The Cars We’re Excited to Drive in 2026

Welcome back to the AutoGuide show presented by eBay Motors.

I'm Greg McLeory and we have an awesome show for you this week.

Today we're going to talk about what is new for 2026.

Kyle and Mike are going to join me in just a minute.

We're going to talk about the cars, trucks, and SUVs.

We are most excited to drive in the coming new year.

Happy new year, by the way.

We're also going to talk about what we've been driving.

We've got some pretty interesting things from the Ram-Hemmy V8 to the Land Rover Acta.

This is a very cool Defender.

We're going to talk about that.

We will talk about some gear, important things that we've been testing in our fleet,

and we have a bit of a mailbag question.

So with that, let's jump right in.

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Mike and Kyle are now joining us to talk about the cars, trucks, and SUVs

we are most excited to drive this year.

Welcome, guys.

Happy New Year.

Kyle, why don't we start with you?

There's a lot of cool stuff we're going to drive this year.

Give me your first one.

All right.

Well, because we've discussed this ahead of time,

I'm going to not pick the ones that you've selected, Greg.

I'll chime in when you talk about them.

But I'll throw in some new ones there.

And starting off for me, the top one is the Hyundai Ionix 6N.

Technically not a whole lot different from a vehicle that we've already driven.

I really like the Ionix 5N, but I also prefer a car shape.

And I realize that the 5N is basically a glorified hatchback.

But still, with the updated looks to the Ionix 6N,

I think a lot of people like this new, more sleek kind of look.

And it has some adjustments that should make it even more fun to drive.

So that one is an easy topic for me.

That's a good one.

I'm pretty excited to drive that one as well.

Since you somewhat stole my thunder a little bit,

I am going to go with the Rivian R2.

I think to me, this is what I'd like to hear your thoughts too, Kyle.

I think this is something that gives Rivian,

obviously it's like phase two for them.

The design looks pretty sweet from what we've seen when they revealed this.

I think it's almost a couple years ago at this point.

And it sort of demonstrates that, hey, Rivian,

they could do more than just the R1 full stop.

They did refresh those, which I think is significant.

But then just rolling out a new product, a new model,

something Tesla struggled with.

So I think this is going to be a little bit of a proof of concept

as far as Rivian as a company.

And I'm also just pretty excited to drive this thing.

I'm right there with you.

I think you mentioned Tesla, and it's a great example of,

look, we did see these a long time ago.

Rivian's taking its time, right?

It's really taking the time to develop these

and hopefully create a really exceptional product.

I mean, it seems very appealing, right?

And we all talk about how we want something more affordable in the EV space.

So this checks all the boxes.

It's definitely high up on my list too.

All right, what's on your list, Mike?

I'll start with something that you've actually driven, Greg,

but Kyle and I are waiting, and me more so,

because it's right at my alley.

And that is the Dodge Charger 6-Pack,

because I like big, powerful sedans.

And that is it.

I mean, what's their claim?

The most powerful or the lowest priced car

with over 500 horsepower or something?

All-wheel drive, inline six,

that's turbocharged to an inch of its life.

Quicker than probably everything short

of the trail brakes of the old Charger.

So yeah, sign me up.

I really want to try it, because the EV I liked as a car,

like it was a good car.

The EV was good too.

So with that car's bones and the gas engine,

I can't imagine it not being just as good.

Yeah, I won't try to bias you, but I liked it.

I mean, with you, I think we have similar tastes

when it comes to cars like this.

So I think you'll have a good time.

And Dodge does a lot of different things

to kind of give you that sort of surprise

and delight factor to it.

And I mean, bottom line, I think it looks cool as hell.

As a guy who likes chargers, I think this fits the bill.

So it's pretty cool.

Kyle, what do you have next on your list?

All right, round two.

I'm staying with electric models,

but going in a slightly different direction,

I am so interested to drive the Porsche Cayenne Electric,

all 1100 horsepower of it, and the extending tail fins,

and the wireless charge pad for the entire vehicle.

Everything about it is just kind of nuts.

And I like that.

And I feel like Porsche is due for this sort of thing.

I mean, the Cayenne gets so much attention, right,

ever since it launched as the car that quote unquote saved Porsche.

And now we're seeing it step into the electric era.

And it looks, at least on paper and from images,

deeply impressive.

Obviously, the price point is going to be a tough one.

But if anyone can stomach the added cost of an EV,

it's luxury buyers.

Yeah, I'm impressed with the Cayenne,

like just the things, the bits and pieces we've seen of it.

