Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / A Million-Dollar Hybrid Attitude?

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A Million-Dollar Hybrid Attitude? · In Wheel Time Podcast

0:06
Don Armstrong: From World Headquarters in Texas, USA.
0:10
Don Armstrong: It's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
0:13
Don Armstrong: Got a couple of stories that we're going to talk about.
0:16
Don Armstrong: One is with Ford and the uh CEO of the company touting the fact that oh we've turned the corner on all of these recalls.
0:24
Don Armstrong: So we're going to talk about that.
0:26
Don Armstrong: We're also going to talk about a new$700,000 Audi that's coming your way.
0:32
Don Armstrong: I know you get you're going to be in line to buy one.
0:34
Don Armstrong: I've got an innie.
0:35
Don Armstrong: Well, this is an Audi.
0:37
Don Armstrong: Okay.
0:38
Don Armstrong: So we got those stories coming up, and we're going to talk about that, and we'd like you to join in with us if you'd like to.
0:43
Don Armstrong: We'd love that.
0:45
Don Armstrong: Uh, that and more coming up.
0:47
Don Armstrong: Uh Jeff has the motor minute, and I'll review the new Toyota Crown.
0:50
Don Armstrong: Howdy, along with Mike, out of this world, Mars.
0:52
Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff Zeke, Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
0:55
Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
0:56
Don Armstrong: So glad that you could join us for this broadcast.
0:59
Don Armstrong: Okay, so let's start off with this one.
1:01
Don Armstrong: Let me read the story for you, since I've already kind of teased it.
1:06
Don Armstrong: Audi's new.
1:07
Don Armstrong: Have you heard this, Mars?
1:08
Don Armstrong: Audi's new$700,000 Nuvolari.
1:13
Don Armstrong: Now spell that N-U-V-O.
1:17
Don Armstrong: Nouveau, N-U-V-O-L-A-R-I.
1:19
Don Armstrong: One word, Nuvolari, is a curious car for an industry supposedly marching toward an all-electric future.
1:27
Don Armstrong: It has nearly 1,000 horsepower, three electric motors, and enough technology to make most EVs look relatively simple.
1:39
Don Armstrong: Yet at its heart sits the thing affluent performance car buyers apparently are not ready to give up.
1:46
Don Armstrong: And what is that?
1:47
Don Armstrong: A great big loud VH.
1:50
Don Armstrong: Oh man.
1:50
Don Armstrong: Yeah, baby.
1:51
Don Armstrong: That's what I'm talking about.
1:53
Don Armstrong: And according to Audi CEO, Gurnot Dahlner, I swear to God, it said, look, Gurnot.
2:01
Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's G-E-R-N-O-T.
2:04
Don Armstrong: Well, Gurnot, Gernot says it's not an accident.
2:07
Jeff Dziekan: Gurnoy or Gernot?
2:08
Jeff Dziekan: Gurnoy.
2:09
Don Armstrong: No, that's Larry says.
2:10
Don Armstrong: Larry says the higher the segment is, the more the enthusiast still loves the combustion engine.
2:16
Don Armstrong: You think?
2:17
Don Armstrong: Mm-hmm.
2:18
Don Armstrong: The lower the segment is, the more battery electric is accepted.
2:22
Don Armstrong: Okay.
2:23
Don Armstrong: The Nu Volari is Audi's latest and perhaps most extravagant example.
2:27
Don Armstrong: The mid-engine supercar combines a 987-horsepower V8 with three electric motors, delivering the instant torque and low-speed smoothness of electrification without sacrificing the noise, vibration, and mechanical theater, this writer wrote, of an internal combustion engine.
2:50
Mike Marrs: Most people will pay extra for all that theater.
2:53
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
2:54
Don Armstrong: Well, they're going to in this one, to the tune of almost a million dollars, 700,000.
3:01
Don Armstrong: It's a lot of dough.
3:02
Don Armstrong: It's a lot of dough ratings.
3:04
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
3:05
Don Armstrong: Um, Audi developed the car in just 405 days after Dahlner saw an early concept in March of 25.
3:12
Don Armstrong: The company decided to push the Nivellari into production ahead of a fully electric model now expected to arrive in 2028.
3:20
Don Armstrong: Decision says something about where the luxury performance market is heading, at least for now, according to this writer.
3:26
Don Armstrong: This is from Automotive News.
3:28
Mike Marrs: Does it say how many they expect to sell?
3:30
Jeff Dziekan: 499.
3:31
Jeff Dziekan: I'm looking it up as he's reading it.
