Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Hybrid Value, Real-World Numbers
Transcript
- 0:04SPEAKER_02: All right, time now for this hour's car review.
- 0:06SPEAKER_02: Mr.
- 0:07SPEAKER_02: Mars uh drove the 2025 Subaru Forester and hear his feelings about it.
- 0:13SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so you did the wilderness last week, so this is a little bit different one.
- 0:17SPEAKER_00: It is part of the six gen, but this is new for 2025, and it's the Forester Premium Hybrid All-Wheel Drive.
- 0:24SPEAKER_00: It is kind of more of a streetcar versus the wilderness that we had last week.
- 0:28SPEAKER_00: So the final assembly locations in Japan.
- 0:31SPEAKER_00: There's actually nine different Forresters, but there's only four hybrid premium sport limited in touring.
- 0:37SPEAKER_00: And I had the hybrid for the for the week that I drove it.
- 0:40SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a small hybrid sport utilities, the way it's classified, fits in between the cross-trek and the outback, fits in between those two different sizes if you're out looking at these.
- 0:50SPEAKER_00: Comes with LED headlights with the automatic hide adjustance, which I thought was rather different.
- 0:54SPEAKER_00: And it also has the automatic on off for the headlights if the windowship wipers come on.
- 0:59SPEAKER_00: If you turn them on, you're automatically getting headlights, which is kind of neat.
- 1:02SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a lot.
- 1:03SPEAKER_00: Heated exterior mirrors with a de-icer.
- 1:06SPEAKER_00: You might need that a little up north, not too much down here in Houston.
- 1:10SPEAKER_00: Had a panoramic moonroof to get you more of that outside feeling.
- 1:14SPEAKER_00: Power rear lift gate with a hands-free foot activated clothes on it.
- 1:18SPEAKER_00: And we were rolling on the 18-inch alloy wheels that come with that premium package.
- 1:23SPEAKER_00: Now, the interior, we had the premium cloth seats, which we know I liked it a lot better than the leather for this kind of vehicle.
- 1:31SPEAKER_00: They are heated in the front seats.
- 1:33SPEAKER_00: The second row seat is a 6040.
- 1:35SPEAKER_00: It does recline and it does fold.
- 1:37SPEAKER_00: And up front, we had a 12.3 inch LED digital gauge package all the way across there.
- 1:43SPEAKER_00: Nice and big.
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: You can see anything and everything.
- 1:46SPEAKER_00: And it has 11.6 inch tablet style multimedia touchscreen.
- 1:51SPEAKER_00: And that's where you're going to find your navigation and all your infotainment systems.
- 1:54SPEAKER_00: It's got plenty of USB-C ports, got a wireless charger on it.
- 1:57SPEAKER_00: I will say though, the wireless charger, if you're driving, there's nothing really to hold your phone in place.
- 2:04SPEAKER_00: And it will slide on you a little bit.
- 2:06SPEAKER_00: So just be aware of that.
- 2:07SPEAKER_00: It's got a rear cargo cover on it so that you keep things out of sight, out of mind whenever you've got cargo back there.
- 2:13SPEAKER_00: And up under the hood is a four-cylinder, 2.5 liter flat four boxer type motor with two electric motor generators.
- 2:21SPEAKER_00: Now, this is where the hybrid system that comes in.
- 2:23SPEAKER_00: Now combined, it puts out 194 horsepower up from 180 on the regular gasoline only engine.
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: It is still backed by a CVT, but it does have a six-speed manual mode on it that I kind of didn't mess with much.
- 2:38SPEAKER_00: I didn't think it was why.
- 2:39SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 2:40SPEAKER_00: It has a tow rating of 1500 pounds.
- 2:43SPEAKER_00: Uh MPG in the city, the EPA says you should look for about 35, highway 34, combined 35.
- 2:49SPEAKER_00: Now it has a 16.6 gallon tank, so that means you're going to get about a 580-mile range out of this vehicle with it, even in the hybrid.
- 2:56SPEAKER_00: Now, I drove it 391.6 miles and got 32.3 miles to the gallon.
- 3:02SPEAKER_00: A little bit lower than the rating on it, but I was well pleased with that by all means.
- 3:06SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the great things about it is it's got a wide opening doors to make it easy to get in and out.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: You don't have to climb down in it, you don't have to climb up in it like you do some vehicles.
- 3:16SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's also got an insulated front windshield that reduces the road noise.
- 3:20SPEAKER_00: All the controls are easy.
- 3:22SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, some cars you got to kind of fall down into, yeah, and then you got to climb up.
- 3:27SPEAKER_02: I just want to make sure that we're correct here.
- 3:29SPEAKER_02: You said climb down into it.
- 3:31SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 3:31SPEAKER_00: Well, I've got to climb, it's either climb or fall, and usually it hurts when I fall at this age.
