Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / The Best Off-Road SUVs And Trucks For Real-World Adventure

Transcript

The Best Off-Road SUVs And Trucks For Real-World Adventure · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:03
  Don Armstrong: Welcome to the N Wheel Time Car Talk Show just ahead of our U.S.
• 0:07
  Don Armstrong: News and World Report Car Connection, John Vinston.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: With the 2026 Best Adventure Vehicle Awards, the gonna get a charge of these.
• 0:18
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has his car culture featured this week of white letter tires.
• 0:22
  Don Armstrong: Remember those?
• 0:23
  Don Armstrong: And Mr.
• 0:24
  Don Armstrong: Mars has 10 speaking bees in the Houston area.
• 0:31
  Don Armstrong: I think if they start there, they trickle over our first dead.
• 0:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 0:37
  Don Armstrong: Along with Mike Out of this world bars, we always need more Jeff Speaking.
• 0:41
  Don Armstrong: Chief Engineer David Ainsley will be joining us for real next week when we venture up to Granberry for our remote broadcast up there.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: And I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:51
  Don Armstrong: Thank you very much for taking your time this morning to be with us.
• 0:55
  Don Armstrong: So let's go right out to Mr.
• 0:57
  Don Armstrong: John Vincent.
• 1:00
  Don Armstrong: And he is with U.S.
• 1:01
  Don Armstrong: News World Report.
• 1:03
  Don Armstrong: And hey John, it's great to see you again.
• 1:05
  Don Armstrong: How have you been?
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: Great to see you guys.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's been a minute since I've been on.
• 1:08
  Don Armstrong: It has been a minute, not our problem.
• 1:12
  Don Armstrong: You're all you're always welcome here, and all you gotta do is give us a buzz.
• 1:22
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, exactly, because it should be at least a once-a-month or don't you think?
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's what we think.
• 1:27
  Don Armstrong: So they have just released the 2026 Adventure Vehicle Awards.
• 1:33
  Don Armstrong: Now that's something different over there at US News and World Report.
• 1:37
  Don Armstrong: So we're going to talk about best vehicles for camping, best vehicles for road trips, best SUVs for off-roading, and best trucks for off-roading.
• 1:47
  Don Armstrong: I don't know where you want to start, but any of those are good for me.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: Well, why don't we just start with the best SUVs for off-roading?
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: All right, let's do that.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is a very long list of cars, but out of this whole group, there's one big winner, and it's GMC.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_02: But we'll talk about that a little bit more as we go on here.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so best subcompact SUV for off-roading, Ford Bronco Sport.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Ford Bronco Sport's a vehicle that's built off the escape, but is a much better escape than the escape.
• 2:18
  Don Armstrong: And let me and let me just add to this you know, since that car came out, we thought ah, it's just a makeover.
• 2:26
  Don Armstrong: No, it's not.
• 2:27
  Don Armstrong: It is really a nice vehicle, and I have always said that from the day that it hit the ground.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's pretty capable of getting it in its Sasquatch trim.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, and I've had one of those and loved it.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: So best compact SUV for off-roading.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, this has to be on the list Jeep Wrangler.
• 2:48
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I see I don't even put it in a class like a compact or subcompact.
• 2:52
  Don Armstrong: I just put it as a Jeep Wrangler.
• 2:54
  Mike Marrs: The Jeep Wrangler.
• 2:56
  Don Armstrong: The Jeep Wrangler, yeah.
• 2:58
  Mike Marrs: Uh oh.
• 2:59
  Mike Marrs: We lost the best loop.
• 3:02
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, you're there.
• 3:03
  Don Armstrong: You're where you see it.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um the Wrangler is actually a pretty big vehicle for a compact, but um the EPA classes it as a compact.
• 3:12
  Don Armstrong: Well, of course the EPA does.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: Your government at work.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: So um, which makes it interesting because it's chief competitor, the next winner, the best mid-size SUV for off-roading, the Ford Bronco, is in a different size class.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_02: Huh.
• 3:28
  Don Armstrong: It is what's in what size class is it?
• 3:31
  Don Armstrong: It's mid-size.
• 3:33
  Don Armstrong: A mid-size Bronco.
• 3:34
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 3:35
  Don Armstrong: And a compact Wrangler.
• 3:37
  Don Armstrong: Correct.
