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Spider-Man Pops Up In Your BMW.....? · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:06
  Don Armstrong: And welcome to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:10
  Don Armstrong: Coming up, Mr.
• 0:12
  Don Armstrong: Mars reviews the new Subaru Trail Seeker.
• 0:15
  unknown: Yep.
• 0:16
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has the cruise in and events calendars.
• 0:19
  Don Armstrong: And I'll have this week's top automotive news stories all coming up on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:27
  Don Armstrong: Howdy, along with Mike Out of This World Mars.
• 0:30
  Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff Zeke, Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 0:33
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:34
  Don Armstrong: So glad that you could join us for our live show today.
• 0:41
  Don Armstrong: If you're listening or watching or being one with us on a podcast, we thank you for that as well.
• 0:47
  Jeff Dziekan: Absolutely.
• 0:48
  Jeff Dziekan: So thanks.
• 0:48
  Jeff Dziekan: We're kind of mind melding.
• 0:51
  Don Armstrong: We do that all the time.
• 0:53
  Don Armstrong: Every Friday night.
• 0:54
  Don Armstrong: We do.
• 0:55
  Don Armstrong: With a big margarita, right?
• 0:57
  Jeff Dziekan: It's mind melting.
• 0:58
  Don Armstrong: Oh, that's what it is.
• 0:59
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 1:00
  Don Armstrong: That was quite a crowd last night.
• 1:02
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, it was.
• 1:02
  Jeff Dziekan: It was a late crowd, too.
• 1:04
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, got kind of a lot of screaming kids and stuff.
• 1:06
  Don Armstrong: Screaming kids and screaming adults and bad managers.
• 1:10
  Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
• 1:10
  Don Armstrong: The whole nine yards.
• 1:11
  Don Armstrong: Good food, good margaritas.
• 1:13
  Don Armstrong: Well, here's one that uh I somehow, some way, I kind of take joy in this.
• 1:22
  Don Armstrong: It's not good for the people that spend a whole buttload of money on BMW.
• 1:27
  Don Armstrong: You like Spike, don't you?
• 1:28
  Don Armstrong: BMW's decision to place a Spider-Man film promotion on dashboard screens in more than 70 countries turned a short-lived brand partnership into a test of how much unsolicited marketing car owners will accept inside their connected cars.
• 1:47
  Don Armstrong: For two weeks, BMW owners were presented with a banner popping up on the control display when turning on the vehicle.
• 1:55
  Don Armstrong: Selecting it launched a full-screen festive animation, quote unquote, complete with music and a show using the car's ambient lighting, all part of a promotion for Spider-Man brand new day.
• 2:12
  Don Armstrong: I would be ticked.
• 2:14
  Don Armstrong: The backlash was swift, particularly on Reddit's RBMW forum and subforums.
• 2:20
  Don Armstrong: One post said, Congratulations, you spent$100,000 on a 7 series, but that's not enough money for BMW.
• 2:28
  Don Armstrong: So here's a Spider-Man ad in your car.
• 2:32
  Don Armstrong: While another one said, ads on a device you own where you are not paying for a service is infuriating.
• 2:42
  Don Armstrong: BMW's move is reminiscent of Apple's widely criticized decision in 2014 to gift Irish rock band U2's latest album onto half a billion customers' iTunes accounts.
• 2:59
  Don Armstrong: And you paid that marketing person how much money?
• 3:02
  Jeff Dziekan: They should have uh if you're gonna do an advertisement too, like at the drive-thru, where you have to go just concession stand, have the hot dog and the popcorn dancing, and you know, you know, move on, go your stop.
• 3:12
  Don Armstrong: You know, I think that that would be a good idea.
• 3:14
  Don Armstrong: As a matter of fact, I would go for that now.
• 3:16
  Don Armstrong: BMW told Tech Radar, a consumer technology website, that the Spider-Man promotion was not a form of advertising.
• 3:24
  Don Armstrong: No.
• 3:26
  Don Armstrong: The reason it gave was that the so-called festive app and the BMW operating system is designed to provide customers with optional themed animations and messages linked to a range of global and local occasions.
• 3:40
  Don Armstrong: Customers could choose whether they want to see the Spider-Man content, which was only available when the cars were stationary.
