Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Five Cool Summer Day Trips Near Houston | Prettiest Police Car | Auto History | 2026 VW Tiguan

Transcript

Five Cool Summer Day Trips Near Houston | Prettiest Police Car | Auto History | 2026 VW Tiguan · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:06
  Don Armstrong: Mr.
• 0:06
  Don Armstrong: Mars has four minutes to complete his driving destination.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: The Houston Heat and the Driving Beat.
• 0:14
  Don Armstrong: Go, Mike.
• 0:15
  Mike Marrs: Where am I?
• 0:15
  Mike Marrs: It's beat the heat drive.
• 0:17
  Mike Marrs: So coming up here, it's summer's coming up.
• 0:19
  Mike Marrs: It's going to be plenty hot.
• 0:20
  Mike Marrs: So we got a few things you can do.
• 0:21
  Mike Marrs: Number one, you can head off to the Bluebell Creameries.
• 0:25
  Mike Marrs: And this is about 75 miles from Houston.
• 0:28
  Mike Marrs: Summer ice cream go together.
• 0:30
  Mike Marrs: Bluebell Creaming Creameries Vista Center in Brenham is a great road trip.
• 0:34
  Mike Marrs: You can tour the facility, you can tour their museum, and you can also try out some of their different flavors of their ice cream.
• 0:42
  Mike Marrs: Then if that's not what you're what you're looking for, number two, go to the Bryan Museum down in Galveston.
• 0:47
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is fairly new.
• 0:48
  Mike Marrs: It opened in 2015 and it's in the old historic Galveston Orphans Home.
• 0:54
  Mike Marrs: Now, if the beach is too hot, this is where you want to go because it's all inside air conditioned.
• 0:58
  Mike Marrs: There's over 70,000 artifacts from the American West and Texas to go in and look at uh restored galleries, interactive exhibits, and it's all air conditioned, and it's nice to go along the Galveston seawall to kind of make your way back to Houston whenever you do that.
• 1:16
  Mike Marrs: Number three, a lot of people know it.
• 1:19
  Mike Marrs: We've been there a couple of times, the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston.
• 1:22
  Mike Marrs: Now there are 24 historical aircraft here, and kids are fascinated by airplanes.
• 1:28
  Mike Marrs: We are fascinated by airplanes.
• 1:30
  Mike Marrs: So this is a great museum to go visit, Ellington Airport.
• 1:34
  Mike Marrs: Used to be down in Galveston until Hurricane Ike came in and forced them to make a move.
• 1:38
  Mike Marrs: But they've got historic aircraft, they got interactive flight simulators, and they got a lot of aviation history from World War II through the space age.
• 1:47
  Mike Marrs: Now, number four, Brazos Bend State Park Nature Center.
• 1:50
  Mike Marrs: This is up in Neadville.
• 1:52
  Mike Marrs: This is 4,897 acres.
• 1:55
  Mike Marrs: You don't really want to go out midday walking around, but they do have the George Observatory Visitor Center that I didn't know existed.
• 2:04
  Mike Marrs: Now this provides a cool introduction to the wildlife and the ecosystems of Brazos Bend State Park.
• 2:09
  Mike Marrs: You get there early, get a little bit of shade, do a short walk around the alligators, and then go inside and check out all the exhibits that you got.
• 2:19
  Mike Marrs: Take a picnic and you got a full day of a family trip there.
• 2:23
  Mike Marrs: Then I wanted to bring up that's with a family.
• 2:27
  Mike Marrs: Now, if you've got your car and you want to go on a road trip, so you need a road to go drive on.
• 2:32
  Mike Marrs: So FM 149 in Montgomery to Anderson through the Sam Houston National Forest.
• 2:38
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is 48.3 miles, so it's not real long down Highway 149, goes through the Towering Pines of the Sam Houston National Forest, and you go off to you got beautiful old historical courthouses on either end of it that you can go in and visit.
