Jill and Tom opened the show noting that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down from his position over the weekend. The surprise move sent company stock down steeply early Monday. The hosts also discussed one of Tom’s X polls, this one ranking the most prestigious car brands. Listen in for details. Still in the first segment, Jill shared her review of the 2025.5 (yes, 2025.5) Volvo XC90 midsize crossover. Not a full redesign, the big Volvo sees a number of design and tech updates, most of wh...
Dec 02, 2024•55 min•Ep. 250
Jill and Tom opened the show discussing the L.A. Auto Show, which is currently open to the public. Jill, who attended the event, shared what she learned on the show floor. The hosts went to discuss the interiors of select Stellantis vehicles. Tom decided—contrary to a suggestion of his from last week’s show—that Stellantis deserved to be considered among the carmakers producing the best-finished cabins. In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Hyundai Product Planning Manager Andre Ravinowich...
Nov 26, 2024•55 min•Ep. 249
In this special crossover episode of the Car Stuff Podcast, Tom rides along with Robert Colangelo of the Green Sense Show to experience Subaru's first all-electric vehicle, the Solterra small crossover. Robert and Tom share their takes on the likable little EV, and take note of a few drawbacks in the process.
Nov 21, 2024•9 min•Ep. 248
Jill is back in studio this week. The hosts opened the show discussing Jill’s recent travels, and noting that she had driven the all-new Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan to the studio. A full review of that vehicle is due in a week or two. Tom shared an interesting experience. A fellow health-club member of Tom’s sought him out to share her terrible rental-car story. She had been upgraded to a surprising crossover which she found entirely unsatisfactory. Jill reviewed the new Honda Prologue ...
Nov 18, 2024•55 min•Ep. 247
Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed fills in for Jill this week. The hosts opened the show taking note of Cadillac’s decision to end production of the XT4 compact crossover. What is General Motors building in its Fairfax assembly facility instead? Listen in. Paul and Tom turned their attention to Jeep's 2025 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer price cuts. Both hosts agree that Jeep’s big SUVs, launched for 2022, are fine vehicles, but were overpriced relative to the competition. Listen in for details. Pau...
Nov 11, 2024•54 min•Ep. 246
Jill and Tom opened the show talking about EV range and Jill’s recent trip from Chicago to Indianapolis in an electric test car with only about 200 miles of promised range. Listen in on her story. The hosts acknowledged a couple of friends-of-the-podcast birthdays, and discussed how cheap gas has become locally and nationally. Tom shared a tribute to his dad, who died about a week ago. It’s a funny story about pouring a milk shake out the window of his father’s shake-colored 1970 Nova. Tom went ...
Nov 05, 2024•55 min•Ep. 245
Jill and Tom opened this week’s show discussing the all-new 2025 Porsche Macan EV, an electric version of the maker’s popular Macan small crossover. The new electric Macan is offered in four trim levels and starts around $75,000. Still in the first segment, the hosts discussed the media launch of Volkswagen’s all-new electric-truck brand Scout. VW will launch the brand with a pair of EVs, including a crossover and pickup truck, both of which are closer in size to full-size vehicles, including th...
Oct 28, 2024•53 min•Ep. 244
Jill is back in the studio this week, and opened the show by recapping her Rebelle Rally exploits. Visit the Car Stuff Podcast Facebook page for a link to pics from her trip. Tom shared august electric vehicle sales as reported by S & P Global Mobility. While Tesla still dominates the list, a few new vehicles are doing better than expected. Jill and Tom discussed the coming Ferrari F80 hyper car. Not only is the price breath taking, the car’s engine is proving controversial. Still in the fir...
Oct 21, 2024•55 min•Ep. 243
Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill again this week. Jill returns for the next episode. Paul and Tom opened the show discussing large pickup-truck sales. Tom had heard that the Chevrolet Silverado was outselling the Ford F-150 this year, which was inaccurate. Tom went down the list of the top pickup sellers in the third quarter. The hosts also noted General Motors’ decision to drop the Ultium brand in relation to its electric-vehicle products. Ultium had been used by the maker to ...
Oct 14, 2024•55 min•Ep. 242
Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this Week. Paul and Tom opened a topic-packed first segment discussing the coming off-road ready Ford Explorer Tremor. That conversation was followed up by news that Kia vehicles were recently compromised by a group of white-hat hackers, using the maker’s app. More on this story as news is released. Still in the first segment, Paul recounted the events surrounding his and fellow Sons of Speed editor Brendan Appel's efforts to drive an all-electr...
Oct 07, 2024•54 min•Ep. 241
Jill and Tom opened the show quickly covering a number of topics, including the death of legendary Mercedes-Benz designer Bruno Sacco, the folding of General Motors’ electric commercial-van unit into Chevrolet, and Tom’s weekend long-trip drive in the electric Subaru Solterra small crossover. Still in the first segment, Jill shared her take on the redesigned-for-2025 Buick Enclave large, 3-row crossover. The near-luxury crossover impresses for its quietness and general refinement, but not everyt...