I'm pretty excited for that one too.

You're calling a family SUV with 1100 horsepower kind of nuts.

It just doesn't make any sense.

I mean, if you mentioned this five years ago,

people would look at you like you're just making things up.

Well, maybe because you were, but yeah.

But that was before AI, right?

Yeah. Imagine when the Bugatti Veyron came out,

someone was like, well, in less than 20 years,

well, an SUV making more power than this.

Like, sure, we will.

I mean, there's definitely some sort of measure there, right?

It's like the F40 came out or like,

there's no way an SUV of VL5 have 478 horsepower.

And now that's basically the entry point for the Cayenne class.

It's a risk for Porsche too, when you think about it.

Like just how much Cayenne has sort of saved the company.

Is that too much out there?

I don't know.

But I mean, I think it really,

this is one they've got to get right.

It's another example where they can't just be like,

hey, we had a bad generation of this.

Whoops.

It's one that I think they really is.

It pays the rent.

In some ways, is it almost like the F150 for Ford?

I don't know.

Maybe that's taking it a bit too far,

but it definitely keeps the lights on for them.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

And I think that's why the Macan and the Cayenne gas

are staying around with the EVs because

Porsche likes money like any manufacturer.

So they need to keep what they have right now.

Yeah.

Porsche likes money.

I think that kind of sums it up there too a little bit.

Yeah.

Greg, what's next on your list?

I'm going to go with the Honda Prelude,

which technically I drove,

but I'm excited to drive it even more.

I drove it in October at North American car,

truck and SUV of the year testing.

It was certainly up for an award.

And it's definitely, I mean, it's super attractive.

I think the interior was very creative,

simplistic, but also very nice.

A little bit of a trivia,

the bolstered seats for the driver

are actually more bolstered than the passenger

because they wanted to go for that sporty vibe,

but then not punish the occupants.

So I thought that was kind of an interesting approach,

but I'm really looking forward to getting more seat time in it.

I think it's, I mean, I literally drove it for like half an hour,

you know, and how much can you really,

it's just sort of wet your whistles, I guess.

And I just, so much history.

It's such a heavy like topic for enthusiasts.

I thought they delivered on it,

but I don't necessarily think this is going to be

like a Hall of Famer for them.

I think this will just be like, hey, a great one,

or a good one, maybe good, but not great.

That's sort of cliche, but I can't wait to get more seat time in it.

And I think it's, it would be a good road trip car.

I think it could be a good, almost like commuter car.

I think theoretically it could be almost like a good,

like parent car, because it's a two plus two layout.

You're not going to really get a car seat back there too easily,

but you probably could get like a more like, you know,

just like one of the car, the back, the backless ones back there.

So I think it could be very versatile.

And I'm looking forward to kind of maybe living with it a little more so.

So yeah, I'm excited.

Tell me I'm wrong, right?

I mean, it's a new prelude.

I mean, that's the first drive program

that's on my schedule for this year.

So I am very much looking forward to it

and getting a better idea of where it lands on the spectrum.

You mentioned whether or not it'll be a greatest hit for Honda.

And in my mind, there's a scale somewhere between CRZ and Type R.

And so I don't know where it'll land, but I'm very curious to find out.

Yeah, I am too.

I hope it's not full CRZ as cool as those were.

They just didn't resonate, but we'll see.

I, like I said, just a heavy topic.

I thought you were going to say it was a heavy car being hybrid,

but it's not that heavy.

It's pretty fun.

Crazy heavy now.

It's a little heavier than like, you know, it's not an S2000CR or anything,

but it's, you know, in line with the times with all the stuff

that you would need to have on it.

That makes sense.

All right, Mike.

Why don't you give us your third, your next one?

Not my second.

Come on.

Stop short changing me on my pick.

So this actually isn't the car I'm the most interested in testing,

but it's the first of a brand.

So it is the Genesis GV60 Magma.

So the GV60, I'm not that crazy about the Magma because I've driven the Ionix 5N

and how much different it's going to be performance wise, maybe a bit,

but I'm really curious to see what the first Magma edition Genesis is like.

And then subsequent models to fall, especially when the new ones have

some sort of power trim.

We don't even know about yet because they need more power.

Is it going to be some sort of crazy plug-in hybrid?

Is it going to be a V8?

Who knows?

But I'm just curious like what their first attack at basically going after BMW

and Mercedes AMG and things like that.

So yeah, I'm really looking forward to see how that all plays out.

