Double clutching is a way of shifting in a manual car that helps the gears line up better. It can make the shift smoother and reduce the jolt you feel when changing gears.
“NOS” is a nitrous boost system. It sprays a special gas into the engine to make more power, but if you use it wrong or on weak parts, it can cause damage.
Piston rings are small rings on the piston that help seal the combustion chamber and control oil. If they get damaged, the engine can lose compression and start running poorly, sometimes requiring major repairs.
The engine block is the big main part of the engine that holds the cylinders. If you have to take it apart, it usually means the problem is inside the engine and not just a simple external fix.
The Pontiac Fiero is an older mid-engine sports car from the 1980s. It’s become well-known with car fans, especially because people often modify them or do engine swaps.
“2JZ” is a Toyota engine model code. It’s a straight-six engine that became famous in tuner culture—people like it because it’s strong and can be modified to make a lot of power.
Term
RB
“RB” is a Nissan engine family. It’s a type of straight-six engine that car fans talk about a lot because it has a big parts and tuning community behind it.
Spartanburg, South Carolina is a place in the U.S. where BMW makes cars. If BMW is launching a new model there, it usually means the factory is involved with building it.
In car design, “design language” means the recognizable style cues a brand uses across many models. If BMW has a “new design language,” it’s basically their updated look that shows up on different cars.
“Neue Klasse” means “New Class.” BMW is using it as a name for a new direction, and it also connects to an older BMW era from the 1960s when they launched a new kind of car.
“Neue Klasse” is a name BMW used for an important period in its car history. The episode is just trying to remember the exact wording. It’s relevant because it connects to how BMW developed certain models and ideas.
In this context, “grills” refers to the front grille openings on the car—an exterior styling element that also relates to airflow for cooling. The hosts are discussing how BMW’s grille size changed, with the new approach shrinking the grille after criticism that it had gotten too large.
An LED light strip is a long, thin line of lights. In this case, it’s used around the front grille area to give the car a more distinctive, stylized look.
Headlights are the front lamps that provide road illumination and also define a car’s visual identity. In this segment, the host highlights a design feature inside the headlights—“X” elements—that can be disabled, effectively changing the car’s daytime/visual signature.
The B58 is BMW’s inline-six engine used in a lot of their performance and luxury models. They’re saying the new X5 is using an updated version of it, with improvements for power and efficiency.
A turbocharger helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. If it’s “new,” it usually means the turbo setup is updated to improve how strong and how efficient the engine feels.
A 48-volt hybrid system is a mild hybrid. It uses a small battery and motor to help the engine, which can make the car feel stronger and use less fuel, without needing to plug it in.
The Miller cycle is a way of controlling how the engine breathes using valve timing. It’s designed to help the engine waste less energy, so the car can get better fuel economy.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that uses both electricity and gas. You can charge it at home, and when the battery runs low (or you need more power), the gas engine takes over.
A kilowatt-hour battery is basically the battery’s storage capacity. More kWh generally means the car can store more energy, which can help it drive farther on electricity.
“Gen five architecture” means BMW is using a newer design for the battery. In this case, they’re saying it helps the car go farther on electricity before switching to gas.
EV means electric vehicle. It’s a car that runs on electricity from a battery, and in this episode they’re comparing its range and charging to the plug-in hybrid.
Torque is the force that helps the car pull and accelerate. Higher torque often makes the car feel strong right away, especially from a stop or at low speed.
Horsepower is a way to measure how much power the car’s motor can produce. Higher horsepower usually means stronger acceleration, but it’s not the only factor.
Battery electric vehicles are fully electric cars. They drive using electricity from a battery, so things like range and how fast you can charge matter a lot.
This is a 2003 BMW X5 with a bigger 4.6-liter V8. The hosts use it as a benchmark to show how powerful the older X5 was—and how the newer X5’s base version can still beat it in performance terms.
“315 width” means the tires are about 315 millimeters wide. Wider tires usually grip the road better, which helps the car accelerate and stop more effectively.
Curb weight is basically how much the car weighs when it’s ready to drive, without people or extra stuff inside. Knowing it helps you understand how heavy the car is—and that affects acceleration and efficiency.
A two-spoke steering wheel has two main arms instead of the usual multiple spokes. The design can affect how the wheel feels and where you naturally place your hands.
Haptic buttons are controls that “feel” like they click because the system vibrates. They’re meant to give you feedback without a physical button movement.
They’re describing the dashboard screen’s shape. It’s not a normal rectangle—it’s angled like a parallelogram, which changes how it looks in the cabin.
Android Auto lets you connect your phone to the car and use certain apps on the car’s screen. It’s a common way to get navigation, music, and messaging into the dashboard.
A head-up display shows important info on the windshield. That way, you can keep your eyes on the road instead of constantly looking down at the dashboard.
Vent controls are the controls for the car’s heating/air-conditioning airflow. They let you choose things like where the air blows and how strong it is.
A MagSafe holder is a phone mount that uses magnets (the same idea as Apple’s MagSafe) to snap your phone into place. BMW is adding one so passengers can keep their phone mounted in the car.
Term
rear seat passengers
This just means the people sitting in the back seats. The host is pointing out BMW added something back there to make it easier to use your phone.
They’re describing an off-road driving setup they got to try in the new BMW X5. The takeaway is how capable it feels, and how it still has comfort features like massage seats.
Massaging seats are seats that vibrate or use built-in motors to give you a massage. The point here is that the SUV can do tough driving but still feels comfortable.
“20 inch wheels” means the wheels are bigger in diameter. Bigger wheels usually help the car feel more responsive on pavement, but they can make the ride harsher on rough ground.
These tires are made for driving fast and grippy on regular roads. They’re not optimized for slippery dirt, mud, or rough trails, so off-road traction can be limited.
A solid axle connects the left and right wheels together with one rigid bar. It can be tough and stable, but it may not ride as smoothly as other suspension designs on bumpy roads.
Air suspension uses air springs instead of traditional metal coil springs, allowing the vehicle to raise or lower ride height. That’s useful for off-road clearance, but the speaker suggests the X5 they’re driving doesn’t have (or isn’t relying on) air suspension in this context.
Lockers are traction devices (often in the differential) that can lock the left and right wheels together so they rotate at the same speed. Without lockers, a vehicle is more likely to lose traction when one wheel has less grip.
Skid plates are protective metal or composite panels mounted under the vehicle to shield vulnerable components from impacts with rocks, logs, or uneven ground. The speaker says there are no skid plates, implying less underbody protection for off-road use.
Auto tempest is a website that helps you find cars by pulling together listings from different places. Here, it’s also used to look at how prices have changed over time.
Price trends are charts that show whether car prices are going up or down over time. In this case, it’s based on lots of past listings, so you can see how certain cars are priced as they get older.
Big data charts are graphs made from a huge amount of information. Here, it’s used to show how car prices have been changing based on many past listings.
“Holding their value” means the car doesn’t lose much resale price over time. In this case, the hosts think the X5 is still relatively expensive used because it’s still being built.
They’re talking about a bigger engine size—4.4 liters—in another BMW X5 version. They’re saying it’s less reliable than the 3.0-liter, but not totally hopeless.
The Prius is Toyota’s famous hybrid car. “First gen” means the earliest version of it, which people often mention when talking about how hybrids and electrified cars started becoming common.
“Set it and forget it” means you pick a setting once and the system keeps working on its own. Here, it’s basically like setting the cabin temperature and letting the car maintain it.
A salvage title means the car was badly damaged (or stolen and recovered) enough that an insurance company wrote it off. It usually lowers the car’s value and can make it harder to get good financing.
The Audi e-tron is an electric SUV. The conversation is using it as a comparison when talking about electric Porsche/Audi options and what you might pay. It’s mentioned to help frame expectations for electric car value.
The Audi e-tron GT is an electric car made for performance and comfort. The podcast is mentioning it alongside the Taycan to compare what you might pay and what you get. It’s part of a broader conversation about electric car value.
They’re looking at a 2022 Audi e-tron GT listing and showing how cheap it is for the mileage. It’s an example of how much some EVs can drop in price after a couple years.
The Audi RS e-tron GT is an electric performance version of the e-tron GT. “RS” usually means it’s tuned to be faster and more exciting to drive. The host is talking about driving one they had access to at work.
The Fiat 500 is a small car made for city driving. It’s easy to park and maneuver because it’s compact. The conversation is about a project involving a Fiat 500 “Elise” idea and how close it is to being finished.
The Lotus Elise is a small sports car made to be fun to drive. It’s known for being light and responsive. The conversation is comparing it to a Fiat 500 “Elise” project and whether that swap or build is going smoothly.
Term
formatic
4MATIC is Mercedes’ all-wheel-drive setup. It helps the car grip the road better, especially when it’s raining or the surface is slippery.