• 2:53
  Mike Marrs: I've been to the Anderson a couple of times, and uh it's a great, nice drive after you've been with the family all day, and you just want to sneak out for a quick drive, tackle this one.
• 3:03
  Mike Marrs: So that's a few things you can do out of Houston to beat some of the summer heat coming up.
• 3:08
  Don Armstrong: So well, I have to ask you, uh Jeff and I were just sitting here looking at that courthouse thing, and you said you've been there several times.
• 3:14
  Don Armstrong: Were you in handcuffs?
• 3:15
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, was it uh was it for a misdemeanor or no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
• 3:20
  Mike Marrs: Uh doing some family research actually up in Anderson County.
• 3:24
  Jeff Dziekan: So you're visiting an inmate.
• 3:25
  Jeff Dziekan: Yes, it was a distant, very distant cousin.
• 3:29
  Jeff Dziekan: The question I have, you said you walk along the alligators, a short walk.
• 3:32
  Jeff Dziekan: Walk along the other alligators.
• 3:34
  Jeff Dziekan: Oh, short walk.
• 3:35
  Jeff Dziekan: Okay, because it could be you could have to run real fast.
• 3:37
  Mike Marrs: Well, you don't want to get that close.
• 3:38
  Don Armstrong: Have you ever have you ever been there?
• 3:40
  Don Armstrong: No, I don't have you know it it's right down the street from where we are.
• 3:44
  Don Armstrong: And I will tell you that I have been there, and there is a lookout over a swamp, and uh you cannot believe the number of alligators that you can see walk across on alligators, yeah.
• 3:56
  Don Armstrong: And uh you you definitely don't want to take a small dog and you don't want to take children off the leash because uh they listen, those things are faster than you think they are.
• 4:06
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
• 4:08
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, all right.
• 4:10
  Don Armstrong: Thank you, sir.
• 4:10
  Don Armstrong: The N-wheel piques your interest.
• 4:17
  Don Armstrong: Time now for Jeff's car culture, American police car beauty.
• 4:21
  Jeff Dziekan: Okay, here we go, Michael.
• 4:22
  Jeff Dziekan: So each year, state troopers from across the nation compete to see which has the prettiest police car.
• 4:28
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, the American Association of State Troopers, which is called the AAST, announced the results of the 13th annual best-looking cruiser contest after more than 360,000 votes poured in from supporters around the country.
• 4:41
  Jeff Dziekan: Go, Mike.
• 4:42
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh so that right there, uh I don't have any specifics on the cars or uh because there's a lot of them, obviously there's a whole bunch, but I'm gonna give you the history and the way they brought it up.
• 4:51
  Jeff Dziekan: Mississippi.
• 4:52
  Jeff Dziekan: It looks like like Mississippi because it's got a Mississippi uh uh map on the state.
• 4:57
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, there you go.
• 4:58
  Jeff Dziekan: So over the past three years, Florida's become the top cat or the top car uh for the past, oh, I don't know, three years.
• 5:07
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh this year it appeared though as a streak would end.
• 5:10
  Jeff Dziekan: But the late in the game, the Sunshine State stormed back to a fourth consecutive.
• 5:14
  Jeff Dziekan: Oh, we own the wrong one.
• 5:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Oh no, well, we I just know we're gonna go through what the other cars look like.
• 5:20
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh we don't get down to the nitty-gritty till the end.
• 5:23
  Jeff Dziekan: So Michigan spent much of the competition in first place, but Florida Highway Patrol's communication team mounted a late push that ultimately propelled the state's black and tan Mustang to win.
• 5:35
  Jeff Dziekan: That's not it.
• 5:36
  Jeff Dziekan: That's not that's not a Mustang.
• 5:37
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh, but uh the Troopers Association has some fun with the dramatic finish, joking that it must be hunting season in Florida because they managed to shoot down the blue goose, which is referring to the Michigan State Police car.