• 3:47
  Jeff Dziekan: I bet you they wouldn't complain if it was like an adult dirty movie or something.
• 3:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Probably not.
• 3:51
  Jeff Dziekan: Hey Martha, watch this.
• 3:53
  Jeff Dziekan: It's two o'clock in the morning.
• 3:54
  Jeff Dziekan: What are you sitting in your car for?
• 3:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 3:56
  Jeff Dziekan: In the garage with the lights out.
• 3:58
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 3:59
  Don Armstrong: Exactly.
• 4:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Wow.
• 4:00
  Don Armstrong: That's crazy.
• 4:01
  Don Armstrong: The Lincoln brand's product plans are slowly coming into focus.
• 4:06
  Don Armstrong: And I do underscore slowly, because they haven't had a new car in forever.
• 4:11
  Jeff Dziekan: I saw an advertisement, you know, Planet Ford here in Houston.
• 4:14
  Jeff Dziekan: Now they're calling it, they've got a division, Planet Lincoln.
• 4:17
  Jeff Dziekan: So they've got another dealership just for the Lincolns.
• 4:20
  Jeff Dziekan: I guess.
• 4:20
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm just certainly.
• 4:21
  Don Armstrong: Well, Parent Ford Motor Company on August 2nd said the luxury brand would end imports from China in 2030 and bolster U.S.
• 4:30
  Don Armstrong: production.
• 4:31
  Don Armstrong: Currently pays 52.5% tariffs to bring the Nautilus mid-size crossover across the Pacific Ocean.
• 4:38
  Don Armstrong: You've had a nautil, you've driven a Nautilus.
• 4:39
  Don Armstrong: They're very nice.
• 4:40
  Don Armstrong: There's no doubt about it.
• 4:41
  Don Armstrong: Uh Lincoln's dealers have clamored for more products since its U.S.
• 4:45
  Don Armstrong: lineup dwindled to three vehicles at the start of 2026.
• 4:49
  Don Armstrong: Brand is expected to oblige in the coming years with a small crossover built at the Louisville Assembly Plant on the new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, as well as a Bronco-based luxury off-roader slated for Michigan Assembly.
• 5:05
  Don Armstrong: I've been to Michigan Assembly.
• 5:07
  Don Armstrong: At the time when I visited there, they were building F-150 pickup trucks.
• 5:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 5:12
  Don Armstrong: And everything was manual labor down the assembly line, right?
• 5:17
  Don Armstrong: Except at the very end when they put the windshield in.
• 5:20
  Don Armstrong: It was put in by a robot, and as they they explained to us, the reason being is because the robot can put that windshield in with such preciseness and the right pressure.
• 5:31
  Don Armstrong: It doesn't leak and it's put in there exactly the way they wanted it to.
• 5:35
  Don Armstrong: Whereas before, with a guy's with the guys Louie and Vinny trying to hey.
• 5:41
  Jeff Dziekan: That's it.
• 5:42
  Jeff Dziekan: Broken windshields and all.
• 5:43
  Jeff Dziekan: I think I worked with those guys before.
• 5:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Did you?
• 5:45
  Jeff Dziekan: Louie and Vinny, yeah.
• 5:46
  Jeff Dziekan: But you weren't at the Ford motor.
• 5:48
  Jeff Dziekan: No, no, no.
• 5:48
  Jeff Dziekan: You were over at Cadillac.
• 5:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, yeah.
• 5:52
  Jeff Dziekan: And what plant did you work in?
• 5:53
  Jeff Dziekan: A Fleetwood plant, Fisher Body plant.
• 5:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Where was it?
• 5:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh Fort Street and in downtown Detroit.
• 5:59
  Jeff Dziekan: Okay.
• 5:59
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 6:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Is it still there?
• 6:00
  Jeff Dziekan: No, no, no.
• 6:01
  Mike Marrs: It's gone.
• 6:02
  Mike Marrs: Did you have the late shift working with them at night?
• 6:04
  Jeff Dziekan: I I did, yeah, I did the four to midnight.
• 6:06
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, I was at the afternoon shift and it sucked.
• 6:08
  Jeff Dziekan: It was terrible.
• 6:10
  Jeff Dziekan: Because you're 18 years old.
• 6:11
  Jeff Dziekan: And you know, 1920.