I mean, we see the pictures.

It's orange and it's got a giant wing, but that's about all we know so far.

I'll be curious to see just how much Genesis,

it sounds like a lot.

They lean into Magma.

You know, I mean, it's sort of like, hey, we're going to make this whole new

kind of sort of AMG fighter out of whole cloth.

And then I don't know.

I still think Genesis is trying to gain some traction, let alone having this

kind of performance oriented brand.

But I love the term like don't go with some alphabet soup thing that nobody's

going to know what it is.

Magma.

So I kind of like it.

Yeah.

It's interesting to me that they said when they showed off all this stuff

near the end of last year, they mentioned that they're going to make Magma versions

of every model.

And I think that's kind of what you have to do, right?

To chase the Germans.

You can't do what Hyundai has done with N where you stick it on a handful of models.

You have to spread the love.

So yeah, good pick, Mike.

And hopefully it's full Magma every model, not like Magma Sport or M Sport.

Magma line.

Yeah.

Like, can you imagine if they took some form of a detuned version of the V8 that's

going to be in the hypercar and put it in the G70?

Like, that would be amazing.

All right.

Sounds good.

We will be back in just a minute with more of the cars we are excited about for the coming

year.

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Welcome back to the Auto Guide Show presented by eBay Motors.

We're continuing our discussion here on the cars we're looking forward to driving

in this new year, which is barely a few days old.

So let's continue our roundtable here and over to you, Kyle, with your third entry.

Oh, my final pick.

So I'm stuck between two models here.

I'll quickly name drop the one that I was potentially going to pick,

which is the Lexus ES, because it's a dramatic rethink of the brand's longest running sedan.

But I'm going to go ultra mainstream here and pick the Mazda CX-5.

Because the CX-5 is still, I think, maybe I'm speaking for all of us here.

One of our favorite compact SUVs still drives really nicely.

It's attractive.

It's well priced.

And it's a huge swing for Mazda.

Mazda has slowly been replacing all its SUVs with its double digit versions,

except this, because it sells so well.

It accounts for something like 30 or 40% of their North American sales,

which is huge.

And it also brings in a new infotainment,

which is one of our biggest complaints about Mazda,

except now it's going to be a touchscreen, which is also a complaint for us.

So I'm just, I'm very fascinated about where it's going to land

and how people respond to it and how it also will manage to stay different from the CX-50.

I was going to say, Kyle, that it's crazy that there's another CX-5 coming

and it shows just how popular and dedicated people are to that model,

because they were all supposed to die.

The CX-7, the CX-9, the CX-3, and the CX-5, and the CX-5 sold the 50.

I think it may still, even though it's older.

So good on Mazda recognizing don't kill the nameplate,

but it's interesting you're going to have two.

And I wonder if they'll separate the two more.

I wonder if this will go more, sort of you said, like sporty family,

and the 50 can then maybe go more rugged.

But who knows?

It's just interesting having two of the same vehicle, basically.

Absolutely, yeah.

I think it's almost, it's like the opposite of badge engineering here.

Like we're just going to flood the zone here.

It's kind of weird, but it works, right?

You know, volume.

I mean, this is, seems like a good strategy for Mazda, right?

Yeah, I think there's playbook and they were like,

forerunner, Land Cruiser, Highlander.

Oh, you know what we could do.

Yeah.

Oh, so I had 10 SUVs.

We could probably have another one.

Yeah, and speaking of Toyota, I'm very curious, not at launch,

but I think a year after the CX-5 launches,

Mazda will develop a new in-house hybrid system, right?

So it'll be different from the CX-50 in that way too.

So yeah, that's my pick,

because I wanted to go as mainstream as possible.

I think it's, you know, as much as we're,

yeah, that would be cool.

I mean, we always hear these, like usually around,

like the Tokyo Motor Show, some sort of random rotary rumor.

I don't know.

Seems like they always have it working on,

and there's skunkworks or something behind the scenes.

Yeah, there's one guy who just won't let it die.

Man.

Well, on that note, I guess I will go over to mine,

which is we think there's going to be a new three series this year

for the 2027 model year,

but we think hopefully we get to drive it this year

in the calendar year of 2026.

This is all a little bit looking into your crystal ball.

I personally would be pretty excited about the M3,

which probably comes a little bit later,

but I think this could be, I mean, to me,

this is always like the most, you know,

when you talk about cars that are like, you know,

part of a, like foundational for a brand.