• 5:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh it's also equipped uh by hanging chads or late-night ballot dumps from Florida, emphasizing the good-natured rub uh ribbing as part of the contest friendly rivalry.
• 6:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, Florida finished with 52,249 votes, well ahead of Michigan's 37,654, once the polls were closed.
• 6:07
  Jeff Dziekan: Georgia secured third place with 34,000 plus, uh, followed by Ohio, Kentucky to round out the top five.
• 6:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Overall, 360 plus thousand votes were cast along all participating states.
• 6:18
  Jeff Dziekan: Oregon received the least with just 185.
• 6:21
  Jeff Dziekan: So that right there shot is the Michigan car.
• 6:24
  Jeff Dziekan: That's the uh what they call the blue goose.
• 6:26
  Jeff Dziekan: And I think if you look on that boat, I think that's David Anglesley floating by on that boat back there.
• 6:31
  Don Armstrong: No, no, no, no, the sky's too clear.
• 6:33
  Don Armstrong: It's all uh smoky up there.
• 6:35
  Jeff Dziekan: And then the victory means Florida will once again uh receive the best-looking cruiser award.
• 6:39
  Jeff Dziekan: There's Florida, uh, and the winning photo will appear on the page.
• 6:42
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, cover out there, Mustangs and Camaros.
• 6:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 6:45
  Jeff Dziekan: Well that in uh Chargers.
• 6:46
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh so the Troopers Wall Calendar, sales of the calendar support the American Association of State Troopers Foundation, which awards educational scholarships to the dependents of the troopers.
• 6:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Now I've got the list right here.
• 6:58
  Jeff Dziekan: So Florida and Michigan are first and second, Georgia was third, Ohio is fourth, Texas came in ninth with 11,164 votes.
• 7:07
  Jeff Dziekan: So good for we got made a top ten, which is good.
• 7:10
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh but Michigan and we need to do better before to battle it out.
• 7:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, we need to.
• 7:13
  Jeff Dziekan: But you know what?
• 7:14
  Jeff Dziekan: We need the sergeant to get out of the room.
• 7:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Woodard.
• 7:16
  Don Armstrong: It's all well, I know.
• 7:17
  Don Armstrong: Uh we need Woodard to be our spokesperson.
• 7:20
  Don Armstrong: He got a new car too.
• 7:20
  Don Armstrong: He showed it to us the last time.
• 7:22
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, matter of fact, I saw a brand new state trooper SUV.
• 7:27
  Don Armstrong: Whew.
• 7:28
  Don Armstrong: Nice.
• 7:28
  Jeff Dziekan: Oh, yeah.
• 7:29
  Jeff Dziekan: They're nice.
• 7:29
  Jeff Dziekan: So maybe next year we'll we'll we'll get them next year.
• 7:31
  Jeff Dziekan: I want to know how much they cost.
• 7:33
  Jeff Dziekan: A trooper car?
• 7:34
  Jeff Dziekan: A lot.
• 7:35
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, I think it's all the add-ons because there was a lot of people.
• 7:37
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, yeah, there was a dealership when I worked for ATD.
• 7:40
  Jeff Dziekan: There was a dealership in South Texas that did the uh Border Patrol vehicles and they put the radios and the gun racks and all the stuff in them, the stickers and all that.
• 7:48
  Jeff Dziekan: And that was a process.
• 7:49
  Jeff Dziekan: You had to be licensed to the state to work on those particular vehicles for the state, the the vehicles in the dealership.
• 7:56
  Jeff Dziekan: So there's a little bit of regulation to go on with that, but I'm sure they're expensive and it's all the add-ons.
• 8:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Mr.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: Mars has funny.
• 8:06
  Don Armstrong: All right, Mr.
• 8:07
  Don Armstrong: Mars, this week in auto history, it's all yours, sir.
• 8:10
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, we got to.
• 8:17
  Mike Marrs: You might want to check into a little bit further.
