Wheel Bearings

We're back and this week all voices were recorded all the way through the show. Sorry again about last week. Nicole lucked out and had the Land Rover Defender Octa during some serious New Hampshire winter weather and Sam had a Porsche Macan 4S Electric with winter tires during a Michigan snow storm.
Ahead of the Detroit Auto Show this week, Ford previewed the new Mustang Dark Horse SC taking the place of the former Shelby GT500 and the Bronco RTR that's been breathed on by Vaughn Gittin Jr. Sam spokee with Mustang color and materials manager Sarah Watson and Dark Horse SC chief engineer Arie Groeneveld. Chevrolet dropped some details on the acceleration capabilities of the Corvette ZR1X and it is insanely quick off the line. Honda is ending production of the current Acura RDX while it prepares a new hybrid replacement and it has also developed a lightweight camper that can be pulled by a CR-V.
Alfa Romeo brings the refreshed Tonale to America sans the plug-in hybrid and drops the Hornet. Nicole and Sam talked with Stellantis head of North American brands Tim Kuniskis and the Jeep Gladiator will live on for another generation. Canada has signed a trade deal with China will lower tariffs on Chinese EVs north of the border and imported vehicles have become significantly more expensive in the past year.
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Links
Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC – Wheel Bearings
Born in the Desert, the Bronco RTR Is the Fun High-Speed Racer That Won’t Break the Bank
What's New for 2026: Alfa Romeo Tonale
America's Quickest Production Car: Corvette ZR1X Does 8.675-Second ¼-Mile, Sub 2 Second 0-60
Next-Generation Acura RDX Will Go Hybrid
Honda Unveils Base Station Prototype: A Lightweight Towable Travel Trailer with Modular Design, Smart Technology & Clever Packaging to Democratize Camping
Canada wants to be 1st in North America to build EV with Chinese knowledge: senior official | CBC News
That Dodge Charger Got a Hemi In It? Only If It’s a Hellcat.
That New Car Is About $6,400 More Expensive Than Before, Here’s Why

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Unfortunately, the audio is a bit weird this week, Robbie's audio stopped recording after 26 minutes so there are some gaps, but most of it is there.
Nicole is back and she drove the new 2026 Subaru Outback Premium. It doesn't look much a like a wagon anymore, but its still a Subie through and through. Sam had the Honda HR-V AWD EX-L and Lexus UX300h, two very different compact crossovers.
Lots of news this week with both Sam and Nicole attending CES. Nicole spoke with BMW about the new iX3 and learned about the Tensor robocar. Sam went to the Nvidia keynote to learn about their new world driving model Alpamayo that debuts in the Mercedes-Benz CLA this quarter and is coming to Lucid later in the year. Lucid plans to have eyes-off driving in 2028 and brain-off in 2029. Ford is also bringing eyes-off driving to the new universal EV platform in 2028. If Afeela ever actually starts selling cars they may have brain off around then along with a second model that that they showed at CES. Aptiv's new Pulse sensor could make auto parking a lot faster. Volvo is teasing out its new EX60 and Stellantis is killing off all of its North American plug-in hybrids. Sam went for a ride in a Zoox robotaxi while he was in Vegas. We've got more listener suggestions for Nicole's car buying journey and Sam has a conversation with Glen de Vos, CEO of Microvision.
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Links
NVIDIA Announces Alpamayo Family of Open-Source AI Models and Tools to Accelerate Safe, Reasoning-Based Autonomous Vehicle Development
Lucid Gets Nvidia Driving Model, L3 in 2028
All Jeep and Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid Models Are Officially Dead: Exclusive
AFEELA Prototype 2026
Kodiak AI and Bosch Partner to Scale Autonomous Trucking Hardware
Ford's Simple Vision for Smart Tech: Make It for Everyone
Aptiv PULSE™ Sensor
Walk-Around of the Pre-Production Afeela 1 at CES 2026
The new Volvo EX60: best-in-class 810km range and charging as fast as a stop for fuel and coffee
250000-Mile Champions: Commuter Cars That Last The Longest