I mean, what's more foundational for BMW than the three series?

It sounds like the styling is going to take some cues from the,

forgive me if I butcher this, the Neue Classe,

things that we've seen.

I think something like that that'll give it

definitely a bit of a departure.

I think BMW is a little,

I've kind of liked their designs in recent years,

so it'll be interesting to see,

are they tailor it to the, you know,

the next gen three series?

Is this car maybe as important to say the X3,

the X5, like the crossover lineup?

I'd say, yeah, actually it is,

because to me, this is just how you build your whole identity.

And for me, the three series is such a visceral experience.

You know, I remember I went to a launch of the one

around 2010, 11, somewhere in there,

and it was in Germany,

and they were talking about all the things they tried to modernize,

but still keep the same.

And I thought that was kind of an interesting approach

that you don't get with every car.

And this is one too, where just the chassis is so paramount.

It's so, you know, everything that, you know,

you're looking for when you buy a car like this,

they have to get right.

So I'm excited, but I'm also like, you know,

kind of cautiously optimistic too.

I want to temper my excitement here,

simply for driving this new model,

but also like with a little bit of cynicism.

So I've had a lot of good experiences with three series.

That's kind of why I had to throw it on the list here.

That's more than fair.

That is one of the vehicles that I'm most looking forward to as well.

In our previous episode,

I talked a lot about the BMW iX3 as one of the standouts

that I drove in 25.

And like you mentioned, Greg,

it's the first of the Neue classes,

but there's going to be a whole bunch of them.

And yeah, based on how really impressive that SUV was,

transferring that tech to a sedan shape,

to me is like just such a win.

For me, that's crossing a point where

I have a hard time struggling

about why I would want the gas version to be honest.

But well, we'll see, obviously, right?

We don't know what the details are.

But obviously, like you, I'm also really excited

about whatever an M3 and M4 ends up being.

Yeah, but with the Neue class A,

I wonder if they'll be like an IM4 or an IM3,

like an electric version of that.

And they've opened up a whole new world of special editions.

They can have like the M3 2002 TII edition

with a tribute back to the original

and put the pinstriping and the color shades

from back in the day.

There's a whole new subset of cars they could go.

And the turbo badging that's reversed for your mirrors.

Yeah. Yeah.

I like it.

Me too.

What do you like for your third pick there, Mike?

Well, I'll go with a very obvious one

that I think everybody in the world wants to drive

if they had a chance.

And that is the new Toyota GRGT,

which redefines hood length,

probably the longest hood this side of an Excalibur.

I'd love to pop the hood and just see what's under there.

I have feelings like six feet of space

between the bumper and the radiator,

like a 1970s Oldsmobile or something.

But just the specs are ridiculous.

You know, Toyota's, whenever they do something like this,

they do it right and they go all in.

Like Toyota, Honda, like a lot of companies,

some companies just throw power or whatever

out of car for bragging rights.

But I have a feeling this is going to be something.

Like look at the LFA.

People, when they first announced it,

like, ah, yeah, whatever, it sounds cool,

but it doesn't have much power.

It's front engine and this and that,

but it was a really cool car.

So this is also, I would argue,

more so being developed because they needed a platform

for their race cars for Super GT and GT3 racing in general.

So it was probably developed with that in mind from the start,

which can only make it probably a better performing vehicle.

Yeah, it's going to be a six figure 9-11 competitor,

but that's kind of cool too,

because Toyota's never done that

if you don't count the 2000 GT in the 60s.

Yeah.

Or the worst tail end of the Mark IV Super years were real pricey.

Yeah.

You know what?

The performance numbers of the original Mark IV

was right there with the 9-11.

So I guess, yeah, but the 9-11 then was kind of,

I don't know what you call it.

Like it was more of a sports car,

whereas now it's more against the exotics

with the ridiculous performance it has.

Like I don't think you would have put a regular 9-11

against like a Testerosa back then,

whereas nowadays a GT3 outruns almost every Ferrari.

So that's a good point.

Yeah.

The only reason I didn't put the GR GT on my list

is because I wasn't entirely sure

that we'd actually have rival versions of it

by the end of this year.

That's a good point.

Also, I didn't put the LFA.

So I'll drive that too, but I figure someone will drive on.

If it's not us, maybe we'll get a ride in one or something.

But you know, they're going to want to,

I mean, how do you drove it up Goodwood in Cabo?

True.

The way they did the lead on this,

it's going to show up at like every major racing event

and rip around like, I wouldn't, well,

it's going to say the 25 hours a day Toyota,

but Toyota is really competing that.

