Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Consumer Reports: Top 10 Cars of the Year & the Rise of Electrified Rides plus Road Trip Safety Tips

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Consumer Reports: Top 10 Cars of the Year & the Rise of Electrified Rides plus Road Trip Safety Tips · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the In Wheel Time car show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11am, central Podcasting and streaming around the globe from Cedars Shining Sea.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: It's the In Wheel Time car talk show just ahead.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Alex Dysart, consumer Reports best cars of the year the top 10.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Anyway, we may go deeper, don't know Later.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Spring brake driving Jeff has a feature on that.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: It's all just ahead on the In Wheel Time car talk show.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike out of this world, mars All's what we always always, always need Jeff.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Seekin, Chief engineer David Ainsley is probably in bed.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: I'm still in bed too.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: I'm just appearing as myself.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Cedars, shining Sea.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: So take your dramamine people.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: We're going for a ride.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: We're not going to go for a ride, oh Lord well, how was your week?
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: We tried some new lighting in here this morning.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: I have to tell you that.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: How'd that work out for you, mars?
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Well, I almost blinded me, my retinas.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Were you blinded by the light?
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: Yes, these new glasses aren't transitions.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: I like the glasses, so it was just like in your face.
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: I like them, thank you.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Make you look 20 years older.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: It was a failure and we'll be back next week with more lighting, technology 101.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: In the meantime, and in between time, joining us now Alex and Isaac.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Alex, good morning to you, sir, good morning.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: We were talking off the air just before we came on and he was on our show about a year or so ago and we discovered with that conversation that after his appearance on this fine, fine car talk show that he became a superstar and was getting calls from girls all over the United.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: States two, three, four o'clock in the morning, yeah it became a little overwhelming, I'm sure it did so.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Alex Consumer Reports has this little thing that they do and it's a pretty big deal actually.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: It's the top 10 picks for the best car of the year, and so, before we get to that, give us a little background.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: You guys been doing this for a long, long time and what it?
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: How do you drill down the cars that compete for the best of the best for the year?
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Right, do you put them on the track?
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Do you look at them, love them, hug them?
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Tell me that, give me all that.
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: Give me all the skinny, all those things, especially the hugging part.
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, no, I mean it's a lot of work.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: We test a lot of cars over 50 usually each year, depending on what the market's up to.
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: But yeah, so really to be on the list, it takes into account everything that we do.
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: So that really starts with the road test getting them on the track, getting them on the road.
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: We buy all the cars that we test, so it's living with them, it's putting them through more than 50 different subjective tests that we do.
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: So that road test score that comes out of that that's really like the primary thing, right.
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: That comes first.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: So it has to be a well-performing car.
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: On top of that it's the surveys that we do with our members.
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: So we do reliability surveys and owner satisfaction.
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: So those two things are factored in as well.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: So reliability, people reporting what kind of problems they're having and, depending it might be an engine problem, it could be a smaller problem, like a squeak and a rattle type thing.
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: So these things are kind of weighed appropriately and factored in as well.
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: And how many people do you talk to?
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: Over 300,000.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: And it changes depending on the year.
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: So quite a few.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: And it changes depending on how popular the model is, too right, sure, of course.
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: Or Toyota Camrys and Maserati Gricales, for example.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so then also owner satisfaction, right?
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: Basically, would you buy this car again.
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: So that's important.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: And then the last thing for being on the list is safety.
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: We're really focused on safety, so all of these cars have to have standard forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking down to their very base trim level.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: So that's a qualification.
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: A lot of them on the list have more than that, but that's the kind of minimum qualification.
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: So all of that kind of comes together and essentially that's how we come up with the 10 best, and then we sort it by various categories.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Are there some vehicles that don't make the cut just because they don't meet that criteria?
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: I mean, there could be a car that performs really really well on the track.
