to the Ford Maverick, while noting it should still look like a “mini” Ram 1500.
The Ford Maverick is a smaller pickup truck. It’s meant to be easier to live with than big trucks, but you still get a bed for hauling. The podcast brings it up because it’s a “size” and “type” reference for a pickup concept.
Car
Ram Dakota
The Ram Dakota is being talked about as a mid-size pickup coming back. The host suggests there may be a more aggressive, performance-oriented SRT version to take on trucks like the Ranger Raptor.
The Dodge Dakota is a midsize pickup truck. It’s meant to be in-between smaller trucks and full-size trucks. The podcast brings it up because it’s a known example of that “mid-sized” pickup category.
The Ford Ranger is a midsize pickup truck. It’s the kind of truck people choose when they want something bigger than a car, but not as large as a full-size truck. The podcast brings it up because it’s returning to compete in that midsize truck market.
The Ranger is a midsize pickup truck. It’s meant to be easier to handle than a full-size truck while still being useful for hauling. The podcast brings it up because it’s competing with other trucks in the same size category.
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck. It’s designed for hauling and towing, and it’s also used for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it because it’s a major truck that other models are compared against.
Car
Ram charger
The Ram Charger is being talked about as a big, full-size SUV. The host’s idea is: take the look of Ram’s current truck and add a cab and three rows of seats so it works for families.
The Dodge Charger is a sporty car model. In the podcast, the name is mentioned because it’s being used in connection with a new vehicle idea. That matters because the Charger name is already well known.
This is the category of large SUVs that fit a whole family with three rows of seats. The hosts are saying these are profitable because companies can build them on shared truck technology and then sell them as more expensive, nicer versions.
The Ford Expedition is a big family SUV. The hosts are saying Ford makes money on it because it’s based on truck technology and can be sold in higher-end versions.
The Tahoe is a large SUV with room for a family. The hosts are using it to illustrate that big SUVs can be profitable when they share truck engineering and then get upgraded with nicer features.
A “press car” is a car a company gives to a reviewer to drive and talk about publicly. They’re saying there may be paperwork or permission needed to take it on a longer trip.
The Chevrolet Suburban is a big SUV with extra space. It’s the kind of vehicle that works well for long trips with passengers and luggage. The podcast brings it up because it was a good fit for a road trip.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a car model name. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in the context of picking a car for a trip. The point is more about what people choose to drive than about how it works.
This is a Porsche SUV that’s also a hybrid. It uses both a gas engine and an electric system, so it can feel powerful while still being more efficient for longer drives.
BlueCruise is Ford’s system that can help you drive on highways with less effort. It can steer and manage speed on certain roads, but it still has boundaries.
The Hyundai Palisade is a big family SUV with three rows. The hybrid version is meant to use less gas while still giving you lots of space and a comfortable ride for trips.
They’re saying you might pay more when you buy it, but you can make that money back later by spending less on gas. Whether it works depends on how much you drive.
They’re talking about the Toyota Sienna, a minivan. Here it’s being compared to a hybrid minivan to show how different powertrains can change fuel costs.
The Chevrolet Traverse is a family SUV. The host likes it for road trips because it has lots of room and it’s good at cruising on highways, without costing as much as bigger luxury SUVs.
The Cadillac Escalade is a big, luxury SUV. In this conversation it’s the expensive comparison point, and the host is saying the Traverse is a cheaper alternative that still works well for long drives.
A “turbo four” is a small four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger. The turbo helps it make more power than a normal four-cylinder, which is useful for highway driving.
Term
Blue Cruz
“Blue Cruz” sounds like a hands-free highway driving feature. The host is saying it’s easier to understand because it gives clearer warnings and uses obvious light signals when it’s about to stop helping.
Term
spirit cruise
“Spirit cruise” is a highway driving assist feature. The host likes it because it tells you what it’s doing more clearly—especially when it’s about to stop assisting—so it feels safer and easier to use.
A “one touch lane change” lets you switch lanes with just a quick tap of the turn signal. The car then helps do the lane change for you, so it feels more automatic than a normal manual lane change.
A minivan is a family vehicle designed to carry people and lots of stuff. The host likes it for summer because you can rearrange the seats, sleep in it if needed, and haul gear easily.
The Honda Odyssey is a minivan made for families. It’s designed to be easy to use and comfortable for passengers. The podcast mentions it because even though it’s not the newest, it can still cost a lot.
The Mazda Miata is a small two-seat convertible. It’s designed to be fun to drive rather than to carry lots of people. The podcast mentions it as a reliable pick when someone wants an enjoyable car.
This is a special off-road version of the Toyota 4Runner. The hosts are basically saying it’s really expensive and hard to find discounted, so it’s not an easy pick for most buyers.
The Honda Ridgeline is a truck-like Honda that’s meant to be useful without being as hardcore as a traditional pickup. The big point in this segment is a lockable, waterproof storage box in the truck bed that’s great for camping gear and groceries.
Crawl control helps the vehicle creep along at a very slow, controlled speed on rough ground. It reduces the need to constantly modulate the gas and brakes yourself.
Term
unified
Here “unified” means the truck is built like a car, with the body and structure working together. That’s why it drives more smoothly like an SUV instead of feeling like a traditional truck.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is an SUV. It’s made for regular driving and family use. The podcast mentions it because the name came up while talking about vehicle options.
A tonneau cover is a lid/cover for the back bed of a pickup. It helps keep things protected, and the host is saying the Ridgeline still has great storage even without one.
Body-on-frame is the classic truck design where the body is mounted on a separate heavy frame. It often rides differently than car-like designs, and the hosts say that affects comfort.
The Mini Moke is a tiny open-air car that people associate with beach driving. Here they’re talking about a newer version that’s fully electric, so it’s the same fun idea with modern EV tech.
A dune buggy is a small off-road vehicle made for driving on sand and bumpy ground. It’s usually simple and lightweight compared to normal cars. The podcast mentions it because it’s a specific kind of off-road fun vehicle.
A kit car is a car you build from a set of parts instead of buying it fully finished from the factory. People do it to get a certain style or layout, often using parts from an older car.
The Volkswagen Beetle is a very common “donor car” for custom builds. Here, the host is saying their car is a kit car made from an old Beetle, and it’s open-top so it’s meant for driving to the beach.
Car
MG Roadster
An MG Roadster is an open-top MG-style car. In this segment, the host says theirs isn’t actually a genuine MG, suggesting it’s more of a replica or kit-style car than the real thing.
A “low speed vehicle” is a special type of electric car that’s limited to slower speeds. Because it can’t go fast, it’s allowed on some public roads where the speed limit is low (like 35 mph or less).
“Neighborhood electric vehicles” are small electric cars meant for short, slower trips. They can be street-legal in some places, especially where roads have low speed limits—kind of like golf carts in beach areas.
An “open air car” is basically a car where you can let in a lot of fresh air—often by removing the roof and sometimes the doors. The host is talking about it as a fun summer experience. They’re using it to explain why the Wrangler stands out.
The Jeep Wrangler is an off-road SUV that’s famous for being able to take off the roof and doors. That’s why it feels especially fun in summer. The host says it rides a bit rough on regular roads, but the open-air experience is the big selling point.
Term
four by E
“Four by E” sounds like they mean “four-wheel drive.” That’s what helps a truck/SUV get traction when the road turns rough or slippery. The host is talking about off-road driving where that matters.
The Ford Bronco is another off-road SUV that’s often compared to the Jeep Wrangler. In this segment, the host mentions a direct comparison between the two. It’s being used to set context for how the Wrangler stacks up as an open-air, off-road summer choice.
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is the Wrangler with extra doors for more space. It’s famous for being able to remove the doors and top, so you get an open-air driving experience.
An open-air vehicle is built so you can drive with the top and/or doors removed. It makes the ride feel more like being outside, which is especially fun in summer.
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is a more off-road-ready version of the Wrangler Unlimited. It usually comes with extra equipment meant for tougher trails, not just basic open-air cruising.
Car
Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata is a lightweight, open-top roadster that’s often the default “fun in the sun” pick. In this segment, it’s brought up as the obvious choice for an open-air category, but the speaker says it’s not the one they’d choose.
The BMW Z4 is BMW’s two-seat convertible/roadster. They’re talking about the idea of getting one with a manual transmission because it would be more engaging to drive, even if they don’t think it’s the most exciting pick overall.
The Land Rover Defender 90 is a smaller, shorter version of the Defender. It’s known for being tough and practical, and the hosts are discussing how much these are costing right now.
A manual transmission means you shift gears yourself using a clutch and a gear stick. Some drivers like it because it gives you more control over how the car drives.
Resale value is what you can sell the car for in the future. They’re saying some special versions of the Z4 should be easier to sell later, so they may hold their value better.
A stick shift means the driver changes gears manually. In stop-and-go traffic, it can get exhausting because you’re constantly using the clutch and moving the gear lever.
