Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Mirror, Mirror on the Car, the Toyota Crown, the off-road ZR2!

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Mirror, Mirror on the Car, the Toyota Crown, the off-road ZR2! · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: time now for this hour's car review.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: I had a chance to drive the 2025 toyota crown.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Now, what is a crown?
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Well, it's not necessarily new.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: This is about the third year of the crown.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: I'd never seen one before.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: I looked forward to getting it and I finally got it, and I was impressed.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Good aichi, japan, is its final assembly location.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Trim levels include the XLE, the Limited, the Nightshade and the Platinum.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: I had the Platinum.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: This is what is considered a mid or full-size sedan.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: It's kind of a gray area, but this is one good-looking vehicle.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: It almost looks like your car Almost.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: It sits up higher.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: I'll get into that in a minute.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: The stance gives a little hint of a crossover SUV.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: It's very different.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: If you were to look at it, you'd go well, is it an SUV?
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: No, it's called a sedan, but you have to be the decider in that.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: It's called a sedan, but you have to be the decider in that.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Squinty headlights, a big part of the upper grille, oversized lower grille, typical for Toyota.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: A black accent panel highlights the side body sculpting.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: It's a very nice touch that.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: I'm normally not into that sort of thing, but it really adds to the look of this High zoot roof line with a narrow C-pillar.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Odd cut line around the trunk and rear bumper Kind of distracts from the premium look, but overall it seems to work.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: The overall shape of it gets high marks, in my opinion.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Well, charging $425 for premium paint on top of a 350 up charge for the two-tone paint is just a little bit too much for me.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: That would be.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, uh.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Interior highlights 12.3 inch infotainment screen with an easy operating system.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Vertical phone charger is brilliant in the center console because it doesn't take up lots of room.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: You pop your phone right there at the head of the center console and it right straight down.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: It goes.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Just the top inch of it is showing through it, so they let you know that your phone is in there and it's charging.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Comfortable, high quality seating with big, uh, always uh, open sunroof I know this is Texas friends.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Gets to be 100 degrees here for quite some time during the big three, four months of the year.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Adequate rear seat legroom.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Good size trunk room for road trip luggage.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: What I liked great interior design on this sedan.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Combine the instrument cluster with the infotainment screen would be my suggestion to Toyota Engine.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: It's a hybrid engine Max, 2.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with electric horsepower, 340 pound-feet of torque, 400, all through a six-speed automatic transmission.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: This is a full-time all-wheel drive vehicle 29 miles per gallon in the city, 32 on the highway for combined to 30.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: I got 29.1 miles per gallon, over 315 per six miles.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it?
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: The mileage and the power.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: What can use improvement?
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Big question mark I wrote myself over here going.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: I don't know what could use improvement.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: It's a great power package on there.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: Ride and handling Well, I like the million dollar ride quality.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement in ride and handling?
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Nothing, it's perfect, don't touch it.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: It goes down the road wonderfully.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Price base trim price 54 990.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Price is tested 58 169.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Base model price $41,440.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: So what compares to it?
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: It's kind of got a niche of its own.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Honda Accord starts at $28,295.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: The Toyota Camry, its cousin, $28,900.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: And the Genesis G70 starts at $42,500.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: So it would be really its closest price-wise.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: But I really did like this car.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not a big sedan guy, never have been.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: But if you're looking at sedans, man, this is the one to get.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I'm telling you, go and look at it and ride in it, take yourself a test drive.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Go down the freeway, go down rough roads, whatever the case may be.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Man, they have got that ride quality in this thing down to a T.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Very good, it's impressive.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Mars, have you had this car yet?
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: No, look at that, you have to put a headset on.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Imagine that Well.
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: I was trying not to make too much noise by putting my headset back on.