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: I mean I'm thinking about the Rivian R1-T and R1-S, right, they perform really well, they're impressive vehicles, but we don't have strong reliability data on them, right, a lot of problems.
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: So that kind of keeps them from being on the list, even though, as a new car, they perform quite well.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's something to keep in mind, I mean, as we're going to listen to you go through these top 10, I mean there are some that make the cut, they don't pass or they don't make the cut at all.
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: Right, yeah, absolutely so.
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: It's a holistic approach, for sure, yeah.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: So do you bust them up between cars, SUVs, trucks, or do they all just fall into the same mix?
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, we try to choose categories based on what the market's doing and what people are looking for and what they're interested in and what we see on our site and through talking with consumers and whatnot.
• 5:26
  Speaker 4: So if you look at the list this year, you'll actually see that there's a lot of electrified vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, there's one EV on the list and gas cars too.
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: So I think that really just speaks to where we're at right.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: We have all these options, so we're trying to tell people what are good within all those options.
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: We know people are kind of on the fence Do I go hybrid?
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: Do I go EV?
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: That sort of thing.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, sure.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: Well, where do you want to start?
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: I think we're at number 10.
• 5:52
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean they're not in any particular order, as far as one through 10, but I guess the way I've been thinking about it is by powertrain.
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: Okay, yeah, thank you.
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: Sure V, plug-in hybrid, regular hybrid, down to gas car.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: All right?
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Well, let's do it.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: You start, we'll follow your lead and we may shout at you somewhere, absolutely.
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, definitely so.
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: As far as electric vehicles, we have the, the tesla model y on the list.
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: We actually had the the tesla model 3 last year, but now we see that the the model y's Reliability has increased enough that it kind of bumped the model 3 off.
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: Right, because they're very similar cars and the model y is just kind of a more practical version to get more cargo space, easier to get in and out of that type of thing.
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: So reliability increased enough Bumps the model 3 off, which is also a good car.
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: Um, and I think the really important thing about the the model y is it comes down to the, the super charging network, right, I mean the the car itself is is great, but having access to that, I mean it's literally changing in front of our eyes as more automakers gain the, the.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: The y is a larger vehicle and does.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: It has a dual motors because the other one heck.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: You can get dual or single motors.
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so the one we tested is a dual motor, all-wheel drive, long range, the one that we tested.
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so usually with electric vehicles and most vehicles, when all-wheel drive is an option, that's tends to be the one we test, right?
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: So, yeah, so we tested the all-wheel drive model y.
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: So we'll see.
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: I'm excited to see what happens with the electric vehicle category going forward, you know, because, well, you're of that age group.
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: We are not Fair enough.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't know, my world right now is is evs.
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: Uh, you know, changing our testing a little bit to account for what's different with electric and plug-in hybrids and such.
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: So that's my wheelhouse at the moment, but, yeah, I mean as as other you know, for example, the ford macky.
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: The Mustang macky is also a good electric car, but once it gains access to the, the supercharger network, which again is kind of happening now, um, maybe this list looks a little different for evs next year.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: But, um, yeah, so that's, that's plug-in hybrids, uh, or, excuse me, electric vehicles.
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: Moving on to plug-in hybrids, um, we have a couple on here.
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: The first one is the rav4 prime toyota.
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: It's been on the list before.
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: I mean, I don't know if you've all had the opportunity to drive one, but a pretty, pretty impressive vehicle.
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: And as far as plug-in hybrids go, uh, it has some of the most range.
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: Right, the electric range is over 40 miles, which we kind of see is the average that people do in a day, right, commuting or maybe doing some errands going to work.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: What?
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: So let's stop there for a second now.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: This is a plug-in hybrid.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah okay.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe we should talk about what, what those are, and and well there's that and, and I guess my my Bailey wick here judging these sort of things when it comes to toyota is the uh Uh success that the Prius has had for what?
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: 20, 30 years now?
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, the Prius, I mean it really kind of laid the the groundwork for this type of thing and, um, yeah, so.