The Camaro is a V8 sports coupe. The host’s point is that a manual Camaro in heavy summer traffic is exhausting—your legs are working the clutch constantly, it gets hot, and you can’t see well because the roofline is low.
A heavy clutch means the clutch pedal requires a lot of force to press and modulate. In stop-and-go traffic, that extra effort adds up quickly, especially with a manual transmission and frequent starts and stops.
Gearing is how the car’s transmission is “set up” to turn the engine speed into wheel movement. Good gearing can let you roll in traffic using a higher gear (like second) so you don’t have to shift as much.
Place
Cape on the Born Bridge
This is a specific bridge/road location where the host got stuck in heavy traffic. The details matter because traffic on hills can make it harder to see and judge space.
The e-brake is the parking brake, and in many modern cars it’s controlled electronically. It helps keep the car from rolling when you’re stopped, like in traffic or on a slope.
A 360 camera shows a top-down view of the car using cameras around it. It helps you see what’s close to you—especially in tight traffic—so you’re less likely to bump something.
The Mazda MX-5 is a small two-seat roadster that’s meant to be fun to drive. The host is saying they’ll use it when roads are quieter, which matches the idea of enjoying a light, sporty car.
The Kia Telluride is a family SUV with three rows. Here they’re talking about the basic engine choice: a turbo 4-cylinder versus a V6 in a similar SUV. They say the turbo feels quicker, but it can be louder and uses more fuel when you push it.
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. It’s commonly used because it can feel smooth and provide steady power, but in this discussion they say it doesn’t feel as responsive as the turbo 4-cylinder when you accelerate.
A turbocharged four-cylinder is a smaller engine that uses a turbo to help it make more power. The turbo helps it feel quicker, but when you really accelerate it can sound louder and may use more gas—especially in a heavy SUV.
Naturally aspirated means the engine doesn’t use a turbo to force air in. In this comparison, that’s part of why the turbo engine can feel more responsive, while the naturally aspirated engine may feel less eager under quick acceleration.
Torque is the engine’s pulling force that helps the car get moving. More torque usually means the car feels quicker when you press the gas, which is what the speaker is noticing here with the turbo engine.
The Range Rover is a luxury SUV. It’s known for being high-end and comfortable, and its design is recognizable. The podcast mentions it because another vehicle’s styling was compared to it.
Car
Kia Palisade
The Kia Palisade is another family SUV with three rows. The host is basically saying it looks a bit more elegant up front than the Telluride.
A three-row crossover is a family vehicle with extra seating—usually enough for a bigger group. The host is saying these SUVs are good choices if you need that third row.
The Honda Prelude is a Honda sports coupe that’s often associated with being fun to drive, especially with a manual. The host is saying they liked it but wished it felt faster and had more convenience features like power seat adjustments.
The Acura Integra Type S is the sporty, higher-performance version of the Integra. The host drove it right before the Prelude, and it set a high bar for how much they wanted the Prelude to feel quick and engaging.
The Honda Civic Type R is Honda’s high-performance hatchback. The host is saying the Prelude has some of that sporty energy, but it doesn’t feel as loud or attention-grabbing.
“Floor it” means pushing the gas pedal all the way down. The host is describing a moment where they expected quick acceleration but it felt slower to respond.
Power adjustable seats let you move the seat with buttons instead of using handles. The host is saying that for the price, they wish the driver seat could be adjusted electrically.
“Preload” usually means something is set up with a built-in tension or starting force. In car terms, it can change how the car rides and feels when you drive it.
The Honda Integra is a Honda model that’s designed to be fun to drive. Here, the hosts say it may be a better choice than the Prelude because you still get a lot of the same benefits.
The Acura Integra Type S is a sporty version of the Integra. The host is excited about it partly because it’s one of the cars that lets you enjoy driving a manual again.
A high mount air intake moves the air-sucking part higher up. That helps in dusty driving because it pulls cleaner air, and it’s not really designed for going through water.
The air filter is what keeps dirt and dust from getting into the engine. The host is saying the higher intake helps the filter stay cleaner in dusty conditions.
A snorkel is a tube on some off-road vehicles that moves the air intake higher up. That way, water and mud are less likely to get sucked into the engine when you drive through wet areas.
Water ingestion means water getting into the engine’s air intake. If that happens, the engine can run badly or even get damaged, so off-road intakes are designed to keep water out.
Toyota is the brand being discussed as the automaker behind this off-road intake naming choice and the specific SUV trim the hosts are reacting to. The segment frames Toyota’s wording as a legal/marketing decision to avoid overstating water capability.
“Turbo wine” is the squealing/high-pitched noise you sometimes hear from a turbo as it speeds up. It’s normal for many turbo cars, and where you hear it from can depend on the intake setup.
“Flutter” is the quick, stuttering sound some turbo cars make when the turbo boost changes. It usually happens when you lift off the throttle and the system vents pressure.
Concept
daily drive ability
“Daily drive ability” just means the car is still usable for everyday commuting, not only for off-road trips. The speaker is saying the feature might help in rare situations, but it can be annoying most of the time.
The Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is a Tacoma model made for off-roading. The host is saying some of its “trail” add-ons can make it less practical for daily life and for people sitting in the back.
Overlanding means taking road trips that feel like mini-expeditions, often with camping and gear. The host is saying this vehicle is built for that kind of trip right out of the factory, even if it’s not ideal for daily commuting.
LIVE
What's up friends? Welcome to this episode of the driveway podcast episode number 58.
I'm here with Natalie and Dave. Hello. Hello, everybody. Dave. Hello. It is June 17th as
you're listening. That means summer is officially days away.
Are you defining summer as end of school year? No, I'm defining it as like June 21st.
Oh, that's the official start. I believe so. I didn't even know that. Cool. Okay.
As far as I'm aware. So it's summer time, but like officially summer is a couple days away,
but it's almost there. So we're talking about summer today, the cars of summer, best cars for
summer. I'm excited. Road trips, beaches. We're all coastal here, but if you're not,
you can go to a lake beach. Lakes have beaches. Yeah, the river, the lake. Come on. Get some water.
The local watering hole. Come on. Everywhere. Is anybody here going on any fun road trips?
We, I think have a lot of drives planned this summer. All things I would consider fairly
routine for us visiting family. So Cape, Maine, Pennsylvania from Boston. That sounds amazing.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Cape and Maine. To you, they may be mundane, but I'm like,
that sounds so quintessentially New England. Yes. Those are definitely
go to get away areas. So looking forward to that for sure. What about you guys?
I am also doing some family drives to New York and Pennsylvania. I go a little bit
further into Pennsylvania than you do, but so it's not, it's not a fun road trip. It's like,
let's get through this. But then it's great once we're there. We are however going to Quebec
in a couple of weeks. We're going up near Montreal, but we're not going to Montreal.
We're going to like the woods outside of Montreal. Oh, cool. And we have this cool
house Airbnb. Oh my gosh. So I'm excited. That sounds awesome. Is it on the lake or a body of water?
It is near a body of water. It's hard to tell from the listing how close,
which probably tells me it's further away than I think. But there is. Yeah, that's a good sign.
There is a body of water with like a, like a, one of those boats you sit in and you use your feet.
There's a paddle boat. I don't know. I think of the Swan boats. It's like that. There's a.
In the park of Boston. So how far we'll have to walk to get to that? I'm not sure, but
it's going to be nice. And actually, as you're listening, I'll be there tomorrow. So tomorrow
I'm going to Quebec tomorrow. Awesome. Dave, what about, what about you? Have some poutine,
poutine. I'm one of my favorite dishes ever. It's french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Like,
I'm in heaven. Hard to go wrong there. Look at me. You know, I love routine. There's no surprise.
Dave, where are you going? Actually headed, we'll be headed to the east coast to upstate New York.
My parents have a, well, we call it a camp for those who know the Adirondacks. You don't call,
if you have a cabin or a house, you don't call it a house or a cabin. You call it a camp.
And my parents have had a camp on the lake, you know, for generations. So we'll be taking
our whole family out there. My sister and her kids and husband will be out there for the 4th of
July. It's delightful. It's ideal. It gets fishing and paddle boats and little tiny sailboats
called sunfish if people know those. Good, clean, fun. I'm excited. Are you driving there?
We will fly from LA to New York city and then up to Syracuse. And then from Syracuse, New York,
it's about a two and a half hour drive. So driving from Pasadena would be quite the road trip.
That would be quite the road trip. One day we will. When our kids are older, we will do a
cross country road trip. That's cool. But we actually may do where we fly to the east coast
and then drive back. Sure. Oh, sure. For us, it'd be the reverse like fly out there by a car
and drive back. But I don't know if there are a lot of cars that are worth like flying to New
England to buy. Yeah, right. You want to be coming out here and like the ones that are fun to drive
across the country. Maybe they're not able to put the whole family in them. Yeah. Yeah. Someday,
you know what I'd really like to do not relevant at all to this podcast, but I'd love to do like
a cross country train ride. One of these. Wouldn't that be cool? That's slow. That sounds
delightful, but those are slow. That's a lot of vacation time again too. But if it's a nice
train, I've heard reading. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. All the reading. Yeah. One day.