A “hyper screen” is a very large digital display that takes up a big portion of the dashboard. The host thinks it looks more like a gadget than a carefully designed luxury interior.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS is a top-of-the-line electric Mercedes sedan. In this chat, they’re basically debating whether you’d rather buy the EQS or the Audi e-tron GT, mostly based on looks and what you care about.
The Fiat 500e is the electric version of the Fiat 500. It’s meant for city driving and uses a battery instead of gasoline. The episode is talking about what happens when a lease ends and whether the person will switch to something else.
Car
1984 GTI
The 1984 Volkswagen GTI is a classic hot hatch—small, sporty, and popular with car enthusiasts. They’re talking about taking one that’s been sitting and converting it to electric instead of replacing it with a different EV.
The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car that many people use every day. The episode talks about a 1984 GTI and converting it to electric, which means changing it from gasoline to a battery-powered setup. They’re discussing that kind of project because the Golf is a common base for it.
An EV swap means taking an older gas car and converting it to run on electricity instead. They’re talking about doing that to a classic GTI so it can be driven daily without using gas.
A “68 Charger” is shorthand for a 1968 Dodge Charger, a famous old-school muscle car. They’re saying they want one someday, even while they’re also talking about EVs.
Term
Idol
This sounds like they meant “idle,” which is when the car’s engine is running but you’re not moving. They’re joking that the electric car can still do some basic things at the classic-car meetup.
The BMW Z3 is a small, two-seat BMW roadster (a car you drive with the top down). The host is saying the Z3 is actually a fun, cool car—not just a stereotype of a “pretty” car.
Term
monocoat
“Monocoat” sounds like a special way the car’s body or paint is made/finished. The host is using it to explain that this BMW shares the same underlying setup as another E36/7 reference.
The BMW 3 Series is a luxury car that’s meant to drive well, not just look nice. The episode is talking about specific versions and how the car is built internally. Those details matter because they affect how the car behaves on the road.
The Mazda MX-5 (Miata) is a small two-seat convertible designed for enjoyable driving. It’s known for being light and easy to steer. The host is saying another car feels similar to it in how it drives.
A pre-production car is an early version built before the model goes into normal production. It’s often made for testing or for company leadership to review.
The Citroën 2CV is an old, simple small car. It’s known for being unusual and for coping well with bumpy roads. The podcast is trying to confirm whether the car in a Bond context is the 2CV.
Here “analog” means the car feels more old-school, with traditional gauges and physical controls instead of everything being digital. The host likes that mix of classic feel plus modern safety.
Burlwood trim is the decorative wood-look material you can find on a car’s dashboard or interior panels. The host is saying they don’t like the look of that particular trim.
A three-spoke steering wheel is a steering wheel where the center connects to the rim with three main sections/spokes. The host is praising that design detail.
The red line is the top end of the engine’s RPM range. If a car “pulls to the red line,” it means it feels strong right near the highest revs the engine is designed to handle.
The BMW Z3 M is the stronger, sportier version of the Z3 roadster. It’s the one you’d pick if you want the same roadster vibe but with more performance and attitude.
This is a Mercedes-AMG version of the E-Class, and “wagon” means it’s a station wagon. AMG tunes it for faster, sportier driving, and they’re saying this one is especially quick.
Center locks are a type of wheel attachment where the wheel is held on by a lock in the middle, not by several lug nuts around the outside. Some performance cars use them because they look cool and can make changing wheels quicker.
The rear tires being wider (295 mm) generally helps the car stick to the road better, especially when you accelerate or turn. The hosts are pointing out that the back tires are much wider than the front.
A “fast wagon” is a wagon that’s tuned to be quick and fun to drive, not just a family hauler. The idea is you get the space of a wagon plus performance like a sporty car.
Forced induction means the engine uses a turbo or supercharger to cram more air into the cylinders. That helps the engine make more power than it would without that extra airflow.
The BMW M5 Touring is the performance M5 in wagon form, combining a practical cargo body style with the M division’s high-output powertrain. The hosts bring it up as a direct competitor, reinforcing the “fast wagon” idea they’re excited about.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a luxury SUV with a very recognizable, boxy shape. It’s built to handle rough terrain, not just smooth roads. The episode is describing it in simple terms as a Mercedes-style vehicle that’s also tough.
The “operating system” here means the car’s main software that controls the screen and menus. If it’s not laid out well, it can feel hard to use until you learn how it works.
They’re saying the car doesn’t have many (or any) real buttons. Instead, you use the screen and menus to control things, which can feel awkward until you get used to it.
The Kia Sportage is a compact SUV, which means it’s a practical family-style car with more space and higher seating. The episode mentions it in connection with some kind of programming or testing that happened near Lake Tahoe. That’s why it comes up in the conversation.
The Chrysler New Yorker is a big luxury car made for comfort. In the episode, it’s mentioned as a name that sounds like a person from New York, which is why they’re making a joke. It’s being brought up as part of a discussion about cars they like or collect.
“Momo wheels” means wheels from the MOMO brand. They’re popular upgrades because they can make the car look sportier and sometimes feel a bit better to drive.
A sunroof is a glass (or sometimes metal) panel in the roof that can open for ventilation and light. Cutting one into a car is a major modification because it requires structural and sealing work to prevent leaks and wind noise.
“Lotus suspension” means suspension parts or tuning that are associated with Lotus. The host is basically saying his car didn’t really have the fancy Lotus handling hardware he thought it might.
The Dodge Road Runner is an older American muscle car. The podcast is using its name as a joke because “Road Runner” is also a cartoon character. They’re basically making a playful comparison.
The Mazda RX-7 (FC) is a sports car with a special rotary engine (it doesn’t use the usual piston engine design). The speaker bought one that had a complicated history, then got the paperwork fixed so it could be sold normally.
A “stolen recovery” is a vehicle that was reported stolen and later recovered, often with paperwork or title complications. Buyers typically need to verify the title status and ensure it can be legally transferred as a clean title.
A “clean title” means the vehicle’s ownership record has no major legal branding (like salvage or theft-related issues) that would restrict resale or financing. In practice, getting a clean title can be the difference between a normal buyer experience and a car that’s hard to sell.
The Toyota Supra is a long-running Japanese sports car known for strong performance and a huge enthusiast following. Here, the speaker uses the proceeds from the RX-7 sale to buy a Supra, framing it as the next step in their car-flipping journey.
The Fiat 124 is a classic older Fiat model people still talk about today. Here it’s used as an example of a 1970s car that might not be a “safe money” buy.
Term
limited though
Here “limited” just means “restricted” or “not having many options.” It’s not about a car part or a technical feature.
The AMC Pacer is a weird-looking classic American car from the 1970s. In this conversation, it’s used to illustrate that you might want a car for yourself, not just for money safety.
The Lexus LC 500 is a luxury coupe that’s built for comfortable cruising. Here it’s mentioned as an example of a newer car the speaker is thinking about in terms of how much it might lose in value.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a tough, off-road SUV that’s known for lasting a long time. This “40th anniversary” version is a special edition, and the story is about getting it for less than the listed price.
A “press car” is a car that was loaned to the media to drive and review. It can still be sold as new, but it may have extra miles from those test drives.
A “heritage edition” is a special version of a car made to celebrate the brand’s past. It usually has unique looks or features, and people may value it more than a regular model.
“Allocations” are basically limited spots for buying a hard-to-get car. If a model is popular, the dealer can’t sell everyone right away, so you may need to be chosen for a slot before you can buy.
The Porsche 911 is Porsche’s famous sports car. The host is saying Hurley Haywood taught him how to drive a 911 in a GT3 context, which is why he fell in love with this type of car.
An arbitrage opportunity is basically a chance to buy something cheap and sell it for more somewhere else. The host is saying that some people profit from the high demand and limited supply of these cars.
Le Mans is a famous endurance race where cars have to last and keep going for a full day. Winning there is a big deal, so the host brings it up to talk about racing credibility.
This is a performance version of the Pontiac Firebird that the host says came with a V8 and a manual gearbox. They also point out the iconic hood emblem and the removable roof panels (“T-tops”), which make it stand out.
A manual transmission is the kind of car where you use a clutch pedal and shift gears yourself. Enthusiasts like it because it gives you more control over how the car accelerates.
The Cadillac Eldorado is an older luxury car from Cadillac. It’s known for being comfortable and having a bold, classic look. The podcast mentions it because the speaker really likes it as a collector car.
The Cadillac ELR is a luxury car that can run on electricity and also uses gasoline. It’s a plug-in hybrid, so you can charge it and drive some distance without using gas. The episode mentions it as part of a list of cars the speaker likes.
LIVE
So I just saw a movie, I'm sure you're familiar with, the first Fast and Furious.
I've heard of it.
On the plane yesterday.
Have you seen that movie as like an adult?
Yeah, absolutely.
All the time.
How do you think it's held up?
I think it's great, as does Christopher Nolan.
Christopher Nolan likes it.
Yeah, Christopher Nolan is famously a big fan of the Fast and Furious.
