Then Sami reviews the 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, which isn't a huge change from the previous year, but packs an interesting Baby Mode, which catches the guys attention for a whole segment of the podcast. Thanks for listening everyone!

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Then Benjamin reviews the 2025 Subaru WRX tS, and can't stop bringing up his memories of the STI brand. While all kinds of sport compact newcomers keep popping up in the world the old WRX STI used to dominate, Subaru instead holds back, delivering a few upgrades for a lot of money. Why is Subaru limiting itself?

Finally, our hosts tackle the complex issue of JLR's cybersecurity hack, which has cost the company about $2B in damages and lost sales. Yikes! Why isn't anyone else talking about this? Thanks for listening!

Links:

• Benjamin's new comic book, Model Un is on Kickstarter October 7! — When aliens mistake a high school Model UN club for the rulers of the Earth, the fate of the planet rests in the hands of '90s teens. Sign up for the Kickstarter preview page at the above link!
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Then the conversation turns to Benjamin's track car, his Datsun Z, which has been turning laps for the last few years, though with some varying periods of downtime. He details its recent upgrades and how he'll return to the track in a few weeks with a new approach to apexes. Thanks for listening!

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.

Then Sami chimes in with his explanation of the 2024 Lincoln Corsair PHEV, which is a barely mentioned luxury compact crossover. While it's similar to the Escape PHEV, it gains all-wheel drive and other fancy features, but loses the value packaging of the Ford. How does that impact the overall image of the Lincoln plugin? Sami also explains how Lincoln fares these days in the world of electrified luxury.

Then the guys address some listener comments and questions about infotainment systems, pause buttons and drive mode buttons. Thanks for listening!!

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Then Sami chimes in with some sports-car stories of his own, describing his time in the 2024 Jaguar F-Type 75. A celebration of Jaguar's coupe and convertible, this model boasts plenty of power, but carries around the British brands legacy. Our hosts talk about what that means, and how the brand will continue without a two-door in the road map.

Then Benjamin has some news to share about his Grand Wagoneer. Having used it as a tow vehicle for his Datsun, he experiences the ups and downs of using an older vehicle for heavy-duty work. Be sure to visit the website, send us your comments, and check out Benjamin's kickstarter for his cool new book!

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.
• Check Out Benjamin's New Comic Book On Kickstarter: Dead Air Issue #1 — What if one day a year, every year, you could talk to the dead? It's 90's college radio sci-fi with a soundtrack!

Sami then explains how confusing his time in the 2022 Mercedes-AMG GLB35 was. Is this a hot hatch? A 'cheap' Mercedes-Benz that costs more than $60k? Or is it yet another in a line of front-wheel drive Silver Star-badged rides that continue to miss the mark at the entry level?

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Sami then shares his thoughts on the European market after having spent two weeks abroad, including some fun road trips in the 2022 Toyota Yaris Cross. The subcompact crossover is quirky and efficient, and managed to impress it's fair share of fans.

Benjamin follows with an explanation of what it's like to tow his Datsun Z track car with the new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Will his wallet will ever be the same? Finally the pair wrap up a secret, sticky, sweet feature that's only our die hard fans will really appreciate. Listen, like, rate and enjoy!

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.
• Review: The 2022 Audi RS E-tron GT — It's an astonishing automobile that shows, when it comes to EVs, range isn't everything.
• Tow Tested: The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV Is A Luxurious And Thirsty Trailer Rig — The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer might not share much in common with my own Grand Wagoneer other than the name, but it certainly proved itself a comfortable, if thirsty, stand-in while towing my Datsun up and down New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Then Sami describes how the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets the 4xe treatment, having tested it out in Austin, Texas. Listen to him explain how the heavy battery pack impacts performance, whether it can still off-road, how much this electrified version of the vehicle costs, and if it's worth the extra cost.

Finally, Ben and Sami go nuts over the new Batmobile after watching The Batman, before closing out this weeks episode. Be sure to listen, subscribe and send us your feedback and questions so we can answer them all in the next episode.