Charge up the iPad for the kids for sure. And then buy a car and drive home. There we go.
That is a good trip. That's a sabbatical. When you hit your five year here at Cargo,
you get a special. That's a sabbatical trip. Somebody on this pod is nearing that time.
It's coming up November. Yeah. Oh, do you know what you're going to do?
No, but there you go. Car's and travel plans. We got it all here. We need a branch off.
We're your one stop shop. So we're going to, we're going to talk a lot about road trips.
That is the, that's one of the topics of the show. Summer cars. We're talking road trip cars.
We're talking adventure and we're talking open air vehicles. But before we get into those
fun topics, we have news as sometimes we do. Stalantis making moves, doing things. Dave,
talking about Stalantis and what they're doing. What are they up to? What are those guys up to?
What are they up to? So the Stalantis for those who aren't sure because it always seems to change.
This is Chrysler Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Alfa Romeo. Their product lineups a little fiat. Yeah, sure.
They're Dutch, which we recently found out. Yeah. Apparently Stalantis is technically
a Dutch company. I still think they're Italian. I'm just going to keep doing that. They have that.
Yeah. They have that aura. Their lineup across all of those brands I just mentioned is a little
thin relative to all of their competitors and they know that they've also had lots of leadership
changes, all kinds of turmoil in the past few years. So they had an investor day a few weeks
ago or at this point, a month or two ago, outlining kind of all of their plans for the next,
you know, into 2030. And there's some, a lot of stuff. So we're going to go sort of bullet points
by brand on some of the highlights. And these are confirmed models that we can expect from
these brands over the next few years. And I think they're kind of cool. So we'll start with Jeep.
Jeep is going to be coming out with something called the scrambler. And for those who know
Jeeps way back in the day, the scramble scrambler was like a two door truck. This will be much
like that. It's basically a two door gladiator. That's going to be cool. It's going to get an
SRT version as well for the performance folks. A performance, a new truck. That's, that sounds
fine. Yes. I think that's a lot of, and like, remember the gladiator, you can take the, you
know, the roof panels off. It's kind of open air. You can take the doors off. So the idea of like
a two door version of that, very cool. Very much on board. There's going to be a Jeep Grand Cherokee
SRT version. Great. All of the horse powers. There's going to be a new Jeep Compass,
which Jeep just this year launched the new, new Cherokee. So there'll be a new Compass as well.
Jeep is working on actually a lot of Stellantis products. They're working on being more affordable
for a while. They were going high ends. We have the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer. Now they're
saying, people want affordability. So they're paying attention to that. The Grand Cherokee and the
Grand Wagoneer will get more refreshes. They just had one each. They'll be refreshed again. And then
an internal combustion engine. Oh, so big news for Jeep. Is it going to be both or is it moving
from electric to ice? Isn't the Jeep recon? Hang on. Now I'm confused because I'm thinking of the
it's fully electric right now. Right. So there will be a nice E version. So, and I think Elliott's
asking, are they going to keep the EV alongside it? I don't know. I don't think they probably,
I don't know. Well, the reason I asked Cliff, Cliff, one of our reviewers just did a video
on the Ram Rumblebee, the truck. And one of his lines in the intro was like,
nobody at Jeep cares about the canceled electric truck. And it seems like that is
maybe, maybe the way they, they talked about it at that, at that event is that they're, they're
stepping away or moving away from electrification. I mean, they removed all the four by east stuff.
Yeah. They took all the plug-in hybrids away. So I don't know what becomes of the all electric.
I have to think that if they've done all the R and D and spent all the money developing it,
they're not going to just cancel it. They'll just come out with a gas version. They'll probably
sell 10 X the gas versions versus the EVs, but they still kind of need to sell some of those EVs.
So that's the Jeep news. Chrysler has already shown the updated Pacifica, which now looks like a Kia
or better or worse. We'll leave that one alone. But they're going to have something called the
air flow. It's a mid-sized crossover. There will be a hybrid version of that likely. And then
two models called the arrow, there'll be like a sedan type thing called the arrow and then the
arrow cross, which will be a crossover as you might imagine. Again, kind of leaning more towards
the affordability side. So Chrysler will get more than one model. They've only had the Pacifica
for a little while right now. They've been the minivan minivan. Yeah. Yeah.
Airflow is such a legacy thing for Chrysler too. I mean, that was like a 30s model back in the
streamlining era. Exactly. And they showed a concept that I think originally was going to be an EV
a few years ago. And I think it will have some of those design cues in it. It'll be very sort of
swoopy and ovals and, you know, kind of things as you might imagine from something called the
air flow. It's interesting to see reviving a name plate that's not from like the 70s or 80s,
but from way, way back when people aren't so precious about it anymore.
I know. Well, there's no, yeah, there's no town and country. I always loved the town and country.
Yeah. Such a great name. Yeah. So it's like, okay, people aren't so precious about it anymore,
but also it doesn't have the much cash day anymore. So yeah, everyone who knows what an air
flow was from the 30s is dead. So we're about to get into the next 30s. Wait, am I a ghost?
You are. Anyway, sorry to interrupt. Go ahead. No, not at all. So that's Chrysler.
Dodge is next. They have something, a smaller SUV called the GLH. Now I didn't know this.
Apparently there was an old, older model called the GLH. Does anyone want to guess what GLH
stands for? Are they super dodgy words? Like, like, it stands for something, something, something.
Go long, harder. I was going to say go loud, harder or hard. You guys aren't super. It goes like hell.
Goes like hell. Oh, that makes so much sense. I'm like, I kind of like it. So they have a GLH.
I feel like I should have thought of that. This will be a small sort of a compact SUV from Dodge,
and it too will have an SRT version where I'm like, ooh, that's really going to,
it's really going to GLH over there. GLH. It just, sorry, GL just makes me think Mercedes right away,
but. Yeah, but the H. Yeah. Very dodgy. So we probably have the graphic up right now that
shows all of these different models and the ones that are not out yet are covered with a sheet.
One of them is something it's next to the muscle cars. And it is, if you look closely,
it is a two door muscle car type of vehicle. Yeah. There's a spoiler on the two doors with a huge
spoiler. Spoiler alert. That's kind of all we know, but anytime Dodge does something like that,
you know, it's going to be just stonking fast and fun. If there's a wing that big on it,
and it's like clearly a two door coupe of some kind. Oh boy, that's going to be so that we don't
know the name. I'm sure it'll be a heritage based name. Dodge has great old school muscle car names
to pull up. So that'll be kind of fun. That looks like super birdish the height of that spoiler.
Yeah. Yeah. Like that's a, that's a wang. That's a big old wang.
But it's just exciting. I like credit to Dodge, man. When they want to go big, they do it. So
that'll be fun to see what they pull up. And then a refresh Durango. The Durango, I can't
believe is still around. It's ancient at this point. So high time for a refresh. I think there
is a lot of people still enjoy that car. So we'll, we'll see a refresh Durango.
And then on the Ram side, a lot of truck stuff in the Ram. So
they have the rampage coming out, which is a compact truck, not even mid-sized compact.
So is that like a sell this in South America, like a Maverick style? Yeah. The size. Okay.
Yeah. But very much Dodge Ram or excuse me, Ram truck styling. It's just going to look like a
you shrank in a 1500 rather than like a, you know, the, the Maverick
it looks a little, you know, diet truck, right? Truck light or this looks just like a mini 1500.
So there's the rampage, but then in between that and the full size is the mid-sized Dakota. Now
the Dakota, I remember plenty of Dakotas as, as their mid-sized truck back in the 80s and 90s.
So the Dakota is coming back. That'll go against the Tacoma, the Ranger, the Colorado
that market has really taken off. So Ram is eager to get into that. The Dakota will have an SRT
version mid-sized. So like that'll go up against like the Ranger Raptor. And then Ram is also getting
a full size SUV that they're calling the Ram charger, which is very cool in theory. I'm like
that, you know, I think the style of their full size truck right now looks great. It's like,
yeah, put a, put a cab on that, put a three rows of seats, make it, you know, all of the horsepower.
I think there's, that could be a very cool vehicle and that Ram charger is going to get an SRT
version too. So you're like, oh, yeah. For so long, Ram has been the truck company. That's
all they do. And see, it feels like, and Chrysler, I guess was a minivan company. That's all they did.
Do you think the Ram charger is going to step on dodge toes at all? Like SUV?
