In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. John recently attended the launch of both the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe and the 2025 Ford Explorer. In the fleet, we've been driving the Jeep Gladiator, BMW 5 Series and Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid. In the news, Nissan has updated the Frontier for 2025, while the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla gets an available automatic transmission.
Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com.
TranscriptWelcome back to the auto blog podcast.
I'm Greg mcleary.
We have an awesome show for you this week.
Uh So with that, I will bring in senior editor for all things Electric and Green.
John Snyder.
How you doing, man?
I'm doing pretty good.
Uh you know, just enjoying the, the last little bit of summer um making the most of it before the kids go back to school, which, you know, will also be cool.
But yeah, no, it's true.
It's, it's September is usually fun a lot going on.
And uh yeah, it's always uh always an interesting time of year.
Things change quickly and then you wake up and it's like November 1st.
Yeah, definitely.
We've been getting wild weather lately too, so, you know, it really, definitely feels like summer still.
Um But yeah, looking forward to maybe a little bit cooler weather, weather, a little bit, uh less humid.
The humidity here in the upper Midwest has just been horrible and it's like, I've sort of started to give up on just sort of like the different yard work tasks once the calendar says August, you're like, ok, you know, and uh, I actually had my first Sam Adams Oktoberfest the other day.
So, uh, it tasted great.
It was a pretty warm summer evening.
But I was like, you know what?
I think I'm ready for this.
Maybe some cooler nights, some football stuff like that.
So, I think I'm about ready for fall.
Yeah, of course.
Yeah.
And football season.
Yep.
For sure.
Pumped about that.
Yeah, it's coming up.
It's coming fast.
It's like three weeks for college and like a month for the NFL.
So a lot going on.
What going on?
All right.
So we have a great show for you this week.
Uh John just got back from driving the Genesis GV 80 Coup.
Uh He also drove the Ford Explorer pretty recently.
I drove the Jeep Gladiator.
Uh and we both drove the BMW 530 IX drive.
Uh close out the review section with uh some thoughts on the Chrysler Pacifica Phev, which it's been a while since I drove that.
So that'll be a fun one.
Got some news items on mid cycle, refreshes some updates for the Nissan frontier and Toyota's Gr Corolla.
So with that, uh I guess dealers choice.
You wanna do Genesis or Ford Explorer first.
Um Let's start with the Genesis.
Uh Power trade sounded pretty sweet.
Oh, man.
Yeah.
So, you know, obviously, uh it's the GV 80 coop, so new body style, but I think the bigger news is that you can get the uh e supercharged.
Uh power train in it um that they borrow from the G 90.
So 3.5 twin turbo V six is the, the, there's just two versions of that in it.
So it sort of corresponds with the very top of the GV 80 SUV lineup.
Um So you can get the regular uh twin T row V six or you can get the E supercharged, you know, has the supercharger that's powered by uh the 48 volt system.
So it spins up uh nice and quickly.
Um and boy, yeah, that was really fun.
Um You know, I I drove the uh GV 80 recently and um you know, still very nice SUV uh really uh pretty luxurious, well contented um drives pretty well that, that uh V six power train is pretty good on its own.
Um But yeah, then giving, getting into the coop with the supercharged version, um it gets, it gets pretty hot.
Uh let's see, it's um it goes from, let's see, it's 409 horsepower and 405 pound feet of torque up from 375 and 391 in the non supercharged version.
Um interestingly, uh the supercharged version also gets just a little bit better uh fuel economy as well, but um just having that, that supercharger on hand um makes it really quick and really smooth super linear acceleration, you know, it starts going as soon as you get into the pedal and the switch over from supercharged to turbocharged, power is really seamless.
Um, so it definitely feels very luxurious and smooth going down the road, especially with the electronically controlled suspension with the road preview.
Um, but when you really wanna, uh play with it, it, it, it steps up to it and it's got um, exclusive to the es supercharged version is a sport plus mode and, um, boy, it is really well tuned.
Um, It's, you know, uh really good acceleration.
Uh They've got, you know, the better breaking, uh feel in the uh sport and sport plus mode.
Um, little heftier uh steering.
I kind of like the, the steering, a normal mode better.
You can, of course, uh make your own individual driving modes out of all these.