3:32
Mike Marrs: Yeah.
3:33
Jeff Dziekan: 499 of them?
3:34
Mike Marrs: Yep, no more than 499.
3:36
Jeff Dziekan: Okay.
3:36
Don Armstrong: So they've got a cap on it.
3:40
Don Armstrong: Did you throw your hat in the ring, Mars?
3:42
Mike Marrs: Well, I thought about it, but they said it was 501, so I guess I'm not going to get one.
3:47
Mike Marrs: That.
3:48
Don Armstrong: Hybrids accounted for roughly 14% of new car sales in the U.S.
3:52
Don Armstrong: last year, compared with less than 3% in 2020.
3:56
Don Armstrong: Europe is seeing a similar rise.
3:57
Don Armstrong: And at the top end of the market, electrification increasingly means adding motors and batteries to an exotic combination, combustion engine, rather than replacing it altogether.
4:08
Don Armstrong: Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Formula One and IndyCar have an electric component?
4:15
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, they've got the hybrid component to it, yes.
4:17
Don Armstrong: And so, you know, here you are with your little bitty four-cylinder engine screaming at 100 million RPMs.
4:23
Don Armstrong: And then you have a, I think the push to pass thing is the electric aspect.
4:27
Jeff Dziekan: You only have so many seconds of it, yeah.
4:29
Don Armstrong: Right.
4:29
Jeff Dziekan: Right.
4:29
Jeff Dziekan: And so you push, and then psh, it I mean, it nails it.
4:33
Jeff Dziekan: And in Formula One, they've got a part of the track where you can rejuvenate that power by rolling over certain parts of the track.
4:39
Jeff Dziekan: Oh, really?
4:39
Jeff Dziekan: Oh, yeah.
4:40
Don Armstrong: So they're a little bit ahead of the curve.
4:41
Don Armstrong: Well they think they are.
4:43
Don Armstrong: Well, I mean, yeah, I will tell you this.
4:46
Don Armstrong: Mars, have you driven any hybrids?
4:49
Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
4:51
Don Armstrong: I I'm a big fan of hybrids, and I never thought I would be.
4:55
Don Armstrong: But you know what the first hybrid from mass production was and still is the Prius.
5:01
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
5:02
Don Armstrong: Prius.
5:02
Don Armstrong: Toyota Prius.
5:04
Don Armstrong: Um, and you know, when that thing came out, I remember getting it.
5:07
Don Armstrong: I was at uh another television station at the time.
5:10
Don Armstrong: I got to drive it for a week.
5:12
Don Armstrong: And even then it it looked weird, funny to me.
5:16
Don Armstrong: It still does, but actually, it looks a lot better than uh I will tell you that I was impressed with it because it got great gas mileage, and I really didn't know that big of a difference.
5:28
Don Armstrong: Now, today, some of the hybrids on the market, you know, they're really uh antiquated as far as when they start the uh the uh gasoline engine, and there's this rumble, and the whole thing shakes, and you know it, and it's it just it's not right, but there are others, and the more money you spend on them, man, they are smooth as glass.
5:49
Mike Marrs: Yeah, you don't even notice the change unless you're looking at the gauges.
5:53
Don Armstrong: And I drove, and I'm gonna review here in a couple of weeks, the new Toyota crown, and it is a hybrid.
6:01
Don Armstrong: Let me tell you something.
6:02
Don Armstrong: Those Toyota people got this thing down.
6:05
Don Armstrong: Yeah, not a ton of horsepower, but plenty of horsepower that you're gonna go, I can drive this, and you never know, never feel when the hybrid kicks in.
6:18
Don Armstrong: When when the when the battery goes from engine to battery, it's truly amazing, and they've done such a good job of it.
6:25
Don Armstrong: And the car itself is just rides like a million bucks.
6:29
Don Armstrong: I'll get into that later.
6:30
Mike Marrs: But on the whole hybrid scene, it's that torque that that electric motor provides that okay, that gets you going, and you don't need as much horsepower to keep going.
6:39
Don Armstrong: Well, it's that, and and it adds to the gas mileage.
6:43
Don Armstrong: I got 36 miles per gallon overall with this uh Toyota crown.
6:49
Don Armstrong: That I'm telling you for the money.
6:51
Don Armstrong: Now, this Toyota Crown that I had was a little bit on the pricey side, I will tell you that.
6:57
Don Armstrong: It was 50, almost$60,000.
7:00
Don Armstrong: But it was loaded, it had every option known to man on it.