I think it will be, yes. And I think that's a good point. I think it will be bigger enough
than the Durango that the two can go exist. Like it sounds like, I mean, keep in mind, there's
a lot of profit to be made on big three row SUVs. That's why Jeep came out with the Grand
Wagoneer, you know, Ford prints money with its expeditions, Chevy prints monies with money with
its Tahoe, because a lot of that development is from the truck that it's based on. And then you
just add more leather and, you know, horsepower and suddenly, you know, you've got a $90,000 vehicle
that, you know, if you don't want a truck, you get that. So I think there's room for the Ram
charger to exist for sure. And if there's an SRT version, that's going to be pretty cool. So
yeah, a lot of slantest news. We're very excited. Yeah. This graphic says by 2030, 100% refresh
showroom and 50% new models or added models. And a certain number of models all below what 39 or
$30,000. They're definitely paying attention to affordability. So yeah, that's a pretty big
overhaul of the entire lineup, which is cool. It's good to see. Yeah. Very cool. Thank you for
taking us through that news. That's, that's chunky news. I'm excited to say there's, I mean,
there's a lot of it. There's a lot of new things we're going to, we're going to experience. Like
it's a can of Campbell's chunky soup soup that eats like a meal. It's Campbell's news, GLH.
Yep. Terrible. Okay. So that's the news for today. We're going to get into the topic
of the show, which is summer, summer cars. And we're going to start with road trips. We talked
about some road trips we are taking. I'll say it when we go up to go back, we're just going to be
driving the Forester. I don't think I can take a press car. I don't think we can take a press car
over country lines. I don't know if that's interesting. I don't know. If you have permission,
you can. I think like there's no, as long as you have the paperwork, you could do your thing.
Well, our plan currently is to take the Forester, which means we will have the tully on the top
and which is a good way to say any car can be a road trip car. Take the car that works for you
and your family, but we're going to call some of our favorite options. If we could choose our road
trip car, here's what we would take. Dave or Natalie, are you planning to take something
cool as a road trip car? Or does that segue into your picks for the episode? Yeah, I think
I will probably be taking whatever press car I have, if it's a more viable option,
then like our cord and otherwise our cord. Nice hybrid road trip. So yeah, it does pretty well
on the on the gas mileage. And we know we can fit all our stuff in our car seat. Yeah, I'll be,
I'll be taking whatever. Yeah, we're flying in the Syracuse, whatever enterprise rental car
hands me the keys to will be our road trip car. It's a full size sedan. That's all I know. Oh,
nice. Okay. Well, okay, let's get, let's get into our road trip picks our picks for road trips.
Natalie, Dave and I did a recent episode on our favorite road trip vehicles. We had a bunch of
different stipulations or categories. This one is going to be more general. What's your favorite?
But you people haven't heard your picks for road trip cars yet. So why don't you kick us off
with a road trip car choice for you? Okay, here's my latest. I know I have talked on some previous
episodes about like the suburban was was really great for the eclipse road trip, things like that.
I'm going to go with the Mercedes MGE 53 wagon. Wow. Yeah. I mean, you know, money, no object.
Money, no object. I'm just picking here. We're not doing a draft right now. We're not, we don't
have praise cap. So I love the wagon hybrid. It did really well in our testing. Chris Wardlaw
wrote our review of that and gave it strong scores and performance and everything. And I
think it looks great and comfortable. I would be happy to spend several hours and
several hundred miles in one of those for sure. That's my, that's my pick. I was looking at the
things that you guys called out for that, um, that road trip episode. And I noticed
on the money, no object, you went two very different directions. So you went escalate.
Yes. Yes. Right. Very much like family. And I, I loved when I, the week I spent with the
escalate was great. Dave, you went Cayenne turbo E hybrid. Also money, no object, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Hey, that was the assignment. Yeah. Yeah. That, uh, the escalate, I had just been
in that and it was, I think it was 129, maybe it was 128, 820, I think is exactly what it was.
But almost $130,000, um, massive screen. There were, there was the entertainment package.
So the kids, the second row had, had their own monitors, um, and they had supercruise.
That was the big thing. Of course. Supercruise. Yeah. That, that's such an asset. Yeah. Right.
Oh, you know, I can't believe I didn't think about that when I was making my pick, but you're
right. Like supercruise or blue cruise would be a game changer for a long drive. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. It was nice. We didn't go on, I think, I think I put 250 miles on it, um, over the week.
So we didn't do any big trips, but I definitely tested and used supercruise and it was really
nice. Yeah. Um, that being said, $130,000 is a little steep. Money, no object. You can get
supercruise on the Chevy Bolt. Uh, so like they're not, they're not locking supercruise to only the,
the, the high end stuff. It's, it's all throughout, which I think is pretty cool.
They're very democratizing it. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Um, but Dave, uh, I'm, I'm not going to bring
the escalate as my pick today. I don't think you're going to bring the Porsche as your pick.
What are you, what are you taking on a road trip? So I'm just going, you know, unlike Natalie,
I'm, I'm a man of the people, right? You know, this, this E 53 wagon, which by the way, we had that
in a few weeks or into test, but two months ago at this point, that's a cool wagon. Yeah. Yeah.
That's a lot of, that's a good pick. There's a lot of there. There's a lot of there. Oh man. I'm
nobody said I had to keep it cheap. That's true. I mean, you're playing it. Yeah.
You're playing by the rules. I don't, I don't fault you for that. Um, so I think my pick was
like, look, if I'm, I'm at the dealership and I'm paying for this, I'm just going to go pretty
straightforward. A hybrid or excuse me, a Hyundai Palisade hybrid. Um, big fan of that car,
tremendous gas mileage, good power, super comfortable space for all of the things.
You've got a nice ride height. You're sitting up tall, uh, reliability out the wazoo. I think
that does so many things so well. Um, that would be everyone's got comfortable seats,
captain's chairs, you know, all the things. Uh, but like I said, good power and good fuel economy.
I'm a fan. That's my pick. So I haven't driven the hybrid yet, but both you and Matt liked it a
lot better than the so much better. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Sounds like it was, it's
it's cheating. It gives you better power and significantly better gas mileage too. You're
like what, you know, I know it's a little more money, but upfront pay it because you'll get
that back in gas savings. Best of both worlds. Yeah. Absolutely. I'm, I'm excited to get one of those.
They're cool. The fleet at some point. Yeah. If we have had one, it hasn't made it to me. I
don't think we've had one yet. I don't believe we have. We drove the, at winter testing, we drove
the gas one, but not the hybrid, which probably where Matt had his feedback from.
There's somebody in our kid, you know, carpool drop off line who has a brand new one and it's
like this pewter gray like metallic gray. It's so classy. Like it's such a great look because then
there's like silver trim on it too. And it just looks, it's like the perfect color for it. Um, yeah.
I do like the new design too. Like the lights and everything. I think they did a nice job with that.
I'm not a, I'm not a huge lover of the interior. I think they took some chances.
Some of those roundedness. Yeah. I know what you mean. Some people are going to love it.
I, it's not my favorite. It's It wouldn't prevent me from buying it, but I know
what you mean. Yeah. Again, I always appreciate when something is different and something takes
a chance and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. So, you know, um, but I haven't,
I haven't had it on, on loan or on a week. So oftentimes the more time we spend with something,
it becomes normal and we start to enjoy it. So, uh, first impressions are tough to base a
strong opinion on that being said, my, uh, road trip choice in the episode, um, we had,
we had different categories, um, specific. I forget what they were, Dave, exactly. But, um,
both of mine for different reasons were minivans. One was a Pacific, a hybrid, one was a Sienna.
Um, but because I don't want to just always pick the minivan, even though great pick,
go back to that episode to hear my, my full thoughts. I'm picking the Chevy Traverse
as a road trip car because it's, it's kind of like my money is no object pick with the,
with the Escalade, but it's a couple steps down. Oh, I see. I was like, is it?
It is. Well, you still get your supercars. That's, that's mainly the reason is supercars. So, um,
because I was thinking about that Escalade and about how nice supercars was and yeah,
it's throughout a lot of the lineup and the Traverse is a really, um, I think a sharp looking.
I think Chevy has done some really, yeah, they've done some really good stuff with the exterior
of their SUVs. Um, and, and the, the bolt, for example, looks okay. Uh, but I think the Traverse
looks good. I was actually, um, we went to Hawaii a couple years ago and our rental car was a Traverse.
It was not this generation was the previous gen, but, um, I found the space was super usable.
Um, we didn't have our dog or all of our stuff. They're big inside. Yeah. A lot of space. Um,
but it's, it's supercars in a moderately affordable package. I think. Yeah. Um, so the Traverse,
it's a, it's a turbo four, um, decent horsepower, uh, low threes. I think it's three 20 something.
Um, so that'll, that'll get you by, but it's, it's really the supercars in the highways.
Yeah. Really good reason. Yeah. Um, I think it's, it's really functional. Blue Cruz is also good.
I just have more recent, um, I like spirit cruise more. I just, yeah, I feel like the practical
use of it, it, it seems to give you more warning when it's going to disengage or just, I also think
it's a cleaner the way it communicates, like the light in the steering wheel, right? It's,
it's status, whether it's red, blue or green, I think is much more obvious and elegant and easier
to use. Blue Cruz, it would sort of disengage without much warning or for no reason. Like,
I just, I've had a better overall experience repeatedly with supercars. Blue Cruz is good.