• 3:38
  Don Armstrong: So what yeah, yeah, it's it's one of those deals where so what do they use to classify these?
• 3:44
  Don Armstrong: Is it storage?
• 3:46
  Don Armstrong: Is it space inside the cabin?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: I don't get it.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: I think they have a number of different measures that involves uh wheelbase, overall length, um uh weight.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's all wrong.
• 3:59
  Mike Marrs: They yeah, it's a variable thing.
• 4:01
  Mike Marrs: Anything in this range fits into this class, is what they're doing.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you know, you guys have done this long enough that you know that there are vehicles that span multiple classes and they're just hard to place.
• 4:13
  Don Armstrong: Yep, you're right.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, best large SUV for off-roading, uh, Nissan Automata Pro 4X.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: Seriously, I'm surprised.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: Really good value out there.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, there are some really capable vehicles in this class.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: There's GMC, um Yukon 84, um the Tahoe, uh really capable vehicles.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: But when we looked at things like approach angles, um, approach departure, and breakover angles, the Armada rose to the top.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: Didn't they just redo the Armada within the past few years?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: They did.
• 4:57
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 4:58
  Don Armstrong: And it's a different vehicle uh today than it was back when.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: It is.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's um it's actually pretty nice, and it's a good value.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: You can get good deals on Armadas.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Interesting right now.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, all right.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_02: Next.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_02: Best hybrid SUV for off-roading, and that's the Toyota RAV4.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: We uh, you know, these are all based on data, but we had a lot of discussions about this one because there are some pretty capable vehicles in this category.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: But the RAV4 um the woodland model comes on all terrain tires, makes it decently capable off-road.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: You're not doing the Rubicon with this vehicle, but um it can get you the trailhead and back.
• 5:41
  Don Armstrong: You know, it's interesting.
• 5:42
  Don Armstrong: You you you mentioned that um that I don't really consider something like a RAV 4 to even go off-road because that's not what it comes to mind.
• 5:52
  Don Armstrong: And I guess that some people will take them off-road, but how big of a sales factor is that when you give it an award for a RAV 4?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you know, the thing about American car buyers is we car we buy the car for what we might do someday, not what we do every day.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we never do it.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: So as long as it looks like it might be able to do it someday, you're good.
• 6:20
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, one of these days I'm going up that road.
• 6:23
  Mike Marrs: That's what makes other other people think that you've done it.
• 6:26
  Jeff Dziekan: That's what it is.
• 6:27
  Mike Marrs: That's it.
• 6:28
  Jeff Dziekan: It's not for you, it's for other people.
• 6:29
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, I think that's it.
• 6:30
  Jeff Dziekan: This is the question that I've got.
• 6:31
  Jeff Dziekan: John, you you've got all the matrix that you uh go through the the vehicles and you do the all the checks, all the boxes.
• 6:39
  Jeff Dziekan: I don't know if this takes effect, but do any of the recalls affect how all this data is compiled, or the data is compiled first and then the recalls happen after?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: So we don't put the recalls into this scoring model because these are new cars.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um we bit we put the recalls into um our studies when we're looking at used cars, but it's really hard to do that with with new cars.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: And every new car has recalls, every single one of them.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: Some of them more serious than others, but every car has recalls.
• 7:15
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 7:16
  Don Armstrong: What's next on the list?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: Uh luxury SUV for off-roading.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: There you go.
• 7:21
  Don Armstrong: Now we're talking Defender.
• 7:24
  Don Armstrong: The what?
• 7:24
  Don Armstrong: The Land Rover Defender?
• 7:26
  Don Armstrong: You just had one of those, didn't you?
• 7:27
  Don Armstrong: No, I had a Range Rover.
• 7:29
  Mike Marrs: Range Rover.
• 7:30
  Don Armstrong: Ah that wow, yeah.
• 7:33
  Don Armstrong: $130,000.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's um it's a tough this was a tough category because um the defender's up against the Lexus GX, which is also a great vehicle.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: But um approach departure Brankover angles with the air suspension on the defender, uh, may the numbers come out on top for it.
• 7:54
  Don Armstrong: Well, it doesn't surprise me.
• 7:55
  Don Armstrong: After driving the the Land Rover Range Rover, you know, I I don't get those very often.