Sep 30, 2024•57 min•Ep. 240
Jill and Tom opened the show noting that elements of the media have been misusing the term “mild hybrid.” Listen in for details. The hosts ran down a questionable list of the “most-patriotic brands,” which included Ford and Jeep. What other carmakers made the list? Listen in. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom reviewed the new, likable, Fiat 500e electric coupe. Fiat’s new subcompact electric runabout boasts a fun design and frisky on-road experience, but won’t be perfect for everyone. In ...
Sep 23, 2024•55 min•Ep. 239
Jill and Tom opened the show addressing a couple of future topics: Federal incentives for used electric vehicles, and the number of Chinese-built models sold in Mexico by Chevrolet. Next, Tom apologized to Sam Fiorani for making yet another model-year mistake. Tom also shared his preliminary take on the updated-for-2025 Ford Explorer midsize crossover. Still in the first segment, Jill shared news regarding her new ride for this year’s Rebelle Rally, and walked listeners through the list of vehic...
Sep 17, 2024•56 min•Ep. 238
Sitting in for Jill this week is Tom’s friend, engineer and car guy David Piluski. Dave and Tom opened the show addressing a mistake Tom made—called out by Tom’s mother—last week. Tom misidentified the longtime singer of the classic “See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” ad/song as Doris Day, though as noted by his mom, the song was sung by Dinah Shore. Listen in to hear a clip of the song. Dave and Tom addressed a second error from last week, this one called out by listener Celio. Dave went on to s...
Sep 09, 2024•56 min•Ep. 237
Jill and Tom are Joined in-studio by Brendan Appel this week. In the first segment Jill and Brendan respond to Tom’s impressions of the updated Genesis GV80 midsize crossover. The trio also discussed the pending engine-replacement recall facing owners of all 2022 and 2023 Toyota Tundras. The recall is reportedly going to require up to 24 hours of labor per vehicle. Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the 2024 AMG Mercedes-Benz GLC 43 Coupe. Jill was generally impressed by the “coupe” versio...
Sep 02, 2024•54 min•Ep. 236
Jill and Tom opened the show covering a couple of news stories, including how Mazda used substantial incentives to boost recent U.S.-market sales performance, and a how Volvo is extending its embargo of drive impressions of the 2025 EX90 electric midsize crossover, pushing back Jill’s official review. Still in the first segment Jill shared her impressions of the GMC Cayon midsize pickup truck in off-road-ready AT4X trim and equipped with the extreme AEV package. Though generally impressed, Jill ...
Aug 27, 2024•57 min•Ep. 235
Jill and Tom opened the show with a brief acknowledgement of Ford’s plan to add 4-door and off-road “Baja” variants to the Mustang lineup. The hosts also discussed the trimmed-down model lineup and reduced prices of the 2025 Jeep Compass. Compass prices have been slashed by up to $2000 for '25. Also in the first segment, Jill reviewed the Honda Ridgeline TrailSport midsize pickup truck. Though the least-capable—in terms of payload and towing capacity—model in the segment, the Ridgeline shines in...
Aug 19, 2024•56 min•Ep. 234
Tom opened the show complaining about people who spend too much time considering their selections at donut shops, specifically at Spunky Dunkers in Palatine, IL, when Tom is trying to pick up a 6-pack on his way to the studio. In a follow up to last week’s Ford Explorer review, Jill and Tom turned their attention to cars, and the news that GMC will be reducing the number of Terrain compact crossover trim levels to three for 2026, and just one for 2025. This is a follow up to Jill’s Explorer revi...
Aug 12, 2024•55 min•Ep. 233
Jill and Tom opened the show noting that Chinese electric-car maker BYD is exploring developing a retail network in Canada. Tom explained why the Canadian market would be friendlier to Chinese imports than the U.S. The hosts went on to discuss recent U.S.-market sales growth for Mazda. The Japanese maker had recently made public it’s intention to take the Mazda brand upmarket, and early sales of its CX-50 and CX-90 models suggest that the project is successful. Tom also shared some fun data on t...
Aug 05, 2024•55 min•Ep. 232
Jill and Tom opened the show talking about the new ZR1 Corvette model. That new king-of-the-hill ‘Vette boasts a reported 1064 horsepower, and should hit showrooms later next year. The hosts each made base-price predictions. Tom read a listener letter, and chatted briefly about the wool seats in his test Volvo XC60 Recharge small crossover. Tom also shared his impressions of the all-new 2025 Infiniti QX80 large SUV. Tom had called the previous-generation QX80 the worst vehicle in its class. What...