Yeah. Supercars is great. Does it, it's just been, it's been a while since I've been in Blue
Cruz. Does it have like the one touch lane change? Cause that was something that I loved
about supercars. Oh, it does now. Okay. I think I just found that to be really,
it was like almost an autonomous feature. Um, it's verging on autonomous, I guess,
but I just felt really cool. My wife's still very uncomfortable. She sees me like with my hands
on my legs, not touching the wheel. She's like, can you just, can you just drive? Can you just,
can you just do the thing? Yeah. Yeah. But what's interesting is that like over a long trip,
using that really adds up, like you get out of the car and you do feel materially,
yeah, like more fresh than like, you know, being on a long, you know, eight hour drive
throughout the day, the minutia of, even if you're using regular cruise control, the minutia
of steering or checking or doing all the things adds up over time. And like I have truly felt
different getting out of the car and be like, I'm a little, I'm a little crisper. I'm a little,
yeah, like you said, a little chipper. Yeah. Yeah. So it adds up. It's nice.
Yeah. Good, good point. I again, can't believe I didn't think of that when I was making my pick,
but I went a little more heart wants what it wants. I mean value. I think mine is, mine's probably
high forties when it's equipped with the stuff you want. Do you? Oh, I think it's probably more
than that. Low fifties maybe mid fifties. Yeah. Yeah. They're not cheap. Oh, it's getting to
be more than I want. How roughly what's the, what's the ballpark you were working in? The E 53 is
like 97 budget a hundred. Yeah. It's not quite the escalate. There is a, I think like 70 ish. Oh,
let's see. Well, that's for the everything. Yeah. The E 450 altering 79, 650. So,
but yeah, it's not the AMG. It's a road trip. You know, a lot of times we're going to rent cars.
So maybe, maybe spring for the luxury version at the rental counter. True. It's vacation. Yeah.
Live a little. Yeah. So our next kind of bucket for summer vehicles, we're doing the outdoor slash
adventure car. Oh, fun. So that this is kind of, I think almost more of a broad category.
I don't know where you guys took it, but Natalie, you went first last time. Dave,
can I go to you first for your outdoor slash adventure pick? And then I'll go and then Natalie,
you'll go. So for some reason, I got this for this one. I was going to say, I got this assignment.
I just envisioned a minivan just being easier to just roll your crap in my language. I love what
you're talking about. This is great. Like you can throw all your camping gear, get it dirty,
like out here, you know, or, or in many places, if you have your stand up paddle boards, throw
that in there, just like beat the heck out of these cars, use them for all their practicality
and function. So I'm, I'm going basically any minivan is my pick for summer adventures. You
can fold seats. You can not use seats. You can sleep in the car. If you, you know, if you want
all wheel drive for, you know, whatever dusty road, you can get that in the Sienna. It just seems
like I just like use, you live with this car, use it inside and out. I'm, I'm all minivan for the
summer. Nice. It makes a lot of sense for, and I mean, you could camp in it. If you need to, you
can. Yeah, exactly. You can sleep in it. You can, yeah, right. Is there a dog, hose it out, get
it muddy. Yeah. The, the market is, is smaller for minivans than, than many other categories.
Is there one that rises to the top for you as like a mixture of features and options? Yeah,
I would do Sienna. I, you know, it's hybrid. It's all wheel drive. It's not the newest,
but it's newer than the Odyssey and the Odyssey is surprisingly expensive, given how old it is.
It just, the Sienna does all of the things that would easily be my pick kind of for any,
any use case of any minivan. I'd go get a Sienna. You can vacuum it out if you get sand in it. It's
got that, if you option to vacuum with the, the cool box, right? It's only, it's only cool 3k. Yeah.
I can't remember, but it does. I know it comes with the refrigerated compartment. Like you,
you get both or neither. Yeah. All in nothing. Or you just do what my, my father-in-law does is
open all the doors, take all the things out, and he has a commercial grade leaf blower and just
walks in and goes, and just, it blows everything out of the car. Like the car has never been
cleaner. It's not a vacuum. It's better than a vacuum. Just blast it out. That's effective.
That's a guy who's been a dad for a long time. He's got like the cargo shorts and the white
new balances and then like all of the lawn tools. It's, he's, and it's awesome. And he knows how
to use them. He'll also dry off the car. He'll, he'll wash it and then he'll dry it off with the
leaf blower. I own a leaf blower. Then you don't get like the hard water.
Yeah. I mean, this is, this is literally, it's a commercial grade. When our kids were little
or younger, they would be on there. We'd go over there and they'd be on their like tricycles
and he would just use the air to just blow them around the driveway. They were like,
woo-hoo. And they were just like, they don't have to pedal. They're just getting, yeah,
it's pretty cute. Yeah. So my turn for the adventure out to work are Dave Minivan. It's,
Miata is always the answer, but I think Minivan is always the answer. So like,
that's the right answer, Dave. I love it. However, when I thought adventure, I thought
going a little bit more off the, off the path or onto the path, maybe the, the off the road,
onto the path. And I went a little more adventure like camping vibe with, with what I was picking.
So I kind of came down to two things. One, like the really serious getting off the road
is actually what I have in my driveway right now, which I will talk about more.
It's the forerunner trail hunter. It's about 70, 70 K. Oh God. Yeah. That's so much money for a
forerunner, man. And look, I'm a Toyota fan boy through and through, but like just, oh,
that's insane for a forerunner. Sorry. Well, it is near the top of the trim, but it's what is it?
69, 69, 795, including destination. Wow. And yeah, you, there's no discounts to be found yet.
I think, I think people that want this car want it. So I'm not picking the forerunner trail hunter.
I am, however, picking a car we talked about last week, the Honda Ridgeline. I think is
wildly functional for many reasons, right? It's a pickup truck ish. All right. Some people don't
consider it. I, I'm calling it. It's, it's a cab with a bed. Therefore it's pickup truck.
So if you have a cover, just toss all your stuff back there. However dirty it gets,
doesn't matter. Toss it in the bed. But one of the biggest things I like about this is the in bed
storage and Natalie, you brought it up. I love that. But near the front or I guess near the rear
of the car, near the tailgate, there is a lockable storage container in the bed and I have how big
it is. It is 7.3 cubic feet or 82 quarts and it's watertight. So you can, you can fill it up with
ice, put whatever ingredients you want to take to the campsite or you can put drinks and sodas
and whatever other things you're going to, you're going to take with you. And it's just,
it just seems incredibly functional and super, super useful for, for whatever, whatever you need
to do. There's the trail sport trim, which I don't think adds that much off road stuff to it. I think
it's, it's, it's, it's an appearance package plus. What is it? Crawl control? Does it add
crawl control? I think it might add crawl control. It's kind of like a different off road mode.
I don't know if it's that sophisticated. Yeah. I know it comes with all drain tops. So that is
nice. Yeah, it looks better. It's a little more meatier, the whole look. Things that feel economy
a little, but things that a little bit, but yeah, super comfortable on the inside. Obviously drives
like an SUV because it's a, or drives like a crossover because it's a unified as opposed to a
truck. Yeah. So that's a big asset. Comfortable driver as far as pickup trucks in that size class,
you have more rear seat leg room than any of its competitors. Like the Tacoma, for example.
So yeah, the Ridgeline is just, it's my pick. If I'm going, it's not the best off roader,
but if I'm going a little bit off road, I'm going, I'm going outlander or outlander.
I don't know where that came from. Ridgeline. I'm going to Ridgeline. I probably wouldn't go
outlander. Yeah. No, it's a good pick. I've taken one of those camping and they're, they're delightful.
That in bed storage is great. You can fit all the things that it didn't have a tonneau cover.
I would obviously get one, but yeah, Ridgeline's a great pick. It, it on the road, it's going
to be comfortable. Like you said, much more comfortable than a Tacoma or any other body
on frame truck it competes against. Then you get to the trailhead or the river or the lake,
and you've got all the utility and yeah, the Ridgeline. It's a good summer adventure car.
Yeah. I like it. Nice. Thank you. Nicely done. Natalie. What's your adventure? Outdoor vehicle.
All right. This is going to be good. She's happy. Oh boy. She's excited.
I'm just really excited that we all took this in slightly different directions. Oh, nice.
And then the direction I want to talk about, which I'm now realizing is maybe not that much
adventure, but you guys can tell me what you think. So I was thinking about driving to the beach.
You know, if you're like at the Cape and you're, you're going to the beach and maybe you're driving
on the beach, this is, this is where my mind went when we were talking about this. And so I was
thinking of things like the Fiat Jolly, which there are no listings for on cargoes, Volkswagen
thing, no listings on cargoes, but no, that's not true. There are, there are Volkswagen things
on cargoes, actually. So that's, that's the direction I was going. These like open air,
sort of dune buggy type, type things, real like beaches, basically your only place,
your only context for these. So there is a new revival of the mini-moke, which is fully electric.
I have to do so. Mini-moke. Mini-moke, because I know there's the Myers Manx. They have brought
back as an EV, but the mini-moke. Is this like when you guys brought up the Ineos a couple
of episodes and I didn't know what that was and I look like a fool? Look at that little guy. Wow.