If you don't believe that, you can look it up.
Now I believe that Christopher loved that movie, No. 1.
But do you think he would like it in 26?
Yes, he does.
The movie hasn't held up great.
He loves the whole franchise.
The movie is a string of dramatic quotes said directly to camera for two hours interrupted
by some car chases.
I'm waiting for you to say the bad part.
Well, I just think that like, it's a movie done by people that seems like they've never
really acted.
I think that was indeed the case.
I think some of the quotes are meant to be deep, but they don't really come across that
way.
It looks like you have some.
Yeah, I do.
I have some.
You almost had me.
You never had me.
You never had your car.
Granny shifting, not double clutching like you should.
You're lucky that 100 shot of Nos didn't blow the weld on the intake.
You almost had me.
Extra.
You tell him, Dom.
Get out of here.
Dom, now me, me and the mad scientist got to rip apart the block and replace the piston
rings you fried closes bonnet.
Ask any racer.
Any racer.
It don't matter if you win by an inch or a while, winnings, winning crowd cheers and
agreement.
Yeah, these are all iconic.
They are iconic, but are just kind of iconic because they're a little dumb.
Yeah.
I don't think I understand the point of dumb and good are not mutually exclusive.
How about this one where Letty goes, I smell.
Skanks.
Why don't your girls just pack it up before I leave treadmarks on your face?
Nice.
Awesome.
Yeah.
Super safe.
Anyway, I do actually, I did love the movie quite a bit, but it's not like when I was
a kid, I'm like, whoa, crazy, man.
Yeah.
And now not so much.
Is that what you sounded like as a kid?
Whoa.
Oh, well, man, you sounded like, um, I don't know what's his name.
Is it Bill and Ted's awesome adventure?
I left something like the turtle from Nemo.
You know who I'm talking about.
Oh, sure.
Crush.
Crush.
That's what I was like as a kid.
Yo, man.
What's a Keanu movie where, uh, nah, never mind.
People will know.
Anyways, the movie is, wow, what a piece of history, but I do say you've mentioned in
the past that you appreciate, um, like cars with underglow.
Yes.
I, I, yeah, I can be entertained by said cars.
And I do have to agree after watching that movie, there was something kind of cool about
the, like the true ridiculousness of it.
Sure.
Yeah.
You know, I wouldn't put underglow on my, on my Bugatti Tourbillon, but.
Would you not?
I would not.
But yeah, on the right car that, that if I see, again, you might wonder what is exactly
the right car for underglow.
If I see, that's a good question.
What is the right car?
What is the correct car for underglow?
I don't know.
Oh man, what car could I say that's not going to upset people?
If I saw some funky little turbo K car, cruise by me at night with an underglow, I'd say
that's awesome.
I, um, I actually, what I did really like about the first Fast and Furious is like,
God, the last, they, they kind of turned into like these, these giant hero action movies
where they're saving the world from the nuclear apocalypse, right?
But the first one was just like some guys trying to steal the electronics.
Exactly.
DVD players.
Yeah.
VCRs.
Right.
So like it didn't take itself very seriously.
And I actually think the series would be better to go back to that.
Right.
Cause like fricking the last one, they just shot a Fiero in a space.
Yeah.
Right.
Like I, I would prefer underglow and ridiculous wings than Pontiacs in space.
Yeah.
I think, uh, you could create a new saying that instead of jumping the shark, you know,
you've jumped the submarine, nuclear submarine under an ice cap.
The other thing which I didn't realize is that movie, because I hadn't seen it since
I was a kid is like, there's a lot of like kind of car lure in that movie or lore, lore
car lore.
Or like they, they do like, instead of saying like, oh man, that's a super, they'd be like,
this is a 2JZ.
Right.
And for like a big Hollywood movie, usually they wouldn't talk about engine codes like
RB and 2JZ and stuff.
That was pretty cool.
You know, Tommy's going to get excited about tuner cars.
Maybe I, maybe I need to get myself an old S15 here.
There you go.
And that's our 20.
And that's our 20.
That'd be pretty cool.
There was, um, and I didn't know this either.
I'm learning so many things.
The charger in that movie, I always thought was a 68, but you said it's a 70.
Yeah, it's a 70.
You can tell by the way it is, by just the way it is, huh?
Yep.
Well, welcome to today's episode of TFL Car Chat.
Not sponsored by Fast and Furious.
Sadly.
Although imagine if we were, we would be much cooler for it.
A case would not be pleased about this, though, because all they're drinking that movie is
Corona and case is a modelo, man.
Yeah.
You, you don't watch that movie and think you should start drinking Corona?
I am not a stranger to a Corona, but I prefer modelo.
Even after watching that movie?
Yeah, it's just the better one.
God.
Wow.
That's crazy.
Um, and today's podcast, we're going to talk about what we've been up to because there's
been some crazy things going on at the office.
Um, I was just in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the launch of the new BMW X5, which is
their biggest seller and they've, they've made some bold changes to the outside of the
X5.
Yeah.
So it, it follows all of BMW's new design language, which they have a neat name for
that I can't pronounce.
It's the Neue Classe, which stands for new class, which was the name they used back in
like the sixties.
Yeah.
A long time ago.
I'm probably just going to say new class.
You're going to say new class?
Yeah.
Is that going to be a problem?
Or too close to the fourth of July for you to be saying Neue?
Well, I just can't remember Neue class.
Yeah.
I can't remember that, but, um, this new class of BMW.
So here's the thing, the grills got too big, right?
They did.
We all agree.
The grills got too big.
So what they've done instead is they've shrunk them way down.
Yeah.
But people are still grumpy.
Yeah.
It's just, it feels like it's been some time since BMW has had a really good looking line
up across the board because even back in the, in the Bengal era, people were a little iffy,
but now we look back at that and think that was, that was a good time.
That was maybe not, not peak BMW styling, but it was still much better than what we've
been dealing with for the last couple of years.
So they did shrink the grill down.
It's just kind of awkward angles and proportions with the front end.
The other thing that they did, which I think doesn't help the situation is they illuminated
the whole thing.
Right?
So, so they put like this LED light strip all the way around the grill and it does unfortunately
kind of make it look a little bugs bunny-ish.
You know what I mean?
With like the, like the two rabbit teeth in the front end.
So I think that the, the issue is not that the grills are smaller now.
It's just, I think you're right.
It's kind of the way that the proportions meet the grills and kind of wrap around the
front end.
And then the sex five, they've done something really, really bold where they've actually
put these X's in the headlights, which you can disable.
So if you play this little clip, you can actually disable the little outer slashes and then it
just turns into that, which I think probably looks better.
Yeah.
Because X's fries kind of suggests that, that the thing is deceased.
But this is like a big trend.
Like, have you seen Mercedes has now put in the stars?
Yeah.
And the stars in the tail lights, like on the E 53 wagon that's just behind the door.
Those are cool.
Those are cool.
The thing that speaking of tail lights, I really don't like on the X five are the new
tail lights.
Yeah.
So if you kind of cycle around to the back of this clip, Cole here, they've made them
kind of like swoopy and, and elegant.
I don't know.
They just kind of, you know, they don't be large.
They're very horizontal and long is kind of what they look like.
It's funny, like this car has kind of got some interesting angles and some bad angles.
Like I think that the, it's got these haunches over the rear wheels, which look pretty good.
But the front and the rear ends, I think, are challenging to a lot of people.
Yeah.
The tail lights have an almost, what would that style of mustache be where it's long,
long and skinny and split in the middle?
Is that kind of a French mustache?
French, may we?
Yeah.
So.
Oh, tail lights look a little bit like that.
It, I would say for most people, myself included, it's just not a particularly handsome vehicle.
We actually have a picture of this X five next to an old X five.
What year?
That's a no three, no three.
Yep.
That's a 4.6 is from the heritage collection.
So that was the E 53 M five up against the brand new one.
And I think that X five.
What did I say?
M five.
Oh God.
X five.
I think that the, the, they're doing too much, right?
They got to just, they got to, they got to tone it down, bring in some simplicity here.
And I think they'd be much better.
The Germans in general are kind of in this weird kind of over designing trend right now.
Where they're just adding little flourishes to things that just don't need to be overdone.
Flourished, flourished.
Yeah.
Over styled, I think is the most succinct way to describe the new X five.
But design aside, there is some interesting things they're doing.
So they've got the B 58 gas engine is returning.
It's got more power.
It's got a new turbocharger.
So got 19 more horsepower.
It's got a 48 volt hybrid system.
That engine's brilliant.
I'm so glad they're bringing it back.
It's a new Miller cycle, so it should be more efficient.
So that's really good news.
They're also doing a plug in hybrid with the same engine.
It's got a 26 and a half kilowatt hour battery similar to the current one.
Gen five architecture in the battery goes 44 miles on a charge before the gas engine kicks on.
So that's pretty attractive.
And then I actually think the EV is really the one you want because the EV is 435 miles of range.