• 6:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Everything happens between four and midnight.
• 6:14
  Jeff Dziekan: Exactly.
• 6:15
  Jeff Dziekan: So it was it was rough, but it's all right.
• 6:18
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 6:19
  Don Armstrong: He's he's definitely brain damaged from it, I can tell.
• 6:21
  Jeff Dziekan: You're darn tootin'.
• 6:23
  Jeff Dziekan: I got most of the brain damage from turbohydromatics making transmission.
• 6:27
  Jeff Dziekan: That's where you get the brain damage.
• 6:29
  Don Armstrong: General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and other automakers are deploying artificial intelligence assistants to make their vehicles more personalized and ultimately more profitable.
• 6:38
  Don Armstrong: GM this year began rolling out the Google Gemini AI assistant, which you probably have on your home computer, on about 4 million vehicles in the U.S.
• 6:49
  Don Armstrong: from the 2022 model year forward, which plans to integrate an assistant created in-house in the future.
• 6:58
  Don Armstrong: Ford, meanwhile, is offering an AI assistant through its smartphone app with plans to launch an in-vehicle version starting next year on the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
• 7:10
  Don Armstrong: At the same time, BMW is integrating, as we know, Amazon's AI technology into vehicles so you can buy things.
• 7:18
  Don Armstrong: Volkswagen, I just kind of added that.
• 7:22
  Don Armstrong: Volkswagen has brought Chat GPT into its voice assistant.
• 7:26
  Don Armstrong: And Mercedes-Benz and Google have partnered with on an AI-based system as well.
• 7:33
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 7:34
  Don Armstrong: Wow.
• 7:35
  Don Armstrong: Buy stuff.
• 7:36
  Don Armstrong: 80 miles an hour.
• 7:38
  Don Armstrong: You know.
• 7:39
  Don Armstrong: Oh, I need that.
• 7:40
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I need the camera.
• 7:41
  Don Armstrong: I need that pair of shorts.
• 7:42
  Jeff Dziekan: I don't like the color.
• 7:43
  Jeff Dziekan: Let me do the.
• 7:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Is it on Prime?
• 7:45
  Jeff Dziekan: Do I do my Prime?
• 7:46
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 7:47
  Jeff Dziekan: See, I don't buy if I need something through Amazon or whatever, I ask Kathy to do it for me.
• 7:52
  Jeff Dziekan: I've got all the inside, you know, inside baseball on that.
• 7:57
  Don Armstrong: Um, you know, China is a huge automotive market.
• 8:02
  Don Armstrong: Not only market, but it's also a place where they build a lot of vehicles, including the car that you're currently in.
• 8:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, Cadillacs, yep, some Chevrolets that are not being exported.
• 8:11
  Jeff Dziekan: But we did that last week.
• 8:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Go ahead.
• 8:13
  Don Armstrong: Well, China's auto market slump is no longer just a domestic story.
• 8:16
  Don Armstrong: It's starting to reshape competition worldwide.
• 8:19
  Don Armstrong: New vehicle sales fell 25% in July, a seventh straight month of decline, putting the country on track for its first ever double-digit annual sales drop.
• 8:32
  Don Armstrong: The reversal ends two decades in which China served as the industry's primary growth engine.
• 8:37
  Don Armstrong: To offset the slide, automakers are exporting in record volumes up 73% to 5.35 million vehicles in the first seven months alone, redirecting output from an oversaturated home market and intensifying rivalries far beyond China's borders.
• 8:54
  Don Armstrong: That export surge is masking mounting financial strain at home, where operating margins slid to 3.4% early this year.
• 9:10
  Jeff Dziekan: I did it last week, you've got it here.
• 9:12
  Jeff Dziekan: So it's not uh good over there, yeah.
• 9:16
  Don Armstrong: Well, Genesis has come a long way as a standalone luxury brand in just over 10 years, since starting with only two sedans aimed at young, savvy, affluent households.
• 9:28
  Don Armstrong: As it inches closer to annual U.S.
• 9:30
  Don Armstrong: sales of 100,000, the Hyundai Motor Company brand is making another bold gamble that it can attract wealthy consumers to an opulent electric large crossover.