This looks like one of those cars where like, if somebody's parked in your parking space,
you can just pick this thing up and move it. Put it in the back of your ridgeline and bring it
to the Cape and then just drive this down to the beach. But yeah, we like, we tend to take,
I know I've mentioned previously on this pod, we have what it's not actually an MG,
it's a kit car on like an old Volkswagen Beetle, but it's no roof or cloth roof. We don't put it
up and that's what will drive to the beach from the house. So I'm thinking one of these lines.
No, we have an MG Roadster. That's not a real MG. So this is where, what I was thinking and
I really like one of these. We don't have any for sale in Cargars, but we do have the Volkswagen
thing and we don't have deal ratings for them because there aren't enough Comprables, but I
would pay 10 grand for this one that I could find and also I'm just going to throw this out here.
Maybe the coolest car name ever. The thing that is cool. Fight me on it. That's like,
that's so cool. That's so like avant garde, like anti establishment. It's just from the 70s.
Yeah. Right. Like her older. I just, I think that's just like the coolest name. What do you drive?
Oh, that thing. Yeah. That thing. I have a thing. This is cool. What color would you pick?
Cause I'm just looking at a Google like image search for which one? The thing.
I take any color. I like an orange. I've seen like an orange thing. I'm hovering over an orange
right now. A very orange one. For some reason, all, almost all the ones we have for sale on
Cargars right now are yellow and that's not that bad. There's a cool one, which I did not know.
This was a thing. Uh-oh. It's the Acapulco edition and it looks like it's blue and white.
Yeah. Um, what else is different? Something like Jimmy Buffett would like drive up to in,
you know, to a concert late Jimmy Buffett. Yeah. Uh, let's look up what, what's different.
Is there like a Marguerita like blender in the center console? That's what I'm imagining.
Let's see. Only the blue version was available. It's got this blue and white
straight top. So definitely more and seats, more fiat Jolly direction. I gotta look this up.
Um, yeah, I see it. It's a blue hood. Look at that. Oh yeah. It's like a candy striper. It looks
like a, you're selling ice cream or something. It's more than double the price of the yellow one
that's for sale. So we didn't put a price cap on this. Well, they only made 400 of them, I guess.
Wow. Look at that thing. That's cool. Look at that thing. Again, look at that thing.
Look at that thing. Cool vehicle. Yeah. So some there are the mini mocha. Those are those street
legal. Like could you drive it when you're like at the Cape on the actual road? I mean,
I think when you're at the Cape, if you're just going from a nearby house to the beach, like
drive whatever, at least that's been my experience at the Cape. But as we discussed in our last
pod, I, I don't mind trying to get somewhere in a dubious vehicle. I Googled it. Uh, this says,
yes, the new electric ones are classified as low speed vehicles or neighborhood electric vehicles,
allowing them to be driven on public roads with posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less.
So a bit like a golf cart older way. Yeah. Right. Like around Southern California. Yeah.
You'll see, you know, big golf carts on the road that are street legal in beach towns.
What a, what a different life you live, Dave. Yeah. It's not that different. Don't get excited.
Mini mochs. Yeah. This is why I love the show. There's something new. Never heard of those.
Natalie, I think you win without even getting to the next category, you win for coolest car.
This Volkswagen thing, you, you brought something new to me.
Yay. This is cool looking. I'm so glad. And again, so happy we went in different directions with
adventure. Um, cause I wouldn't say there's an endurance element to what the adventure I was
thinking of, but yeah, you guys, well, I think what's important to note is that, uh, any distance
that you're driving a mini moch or a VW thing is not too long to walk. So if and when the car
breaks down, you can just walk to the beach. That is true. And it's a bit of that, like, you know,
any, it feels a lot faster on a motorcycle, for example, right? So driving this on the road
with cars going by, like it's going to feel like an adventure in all the best ways. Exactly.
Wow. That love it. That's, that's cool. And that, that car could also be a great option for the
next vehicle, which is the open air car. And it's my turn to go first. So I get, get
the first pick. So I'm really torn on this because there is an answer that I love. Um, and sometimes
always the answer, but I'm not going to pick it because maybe I hope somebody else does because
it needs to be mentioned, but I don't, well, see, they don't, they don't make open air minivans.
So I'm not sure where you're going to pick because that's definitely what you would choose.
I'm referencing one from our friends at Mazda, but I'm not going to bring that one. What I'm
bringing is actually a Jeep Wrangler. Okay. And I am, I'm no, not a Jeep lover.
I think the Jeep Wrangler is, is it's not, it's not a great car to drive on the road.
I feel like it's really rough and kind of shaky and it feels super unrefined.
And I've, I've had a, it was a four by E and I had the three 92, three 92,
just a special vehicle. Yeah. Incredible, incredible vehicle. But I think for an open
air vehicle that you can drive on the road, there is like, there's almost nothing like
driving a Jeep with the top down and the doors off, which is just like, that's an experience that
it's hard. You can't replicate it. I don't know if there is a car that can disassemble as much
and still be driven. Yeah. Yeah. We did a head to head when the Ford Bronco came out,
the big boy Bronco against the Wrangler and we were in, we were, we were off road somewhere in
New England and it was a four by E and I was driving the four by E with the top down and
there was no engine sound because I had it in EV mode and it was just like,
it was so fun to be in nature and like you could actually hear like the birds because you weren't
hearing the engine. You could hear the, hear the tires like over the, over the rocks more than
the engine. I know that doesn't exist anymore or as new, it doesn't exist, but the Wrangler is,
if you're doing with it, what it's meant to do, there's nothing better as far as an off-road
open air vehicle. I found a listing, it's a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for $22,000,
$58,000 miles. Finding listings was not a requirement, but I did because I was curious
like how much does it cost because I know Wranglers really can hold their value and can be very
expensive, but like it is 10 years old, but low mileage for that age. It seems like a pretty cool
option. And just again, the taking the doors off and the top off,
such a cool experience. I love it. Driving it on the road, not ideal. I'm glad we're not doing a
draft. I'm glad we're not doing a draft because that's what I chose too. Really? Well, I had a
gladator as my backup. So okay. So like Elliott, look, I'm not a blind Jeep fanatic. I do see them
for their flaws, especially like Elliott said, driving them on the road or especially the highway
on a daily basis. You're like, Whoa, this is a noisy, unrefined experience. But for an open
air experience in the summer, uh, yeah, Wrangler all the way for all of the reasons Elliott just
articulated so well. I would say I, so I was looking at, um, these are expensive when they're
new to Wranglers. I was surprised that you could get used ones for like pretty good money.
Um, and so I was searching on car gurus and this is, you know, in LA or the, you know,
greater LA area. So I found a four door version. This is a 2021 with 56,000 miles. So not bad,
broken in, but, you know, not, uh, not a problem yet for $31,000. And this is a Wrangler unlimited
Rubicon. So this is not the bare bones. This is like pretty, pretty well equipped. Um,
31 grand, uh, rated a good deal, uh, with 56,000 miles. I thought that was cool.
And then there was a two door. If you really want, just want like the basic open air experience,
which does have a rear seat. So you could put the whole family in, right? Uh,
as long as your family's not too big, a two door Rubicon, uh, fairly well equipped, almost
like loaded 10,000 miles out here in the LA area for $36,000. That's practically a new car.
Um, so yeah, big fan. It's just, it's the open air experience. It's going to the beach. It's
hosing it all out. Uh, yeah. And I like that. And the, you put, you found one for even cheaper.
I feel like older if you were older. Yeah. But if you want a third car that's not going to get
used all year, um, this has a lot of advantages and they're great in the snow. So maybe you take
it to the beach in the summer and then, you know, in the winter, when you need to run off to the
Wrangler, well, there's some consensus there. Yeah. There we go. Consensus. I like consensus.
Now I want to hear what Natalie, because I feel like Natalie's got a cool option.
I mean, if she used the thing for her adventure car for the, exactly,
which is such a good open air car, what is, what is your choice for this category?
Yeah. Is it the Miata or is it not? It's not the Miata. So I was
thinking along both of those directions. So I thought about actually the Bronco for the
open air and, you know, the removable hard top and everything. I don't think you can
remove the doors easily though on the Bronco. I don't think they're as easy as the Wrangler.
You can. I don't, yeah. I don't think it's as easy. You can for sure. Okay. They were very careful to
have that be built into the sort of utility of the Bronco. Bronco is a much better car on the road.
Yes. Yes. Much, much better. Everyday livability. Yeah. 100%. Very expensive.
Yeah. So I was, I was thinking that direction. I was also thinking the Miata direction,
but I was thinking Z4. Like you're just continuing it. Manual Z4 would be, would be pretty awesome.
So I don't think this is as exciting a choice. I will, just to kind of get my cred back here,
I'm going to say I was also thinking of like the older soft top Defender 90s. Oh, cool.