Um But the shift logic is just incredible.
Um If you're, you know, using the paddle shifters that will hold on to the gear if you hit the rev limiter, which is kind of cool.
Um If I, if you're not using the paddles, it's just really smart and it's shifting.
Um lots of good blips on the downshifts.
Um just, and it sounds surprisingly good too.
Um, you know, and things like, you know, the, the X five M and, uh, or X, let's say X six M. Um in the past, I've sort of lamented that you can't really hear the power train.
Um It's, they've gotten a little better with the updates the, the new X five M and X six M competition.
You can definitely um get more of that soundtrack in the cabin, but with the uh GV 80 coop, um you get the sound uh sort of amplified, it's piped in a little bit through the speakers, but it's not, you know, some weird engineered sound.
It's the actual uh sound um recorded from uh the actual power train and just amplified a little bit and it sounds really good.
Sounds really natural.
Um, driving it around you, you don't think it's piped in at all.
It doesn't sound piped in and it gives you a little more feedback.
You can turn it off if you want, wanna be quieter.
Um, it's not super loud, um, either way but, uh, yeah, it just sounds really good and when you're, um, you know, have it in sport plus mode and, and flogging it down a little twisty roads, uh, in, you know, the upper, you know, sort of near the Mississippi and, and, uh, in Wisconsin, um, yeah, it gives you that good feedback and it just sounds good, feels really good.
Um, really well controlled in terms of, uh, you know, wheel spin and things like that.
Um, we drove it through a lot of rain too and it was really well controlled there.
But yeah, excellent car to drive.
I like that.
Uh, they took the coop and gave it a little bit of exclusivity with that, um, with the supercharged power train.
Yeah, I think that's a really smart move.
It's a good way to uh make the, the coop variant special gives you a reason to buy it, not just a slightly different silhouette and, you know, in most cases, less cargo space.
So I think that's a really nice way to give it some identity, make it something special that it's uh it's desirable and, you know, I, I'm pretty stoked to drive this thing, uh especially due to this power trade and I think it looks great Genesis design in recent years has been, it's been a little bit over the top, but I still think it's very attractive, good looking, good looking vehicles.
Yeah, it's, it's one of the rare crossover coupes where I think I like the coup body style better than the, the normal SUV body style.
Uh They just did some really good things with the design, especially in the rear.
Um It's just really nice silhouette, uh really nice shapeliness to it.
Um And then there's like little details when you get up and look close, like the, the grill and, you know, some of the trim and they, you know, hid the roof rails to give it that sleeker silhouette.
Um But yeah, it's, it's very good and then inside um really nice interior, they have uh this carbon fiber weave that has sort of a diamond shaped pattern that, you know, mimics the sort of mesh pattern that they use in the grill and then like on the jeweling on their touch gear, switch gear and, and, and stuff like that.
Um, and it almost gives it this 3d effect under that laminate.
It looks really cool.
Um, and yeah, full of tons of content.
The, the base, uh, coop is, you know, um, equivalent to the very top of the line of the SUV.
So it sort of justifies its price in that way.
Um, And then, yeah, sitting in the rear seat, you don't lose that much headroom.
I think there's about 0.8 inches less, um, on paper.
But Genesis did a really good job of, of preserving whatever headroom they could, they sort of carved out a cavity above above your head.
So as you, you know, sort of lean your seat back or whatever, you, uh, you've always got space above your head and then the cargo cargo volume, obviously, you're gonna lose some of that, uh, toward the load load floor, part of the lift gate, but back near the seats, it's still pretty tall and it's got a nice, uh, wide footprint.
I think you'd be able to, you definitely be able to, uh, put a bunch of groceries in there.
It's got the cargo cover and that's about at the top of what a paper grocery bag would be.
And, um, yeah, just that footprint, um, of the floor is pretty large so you could put a lot of stuff in there um, it's just when you get to stacking things up, um, especially, uh, toward the lift gate that you might run out of room.
Ok.
I think generally speaking, it's, it's been a minute since I've been a gene in a Genesis vehicle, but I haven't been pretty much impressed with, uh, to some degree, whether a lot or a little, uh, what's your kind of take on just the overall status of the brand?
Um Man, they're, they're really uh gaining some momentum.