• 8:01
  Don Armstrong: I'm sure you don't either.
• 8:02
  Don Armstrong: There just aren't that many around.
• 8:04
  Don Armstrong: But I will tell you that I was impressed.
• 8:07
  Don Armstrong: Uh uh, I didn't take it off-road, but it is so off-road capable, I I don't even know what controls what anymore.
• 8:14
  Don Armstrong: I mean, you can't it'll do anything and everything.
• 8:17
  Don Armstrong: It's like a Swiss Army knife.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: Their electronics for traction management are stunning.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, they can make me look like I'm decent off-road.
• 8:28
  Don Armstrong: The big camper that you are.
• 8:31
  Jeff Dziekan: Exactly.
• 8:32
  Jeff Dziekan: I think I mean, wait, he's a glamper.
• 8:34
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's right.
• 8:35
  Don Armstrong: You're a clamper, not a camper.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_02: We just get the dog from one hotel to the next.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: There you go.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, best electric SUV for off-roading, Rivian R1S.
• 8:47
  Don Armstrong: That's interesting you should say that because you know, I was just talking about Rivian, and uh the Rivian truck is a contender with the Land Rover Range Rover, and I would have never even thought of Rivian being a competitor to anything they're so new, but apparently they are.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: They are, they are very good vehicles.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: This is a company that I'm really rooting for because they're doing it right.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, unlike uh some electric car companies out there, they're taking more of a measured approach, and their second car is about to come out, um, the R2, which um I just sent somebody to that launch event and he came back with a big smile on his face.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: So looking forward to reading about what he says about the R2.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: But if it's anything like the R1s, they're gonna be really good.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll tell you this.
• 9:40
  Don Armstrong: I I got a chance to see an R1 up close and personal, and I'm going, oh my god, the fit and finish on this, it's like a custom car.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so this category actually came down to very close between this and the GMC Hummer EV.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: And the Hummer EV beat it on a lot of the technical factors, um, the off-road factors.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: But when you come down to a car that you want to live with every day, the Rivian was definitely the choice.
• 10:14
  Don Armstrong: Interesting.
• 10:14
  Don Armstrong: Uh it's such a new company to come this far and to actually win an award and be a contender to begin with.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's impressive.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's actually not that new new of a company anymore.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's what five, six, seven years old now.
• 10:29
  Don Armstrong: We don't see a lot of them around here, so yeah.
• 10:32
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, yeah.
• 10:34
  Don Armstrong: For uh for us guys, we go back to spoke wood spoke wheels, you know.
• 10:39
  Don Armstrong: Pretty much.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: I know, I know.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: You you're sure your arms are still sore from cranking.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 10:47
  Jeff Dziekan: Show them your guns, Mike.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: Let's get into the pickup trucks.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: All right, ready.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, mid-size pickup truck for off-roading, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's not a surprise.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Hard to argue with this one.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and there are like two flavors of that truck that are fantastic for off-roading.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: There's the TRD Pro, which has the coolest seats in any pickup truck.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: They're actually air suspension seats with shock absorbers in the seat back.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: So you are isolated from the vehicle as you're ripping across the desert.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: How fun.
• 11:23
  Don Armstrong: It sounds like a you know, an 18-wheeler truck.
• 11:25
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: Except much more managed than that.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you're it's I swear it feels like you're it's a gyroscope where you're not moving and everything else around you is.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_02: Well, that's brilliant, yeah.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's really cool.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: And then on the flip side for the slow technical off-roading, um, they have the trail hunter, which uh it's a different setup, but just as capable in a different off-road realm.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_02: Very interesting.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, full-size pickup for off-roading Ford F-150.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they have three flavors of that truck that are fantastic for off-roading.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_02: There's the FX4 package, which is just a basic off-roading package, there's the Tremor, and then there's the Raptor.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it's hard to hard to argue with the big Raptor V8.
• 12:18
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, and the only thing that I can think that would come in close would be the uh Ram TRX.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_02: Ram TRX, uh, which is not currently available yet.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's going to be again.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_02: For 27, it will be available, yeah.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: For these purposes.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I got you.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um interesting.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: Although the Ram Rebel is still pretty capable, too.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, love the Ram Rebel.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, best electric SUV for off-roading.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: People actually do this.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's the Ruby and R1T.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, some pretty unique features.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, hidden storage and its gear tunnel, uh, great range.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: You know, people will be heading to the gas station with their trucks before you're heading to the charger.