It's 144 kilowatt hours.
It's got 570 horsepower, 593 pound feet of torque.
And 460 kilowatts of fast charging.
Wow.
To put that in perspective, your Fiat 500D has 50.
Which is less.
That is less.
Yeah.
I will say with especially some of the newer EVs BMW has been releasing.
They have been knocking it out of the park as far as specs are concerned.
Yeah, this definitely feels like the next generation of battery electric vehicles in all of those respects.
Any of the numbers that you're talking about looking at range, charging speeds, power output.
So that is all very impressive.
They just haven't made an incredibly handsome SUV.
And in this segment in a luxury vehicle, something that you're very likely going to speck out
and spend a good chunk of change on, it does matter.
The other thing I'm looking at up here on my phone is the pricing has not actually gone up that much.
It's only gone up about $1,500 over the old one.
And the EV is only like $1,500 more than the plug-in hybrid.
So I think the EV is like 80,000 bucks.
The standard one's like 72.
And then the plug-in hybrid's right in the middle of those two.
So the pricing hasn't gone up that much.
By the way, open up that red one.
This is crazy cool.
That 2003, that was a $63,000 car in 2003.
Wow.
That's so like adjusted for inflation.
The X5 is actually doing really well in pricing.
And that is a really unusual car.
So that's a 03 X5 4.6 IS, which was the precursor to the X5M.
So it's got a 4.6 liter V8, 315 width tires, which is pretty serious rubber.
Yeah, it's a massive tire.
I mean, this was a hot, hot car in 03 and it only made 340 horsepower.
It's still pretty good.
Pretty good.
Whereas the new one in the base form makes like 390.
So that goes to show like the slowest, biggest, heaviest version of the new X5
will still outperform the fastest car from 03.
What is the curb weight on the plug-in hybrid version?
I don't even know.
Probably seven tons.
Yeah, it's a lot that I don't have.
They didn't send me a full spec sheet, but it's going to be heavy, heavy, heavy,
heavy. The standard X5 goes 0 to 60 in 4.8 and I think that the older was like
five or 5.5.
So, yeah, it's, it's crazy how, how much faster they've gotten.
And if you're a V8 fan, they've confirmed they're bringing the V8 back to the X5.
Which is exciting.
Maybe it'll be accompanied by some styling changes.
Yeah, you really, that's styling.
You really don't like it.
Yeah, no, I don't.
Can we go to the encycl?
So, BMW has also done some pretty wild stuff on the inside.
The steering wheel is crazy.
So, it's got this two-spoke steering wheel, which looks like something out of Trond.
Oh, interesting, because the two spokes are not horizontal.
They're vertical.
They're vertical.
Yeah, it's got two vertical spokes.
So, they're at, they're at 12 and 6.
And the idea is that it, it does something.
It clears up more space, maybe for your fingers.
Okay.
It gives you more options on where you hold it.
I'm not sure that's been an issue.
But the steering wheel is very bizarre.
The, that's not my favorite thing.
And it's got these like haptic buttons that they're called shy controls.
So, they, they appear and disappear on the right and left side of the steering wheel.
The screen is 17.9 inches.
It's a parallelogram.
I know you're a big fan of parallelograms.
So, you'll be excited to see that.
It is app based, based on Android Auto.
The one thing I really hate about it, though, is it has the vent controls are in the screen.
Oh, yeah, because it's been so well received in other luxury cars.
Yeah, who wants that?
So, the screen's fine.
I'm not that upset about it other than the vent controls.
But the coolest part is I do love the hologram that they display in the windshield.
I think that's really cool.
The full like with has up display.
So, if you're like, I know that like a lot of people, including Kase, are not a huge
trend of this, but according to the data, the X5 buyer is very tech savvy.
They want, they want tech.
They're going to need to be.
And you still have a volume knob.
Well, that's good.
There's, you know, on the one hand, you could say that a lot of German manufacturers
like BMW in this instance are not afraid to try something new and to innovate.
But on the flip side of that, there's some things that just don't need to be reimagined.
I agree with that.
The steering wheel probably doesn't need to be reimagined.
Yeah, one of them.
That's right.
Yeah, same thing with the vent controls.
Those are kind of fun.
They put little chi, or not chi, a mag safe holder on the back of the front seats for
rear seat passengers.
Yeah, which is great.
That's actually a good idea.
Cars got about two and a half inches longer than the old one.
Rear seat room is very, very good.
And they finally figured out an American seat.
You can see as I look like a toddler bouncing up and down.
They've got some real squish to it, which is something BMW has not done in the past.
Nice.
So that's the new X5 starting production later this year should be on sale.
I think by the end of 26, early 27.
But you also got to drive some classics.
I did, including the 2026 BMW X5.
Now, I do have to say, just pull up a clip.
So they had this off-road course for us to explore.
And it was the instructor was like, it's amazing that this thing can do what a jeep can do.
And also go 155 miles an hour while having massaging seats.
And I'm like, well, you are a jeep enthusiast.
How did that make you feel?
A little betrayed case, a little betrayed.
This course was actually very cool that they set up.
It wasn't particularly challenging, but it was like Disneyland.
Like you're going up and you're going over and you're driving through these tunnels
and they've got like a manicured water crossing.
So it was a really fun course to drive.
But to say that it's got the same capability of a jeep is a little.
Bold, a little bold cotton.
Yeah, especially because we're on 20 inch wheels with performance street tires.
Solid axles, it does have axles.
But they are they are made of a solid steel, if you will.
Yes. Yeah.
I mean, I don't even think these things that air suspension.
Yeah, but I did get a great clip.
No sway bar disconnect.
No lockers. No, X drive, baby low range.
No, no skid plates.
Not really.
So and then and then the instructors like, you know, a lot of people are so surprised
by this, they're buying them for the ranch.
And I'm like, I just don't see that happening.
My next ranch truck is going to be a 2026 X five.
And again, it's it's no shade on this car.
It's not what this car is designed to be.
It's just funny that anybody would suggest that it is.
Yeah. And that was the instructor, not BMW themselves.
But I will say this is such a better looking car than the new one.
I think so, too.
Yeah, I think the further you go back in the X five's history, the better it gets.
And speaking of that, I do want to talk about a cool service in the sponsor
today's video, which I know sponsored reads typically people don't like.
But I think you're going to like this feature.
And it's something that I play with just on my own time.
This is auto tempest now auto tempest.
How do you describe cases like a place to buy pretty much any car anywhere in the world?
Yeah, and do tons of research, which is great, because if you're weird
and nerdy like Tommy and I, you research cars just for fun.
That's right. Yeah.
And I like to see what the values of cars are doing.
So I went online and you go to auto tempest and there is a new price trends feature.
And what auto tempest does is because they have thousands and thousands of listings
over the past several years, they can actually create these big data charts
to show you what's happening to average price trends on vehicles.
And you can sort by making model and age.
So I've actually got two here.
And this is interesting.
The red one is the X five.
And typically, you know, as a car gets older, you'd expect the price trends to go down.
And I think maybe it's because they're still building the X five.
So like the slightly used ones are still expensive, but they're holding their value
really, really well.
Yeah, I mean, even from May 2024 to February 2026, the values are staying super
steady on current G series X five.
Yeah. So this is good information to know, especially if like ourselves,
you would be more likely to shop around for a used car than anything brand
new because of how insane the prices of brand new cars are.
So if you were looking at this new X five and thinking, maybe I'd rather have
a slightly older one, this is a pretty awesome tool to be able to see what you
should be paying for one and find actual listings for cars that you might be
interested in buying.
But unfortunately, the car that I want that I drove that I really love the
first generation X five, it's good for me.
You can see a set of blue line at the bottom and it's not really going anywhere.
Yeah.
So if you want a first gen X five, I mean, well under $10,000 will get you a
really good one.
Yeah.
It looks like a first gen X five on average is going to cost you tens of dollars.
I mean, we see one here for $1,200, $1,200, $1,900.
There, the problem with the first gen X five is there were a couple of different
versions. There was the three liter, which was very reliable.
And then the 4.4 liter, which was not that hideously unreliable.
Exactly right.
But I want to take this tool, Cole, and I want to look up another car that
case is interested in.
The way you say that makes me think it's probably a lie.
The Porsche Taycan.
Oh, no, you're right.
What do you think I was going to say?
The first gen Prius?
Perhaps.
And interestingly enough, Taycan is a car that we actually like a lot, but does
have those vents that does it, doesn't it?
I don't know.
I haven't been in one in a while.
It has the climate control vents in the screen.
I thought it did.
Oh, okay.
You can't own that.
Could I be wrong?
I hope so.
What, what are you going to do?
Set it and forget it.
Set it and forget it.
But you can actually see that.
So the, the price trend dipped.
It was kind of hit its low end like March of 24.
And then kind of leveled out, or maybe it has even increased a little bit.
So if you kind of hover over some of those little blue dots here, Cole.