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Sami chimes in with his confusing experience in the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge, a battery-electric vehicle with the same dimensions, powertrain and range as the XC40 EV, not to mention the Polestar 2. So what does the C40 do differently? Listen to Sami's highlights of the C40 and hear how Volvo is artificially inflating its showrooms.

Then the duo chats about weird and confusing car trim names but like FOOLS they forgot to mention the long list of night-time related black-out models. Finally, they end the episode on a riff of this weeks news, including details about an Infiniti crossover that will fit between the QX50 and QX60 and won't be called the QX55.

Don't forget to listen, subscribe, review and contact us with your thoughts!

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.

Then our guest Stephen Elmer brings up the recently revealed 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, its Avalanche-inspired design, Hummer-derived powertrain, house-capable tow rating, and girthy price spread. Is the world ready for these electric truck wars? Are the roads ready? Are the charging stations ready? (Probably no to all those questions)

Finally, the guys get Sami to talk about the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, a subcompact crossover that will make you forget about the Japanese automaker's previous effort in that segment (the lamented C-HR).

Links:

• Check out the Truck King Youtube Channel! — The Truck King YouTube channel began as the Canadian Truck King Challenge, an annual competition started in 2006 that sought to crown the yearly "Truck King." We have now evolved, bringing you weekly video reviews of all the latest pickup trucks, SUVs, recreational vehicles and powersports machines on the market.
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• Review: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Is Your Cheaper 3-Row Wagoneer Alternative — How does the plus-sized Grand Cherokee L hold up in comparison to its better-established competition and the big body Wagoneer?

The Sami jumps into the newly-electrified 2021 Ford Escape PHEV, and wonders if this vehicle was made to satisfy an eco-cred quotient, or if it had an intended target in the market. With 37 miles of consistent electric range to compare to the Tucson PHEVs 33 and RAV4 Prime's 42, is the Escape a happy medium between the two?

Finally, the pair dive into a new segment this week, talking about an entire class of vehicle that eluded the North American market—the kei cars of Japan—before wrapping things up with a BMW M book review and a listener question. Tons of stuff to listen to this week, but don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments!

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.
• BMW M: 50 Years of the Ultimate Driving Machines ∙ By Tony Lewin — BMW M-Series celebrates the 50th anniversary of these legendary German performance cars, detailing both its production and motorsport stories with expert commentary and fascinating photography.
• Review: Ford’s Beastly Bronco Wildtrak Delivers, But There’s a Price to Pay — The end result is a beefy rig that is in many ways a match for the perennial Wrangler, but at the same time out of step with the evolution of sport-utility design outside the hardcore wheeling space. Whether this matters to you as a potential customer depends largely on what sacrifices you’re willing to make to drive the rebirth of legend on a daily basis.

Benjamin follows up with his thorough review of the 2022 Genesis GV70, (even though he forgot KEY DETAILS ABOUT THE POWERTRAIN) as well as it's somewhat confusing controls and biometric monitoring. Is the only thing holding Genesis back from mainstream success a mention in a Jay Z track?

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.

Later, Sami changes his mind about Subaru's midsized crossover and goes full-Sasquatch for the 2021 Subaru Outback Wilderness trim, which he says is what the model should have been in the first place. Now we all know what to get Sami for Christmas: more plastic body cladding.

Links:

• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.
• Review: The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Is No Blast From the Past — Forget heritage: Jeep is after your Escalade money

After an update about the latest twists and turns in Benjamin's Jeep Grand Wagoneer LS swap project, the pair head down a rabbit hole of summertime free-association car talk.

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• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.

Links:

• The IROC Porsches: The International Race of Champions, Porsche’s 911 RSR, and the Men Who Raced Them — The IROC Porsches chronicles the original International Race of Champions 1973–74 season, in which the world’s top drivers battled in identical Porsche RSRs to claim the title of world’s greatest racing driver.
• Like what you hear? Tip us at Ko-Fi — Send a dollar our way using Ko-Fi to help support the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.