• 13:00
  Don Armstrong: How is the uh how is the interface there with the infotainment system?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's getting better with a lot of the new startup companies.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: They're having trouble getting all the bugs worked out of their infotainment systems.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, although I was just in a legacy automaker's car last new car last week that was just as buggy as any startup car company's um infotainment system.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: They are getting better.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: One of the great things about them is they can take uh over-the-air updates so you don't have to go to the shop to get them fixed.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: They just send a file into the car and it fixes things.
• 13:35
  Don Armstrong: Nice.
• 13:35
  Don Armstrong: Well, that's handy.
• 13:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, mine does that.
• 13:37
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 13:37
  Don Armstrong: We'll we're looking for the maid to do that here at the house.
• 13:41
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 13:41
  Don Armstrong: Uh we'll have her just come.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: Rosie the maid is a little bit.
• 13:45
  Don Armstrong: Rosie, yeah.
• 13:45
  Don Armstrong: Rosie.
• 13:46
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: I just bought a new car a couple weeks ago.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: You actually bought a car?
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: I did.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: What did you buy?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: I bought a Genesis G V70.
• 13:57
  Don Armstrong: That's not a surprise.
• 13:58
  Don Armstrong: I can understand that.
• 14:00
  Don Armstrong: That's a very nice vehicle.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it really is.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's and I got the the Twin Turbo Twin Turbo V6, which um it rips.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: It rips, yeah.
• 14:11
  Jeff Dziekan: So spunk, that's some spunk.
• 14:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 14:13
  Don Armstrong: Uh, was it real expensive?
• 14:15
  Don Armstrong: Because when I think of Genesis, I think a pretty expensive.
• 14:18
  Jeff Dziekan: Higher-end vehicle.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: They are a yeah, they're a higher-end vehicle, but um, compared to buying a Mercedes or BMW, quite the bargain.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: And 10-year warranty.
• 14:29
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, that makes a big difference with that twin turbo.
• 14:32
  Don Armstrong: So let's wrap up the uh adventure vehicle awards.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, let's go into best vehicles for camping.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: Umcompact Rocco Smart again.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: Subcompact hybrid, Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: I knew Subaru was coming.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Subaru's gotta be on this list.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's not here as often as you would think, but it's okay.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Compact SUV for camping, Hyundai Tucson.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the Tucson wins on cargo space, which uh is just a little bit better than the RAV4 or the CRV.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: Interesting.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um same reason for the compact hybrid for camping.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um Tucson hybrid.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um compact plug-in hybrid SUV.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: We're slicing things pretty close here.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: Toyota RAV4 plugin hybrid.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: Mid-size SUV for camping, GMC Acadia.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: Uh tons of cargo room.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, very capable versions of that vehicle are available.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: Mid-size hybrid SUV for camping, uh, Toyota Grand Highlander.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: And whether you put this in the mid-size or large category, um it's just a really nice family vehicle.
• 15:47
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, they have grown that Highlander to big sizes now.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, you gotta remember that when we're talking adventure vehicles, people might do this 10, 20 days a year.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: You want a vehicle that's gonna, you know, do everything you need it to do for the other 355.
• 16:05
  Don Armstrong: And be able to put the bicycles on top of all the junk that you've got in the back.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 16:10
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, not the mother-in-law.
• 16:11
  Don Armstrong: I've seen that, including the mother-in-law.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, you've seen vacation.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 16:18
  Don Armstrong: That's right.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, best mid-size plug-in SUV for camping.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, this category's gotten smaller.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Mazda CX90 P Hev.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, with the departure of the Grand Cherokee 4xE.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: There aren't many plug-in hybrids available out there in this category anymore.
• 16:38
  Don Armstrong: Well, they don't sell that many of them anyway.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: No, they don't.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: Uh large SUV for camping, uh GMC Yukon XL, which is essentially the suburban version, the GMC is suburban.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, with a slightly nicer interior.
• 16:53
  Don Armstrong: Yep.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: Electric SUV for camping, Hyundai Ionic 9.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: I think you uh I think we've talked about this vehicle on the show before.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, this is just a great all-around family vehicle that happens to be electric.