• 9:41
  Don Armstrong: The all-new G V90 flagship, revealed on August the 19th, aims to help position Genesis alongside Mercedes-Benz, Audi BMW, and Land Rover, and even Bentley and Rolls Royce in price and prestige.
• 9:56
  Don Armstrong: It's called the Neolin N-E-O-L-U-N, one word, Neolin Concept.
• 10:03
  Don Armstrong: That's what they're showing right now.
• 10:05
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, you said this is for the savvy, affluent buyers.
• 10:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Yes.
• 10:09
  Jeff Dziekan: It's still a Hyundai.
• 10:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, there is that.
• 10:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 10:14
  Jeff Dziekan: You put lipstick on it, you know what they say.
• 10:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, I know.
• 10:17
  Mike Marrs: Isn't that why they spun the Genesis off as its own brand?
• 10:21
  Mike Marrs: Yeah.
• 10:22
  Jeff Dziekan: Try to compete with that.
• 10:22
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 10:23
  Mike Marrs: Yeah.
• 10:24
  Don Armstrong: They didn't have well, you know, all the big automakers have a luxury brand, right?
• 10:29
  Don Armstrong: Right.
• 10:30
  Don Armstrong: Well, now they got one, and now they're bumping it up with this Neolin.
• 10:36
  Don Armstrong: Good luck.
• 10:37
  Don Armstrong: G V90.
• 10:38
  Don Armstrong: Didn't he pitch for the Astro?
• 10:40
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 10:42
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, that.
• 10:44
  Don Armstrong: Um, here's one for you that caught my attention.
• 10:50
  Don Armstrong: That's why I'm passing it along.
• 10:52
  Don Armstrong: Brembo, the Italian high-performance brake manufacturer, entered a new segment this summer with its first dedicated calipers designed and engineered specifically for heavy-duty trucks and large SUVs.
• 11:06
  Don Armstrong: Brembo's new six pistons, aluminum and steel calipers, the component that squeezes the brake pads against the rotors to slow the vehicles.
• 11:14
  Don Armstrong: Squeezes.
• 11:15
  Don Armstrong: Debuted this summer on the Chevy Silverado EV Stars and Steel edition.
• 11:20
  Don Armstrong: The 760 horsepower, you heard me correctly, electric truck, is a limited production special edition model built to commemorate America's 250th birthday.
• 11:31
  Don Armstrong: Brembo says the hydraulic calipers called Boldica.
• 11:35
  Don Armstrong: Where did they come up with these names?
• 11:37
  Don Armstrong: Buldica.
• 11:38
  Don Armstrong: B-O-L-D-I-K-A Buldica will be added to internal combustion engine and electric trucks and SUVs.
• 11:47
  Don Armstrong: Wow.
• 11:48
  Don Armstrong: I've got more.
• 11:49
  Don Armstrong: Calipers painted Brembo's traditional bright red have a braking force of 6,269 pound feet of torque and are the most powerful calipers in Brembo's 65-year history.
• 12:00
  Don Armstrong: Calipers feature a technology that pulls the pads completely off the rotors when the driver's foot leaves the brake pedal.
• 12:07
  Don Armstrong: That eliminates brake drag, reduces wear, and increases driving range.
• 12:12
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, friction, warping rotors, all that.
• 12:14
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 12:15
  Jeff Dziekan: So I thought that was an interesting.
• 12:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Why don't they put two calipers per rotor?
• 12:18
  Jeff Dziekan: Like uh, you know, you got your wheel, have one forward and aft of the of the car, and you know, put is there enough room?
• 12:26
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, that's just it.
• 12:27
  Jeff Dziekan: They wouldn't have to be that size, it'd have to be smaller, obviously.
• 12:30
  Jeff Dziekan: But you know, this could be an idea.
• 12:33
  Mike Marrs: Then you've got to use you've still got one piston doing all the work, or else you'd have to have a dual piston.
• 12:38
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, no, this one this one here's got six.
• 12:40
  Jeff Dziekan: So you'd have this if you had just two small ones, you could have four in each, you know, front rear.
• 12:46
  Jeff Dziekan: So we could bump it up to eight pistons.
• 12:48
  Jeff Dziekan: Eight per wheel, but you'd have two calipers per wheel.
• 12:51
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm just thinking outside the uh this is a story.