Benjamin then startles Sami by singing the praises of the 2021 Lexus RX 450h, a hybrid SUV that would seem to be the anti-enthusiast machine—which is exactly the point, as Benjamin points out. The pair wrap things up with their thoughts on the production Jeep Grand Wagoneer as well as the cost of electricity as it informs EV buying decisions.

The pair then follow up with a deep look at the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the first three-row version of the popular SUV ever built, before being distracted by all of the other, much better names Chrysler could have used to replace the boring letter tacked on to the end of the badge.

Links:

• JEEP GRAND WAGONEER CONCEPT LEANS ON LUXURY SUV HERITAGE TO TAKE DOWN CADILLAC ESCALADE AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR — Jeep's revival of the Wagoneer brand name for a new full-size SUV puts it in a unique position in the world of premium SUVs. Unlike any other American brand operating in the luxury segment, Jeep is the only one able to claim an actual link to high end heritage, with the Wagoneer (and later the Grand Wagoneer) having invented the idea of a plush 4x4 people mover as far back as the early 1960s.

Sami then explains why the 2020 Nissan Rogue Sport is a much better small sport-utility vehicle value than it might at first seem, especially when it comes to safety. Also, there's a really long tangent about hawks versus eagles versus falcons. You've been warned!

Links:

• 2020 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE TRACKHAWK VS. 2021 MUSTANG MACH E: CHANGING OF THE DOMESTIC SUPER SUV GUARD? — The apex predator of the performance SUV world is undoubtedly the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. While other, pricier haulers from Porsche (the Cayenne Turbo) and BMW (the X5 M) might deliver smoother handling or a larger helping of luxury features, nothing else features the shock and awe of the Trackhawk's Hellcat-sourced, 707hp supercharged V8 engine, a power plant that causes even the mightiest twin-turbo Euro rival to cower in its presence.
• Review: Jeep’s 700-HP Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Is the Super SUV Nobody Needs, But Everybody Wants — “Who needs a 707-horsepower Jeep?” It’s a question that would seem to have a very short answer from any rational SUV fan’s point of view, and yet it’s one that Fiat-Chrysler saw the need to address not with a glitzy, over-muscled concept truck, but a fully-warrantied supercharged production monster that can shame a respectable list of supercars in a straight line.

Links:

• The Lost and the Furious: Films that Tried (and Failed) to Ride the Fast & Furious Wave — It seems "The Fast and Furious, but with X" remains a losing formula. The inherent laziness of that idea is why none of these knock-offs could ever hope to reach the same heights it has. But bless their hearts for trying.
• Second Chances: 10 Vehicles Where the Sequel Topped the Original — There are more than a few examples of cars that didn't get it right the first time finding their footing in their second generation—or vehicles that made the leap from "good" to "great" as they built on a strong foundation.

Links:

• 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 Review — How much are you willing to pay to be different? That’s the question that the excellent, and over-qualified 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 asks luxury SUV buyers. Slab-sided styling and go-anywhere off-road capability are major standouts in its segment, but few will actually need the extras offered by one of the last rugged overlanders left on the premium market.
• On The Road: 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 — For the 2019 model year, Mercedes-Benz finally elected to update the G-Class—the only member of its current lineup still riding on a platform brought to life via slide-rules and long-division rather than the fully-digital design environments now commonplace throughout the industry.

Links:

• 2019 McLaren 600LT Spider Review — Take an exotic supercar around a track and it can feel like you’re just holding on for dear life. Far from domesticated, these cars do what they want, with jittery energy that can be hard to control if you’re unprepared.
• The New Kia Soul Is Funky Made Fresher — It’s said that the best revenge is living well—and for the Kia Soul, it’s hard to imagine one better against the Japanese boxes that it sought to usurp when it first appeared in 2010.

Links:

• Bradley Iger - Instagram
• 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ first drive review — Lamborghini’s V12 flagship brings the shock and awe for SVJ duty.
• On the Track: 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ — Wrangling Sant'Agata's Baddest Bull.

Links:

• 2018 Jeep Compass Review — This mini-Grand Cherokee has a few drawbacks.