• 8:19
  Mike Marrs: So, for example, on July the 19th, back in 1943, the Alaska Highway received its official name.
• 8:28
  Mike Marrs: So Canada, Canada and the United States totally uh built this highway across through uh from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Fairbanks, and it became the Alaska Highway.
• 8:40
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is also called the Alcan 500.
• 8:44
  Mike Marrs: That's where they have that big race.
• 8:45
  Mike Marrs: It goes up through part of this.
• 8:47
  Mike Marrs: Now it did this to prove that long-distance travel could connect some of the continent's most remote regions and helped open Alaska to future tourism and commerce.
• 8:56
  Mike Marrs: And for the longest time, people would go up there and they would make that drive, but it was a tough drive and uh hard on vehicles.
• 9:03
  Mike Marrs: So now people just fly over it or they cruise around it.
• 9:06
  Mike Marrs: But then in July the 19th in 1955, Disneyland's Autotopia opens.
• 9:13
  Mike Marrs: Now, this was great.
• 9:15
  Mike Marrs: I remember this back in the late 50s when I had to.
• 9:17
  Don Armstrong: And I can still see you driving that car too.
• 9:19
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, it was right there in the blue, and right there.
• 9:22
  Mike Marrs: And um, it was all sponsored by major automotive companies over the decades.
• 9:26
  Mike Marrs: It got a lot of people came out, brought their kids out there.
• 9:29
  Mike Marrs: Not only was it because of Disneyland, but this was a big major thing because the kids could feel like they were driving after they drove for 10 days to get there.
• 9:37
  Mike Marrs: Now, it became very unusual and it helped general generations associate automobiles with freedom, adventure, and family travel.
• 9:44
  Mike Marrs: However, as a note, now according to the uh state of California, by 2, 1 in 27, no more ice engines.
• 9:53
  Mike Marrs: So Disney's trying to figure out how they're going to handle this.
• 9:57
  Mike Marrs: If they're going to go to all EV, whatever they're going to do, but the ice engines are going away.
• 10:01
  Don Armstrong: So that was part of the fun, smelling the exhaust and hearing the little put, putt- putt putt putt putt putt going around there.
• 10:08
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, and now it's all going to be well, that's the end of that.
• 10:12
  Mike Marrs: Yep, yep, yep.
• 10:13
  Mike Marrs: Then coming up on July the 21st, back in 1925, Chrysler introduced the Model 58.
• 10:20
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is a very important.
• 10:22
  Mike Marrs: I mean, it kind of looks like it's just another one of the cars that they've got going on here.
• 10:26
  Mike Marrs: But uh, they were trying to be a serious competitor of Ford and General Motors.
• 10:31
  Mike Marrs: So their cars featured hydraulic brakes, they had a lot of other engineering innovations that were not common at the price point they were setting.
• 10:38
  Mike Marrs: And what this really was was the bridge between the Maxwell Chalmers car company and the emerging Chrysler Company.
• 10:46
  Mike Marrs: So this was their the real important car that took them out of the Maxwell State and straight into the Chrysler Corporation, trying to become what they are today.
• 10:54
  Don Armstrong: And it's still on the focus.
• 10:58
  Mike Marrs: Sure is.
• 10:59
  Mike Marrs: The other thing coming up July the 22nd is uh something everybody you should remember if you've got any age on you at all, is parking meters.
• 11:08
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is the first parking meters were approved in Oklahoma City of all places.
• 11:13
  Mike Marrs: And uh it was installed that.
• 11:15
  Don Armstrong: Well, that's why nobody lives there anymore.
• 11:17
  Mike Marrs: Exactly, because of the parking meters.
• 11:19
  Mike Marrs: Now, they were obviously very unpopular with motorists, but they became an important part of the automotive infrastructure and they influenced traffic management in cities across America because that's how they could get people in and get people out, and it also became a source of revenue for many cities.