I mean, we did say we could pick new or used vehicles. So yeah, yeah, for sure. Like a 90s
Defender or even like a series one or two, we under over would be just get ready to pay for it.
Like those. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And they're very,
Defender 90 in drivable condition is, you know, 80 or $90,000 these days, if they're,
if they're not. Yeah. Cause the import and everything. And they're, they're very
utilitarian. Not like, unless you get one of those ones that's been sort of stealth wealthed like
inside. Oh yeah. Then those are 200 grand. Yeah. Or like an icon version.
But yeah. So, so the direction I went was Z4. Always have to pick a BMW.
And yeah, they're, they're discontinuing it. So get it while you can. Yeah. Right. Yeah. With
a manual too. The manual, that's a great pick. Yes. Yeah. And it will hold this value. I think
those are going to be collector's items, you know, you mean like the final edition or the
current gen final edition with them, with the manual, I think we'll always have an enthusiast
following. So the resale value on those is always going to be strong. Yes. Yep. I think
that's very fair. And if you want to look at older generations, like I'm looking at a great deal one
right here. It's 11, five. I mean, it's got a lot of miles on it, but that's not so bad.
The prices range pretty broadly for year and mileage on these. So you can,
you can find something affordable. Maybe run, don't walk.
A lot of there there. I do want to add a Davism counter. Okay. Great picks all around.
You guys are saying that more these days than I know. It's, it's, it's infected me.
It's got a life in itself. Cool picks. I like all these picks. Great summer options.
We do have a speed round this week and it's, I'm going to go first because I think my answer
is less interesting than both of yours. Because I think you're both excited about them. So I'm
not, I don't know what they are, but it's the car you're least excited to sit in traffic with in
the summer. Right. So you're, you're, you're on your way to the Cape. You're, you're in traffic.
What do you hope you're not in? And for me, it's also it's, it's a Wrangler and it's a,
it's specifically a manual transmission Wrangler. Yeah. I can think a few things that
I drove a manual for almost 10 years was my, was my vehicle. So like I'm familiar with being in
traffic in a manual and it's not great. It's not where those are meant to be. And also where
something is not meant to be as a Wrangler in traffic on the highway. So you take a Wrangler,
you put a manual in it, you put yourself in hot traffic. No good. Especially if you took the top
down and you're sitting in the sun, it's like it's, it's baking down on you off. Yeah. That's not a
great experience. So my pick is a, is a stick shift Wrangler.
I forget who went most recently. Dave, you're up. So, so mine, also a manual.
Mine would be any of the previous, well the last generation, because they don't make them anymore.
This is, if you really want to make me mad and miserable, give me a Chevy Camaro
from like the outgoing. So like a 2024 Chevy Camaro with a manual with like the LT one or the
SS. So this is like the big old V eight. So not only do you have, it's not just any manual,
that's a heavy clutch, right? That's like you're working and you're like, you know, and, and the
car in front of you moves and you're sort of, you know, that that's a lot of legwork there.
Also ditto for the shifter. It's a lot of heat because you have this stonking V eight.
And then on top of that, making everything worse, the visibility in those cars was awful.
Now performance wise, they're delightful to drive when you're moving, but you can't see
anything out of them because the roof line is so low. So you're in this hot thing that with a
really heavy clutch in traffic and you can't see anywhere around. If you feel very claustrophobic
easily, that's my worst car to put me in. It just, oh yeah, haven't helped those people.
That's a good pick. That's fair. And my forerunner, you know, my forerunner, it's,
it's old and I don't drive it in traffic that often, but the gearing is such that
you can drive that in traffic and you can start it in second gear and get it going in second gear
because first gear is really for going straight up a wall. So that's, that's nice to have that
sort of functionality because you're not like immediately starting and then like shifting.
This Camaro would not have that. You're working, you're sweating, you can't see, it's no fun.
That sounds like a, like a day. Natalie, what about you?
So I'm thinking of a very specific experience that I actually had in summer traffic. Also
manual, although not one that's as difficult to drive. So here's what the Miata is going to come
into the conversation, Elliot. Often the answer. Yeah. So unfortunately here it's the answer to a
negative question. So I had a 2024 Miata press car. So it was, you know, new.
Was it the brown one? Yes. I think we shot a review on that. Yes. We did shoot a full video.
Check out this vehicle. Yeah. Well, it's like a tan. This color is called zero car sand.
Okay. Yeah. So I was in traffic to the Cape on the Born Bridge for people who are familiar with
this area. Bumper to bumper traffic. It's a rough spot. It's, it's a steep-ish
hill. I mean, not terrible. And at least there's a traditional e-brake there. So, so that's fine.
But the biggest challenge I think here was the other drivers around and the fact that
everyone is driving a GMC truck or SUV literally in front of me, next to me, behind me, and in the
oncoming traffic going the other way. And I'm just like, I hope that these people don't forget that
I'm here and just like roll forward. You look to your left and right and just see tire. Yes,
exactly. You just see tire. You're looking like the hub. And like chrome. And, and I'm like,
exactly. Like, I mean, they could have, you know, from the car behind me, all they see is gap.
And then the back of the car in front. So if they're not paying attention,
which a lot of times people aren't, I'm like, I really hope these people spring for the front
facing the 360 camera. That's potentially a harrowing situation. It was, it was harrowing.
Harrowing is a great word. And not only do I not want to get hit, but I'm also like,
this isn't my car. Did I just do something really wrong for Mazda by putting this thing in this
perilous situation? It was all fine. How dare you drive it on the road? I know, right? And how,
how dare I do real world evaluations? And to your point about visibility and other drivers
paying attention, we're all guilty of this, especially myself. When you're in traffic
and no one's moving is when you're most inclined to be on your phone. Or your mind wanders. Yeah,
right. And so then you're like, Oh, there's a gap to your point. And then you drive and then you'd
run over Amiata. You didn't realize it was there. Just roll forward and crunch. You're like, what
was that noise? Yeah. So luckily everything worked out fine, but that was, that was a scary.
That would be harrowing. That was a scary situation.
Well, hopefully you don't have to go through that again. Hopefully your next Mazda experience is
enjoyable. And one of my favorite things about these upcoming months, or maybe there's going
to be an MX five in our fleet. So yeah, I will think twice and I'll drive it down at night when
there's not going to be a lot of traffic. Plan accordingly. Last bit before we take it to the
outro is what's in our driveway. And Dave, you have one that I'm interested in your thoughts.
And Natalie of one that's really cool. So let's go. Let's go Dave first, because Natalie,
you just, you just spoke about your Miata experience. So Dave, tell me about what's in
your driveway. So we have the Kia Telluride. And this is kind of a kissing cousin to the
Hyundai Palisade, which I started the episode with. It's a little weird. The fundamental
difference between the new Kia Telluride and the new Hyundai Palisade is the base engine on the
Palisade is a V six like it was before naturally aspirated, underpowered. The new base engine
on the Telluride is a turbocharged four cylinder. So it gets into this like philosophical full
question of like, which is better in this application? Yeah. I think, and there is also a
Telluride hybrid. I haven't driven that yet. I hope to. But if I'm choosing base
engine and either of the two, I like the turbo for more. Okay. It is noisy when you push it.
And you are not getting great gas mileage. I think I'm getting like 17 miles per gallon
because it's just, it's still a turbo for hauling a big SUV around. So it's working hard. But just
like generally it has a little bit more torque. It just feels a little more responsive than the V
six. But like I said, when you really honk on it, it doesn't sound good. It sounds like a four
cylinder working hard. It gets a little noisy. But day to day, I think most buyers, if you care
about the engine on the base models, I would choose the four cylinder over the six in the
Hyundai. Otherwise, the KIA is great. I love Matt in a few episodes ago was deriding the design
of the Telluride because it looked too much like a Range Rover. To me, I'm like the back end of
that car. I think is awesome. I think it is. Yeah. It looks a little light Rover esque,
but not too much. I think it's still its own thing. We have this Matt color. I don't love
the color, but I like that it's Matt. It's just, it's very elegant. Matt with an E.
Matt. So the front end is a little, is probably not as as elegant as the Palisade,
but overall really big fan of this car. Great space inside. You know, either of those cars
is fantastic. If you want a three row crossover. So I'm enjoying the Telluride. Cool. Very cool.
Yeah. I haven't been in the new Telluride. I'm excited to experience it because it's been such
a good vehicle. Yeah. Natalie, I want to hear about this one though. Yeah. So I had the Prelude,
the Honda Prelude, and you guys have heard me talk about this before. I really, really wanted to
just completely love it. I thought people were being a little dramatic and a little precious
about it with all the reactions when it came out. They were. The most unfortunate thing here
is that I had it back to back with the Integra Type S and that came first. So I think if I had
had the Prelude first, I wouldn't have been like, oh man, I missed the manual. Oh man,
it could just be a little bit faster. But because I had the Integra Type S, which is so good. I mean,
I really enjoyed pretty much everything about that car. I have it in two weeks. I think I'm very
excited. Yeah. Yeah. Get excited. It's like all the Civic Type R stuff, but less boy racer, less
like flashy. Exactly. Yeah. More, you feel, I felt more like age-appropriate in it. Exactly.