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: So plug-in hybrids are really interesting because over the last year, um, we really dove in pretty deep and started testing them heavily.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: Uh, we kind of would sample them and not really include them in the regular test program, but we actually just bought like 12 or so plug-in hybrids over the last year and kind of put them through the test program.
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: Yeah, um looked at them a little differently and you know, these cars are something where you can get that electric Uh range the 40 ish miles, depending on the car, um, that smooth, quiet, acceleration, whatnot, and then you don't have to worry about the public charging because once that that ranges up, you just it turns back into a regular hybrid for all intents and purposes, right.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: But you know, my my, my, my bailiwick with that is the fact that you to get the whole 40 miles yeah, generally speaking on the electric charge.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: I mean that's a lot of money to pay for the Pain it is to have to plug it in.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: If I'm going to do that, I just assume have a hybrid.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, it's a great point, and that's I'm right there with you.
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: I, when I talk to people about these, I try to tell them in the terms of of what is the convenience or inconvenience to me for choosing one of these things?
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: Right, with a hybrid, like you mentioned, a regular hybrid that is, I don't have to do anything differently, I just fill it with gas and I just drive it and I have it again.
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: Right, right, the plug in.
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you, you're kind of adding that little extra lifestyle change where you got to plug it in really as much as you can to get that extra, and you're paying for that, not only paying the electricity but you're also paying the upcharge on the vehicle that's able to do that.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: And you know, if you live in a community and your main driving is, you know, to church, to the gas station, to take the kids to softball practice, I get that Right, but you know there's a price to pay for that.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: Yeah, there is.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: Some of them do qualify for some tax credits, so you have to check that out and you can actually see that on our site.
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: We list out which ones, which ones qualify, so you can get a little bit of a break there.
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: But it's not the full 7500 that an EV can get, Right.
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so we actually do have this this pretty neat and it's free on our site this calculator that shows you it doesn't account the that upfront purchase price, but a per mile basis.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: You can type in your electricity rates and your gas rates and how many miles you drive and it'll kind of show you gas.
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: Hybrid plug-in hybrid EV.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: That's cool.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, which one would it be?
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: And that's a free.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: It's free on the website.
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's free.
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: If you go into the EV hybrid area on our site on the car side and then find the buying guide it'll show you.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: You can go in there and play with it.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: It's actually pretty neat we just launched that, you know, and with plug-in hybrids quickly.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: The other thing that I get a lot with talking with people who own them is, beyond the cost factor, which is definitely a thing, there's this less tangible, harder to quantify, like feel good factor of not going to the gas station as often.
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: There's almost this point of pride of like, oh, I went 600 miles on electricity and only went to the gas station once, or something to that effect.
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: Right, it's, it's this, like you know, pride in not going to the gas station as often as absolutely I had a Toyota.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Let's see Toyota Cross.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Last week the darn thing got 40 miles to the gallon.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: I'm in on that.
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: Yeah, the hybrid version, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: So you know, just just rounding out the list quickly with the hybrid or the plug-in hybrid, so that RAV4 prime, the Toyota Prius Prime is also there, and then kind of this aspirational, no cost object type of vehicle, we have the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid on the list, which is a pretty interesting car.
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's tiny, it does.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: What's that?
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: It's a tiny car.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: It's small the X5?
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: No, it's not.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: It's a medium size, the X5.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: What am I thinking of?
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: I?
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: don't know what you're thinking.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: There's a, there's a small SUV.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Anyway, go ahead.
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: Yeah, the X5 also gets you, you know, over 40 miles of electric range.
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: But the cool thing about a lot of these plug-in hybrids, you know, once the electric mileage is up, you have, you know, a turbo four cylinder or just a regular naturally aspirated four cylinder CVT situation.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: That is, you know, serviceable.
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: It's okay, the X5, once that electric range is up, you actually have BMW's straight turbo six engine, you know, as the backup.