• 11:37
  Mike Marrs: Coming up on July the 24th, we're gonna find something that this I found this really interesting.
• 11:42
  Mike Marrs: I had no clue that GM was had a Cadillac 16, 16-cylinder engine.
• 11:50
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is for the concept back in 2002 that they revealed this.
• 11:54
  Mike Marrs: It was a massive luxury car with a massive V16 engine in it.
• 12:00
  Mike Marrs: Now, it's really a good-looking car, and you can see how a lot of the designs that have come up since then have followed this as far as the body lines and things go, but it's just uh it was part of the thing that they were moving into that line and this concept car is what generated a lot of buzz at the car shows at the time.
• 12:17
  Mike Marrs: Unfortunately, it never made it into production beyond the concept stage.
• 12:22
  Mike Marrs: And coming up on July the 25th, now I really like this one.
• 12:25
  Mike Marrs: And one of these days we're gonna do some more stories on it, but it was the first, 1971, the first Cannonball Baker C2 Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
• 12:36
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is where it started in Red Ball Garage on the East Coast and went to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach in California.
• 12:44
  Mike Marrs: Now it was organized by Brock Yates.
• 12:48
  Mike Marrs: There's a lot of reasons, the big story behind that.
• 12:51
  Mike Marrs: But the bottom line is the idea was to get from New York to California as soon as possible on public roads.
• 12:58
  Mike Marrs: Now it was very controversial, became what they called an outlaw race.
• 13:02
  Mike Marrs: And uh there's a lot of movies that were made about this race.
• 13:06
  Mike Marrs: And in 1981, the biggest one, it was the first of a series of three, was the Cannonball Run.
• 13:12
  Mike Marrs: They made a couple of remakes after that, but there's several others.
• 13:15
  Mike Marrs: The Gumball Rally is the one I like the best, but it was based on the 1979 Cannonball Baker C to C C2 Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
• 13:24
  Mike Marrs: So, and that was really the last one that was, but it was based on a true story about a real race.
• 13:30
  Mike Marrs: Okay, so that's some things you can look at this coming week in automotive history.
• 13:33
  Mike Marrs: All right, thank you, sir.
• 13:39
  unknown: There you go.
• 13:39
  Jeff Dziekan: All right, what's coming up?
• 13:41
  Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
• 13:42
  Don Armstrong: I had the opportunity to drive the 2026 VW Tiguan.
• 13:47
  Don Armstrong: Now, I have some experience through a friend of mine with a Tiguan, and um I was not impressed.
• 13:55
  Don Armstrong: However, let me say this it's been completely redesigned for this 26 model year.
• 14:01
  Don Armstrong: Actually, it was all new in 25, but you know how they do model years these days, you can't ever keep it straight.
• 14:07
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, so it comes up in these trim levels, the S, the S E, the S E R line black, and the S E L R line turbo.
• 14:18
  Don Armstrong: What did I have?
• 14:20
  Don Armstrong: The SEL R line turbo all-wheel drive.
• 14:23
  Don Armstrong: This is considered a small SUV.
• 14:26
  Don Armstrong: I don't know where they come up.
• 14:27
  Don Armstrong: Well, I do know where they come up with a size ranking, but uh this is not small.
• 14:32
  Don Armstrong: This is what I would call a mid-size, but that's just me.
• 14:35
  Don Armstrong: Um, it fits between the TAWs and the Atlas uh versions of their SUV from Volkswagen.
• 14:45
  Don Armstrong: Exterior changes from last model year, as I mentioned, complete redesign for the 2025 model year.
• 14:51
  Don Armstrong: Updated front fascia has larger horizontal lines and a bigger grill opening up there.
• 14:57
  Don Armstrong: They've brought it up to date, thank you.
• 14:59
  Don Armstrong: Uh flattened wheel well openings are attractive and hide the plastic surrounds of those wheel well openings.
• 15:06
  Don Armstrong: Rear hatch uh holds uh fender-defender lighting.