• 12:54
  Jeff Dziekan: And then we'll recall it a week later.
• 12:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 12:59
  Don Armstrong: This is a story you're gonna love.
• 13:01
  Don Armstrong: It's a little long, so just be patient with me, okay?
• 13:05
  Don Armstrong: A Texas dealership filed a lawsuit against an Oregon dealership over the disappearance of a$152,000 sixty-one dollar car it was buying in a dealer-to-dealer transaction.
• 13:19
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 13:20
  Don Armstrong: Mercedes-Benz of Austin claims it paid the purchase price for a new GLS 450, very nice vehicle, to Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton in April, but didn't receive the car or a refund.
• 13:35
  Don Armstrong: The Beaverton store and Lithia Motors, which owns it, denied liability in their August 3rd answer to the complaint and asked to have the car case dismissed.
• 13:46
  Don Armstrong: They also asserted the dispute is covered by an arbitration agreement.
• 13:49
  Don Armstrong: Whoa, right.
• 13:51
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 13:51
  Don Armstrong: I'll take my money, please.
• 13:53
  Don Armstrong: According to the complaint, Mercedes-Benz of Austin arranged for a transport service to bring the car to Texas.
• 13:59
  Don Armstrong: But the transport driver was told that the Oregon store could not locate the Mercedes GLS.
• 14:08
  Don Armstrong: It's in his garage.
• 14:10
  Don Armstrong: Later it was learned that the GLS was delivered by Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton to an unauthorized third party wholly unaffiliated with Mercedes Benz of Austin, without requiring any bill of lading confirming that the GLS was being transferred to the proper party, the complaint said.
• 14:28
  Don Armstrong: The theft of luxury vehicles is a growing concern as tech savvy fraudsters use shell companies and sophisticated fishing schemes to pose as auto transporters and steal cars, often ones traveling long distances.
• 14:45
  Don Armstrong: The increasingly common scam costs dealers hundreds of thousands of dollars in vehicle losses, retrieval costs, and lawsuits between stores.
• 14:55
  Don Armstrong: The industry is developing countermeasures, but scammers are evolving their strategies to disguise their online identity, according to experts.
• 15:03
  Don Armstrong: Did anybody go to jail?
• 15:04
  Don Armstrong: Not yet.
• 15:06
  Don Armstrong: But don't you know that there are a lot of private investigators out there looking for that?
• 15:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Whoever created that, you know, the the shell companies for the transport companies, that's that's kind of creative thinking there if you're an evildoer.
• 15:19
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh yeah, that's that's something.
• 15:21
  Jeff Dziekan: You got to be really a bad person to think that.
• 15:24
  Jeff Dziekan: No doubt.
• 15:25
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 15:26
  Don Armstrong: We're gonna take a quick break, and when we come back, Mr.
• 15:28
  Don Armstrong: Mars is gonna review the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker right after this brief break on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 15:36
  Don Armstrong: The Texas Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas.
• 15:45
  Don Armstrong: Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 15:51
  Don Armstrong: Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortillas, all developed in the little house near Highway Sticks and I 10 in Houston.
• 15:58
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• 16:04
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• 16:09
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• 16:18
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• 16:23
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• 16:25
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• 16:28
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• 16:30
  Don Armstrong: Loopy tortilla.
• 16:45
  Don Armstrong: Then it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: Thank you.
• 16:49
  Don Armstrong: We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto-enthusiast friends.
• 16:54
  Don Armstrong: We appreciate your support.
• 16:55
  Don Armstrong: It's always great to see you at our remote broadcast, too, and we hope you'll continue to stop by and say hello.
• 17:00
  Don Armstrong: It's been a great ride, and we hope to bring you more fun and adventure right here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 17:07
  Don Armstrong: Joe, we've got a car review Mr.
• 17:09
  Don Armstrong: Mars has actually the car review of the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker.
• 17:14
  Mike Marrs: Yes, sir.
• 17:15
  Mike Marrs: Now, I don't get very many EVs, but this is a new EV from Subaru.
• 17:20
  Mike Marrs: It's their second all-EV type vehicle.
• 17:23
  Mike Marrs: And its final assembly point is in Japan.
• 17:25
  Mike Marrs: It comes in three trim levels: the premium, the limited, and the Turing.