7:04
Don Armstrong: You don't have to do that because it's only this engine and battery combination that is available for this Toyota Crown, Signia, it's called.
7:13
Don Armstrong: It's the station wagon slash SUV.
7:16
Don Armstrong: Oh no, you got my interest.
7:17
Don Armstrong: I'm telling you.
7:18
Don Armstrong: Station wagon.
7:19
Don Armstrong: I know.
7:20
Don Armstrong: Uh this thing, and it doesn't look like a station wagon, it looks like an SUV.
7:25
Jeff Dziekan: I Googled it while you're reading that.
7:26
Jeff Dziekan: There's there's you know what you were saying, but that story popped up as well.
7:29
Jeff Dziekan: But uh, I saw five of uh 499 is the number that they were going to build, and it notated that uh sort of like on an R8-esque platform, you know, that kind of sportiness in the car.
7:41
Jeff Dziekan: And they've got pictures of it too.
7:42
Jeff Dziekan: So it's good looking.
7:43
Jeff Dziekan: New Volari.
7:44
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, one of Audi's most.
7:46
Jeff Dziekan: He was a race car driver.
7:47
Jeff Dziekan: Was it a race car driver named New Valari?
7:50
Jeff Dziekan: I don't know.
7:51
Jeff Dziekan: But since you're over there, Google I did something about a what did you say?
7:54
Don Armstrong: A song?
7:55
Mike Marrs: I think it was song of Valari.
7:58
Don Armstrong: Hey, well, I want you to sing the whole thing.
8:00
Don Armstrong: Come on.
8:00
Jeff Dziekan: Well, I would, but I'm you and Hello Lang right here.
8:03
Jeff Dziekan: We'll join the chorus.
8:05
Jeff Dziekan: And a one and a two.
8:07
Don Armstrong: And a one and a two.
8:08
Don Armstrong: You need bubbles behind.
8:09
Mike Marrs: I need my bubbles, yeah.
8:11
Mike Marrs: Tiny ones.
8:12
Don Armstrong: I'll tell you what, when I read this story, I'm thinking, wow, Audi's actually gonna do something other than what they've done for the past 30 years.
8:21
Jeff Dziekan: Also, what popped up was Sewell Audi and Katie.
8:24
Jeff Dziekan: Was it really Sewell?
8:25
Jeff Dziekan: Go buy one.
8:26
Don Armstrong: Well, I will tell you, Mars, did you ever drive the R8?
8:30
Don Armstrong: No.
8:31
Don Armstrong: I drove it back in the day when we were all a member of a certain organization up at Texas World Speedway on the road course.
8:39
Don Armstrong: Oh my god, that car.
8:41
Don Armstrong: And of course, they stopped building that.
8:42
Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
8:44
Don Armstrong: That, my friend, if you want a sports car, a bad to the bone German sports car, that's the one to get that R8.
8:52
Don Armstrong: And I'll bet you you could find them online on the used car market.
8:56
Don Armstrong: Uh, but you have to look hard because wait for the uh what it sold for segment.
9:00
Don Armstrong: Well, there's that.
9:01
Mike Marrs: There you go.
9:02
Don Armstrong: If I find one on there, I'll definitely do it.
9:05
Jeff Dziekan: So uh to go with uh 700 horsepower and 799.
9:10
unknown: There you go.
9:11
Don Armstrong: You go for it, Jeff.
9:13
Don Armstrong: So um, anyway, the new Valari from Audi.
9:17
Don Armstrong: It's coming.
9:18
Don Armstrong: Thousand horsepower.
9:20
Don Armstrong: Golly.
9:21
Don Armstrong: I don't I I would be scared to drive it.
9:23
Don Armstrong: I'm afraid I'd wipe it out on some, you know, going around the corner out here in the old people's neighborhood.
9:28
Don Armstrong: I've seen you drive, yeah.
9:32
Don Armstrong: Okay.
9:33
Don Armstrong: Now the old people's corner.
9:35
Don Armstrong: This is a car.
9:36
Don Armstrong: This is a story from CarScoops.
9:38
Don Armstrong: And thank Jeff Heitzmann for sending it to me because I thought it was interesting enough for me to bring it to your attention.
9:44
Don Armstrong: Thank you, CarScoops, for the story.
9:46
Don Armstrong: For the past few years, Ford has been fixated on solving quality control issues that have frequently forced it to issue more recalls than any of its competitors.
9:57
Don Armstrong: All the time.
9:59
Don Armstrong: However, things are starting to improve, and Chief Executive Jim Farley has lifted the curtain on what prompted Ford's recommitment to quality.
