Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / When Design Ages Well And Power Stays Loud
Transcript
- 0:06SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another in-wheel time podcast.
- 0:09SPEAKER_00: I had a chance to drive the Mazda CX5 for 2025.
- 0:14SPEAKER_00: This car was built in Hiroshima, Japan.
- 0:17SPEAKER_00: Hurrah! Available trim levels 2.5S.
- 0:22SPEAKER_00: 2.5S Select 2.5S Preferred 2.5S Carbon Edition.
- 0:31SPEAKER_00: 2.5 premium plus 2.5 carbon turbo.
- 0:39SPEAKER_00: 2.5 turbo premium.
- 0:42SPEAKER_00: 2.5 turbo signature.
- 0:44SPEAKER_00: It's wrong.
- 0:47SPEAKER_00: Honest to God, really?
- 0:48SPEAKER_00: Yeah, really.
- 0:49SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
- 0:50SPEAKER_00: Do we need to have the 2.5?
- 0:51SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
- 0:52SPEAKER_00: How about select preferred carbon fiber?
- 0:55SPEAKER_02: Well, why would you have to they need some chrome across the back to put the so they got put the name back there?
- 1:01SPEAKER_00: Well, I drove the 2.5 turbo signature.
- 1:04SPEAKER_00: Are you sure?
- 1:05SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not.
- 1:06SPEAKER_00: But that's what the that's what the Monroni said.
- 1:10SPEAKER_00: This is a five-passenger small SUV.
- 1:13SPEAKER_00: This was all new in 2017.
- 1:14SPEAKER_00: You're saying, well, wait a minute.
- 1:16SPEAKER_00: We this is an old, long of the two thing.
- 1:19SPEAKER_00: Well, yes, it is, but it's their most popular vehicle still.
- 1:25SPEAKER_00: Now it's going to be phased out soon.
- 1:28SPEAKER_00: But it is still for sale.
- 1:30SPEAKER_00: And its replacement is the CX 50.
- 1:35SPEAKER_00: Duh.
- 1:36SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm telling you, just yeah, what we've got on the screen right there, that's just a that's a nice car that any family could use to drive around town.
- 1:43SPEAKER_02: I mean, it just looks good.
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: Although it may be uh an older design, it's still one of the best looking in its class, I think.
- 1:51SPEAKER_00: Uh familiar shark nose grill with uh a very nice squinty headlight design up front.
- 2:00SPEAKER_00: Slots, yeah.
- 2:01SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 2:01SPEAKER_00: Big wheel openings with wheels and tires that fill the void.
- 2:06SPEAKER_00: Rounded rear hatch with nice lighting.
- 2:09SPEAKER_00: What I liked about it, the overall looks get high design marks, in my opinion.
- 2:13SPEAKER_00: What could use improvement?
- 2:14SPEAKER_00: Well, they haven't changed it since 2017, so why mess with a good thing?
- 2:19SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like for years and years and years.
- 2:21SPEAKER_00: You know, Jeep had the uh wonderful Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- 2:25SPEAKER_00: They made no changes to it, they sold every one that they made.
- 2:29SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if you start changing and jacking with stuff, that's when you really roll the dice.
- 2:36SPEAKER_00: So don't just keep it going.
- 2:38SPEAKER_00: Uh interior highlights, sharp looking design inside too, with high quality surfaces.
- 2:43SPEAKER_00: Infotainment screen sits atop the dash.
- 2:45SPEAKER_00: Not a big fan, but remember this is 2017 design.
- 2:49SPEAKER_00: Second row seat is a little tight as far as leg room is concerned.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: Cargo trunk room, adequate.
- 2:55SPEAKER_00: It fits its size.
- 2:57SPEAKER_00: Uh what I liked about it, the quality and the lasting design of the interior as well.
- 3:01SPEAKER_00: What could use improvement?
- 3:02SPEAKER_00: The infotainment system needs an easier-to-use operating system.
- 3:08SPEAKER_00: I've gone over that a jillion times and I'm gonna beat a dead horse.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: 2.5 liter turbocharged four-cylinder that turns out a perfectly matched 227 horsepower and 310 pound feet of torque.
- 3:22SPEAKER_00: It has a six-speed automatic transmission.
- 3:25SPEAKER_00: It gives you an idea once again of the older school.
- 3:28SPEAKER_00: Yep.
- 3:28SPEAKER_00: Because everybody's either going to the CVT or a tenth speed.
- 3:31SPEAKER_00: This works just fine.
- 3:32SPEAKER_00: It toes up to one ton.
- 3:34SPEAKER_00: It gets 22 in the city, 27 on the highway.