But whatever, maybe the GT 500 season opener,

it'll be there or something.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, I'm super excited to frankly drive all of these this year.

I think it's going to be a great year for cars.

I mean, I say this every year,

but that's the great thing about this business

is every year the calendar flips,

you get a couple of auto shows kind of right off the deck.

And I just get more excited every year about it.

Like I really don't.

Some people talk about like the golden days,

like whatever, the golden days are right now.

You know, the cars are, they've never been better.

They've never, they've never been safer.

So I'm just super excited for 2026 as far as car news

and the stuff we're going to get to drive.

Same.

Cool.

Well, thanks for hanging out guys.

Mike is going to come back here after the break

and we're going to talk about some studly tires.

You're listening to the Auto Guide Show brought to you by eBay Motors.

All right.

We are back to talk about this is our aftermarket gear segment.

Today we're going to talk about some winter tires

that Mike has been rolling around on his Genesis Coupe.

It is the dead of winter right now.

So I imagine these things are,

you're really putting them through their paces so far.

How are they handling winter for you, Mike?

Yeah.

So I've gone through a lot of products over the years here

and we're going to get to some and this is one that I put on my car

three winters ago or is it just two?

It's been a while that I've had them on

and I'm sure a lot of people have never heard of this tire.

And that's the thing.

There are so many brands out there now for tires.

There are what some people call like a TRC or a value tire.

Um, the problem is in that class,

quality varies so greatly.

Some of these are built in state-of-the-art factories

just using maybe an older design or not as expensive materials,

but they're still a very high quality tire.

Some it's just because they don't have the marking behind the name

and that's why they're less expensive.

And then on the other end,

you got some that are like cobbled together with gorilla glue and duct tape

and you probably don't want it in your car.

So these ones I researched a bit before I put them on.

And like I said, I've done three winters.

I put them on a ice racetrack.

I've gone through snow that's higher than my bumper.

I've been on slush ice rain.

For those who don't know the Genesis Coupe,

it's rear drive obviously,

but I have the base and the original car was geared so high

to try to get maximum acceleration.

I don't have a limited slip differential.

So I have one tire that basically wants to brake loose anytime I turn at any speed.

So throw in snow and it gets exponentially worse.

These tires, I figured, you know,

if they could at least get me to not be stuck, I'd be fine.

But I've been pretty impressed.

The wear has been good.

I don't drive a whole lot in the winter.

I do a couple of thousand miles a year.

But like I said, I'm on my third season now

and they still have more than enough tread.

They are studdable.

I don't have them studded.

I don't get enough snow nor is it allowed where I live.

But that's always a nice factor.

In the snow, I think where they've been the best.

I can't believe the deepness of snow that I've been able to get out of

or come to a complete stop,

especially being a manual transmission and rear drive.

I mean, part of it,

you need to have the finesse to be able to get some traction.

But if anything's there, these tires will find it on the ice.

They've been good, not so much an acceleration,

but the cornering grip and the braking has been really good.

The sipes really do their job there.

Downsides to it.

Well, it is an unknown tire.

But like I said, so far so good for me.

They are a little noisy.

The tires I normally have on are oversized and these are undersized.

So there's a big difference in grip and feel.

But they're pretty squishy in the winter, offering good comfort.

The one thing I have noticed to the sides of the noise

is once the temperatures do start to change,

unlike some of the more expensive tire and tires,

these start to get real squirmy

when the temperature gets well above freezing.

But if you live in a climate where you don't,

like you basically go from winter to spring to summer

and you don't have to worry about that in between for too long,

you just swap over, it's been fine.

So yeah, I mean, someone like me that needs a quality tire

but at a low price because they don't need their car

in the worst of conditions, this is a good choice.

If I want to go somewhere, it gets me there.

If it's real bad, it's not like I need to be somewhere.

So I have to have the ultimate brand out there,

but performance-wise, I can't complain.

These are the Rodex RX Frost FX-11.

Did I get that right?

So a bit of a moth there.

Yeah, that's it.

Really rolling the tongue like good years or something, right?

Yeah, they really wanted R's and X's in there for some reason.

But yeah, I mean, it is one of those names

where they're playing too much, I think,

into like Rodex and Frost and RX and all this stuff.

But I don't know why the numbers are there.

I'm sure there's a reason.

But as of me putting these on two years ago,

there's 41 sizes from 14 to 19-inch wheels.