• 17:29
  Mike Marrs: We happen to be in the premium, which is their base entry level.
• 17:32
  Mike Marrs: And it's considered by uh, I guess, by our government as a mid-size electric SUV.
• 17:37
  Mike Marrs: I absolutely would go with the mid-size because I was surprised at how big it was.
• 17:41
  Mike Marrs: It's five passenger.
• 17:42
  Mike Marrs: Like I say, it's all new.
• 17:44
  Mike Marrs: It maintains the 8.5-inch ground clearance that Subaru SUVs are known for.
• 17:48
  Mike Marrs: It's picked up uh a rugged SUV look.
• 17:51
  Mike Marrs: It's got black trim across the bottom of the body cladding, and it rolls up around the wheel wheels and around the back.
• 17:57
  Mike Marrs: It's really nice looking, particularly with some of the colors they've chosen.
• 18:01
  Mike Marrs: It's got the black ladder type roof rails, it's got LED lighting all around it, including the skinny front lights that are uh it's got the auto folding heated side mirrors, and it's got even heated wipers.
• 18:13
  Mike Marrs: Now, these vehicles come with a lot of all-weather type of uh accessories that we don't use much down here in Texas, like the heat heated headlight washers and uh the rear camera washer.
• 18:26
  Mike Marrs: Now it's got a power rear lift gate, and we were on 18-inch wheels that are the standard on it.
• 18:32
  Mike Marrs: Now inside we had the Startex Upholstery, and the front seats are heated.
• 18:37
  Mike Marrs: The back seat is a 6040 folding seat that'll hold down for you.
• 18:40
  Mike Marrs: And we had the 14-inch multimedia touch screen on it.
• 18:43
  Mike Marrs: So that's where you're gonna find your rear view camera, your panoramic camera, Apple CarPlay, Android, all your convenience controls.
• 18:50
  Mike Marrs: And then right below that on the console, I really like the layout for the dual wireless charging.
• 18:55
  Mike Marrs: So two people could set their phones down there to get them all charged up nice and good.
• 19:00
  Mike Marrs: There's a seven-inch L C D's got a combination of meters for the driver to keep track of things.
• 19:05
  Mike Marrs: And I've come to like and appreciate the rear cargo cover in these SUVs because you can keep things out of sight, out of mind, don't tempt somebody to try and break into it.
• 19:15
  Mike Marrs: Now it's powered by a dual electric motor setup that produces a total of 375 horsepower.
• 19:22
  Mike Marrs: And it does have regenerative braking, and it it works really well in this vehicle.
• 19:27
  Mike Marrs: It seemed to me like it worked better than a lot of them I've run into because I could drive some miles and it didn't click off my range as much.
• 19:34
  Mike Marrs: Now, the thing it does have it's got the standard North American charging cord on it now.
• 19:41
  Mike Marrs: And because of the the improvements they've made, they say it'll take 80%.
• 19:46
  Mike Marrs: To get to 80% is only 29 minutes with a 115 kilowatt charger.
• 19:50
  Mike Marrs: But I will say this is one of the things that kind of disturbed me.
• 19:54
  Mike Marrs: I didn't particularly care for.
• 19:56
  Mike Marrs: I went to the Subaru dealer, the Subaru dealer that's not three years old.
• 20:00
  Mike Marrs: He has a charger set up for people like me to come out there and charge at all hours.
• 20:04
  Mike Marrs: But I had to use the adapter.
• 20:05
  Mike Marrs: I had to the the standard cable would not plug into the charger.
• 20:10
  Mike Marrs: The Subaru dealer had to use an adapter.
• 20:13
  Mike Marrs: Now that's no big deal, except he came out and wanted to know why you're using an adapter on my charger.
• 20:18
  Mike Marrs: So we went through all that.
• 20:19
  Mike Marrs: It's great to see that they're gonna standardize on that, but it was just a little weird to me to have that.
• 20:24
  Mike Marrs: Now the tow rating on this vehicle is 3,500 pounds, which is plenty good as far as an EV goes.
• 20:29
  Mike Marrs: You're gonna haul your light boats, maybe uh your kayaks, jet ski, maybe a pop-up camper.