• 17:07
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, if we if we could just get the range up uh to the point where, like this uh GMC that I had recently with a 500-mile range on it with the big battery, yeah.
• 17:19
  Don Armstrong: And I think that that that's gonna be more of a thing of the future that uh more and more of these manufacturers are gonna do that.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, evolving technology, things are gonna exactly better, faster, smaller.
• 17:33
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, so the let me ask you this.
• 17:36
  Don Armstrong: So who wins the top tip top award for best adventure vehicle overall?
• 17:41
  Don Armstrong: We don't have one.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: We broke it down into classes.
• 17:44
  Don Armstrong: No, Buick, yeah.
• 17:46
  Mike Marrs: Gotta have a big trophy.
• 17:48
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, I yeah, it's what I'm thinking.
• 17:50
  Don Armstrong: And I'm thinking also that in next year, when we do this for U.S.
• 17:53
  Don Armstrong: News and World Report, now that in wheel time has mentioned it, that's gonna be the new deal.
• 18:00
  Don Armstrong: So all those vehicles gotta have number one.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_02: I will say, I will say this in the politically correct way that a manufacturer would tell us.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_02: We will take that into consideration.
• 18:11
  Jeff Dziekan: Under advisement.
• 18:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Under advisement.
• 18:13
  Don Armstrong: That's perfect.
• 18:14
  Don Armstrong: You've heard that before, haven't you?
• 18:16
  Don Armstrong: Somewhere, no doubt.
• 18:17
  Jeff Dziekan: Some of these that you mentioned, I don't have an affinity with their looks.
• 18:21
  Jeff Dziekan: So I'm thinking that some of these I've they just don't do anything for me aesthetically, so I wouldn't be interested to begin with in looking at the vehicles.
• 18:30
  Don Armstrong: It narrows the field, so to speak.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's whenever you're a car buyer.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:34
  unknown: Yeah.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's always that way, yeah.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: No doubt.
• 18:37
  Don Armstrong: Well, John, it's great to talk to you.
• 18:38
  Don Armstrong: Thank you so much for sharing the list with us today.
• 18:40
  Don Armstrong: And like I said, call anytime.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, because we are your number one show, you know.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Or your staff, anybody, yeah.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: And if you ever need an expert to talk about pretty much anything in the car market, we have people.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that's right.
• 18:58
  Don Armstrong: We'll definitely do it.
• 18:59
  Don Armstrong: John Vincent, thank you so much.
• 19:01
  Don Armstrong: U.S.
• 19:01
  Don Armstrong: News and World Report 2026 Best Adventure Vehicle Awards.
• 19:05
  Don Armstrong: Thanks again, John.
• 19:06
  Don Armstrong: We'll talk to you soon.
• 19:07
  Don Armstrong: Okay, uh, just ahead.
• 19:09
  Don Armstrong: It's Jeff's Car Culture.
• 19:11
  Don Armstrong: White letter tires is the subject this week.
• 19:14
  Don Armstrong: Mars has hidden Houston speakeasies.
• 19:16
  Don Armstrong: That's the one I'm whatever.
• 19:19
  Don Armstrong: Well, that's coming up right after this break here on the Big Wheel Time.
• 19:23
  Don Armstrong: They won't be hidden anymore.
• 19:24
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 19:26
  Don Armstrong: The Texas Max dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortillas, your destination for Texas's best beef ahitas and frozen margaritas.
• 19:35
  Don Armstrong: Since 1983, Loopy Tortillas has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients.
• 19:41
  Don Armstrong: Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Loopy Tortillas, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 to I 10 in Houston.
• 19:48
  Don Armstrong: Visit any of the Loopy tortillas, and you will see the same attention to detail at each and every location.
• 19:54
  Don Armstrong: Start your loopy experience with costa flaminato and guacamole, along with a plastic frozen margarita.
• 19:59
  Don Armstrong: Done on famous loopy beef and chicken tomatoes, four pepper trip crochet, or a fresh or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious vlog for dessert.
• 20:08
  Don Armstrong: Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort North.
• 20:13
  Don Armstrong: There's a Texas location near you.
• 20:15
  Don Armstrong: The recipes are authentic and time-tested.
• 20:17
  Don Armstrong: The ingredients always fresh.
• 20:19
  Don Armstrong: Loopy tortilla.