- 3:36SPEAKER_01: Depends on where you're going, too.
- 3:37SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 3:39SPEAKER_00: Uh and uh it does have a little bit of a firm ride, but that's an all-wheel drive, and and the suspicion that's suspension that's set up for this vehicle, but it's not quite, I don't think as firm as the wilderness ride.
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: But uh, you know, you have to be the judge of that.
- 3:54SPEAKER_00: Now, the base trim price on this vehicle is$38,015.
- 3:59SPEAKER_00: Um the base model price you can get into a Subaruinforcer for$31,415.
- 4:06SPEAKER_00: Now, I did know that the premium, the SRP based on the premium is$34,850, but you go to the hybrid, the one that we're driving, and you're back up to that$38015, which means you're paying$32,400 to get into that hybrid to fall into it.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: It's just something you've got to count on whenever you're you're calculating, deciding if you want to go that route.
- 4:28SPEAKER_00: Competitors, you're gonna find you can go look at the Mazda CX50 hybrid that's$35,499 to start.
- 4:34SPEAKER_00: Honda CRV's got a hybrid that starts at$36045.
- 4:38SPEAKER_00: Uh the Kia's 40 has a hybrid, but it's$30,185.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: I got a friend that's got a 40 now, and he's looking to buy a new one, and he's seriously considering this hybrid.
- 4:49SPEAKER_00: I'd like to get my hands on one just so we can kind of test it out a little bit more.
- 4:53SPEAKER_00: Uh Toyota's even got a RAM 4 hybrid.
- 4:56SPEAKER_00: So there's lots of things to look at, particularly in that small SUV.
- 5:00SPEAKER_00: Uh, if you're looking for a hybrid, there are plenty to look at there, plenty to choose from there.
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: And if you get a chance, drive the Subaru Forester hybrid.
- 5:08SPEAKER_01: There you go.
- 5:09SPEAKER_01: Hey, you know what?
- 5:10SPEAKER_01: In real time car talk show continues right after a quick cat break.
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- 6:20SPEAKER_02: The award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year.
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- 6:35SPEAKER_02: The NWL Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guest interviews, new car reviews, along with popular features including driving destinations, Jeff's Car Culture, latest car news, cruise-ins, and racing dates.
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- 6:53SPEAKER_02: Okay, time now for Jeff's Car Culture.
- 6:56SPEAKER_02: How to start a car collection.
- 6:57SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we talked earlier that we've talked about a lot of the car car collections around the world, but catching, isn't it?
- 7:03SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 7:04SPEAKER_01: Prior to purchasing cars, it's important to ask yourself questions like what type of collectibles can I afford?
- 7:10SPEAKER_01: Jay Leno recommends listening to your heart when beginning a car collection, but you don't have his money.
- 7:16SPEAKER_01: So determine your storage solution.
- 7:18SPEAKER_01: Before you start making any purchases, you want to arrange storage locations, especially if you plan to build a collection of more than four vehicles.
- 7:25SPEAKER_01: Square footage location, security, that's all the factors that you really need to consider.
- 7:30SPEAKER_01: Despite popular misconceptions, classic car collecting isn't a hobby reserved for the rich and famous.
- 7:35SPEAKER_01: You can actually start a collection with hot rods and cars for under 10 grand.
- 7:40SPEAKER_01: So there's a market out there.
- 7:42SPEAKER_01: Establish your collection theme.
- 7:43SPEAKER_01: One of the tips for collecting is what do you want to do?
- 7:46SPEAKER_01: It's got to be cohesive.
- 7:47SPEAKER_01: What sets your collection apart from the random assortment of vehicles?
- 7:51SPEAKER_01: If you're unsure where to begin, start with a muffler.
- 7:54SPEAKER_01: Start with a muffler.
- 7:55SPEAKER_01: Prior to purchasing cars, it's important to ask yourself like, what am I more interested in?
- 7:59SPEAKER_01: Vintage, sports cars, hot rods, what type of collectibles can you afford?
- 8:03SPEAKER_01: So that's the main thing before you even get started.
- 8:06SPEAKER_01: Network with fellow collectors.
- 8:08SPEAKER_01: Be here at the Lupe Tortilla.
- 8:10SPEAKER_01: Uh the car shows here.
- 8:13SPEAKER_01: Get guidance, get technical advice, get some things from the network people.
- 8:17SPEAKER_01: Uh you're networking with other cars as well.
- 8:19SPEAKER_01: It's invaluable.
- 8:20SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to set a budget.
- 8:21SPEAKER_01: Get caught up with the excitement of the first car, soon to be a collector.
- 8:25SPEAKER_01: Could be a reckless purchase with no decision.
- 8:28SPEAKER_01: Before buying a collector car, build out your collection wish list.