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Nicole had a last minute family emergency and couldn't make it, but Sam drove the Subaru WRX tS and Robbie provides an update on the Verge electric motorcycle he recently rode.
In the news the least surprising announcement of the week came from Ram with the return of the TRX plus a diesel version of the heavy duty Power Wagon. Over on the Rich Rebuilds Youtube channel, Sam stumbled across his merger of a Honda Beat and an Arcimoto electric trike. We've been talking for a while about what a terrible idea electronic door releases are and now some Rivian owners are coming up with DIY mechanical solutions. Some college students in Japan are transforming a Daihatsu Copen Kei Roadster into a cool mini GR Supra for the Tokyo Auto Salon. We discuss some cool pickup truck bed features and a nearly 20 year old Ford sedan concept. Is the Fisker Karma the cockroach of the automotive world? VW shows the interior of the ID Polo and hurray! it's got physical controls.
We also answer some listener messages.
Links
The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?
You Asked, Ram Delivered: Ram Power Wagon With 6.7-Liter Cummins HO Turbo Diesel and Best-in-Class 1,075 lb.-ft. of Torque
Building a Budget Tesla Roadster
Honda e-Beat
Honda Beat-offRivian Owners Are Adding DIY Emergency Door Releases for Their Kids - Autoblog
Japanese Students Turn a Kei Car Into a Mini Toyota GR Supra - Autoblog
These 9 Trucks Have Super Cool Bed Features - Jalopnik
This Ford Concept Could’ve Been a Modern Crown Victoria - Autoblog
Live from Dearborn: Driving the Ford Interceptor Concept
It Feels Like The Fisker Karma Will Never Actually, Truly Die - The Autopian
Volkswagen unveils a new cockpit generation – debuting with the all-new ID. Polo 02
Verge TS Pro electric motorcycle with solid state battery

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This week, Nicole continues her stint with the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and her family was wondering if it was ok when they heard the sound it makes. Sam had the opposite end of the scale with the Lexus TX 550h+, a 3-row plug-in hybrid crossover.
The team discusses the EVs that InsideEVs is looking forward to in 2026 and what they are expecting and then devolves into the biggest surprises and disappointments of 2025 (at least in the automotive space). Buying a car used is generally a better financial decision than buying new, but there are segments you should stay away from. Consumer Reports suggests the best all-season tires for winter driving. It turns out that just because a car costs millions of dollars, not all of the parts are bespoke. VW launches a very cool new electric crossover in China. Car buyers looking for a cheap ride with a warranty no longer have a choice under $20,000. There are some fascinating options that used to be available on cars and TFL puts their 1927 Model T on the dyno. Finally, we discuss some more suggestions about what car Nicole should buy next and why Ford is making the Mach-E frunk optional.
Links
The cars InsideEVs is looking forward to in 2026
7 Cheap Used Cars That Aren't Worth The Trouble - Jalopnik
Best All-Season Tires for Winter Driving - Consumer Reports
These Supercars Save Money Using Parts From Boring Everyday Cars - Jalopnik
Volkswagen Unveils a 450-Mile China-Only Electric SUV With 800V Fast Charging - Autoblog
America Loses Its Last Subcompact Sedan as Nissan Kills the Versa in 2026
Options to Remember, or Maybe Not
Putting Our 100-Year-Old Ford Model T On The Dyno!
The Order of Time

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This week we're joined by special guest Harvey Briggs. Harvey and Sam review the vehicles they drove last week while transporting 20 dogs nearly 2,000 miles as part of Operation Frodo. Nicole had the Ford Maverick Lobo and Robbie rode the Verge TS electric motorcycle.
GM has struck a deal with Apple to get the Apple Music app on its vehicle's infotainment. Ford is scrapping major parts of its EV plans including cancelling the current Lightning and replacing it with a next-generation EREV. For 2026, the frunk is becoming an extra cost option on the Mach-E. Tim Kuniskis has confirmed that Ram's new midsize pickup will be called Dakota and volume trims will be around $40,000. Some Arizona highways could soon lose their speed limits and more people are recognizing how dumb modern door handles are. Waymo's robotaxis got frozen when San Francisco had a major power outage and we review some of the suggestions from readers about what car Nicole should buy next.
Links

Operation Frodo' helping shelter dogs find new life in PNW
Apple Music now available natively in GM vehicles with standard streaming; Cadillac debuts studio-grade Spatial Audio in Dolby Atmos
Ford Now Charges Mustang Mach-E Buyers for a Frunk
Ford takes $20B Hit, Cancels Lightning
The Dakota Mid-Size Truck Is Finally Coming Back But It's Going To Cost As Much As A Ram 1500 - The Autopian
This State Wants to Get Rid of Its Speed Limits
More People Are Realizing This Type Of Car Door Is Too Dangerous - The Autopian
Frozen Waymos backed up San Francisco traffic during a widespread power outage | The Verge

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