- 3:37SPEAKER_00: For a combined at 24, I got 24.2 miles per gallon, over 454.8 miles.
- 3:44SPEAKER_00: What I liked about it, the Peppy motor.
- 3:47SPEAKER_00: What could use improvement?
- 3:49SPEAKER_00: Don't mess with it.
- 3:50SPEAKER_00: Leave it alone.
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: Make the money.
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: It's good.
- 3:53SPEAKER_00: Ride and handling.
- 3:54SPEAKER_00: Uh what I liked about it, I liked its sports car handling.
- 3:58SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're not into that kind of a ride, that kind of a quickness in the steering, then this might not be for you.
- 4:05SPEAKER_00: But if you appreciate that, you like to throw it around the corner once in a while, this is your small SUV.
- 4:13SPEAKER_00: Now, it does have, like I said, sports car handling.
- 4:17SPEAKER_00: What could use improvement in that?
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: Nothing.
- 4:19SPEAKER_00: If you don't like it, then you're going to have to go to a different make, model, uh, or design altogether.
- 4:26SPEAKER_00: But they play off of the Mazda Miata CX5.
- 4:32SPEAKER_00: What is Mm.
- 4:34SPEAKER_00: No, MX5, sorry.
- 4:36SPEAKER_00: That's the Mazda Miata.
- 4:38SPEAKER_00: All right, let's talk about the price.
- 4:39SPEAKER_00: Base trim price,$40,760.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: That's the base.
- 4:44SPEAKER_00: As tested,$42,750.
- 4:47SPEAKER_00: That's still not bad.
- 4:48SPEAKER_00: Now, to get into one, if you guys want to buy one, bottom baseline price,$28,570.
- 4:55SPEAKER_00: Oh, there you go.
- 4:56SPEAKER_00: See?
- 4:56SPEAKER_04: Mm-hmm.
- 4:57SPEAKER_01: And you need to build up the layers, and obviously this is the top of the line one.
- 5:01SPEAKER_01: And you're finding a lot of the manufacturers are in that price range, I guess the sweet spot.
- 5:05SPEAKER_00: One of the competitors to this vehicle is the all-new Mazda CX50.
- 5:10SPEAKER_00: Because it starts at$3,300.
- 5:13SPEAKER_00: Well, it's almost a$2,000 difference, almost$1,800 difference.
- 5:17SPEAKER_00: Wow.
- 5:18SPEAKER_00: So take a look at the Mazda CX50.
- 5:20SPEAKER_00: Maybe you'll like that a little bit better for a little bit more change.
- 5:25SPEAKER_00: Another competitor, the Honda CRV,$30,100.
- 5:30SPEAKER_00: Or the Kia Sportage,$27,190.
- 5:33SPEAKER_00: They're all in there.
- 5:34SPEAKER_00: And that is huh?
- 5:35SPEAKER_00: Yep.
- 5:35SPEAKER_00: You're all in that range.
- 5:36SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 5:37SPEAKER_00: That is my review of the Mazda CX5 for 2025.
- 5:43SPEAKER_00: All right.
- 5:44SPEAKER_00: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, shoot us an email.
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.
- 5:50SPEAKER_00: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
- 5:53SPEAKER_00: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
- 6:04SPEAKER_00: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, Tune in, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
- 6:12SPEAKER_00: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: You know, the rats ate into the wiring, which was underneath the battery, is where that all rats are posted.
- 6:36SPEAKER_00: Well, squirrels.
- 6:38SPEAKER_00: Could have been any of the above.
- 6:40SPEAKER_00: I didn't I didn't take a picture of them when we were down there gnawing on my wiring.
- 6:44SPEAKER_01: Or that day we walked in here and they were partying with, you know, animals.
- 6:50SPEAKER_00: Anyway, so anyway, that's our lead-in for Jeff in the worst to best category of batteries.
- 6:55SPEAKER_01: There it is.
- 6:56SPEAKER_01: You're gonna start.
- 6:57SPEAKER_01: Well, number 10, because we're gonna do 10 of these.
- 6:59SPEAKER_01: Number 10 is Everstart.
- 7:02SPEAKER_01: Everstart is a Walmart store brand.
- 7:04SPEAKER_01: Everstart is affordable, it's a lead acid variety.
- 7:08SPEAKER_01: Uh, but buyers have encountered unreliable and short lifespans with it.
- 7:12SPEAKER_01: However, they're well reviewed on Walmart's website, and Everstart has a fairly wide variety of battery sizes.
- 7:19SPEAKER_01: So it's 10, we're starting at the worst.
