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Should Your Workplace Police What You Drive · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  Don Armstrong: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:02
  Jeff Dziekan: And rival manufacturers vehicles.
• 0:05
  Jeff Dziekan: Here we go.
• 0:06
  Jeff Dziekan: A Michigan automaker is issuing parking tickets to employees who are to work in vehicles by rival manufacturers.
• 0:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Jeep's parent company, who?
• 0:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Still antes is handing out fines to employees at their headquarters parking lot in Detroit for parking in the wrong spots when their cars aren't made by the firm they work for, according to employees.
• 0:26
  Jeff Dziekan: The company parking lot is reserved for employees driving Stellantis made vehicles with rival cars barred from the premises.
• 0:33
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, for where do you park your non-stilantis vehicles?
• 0:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Employees say it's insulting to tell workers that uh despite having a huge parking lot, decks well under capacity, that they still don't have the right to park in them or cover parking at all.
• 0:46
  Jeff Dziekan: They must go to a roof parking or avoid parking altogether on property.
• 0:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Check that out.
• 0:51
  Jeff Dziekan: Both Ford, uh one more thing.
• 0:53
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh uh I'm sorry, go on, I just lost my place.
• 0:56
  Jeff Dziekan: But both Ford Motor Company and General Motors have changed their policies uh at certain headquarters using uh saying that uh they're they're not really doing that for the employees, but Ford Dearborn Factory reported banned employees from the parking lot without a Ford vehicle.
• 1:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Now this happened uh when I worked for Turbo Hydromatic, Fisher Body.
• 1:15
  Jeff Dziekan: They frowned on it.
• 1:16
  Jeff Dziekan: They didn't ticket you, but they frowned on you buying or driving another vehicle.
• 1:20
  Jeff Dziekan: So one employer reported being ticketed for an Eagle Talon uh sports car in a Stellanus parking lot, despite Eagle being a name plate of the Chrysler brand, which is now owned by the company.
• 1:29
  Jeff Dziekan: Seems like security needs a little history lesson on what brands are what.
• 1:34
  Jeff Dziekan: So the debate isn't over, they're still doing it.
• 1:36
  Jeff Dziekan: You park your car by not you know having the right one in the vehicle, you'll get a ticket.
• 1:40
  Don Armstrong: Richardson Chevrolet used to do that, and they made all the employees.
• 1:44
  Don Armstrong: If you didn't buy a Chevrolet from Richardson Chevrolet, then you had to park at the very back of the lot.
• 1:52
  Don Armstrong: They still give you some opportunities, but you had to walk like a quarter mile in the rain, sleet, snow, all that stuff.
• 1:57
  Jeff Dziekan: Shame on you.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 1:59
  Don Armstrong: Uh time now for this hour's car review.
• 2:00
  Don Armstrong: I had a chance to drive the 2026 Chevy Equinox E V.
• 2:06
  Don Armstrong: Available trim levels, the LT1, the LT2, and the RS.
• 2:11
  Don Armstrong: I had the RS.
• 2:13
  Don Armstrong: This is considered a small SUV, but boy, I'll tell you what, that's pressing it to say small.
• 2:19
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, five seats in this, including the driver.
• 2:23
  Don Armstrong: All new in 2024.
• 2:25
  Don Armstrong: So uh all new design.
• 2:26
  Don Armstrong: It really does look sharp.
• 2:27
  Don Armstrong: Sharp looking exterior design with slit lighting up front.
• 2:32
  Don Armstrong: Uh RS had a blacked-out faux grille.
• 2:36
  Don Armstrong: Well, it doesn't need a grill because it's electric, remember?
• 2:39
  Don Armstrong: Big 21-inch wheels, sharp rear hatch with sunshade over the back glass.
• 2:44
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, it gets high marks for styling, I think.
• 2:48
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 2:49
  Don Armstrong: Not a fan of two-tone paint.
• 2:52
  Don Armstrong: That's an option that you can get.
• 2:55
  Don Armstrong: When do we go back to two-tone paint?
• 2:57
  Don Armstrong: Let's go back to wood panel.
• 2:59
  Don Armstrong: Well, yeah.
• 3:00
  Don Armstrong: Real wood.
• 3:01
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 3:02
  Don Armstrong: Um, ours did not have the two-tone, I'm glad to report.
• 3:06
  Don Armstrong: Um, I've seen, especially the blue one with the white top.
• 3:10
  Don Armstrong: All I can think of is the old Houston Police Department paint scheme.
• 3:13
  Don Armstrong: Oh.
• 3:14
  Don Armstrong: Uh, interior highlights, color options, enhance the interior bling on this RS.
• 3:20
  Don Armstrong: Um layered two screens are unique and are good.
• 3:26
  Don Armstrong: Um, column shift is great.
• 3:28
  Don Armstrong: I loved it, and it opens up the center console for other stuff.
• 3:33
  Don Armstrong: Infotainment controls work great and are easy to understand.
• 3:37
  Don Armstrong: Cargo trunk room, well, adequate for most, I would say, for a small SUV.
• 3:42
  Don Armstrong: What I liked.
• 3:43
  Don Armstrong: The Evotex seating surfaces.
• 3:46
  Don Armstrong: It seem they seem industrial in black, but you can get some highlights in different colors that really makes it pop.
• 3:54
  Don Armstrong: Evotex.
• 3:55
  Don Armstrong: That's one of those kind of like uh name one of those old school plastic things that they came up with.
• 4:06
  Don Armstrong: Plastic seats.
• 4:07
  Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
• 4:07
  Don Armstrong: But they came up with names for them.
• 4:09
  Don Armstrong: Oh, it was always very interesting, the names that they like pleather.