• 20:21
  Don Armstrong: Eats pretty good.
• 20:26
  Don Armstrong: Apple or Android In Wheel Time podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
• 20:32
  Don Armstrong: Whether you're on the road or at home and searching for a fun car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try.
• 20:37
  Don Armstrong: Honest new car reviews, fun informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture, mic's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
• 20:47
  Don Armstrong: Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music.
• 20:52
  Don Armstrong: Inwheeltime.com has a list, so check us out.
• 20:56
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 21:00
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 21:06
  Don Armstrong: Central on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 21:12
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 21:20
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.
• 21:24
  Don Armstrong: All right, time now for the racing calendar, sponsored by those famous people that we can never get on the air.
• 21:30
  Don Armstrong: The Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.
• 21:32
  Jeff Dziekan: Thank you for that.
• 21:33
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, Formula One is the Italian Grand Prix, and that goes off.
• 21:37
  Jeff Dziekan: I think it's going to be on the internet and some uh FS1 channel, I'm not sure.
• 21:41
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh, then you got Darlington for NASCAR.
• 21:43
  Jeff Dziekan: You got the O'Reilly series that's going to be uh at 2 30 p.m.
• 21:47
  Jeff Dziekan: on the CW, and then you've got the big boys running at 5 p.m.
• 21:50
  Jeff Dziekan: on the USA network.
• 21:52
  Jeff Dziekan: And then, of course, you've got Indy at the Grand Prix of Monterey.
• 21:57
  Jeff Dziekan: That ought to be fun.
• 21:58
  Jeff Dziekan: And then uh Second through the seventh, you've got the Cornwell Quality Tools N H R A US.
• 22:07
  Don Armstrong: I have a Cornwall Cornwell Dwell meter.
• 22:11
  Don Armstrong: Oh wow.
• 22:14
  Don Armstrong: Very good.
• 22:14
  Don Armstrong: Do you know how old that is?
• 22:16
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 22:16
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, it's pretty old.
• 22:17
  Don Armstrong: When's the last time you had to check the dwell?
• 22:20
  Jeff Dziekan: I don't think they do dwells anymore.
• 22:21
  Don Armstrong: No, I don't think they do either.
• 22:23
  Jeff Dziekan: And then uh the lawnmower racing is off.
• 22:26
  Jeff Dziekan: So they're they're they're changing blades and tires and all that.
• 22:32
  Don Armstrong: Have you seen any of that on the internet?
• 22:34
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I have seen.
• 22:35
  Don Armstrong: Oh my god, dude.
• 22:36
  Don Armstrong: They've got these things they're popped up.
• 22:38
  Don Armstrong: I guess they got motorcycle engines in them or something because they are fast.
• 22:41
  Don Armstrong: You're gonna try to put an LS in one of them, I'm sure.
• 22:44
  Don Armstrong: I'm sure somebody's already done that.
• 22:46
  Don Armstrong: All right, time now for this week in auto history, Mr.
• 22:49
  Don Armstrong: Mars.
• 22:50
  Mike Marrs: Yes, sir.
• 22:50
  Mike Marrs: We found a few things this week in auto history that uh I think people will be interested in and checking it out.
• 22:56
  Mike Marrs: September the 6th, way back in 1891.
• 23:00
  Mike Marrs: Peugeot took their type three early gasoline-powered engine, which was uh a Daimler-designed two-horsepower engine, and they entered it into a race, a bicycle race, and they took it 1,271-mile round trip.
• 23:15
  Mike Marrs: Now, this it only got about nine miles per hour to do it, but it did complete it.
• 23:20
  Mike Marrs: And the whole point of that was to show that automobiles were something that were dependable and could be used.
• 23:25
  Don Armstrong: And one of those one of those guys in the car looks just like you, Mars.
• 23:29
  Mike Marrs: I think it's the one in the back on the other side.
• 23:35
  Mike Marrs: The thinner one.
• 23:36
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, I wish.
• 23:38
  Mike Marrs: So um then on September the 7th, in back in 1896, this was America's first automobile race that was held on a horse track or trotting track in Cranston, Rhode Island.
• 23:54
  Mike Marrs: Now, this was seven car seven vehicles competed over five laps.
• 23:58
  Mike Marrs: Now they had sixty thousand people actually there to watch this first race.