• 15:10
  Don Armstrong: Uh the sunshade and small rear window give it a fastback look.
• 15:16
  Don Armstrong: Uh, what I like, the overall uh design uh is modern but conservative.
• 15:23
  Don Armstrong: Just grab grab her by the collar.
• 15:26
  Don Armstrong: We're having an issue with the dog in here this morning, and uh it it's it's turned into a it's turned into being a pest, is what it is.
• 15:34
  Don Armstrong: Uh overall design, as I mentioned, modern and conservative.
• 15:38
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 15:39
  Don Armstrong: Uh not a fan of non-functioning roof rails and why manufacturers feel that they have to put them up there, I don't know.
• 15:47
  Don Armstrong: If it's a look thing, great.
• 15:49
  Don Armstrong: Then make it an option.
• 15:51
  Don Armstrong: Do you want roof rails?
• 15:52
  Don Armstrong: You don't want roof rails.
• 15:53
  Don Armstrong: If it comes with roof rails and I don't like them, then take them off.
• 15:57
  Don Armstrong: And charge back to the company because I don't want them.
• 16:01
  Don Armstrong: That's just me.
• 16:02
  Don Armstrong: Just saying.
• 16:03
  Don Armstrong: Interior highlights.
• 16:04
  Don Armstrong: Top of the line SEL R Turbo offers quilted and perforated seating surfaces.
• 16:10
  Don Armstrong: And boy, does it look good.
• 16:12
  Don Armstrong: There you get a picture of it right there.
• 16:13
  Don Armstrong: Huge screen in the middle, easy to view and use.
• 16:16
  Don Armstrong: The new design offers uh more second row leg room because it no longer has a third row.
• 16:24
  Don Armstrong: So keep that in mind.
• 16:25
  Don Armstrong: They squeezed in a third row, and I think that they figured out, you know, just not selling that many because there's just not enough room in this small SUV for a third row.
• 16:36
  Don Armstrong: So they dropped it, and now it offers a lot more room in the back.
• 16:41
  Don Armstrong: Uh, what I liked about it, high marks for the design and execution and materials.
• 16:46
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 16:47
  Don Armstrong: Nothing on that interior.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: It's hot.
• 16:49
  Don Armstrong: Hot meaning good looking.
• 16:51
  Don Armstrong: Uh, engine is a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and this is the optional upgraded engine with 268 horsepower.
• 16:59
  Don Armstrong: Now it's got a lot of horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque, and it runs uh through an automatic eight-speed transmission.
• 17:06
  Don Armstrong: Toe rating, 1800 pounds.
• 17:09
  Don Armstrong: So a small trailer.
• 17:10
  Don Armstrong: Uh miles per gallon, 22 in the city is what it's rated, 29 on the highway for a combined at 25.
• 17:16
  Don Armstrong: Uh, I got 28.7 miles per gallon over 451 miles.
• 17:22
  Don Armstrong: Not bad.
• 17:23
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, plenty of power once that turbo spools up.
• 17:28
  Don Armstrong: And there's the key.
• 17:29
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 17:30
  Don Armstrong: The transmission is slow to downshift and has significant turbo lag.
• 17:35
  Don Armstrong: It may be fine for you or somebody that drives conservatively, uh, maybe mom, grandma, whatever.
• 17:43
  Don Armstrong: Uh, in a big city, it doesn't work because if you're trying to get across a very busy intersection with stop signs, you need to have that car's power ready to go right then and there.
• 17:56
  Don Armstrong: And um, it's not quite there yet.
• 18:00
  Don Armstrong: Riding handling.
• 18:01
  Don Armstrong: What I liked, comfortable ride quality.
• 18:03
  Don Armstrong: Uh we could use improvement.
• 18:05
  Don Armstrong: Well, nothing really.
• 18:07
  Don Armstrong: It's a good middle-of-the-road drive at a comfort level.