- 7:20SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're starting at the worst.
- 7:21SPEAKER_02: And I will say that that I just put one of those in one of my granddaughter's cars.
- 7:25SPEAKER_02: Oh.
- 7:26SPEAKER_02: And and because I've had good service out of them, but mainly because Walmart's everywhere.
- 7:33SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 7:33SPEAKER_02: So if she's back in San Marcus or Houston or someplace and she needs a battery, move all you can go get one.
- 7:39SPEAKER_01: Good.
- 7:39SPEAKER_01: Number nine is Interstate.
- 7:41SPEAKER_01: The green label and occasionally green topped interstate batteries are available at many independent shops and at their own interstate all battery centers and also Mike through Costco's.
- 7:50SPEAKER_01: I did not know that.
- 7:52SPEAKER_01: The reliable battery replacement uh is an interesting history.
- 7:55SPEAKER_01: Interstates are available in a large number of group sizes and applications.
- 8:00SPEAKER_01: So that's number nine on the list.
- 8:02SPEAKER_01: I thought that they were good.
- 8:03SPEAKER_01: I had one one time many years ago.
- 8:04SPEAKER_01: It worked out okay.
- 8:05SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 8:06SPEAKER_02: We we have an interstate store there in Bowmine, and those those guys are they're great to work with.
- 8:11SPEAKER_01: The one that uh I did not know is this is number eight.
- 8:13SPEAKER_01: I didn't know it was in high on the worst list because Motocraft I thought was a very comparable brand, but the Ford Motor Company, house branded batteries, is available at all Ford dealerships as well as O'Reilly Auto Parts, allowing folks who want to maintain the OEM parts on their vehicles to access replacement batteries almost anywhere.
- 8:31SPEAKER_01: That's why O'Reilly's has it.
- 8:33SPEAKER_01: Typically, uh the warranties are also accepted at all facilities.
- 8:36SPEAKER_01: Here's the point with Motocraft.
- 8:38SPEAKER_01: The benefit is that the decision was made that Ford knows what battery goes in each car.
- 8:45SPEAKER_01: So if you'd have it done by the dealership, they know it's right.
- 8:47SPEAKER_01: If you have it done by an independent and they put the wrong battery in, Ford's not going to warranty anything because they know what battery goes in it.
- 8:54SPEAKER_01: As an example, uh the battery for a like a 1996 Ford Ranger, whatever it is, small vehicle, is like 250 bucks through the dealer.
- 9:06SPEAKER_01: So keep that in mind when you buy these things that you can get to what you pay for.
- 9:11SPEAKER_01: The next one on this is a GM brand.
- 9:13SPEAKER_01: It's an AC Delco available from third-party retailers and directly from GM.
- 9:18SPEAKER_01: The AC Delco batteries come in a variety of group sizes and performance ratings, and they're competitively priced.
- 9:24SPEAKER_01: Uh they offer a standard warranty, a range of group sizes designed to fit GM vehicles, and a few AGM options, which is the absorbent glass mat.
- 9:35SPEAKER_01: While they're officially recognized by General Motors as the only batteries recommended by GM, sort of what Motocraft does for the vehicles, they don't offer any spectacular things when it comes to options and features.
- 9:48SPEAKER_01: Uh and again, the absorbent glass mat is a fiber, they're fiber layers between the positive and negative plates in the battery.
- 9:56SPEAKER_01: So that's where they come up with that.
- 9:57SPEAKER_03: And and the Corvette went to an AGM battery in production.
- 10:01SPEAKER_00: Yep.
- 10:01SPEAKER_00: Yep.
- 10:02SPEAKER_00: Is that the what they have now?
- 10:04SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 10:04SPEAKER_00: They do.
- 10:05SPEAKER_00: So I could buy one from I01.
- 10:07SPEAKER_00: You could.
- 10:08SPEAKER_00: You could probably pay a top dollar for it.
- 10:09SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're gonna pay top dollar on anything, yeah, really.
- 10:12SPEAKER_01: The number six on this list is a Bosch.
- 10:14SPEAKER_01: Bosch lands in the middle of this ranking for a good reason.
- 10:17SPEAKER_01: They're a brand that provides a dependable, well-regarded battery at a good price from their affordable one-year warranty up through batteries, Mike.
- 10:25SPEAKER_01: They come with four-year full replacement coverage.
- 10:29SPEAKER_01: Bosch runs the gamut of both quality tiers and group sizes.
- 10:33SPEAKER_01: German.
- 10:33SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, there you go.
- 10:34SPEAKER_01: That's the quality.