So like a lot of them are hundred.
Go to, we want to see that.
We want to see some of the cheapies down here.
Yeah.
So it is possible to get them for in the forties now on the low end of things.
39, 7, that might be salvage title when the sat cheap, but pretty cool, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's especially fun seeing what kinds of Taycans you could get for under $50,000,
which is pretty exciting to me because that's, that's a nice car for the money.
And then look up one other one, Cole, because the, the Taycans are doing like
they're, they, if you bought it, do like an Audi e-tron GT.
If you bought an i, a Taycan new, you're going to be, be in rough shape.
Yes.
Cause buying a Ford 150, but look at this.
Ooh, look what happened to e-tron GTs.
So they were, you can see new about $100,000.
They just catastrophically fell off a cliff.
Oh, you know what we should see, which would be interesting.
Yeah.
QS we should do that, but I want to click on some of the listings, Cole,
like some of the cheaper ones in the thirties go, go to the right.
So that they're newer.
I mean, look at this.
Perfect.
$38,000 for a 2022 e-tron GT with 35,000 miles, 35,000 miles.
Yeah.
It's all wheel drive.
I mean zero to 60 in like three and a half, four seconds.
This is like the deal of a freaking century.
And fundamentally, this car is a Tycon underneath.
Yeah.
But I have a feeling you wouldn't go for that.
No, I, yeah, I would like the Tycon better.
I just looked it up and I do believe that the Tycon vans are screen controlled.
Come on.
I think I was correct.
How could they do that to us?
I know, it's a little unfortunate.
God, we, I just drove that one we had at the office,
which was the RSE e-tron GT.
Yes.
It was $182,000.
It was not 38,000.
That was the most nauseating car I've ever driven.
You're right.
Yeah.
It was so fast.
Well, that's why you and I like the slower Tycons.
That's right.
The fours.
Yes, not a four S.
No, God.
What are we?
Paul Walker over here.
I live my life at an eighth mile at a time.
Yeah.
I like to take it easy, you know, 16th of a mile.
16th of a mile at a time.
Exactly right.
I like to get off the line quickly and then just cruise.
Yes.
That's a good point, though.
I mean, each round GTs fell off a cliff.
Let's see what, um, yeah, Mercedes EQSs are doing.
Yeah, that's going to be, be rough.
So, so the background is, um, cases actually almost done with his
Fiat 500 Elise.
They're not, not as catastrophic as I thought they'd be.
Yeah, they're not dropping off any further, but they are 49, 41.
Pretty cheap.
Can just go to normal auto temp is cool.
Um, oh, you're also looking at the SUVs too.
Just look up Mercedes EQS.
Let's see what, let's see what some of the actual listings are because I
bet they're going to be lower.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Cause we've seen these cars drop pretty dramatically in value.
I mean, that's a 2024.
Okay.
Here we go.
Now this is my budget right here.
Oh, here we go.
A 2022 EQS for 25 grand.
Geez.
What do you think that car was new?
Uh, they were like, I drove that car new in 2022.
They were like 115.
Imagine buying that thing four years ago for 115 and then having
a track 90 grand listed at a dealer for 25, 488.
Yeah.
Low 30s.
That, that's, uh, it's pretty rough.
It's a, it's a lot of car for the money.
It's good.
Go back up and click on one of the cars that are 25 grand and be interested.
Yeah, let's see.
Oh, it's a formatic too.
Oh, interesting.
Um, yeah, let's, uh, let's look at the interior.
Cause the exterior is obviously nauseating.
It's, uh, it's part of the reason I think that they're so inexpensive.
But look at that.
Yeah, these cars, nice car.
Really are phenomenal to drive.
They do feel every mid-nest class, like they just float down the road.
They are horrific to look at on the outside, which is why I think part
of the reason they're so cheap now.
But that's a lot of car for $25,000.
It really is.
That's a really nice car for 25 grand.
Even the 450 goes there to 16, like 4.1 seconds.
And the reason you want the 450 and not the 580 is you don't get the stupid hyper
screen.
Yeah, I'm, yeah, we're the same.
Not a fan of the hyper screen.
That to me doesn't really speak luxury.
It's almost, uh, it's almost kind of a lazy way.
I feel like to design a dashboard.
It's just to put a ginormous screen across it.
There's not really any, any styling or intention to it.
You know, it's just across the whole thing.
Yeah, it's just all screen, which is not, I don't know.
Anyway, really exciting.
Crazy range on these cars, really good charging, beautiful to drive.
One of the quietest cars I've ever driven and they are now getting cheap.
Would you rather, okay, real talk though, 30 grand, are you getting the
e-tron GT or the EQS?
Well, the e-tron GT is much better looking than the EQS.
I would go for an e-tron GT, but I would rather have a Tycon than both of them.
You'd rather spend the 50 and get the Tycon.
I think so.
Yeah.
So now that your lease is up on your 500E in a couple months, are you seriously
going to be looking at an EV, another one?
Well, what I might do is I might pull Andy's 1984 GTI out of a field.
And EV swap it.
And nope, and fix it up and daily drive it and save up for a 68 charger.
Yeah.
Okay.
So case is big on the 68 charger kek, but he's not compromising on a 69 or 70.
If he would go, if I could get him to get into the 71 chargers, he could have one tomorrow.
Yeah.
Probably, but the 71, the whole point of the car is that it's great looking.
You're not buying it because of its incredible handling or efficiency, breaking
capabilities, it's just a good looking car that sounds good.
You do have to admit though, 71 chargers better looking than an EQS.
But the EQS can do a few things at a 71 charger camp.
Such as?
Idol.
Oh, we determined by the way, taste only likes cars that have a terrible idol.
Yeah, that's true.
I do like he likes cars with either a V8 with a really big cam that are like
he likes Harleys, which is the same thing.
And a bridge ported rotary.
Yes.
Also it can't idle and two strokes.
And two strokes.
See, I like cars that are built for people with class.
They just go dig it, it.
That is an idol.
Yeah.
How's your Fiat idling by the way?
It idols a lot of the time very well.
He's got his one to four.
That has a very interesting idol.
Listen, my one to four brilliant little car.
It's actually a Fiat 2000, mind you.
Except for the idol.
No, it only idols badly after has been running and then I shut it off and I try
to get it running again, which is every time.
You mean if you soon after running it, try to run it again.
That's right.
So because like that time was we did the video, I shut it off and then 30
minutes later started back up again.
It like it needs to clear its throat.
Yeah, but it's not like a cool.
It's not a cool, it's just like.
It just kind of it has like a medical emergency every three seconds.
This could be the intro to the podcast and this case going.
But it's like it's character, right?
It's like it's like an Italian say that.
As you know, Italian, I thought you were so refined, sophisticated.
No, Italians are refined and sophisticated, but they also need their mid-afternoon naps.
Right.
So the problem is when you wake it up from its mid-afternoon nap, it needs
an espresso, some leguini, and then it can get going again.
You give it, you give it the Italian tune up and then it's back to idling.
Perfect.
Right.
That's exactly right.
He's got very selective idol preferences.
My idol preferences, I just want it to be smooth most of the time.
You like things that barely idle at all.
Yeah, that's because they don't idle because they're designed to rev.
That's just a bad machine.
It runs better at wide open throttle.
Which is cool.
Call thinks it's cool.
He's nodding.
Would you like your wife more if she was only functional when she was flat out running?
Right?
Like you wouldn't like it if she was like sitting there and like struggling to stay awake.
Like if your wife was only fun to interact with when she was sprinting, that would be a problem.
Well, interestingly enough, she only has energy.
She's dead tired all throughout the day until like 11 p.m.
What happened at 11 p.m.?
She has energy finally.
That's a tough one.
And I married her.
So, yeah, maybe your point, maybe you're proving my point.
I've got energy from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m.
And then I come home and it's just awful.
Okay, last thing I want to talk about.
I did have a chance to drive some other older BMWs at this thing.
This green Z3, I think was an awesome car.
So, God, you couldn't have cut me out of this shot, Cole.
Oh, you're going to run it too now.
That's great news.
So, this is a car that I never really thought much about.
I always assumed they were kind of like hairdresser cars.
If you've ever, if you're watching this along in video form,
if you've ever wondered what it looks like when you're posing for a thumbnail.
You could probably pause it now, Cole.
That's it.
And it's pretty unfortunate to watch.
Like a crazy person.
Yeah, so this is a car that I always thought was kind of big.
But driving it, it was a brilliant little car.
So, these are based on the E363 series.
It's actually got the same monocoat E36 stroke seven.
And what a great little thing.
It drives so much like a Miata.
I just couldn't believe it.
It's only 2,600 pounds.
This one is a pre-production car that was custom built for the head of product development back in 1995.
These things, interestingly enough, were manufactured here in the U.S.
in South Carolina, which I didn't realize.
So, this was the slowest one you could buy.
It was a 1.9 liter, things called the M42 engine.