10:09
Don Armstrong: Here's the story.
10:10
Don Armstrong: Ready?
10:11
Don Armstrong: In nine, and sorry, in 2023, Ford launched the fifth generation F-Series Super Duty, and they made a big deal out of it.
10:19
Don Armstrong: Hugely important model for the brand.
10:21
Don Armstrong: Things did not go smoothly.
10:23
Don Armstrong: Software issues and semiconductor shortages forced the company to park thousands of nearly finished trucks in parking lots across the United States.
10:32
Don Armstrong: You remember this?
10:32
Don Armstrong: Nearly finished, yeah.
10:33
Don Armstrong: You remember?
10:34
Don Armstrong: They couldn't find enough parking spots for them.
10:36
Don Armstrong: They kept cranking them out of the factory, but they weren't complete to sell.
10:40
Don Armstrong: No chips.
10:41
Don Armstrong: And they had to be fixed before being sent to the dealerships.
10:45
Don Armstrong: So while speaking with the Detroit Free Press, Jim Farley said the disastrous super duty launch was a catalyst for change at the company.
10:55
Don Armstrong: He revealed that since the truck's launch, two-thirds of Ford's leaders in the industrial system, manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering departments have been replaced.
11:08
Don Armstrong: Those who had an it's good enough mentality were given their marching orders, kicking off a huge hiring change across the company.
11:18
Don Armstrong: CEO Farley said, in the past, we would have released that superduty and it would go to the dealers, and then we would love to and then we would have recalls, Farley told the Detroit Free Press.
11:31
Don Armstrong: We didn't want to pass along any of the problems to the customer.
11:34
Don Armstrong: It sounds very simple, but it's not, because that means that we had to slow production down.
11:41
Don Armstrong: We had it to delay vehicle launches, we had to take the pain at the company to do that.
11:46
Don Armstrong: It was very hard to do that.
11:49
Don Armstrong: Ford was recently ranked number one among mainstream brands in JD Power's important initial quality survey, indicating that the changes are already bearing fruit.
12:00
Don Armstrong: However, Ford is still leading the industry in recalls this year and will need to remain committed to quality in the years and decades to come if it has any chance of matching rivals like Toyota in this regard.
12:14
Don Armstrong: And I will tell you that there are now more and more manufacturers that are going after two things.
12:21
Don Armstrong: One is the Jeep Wrangler and Bronco, and the other one, trucks.
12:27
Don Armstrong: All of a sudden, everybody around the world is waking up going, hey, they're selling lots of trucks in the United States.
12:34
Don Armstrong: We need to make one of those.
12:36
Don Armstrong: So be ready because every manufacturer known demand that's worth a hoot, you're going to start building a truck.
12:43
Don Armstrong: Good luck.
12:45
Don Armstrong: Because I'll tell you what, I think that the U.S.
12:47
Don Armstrong: market is going to be a tough nut to crack because people love American trucks.
12:52
Don Armstrong: Ask Toyota.
12:53
Don Armstrong: They sell a lot of trucks, but not near as many as Chevy and Ford.
12:56
Jeff Dziekan: Here's another point to consider European roads are smaller in design than American roads.
13:02
Don Armstrong: Well, that's another thing, too, is the fact that, and I have always touted the fact that we need to have a small, subcompact pickup truck like the old original Ford Ranger, that size.
13:14
Don Armstrong: Chevy Love, Ford Ranger, all of us.
13:16
Don Armstrong: Nobody builds it.
13:17
Don Armstrong: Why not?
13:18
Don Armstrong: Oh, well, they don't they don't pass uh, you know, EPA, they don't pass crash.
13:23
Don Armstrong: Okay, so make them pass all of that.
13:25
Jeff Dziekan: Put an LS in it.
13:28
Jeff Dziekan: Your thoughts, Mr.
13:29
Jeff Dziekan: Morris?
13:29
Mike Marrs: Well, I was just thinking the same thing.
13:31
Mike Marrs: Jeff was.
13:31
Mike Marrs: You know, the roads over there are smaller.
13:33
Mike Marrs: They may that's the reason they have smaller vehicles, but that might, if they get one that'll pass all these tests, they may get them into this market to fill that niche of people that are looking for that small mini truck that used to exist.
13:49
Don Armstrong: You still see them today.
13:51
Don Armstrong: I saw one the other day, it's out here actually.
13:55
Don Armstrong: It looked, I mean, the guy took care of it clearly, because they haven't built the thing in 20 years.