- 10:36SPEAKER_01: Here's one that I did not know even existed.
- 10:38SPEAKER_01: It's called an anti-gravity battery.
- 10:43SPEAKER_01: Beat me up, Scott.
- 10:44SPEAKER_01: Anybody?
- 10:45SPEAKER_01: A recent addition to the car battery market is anti-gravity batteries.
- 10:49SPEAKER_01: Their niche isn't in providing the most power like competitors, but providing a greener solution to automotive power with lithium-ion batteries.
- 11:00SPEAKER_01: The same kind of rechargeable batteries used in products all around the house.
- 11:03SPEAKER_01: Anti-gravity batteries are primarily used in motorsports, not in passenger cars, as their batteries are significant significantly lighter than the AGM lead acid batteries.
- 11:14SPEAKER_01: So there you go.
- 11:16SPEAKER_02: So but so they're gonna produce the same amount of juice power, power, reliability, but green power.
- 11:24SPEAKER_03: Well, and you gotta remember in a battery that that measurement is called cold cranking amps.
- 11:29SPEAKER_03: So it's the ability of the battery to create power at a certain low temperature, that cold cranking amps.
- 11:36SPEAKER_03: And each car, depending on what car you have, has a level of cold cranking amps that's required in the battery.
- 11:43SPEAKER_03: So that's why the battery price kind of moves up and down, because the higher the cold cranking amps, the higher the price of the battery.
- 11:50SPEAKER_02: That particular battery, the anti-grav anti-gravity?
- 11:53SPEAKER_02: Yes, anti-gravity.
- 11:56SPEAKER_02: If it doesn't have the the the lead plates and things in it, like a normal battery does, how does it produce good question?
- 12:04SPEAKER_03: I've never heard of it.
- 12:05SPEAKER_03: Okay but that's that's part of this whole go green thing.
- 12:08SPEAKER_03: I think Pixie Dust.
- 12:10SPEAKER_00: There you go.
- 12:10SPEAKER_00: It probably costs twice as much as anything else.
- 12:12SPEAKER_03: Pixie Dust and Unicorn.
- 12:14SPEAKER_01: There you go.
- 12:14SPEAKER_01: Number four on my list uh is XS Power.
- 12:17SPEAKER_01: XS.
- 12:18SPEAKER_01: XS Power is a newer automotive battery brand.
- 12:21SPEAKER_01: Cool other.
- 12:22SPEAKER_01: It's one that uh made its mark in the industry with some wildly overpowered batteries.
- 12:27SPEAKER_01: In fact, some of these batteries might even have excessive power.
- 12:31SPEAKER_01: Their batteries feature light gray design with aggressive labeling and unique connection terminals for users connecting these batteries to expensive audio and electrical accessories.
- 12:42SPEAKER_01: Oh these are the guys that are so there you go.
- 12:47SPEAKER_01: But that's number four on the list.
- 12:49SPEAKER_01: Or the hydraulic systems.
- 12:51SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
- 12:51SPEAKER_01: You're right, yeah.
- 12:52SPEAKER_01: Number three on the list is Odyssey.
- 12:54SPEAKER_01: Odyssey batteries have a number of features that have pushed them high on the rankings.
- 12:58SPEAKER_01: This is number three.
- 13:00SPEAKER_01: And their commitment to over-engineering has given them the battery reputation of reliability.
- 13:05SPEAKER_01: Uh, they claim a longer life service, longer life cycle, and a shelf life, too, because that's important if the battery's sitting around.
- 13:13SPEAKER_01: Uh in the event of a failure, Odyssey offers a four-year full replacement warranty on several of their battery lines, at least one year for most of their products.
- 13:23SPEAKER_01: So Odyssey is number three.
- 13:25SPEAKER_01: Never heard of them.
- 13:25SPEAKER_01: Number two, you heard of this next one.
- 13:27SPEAKER_01: It's a die hard.
- 13:28SPEAKER_01: Not the movie, Mike.
- 13:29SPEAKER_01: Not the movie.
- 13:31SPEAKER_01: Used to be the Sears brand.
- 13:32SPEAKER_01: Yep, and this battery is the one that your dad told you to put in your first car when you bought it.
- 13:37SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 13:38SPEAKER_01: Die Hard remains the great aftermarket option even after Sears sold the brand to advanced auto parts back in 2019.
- 13:45SPEAKER_01: However, the new ownership, it didn't affect the actual product because whether the die hard was purchased from a Sears Auto Center or from an auto zone, the battery was still manufactured by Clarios.
- 13:57SPEAKER_02: So you can get this.
- 13:58SPEAKER_02: Wait a minute.