• 20:35
  Mike Marrs: Now I drove this vehicle this week because I don't get very many EVs.
• 20:38
  Mike Marrs: I drove it like I would drive normal week.
• 20:41
  Mike Marrs: I did not intentionally get out and make a trip for a couple hundred miles on it.
• 20:44
  Mike Marrs: I just drove it.
• 20:45
  Mike Marrs: 112 miles is what it really worked out.
• 20:48
  Mike Marrs: Now, the point of that was I could go a week, and I believe on the the range of 280-mile range on it, and I really dropped it down to 162 by going the 112 miles.
• 21:00
  Mike Marrs: I could go at least two weeks, maybe even three or more, if I stayed away from the three drive modes, uh the eco, the normal, and the power, just stay in there to kind of keep it and use the regenerative braking that's got different settings on it as well.
• 21:13
  Mike Marrs: I was really impressed with the range I got out of it.
• 21:17
  Mike Marrs: Uh, it would be interesting to take off towards El Paso to see what happens.
• 21:20
  Mike Marrs: Now, the base model price on this is$39.39,995, which is again the entry level.
• 21:28
  Mike Marrs: Now, as tested price, it was$41,840.
• 21:32
  Mike Marrs: I was impressed by the what I felt like I was getting in an AV for that.
• 21:37
  Mike Marrs: Again, I don't live in West Texas and I don't drive it 100 and 200 miles every day.
• 21:42
  Mike Marrs: It might be different, but for my purposes around town here, I can see how somebody could take this vehicle and hardly ever buy, you know, need to.
• 21:51
  Mike Marrs: Well, you wouldn't buy any gas, but you wouldn't have a problem with any kind of charging or anything.
• 21:55
  Mike Marrs: Now, comparables would be uh Toyota B Z Woodland.
• 22:00
  Mike Marrs: Now this is the corporate twin to the um Z Woodland at$45,300 is the basic entry on that.
• 22:14
  Mike Marrs: So the Hyundai Iconic 5 STE all-wheel drive.
• 22:18
  Mike Marrs: Again, these are all wheel drive electric vehicles.
• 22:20
  Mike Marrs: $41,000.
• 22:21
  Mike Marrs: And then the Chevrolet Blazer EV LT all-wheel drive at$49,495.
• 22:27
  Mike Marrs: So the comparables, you know, they're kind of the same price.
• 22:32
  Mike Marrs: The Hyundai is about the same, but the others are a little bit higher, so you'd have to look at them and see exactly what kind of features you want, how you set in the seats, you know, those kind of things.
• 22:40
  Mike Marrs: Because EVs have gotten a lot better, but I really liked this particular one.
• 22:46
  Mike Marrs: And that's my review of the 2026 Subaru Trail Seeker.
• 22:52
  Don Armstrong: You know, I I know that I had that uh a couple months ago, three months ago, whatever it was.
• 22:56
  Don Armstrong: I I I I enjoyed it.
• 22:58
  Don Armstrong: I liked it.
• 22:59
  Don Armstrong: The one thing that I I I didn't really particularly care for, the the humongous wheel opening black plastic that I thought, could you not have painted those?
• 23:11
  Don Armstrong: Remember, Honda had uh, what was it, the Honda element?
• 23:14
  Don Armstrong: Yes, that the that the whole fender was not painted.
• 23:17
  Don Armstrong: It's like you do you see those things today?
• 23:20
  Don Armstrong: Easy to read.
• 23:21
  Don Armstrong: Where they're all faded out and everything, it just like no, painted.
• 23:25
  Jeff Dziekan: Did it have a a frunk?
• 23:27
  Jeff Dziekan: Did it have the front front trunk?
• 23:29
  Mike Marrs: No, because of the cargo, the lift gate, the power lift gate, it was all in the back.
• 23:33
  Mike Marrs: But the uh it wasn't the the cladding that went around the wheel wells and stuff, it wasn't quite as bad as the element that went up to the windshield, I mean up to the glass line.
• 23:43
  Mike Marrs: It was just like uh uh an expanded flare, is really what it looked at.
• 23:47
  Mike Marrs: And to me, on the one that I had, I thought it made it look more like an off-road vehicle.
• 23:53
  Mike Marrs: But that's all in personal preference, you know.