14:00
Don Armstrong: And it looked brand new.
14:02
Don Armstrong: And I'm thinking, so why don't they build that today?
14:06
Don Armstrong: It may hold three people in it, as long as somebody hadn't changed it out to bucket seats.
14:10
Don Armstrong: What?
14:11
Don Armstrong: Small people.
14:11
Don Armstrong: Yes.
14:12
Don Armstrong: Well, not necessarily.
14:13
Don Armstrong: I mean, you know, look at all of the the bug guys, the the exterminators.
14:19
Don Armstrong: That used to be the go-to trick.
14:23
Jeff Dziekan: All that stuff.
14:25
Don Armstrong: Right.
14:25
Don Armstrong: And the exterminators and the pool people.
14:27
Don Armstrong: Um, and this, I mean, it was a great huh?
14:31
Mike Marrs: I even saw a Tacoma that was so small, I thought it might actually fit in the bed of my truck.
14:37
Mike Marrs: You know, it's that's how old it was.
14:39
Mike Marrs: And like you say, somebody had taken care of it and kept it up.
14:42
Mike Marrs: But it was like, comparatively speaking, you think it's like a quarter-sized vehicle.
14:47
Don Armstrong: Yes, yes, exactly.
14:49
Don Armstrong: And you know, the the newer models uh that they've come out with, those to me are like mid-size, and some of them are almost as big as a full-size truck.
14:58
Mike Marrs: Oh, you look at the the Colorado that Jeff was talking about in the GMC version, and the Maverick.
15:03
Mike Marrs: Yep.
15:04
Mike Marrs: They're they're all up there.
15:05
Mike Marrs: You know, park them in the driveway next to a full size, and you're gonna be they're gonna be almost full size.
15:11
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
15:12
Don Armstrong: So I say compact.
15:14
Don Armstrong: Can you imagine if that catches on like like that, like the the original Ford Ranger?
15:19
Jeff Dziekan: And I think safety regulations have been revised since those vehicles as well.
15:23
Jeff Dziekan: I mean, crash impact tests and things.
15:25
Jeff Dziekan: Yes, of course.
15:26
Jeff Dziekan: All of that.
15:26
Jeff Dziekan: So that's probably one way of you know, you gotta bring it back safely.
15:30
Jeff Dziekan: So that's I think part of the reason why they didn't continuum because there were so many regulations moving on to make it a legitimate truck for the modern.
15:38
Don Armstrong: I had a nephew that had one of those Tacomas you're talking about, had it jacked up, some big tires and wheels on it, and it it jacked up even off the ground even more.
15:48
Don Armstrong: That thing was killer, it looked great, and he was in high school.
15:52
Don Armstrong: And I mean, it was it was one of those kind of vehicles that was old enough to get into the whole scenario of kids got getting these things and you know, making them look really cool.
16:03
Mike Marrs: Yeah, they were cheap enough you could buy one and do that to it.
16:06
Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
16:07
Jeff Dziekan: I had a 79 Chevy Love of black, white wagon wheels, red interior, stick, and that's what we moved down into Texas in.
16:16
Jeff Dziekan: Those things were everywhere.
16:18
Jeff Dziekan: Four wheel Chevy Love.
16:19
Mike Marrs: Yeah, four-wheel drive.
16:20
Jeff Dziekan: Were they imported?
16:21
Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, it was like an Izuzu motor.
16:24
Jeff Dziekan: They had an Izuzu motor in it, yes, sir.
16:26
Jeff Dziekan: It did, and it was a General Motors.
16:28
Jeff Dziekan: It was it was it was basically a Nissan, is what it was.
16:32
Don Armstrong: Pretty much.
16:33
Don Armstrong: Well, I'll tell you what.
16:34
Don Armstrong: I I I I think that you're gonna see the truck that's you're gonna see a whole new market of those coming soon to a dealership near you.
16:42
Mike Marrs: And if you look, there's still a kind of an underground mini truck movement out there with the custom guys that swap them down and all that.
16:49
Mike Marrs: It's not real public because they're just not that many people, but they're out there.
16:55
Don Armstrong: You can find them.
16:56
Mike Marrs: Yes.
16:56
Don Armstrong: All right, just ahead, Jeff's Motor Minute, and a review of the new Toyota crown.
17:03
Don Armstrong: I said it in the next couple of weeks.
17:04
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
17:04
Mike Marrs: Uh, you did.
17:05
Mike Marrs: Uh, you got me looking for through my notes whenever you said that.
17:08
Don Armstrong: A couple of minutes.