- 13:59SPEAKER_00: Clarios is the same company that makes go, no, you go that uh that makes Optima.
- 14:07SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 14:08SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's and in the industry, there's probably just a few manufacturers that are all branded differently.
- 14:14SPEAKER_01: AC Delco and Die Hard are made in the same factory on the East Coast.
- 14:18SPEAKER_01: Back when I was with XL Parts.
- 14:20SPEAKER_01: They put that was one of the things that different lines.
- 14:23SPEAKER_01: Not uncommon.
- 14:23SPEAKER_01: Not uncommon.
- 14:24SPEAKER_01: Okay, drum roll Conrad, and the number one battery is Optima.
- 14:29SPEAKER_01: Optima batteries use several unique design choices that move them to the top of this list.
- 14:35SPEAKER_01: Their six-pack design and spiral wound cells are used in both the lead-based and AGM Conrad.
- 14:41SPEAKER_03: Very unique design versions of the batteries.
- 14:44SPEAKER_01: Lead, or I'm sorry, lead, leading to an instantaneously recognizable and wholly unique battery in a world of heavy plastic boxes.
- 14:52SPEAKER_01: They are not inexpensive.
- 14:55SPEAKER_01: No.
- 14:55SPEAKER_01: The most affordable option for a 1996 Ford Ranger is$250.
- 15:02SPEAKER_01: But the reliability, it's trusted.
- 15:04SPEAKER_01: They have a good warranty backing the product on your red top, yellow top, and blue top batteries.
- 15:10SPEAKER_01: So there you go.
- 15:11SPEAKER_01: Where can you get those now, though?
- 15:13SPEAKER_00: Optima?
- 15:13SPEAKER_00: A lot of places.
- 15:14SPEAKER_00: You can actually buy them directly from the factory from about the same price that you would pay at any retailer, and they will mail it to you.
- 15:26SPEAKER_00: Did not know that.
- 15:27SPEAKER_00: I did not know that either.
- 15:28SPEAKER_00: How do you mail a battery?
- 15:29SPEAKER_00: They do?
- 15:30SPEAKER_00: A lot of stamps.
- 15:31SPEAKER_00: Very carefully.
- 15:32SPEAKER_00: A lot of stamps.
- 15:32SPEAKER_03: Well, I'm I'm a fan of AutoZone's battery.
- 15:35SPEAKER_03: They use a superstart.
- 15:36SPEAKER_03: Now I've had that in my UConn.
- 15:38SPEAKER_03: And a couple of years ago, the Yukon was having I was having what I thought was battery trouble.
- 15:44SPEAKER_03: And I took the battery out, brought it back to AutoZone to buy a new one because I like their battery.
- 15:49SPEAKER_03: And the guy looked it up, he goes, Oh, this is still under warranty.
- 15:53SPEAKER_03: Here's your new one for free.
- 15:55SPEAKER_03: I didn't even realize how long the warranty was on it.
- 15:57SPEAKER_03: It was probably almost three years.
- 15:59SPEAKER_01: Mark your battery the date you bought it, and then when you get in there doing your work and it's oh, I'm gonna take it back just before the warranty.
- 16:05SPEAKER_03: And keep the receipt.
- 16:06SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
- 16:06SPEAKER_03: And that's gonna lead into my segment is keep the receipt.
- 16:10SPEAKER_03: There you go.
- 16:11SPEAKER_03: So would you like to do it?
- 16:13SPEAKER_03: But batteries are something that need to be replaced, especially in Houston because of the heat.
- 16:18SPEAKER_03: You know, heat's one of the things that damages batteries.
- 16:21SPEAKER_03: And then deep cycling a battery or taking it down to zero um is very damaging to the battery.
- 16:27SPEAKER_03: So the more often it goes down to zero, the less the life of the battery is.
- 16:38SPEAKER_02: Uh in the boats.
- 16:40SPEAKER_02: Like trolling motors and things like that, just because they would cycle so long.
- 16:44SPEAKER_03: Well, and the other thing is they don't um uh they're not used very often, so the battery kind of sits there unused in storage longer than a car to be able to do it.
- 16:55SPEAKER_03: Well they weren't shelf like they weren't so much about the cold cranking amps as it were, it's how long of if your vehicles calls for a 680 cold cranking amps, what's the next cold cranking amps up that fits the box that your car battery is?
- 17:13SPEAKER_03: Go ahead and bump up a little bit.
- 17:15SPEAKER_03: Never hurts.
- 17:16SPEAKER_03: It doesn't?
- 17:17SPEAKER_03: It won't ruin the computers that's in the code.