138 horsepower, which is not much, but the steering is excellent.
The gear shift is excellent.
The brakes were amazing.
The suspension was soft, yet the car was fun to drive.
It was so good.
And you can pick these things up for like nine nickels.
Yeah.
They are very affordable little cars that seem to be pretty darn reliable as well.
So, I never thought I'd be interested in this.
Not really case this kind of car, because it idols.
But especially this one that has under a thousand kilometers on it was a great car to drive.
Yeah, I can see that.
I think it's a neat vehicle, styling wise.
This is also not my favorite, especially in the front end.
Yeah, yeah. Interesting.
Do you like the Z4 more?
No, no, I like this better than the Z4.
Yeah, most people would agree with that.
What's wrong with the front end?
Just too droopy.
It is a little droopy.
It's a little droopy.
But it wasn't James Bond, man.
This is a Bond car.
So, is it 2CV?
Yeah, so is the 2CV, am I right?
No, OK, you're not.
I think that it's, as it gets older and cars are looking very arrow focused,
I think that this is pretty attractive.
Yeah.
And what's great about it is it's old enough to be very analog,
but new enough to still have airbags.
The Burlwood trim is not my favorite.
But the three spoke steering wheel was awesome.
The analog is super cool.
Yeah, the gauges are really cool.
Yeah, a classic BMW and a super rev happy engine like it pulls all the way up to the red line.
And yeah, only 130 horsepower, but it's enough to kind of have some fun with.
James major of this car, do you remember?
In the top gear special, he made it in that safari to car.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Z3, that was really cool.
So I love this little car.
I was I'd like to own one someday.
Actually, I think it was it was that much fun.
But I'm also into the weird little sports cars case like something with some muscle on it.
Like a Z3M.
Like, yes.
Roadster.
Am I right?
For sure, like like a Fiat 2000, 2000.
Yeah, he's not a one to four man.
He doesn't want to deal with the one point eight, but give him a two liter.
That's what he is all about.
Big luck. Go to Auto Tempest.
Let's see what Z3 prices are doing.
Cole, curious if I can get one for three nickels or maybe I just made that up.
Cole is currently googling Auto Tempest in its own search bar.
Do you ever Google Gmail?
I do that every single time I get on my email.
Do you know that you just got to click on the little thing in the top right corner
and it goes. Does it really?
Yeah, I've seen Tommy type Google into the top Google search bar.
Wow, these are a lot more expensive than I thought.
15000 dollars.
Oh, yeah, that's an auction.
14000 dollars, 100 and nine grand for a Z3M.
OK, let's OK.
Here we go. These are my cars.
This one's been crashed.
There you go. That's right.
Look, does it look better crashed case?
No, sadly.
5500 dollars, Z3, two point eight.
That's the one you want. Six grand.
Look at that car, 95000 miles.
That's the one you want.
So you can still get them cheap if you don't want like a perfect one.
I do like that pink one, though.
I think you'd look good. No bids.
I wonder why. Interesting.
I was a lot of tempest signed by Sidney Sweeney, featured in the movie Christy.
Oh, my God, we have to buy Mary this car.
I don't know that movie.
I don't know the movie, but we know Sidney Sweeney.
Mary hates Sidney Sweeney.
Yeah, it's true.
Sidney Sweeney, by the way, if you want to check out Auto Tempest,
we have a special promo code, auto tempest dot com slash TFL.
We'd love it if you use that one,
because it lets people know that you came there from TFL.
So thank you, Auto Tempest, for sponsoring the series.
Anything else going on in your car world this week?
Yeah, over in this neck of the woods, like I mentioned,
we do have that E53 AMG wagon, which is pretty exciting,
because that's not usually the type of car we get in the press fleet out here,
but it is very good looking.
It's also very, very quick.
It's got 604 horsepower, I believe.
And I know you typically don't get out of bed for any less than 600.
That's right. Especially, can this one idle?
It can. It doesn't have to, though, because it's a hybrid.
Oh, really? Is it a plug-in hybrid?
I think so, yeah.
Wow, really?
So this is an interesting car, because Mercedes is going to some also very
strange design language, and actually think that this is one of the few cars
that still looks pretty good.
I agree. Some people, Jen included, our co-worker,
feel like the front end is maybe a little too EQS egg-shaped like.
Okay.
But I think they've added enough aggressive elements to the front end of this car
to still make it pretty good looking.
There's some vehicles, like maybe even that X5 to some extent,
that I don't think quite strike the balance between soft lines and hard edges,
but this car does a good job of it.
Those wheels are fantastic.
I know. Really, really cool vehicle.
Oh my God, are they center locks?
Well, it looks like it at least.
We haven't tried to pull that off.
Yeah, I'd be surprised if it was.
It might just look like a center lock, but this car, it just showed up,
so we really haven't spent much time with it, as I'm sure you can tell,
but drove it briefly.
It's obviously very fast.
It's a fun handling car.
It's got a lot of power.
It doesn't make a lot of noise, but I do love the exhaust tips beautifully integrated
into the back bumper.
It's a really nice looking car.
It's got 265 width front tires, 295 width rears.
Whoa, that's crazy.
A lot of tire.
It's just a cool machine because it can wear a lot of hats.
You can put a lot of stuff in it.
You can put a lot of people in it, daily drive it very easily.
It being a plug-in hybrid that adds even more adaptability over to this whole package.
But then, of course, you have a car that's very fast, very fun to drive,
and that means it gives you all things, except for a spare tire, of course.
Yeah, that's okay.
In this car, I'll forgive it.
This is such a cool concept, like the fast wagon thing is so unbelievably underrated.
No, I can't wait to drive it.
It's interesting, like 600 horsepower, but this is technically a 53, right?
So this isn't the V8.
This is still the forced-induced.
Yeah, and again, it doesn't sound like much.
No, it would be more fun with that V8 exhaust note,
but the acceleration is there, obviously.
It's a very, very quick car.
Yeah, interesting.
I just drove the competitor to this at the speed limit.
I think it was on the new M5 and the M5 Touring.
Really also, cool car.
I think that that design language is not quite as good as this.
I think this is a little bit more classic,
a little bit more kind of understated than the X5, which kind of looks like a battle tank.
This, I think, has got a little bit more class to it.
But yeah, I love that the enthusiasts here have been asking for fast wagons for a long time.
And now we have them.
Now we have them.
RS6 Avant.
Yeah, which is the best looking of all of them.
Yeah, agreed.
Yeah, I've never driven that car.
I'd like to drive that car.
But the Mercedes, and I've not driven this one,
but I have driven the new E-Class, and it does a lot of stuff really well.
Yeah, it does.
The interior is good as well.
This spec on this particular car, it's silver exterior, black interior.
So it's not...
It's a very Mercedes wagon, though.
Yeah, it is.
It's not moving, I guess, in that sense.
Oh, it's got the hyper screen thing going, though.
Yeah, exactly.
So there's kind of pros and cons.
I don't love the operating system on this either.
And the UX, yeah.
Yeah, there's almost no physical buttons.
And I'm sure once you get used to this operating system, spend some time with it,
it's probably not that bad.
But until you get used to it, it feels pretty clunky and difficult to get used to.
Is that a camera in the dash?
Yes.
Don't...
Yeah, I don't want to know.
So I'd like to drive it.
I haven't driven the AMG yet one,
but I have driven the standard E-Class sedan, and they are buttery smooth.
Buttery smooth.
So I think that's cool.
Well, in case it's time to transition to something a little bit different,
we've talked a lot about car values.
And one thing we're really good at is losing lots of money on cars.
It's a real skill.
But I had a chance to sit down and talk to a guy, a gentleman who's also in the industry,
Moto Man, who's really good at making money on cars.
So he walked us through how not to be Roman.
So we'll cut to that now, and we'll close it out there.
But we'll see you guys in the next one.
But don't leave for whatever you do.
Unless you're going to autotempus.com slash TFL, you can do that.
But otherwise, you're stuck here.
All right, let's go to that interview.
So I'm here with Moto Man.
Moto Man, you met me when I was 13 years old.
You know that?
You just reminded me of that.
Thank you so much.
I'm so glad I came to South Carolina to remind you of how old I am.
No, I didn't mean that.
I'm actually very appreciative because you've been one of the guys that has been here the whole time,
and it's been really helpful and really motivating in producing content.
So I really appreciate you all that you've done for us.
And it's been a great relationship.
And Moto Man, we imagine it's going really well I hear.
Very well, beyond expectations.
And you know, I feel like this is almost a love fest between TFL and Moto Man.
A lot of credit to your dad.
Yes, a lot of credit to my dad.
I learned a lot from your father.
Because most people don't know this about him.
He's a classically saying journalist.
Like he's a journalist, journalist.
Yeah, he went to Medil.
He understood the concept of it's got to be out first.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
Like, totally against everything I believe in.
But it works.
Do you remember?
Do you prove the concept?