So that covers a big spectrum.

And something there that's important to note

is not a lot of tires are available in 14s or even 15s these days.

So this could be a good alternative for those

with some older smaller cars that are looking for something

just have an old, let's say, Accent or Corolla

that you really use to commute from your house

to public transit every day and back.

Like this is exactly what I think this is designed for.

All right, sounds good.

Well, I was just doing some googling with these.

The prices are very competitive,

especially if you're looking just to throw something on.

Even still, at this point,

winter can last quite a while if you live where we do.

So these things last for a while

and definitely could give you a little bit more

sure footing here as the snow starts to fall.

Well, that is our gear segment.

It's always fun to talk tires.

We will be back in just a moment

to talk about what we've been driving in our fleet.

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All right, we are back on the Auto Guide Show

brought to you by eBay Motors.

I am super excited to talk about what we've been driving.

It's the best part of the show.

We've been in some pretty interesting things.

Mike, what's been in your driveway?

So just a little practical car.

The Land Rover Defender, Octa.

So those who aren't familiar, Octa is the ultimate Defender.

It's kind of like Land Rover has been looking

over at Mercedes-Benz and was like,

you know what, that G-Wagon needs a competitor.

No, we have an off-roader that we can make super fancy

and sell for a lot of money.

So that's what they did.

I'll start with the vehicle itself

because it is really cool.

I mean, the Defender is cool to begin with.

But this has wider fender flares and massive tires.

And a lot of people who know the Octa

only ever see the ones that have the off-road package attached.

So you get the 17 or 18-inch wheels

and the big chunky all-terrain tires.

The Octa comes actually standard with basically

highway tires for a better choice of words.

They're not even really somewhere between off-roading tires.

They are really road bias.

And that totally makes sense because again,

I really think they're going after the G-Class.

And if you look at the G63,

it doesn't come with chunky off-road tires.

It comes with somewhat performance tires,

even though we have a vehicle with three locking differentials

and air ride suspension and all the good little bits and pieces.

So it makes sense in that degree.

Having driven all three wheelbases

and now four different engines in the Defender,

this is the best handling.

Surprise, surprise.

It's the 110 chassis.

So it's the mid-size.

And having, I think it was 275 or 285 grippy tires all around

doesn't hurt.

But it's more than that.

It's just the way the suspension is designed and whatnot.

It of course does have all the locking differentials

and off-road stuff just because this car's about bragging rights.

So are you going to ever use that,

especially if this is the way mine was specced?

Well, no, because you'll get stuck.

But you can tell people.

The coolest thing about it is the B8 is the one from the BMW M's,

the 4.4 liter turbocharged.

It makes 636 horsepower here.

So basically the most powerful version that either company has.

And when you use launch control,

it launches probably the most violently of any pure gas engine

I think I've driven outside of maybe 911 Turbo.

I couldn't believe how hard it launches.

It launches so hard, you can get the front wheels off the ground slightly.

Now part of that has to do with it being a Defender

with an off-road bias chassis.

Even with the air suspension, there's a lot of squat.

So even in the hardest, firmest mode when you plant it,

the back end sucks way down on the front and tries to lift to the air.

But I was on a salt-covered, unprepared road when I did it.

And it still went.

There was no wheel spin or anything.

I couldn't believe it.

It feels faster than the numbers suggest.

Inside, it's all luxurious.

But the biggest, I think, problem with it is, is it is just a Defender.

The G-Class comes...

I don't even know if it still comes in two terms,

but forever it was a G500 and the 63.

I think it still comes in those two.

But those are all 550, yeah.

Both of those are powerful and very expensive.

The Defender, there's versions for like 70,000 that have the turbocharged inline 6,

which is still a good engine.

But it's a very sort of normal version.

And I actually parked beside one that was painted almost the same shade.

And yeah, side by side, I could see my bigger fender flares.

But there's no badging on the Octa.

There's the Octa logo on the sides and small E-Strake places beside the van and on the key fob.

But it doesn't shout it.

It doesn't like how AMG shouts AMG and have these side pipes and stuff.

I mean, this has a quad rear pipe, but if you're paying 200,000 versus 70,

you kind of want people to know, I figure,

like you're not doing that for your own benefit at this point.

And then you don't see the difference.

So I think that might be its biggest detriment is it doesn't look differently special enough.

Those are some pretty first world size to go along with some pretty first world highs.

But I quite agree with you.

To me, cars have to look the part.

Cars, trucks, SUVs, especially when you're going to pay that much money.