- 17:19SPEAKER_03: No, no, no, no.
- 17:20SPEAKER_03: Cold cranking amps is just fire it up the power you have at a certain temperature when you first hit the key, you know, to spin the engine up.
- 17:28SPEAKER_01: A dry start, right?
- 17:30SPEAKER_03: All right.
- 17:31SPEAKER_03: Well, that was fun.
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- 18:47SPEAKER_00: Apple or Android NWL Time Podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
- 18:52SPEAKER_00: Whether you're on the road or at home in Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try.
- 18:58SPEAKER_00: Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
- 19:08SPEAKER_00: Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music.
- 19:14SPEAKER_00: InWheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists.
- 19:32SPEAKER_00: Let's do the Dodge Durango review.
- 19:34SPEAKER_00: Mr.
- 19:34SPEAKER_00: Mars had a chance to drive that.
- 19:37SPEAKER_02: And I was really surprised when the 2025 Dodge Durango showed up in the driveway.
- 19:41SPEAKER_02: Uh for one thing, uh I was pleasantly surprised that they're still building it.
- 19:45SPEAKER_02: At least they've got haven't lost everything.
- 19:47SPEAKER_02: They've still got a little bit of performance in their veins somewhere.
- 19:50SPEAKER_02: And this is the Dodge Durango.
- 19:52SPEAKER_02: This is the 20th anniversary premium all wheel drive version.
- 19:56SPEAKER_02: Now, there are 10 trim levels listed on this thing.
- 19:59SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna go Through all ten of them, take my word for it.
- 20:01SPEAKER_02: We were the seventh from the bottom, so we were pretty well equipped, but not fully all the way up to the top.
- 20:07SPEAKER_02: And uh it's a full-size three-row SUV.
- 20:10SPEAKER_02: Now I say it that way because it's kind of a tweener.
- 20:12SPEAKER_02: It's a small, full size, or it's a big mid-size.
- 20:16SPEAKER_02: I can't find anything on Silantis that actually says what they categorize it as, but several places refer to it as its full size, several refer to it.
- 20:24SPEAKER_02: What did the window sticker as a mid-size?
- 20:26SPEAKER_02: It don't.
- 20:27SPEAKER_02: It don't.
- 20:28SPEAKER_02: It don't.
- 20:29SPEAKER_02: It don't play.
- 20:30SPEAKER_02: I don't think that's proper English, but go ahead.
- 20:33SPEAKER_00: Well, anyway.
- 20:34SPEAKER_00: So we're going to go with that.
- 20:35SPEAKER_00: Three-row SUV.
- 20:37SPEAKER_00: Let me see your window sticker.
- 20:38SPEAKER_00: Do you have it?
- 20:39SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 20:39SPEAKER_02: Okay.
- 20:39SPEAKER_02: Just to see.
- 20:40SPEAKER_02: And it seats uh six people.
- 20:42SPEAKER_02: So we had the the six seat, six-piece person setting.
- 20:46SPEAKER_02: Now on the outside of it, you're going to find the LED lighting all the way around, uh, including the automatic headlights, auto-leveling headlights, which I really like the way some of this automatic stuff has gone.
- 20:56SPEAKER_02: And with the headlights.
- 20:57SPEAKER_02: It has the black trim package on it, including the roof rails and the badging.
- 21:03SPEAKER_02: And uh it had the Hellcat style performance hood, you know, with the end scoop and the air extractors.
- 21:10SPEAKER_02: And it looked really good, and that's where the first thing you think of is oh, it's a Hellcat.
- 21:14SPEAKER_02: No, it's not.
- 21:15SPEAKER_02: So it has uh multifunction fold away mirrors.
- 21:19SPEAKER_02: What has it got here?
- 21:20SPEAKER_02: Fine print.
- 21:20SPEAKER_02: I can't read that.
- 21:22SPEAKER_00: Standard SUV.
- 21:23SPEAKER_00: Body on frame, I assume.
- 21:25SPEAKER_00: So what is a standard?
- 21:26SPEAKER_00: Is that mid-size?
- 21:28SPEAKER_00: According to the government, it's a standard SUV.
- 21:30SPEAKER_00: Well, it's probably a large SUV in the government size.
- 21:36SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 21:39SPEAKER_02: Yes, okay.
- 21:41SPEAKER_02: I don't like the this I don't I like the mid-size, full size, compact.
- 21:45SPEAKER_02: They don't do it.
- 21:45SPEAKER_02: No, they don't do it then.
- 21:46SPEAKER_02: I know.
- 21:47SPEAKER_02: Unless they're gonna get it.