Jul 29, 2024•53 min•Ep. 231
Jill and Tom are both in studio this week. The show opened with Tom reading an email from a listener. Apparently Tom’s Studebaker history is a little shaky. The conversation turned to a number of topics, including too-long model names, the sale of 3000 Fisker crossovers to a ride-hailing-vehicle lessor, and a surprisingly hot-selling Jeep model. Still in the first segment, Jill shared her impressions of the 2024 Acura TLX premium midsize sedan. Both hosts agree that the slow-selling 4-door is un...
Jul 22, 2024•56 min•Ep. 230
Jill and Tom are both in studio this week. The conversation opened with a summary of cars being dropped by Jaguar and Nissan in the near future. Effective almost immediately, Jaguar is dropping all but one model from its lineup. Listen in for the full list. Likewise, Nissan is dropping two of its three remaining U.S.-market sedans beginning next year. In other news, the hosts discussed IONNA--the carmaker-backed charging network with stations going live later this year—and the addition of Toyota...
Jul 15, 2024•55 min•Ep. 229
Jill and Tom opened the episode discussing the “Velocity Package” available for the Cadillac Lyriq. Available as an over-the-air software update (no dealer visit required), the package increases power and performance for $1200. Is it worth the money? Listen in. The hosts discussed the new, lower, price of a Fisker Ocean—just approved by a bankruptcy court. Second-quarter sales figures are coming in, and Jill and Tom shared a few highlights, including disappointing Jeep numbers, and surprisingly ...
Jul 08, 2024•55 min•Ep. 228
Jill and Tom are in-studio this week for a far-reaching number of topics. Tom quickly updated everyone on the CDk Global/dealership-hacking crisis, which will reportedly be resolved later this week. The hosts briefly discussed Tesla’s second quarter of disappointing sales, this while overall EV sales are projected to rise. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom chatted about the Rivian/Volkswagen deal, which sees Rivian infused with a quick $1 billion—with the promise of additional funding at ...
Jul 01, 2024•55 min•Ep. 227
Jill and Tom are both in studio today. The hosts began the program discussing the week’s big news, a malicious attack on the network of CDK Global, a dealership-services company which provides critical software support for roughly half of the nation’s 30,000 new-car dealers. Down since last week, CDK has not, as of this recording, made public an estimated restoration time/date for the network. Jill shared her impressions of the new-for-2025 Toyota Camry. The nation’s best-selling sedan features ...
Jun 25, 2024•56 min•Ep. 226
Jill is back in studio this week, and recounted for Tom her recent travels and product evaluations. Tom went on to share what he has learned from a series of brief conversations with Amazon delivery drivers who have spent time with the Rivian EDV electric van; the feedback is interesting. Still in the first segment, the hosts discussed Jeep’s recently announced $25,000 electric vehicle. To be called Renegade, the subcompact electric crossover is due to arrive for the 2027 model year. Jill then s...
Jun 17, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 225
Larry Nutson of The Auto Channel sits in for Jill this week. Larry and Tom opened the show discussing one of Tom’s random X/Twitter polls, which included the option of owning a Fisker ocean. Listen in for details. Among the many first-segment topics covered by the hosts, Larry talked about renting an electric vehicle, a process he found generally pleasant and uneventful. Larry and Tom also discussed a recent decision by the Governor of the State of Virginia to back out of its agreement with the ...
Jun 10, 2024•53 min•Ep. 224
In for Jill this week is long-time friend of the Show Damon Bell of Cars.com. Damon and Tom opened the show talking about Car.com's long-term Tesla Model Y, and its replacement in the Cars fleet, the all-new 3-row Kia EV9 electric crossover. While the Model Y was generally reliable, small glitches compromised its overall appeal to the Cars staff; listen in for more details. As for the Kia, Damon is so far impressed. Cars will publish regular updates of the EV9's performance and utility. (Visit t...
Jun 03, 2024•54 min•Ep. 223
Jill and Tom are both in studio this week. The conversation started with a brief acknowledgment of the IRS-approved federal mileage reimbursement rate. Is it still the same as the cost of a first-class stamp? The hosts went on to discuss the hyper-affordable Chinese-built BYD Seagull, a $10,000 electric car that could be on a journey to the American market. Jill and Tom also went on to discuss the current new-vehicle redesign cadence, which has grown very long for some vehicles, including the To...
May 27, 2024•56 min•Ep. 222
Jill is out this week driving electric Chevys. In her place are both Sons of Speed, Paul Herrold and Brendan Appel. The conversation opened with Tom noting Jill’s dismay regarding Chevy’s decision to drop Apple CarPlay connectivity from coming EV products. Brendan echoed Jill's sentiment, noting that the move would likely alienate a certain number of consumers. Paul shared his take on the recent NHRA Nationals event at Route 66 Raceway in Elwood, Illinois. He described the sound--and the palpabl...
May 20, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 221