You got to be able to have a little bit of bragging rights.

I mean, at night, it does have the three little marker lights in the grill.

So that is orange marker lights.

And I think it's because of its width.

You have to have them somewhere.

So at night, you can tell a little more.

But again, that's like we're car nerds, like we know this.

Someone else would be like, oh, that defender's lights, whatever.

So yeah, I mean, maybe it's something they'll build on,

but I just feel like they should have been shouting it more because it is such a cool car.

Like let people know that you have this thing that can almost do wheelies and

has ridiculous power and decent grip and stuff.

So pretty cool.

Pretty cool.

That's going to be a tough one to beat just as far as the fun factor.

But what's been in your driveway there, Kyle?

Well, mine was a little bit ago, but it published over the holidays.

And since Mike's talking about the Galata wagon, I feel like I should talk about one too.

It was the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ technology, which is an incredibly dumb name

for something that's a rolling 6,500 pound ball of contradictions.

This was my first experience in a G wagon.

I've rode in other ones, but this is the first time I've driven one.

And it's the electric model.

So it is an old school SUV.

It's got the ladder frame and everything.

But then it also has four hub-mounted electric motors.

So it has a little shy of 600 horsepower over 850 pound feet of torque.

It'll launch to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds.

But it also will top out at electronically limited 110 miles per hour.

I didn't get close to that for fairly obvious reasons.

But it also does the tank turn as anyone who has checked any social media page

or coverage on this electric G wagon can tell you.

It'll spin on its axis.

But you have to have a loose surface to do it.

So it's pretty easy to find.

It was fun and silly.

And the tough thing that I ran into with this, look, I get that it is now a status vehicle

more than anything else.

I see enough of them riding around my neighborhood or other neighborhoods.

It's bragging rights.

This is probably the best G wagon in terms of how it drives, right?

Because it's quiet.

It's still quick.

It's got decent range.

I think it's 280-ish miles if you're being nice.

I saw wildly good efficiency with it.

So it's good.

And I don't think that matters at all.

I really don't.

Because I don't think that's the point of a G wagon, right?

Like, people don't buy it because it's good.

They buy it because it is loud and obnoxious.

And that's what this one can't do.

It has bake engine noises, this weird rumble that isn't very convincing.

But other than that, there's not a lot of theater.

It's just better at living with.

And I don't think people care because if you're getting a G wagon,

you have eight other cars that you live with on a regular basis.

So I was stuck in a really weird spot where I find it very impressive,

but I don't know who it's for.

That's a very kind of unique position for something that expensive.

It's like, usually OEMs do a great job of positioning their vehicles,

even if they're overly sort of disseminating them.

So I think that's kind of weird.

It sounds like I haven't driven this, but a sigh for me would be.

It sounds like it lacks some of that red meat, visceral appeal

that some of the really just throwdy, gas-powered ones that have gone before it.

I don't know.

Did it have the big door thwack when you close a Jeep?

Does it have that, at least, I hope?

Yeah, it's a two-handed affair to open the tailgate.

And then you lock the doors and there's that rifle bolt noise that is really satisfying.

Like, if I were, for whatever reason, in the market for a G-Wagon,

this would probably be the one that I would get because, to me,

I don't care about all the theater, but I also don't know why I'd be in the market for a G-Wagon.

So it's a really strange thing for me.

Like I said, it's a big contradiction.

I want to like it, but I have zero idea.

At least in North America, I have no idea who this is for.

So it can have theater and there's without the sound.

Get it in the Sun Yellow or the Mangle Orange and tank turn at every intersection

to the person behind you.

You know, if they're tailgating you on the last stretch of road and come to a red light,

just tank turn and face right back at them.

Give them a little high beam and then tank turn back, you know?

I think, yeah, drama.

You know, if I can, if I'm buying a G-Wagon,

I'd have the money to go through tires every couple hundred miles.

All right, I'm speaking.

Following some of the tank turns just start going backwards and it's been around.

Go forward again.

That's a term I haven't heard in a while, is tank turn.

That's, we'll have to work that into our reviews, right?

Yeah.

Like how good is a car at tank turns?

It's the electric G-Wagon top everyone else fails.

Yeah.

The Hyundai Elantra N turns around a tank if you're lucky.

All righty.

Well, I'll close this out with something that's somewhat tankish.

This is the Ram Hemmy.

The V8 is back.

The highs and sides on this one are fairly polarizing.