- 21:48SPEAKER_02: Depends on what the marketing people want it to be.
- 21:50SPEAKER_00: Compact, compact, that sort of thing.
- 21:52SPEAKER_00: No, this is a standard.
- 21:53SPEAKER_00: So a standard would be about the size of a Tahoe or a suburban.
- 21:58SPEAKER_02: See, to me, those are full size.
- 22:00SPEAKER_02: And if you look at some places they call them full size.
- 22:02SPEAKER_02: Okay.
- 22:03SPEAKER_02: Well, this is a standard size.
- 22:04SPEAKER_02: Okay.
- 22:04SPEAKER_02: Standard size.
- 22:05SPEAKER_02: We're gonna have to figure out what a standard size is, Jeremy.
- 22:07SPEAKER_02: I'm holding the video, so go ahead.
- 22:10SPEAKER_02: So you also we also had uh look at the mirrors, we had the power sunroof, got a power lift gate on it, and we were rolling on some special 20 by 10 brass monkey wheels.
- 22:19SPEAKER_02: Now, this brass monkey is a special, another special edition they've come out with.
- 22:23SPEAKER_02: That's against the let's say brass monkey on the radio.
- 22:26SPEAKER_00: You can't do that.
- 22:27SPEAKER_00: Why?
- 22:28SPEAKER_00: Well, because it has other connotations.
- 22:32SPEAKER_00: Monkey shine, all the time.
- 22:33SPEAKER_02: Well, during the commercial, you can tell me what that is, but let's not go there now.
- 22:36SPEAKER_02: So uh and when we get to the inside of it, we had the SRT performance seats on it because this is part of the SRT family.
- 22:42SPEAKER_02: Uh we had the premium industrial uh in premium instrument panel, which is 10.1 I can't read my own writing.
- 22:53SPEAKER_02: 10.1 touch screen with the UConnect 5 system, and it works really good.
- 22:57SPEAKER_02: Like uh we've always talked about the UConnect system.
- 23:00SPEAKER_02: The only there's a couple of places, and I think that's a problem with the screen to where you have to touch it a couple of times, but once it connects, it really goes to it quick.
- 23:07SPEAKER_02: And I've always liked it.
- 23:09SPEAKER_02: We had the heated and ventilated front seats, we had the second row captain's chairs, which is what makes it a six-passenger, and the second row chairs are also heated.
- 23:18SPEAKER_02: Uh the third row is easier to get into with the captain's chairs because they fold up a lot better and they'll fold forward a whole lot easier to make it easier for the kiddos to get into the back.
- 23:26SPEAKER_02: Then we had the 19-speaker Hard and Carmen uh premium audio system with a subwoofer, and uh it really sounded well.
- 23:34SPEAKER_02: Of course, I like listening to the motor on it, so I didn't turn it up.
- 23:37SPEAKER_02: What kind of music do you listen to?
- 23:39SPEAKER_02: Buffett.
- 23:39SPEAKER_02: A little bit of both.
- 23:41SPEAKER_02: Both?
- 23:42SPEAKER_02: Both what?
- 23:42SPEAKER_02: Country and Western.
- 23:46SPEAKER_02: Under the hood, speaking of which, it's I was really glad they still have it.
- 23:51SPEAKER_02: The 5.7 liter V8 Hemi.
- 23:53SPEAKER_02: Now, this is not the Hellcat, although the Hellcat's still available for 25.
- 23:58SPEAKER_02: I guess they had some leftovers.
- 23:59SPEAKER_02: 360 horsepower, 390 pound feet of table.
- 24:02SPEAKER_00: They forgot that they offered one and they just haven't gotten to kill it yet.
- 24:05SPEAKER_02: That's it.
- 24:06SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 24:06SPEAKER_02: Somebody snuck it out the door.
- 24:08SPEAKER_02: It's uh got the eight-speed automatic that's pretty well standard across all their vehicles, so it's got plenty of power and plenty of torque.
- 24:14SPEAKER_02: So this thing is rated with the tow package to tow 8,700 pounds.
- 24:18SPEAKER_02: So you can carry your your big RV, your big boat.
- 24:21SPEAKER_02: It'll tow quite a bit.
- 24:23SPEAKER_02: However, the EPA says in the city you should look for about 14 on the highway, about 22, and combined 17.
- 24:32SPEAKER_02: Ta-da.
- 24:33SPEAKER_02: Ta-da.
- 24:34SPEAKER_02: I got 16 the week I was driving it.
- 24:36SPEAKER_02: So I was pretty happy with that.
- 24:38SPEAKER_02: But again, we we we're out on the highway quite a bit.