Yeah. You really do. Yeah. You don't feel self-conscious. Yeah. But the Prelude is great.
Like it's really a great car. I have like one or two beeps with it. I wish it was a little bit
faster. However, like it's always been a grand pour. It's fine. We took it on a museum driving
event. And there was one point where we were merging onto the highway after a bunch of
back roads and my husband's going, stomp on it, floor it. And I was like, I am.
I had that exact same experience. I am flooring it. Your foot's on the floor and you're getting
nothing. Yeah. It just took a little longer than I would have liked. And I, for $42,000,
like I would really like it to have power adjustable seats. Yes. At least the driver seat.
That bugged me. But I mean, it's a great car. I took it to cars and coffee. It got so much
attention. So many people were really interested in what this is. And I think it's really good
looking. Was it, do you have the blue? Yes. Yep. I think it must be boost blue because it looked
exactly like there was a type R nearby that was boost blue. So I actually didn't check the name
of the color, but I'm pretty sure. That's okay. Yeah. So yeah, it was a really interesting back
to back of loans. And I like the preload a lot. Plus you get 45 miles per gallon without even
trying. Like that's, that's, yeah, hybrid. Yeah. It's very, I just, that's a lot. Yeah. That's
pretty good. To me, that car just, I wouldn't, I would, I definitely didn't like should look up
what I got. I just, to me that car, because I had it a few months ago, it just, something's
got to give. It's either got to be a little cheaper because to your point about no power
seats, there's also the rear seat, the front seats are delightful. The rear seats are like
a super cheap fabric. So it's like either make it a little cheaper, make it more powerful,
like please make it more powerful. It just, it's underpowered. I don't remember noticing
the fabric in the back, but the rear seats are very like, I was, I tried to sit in it to film
what it looks like. And I was bonking my head against the part that goes around the glass.
This is no offense, but you're not a, you're not a tall person. No. We fit the car seat in the back,
but we had to hand the baby through the hatch. Yeah. Like you couldn't put him in the side.
So it's not ideal. The big glass opening. And I'm sorry to have interrupted you,
but I just, I had to say that about this. No, no, not a problem. It's just,
it could be so good. It just needs either less price tag or more horsepower or both.
It, and like you said, I'm so glad you had it again, like back to back with the type S,
because the type S is like existentially why the prelude is like, why does this exist?
Cause type S is a little more money, even just like a normal prelude or a normal
Integra. I think you will have more enjoyment and get most of the benefits that the prelude
offers out of the Integra. Oh, interesting. It's, it's not as cool. I wanted to, yeah.
Yeah. It just, it needs, something's got to give on that car.
Like I feel like the prelude is a really pretty car. I will say to it is, yeah.
In the two weeks I had it, we had the museum exhibit opening reception and then the following
week and then we had cars and coffee and the driving tour. And I was like, for cars and coffee
and for the opening reception, preludes great. It's like lawn candy for the driving tour. I
wish I had had the type S. Yeah, right. I wish I could have reversed those weeks.
Yeah. Like I said, I have the Integra type S soon and I'm pretty pumped for it.
Anytime you get a manual, cause I just don't get to drive manuals that much anymore.
That's a good one too. Yeah. The car that I have currently, I think I referenced it
earlier in the episode is the Toyota forerunner trail hunter, almost $70,000.
The one I have 69 795. So I believe I got it yesterday. So I've been at it for very long,
but it doesn't have any options and I don't know if there are options to add. It's, it's like
as built, I mean, any left. Yeah. There's, there's, there's very little it better not to get more
expensive. Yeah. It has, it has rock rails, an Airbnb roof rack. It has 33 inch tires,
has old man, emu, not you, you, yeah, emu, emu, emu shocks. So interesting. That's actually what
I want to talk about. It has, it's not a snorkel. It is a high mount air intake. It has nothing to
do with forwarding water. So it is not its purpose is not the whole point of a snorkel.
Well, it's not a snorkel. That's, that's what that's what I'm saying. They, they,
Toyota doesn't call it a snorkel. There's no extra water forwarding ability
from the trail hunter or lower. It's not watertight at all. I have it. It is to get what the air
intake higher off the ground for dusty driving to keep your air filter cleaner for longer.
So I find that to be super, that's a snorkel. Well, but a snorkel implies that you're going
underwater, but there is no water proofing at all in the system. That's the whole point is
yeah, that's weird that they would make that distinction. I think they're a lawyer got involved
somewhere. Well, the trail hunter has the same water forwarding as the SR five. It's not meant
to go in the water, which is why they're not calling a snorkel because that implies you can go
underwater with it and that's not what it's for. Yeah, but anytime you put us, you can retrofit a
snorkel to any off-road vehicle and then it inherently increases the water forwarding capable,
you know, height of that vehicle. This is legal somewhere. Someone in Toyota got nervous about
calling it a snorkel and then implying care, you know, maybe abilities that didn't happen.
That's ridiculous that they're doing that. Well, they call it a high mount air intake and
specifically say it is not here. It has nothing to do with water that is clear from Toyota. There's
no water. That's a lawyer. That's all lawyers. What I I've never driven a car that has this or
a vehicle that has this. So I recorded a video of what it sounds like. It is so loud and I don't
You hear that? I can't hear anything. It sounds really high pitched. So that's like the turbo
wine and then you can hear the flutter as it like is done, but it's not in the engine. It's not in
the hood area. It's right next to your window. So you can hear it very, you can hear it very,
very loudly and when the window is down, it's like, that's all you hear. And if you Google,
if you start to Google like a forerunner trail hunter, it auto completes to remove snorkel,
is like a common search term. So annoying. So I think it's cool for a little bit, but it gets,
it gets to be a lot very quickly and it's not something you turn off. It's like, it's there.
I've had, yeah, I had that exact car and that exact experience. It's something. Look, again,
I am a long time owner of Toyota SUVs. I'm a Toyota fan boy. So Toyota, if anyone's listening,
I say this would love the product planners right now at Toyota need to chill because
you have this snorkel on that car that is just, it, it's just obscene. It just absolutely
ruins the driving experience. How often are you really in dusty trails versus, so it's
2% of the time you're driving and owning that car versus the 98% of the time when you are
just annoyed as heck by that sound. Well, I have to assume also it's the same.
I have to assume this trim is like, is a very niche option for people that actually care about
keeping dust out of their engine, but you still want to have daily drive ability. Sure.
Like that's just, that's, but then it's also the same decision making that in the Tacoma TRD
Pro that has those seats with like the huge suspension built into them that no one needs,
no one wants, and you can't fit any humans in the back seat because the front seats,
the back of the front seats eat into all that space. You're like, make both of these things
options. Like Toyota, you're murdering the daily usability of these vehicles for like a few like
cool points. It's, it's, there's no way either feature should be standard. It really bothers
me. It's like, that's a pretty cool car. I would never want to drive on a daily basis because
of that snorkel. It's that. I think the point of this vehicle is to, without making any additional
things straight from the factory, it is a just a premier overlanding vehicle. And it is, like I
said, 69, 7, 95, the TRD Pro is 69, 9, 95. So they're almost the same price. The TRD Pro is $200
more. So those are their kind of peak off-road options, but targeted at very specific different
people. Well, haven't been in one in a while. But yeah, that is, that's what's in my driveway.
Watch for my content coming soon. Maybe it's live now. I will say just finishing up the episode.
Next week, we have a cool episode. We're calling it the Frankenstein draft.
Ooh. I don't know what that was. A Halloween noise, I guess.
It's a Halloween kind of theme. Yeah. It'll still be June. But yeah, so it'll be all four of us
in person. We'll be, we'll be this episode. So if you want the four of us all together,
which doesn't happen that often, come back next week. We'll be happy to have you.
Find out how many shirts Dave is wearing in the studio.
I mean, you, you turned up the temperature, right? Like I, I actually, I need to start
packing. How many shirts should I bring? It's a little too warm, in my opinion.
I'm okay in a denim jacket right now. So delightful. I'm only need one suitcase now.
Well, uh, thank you guys. Thanks for bringing some really cool options for the summer cars.
Picks really, really cool stuff. Natalie, Dave, thank you for potting. Thank you for watching.
We'll see you next week.
About this episode
Summer road trips set the stage, from flying into Syracuse and driving “about a two and a half hour drive” to planning bigger future trips. The hosts then pivot into “the cars of summer” with a mix of family practicality and fun: hybrid minivans, driver-assist tech, and adventure picks like the Toyota Sienna, Honda Ridgeline, and Jeep Wrangler’s open-air experience. Along the way, they also cover Stellantis model-name news (Airflow, GLH, Scrambler) and debate what “adventure” really means.
Summer is here! What are the best cars for all the versions of summer driving; a road-trip, a camping adventure, and an open-air experience that is quintessentially summer!