Remember one of the first programs you did was, I think the key of Sportage,
and it was somewhere near Lake Tahoe.
And you wanted to go find a house on a hill that was like in the Godfather.
Oh, I did.
That was a good day.
Yeah, I did.
It was one of the first trips you did.
That was in Tahoe.
Yeah, it wasn't one of the first trips, but he and I did that together.
We drove together.
And he looked at me like I was nuts when we finally got there.
And I'm like, he's like, why are we here?
And I'm trying to explain it to him.
And he's like, this is the difference between a New Yorker and a guy from Chicago.
A guy from New York is going to get excited about that.
A guy from Chicago just wants to go in.
Yeah, he wasn't excited about it.
He was not happy about it.
And I filmed it and he just wanted to leave.
Yeah, he was going to be about that.
But what I was saying was very, very grateful because I learned a lot from your dad.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Changed.
The big thing was, I love what I do, but I didn't love the way I was doing it.
So I had to make that change.
And are you enjoying short form?
I got to tell you I am.
You are?
But I think I've shown you a couple.
They're very different.
They're, of course, I have to make my life complicated.
But those are like Oscar-winning short.
I mean, you've got the memes in there.
You've got captions.
You've got quick cuts.
You've got, I mean, it's...
I got two short editors.
I got this one guy, Axel.
He is a machine.
Something right, yeah.
He is incredible what he does.
Yeah, you do some really good shorts.
Yeah, so I'm very proud of it.
But I didn't want to get into shorts because it's going to sound terrible.
But I call them autism theater.
But there's like no attention span whatsoever.
And I wanted to be able to do it my way.
And it took me a couple of years to figure it out, but I finally did.
So the reason I wanted to bring you on is we're going to have just a quick discussion about this.
Because as you know, my dad and I have a unique skill
where we've only ever bought older cars and newer cars high and sold them low.
Like we're really good at losing money.
Your dad is the one that's good at this.
I'm good at it too.
You just don't say no.
Could be.
Wow, it's like a therapy session here.
Your dad has another skill, which I'm not there enough to see it.
But I figured what he does is he waits for you and Andre to go on a trip.
Yes.
And when you guys leave the office, he tiptoes out of the office
and then he comes up with like a new pickup truck.
He does do that.
Yeah.
Like that's the real thing.
Oh yeah.
It's a real thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But so what you've done really, really well is you've not only bought older cars,
but also some brand new cars and figured out ways to either not lose money or make money.
So when you're buying a car, like give me some things you're looking for in your car.
Anything in life, we have to go back to the why.
It's all about the why.
And it always starts with pain, usually involves a girl.
In this case, it wasn't a girl.
It was stupidity.
My first car was turbo, yes.
And there is no car that, like, you can take, that car was new,
knew it was a $14,000 car brand new.
And it was like taking 14, I didn't buy it new, but you could, you buy, you take $14,000,
you put it in the middle of the room and you just incinerate.
That's what I did with that car.
Okay.
But I didn't go down to zero.
It went, let's just say as a kid who spent his hard-earned money on his first car,
and then the brain surgeon that I am, I got to have the Momo wheels, which I saved up for,
had to have a sunroof cut into it, had to have the Momo steering wheel.
And the car, it was a Chvette in an Italian tux.
But did you explain to the next owner the Lotus connection?
Oh, I, dude, I took the money and ran.
And there wasn't a Lotus connection.
Mine didn't have the Lotus suspension.
Mine was the 86.
So it was such a painful lesson.
It was so, it was like, it's almost like being physically abused when you're a child.
I never forgot the lesson.
And I said, I'm never losing money on a car again and have it.
What year did you sell that car?
I sell that car in college.
I was like, 90s?
It's 2015.
So you're telling me since the 90s, you've never...
Never have lost money on a car.
Ever.
Now, is that because you will sacrifice the car you want to make sure you never lose money on it?
Oh, no.
I've always bought the car I want.
It's the best way to describe it.
I'm like Wild E Coyote.
Like I'm chasing the road runner.
But the road runner will run off the cliff and then fly off.
I get off the cliff.
I'm mid-air and I'm still running and then I realize, oh, I'm going to fall.
That's the kind of dedication I have to not losing money.
So what is it?
Is it timing?
Is it collectability?
What do you look for?
In all seriousness, it's never being afraid to walk away.
If the deal doesn't work, walk away.
It's very Warren Buffett ask.
I read the...
After I lost all this money on the car, I read The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham.
And the basic tenets of there has to be an underlying value in whatever asset you're
trying to acquire and you have to acquire it at the right price.
I got emotional with the Azuzu.
So I stopped getting emotional.
But the way I look at it is...
And this is the part I learned later in life.
I look at it as you have a fund.
You are managing a fund of money.
And your job is to grow the fund so you can continue to have fun with the fund.
I know I got crazy on that.
That is the truth.
So I started, after I lost my ass on that Azuzu, I started with $3,500 on a Fiero.
It needed a clutch.
It needed a new interior.
I got the dealer to put the new interior in.
I did the clutch myself and I sold the car for five grand.
Okay.
I drove it and sold it for five grand.
Pretty good.
Then I went and found an 86, an FC RX-7, stolen recovery.
But I went to the guy and like, is there a way to get this title cleaned up before I bought it?
Because I was buying it from the insurance company.
And the insurance company was like, actually we were going to clean it up,
but you already said you were going to buy it here.
They ended up giving me the clean title.
Bought it for six grand, sold it for nine grand.
Took the nine grand, took eight grand out of my pocket, bought a Toyota Supra.
Drove that and it was an 88.
Targa roof, no turbo, couldn't afford the insurance on the turbo.
Bought that for eight grand, sold it for 11.
And just kept going from there.
No, the problem is though, if you go into it, say you're never going to lose money in a car,
you're probably not going to own a 70s Fiat 124.
You know, there's times in life where I try to avoid drilling a hole in my head.
That's wonderful.
Do you feel like limited though?
You're like, no, I would really like this AMC Pacer.
And this is where it's options in life.
Like, you know, you go out, you meet a woman.
Uh-huh.
You know, the purpose of dating is not to settle down and have a girlfriend right away.
Purpose of dating is you try to get to know, like, are we compatible?
And so what I wanted to do was date.
And if I, like DeFiero, what I was trying to do was try to get the best sports car
I could buy for 3,500 bucks.
I was looking at, at that point, like certain Hondas, I was looking at Toyotas.
I couldn't afford an FS16, FX16 at that point.
It was one of the cars I wanted.
So to me, when you're looking at buying a fun car, even a regular car,
you want to have, like, alternatives.
And let's say you get where your heart's set on a specific car,
you want to have alternatives in color.
You want to have alternatives in the build.
Right.
Now, you've gone up a little bit since DeFiero, and like a recent car I want to talk about
is your LC 500.
Yeah, love that car.
So, but like, other than maybe your current car, which is a GT3,
a lot of newer sports cars do tend to fall off a cliff when it comes to depreciation,
especially new.
So what, what did, what drew you to that car that made you know I'm not going to lose money on it?
It was a market timing thing.
So I'll try to condense the story as much as I can.
A friend of mine in the industry was able to buy a 40th anniversary Land Cruiser and got it for
below sticker.
It was new, but a press car, so it had the miles.
It was being sold to you as a new car.
Those are heritage editions.
Heritage editions.
The 200 series.
And this is indeed the depths of the virus.
And he got it like 20 grand below sticker.
Oh, God.
So I caught wind of this and I'm like calling my Toyota people like,
I want, there was one left in the fleet.
I'll buy that one.
They say, oh, I'm sorry, it's not available.
Turns out the Toyota person bought it.
Sure.
Right.
So I'm like, I want.
And she says, well, buy a Toyota like, I don't want a Toyota.
I don't want a Land Cruiser.
Like I sound like a three year old.
And then she goes, well, how about a Lexus?
You like Lexus.
So I don't want a Lexus.
I want a Land Cruiser.
And then like a month later, she says, I got this LC500.
I know you like this car.
And it was the press car that I shot.
And I'm like, I don't really want a Lexus.
And she says, it's this much.
I'm like, send it over.
I'm going to look at it.
And it was one of these deals where I love the car.
If you guys see that episode, I was God about the car.
But it was one of these deals that was just too good to pass up.
And this is where we get to another lesson in life.
You want to be able to be ready to pounce on an opportunity.
Sometimes people in life, you are going to be given a gift of to get an asset
below its market rate.
And your job is to be able to be ready and do the arbitrage.
But that's what happened with Lexus.
I can tell the comments are going to say, yeah, but that's a unique situation.
Because you knew the press person and you knew the press fleet.
Yes, I did.
But at the same time, you could have done the same thing.
I'll make it up.
What's another car?
I mean, you could have bought any like somewhat affordable exotic for the same money.
And you would have ridden it up.
So the same thing could apply there.
This was just a very, yeah, right.
A very unusual case.
And I also knew there was an exit because the entire purpose was,
I'm buying this car.