• 24:03
  Don Armstrong: Although it says, although it says Narragansett Park.
• 24:07
  Don Armstrong: Every time I've been there, I've got the trot.
• 24:09
  Mike Marrs: Well, I couldn't say Narragansett's by just skipping Narragansett.
• 24:13
  Mike Marrs: But they had 60,000 spectators watching this and an electric Riker.
• 24:19
  Mike Marrs: The car game was the Riker, won, doing 20 miles an hour.
• 24:23
  Mike Marrs: Second place finisher was also an electric vehicle.
• 24:26
  Mike Marrs: So it was third place was won by a gasly power.
• 24:29
  Mike Marrs: But again, it helped to demonstrate that automobile competition could become a major nationwide spectator sport.
• 24:37
  Mike Marrs: Then uh moving up, jumping up to 1949, uh, Volkswagen returns to German control.
• 24:43
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is after the war.
• 24:45
  Mike Marrs: The Volkswagen Company was actually transferred from the British military control back to the Federal Republic, which was new, the Federal Republican.
• 24:53
  Don Armstrong: It's the original split window coup.
• 24:55
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 24:55
  Mike Marrs: It is.
• 24:56
  Mike Marrs: And so the and the reason this was important because it gave they after the war, they took control of the corporation, the company, the factories, and all that.
• 25:04
  Mike Marrs: So they were putting it back into the hands of the German people, which that led to Volkswagen Beetle being built so long and so far and becoming such a landmark vehicle for uh the growth of the automobile industry.
• 25:18
  Mike Marrs: Then September the 9th, 1954.
• 25:22
  Mike Marrs: The first Thunderbird, Ford Thunderbird is actually completed for the 55-mile gear.
• 25:27
  Mike Marrs: Now, they actually started this, took them two days to build this car uh because it was really the first one.
• 25:33
  Mike Marrs: It's a two-seat convertible, has VA power, and it was designed to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette.
• 25:40
  Mike Marrs: Now they ended up selling about 4.4 million of these vehicles before production ended in 2005.
• 25:48
  Mike Marrs: So it went through several generations, but it lasted a long time.
• 25:51
  Mike Marrs: And the first car here, I was in one of those once upon a time, and it was uh what you'd expect from a 1955 car, but it was really nice.
• 26:02
  Mike Marrs: Uh September the 10th, back in 1897.
• 26:07
  Mike Marrs: And this is an important event.
• 26:09
  Mike Marrs: This was the uh the London police arrested George Smith after he crashed his cab into a building while intoxicated.
• 26:16
  Mike Marrs: So George Smith became the first recorded driving arrest.
• 26:20
  Mike Marrs: And uh his fine was 25 shillings.
• 26:22
  Mike Marrs: I have no idea what that means, but uh it is the first person that was arrested for driving under the influence.
• 26:31
  Mike Marrs: Then in uh 1970, September 10th.
• 26:34
  Mike Marrs: This is important because the Chevrolet Vega goes on sale.
• 26:37
  Don Armstrong: Now, this was could you could you could could you repeat that date again, please?
• 26:42
  Mike Marrs: September the 10th, 1970.
• 26:45
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 26:47
  Don Armstrong: I uh just for my edification because I I I I I've had two.
• 26:52
  Don Armstrong: And I had I had the original one like that, except it wasn't that fancy, it was the bottom of the line, but whatever.
• 26:59
  Don Armstrong: I like that car.
• 27:01
  Mike Marrs: My brother had a great one.
• 27:02
  Mike Marrs: A lot of people like that car, and it was really it was designed to challenge the imports of the domestic rivals that were coming in.
• 27:09
  Mike Marrs: The EPA was shutting down the muscle car world, and and the world was changing from an automotive perspective.
• 27:14
  Mike Marrs: And this car was what they designed to compete with it.
• 27:17
  Mike Marrs: They also made a hatchback in it that I thought would be so cool to have an engine in the back, a rear-mounted engine in that hatchback for Saturday nights down on the drag strip.
• 27:28
  Mike Marrs: But uh, and this was also one Jeff did a feature once upon a time about how they shipped these cars upright on the rail cars so they could get more of them in that place.
• 27:38
  Don Armstrong: That didn't last long, though.