• 23:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, I'm disappointed it didn't have a frunk.
• 23:58
  Mike Marrs: No, a frunk.
• 23:59
  Don Armstrong: Because he just likes to say the word frunk.
• 24:02
  Jeff Dziekan: I say frunk using the bad language.
• 24:05
  Mike Marrs: But uh it was uh if you're gonna go shopping for an EV, I this would be one of them I would look at, definitely.
• 24:11
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, it it and and not only that particular one, but uh the new is it the Outback or the Forester?
• 24:19
  Don Armstrong: They they bumped that up, it doesn't look like a station wagon anymore.
• 24:22
  Don Armstrong: I mean, they're making some changes.
• 24:25
  Mike Marrs: The Outback's another good looking little car they've come up with.
• 24:28
  Don Armstrong: Now that one is, and uh, I think that they've even got a hybrid version of that one.
• 24:32
  Don Armstrong: Um, so Subaru may be worth worth looking at once again.
• 24:37
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 24:38
  Don Armstrong: Um Ford expected to expand its lineup with a pickup version of the Bronco SUV, four-door Mustang, and a smaller version of its transit van, according to people, with knowledge of its future product plans.
• 24:50
  Don Armstrong: The brand is poised for a product blitz in the coming years as it renews its focus on gasoline and hybrid powertrains while scaling back plans for electric vehicles.
• 25:03
  Don Armstrong: Um, I will tell you that I talked to Ken Peabody with uh, you know, handles the Ford Press Fleet, and I'm gonna get me a uh four four Fords uh in the coming weeks, and so I'm looking forward to that.
• 25:16
  Don Armstrong: And the one that I'm really looking forward to here we go is the Ford F 250 with the long bed diesel.
• 25:30
  Don Armstrong: And I I told him I he says, Well, you know, I don't really nobody wants that.
• 25:35
  Don Armstrong: I said, I want it.
• 25:36
  Don Armstrong: I want to park it out in the back at the HEB because it won't fit in the regular parking spaces.
• 25:41
  Don Armstrong: It'd block half the people trying to get in there.
• 25:44
  Don Armstrong: I asked him about his driveway.
• 25:45
  Don Armstrong: His driveways, but yeah, because it's gonna take up half the half the uh front yard.
• 25:50
  Don Armstrong: I gotta we gotta take a break.
• 25:52
  Don Armstrong: We'll be right back on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 25:54
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 25:56
  Don Armstrong: The Tex Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas.
• 26:05
  Don Armstrong: Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 26:11
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• 26:18
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• 26:48
  Don Armstrong: The ingredients always fresh.
• 26:50
  Don Armstrong: Loopy tortilla.
• 26:51
  Don Armstrong: Eats pretty good.
• 26:57
  Don Armstrong: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show thanks you for 15 wonderful years.
• 27:01
  Don Armstrong: Yep, our first show aired May 7, 2011, on the local radio station.
• 27:05
  Don Armstrong: Then it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed.
• 27:08
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• 27:09
  Don Armstrong: We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto enthusiast friends.
• 27:14
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• 27:15
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• 27:20
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• 27:27
  Don Armstrong: Know what that sound means, don't you?
• 27:36
  Don Armstrong: Hot headers.
• 27:37
  Don Armstrong: And that's it for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 27:41
  Don Armstrong: We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive things to bring to our global audience.
• 27:45
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• 27:50
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• 27:55
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• 28:01
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• 28:04
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• 28:10
  Don Armstrong: The In Wheel Time Video Coordinator is We Always Need More, Jeff Zeke.
• 28:15
  Don Armstrong: Booking agent and video editor, Mike Out of this World Mars, and Chief Engineer David Ainsley, I'm Don Armstrong.
• 28:25
  Don Armstrong: Thanks to show contributors, Jeff Heitzman, George Skelton, the Lost Family, and anybody else that wanted to join that couldn't.
• 28:32
  Don Armstrong: We thank you for that.
• 28:34
  Don Armstrong: Thanks to all of our guests today.
• 28:35
  Don Armstrong: Have a great safe week, and we hope you join us again on the next In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 28:39
  Don Armstrong: We'll see you then.
• 28:51
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 28:55
  Don Armstrong: 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.
• 29:05
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• 29:14
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.