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: Well, you've already done that.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: No, I did not.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: I did not even know this car existed until you said you had one.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah Well, I knew that it existed, but I didn't know that it existed in the press fleet.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: So, hold on a second.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Anyway, that is my review of the 2025 Toyota Crown.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Go see it, go buy one.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: I think that you'll be impressed.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: That's this Jeff's car culture.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: Side view mirrors let's go All right.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Well then, side Camera Mirror Systems' future is here.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Side Camera Mirror Systems, a cutting-edge innovation in automotive industry, are reshaping the way we see and interact with our vehicles.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Traditional side mirrors may have been a staple of vehicles for decades, but they come with their fair share of challenges and limitations.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: Side camera mirror systems, on the other hand, offer numerous benefits, but they also present some downsides and legal hurdles that need to be addressed.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: Traditional mirrors can be obscured by factors such as rain, snow, dirt or even insects, making it necessary for drivers to frequently adjust them or clean them to maintain proper visibility.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: This inconvenience can be particularly problematic during long journeys or in regions with unpredictable weather.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: In vehicles shared by multiple drivers, each individual may need to adjust the side mirrors and suit their unique preferences and line of sight.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Failing to do so can lead to discomfort, reduce safety and if the mirrors are not optimally positioned for the driver's height and seating position, especially when you crash into something.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: The design of the traditional side mirrors can generate wind noise and contribute to drag, especially at higher speeds.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Reducing aerodynamic efficiency can impact both fuel economy and cabin comfort.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: Traditional side mirrors are unable to integrate advanced technology features.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: For instance, they cannot display additional information such as navigation guidance or blind spot monitoring.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: That camera is as big as a regular damn side view mirror.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: It could be it looks like a little camcorder hanging out there.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, traditional mirrors provide minimal feedback to the driver about their surroundings.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Side camera mirror systems often include features like distance markers or warning symbols that enhance driver's awareness and safety.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: Traditional side mirrors are exposed to vulnerable and impact from other vehicles, obstacles or even careless pedestrians.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: This makes them more susceptible to damage, vandalism and being knocked out of alignment, necessitating repairs or replacement.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: Shame on that.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: Side camera mirror systems provide a wider and more comprehensive field of view compared to traditional mirrors, significantly reduce blind spots.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: This can help prevent accidents when changing lanes or merging onto highways, making the roads safer for everyone, michael, which means some side camera mirror systems come with advanced features like lane keeping assistance and automatic adjustment.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: These features can aid drivers in maintaining a steady lane position and ensuring their mirrors are correctly aligned, enhancing overall safety and convenience.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Unlike traditional mirrors, side camera systems are less effective by adverse weather conditions.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: They can adapt in various scenarios, such as rain, snow or fog, ensuring the drivers have a clear visibility at all times.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Clear visibility at all times.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: The sleek design of side camera mirror systems contributes to improved aerodynamics, reducing wind resistance and potentially increasing fuel efficiency.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: We all want that.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: The installation and repair of side camera mirror systems can be more expensive than traditional mirrors.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: The technology involved, such as high quality cameras and displays, can drive up the initial cost of the vehicle.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Repairs can also be pricier.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Drivers accustomed to traditional mirrors may take some time to adapt to new systems.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: Adjusting to the camera display and learning to trust the technology that lead into the initial confusion and discomfort.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: So overall it's a new system.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: It's a new way of having your cake and eat it too.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, having your cake and eat it.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: I was pricking my son.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: I like it.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: I think it's going to be good.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: I could use it.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: I could adapt to it.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: You've got the rear mirror in the inside.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Those things are absolutely way too huge.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: There's no advantage as far as aerodynamics are concerned by what you just showed.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: There, though, we have a what we call a lipstick camera on the back of the helicopter that faces forward, and it's no bigger than a lipstick case, and that is the ones that I showed you, that that we can find information on.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: They're all in europe and they're mainly on evs, well, of course.
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: So they're not on any ice, ice vehicles, well, you know a couple of them I thought was real good and I thought maybe this was going to be the camera that's on the existing side mirrors.
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: Whenever you turn the blinker on it comes up, like in the speedometer or the tachometer, but it comes up on the dash and you can see it on your dash.
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: You don't have to do all this other stuff and that's basically a little lipstick type size camera on an existing side mirror I don't understand some of that stuff.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: I'm with you.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: That's kind of defeats the purpose with the size of those things that we just yeah they look like camcorders hanging out there and are they going to put it.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Objects in the mirror are larger than they appear, that kind of thing.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: So oh, that thing with the convex and the concave.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, objects in mirror may appear closer than they really are.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Yep.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Is that going to happen?
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: I think we need to put that on everything, and some of these actually go into the fender.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I saw that.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Let's have a motor that doesn't retract it.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I got all that.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: I got you All right.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: You can go ahead and start your review now we're going to talk about the 2025 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 four-wheel drive crew cab.
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Now this is the Colorado, kind of like the Colorado reborn.
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: There was one several years ago, back when the mini truck, when you called them small trucks, and so now it's out.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: It used to be called the New Mexico, but in this case it's the Colorado.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: So this is the uh part of the third generation that was introduced in 2023, comes with five trim levels, comes with a work truck and lt uh, the trail boss zr1 and the zr2.
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: Now it is a four-wheel drive crew cab truck.
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: The government says it's a standard size pickup.
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: I would call it a mid-size segment, but what do I know if survive past your vehicle?
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: We know you don't know it's got it's.
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: It's an off-road vehicle.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: It's got heavy off-road styling and a lot of the accents or a lot of the styling things that are on it are very functional uh, the led lighting with the headlamps and the fog lamps.
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: That's all part of the common, what you're going to find in most new vehicles, but it's very functional on this vehicle.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: The front bumper is made for off-road work and got tow hooks, skid plates in the front and the rear and for the gas tank.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: You got a skid plate on there.