• 4:14
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, this is Evotex.
• 4:16
  Don Armstrong: We could use improvement, nothing.
• 4:17
  Don Armstrong: Uh drivetrain.
• 4:18
  Don Armstrong: Uh, electric motor works great.
• 4:21
  Don Armstrong: Two motor options give 300 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque.
• 4:28
  Don Armstrong: Horsepower, 0 to 67.8 seconds, adequate for most.
• 4:32
  Don Armstrong: Not a rocket ship by any means.
• 4:34
  Don Armstrong: Direct drive transmission, obviously, the electric motors connected to the wheels.
• 4:39
  Don Armstrong: Uh tow rating, 1500 pounds.
• 4:41
  Don Armstrong: Not a lot, but what do you need?
• 4:42
  Don Armstrong: This is an electric EV SUV.
• 4:45
  Don Armstrong: So 117 miles per gallon city is what it's rated.
• 4:49
  Don Armstrong: And it's called MPG E.
• 4:53
  Don Armstrong: Uh, highway is 100 miles combined, 31 kilowatts per 100 miles.
• 4:59
  Don Armstrong: You do the math.
• 5:01
  Don Armstrong: I've tried, I failed.
• 5:02
  Don Armstrong: Thanks.
• 5:03
  Don Armstrong: I got 2.9 kilowatt hours over 387.6 miles.
• 5:08
  Don Armstrong: Do you get that?
• 5:09
  Don Armstrong: Um, EPA rated at 319 mile range.
• 5:13
  Don Armstrong: What I liked, front or all-wheel drive is available.
• 5:17
  Don Armstrong: It's nice to have the option.
• 5:19
  Don Armstrong: Long range version would be a nice improvement, I think.
• 5:22
  Don Armstrong: Bigger battery.
• 5:24
  Don Armstrong: Um, what I liked about it, the riding handling, nice, smooth.
• 5:28
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 5:30
  Don Armstrong: Steering wheel mounted controls were a little confusing.
• 5:33
  Don Armstrong: They seem to have uh uh all of the manufacturers have a penchant for putting things on the steering wheel that you're not quite sure what they are until you hit the button.
• 5:43
  Don Armstrong: I yeah.
• 5:44
  Don Armstrong: And your Buick has probably got the same thing.
• 5:46
  Don Armstrong: I'll tell you a story when you're done with your review.
• 5:48
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 5:49
  Don Armstrong: Um so there's that.
• 5:51
  Don Armstrong: A base trim price, 44.2.
• 5:54
  Don Armstrong: Price is tested 52,945.
• 5:56
  Don Armstrong: You can get in this thing for as little as$35,100.
• 6:01
  Don Armstrong: Good luck in trying to find one of those.
• 6:03
  Don Armstrong: Competitors, the Mustang Mach-E for$37,795.
• 6:06
  Don Armstrong: Hyundai Ionic 5 starts at$35,000, and the Tesla Model Y starts at$39,990 miles.
• 6:16
  Don Armstrong: Wow.
• 6:18
  Don Armstrong: Dollars.
• 6:19
  Don Armstrong: Dollars, thank you.
• 6:20
  Don Armstrong: I'm looking at uh other things.
• 6:21
  Don Armstrong: I know, I know, I was doing that earlier.
• 6:23
  Don Armstrong: Uh next week I'll review the Kia Carnival.
• 6:26
  Don Armstrong: Don't laugh, don't make fun.
• 6:28
  Don Armstrong: It's a nice vehicle.
• 6:29
  Don Armstrong: Isn't it Carnival?
• 6:30
  Don Armstrong: Okay, you can you can pronounce it that way.
• 6:32
  Don Armstrong: Oh, I would like to.
• 6:33
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:33
  Don Armstrong: And put on your beret and whatever else.
• 6:36
  Jeff Dziekan: I feel like I'm bilingual when I talk like that.
• 6:38
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 6:38
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 6:39
  Jeff Dziekan: The story is I found a button on my steering wheel.
• 6:40
  Jeff Dziekan: I didn't even know, I've never knew I had it.
• 6:42
  Jeff Dziekan: And just the other day, uh, I was telling Kathy last night, look at this.
• 6:46
  Jeff Dziekan: And it changes the channel up and down rather than going through it.
• 6:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Look at this.
• 6:50
  Jeff Dziekan: It's on the steering wheel.
• 6:51
  Jeff Dziekan: How about that?
• 6:51
  Don Armstrong: There is that.
• 6:52
  Don Armstrong: Along with that.
• 6:52
  Don Armstrong: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email.
• 6:54
  Don Armstrong: The address here is info at inrealtime.com.
• 6:57
  Don Armstrong: We're back after this quick break.
• 6:59
  Don Armstrong: You own a car you love.
• 7:02
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• 7:04
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• 7:11
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• 7:12
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• 7:27
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• 7:28
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• 7:30
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• 7:33
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• 7:41
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• 7:48
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• 7:52
  Don Armstrong: Call them today, 832-930-5655 or gcautoshield.com.
• 7:59
  Don Armstrong: The award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches millions of folks around the globe each year.
• 8:05
  Don Armstrong: Check us out on InWheeltime.com, YouTube, Facebook, and don't forget our podcasts.
• 8:10
  Don Armstrong: Catch our live show every Saturday, 10 to 9 Central Time.
• 8:13
  Don Armstrong: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guests, new car reviews, along with popular features including driving destinations, Jeff's car culture, the latest car news, cruise-ins, and racing days.
• 8:25
  Don Armstrong: It's all on inwheeltime.com.
• 8:28
  Don Armstrong: Join us.
• 8:31
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 8:34
  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.
• 8:44
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 8:53
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.