I think, yeah, I mean, you got a visceral V8 and otherwise it's just the Ram.

It's, frankly, if you drove the V8 from before they brought it back,

you would have a pretty good idea of what this was.

So, but I like that it's fun.

It's, again, it's a little more, felt a little guzzier than the RHO, the hurricane six.

I mean, again, on the one hand, you get all this power, you get the V8,

you get the sound, you get the fury.

On the other hand, the straight six is kind of a better engine.

It's more powerful.

It's more fuel efficient.

It actually sounds pretty good in itself.

And it's just to me, it almost feels a little more sophisticated too.

So it's kind of a weird, like I was very torn after I drove the truck.

I was like, I kind of want to like the Hemmy.

I used to really like the Hemmy.

The Hemmy and the Pentastar, like that's about all you could get,

although the diesel too, if you wanted to go down the common sort of, you know, pathway.

But I don't know, I was a little, I was more torn with the Ram V8 than I thought I would be.

So I would like to rebrand the Ram Hemmy to be able to differentiate it from the hurricane.

So it should be now the Remi.

Okay.

Remington Steel.

I, you know, I'm looking forward to driving the Hemmy at some point in the new year, Greg.

But for me, I mean, with the facelifted Ram, my first experience with that inline six

was in the tungsten, right?

That super fancy high-end trim.

And like you said, the inline six makes a ton of sense there.

It feels more refined.

It's more powerful.

It's smoother.

It's better on gas.

But also, yeah, it just, it had that more upmarket feel that I think made sense with that trim.

But at lower trims, which are, you know, the ones that people buy in bigger numbers,

I can see the appeal of the V8.

All right.

The appeal of the V8.

It's universal.

It's historic.

And that's all the time we have in our reviews section.

We'll be back in just a moment with more on the AutoGuide show.

All right.

And now it's time for the mailbag segment.

This is going to be kind of interesting.

I think what we have here is we're going to spend some money for this week from a commenter

from the Pacific Northwest.

We're going to grab this from Reddit's R cars.

The price range is anywhere from $65,000 up to $65,000.

Prefer under $50,000.

They would like to buy the car.

They'd like it to be a new car type of vehicle as a hot hatch or equivalent function sedan.

That's some interesting writing.

Here are the must haves.

Fun to drive, four doors, like some safety, prefer fuel efficiency and leather,

and more luxurious sort of amenities, if you will.

Things that the writer has already considered.

Leading Golf GTI, okay, maybe still my answer there.

GR Corolla, the Integra S, Civic SI, Civic Hybrid Hatch.

Not going with the Golf R, which I think is interesting.

A lot of people sometimes do that.

And yeah, that's kind of the long insure of it.

It's a daily driver, no tracking.

This is a second car to an all wheel drive SUV.

So you need some practicality, but it doesn't have to be like, you know, perfect.

So Kyle, why don't we start with you?

Boy, well, it's within the price range.

And it is one of the vehicles that they mentioned.

I'm going to go with the Integra Type S.

I love that car.

It is one of my favorite daily driver vehicles.

It is, in my mind, better looking than the Civic Type R.

It's plain practical because it's a lift back.

You get a great leather interior, excellent sound system.

That ELS setup is so good.

It's 320 horsepower, so it is quick.

Might be a little bit too quick if they're concerned

is that the Golf R is in licensed threatening territory

because the Integra can be very, very quick.

But yeah, that would be my pick.

I think it's a great check all the boxes answer.

I agree with you.

I have two.

I think one, the GTI would be just a lot of fun.

And I think you could get a new or used one in here

in this price range comfortably, obviously well under 65.

I'm also going to go with the BMW 3 Series

because you can get a brand new one out of the door for in the 40s.

So that to me is like right in that range.

As we spoke, as we said earlier on the show,

hey, pretty excited about the new one.

I do think the current one is pretty good as well.

So those are my two choices.

I don't think you're going to go wrong

with any of the things we've just said.

No, I'm going to throw out a left field choice though

because you mentioned two and I feel like I need to mention a second one.

By all means.

It might not be on their radar, but the Toyota Prius Prime.

I drove that this year and was super impressed with it.

I agree.

Yeah, because it's fun because you get all the torque

from the electric assist.

And also, I mean, you're going to be spending pennies on gas

if you're doing your daily errands and not dipping into the gas tank.

I like it.

All righty.

That's all the time we have this week on the AutoGuide show

brought to you by eBay Motors.

Thanks for listening.

Be safe out there and we'll see you next week.

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