17:10
Jeff Dziekan: Well, you know, um the big Lanyacht's coming, or the aircraft carrier's coming pretty soon.
17:14
Don Armstrong: No, that is that too.
17:16
Don Armstrong: It's all coming up in the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues after this 90-second break.
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18:22
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18:27
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18:32
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18:48
Don Armstrong: Inwheeltime.com has a list, so check us out.
18:53
Don Armstrong: Time now here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show for Jeff's Motor Minute.
18:56
Jeff Dziekan: The Motor Minute, I got a couple of things.
18:58
Jeff Dziekan: One, back the school has started.
19:00
Jeff Dziekan: Please observe the school zones.
19:02
Jeff Dziekan: I've seen it already.
19:03
Jeff Dziekan: People, you know, rushing through.
19:05
Jeff Dziekan: Blowing through.
19:06
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, not necessarily that, but you know, trying to eke those miles per hour in a in a in a school zone.
19:11
Jeff Dziekan: Don't do that.
19:12
Jeff Dziekan: You're gonna get caught.
19:12
Jeff Dziekan: It's very expensive.
19:13
Jeff Dziekan: I I hope you get caught if you're doing that.
19:15
Jeff Dziekan: The other thing I have is uh the Freedom Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.
19:20
Jeff Dziekan: was last weekend.
19:21
Jeff Dziekan: I watched it.
19:22
Jeff Dziekan: It was a good race.
19:22
Jeff Dziekan: Don watched it.
19:23
Jeff Dziekan: A lot of people watched it.
19:24
Jeff Dziekan: But there was a bit of controversy in the pre-race where fans rip Danica Patrick over nauseating broadcast appearance.
19:32
Jeff Dziekan: The American racing fans once again were dismayed to see Danica Patrick on the screens that she served as a commentator for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington.
19:40
Jeff Dziekan: Patrick, a former indie and NASCAR driver, was called up by Fox to serve as an analyst for the race setup to wind through the streets of the nation's capital.
19:52
Jeff Dziekan: Indy fans were loud and clear in their criticisms of Patrick, including her non-racing commentary on social medica media.
19:59
Jeff Dziekan: Danica and the whole Fox crew verbally nauseating, as somebody wrote.
20:06
Jeff Dziekan: Oh boy, that blankety blank Danica Patrick and others are going to make this unwatchable.
20:12
Jeff Dziekan: One user posted nothing worse about an indie broadcast than hearing Danica Patrick.
20:17
Jeff Dziekan: Fans were not happy, and they they don't want this lady coming back in the NASCAR racing industry there, the broadcast industry.
20:25
Jeff Dziekan: Criticism came after Patrick was let go by Formula One broadcast sports, Sky Sports, just days ahead of the 2026 season back in March.
20:34
Jeff Dziekan: So she got fired.
20:36
Jeff Dziekan: They picked her up for whatever reason.
20:37
Don Armstrong: Narcissism is an ugly thing.
20:39
Jeff Dziekan: Uh and it's it's worth there are so many other retired race car drivers or race car drivers that are looking for rides that could do so much better.
20:48
Jeff Dziekan: I don't know why they keep going to her.
20:49
Jeff Dziekan: I really don't.
20:50
Mike Marrs: Well, and and even if it's not a race car driver that's that's retired or something, they've got so many fators.
20:57
Jeff Dziekan: Exactly, so many knowledgeable people.
20:59
Mike Marrs: Well, they they they learn, they go out and they learn, and they can make a presentation.
21:03
Mike Marrs: Right.
21:06
Jeff Dziekan: Well, she has some other things in other things that Mike that were brought up, uh her political beliefs.
21:11
Jeff Dziekan: Uh she does that a lot on social media, and she's you know gun-ho about certain political parties, and that bled over into the broadcast, and that's what they don't know.
21:20
Don Armstrong: Does she have a boyfriend now?
21:21
Don Armstrong: Is she married again?
21:23
Jeff Dziekan: I don't really care.
21:24
Jeff Dziekan: I mean, I feel sorry for that poor guy.
21:26
Jeff Dziekan: Um all the time.
21:28
Jeff Dziekan: I've wasted enough energy.
21:29
Don Armstrong: Yes, exactly.
21:31
Don Armstrong: So there you go.
21:32
Don Armstrong: All right, time now for this hour's car review.
21:34
Don Armstrong: The 2026 Toyota Crown, built in Aichi, Japan.
21:38
Don Armstrong: It comes in these trim levels the XLE and the Limited.
21:44
Don Armstrong: Uh the reviewed trim level is the limited.