• 27:40
  Mike Marrs: No, it didn't.
• 27:41
  Mike Marrs: Uh it's kind of like the car didn't last that long.
• 27:43
  Mike Marrs: Uh then September the 8th, 1904.
• 27:46
  Mike Marrs: Now, this isn't necessarily an automobile, but it is automotive in that 1904, the first Harley Davidson prototype was actually built functionally.
• 27:58
  Mike Marrs: And now, of course, William Harley and the Davidson brothers they went on to create Harley Davidson, that's worldwide, world-known uh at this point, as far as the motorcycles go.
• 28:08
  Mike Marrs: So it was very important.
• 28:10
  Mike Marrs: And um this vehicle, this prototype was actually 400cc, had a one-speed transmission on it.
• 28:16
  Mike Marrs: And it had wide whites on it.
• 28:18
  Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
• 28:18
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 28:20
  Mike Marrs: I think they were all whites.
• 28:21
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, they're all whites.
• 28:22
  Mike Marrs: But anyway, that was just a few things in automotive history this week that we thought were rather interesting.
• 28:27
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, well, that was a trip down memory lane.
• 28:30
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, the uh I bought two Vegas, a 70 and a 74.
• 28:39
  Don Armstrong: And uh I didn't have any problems with either one.
• 28:42
  Don Armstrong: Now, the first one, four-speed manual transmission, no air conditioning.
• 28:48
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, my brother had a stick in his.
• 28:50
  Don Armstrong: Well, I couldn't afford it.
• 28:51
  Don Armstrong: That was my very first new car.
• 28:53
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I was I was still proud of it.
• 28:55
  Don Armstrong: And the second one, then I bumped it up to the GT and only had that for one year, and then I bought the Monza.
• 29:03
  Don Armstrong: Listen, I was on the cutting, I was on the cutting edge of new car uptake.
• 29:09
  Mike Marrs: And I was so I was so cool.
• 29:11
  Mike Marrs: I had an aunt who her husband had a Cosworth Vega out in California.
• 29:15
  Mike Marrs: Oh wow.
• 29:15
  Don Armstrong: Oh, wow.
• 29:16
  Mike Marrs: Well, he died and she called me and said, Hey, you want to buy this car?
• 29:19
  Mike Marrs: I don't want the Vega, a Cosworth four-seller Cosworth Vega.
• 29:22
  Mike Marrs: Nah, I don't want it.
• 29:24
  Don Armstrong: If you had it today, it'd be worth a lot of money.
• 29:26
  Don Armstrong: It's like the Yanko of its day.
• 29:28
  Mike Marrs: There you go.
• 29:28
  Jeff Dziekan: Factory Yanko.
• 29:30
  Don Armstrong: Hey, Tesla's winning in a shrinking electric vehicle market as other brands retreat.
• 29:34
  Don Armstrong: The EV maker claimed more than 60% of the new U.S.
• 29:38
  Don Armstrong: EV registrations in June.
• 29:40
  Don Armstrong: Uh, while registrations for other brands sharply declined, according to the most recent study from Mobility Global.
• 29:47
  Don Armstrong: New total new electric vehicle registrations fell 11%, the ninth straight month of declines after the federal EV tax credits expired.
• 29:57
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 29:58
  Don Armstrong: Uh, we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be back after these messages.
• 30:04
  Don Armstrong: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance.
• 30:11
  Don Armstrong: Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches.
• 30:14
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company.
• 30:17
  Don Armstrong: John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint.
• 30:22
  Don Armstrong: Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 30:26
  Don Armstrong: Dash cans, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 30:30
  Don Armstrong: Got a new car?
• 30:31
  Don Armstrong: Get it protected as soon as you take delivery.
• 30:33
  Don Armstrong: If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't tell you something you don't need.
• 30:40
  Don Armstrong: John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot.
• 30:44
  Don Armstrong: He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too.
• 30:48
  Don Armstrong: See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime.
• 30:51
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway.
• 30:56
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com.
• 31:04
  Don Armstrong: Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea: a hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists.
• 31:12
  Don Armstrong: Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one.
• 31:16
  Don Armstrong: Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process.
• 31:19
  Don Armstrong: No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home.
• 31:27
  Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
• 31:30
  Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
• 31:36
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 31:40
  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.
• 31:50
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 31:58
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.