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: You know, power train Darn.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah right.
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: It's funny my incentive to charge that one is actually less because my backup engine again is that sweet yeah exactly.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: We'll just turn off the hybrid part yeah.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: Even though you paid an extra 20 grand for it.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: Turn that off, yeah.
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: Got it.
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's interesting because the plug-in hybrid aspect of that X5 is already a nice, well-driving, comfortable vehicle and it just takes it to that extra level, but, but yeah.
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: So moving on to hybrids, which I think are the really interesting ones, because again, you don't have to do anything differently and the price premium is a lot less.
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: The regular Toyota Prius is on our list, but I think the Toyota Camry hybrid is an interesting one because it's a full-sized sedan, or close to it, right, that gets over 50 miles per gallon.
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: Love that, wow.
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you think that you have to go with the Prius to get that right, which you know.
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: The new Prius arguably looks a lot cooler and nicer than the previous ones, but it's kind of got this like perception about it, Whereas the Camry is just a functional, you know, regular kind of looking sedan, but you can get over 50 miles per gallon.
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: You can add all-wheel drive if you want.
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: So I think that's a pretty sweet option and it comes in.
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: You know, under $30,000 is the starting price and we're in an age of the average vehicle transaction prices around $48,000.
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: So you know you don't have to spend a ton of money to get that type of efficiency, right, yeah, which is pretty sweet.
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: Yeah, very Maverick hybrid on the list, surprise, yeah, been on the list before.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: Reliability is high enough.
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: I mean, this is an example of a vehicle that kind of you know we to our conversation earlier about getting onto the list.
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: You know it performs well.
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: It's incredibly practical, especially compared to pickup trucks.
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: You know, if you don't need that extra towing capacity and off-road capability being on that car frame, it drives well.
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: It's pretty civilized compared to a full-size pickup truck in a lot of ways and you can get it in the garage.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you can get it in the garage.
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: Exactly, I know when I bring home a full-size truck for testing it it sits outside.
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: It doesn't fit in my garage, right, yeah?
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: And then 37 miles per gallon combined is what we got out of it.
• 15:20
  Speaker 4: So not bad, it's impressive and the reliability is good enough to make it on the list.
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: So yeah, pretty sweet little pickup truck.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: Alex, you keep saying that the vehicles that make the list.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: Does the criteria of your testing change from year to year, or do you have like a block of criteria that you move from year to year for these vehicles, or does it change?
• 15:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it answers both.
• 15:45
  Speaker 4: Honestly, we have to stay consistent, right, with all our testing.
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: I mean, I get this question a lot because if we were to test a car, for example, that 20 years ago today, it would probably not.
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: A car that tested well 20 years ago would not test all that well today.
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: Right, no-transcript, consistent for a reasonable amount of time so that scores are comparable and people can shop and know what they're looking at.
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: But then, yeah, we do kind of have to move on and capture moving.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you what I sure would hate to be in one of your editorial meetings.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: Update every time?
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: Yeah, very complicated, but yeah so.
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: Generally the criteria, though, stays pretty consistent year to year.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: So you move with the times, yeah.
• 16:31
  Speaker 4: Yep, absolutely yeah.
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: And then the last hybrid on the list that's a really good option is the Highlander hybrid.
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: The Toyota Highlander, yeah, and it's interesting because you know, we know the three-row SUV segments pretty competitive these days, right With, like Telluride and Pathfinder and Grand Highland, all these, all these vehicles going into the mix.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: Well, I find it interesting.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Among those four, three of them are Toyota.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: I know, yeah, you mean.
• 17:01
  Speaker 4: As far as the hybrids, yeah, yeah, I mean that Toyota really refining that hybrid system over time.
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: It's super reliable.