21:48
Don Armstrong: Uh, it's a small wagon that looks like an SUV.
21:53
Don Armstrong: It is considered a wagon.
21:55
Don Armstrong: Doesn't look like a wagon to me.
21:56
Don Armstrong: It looks like an SUV.
21:58
Don Armstrong: Seats five, including the driver.
22:00
Don Armstrong: Exterior changes, it was all new last year.
22:05
Don Armstrong: This is the cygnia version of it.
22:09
Don Armstrong: One of the sharpest looking SUV wagons on the market today.
22:13
Don Armstrong: I think.
22:14
Don Armstrong: Front fascia is modern with a nod to the Lexus brand.
22:19
Don Armstrong: Sloping roof line is a nice arrow style.
22:23
Don Armstrong: Narrow taillights and sunshade at top of the uh hatch adds to the great look.
22:31
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, everything.
22:34
Don Armstrong: Look at that grill.
22:35
Don Armstrong: It kind of has a little smattering there of the Lexus, doesn't it?
22:39
Don Armstrong: Uh, what could use improvement?
22:41
Don Armstrong: Absolutely nothing.
22:42
Don Armstrong: Toyota nailed it with this.
22:45
Don Armstrong: Now, interior highlights include a great instrument cluster that melds into the center screen for a sleek, user-friendly feel.
22:56
Don Armstrong: Well thought out center console, handy and useful, roomy second row seating, and great leather appointments.
23:06
Don Armstrong: Wide opening hatch with a panoramic sunroof with a nice shade on the top.
23:11
Don Armstrong: See that one there?
23:12
Don Armstrong: See the cell phone?
23:13
Don Armstrong: It's vertical, right ahead of the shifter.
23:16
Don Armstrong: It is the perfect place for your phone.
23:20
Don Armstrong: Pardon me?
23:20
Don Armstrong: It's out of the way.
23:22
Don Armstrong: It's out of the way.
23:23
Don Armstrong: Cargo trunk room, adequate for this size vehicle.
23:26
Don Armstrong: Start comparing it to other vehicles.
23:28
Don Armstrong: Don't, but if you have to, it's going to be a little bit smaller.
23:31
Don Armstrong: Good.
23:31
Don Armstrong: That's exactly what we want.
23:33
Don Armstrong: What I liked, the vertical phone charger takes minimum space and works great.
23:39
Don Armstrong: We could use improvement.
23:40
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
23:41
Don Armstrong: Stop trying to rock the boat.
23:44
Don Armstrong: I wrote that.
23:47
Don Armstrong: I did that.
23:48
Don Armstrong: Um, engine, 2.5 liter, four-cylinder hybrid motor.
23:54
Don Armstrong: No other choices.
23:56
Don Armstrong: It doesn't need any.
23:58
Don Armstrong: 240 net horsepower, CVT transmission, 2,700 pound tow rating.
24:05
Don Armstrong: Here's the good part.
24:07
Don Armstrong: Miles per gallon, 39 in the city, 37 on the highway, for a combined of 38.
24:13
Don Armstrong: I got 36.9 miles per gallon over 409.8 miles.
24:18
Don Armstrong: Not bad, man.
24:19
Don Armstrong: Not bad.
24:20
Don Armstrong: What I liked, the drivetrain is plenty responsive.
24:24
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
24:26
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
24:27
Don Armstrong: This is the gold standard for hybrids, in my opinion.
24:31
Don Armstrong: Ride and handling.
24:32
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the smoothness.
24:34
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
24:36
Don Armstrong: Nothing when it comes to the ride.
24:38
Don Armstrong: They got this right.
24:40
Don Armstrong: Go and drive one.
24:41
Don Armstrong: You're gonna go, well, Don Armstrong's not right about much, but he was right about this one.
24:47
Don Armstrong: Base trim price, 48,790.
24:51
Don Armstrong: Price as tested, 53,944.
24:56
Don Armstrong: Base model price to get in it, 44,690.
25:02
Don Armstrong: Here are the competitors.
25:04
Don Armstrong: The Toyota RAV 4.
25:05
Don Armstrong: Now it's kind of a distant cousin, only because they have a hybrid version of the RAV 4.
25:11
Don Armstrong: It starts at 32,850, but it's not this one.
25:14
Don Armstrong: The Nissan Murano starts at 41,670.
25:18
Don Armstrong: And the VW Atlas Crossport 383.
25:22
Don Armstrong: I want you to go drive this.