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: It's got wheel flares on it Because of the ZR2 package and it's got rocker panel protection on it and that, by the way, looks kind of like a step plate, but it's not.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: It's strictly to protect the other part of the body whenever you go rock climbing.
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: Now it does have heated, power folding side mirrors to make things a little bit more pleasant.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: Power sunroof and it has the Stoflex tailgate, which is where you can drop the tailgate, and there's some storage that's put in there.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: That's kind of like an underfloor storage in some of the other vehicles, so that was a really smart move to use some space that wasn't really being used.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: Runs on 17-inch wheels.
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: Now these are beadlock-capable wheels and part of this again is geared towards the off-road.
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: So you've got more tire wall there to work with instead of having some of these little short run flats, beadlock capable.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: Right, so you can take and make these beads.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: They're not beadlocked from the factory but you can make them that way because if you go to a tire shop like discount tire and say, oh, I got beadlocked wheels on here, they're gonna laugh at you.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: So you got to have it to where you can you operate in the regular world and then turn them into the beadlock type wheels when you go off-roading.
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: That's about all I know about it.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: I don't know much about beadlock wheels because we got sand, we don't have rock.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: So, uh, when you get to the interior now we had the jet black artemis leather seating and artemis artemis leather.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: You know, out west we have herds of artemis running wild out there.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: If you know out West, we have herds of Artemis running wild out there.
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: If you can go out and find them the front seats are heated, ventilated.
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: The rear seat is a 60, 40 folding that has storage up underneath.
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: It has the uh 11.3 inch touchscreen in the middle of it.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: Now, this is where you're going to find your nav, your convenience controls, your infotainment, your Apple car play, Android, all those good things, and it's also where you're going to find your surround view camera system.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: Now, this again, it's very much kind of becoming mainstream, but in the off-road world that this vehicle is designed for, it's going to help you see where you're at in relation to the rocks, to the edges.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: Actually, this one will actually help you see what's underneath your vehicle.
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: So it's really good for that.
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: And then we also have the 11-inch driver information center, and that's where you're going to find all your configurational things you want to know about your truck.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: Configurationable.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and we also had the Bose premium audio system, which I really like that, particularly in a smaller vehicle like this.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: Now, up under the hood we had a 2.7 liter TurboMax inline four-cylinder.
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: Now this is 310 horsepower, 430 pound-feet of torque, so it will move this vehicle.
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: Sometimes it sounds like it's working pretty hard at it, but it will do it without a problem.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: Tow rating on this vehicle probably equipped 7,700 pounds with a haul rating of 1,685.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: Now again, we used to call these small trucks mid-sized trucks and they've become a little bit bigger.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: Epa says in the city you should look for 16 miles to the gallon on Highway 16 and combined 16.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: Now I drove 445.9 miles and I got 14.3 miles to the gallon on the average and I will tell you that during this time it does have a very firm truck ride.
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: Now, part of this is because of the suspension in this package.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: It's up higher, it gives it a little more room to move the tires and work with that suspension to kind of smooth out some of the road imperfections.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: And again to that lifted suspension while it does make the off-roading world a lot better, it also makes getting in and out of that vehicle a little bit tougher for a short guy like me, that rock, that protection down below that looks almost like a step rail.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: If it was a retractable step rail I think that would make it a lot easier.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: I know my wife would really appreciate that whenever she had to get in and out of it.
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: Now if you're looking for the pricing on this thing, the work truck, the base model, is down around $33,495.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: Now the base trim price when you get up into that ZR2 level is $49,600.
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: So there's a pretty good size jump but there's several different trims in there that you can work with.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: Msrp is tested for this vehicle $64,340.
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: If you're looking for something to compare it to, the Toyota Tacoma comes in at $3,500 to start and the Ford Ranger is around $3,300.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: Now if you're looking over into more of the SUV CUV truck line like a Honda Ridgeline, $40,150 is where you're going to start looking.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: That's basically a car, by the way.
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: Yes, with a bed on it, so that's the reason I threw it in Kind of like an El Camino.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: But it still falls into that or a Ranchero.
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: Yes, but it falls into that same category of vehicles that this Colorado is, which I think is kind of a misnomer if you would.
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: But I do think if you're looking for something that you want to take off-roading and you want something to start with or maybe you just don't want to wrench it yourself this is a vehicle you ought to look at.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: And, more importantly, you can put it in the dang garage.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, you're not going to be able to put a full-size truck in there anymore.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: No, you used to be able to.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: And out west they got the three-legged Harry Artemis that you could get your seats in Three-legged.
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: Three-legged Yep.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: They're very rare.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: That's my review of the 2025 Colorado 4WD ZR2 Coupé.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: It only leaves a trail.
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: Thank you, mike, you're quite welcome, sir.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: Are you going to send that off to General Motors and say here's my review?
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: After I do a little editing.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, time now for some.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: Thank you.