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: I mean it's pretty good when I've came out, but you know, they kind of take that iterative approach over time and just refine it, make it, you know, even more fuel efficient.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: The transitions when it goes from electric to hybrid mode are just super smooth and it just works right.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I agree.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: All right, let's move on, yeah, yeah.
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: So after the hybrids we have some regular gas cars.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: There you go.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: Let's talk about us old people.
• 17:34
  Speaker 4: Let's talk about gas.
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: Not interested in any of that electrification stuff, I totally get it.
• 17:40
  Speaker 4: So we have three options here.
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: All start under the $25,000.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: Oh, very good.
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: Which is close to it anyway.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: Well, under $30,000, that's for sure.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: And they are the drumroll please.
• 17:52
  Speaker 4: The Crosstrek is the first one, subaru, yeah.
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: I agree because I'll tell you, mr Mars is going to do a review of one of them and when I've had a couple of them and I really do like it a lot, yeah, rides great, gets good gas mileage, roomy, convenient.
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: Nothing surprising out of the interior, but boy, it's solid as a rock.
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: It is a solid vehicle, there's no doubt about it.
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, like you said, easy to get in and out of the controls.
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: I mean they're not the flashiest thing, but they work and it doesn't look like a dud car anymore.
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: Oh no.
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: No actually the new one does look kind of cool If you look at it from the back the fender kind of come out a little bit and the tail lights are pinched in a little bit.
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: It actually looks pretty sweet, yes I agree, and yeah also, we got 29 miles per gallon out of it, which for a non hybrid and it's traditional all wheel drive.
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: You know it has a drive shaft.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: I didn't get quite that much no, but Mars has got a lead foot.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's move on.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: What's?
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: next.
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: Well, that I will say that's without the base engine.
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: So I would, if you can spring forward, I would go for the more powerful engine in the cross track.
• 19:00
  Speaker 4: The base one's a little, I agree.
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Subru Forester also on the list.
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: So another Subru, and you know everything that's great about the cross track.
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: It kind of just is in a little bit larger and boxier of a package right.
• 19:14
  Speaker 4: Right, even more practical.
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: It's actually the 11th year it's been on the list in a row, wow.
• 19:19
  Speaker 4: So some vehicles come and go.
• 19:21
  Speaker 4: You know they've been on the list before, but not consecutively.
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: This one, 11 straight years.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: So pretty solid.
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: And I think you know, with Subru, you see their redesigns are really they're quite mild.
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: You know they don't completely throw everything out and redo everything, so that kind of helps with their reliability and just you know the vehicle progressing over time.
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: And then the last one is the Mazda three.
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: First time it's been on our lists and you know, I think again a car that's been around a little while.
• 19:50
  Speaker 4: So reliability, you know, as the models tend to age, reliability goes up and really proves that you don't have to spend a ton to get a car that isn't boring.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: I love the Mazda three.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: The only thing I don't like about Mazdas in general is the infotainment system.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: I think we're there with you.
• 20:07
  Speaker 4: Oh good, I'm glad somebody else agrees too, and that's coming from you, yeah.
• 20:11
  Speaker 4: The rotary dial thing is a little, you know, cumbersome to use and the way they have it laid out is not the best.
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: So that is a con of the car, for sure, but it drives well.
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: It punches above its weight in terms of, like you know, interior.
• 20:23
  Speaker 4: They got great engines, great engines, the.
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: You got all wheel drive if you want, hatchback if you want.
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so pretty nice little car for sure.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so they.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: So that's it, the top 10.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Well, it's always fun to go over these and the reasoning behind them and y'all's testing.
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: I mean, everything about it is spot on, and that's what makes it so interesting is to know how they do it.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, true, and the surveys.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: I mean 300,000 people 300,000 folks that participate and you know, I think that it's a fair, unweighted kind of thing that you guys do.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, go out and buy the car and let us know what you think it's pretty easy.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that part of it's pretty easy and hopefully Alec had all 300,000 people watching this episode.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely that.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: Are following you, following you.
