The Car Curious Weekly for February 22, 2026

The Car Curious Weekly is a look at what the automotive podcast world is talking about, who's saying it, and what patterns emerge when you listen to all of them at once.

February 15 - February 21, 2026 · 168 episodes across 117 podcasts.

This week's podcast circuit saw automakers flip strategies on both ends of the EV spectrum. Porsche, meanwhile, reversed course entirely — killing its electric Boxster and Cayman to bring back petrol engines instead.

Here are the five biggest storylines and where they showed up across the feed.

Rivian R2 Receives Glowing Early Reviews Ahead of Launch

The Rivian R2's launch version packed 655 horsepower and hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, with early reviewers driving manufacturing validation builds extracting an estimated 310 miles of range from the battery.

Early reviews praised the R2's execution as 'surprisingly athletic' and well-thought-out despite its capable off-roader credentials. The AutoGuide Show framed it as Rivian's make-or-break vehicle: if the $45,000 base price holds, it could become Rivian's 'Model Y moment.'

From Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast:

"This is a really impressive vehicle. It takes everything we love about the R1S SUV and scales it down a little bit. A more manageable size and a more affordable price point. This really is a well-executed vehicle, really fantastic. And I think even as EV demand slows down a little bit, this will still be a big hit."

Ride the Lightning devoted extensive coverage to the R2's positive reception among tech and auto reviewers, while The AutoGuide Show examined whether the vehicle represents a make-or-break moment for Rivian's survival as an independent automaker.

From The AutoGuide Show:

"This is the vehicle. They're trying to run Tesla's playbook, you know, start at the high end with an expensive vehicle that can absorb the cost of the battery and then try to get more efficient and then offer larger volumes. And really, you know, this is the one where they've got to get their Model Three, their Model Y moment."

2027 Toyota Highlander Confirmed as All-Electric Model

Toyota quietly retired the gas-powered Highlander by making the 2027 model EV-only, with the Grand Highlander continuing as the ICE/hybrid option for buyers wanting combustion powertrains.

The electric Highlander dropped Toyota's controversial 'bZ' naming scheme entirely — the only way journalists initially knew it was replacing the standard Highlander was the absence of two letters after its name.

From TFL Car Chat:

"I got invited to go to unveiling of the new Highlander, and when I did the video, I was under the assumption that the new Highlander was going to come both as an EV and as an non-EV, so they were going to keep both. And you know why I was under the assumption? Because the Highlander's one of the best selling Toyotas, they sell many, many thousands of units, and it would be a dramatic change for them to go all electric... They never actually called it — the only way you knew that it was replacing the Highlander, the electric one, was by the fact that they didn't have two letters behind its name."

Automotive podcasts focused heavily on Toyota's confusing messaging around the Highlander's transition to electric-only, with hosts debating whether ditching the 'bZ' branding was smart brand leverage or a sign Toyota lacked confidence in the announcement.

From Wheel Bearings:

"To start with the bZ4X, the 2022, and then we started with that vehicle and then we had a lot of voice from the market like range and charging speed and some infotainment or the kind of things. So we decided to have a better battery EV kind of this way... We think we want to cover more lifestyles and then this is a good daily BEV and then what if people want to have more space and more power and more open-minded style lifestyle — that is a bZ Woodland right now."

Porsche Reverses Course: Petrol Engines Returning to Boxster and Cayman

Porsche removed the electric Boxster/Cayman configurator from its website following a board meeting, with Bloomberg and major outlets reporting the EV program was killed entirely.

Engineers discovered converting the EV-only platform back to internal combustion engines would cost billions — one report cited figures with 'the word billion in it' — since the architecture was never designed for piston engines.

From The Intercooler:

"Once that decision had been made, that's the money committed to turn that platform into one that can also carry an internal combustion engine. And I don't think we should underestimate what that involves, because the platform those cars sit on was never ever designed to take a piston engine. And I mean, I have read numbers, one of which had the word billion in it, for the cost of the conversion."

Porsche-focused podcasts treated the news as vindication after years of skepticism, with P-Car Talk celebrating the EV's death as inevitable and The Intercooler's Andrew Frankel questioning why Porsche committed to an electric-only platform in the first place.

From P-Car Talk Podcast:

"I think the bigger question is, is do they go back to sticking the flat four and a turbo back in flat or the hybrid turbo? I don't even know if they're going to mess with that, to be honest with you. Hybrid turbo is everywhere else. Why not why not toss in there? I mean, it makes sense. Yeah, but I just don't know. I think they're in a rush right now."

Tyler Reddick Wins Daytona 500 in Thrilling Final Lap

Tyler Reddick won the 2026 Daytona 500 after finishing second in 2025, describing the final lap as feeling 'calm' and 'slow motion' despite the chaos: 'I didn't really think about what I was going to do. I just did it honestly.'

From Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX:

"The craziest part for me as a driver in the seat is it just felt calm. Everything felt like it was slow. And you know, I didn't really think about what I was going to do. I just did it honestly."

Michael Jordan arrived at victory lane with impeccable timing just as the Harley J. Earl trophy presentation began, missing the NBA All-Star Game to attend, and Reddick invited him to lift the trophy together. Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour provided extensive race coverage and a post-win interview with Reddick, focusing on his emotional journey after a difficult 2025 season and the dramatic final lap execution.

Ford's 48-Volt EV Platform Promises Radical Parts Reduction

Ford announced a transition to 48-volt electrical systems across its lineup, promising radical parts reduction and enabling features that consume significant power like heated seats and high-draw accessories.

The Ford-specific announcement got limited direct podcast coverage this week. But the underlying problem it's solving — how much electrical demand modern vehicles carry — came up across several shows as a recurring theme. The general point: a 12-volt system is increasingly undersized for the current draw that even basic features require.

From My Car Guru Podcast:

"Vehicles are so power hungry. I mean, even a heated seat requires a lot of current to make those coils get hot. There's all kinds of systems in the vehicle that need it and need and consume tons of electricity just to spin the starter."

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Next Week

Watch for reactions to the Supreme Court's tariff ruling and how dealers handle pricing adjustments as the automotive industry navigates ongoing trade policy uncertainty.

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168 episodes. 2211 car mentions. 2309 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.