- 24:42SPEAKER_02: And it does have the sports suspension, so uh, and it's got several different modes.
- 24:46SPEAKER_02: You had the sport mode, the track mode, the tow mode, the snow mode.
- 24:49SPEAKER_02: And it does have a mode.
- 24:51SPEAKER_02: A la mode.
- 24:52SPEAKER_02: A la mode.
- 24:53SPEAKER_02: That's if you go to San Antonio.
- 24:55SPEAKER_02: It does have the flat run tires on it, which I was a little uh thinking I've never been a fan of flat runs.
- 25:01SPEAKER_02: Run flat, yeah.
- 25:01SPEAKER_02: Run flats.
- 25:03unknown: Damn.
- 25:04SPEAKER_02: And uh Theoretically.
- 25:06SPEAKER_02: Because they're always they're always running.
- 25:10SPEAKER_02: They and I've over never liked it.
- 25:13SPEAKER_02: But with the suspension that this thing's got on, it's got a sports suspension on it, but you really don't notice that it's the run flat tires.
- 25:20SPEAKER_02: So it's a stiffer ride.
- 25:22SPEAKER_02: It is, yeah.
- 25:23SPEAKER_02: But uh you kind of they kind of blend in, I guess is what I'm saying.
- 25:27SPEAKER_02: Uh it is a heavier vehicle because it is a big SUV.
- 25:32SPEAKER_02: I think if you were out on a road course or something, you'd really notice it.
- 25:35SPEAKER_02: But driving around town, driving around on the highway, it's uh it's a very pleasant vehicle to drive, other than you know you're in a little bit larger vehicle.
- 25:43SPEAKER_02: I can't wait for Kimberly Schultz to listen to this.
- 25:46SPEAKER_02: Kimberly, we love you.
- 25:47SPEAKER_02: Never mind.
- 25:48SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna have to edit it a little bit.
- 25:50SPEAKER_02: So the base model price on the Durango is$43,590, which I didn't think was bad at all.
- 25:56SPEAKER_02: The base trim price for the 20th anniversary premium all-wheel drive is I mean, uh 20th anniversary is$54,495.
- 26:05SPEAKER_02: However, uh, with some of the options that we had on here, which there's a whole lot of them as far as the uh some uh yeah, a bunch of things like brake black brake calipers, I thought was kind of strange, but it's part of the black trim package.
- 26:18SPEAKER_02: $72,460 for the MSRP, which if you start looking across uh at some of the things, again, I looked, I really didn't find anything in the mid-size SUV that I thought compared to it because of the performance.
- 26:32SPEAKER_02: But if you look at the Kia Tell you ride, it starts at$37,585 versus the Durango at$43.5.
- 26:37SPEAKER_02: Well the Mazda CX90 at$37,845.
- 26:41SPEAKER_02: However, if you step up and look at the little bit other side of it, the Chevy Tahoe, and consider it a standard vehicle, standard size SUV, well that thing's gonna start at 60,000 versus the 43,000.
- 26:51SPEAKER_02: So it's kind of to me, it's kind of a tweener, but when you package the performance aspects to it, I personally think you there's not much you're gonna compare it to.
- 27:00SPEAKER_00: So if you got the Hellcat motor in this thing, you're probably looking at uh close to$100,000.
- 27:07SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 27:07SPEAKER_02: Yeah, probably.
- 27:07SPEAKER_02: You know, another$20 tacked on it for the the motor, if not more.
- 27:11SPEAKER_02: Uh maybe they give you a discount if you're buying the last Hellcat.
- 27:14SPEAKER_01: And we talked about it earlier.
- 27:15SPEAKER_01: What's the the gas guzzler tax, too, probably?
- 27:19SPEAKER_01: The Hellcat.
- 27:20SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the Hellcat.
- 27:21SPEAKER_02: Yep, probably so.
- 27:22SPEAKER_02: Yes, as a matter of fact, I know there is, because I remember from the last time I had one, there was a I was surprised that it was that much.
- 27:28SPEAKER_02: Concerning it would get 20 miles to the gallon out on the highway.
- 27:31SPEAKER_02: Ooh.
- 27:32SPEAKER_02: Well, the problem is nobody drives it that way because they got their foot off it.
- 27:36SPEAKER_01: Not in Neederland, no.
- 27:38SPEAKER_02: But anyway, that's the Dodge Drangle 2025.
- 27:40SPEAKER_00: Thank you, and thank you, Dodge Motor Company and Kimberly Schultz.
- 27:43SPEAKER_00: We appreciate it.
- 27:44SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
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