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: Plus the group from last time.
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: So there you go.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: Alex, it's great to talk to you, my friend.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: Consumer Reports top 10 picks for best car of the year.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: Alex, let's talk again soon.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: All right, Sounds good.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: Thank you, man.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Always fun.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: All right, I want to remind everybody that the in wheel time car talk shows available 24 seven through the heart radio app.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: Just look for in wheel time car talk and a new daily podcast is available from your favorite podcast provider.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: We also video stream our three hour weekly show on Facebook, YouTube and in will timecom.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: The in wheel time car talk show continues right after this quick break.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiast since 1984, providing world-class products for sports cars, European sedans and American muscle.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard to find parts of accessories.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Rekaro, Redline, Momo Corbo and Simpson.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor, the Galleria area, Pro-Am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000 square foot warehouse, showroom and installation base.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is now reaching a worldwide audience through Pro-Amcom taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: At Pro-Am Auto you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website, call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto 6125 Richmond at Green Ridge in Houston's Galleria area.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: Want to feel good about something special you did for some one special In-wheel time and the original loopy tortilla group of Tex-Mex restaurants have joined together to help a very worthy cause God's Garage, a Christian based 501C3 charity.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: We know there are lots of places and organizations out there where you can donate a car, truck or SUV.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: We're asking you, our car enthusiast family, to consider donating to God's Garage.
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: Visit godsgarageorg and learn about its mission, the women that have been helped, how each one is screened and about their Restore.
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: You program.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: A car donation is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: God's Garage needs good operating vehicles but will take all types in working and non-working condition.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Make your heart and soul feel good by donating your gently used vehicle and help support single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military at godsgarageorg.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: Meek am auctions, the world's largest collector car auction company, returns to Houston, texas, april 4th through the 6th at NRG Center, featuring 1,000 muscle cars, corvettes, trucks, customs and more.
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: Broadcast on Motor Trend TV and streaming live on Max From avid collectors to those new to the Meek am experience.
• 24:13
  Speaker 3: We welcome everyone.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: Register to print now at Meekamcom.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, just shoot us an email.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: The address here is info at inwheeltimecom.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: What did you say, Jeff?
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: No, I just didn't say anything.
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: Mike was going to push the button and we're not ready for the button pushing yet.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: There's no button pushing.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: I'll take care of the suit.
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: She's outside blocking, she's blocking out there she's just going, I want to get in there.
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: There were donuts off.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: It's nice and chilly outside for her, so she's just grooving on it.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: She is grooving on it.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: Okay, mr Jeffrey has a special feature.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: Is it the cruising?
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: calendar.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: No, no, we're doing a spring break.
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm sorry.
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: Now.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: This story came to me from my cousin, douglas and Corpus Christi a few weeks ago.
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: He says, hey, we're getting ready for spring break, we've got new roads, the onslaught of people going across the bridge, traffic back up, nightmares of all kinds of things like that.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: So this kind of inspired me.
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: Looking into it, there's, there's.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: You got to be careful.
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: You really do.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a bunch of silly people out there.
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: You do.
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: So there are traffic fatalities in 14 popular spring break destinations from Florida to California discovered that death tolls rise almost 10% during spring break in these destinations.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: The higher fatality incidents among drivers under 25 years old, and they're from in state and out of state.
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: So be careful.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: Some of the things that you can prepare for and to watch for is.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: The number one is the weather.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: If you're going on a road trip, make sure you know the weather ahead of time so that you're not in a snowstorm or rainstorm or hurricane or anything like that.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: Be advised of the conditions, because you can impair your driving.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: Mind your tires.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: If you have improperly inflated tires or if your tires are bald, you're going to have issues.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: You're going to have your accent for trouble with them.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: Accidents so bald and under inflated tires can lead to accidents, especially, mike, on wet roads.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: Keep your car stocked with emergency essentials.
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: Now you do this anyways when you go on trips.