The GT3 is already ordered.
It's already going to, I know what it's going to show up.
I will sell this car and apply that money to the GT3.
That was the point.
Now, let's talk about that world, specifically the Porsche 911 world where
in some ways they're not to sound cynical about it, but there is more interest and
excitement about allocations than the actual car.
Right?
So, I mean, do you feel that it's like, it's a little bit backwards that like it's
more about can you get the GT3 allocation and less about the love of the car?
Have you ever heard the term bad press?
Yes, I'm going to get plenty of it.
I know I'm going to get beaten up in the comments terribly about this,
but Porsche has gotten bad press.
And in fairness, they've kind of done it to themselves.
So, Porsche famously in that market, in the GT market, they famously make less than there
is demand for.
That is a feature, not a bug.
But what happened, the market changed and it attracted a different kind of person.
So, instead of the person like me, I bought a GT3 because I want a GT3.
I bought a GT3 because Hurley Haywood taught me how to drive a 911 in a GT3.
I fell in love with it a decade prior.
I couldn't afford one.
So, I saved the money to buy a GT3 and now I have a GT3 that I literally put miles on and
drive it.
But unfortunately, because of the arbitrage opportunity and people that do have the money
to be able to buy the asset, more of those people have come into the market.
So, it's not so much Porsche saying, screw you, you can only have it if you buy this,
that's not what they're doing.
It's more people, it's like the art market.
That's the way I like it.
The art market used to be this size and war halls were a million dollars.
Then, the art market became this and war halls are 40 million dollars.
It is the exact same thing.
So, to play therapist for a second here, now that you've gone other than the 86 of
Suzu Turbo, you've gone 30 years without losing money on a car.
Are you allergic to losing money on a car?
Like, would it hurt, would it physically hurt?
I, this is, I guess it's back to psychology.
I am cheap as the day is long.
Like, I will go out of my way to skip a toll.
Like, I am horrible.
Okay.
My friends, like, we go on this, every Saturday we do a,
we do a cars and coffee, Nathan comes, you know, we have a great time.
And my friends are drinkers, okay?
And I'm not a drinker and they want to split the bill evenly.
So, I finally got smart one day and I said, you know what, I'm gonna get a separate check.
They beat me up terribly.
You can afford it.
I'm like, I don't want to subsidize your booze.
Right.
And that's how much of a cheap skater I am.
Okay.
Yeah.
Interesting.
Now, before we close this up, we, I was just had the honor to be on Moto Man's podcast
and we talked about collectible cars.
Yes.
And I want you to explain the three things, the three aspects of collectible cars, because it,
like, it's one of those things that, yeah, of course, you know what are collectible cars,
but by spelling it out, I think it really does help with this conversation we're talking about.
Okay.
Um, I, I have the very good fortune of having a befriended Dave Kinney of Hagrid.
Yeah.
Dave Kinney, if you guys don't know him, he is literally the guy that writes the book on
collector car values.
Yeah.
He is the man that makes your car worth something.
And I've heard some of the stuff you've done with Dave.
He's the best.
Really interesting.
He's the best.
Really interesting, yeah.
And Dave, I met him at a Barrett Jackson summit, like a, it was put on by Sports Car Market.
Keith Martin, great dude.
Yeah.
Great guy.
And they put on this, this seminar about collector car values.
And Dave Kinney's taken me through the tent and he's shown me, me and other people.
And I just, we hit it off.
He's got a great sense of humor.
And I learned in my years of hanging out with Dave that collector car values are based on
three things.
Number one, how many of them were made when they were new?
Number two, was there anything unique about the car when it came out?
And number three, and this applies to less, was there any competition history?
And if so, what was it?
So if you look at it, a 62 GTO Ferrari.
They made 39.
No tour or like, and they all have competition history.
That's why they're worth $60 million.
That's interesting.
And that's a cheap one.
Then you look at something like.
86's a Suzuki Impulse.
They made too many of them.
They were built on a Chvette platform.
They were pretty, but they're garbage.
That's why they're worthless.
And they didn't win Le Mans.
And they won nothing.
They won a, they won like Joe Azuzu commercials and that's it.
But then on the flip side of the thing, you look at like a WS6 late, the last Firebird.
It had a V8.
It had a manual transmission with a V8.
It had a screaming chicken on the hood.
It had teatops.
Where else can you get that today?
Yeah, no, that's true.
And that's why there were 30 to 40 grand when they're in good shape and they're not ready cars.
And so if you apply that lens and the grand, this is by no means the scripture.
But if you look at it starting from those three bits,
that's the foundation and everything layers on top of that.
That's when you look into, well, what, what does the bring a trailer market tell you?
Or what's going on at the physical auctions?
Or, oh my God, the government says we can't have gas cars anymore.
Everybody's got to get these gas cars before they go away.
That all layers on top of those three things.
So last question.
Clearly like the 992 GT3 you have fits in those categories brilliantly.
The other collector car you have, the 85 Cadillac El Dorado.
I love that car.
Now, are you concerned at all about losing money on that car?
Never sell it.
Okay.
That car is an example of, actually, let's go back to the foundation of why people buy these
old cars.
It has nothing to do with money.
If you're buying it because of money, you're not the right guy.
You're buying a car because you're buying a story.
And most of us are trying to recapture something about a positive point in our life.
And for me, it was my aunt Christine.
She was the only one that gave a shit about me growing up.
I don't know if I was supposed to say that in TFL podcast.
No, you're fine.
She literally dragged me kicking and screaming to my first job interview.
She turned me into a man and it was in that Cadillac that she dragged me to my first job
interview in a 1979 Cadillac El Dorado.
And when I walked out of that job interview terrified after asking a guy for a job that
I didn't even know, I looked at the car and I remember distinctly, I grew up on Chevy's and
Buick's and Christine had a Cadillac for a reason.
And the ball kind of dropped.
If you bust your ass, you can have a Cadillac or a GT3.
Yeah, very cool.
Well, guys, it's almost 10 p.m.
Modemann and I have been up for about a thousand hours.
So I'm not going to take any more.
Oh my gosh, the South Carolina sweat box today.
We love South Carolina.
We love some South Carolina, though.
We do love South Carolina, but the outside-ness at 3 p.m. is not it.
But Modemann, if folks want to find you, where are you at?
You know what?
That's hard to say now because thanks to Roman.
Mike, I have five channels on YouTube, about to go to six.
I think the best place to go is Modemann TV on LinkedIn.
Okay.
It's been on LinkedIn, I'm sorry.
On Instagram.
That kind of gets you to everything.
Cool.
That's where we put all of our podcast clips, our shorts,
podcast shorts, and main channel shorts.
And you can kind of click through from there.
Awesome.
Well, I'm going to let this man get some dinner.
But dude, thanks for doing this.
Hey, thank you.
Yeah, I appreciate you.
That was great.
That was great, Steve.
That was always fun.
About this episode
The hosts kick off with banter about Fast & Furious—how the early, more grounded car-thief vibe holds up better than the later world-saving chaos—plus a quick debate on ridiculous mods like underglow. The conversation then shifts to BMW’s new 2027 X5 reveal from Spartanburg, focusing on BMW’s “Neue Klasse” design direction. They critique the updated front end (smaller but still awkward grille, illuminated LEDs, configurable headlight “X” elements) and polarizing tail lights, while praising the tech: updated B58 mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid, and a standout EV with big range, torque, and fast-charging numbers.
Go to https://www.autotempest.com/TFL for everything you need when searching for a new vehicle!
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BMW’s absolute best-seller is getting a radical, hyper-futuristic makeover, and the crew is diving into all the controversy! Kase and Tommy dissect the brand-new 2027 BMW X5 and its polarizing "Neue Klasse" design language, sparking a massive debate over its shrunk-down but awkwardly proportioned front kidney grilles. While the exterior elements—like the illuminated LED grille outline and the strange "X" pattern inside the headlights—have the internet up in arms, the guys note that the next-generation powertrain specs are a technical masterpiece. They break down the returning inline-six gas engine, the new plug-in hybrid model, and the flagship full EV version that boasts a massive battery and incredible range, before jumping inside a sci-fi cabin that features a bizarre vertical steering wheel and climate controls buried deep within a touchscreen.
Later in the episode, the duo shifts gears to spotlight a massive market collapse in high-end electric vehicle depreciation using AutoTempest’s price trends tool. They look at used Porsche Taycans dipping into affordable territory and showcase a mind-boggling Mercedes-Benz EQS that plummeted nearly $90,000 in value over just four years, sparking a fierce debate on whether it's the luxury deal of the century or just too ugly to buy. Finally, Kase shares his first impressions of a sleek, brand-new arrival in the press fleet: a silver-on-black Mercedes-AMG E53 Wagon pumping out over 600 hybrid horsepower on massive staggered tires, giving the guys hope that the enthusiast-favorite fast wagon segment is stronger than ever.
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