• 18:12
  Don Armstrong: Here's the pricing.
• 18:13
  Don Armstrong: Base trim price,$43,085.
• 18:17
  Don Armstrong: Price is tested,$45,015.
• 18:21
  Don Armstrong: Now, I will tell you this, as far as price is concerned, compared to other vehicles, I think that there's a lot to offer here.
• 18:29
  Don Armstrong: Competitors to this vehicle in base size and price, the Mazda CX50 for$29.90,$900, sorry,$2,990.
• 18:39
  Don Armstrong: Now remember, the base model price on this Tiguan is$30,805.
• 18:44
  Don Armstrong: So it's right in there with it.
• 18:45
  Don Armstrong: The Honda CRV starts at$30,920.
• 18:48
  Don Armstrong: And the Kia Sportage goes at the beginning at$28,790.
• 18:53
  Don Armstrong: So that gives you uh some options there to look at if you're in the market for this size vehicle.
• 18:58
  Don Armstrong: Next week I'm going to review the Toyota Rav 4.
• 19:01
  Don Armstrong: And again, big changes to this very popular vehicle, the Toyota Rav 4.
• 19:06
  Don Armstrong: That's going to be next week.
• 19:07
  Don Armstrong: And that's my review of the 2026 VW Tig one.
• 19:12
  Don Armstrong: Comments, suggestions?
• 19:14
  Don Armstrong: It's a good looking car.
• 19:15
  Jeff Dziekan: I like the car, the shape of it.
• 19:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh, it does look rather large when you see one on the road.
• 19:19
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh it's not bad.
• 19:21
  Mike Marrs: I mean, kind of it's kind of bulbous, I guess.
• 19:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, a little bit.
• 19:24
  Jeff Dziekan: And it's got that Volkswagen look, you know, the front end look.
• 19:28
  Don Armstrong: I I I like the look of it.
• 19:30
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 19:31
  Don Armstrong: I like the I love the interior.
• 19:33
  Don Armstrong: Of course, this was the top of the line vehicle.
• 19:34
  Mike Marrs: Yeah.
• 19:35
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 19:36
  Don Armstrong: This isn't the top of the line vehicle.
• 19:38
  Don Armstrong: But that uh transmission, uh, engine and turbo lag doesn't do it for me.
• 19:46
  Don Armstrong: And I was expecting more because this friend of mine has one very similar to it.
• 19:51
  Don Armstrong: It's not the it's not the upside engine that uh this person has.
• 19:57
  Don Armstrong: It is the lower entry-level engine, but they act the same because they've got the same turbocharged system and um the transmission doesn't know what to do.
• 20:07
  Don Armstrong: If you are, let's just say, for instance, you're coming up to a stop sign and the vehicle is in third gear, so it downshifts to second, and it's supposed to downshift to first.
• 20:15
  Don Armstrong: Okay, the light turned green, stab the accelerator pedal, don't floor it, just you gotta go through the intersection.
• 20:21
  Don Armstrong: Jump on it.
• 20:22
  Don Armstrong: It doesn't know what to do, and it has to think about it, and sometimes up to a three-second delay before you get going.
• 20:29
  Don Armstrong: And to me, um, that just doesn't work.
• 20:31
  Mike Marrs: But that's you know, we've talked about that before about the smaller these motors get, the harder they seem to have to be able to match up that transmission.
• 20:40
  Mike Marrs: Uh but not smaller, maybe less power that these motors have.
• 20:44
  Mike Marrs: They have seem to have a harder time syncing up with the transmission.
• 20:48
  Don Armstrong: But I will say this there are others in this class that have the same kind of setup, but they don't have the lag that this one does.
• 21:01
  Don Armstrong: So if the lag doesn't bother you, go for it.
• 21:05
  Don Armstrong: But if the lag bothers you, continue shopping, is my recommendation.
• 21:09
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 21:09
  Don Armstrong: Hey, if you'd like to get into