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: I mean, you got the cooler, you got your potato chips and your sodas and all that stuff.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: Pack essentials like a first aid kit, a flashlight, jumper, cables, spare tires and all the necessary tools to do something like that.
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: If you got a fan belt, you got the half inch socket, you got your 10 millimeter probably lost it, but you can get another one.
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: Don't forget the coal fried chicken and salt rope and a shovel in case you need that as well.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: But extra water and snacks is good.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: Stay hydrated when you're traveling.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Prepare for spring break traffic and this is a big thing for folks Now do you know Miami is not necessarily going to celebrate anything for spring break into Miami area.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well all problems, so be prepared for that.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: I've had some ugliness down there and well, and a lot of a lot of the coastal towns where it's nice warm weather and nice sandy beaches, mine the road regulations.
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: Follow the speed limits, wear your seat belts.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: Obey the traffic laws, people, because life you save might be one of ours or our family members.
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: So aggressive driving behaviors is a no.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: No, distracted or tired driving is also an issue.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: So if you're tired, don't get behind the wheel.
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: Or if you're tipsy or a little inebriated, same thing.
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: Don't do that.
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: Check your car for road trip safety inspected brake lights, headlights, turn signals.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: Does your air conditioner work and you go into a warm climate?
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: Cause you'll be miserable traveling with you know three, four people in the car, or if you're going by yourself, it's just miserable.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: So remember safety first.
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: Always be a priority when embarking on a road trip in the fantastic spring break adventures.
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: Hey, uh, today's in world time car talk show is sponsored by the group of original loopy tortilla restaurants.
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: They are in Houston, beaumont and college station and Gulf Coast auto shield, along with pro-am auto accessories.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: We will continue here on the in wheel time car talk show.
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: I got to get it going.
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: Hold on, what are you doing?
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to load it I am trying to get loaded.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah Well, that's no change from when you were not at all Okay.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: I've got the wrong one set up here, so yeah.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: Well, uh, you know we're just going to tap dance and wait till you get done, please, okay, tell me when you're done.
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: It's going to be another few seconds here.
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: Oh, good Lord.
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: I know, you know we need to change it.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: I guess so.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: Okay, so we're going to.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: Hey, by the way, coming up, we're going to talk to Scott Lengel.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: I guess that's where you pronounce his last name.
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: He's the CEO of adventure genie and we're talking about spring break Just a second ago.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: I think that you're going to enjoy, um, what he has to say and all of the things that we are going to pardon me, you talking to me, okay, well, I'm going to do this.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: So, um, thank you all for joining us.
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: Our show continues right after this.
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipes mean when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: Founder Stan Holt invited you to visit the original loopy tortilla near I 10 and highway six.
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: Here's the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make loopy tortilla the go to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Speaking of original, nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade that everyone will agree makes loopy tortilla, award-winning beef fajitas, the best anywhere.
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: Loopy tortilla Katie is another location that gives you the same quality and service.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: Historians have come to expect it Loopy's.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: It's located just off I 10 of the grand parkway, at Kingsland Boulevard and Katie.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Find yourself an ackee land.
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: Head to the loopy tortilla and college station, located just around the corner from Kyle field.
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: It's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Headed east to Louisiana, stop in at the loopy tortilla in Beaumont it twos on I 10.
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: You can't miss it.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants invite you in for the best Tex-Mex.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: Anywhere you own a car you love, why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it?
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state of the art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: We promise you'll be impressed.
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: Whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nano ceramic window tent or new windshield protection called Exo Shield, gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go.
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: Curved your wheels Instead of buying new one.
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: I'd have them repaired.
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: How about a professionally installed radar detector?
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too.
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to GCautoshieldcom.
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tullway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour.
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: Call them today 832-930-5655 or GCautoshieldcom.
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am, central on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher, iheart Podcast Podcast Addict Tune In Pandora and Amazon Music.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.