- 8:33SPEAKER_01: Account for maintenance costs.
- 8:35SPEAKER_01: Is that car gonna be maintained in that spot?
- 8:38SPEAKER_01: So you got to consider that as well.
- 8:40SPEAKER_01: And lastly, just ask questions.
- 8:42SPEAKER_01: Ask the questions that we uh all want to know about our hot rod.
- 8:46SPEAKER_01: So get involved in that, network, find out what you're gonna do, make a list, check it twice, start a collection.
- 8:52unknown: Can I do collection?
- 8:53SPEAKER_01: Sure.
- 8:53unknown: I know guys that have car collections.
- 8:55SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
- 8:57SPEAKER_02: And his car collection is different.
- 9:00SPEAKER_02: Can he use the classic hot rod or all different kinds?
- 9:04SPEAKER_02: I don't know how many he's got.
- 9:05SPEAKER_02: Lots fill up the entire barn.
- 9:07SPEAKER_02: I don't know another guy that his car collection is originals, untouched, originals, all original, gotta have the paperwork, yep, numbers matching, the whole line.
- 9:18SPEAKER_02: It's all originals, it's all he's got.
- 9:20SPEAKER_02: He's probably got 75.
- 9:22SPEAKER_02: All originals.
- 9:24SPEAKER_02: One of them is a 4GT, a four GT that still has the original wrap on the seats.
- 9:33SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, oh wow.
- 9:34SPEAKER_02: You open the door, everything's all still in plastic.
- 9:37SPEAKER_02: How much is that worth?
- 9:39SPEAKER_02: Wow.
- 9:40SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course.
- 9:40SPEAKER_02: I don't know how much it costs, probably a lot, but those are the kind of things.
- 9:45SPEAKER_02: I got a Chevy collection.
- 9:47SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I got a Chevy collection from the 80s, I got a Buick collection from the 90s.
- 9:52SPEAKER_02: Yeah, whatever.
- 9:53SPEAKER_02: That's the whole collection.
- 9:54SPEAKER_02: And that's the point of it.
- 9:55SPEAKER_01: You know, you if if you're you're I like the Novas, the Cougars, you know, the Torinos, things like that.
- 10:01SPEAKER_01: That would be something that you would collect.
- 10:02SPEAKER_01: Oh, the guys do the Ferraris, you know, you got Corvettes.
- 10:05SPEAKER_01: How much money you got?
- 10:06SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
- 10:07SPEAKER_02: All right, time to go.
- 10:13SPEAKER_02: I'm going to do a review now of the 2025 Kia Ev6.
- 10:19SPEAKER_02: Are you there's nobody else listening?
- 10:22SPEAKER_02: No.
- 10:22SPEAKER_02: Are you guys listening?
- 10:23SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 10:23SPEAKER_02: Okay.
- 10:26SPEAKER_02: The Kia EV6 was assembled in West Point, Georgia.
- 10:32SPEAKER_02: Available trim levels include the light, the light long range, wind, GT line, and GT.
- 10:41SPEAKER_02: I had the GT line long-range all-wheel drive with 20-inch wheels.
- 10:46SPEAKER_02: This is an all-electric, small SUV two-row.
- 10:51SPEAKER_02: Seats including the driver, five.
- 10:54SPEAKER_02: Exterior changes from last model year, refreshed front and rear styling this year.
- 10:59SPEAKER_02: Exterior features include radically sloped hood with a short overhang.
- 11:06SPEAKER_02: This is a very different-looking vehicle, sharp, distinctive lighting, front and rear, fast back rear design with unique rear sunshade and spoiler.
- 11:17SPEAKER_02: Extra large rear hatch door.
- 11:19SPEAKER_02: What I liked this, in my opinion, is one of the sharpest-looking EVs in the market today.
- 11:26SPEAKER_02: And it's in the SUV form.
- 11:29SPEAKER_02: What could use improvement?
- 11:31SPEAKER_02: I put a big question mark right where I put that question.
- 11:34SPEAKER_02: Okay, because I don't know.
- 11:36SPEAKER_02: I think it fits a lot of categories.
- 11:39SPEAKER_02: Interior highlights, sweeping combination display that stretches almost door to door.
- 11:47SPEAKER_02: Attractive, unique center console with a flat phone charger.
- 11:51SPEAKER_02: I really liked it.
- 11:53SPEAKER_02: It sits right there beside you and it's flat, and you can look down there and go, Who's bothering me right now?
- 11:58SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 11:59SPEAKER_02: Attractive, unique center console, comfortable seating with attractive materials, steering wheel controls are easy to understand and use.
- 12:10SPEAKER_02: You're thinking, well, now why did he say that?
- 12:12SPEAKER_02: Is he just try to fill time?