25:24
Jeff Dziekan: Even if you don't want to buy it, drive it, you're gonna go, wow.
25:28
Jeff Dziekan: So the sedan crown is not made anymore.
25:31
Jeff Dziekan: Um the crown started out as a sedan.
25:34
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
25:34
Mike Marrs: Yeah, it's still made.
25:36
Mike Marrs: Is it okay?
25:37
Mike Marrs: Yep.
25:38
Mike Marrs: Well, it's still their website, let me put it that way.
25:40
unknown: Yeah.
25:41
Jeff Dziekan: This thing, uh, this thing nails it.
25:44
Jeff Dziekan: Because Kathy was looking at the the the Toyota's when she was looking for her car and she ended up on landing on Alexis.
25:50
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, well, uh this one.
25:53
Don Armstrong: Wow, I'm impressed.
25:56
Don Armstrong: And it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to new cars these days, but that's one rocks the boat.
26:03
Don Armstrong: So, Mr.
26:04
Don Armstrong: Morris.
26:06
unknown: Sir?
26:07
Don Armstrong: Are you still with me?
26:08
Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
26:09
Don Armstrong: Well, I just wondered because I didn't hear from you.
26:13
Mike Marrs: Well, you can't get a word in edgewise.
26:15
Mike Marrs: Yeah, exactly.
26:16
Mike Marrs: That's what I was saying, though.
26:17
Mike Marrs: I was I just contributed that they still make the sedan.
26:21
Mike Marrs: Yes.
26:22
Mike Marrs: You did say that.
26:23
Mike Marrs: Yeah, no, I'm I'm watching our next guest.
26:25
Mike Marrs: They're they're um they're getting set up, but I'm kind of watching them to see what they're gonna do.
26:31
Don Armstrong: I see.
26:33
Don Armstrong: What is it is it some sort of clown show, or I mean, should I be worried?
26:37
Mike Marrs: I'm not sure what they're doing.
26:39
Mike Marrs: Um it's always interesting to see what they're doing.
26:44
Don Armstrong: Yes.
26:45
Don Armstrong: Where uh where are they?
26:46
Don Armstrong: Are they in uh in in Portugal or are they in uh no?
26:49
Mike Marrs: I think I think they're up there uh they're on the west coast at home because they leave tomorrow for the Alcan.
26:54
Don Armstrong: I see.
26:55
Don Armstrong: Okay.
26:56
Don Armstrong: Well, we're talking about the Lillian Thals.
26:59
Don Armstrong: Andy and Mercedes and uh quite the couple, and uh they're going to be joining us here in just a just a minute or two.
27:06
Don Armstrong: I'm sure that they're trying to get set up as we speak.
27:08
Mike Marrs: Yep.
27:09
Don Armstrong: And I I'm digging through here because I had a couple of news stories that I was going to uh show, tell, all of that, but I can't find them because I mixed them up with the other stuff.
27:19
Don Armstrong: Oh you know, I was one of those students in school.
27:23
Don Armstrong: Oh, I've got all my stuff ready, and uh what and there's that, yeah.
27:27
Don Armstrong: I did that, and I've got I got the book down here, and I I'm all set, and then I can't find what I'm supposed to find.
27:35
Jeff Dziekan: That's when you look over to Johnny's desk next door and you copy off of Johnny.
27:38
Jeff Dziekan: Hey, Johnny, help me, Johnny.
27:41
Mike Marrs: Johnny's over there hiding his stuff in the back of the wheel.
27:44
Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah, from me.
27:45
Mike Marrs: Yes.
27:46
Don Armstrong: That's it.
27:47
Don Armstrong: All right.
27:47
Don Armstrong: Well, I'll tell you what, why don't why don't we just go ahead and take a break here?
27:50
Don Armstrong: Okay.
27:51
Don Armstrong: And then uh we'll get the uh Lilienthals all set up.
27:54
Don Armstrong: They won't keep dinging us in.
27:57
Don Armstrong: Ding ding.
27:57
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
27:58
Don Armstrong: So uh let's do that.
27:59
Don Armstrong: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email.
28:01
Don Armstrong: The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.
28:05
Don Armstrong: Back after this quick break.
28:06
Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
28:08
Don Armstrong: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance.
28:14
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28:17
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28:20
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28:25
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28:30
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28:33
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28:34
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28:36
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28:43
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28:47
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28:51
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28:54
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29:00
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29:07
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29:14
Don Armstrong: Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one.
29:19
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29:22
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.
29:30
Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
29:33
Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
29:40
Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
29:43
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.
29:53
Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
30:02
Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.