- 12:14SPEAKER_02: No, because I drive a new different car every week.
- 12:18SPEAKER_02: And let me tell you something.
- 12:20SPEAKER_02: Everybody tries to reinvent the wheel, and there's no reason for that.
- 12:25SPEAKER_02: I see slight adjustments, and you know, um, we're gonna do this over here and do that, but why change the whole thing?
- 12:33SPEAKER_02: Last week I drove a vehicle that had steering wheel controls that weren't really controls, they were pads to fill in all the blanks.
- 12:44SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, no, no.
- 12:45SPEAKER_02: You fill in the blanks, I'll tell you whether or not I like it.
- 12:51SPEAKER_02: Cargo trunk room, small, what I liked.
- 12:54SPEAKER_02: The clamshell hatch that keeps cargo limited to accommodate taller items, but it works for this vehicle.
- 13:04SPEAKER_02: What could use improvement?
- 13:06SPEAKER_02: Nothing.
- 13:07SPEAKER_02: It's an electric motor with 225 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque with a direct drive automatic transmission.
- 13:14SPEAKER_02: There's no transmission, there's direct drive electric motors.
- 13:18SPEAKER_02: Toll rating 2700 pounds, which kind of surprised me.
- 13:21SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, it's it's not gonna overkill or anything, but 2700 pounds, that's a p that's it.
- 13:31SPEAKER_02: Pardon me just a minute.
- 13:35SPEAKER_02: Hello?
- 13:37SPEAKER_02: Hi.
- 13:44SPEAKER_00: It's rolling.
- 13:46SPEAKER_02: Yes, we're on the air.
- 13:48SPEAKER_02: You can listen and hear us on the air.
- 13:51SPEAKER_02: I know.
- 13:51SPEAKER_02: Love you and talk to you soon.
- 13:54SPEAKER_02: Bye.
- 13:55SPEAKER_00: That was a stock broker he's talking to on a Saturday, yeah, right.
- 14:00SPEAKER_02: Actually, actually, it was the parole department, and uh they were checking to see my location.
- 14:06SPEAKER_02: Your ankle monitor fell off.
- 14:08SPEAKER_02: Manufacturers miles per gallon E rating is 128 city, 101 highway for a range of 318 miles.
- 14:18SPEAKER_02: And from what I could gather, without trying to do the math and overcomplicate things, it probably gets about in realistic terms, about 275 miles in a regular everyday drive.
- 14:32SPEAKER_02: I drove it for 502 miles.
- 14:34SPEAKER_02: What I liked about it was the power.
- 14:36SPEAKER_02: What could use improvement?
- 14:37SPEAKER_02: More range, and finding a damn Tesla charger.
- 14:41SPEAKER_02: Did I see that?
- 14:42SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
- 14:42SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, what riding handling smooth.
- 14:45SPEAKER_02: Although it is heavy, it doesn't feel heavy.
- 14:47SPEAKER_02: It's 4,502, uh, 45 4,520 pounds.
- 14:54SPEAKER_02: It's heavy.
- 14:54SPEAKER_02: That is heavy, that's big.
- 14:55SPEAKER_02: Base trim price$58.9.
- 14:57SPEAKER_02: Prices tested$67.40.
- 15:00SPEAKER_02: Base model price$42.9.
- 15:03SPEAKER_02: Competitors, Hyundai Ionic 5 for$35,000, Chevy Equinox EV for$35,1 and the Nissan Area for$39.7.
- 15:14SPEAKER_02: Next week, the Ford Expedition.
- 15:16SPEAKER_02: If the area is not being produced anymore, well, it's not going to be produced anymore.
- 15:20SPEAKER_02: Yes, that's correct.
- 15:22SPEAKER_02: EVs are out, gasoline hot rods are in.
- 15:27SPEAKER_02: Well, hybrids are the thing, and I I can't encourage you enough to look at the hybrids because I think that you're going to be very impressed because it gets gas mileage and power all at the same time under one roof.
- 15:42SPEAKER_02: Under one roof.
- 15:44SPEAKER_00: Well, and range anxiety shouldn't be an issue with the hybrid either.
- 15:47SPEAKER_02: And neither should find a damn plug-in charger.
- 15:50SPEAKER_02: That's true.
- 15:51SPEAKER_02: And don't get me started on get them started.
- 15:54SPEAKER_02: Well, go ahead and get me started because I could go the next hour and a half to tell you about EVs.
- 15:59SPEAKER_02: Mars, have you had any of those?
- 16:01SPEAKER_02: EVs?
- 16:02SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
- 16:02SPEAKER_02: Well, you know what?
- 16:03SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna make a request that you get them back to back to back.
- 16:08SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm pretty well.
- 16:10SPEAKER_01: You can use all the electricity in in that area.
- 16:13SPEAKER_01: Hey