Um You know, they, they had some troubles early on uh establishing, you know, stand alone dealerships and, you know, are we gonna put this in a Hyundai dealership and that sort of thing?
Um But now they're, they're growing their dealership network.
Uh they're getting a lot more brand recognition.
I think their design is just awesome.
It, it really stands out, it doesn't look German, it doesn't look American doesn't look Japanese, it's its own thing and it looks really good.
Um So you don't feel like you're driving what everyone else is driving on the road and you don't feel like you're driving some sort of copycat and just the fact that they're able to put so much content in it and still keep it uh competitively priced compared to some of the other luxury brands um is impressive.
I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, we start to see their prices creep up a little bit as they, you know, gain more of a following and uh people realize, wow, these are, you know, bona fide luxury cars that are really good.
Um But for now, you know, it's still, still sort of a value proposition.
Um even, even at like 80,000, um when you compare it to similarly equipped, uh you know, German competitors, especially, um you, you get a lot um for your money and it's all really good stuff.
The tech works well.
Um, you know, it's, it's all really comfortable, the tension to detail and the materials and, and, you know, the, the design is, it's all really good.
It's a good time, I think to try to get into buyer Lisa Genesis because you get, I mean, along with Hyundai and Kia, their sibling brands, you just, you get a ton of stuff more than if you were buying a BMW or even in some cases like a Chevy or a Honda, they still will chase value all day long.
And I mean, in this case, it's such a, you know, well equipped luxury vehicle and to me, luxury is the, uh, where you pay for everything, you know, I mean, get inside a BMW, look at the sticker and realize just what you're paying for.
It's, it's definitely like ordering off the menu, a la carte without the pizza coupons, you know.
So it's, you know, I think Genesis vehicles are still a great value.
Uh, that's a good thing and they've got more stuff coming down the line.
I mean, we've seen some of those awesome concepts, those, those X concepts that they've been coming out, they're starting to incorporate some of those design details into the cars they're making now and, and I'm excited to see uh more of what they create in the future because I think their design is just awesome.
All right.
So let's move over to the Ford Explorer.
Uh you know, one of the most well known vehicles in history, at least in the current version of the market.
Uh Some substantive upgrades for the new model year.
Uh Looking at it, you don't see a ton.
I think the most obvious visual cue is the grill but some other stuff as you go deeper.
Where did you drive?
The Explorer?
I drove it around here um in the Ann Arbor area we uh met out in, in Chelsea and drove it for about a place to drive those good, there's really good roads out there.
Um We did some highway driving it now has a blue cruise.
Um It, it's a every uh 25 explorers equipped with blue cruise uh equipment.
Um So you can pay the subscription fee if you want to get it beyond the three month trial.
Um And blue cruises is starting to work a little better.
I think there's still quite a quite a gap between that and uh GM Super Cruise.
I, I still just think uh super cruise works a little better is a little more seamless.
Has more roads that it works on.
The blue cruise is improving, um, more, more roads than before.
And, uh, things like automatic lane changes, you just tap the turn indicator and it finds a spot.
Um, if it's safe to change lanes and I'll do it for you, things like that.
Um, so we drove a little bit on, on the highway with blue cruises and then, you know, of course around the little roads, we did a little bit of sort of off roading um on the property that we were uh staged at.
Um nothing crazy but it had rained a whole bunch the night before and that morning as I was driving out there, so was able to get it a little bit muddy and slide it around a little bit.
And then uh we went out to um uh I forget what it's called.
It's a shared engineering uh place out by willing willow run where, uh you know, Toyota's got a presence there uh for GM all the presence is there and they set up a little Autocross course uh for the, for the ST, the Explorer ST.
So I got to drive that a little bit.
Um But yeah, drove both the, the, you know, there's two power train options.
There's a 2.3 L Ecoboost and the 3 L Ecoboost.
Um The, the 2.3 L uh sounds uh a lot better than I remember it sounding.
Um, I know they changed some of the internals and it has more in common with the, with the 2.3 in the Mustang now.
Um, and I didn't really notice that it felt a lot different.
Um, you know, it's been a while since I sampled it, but it definitely sounded really good, better than, you know, I'd expect from a four cylinder.
Um, and then the 3 L it is more powerful um by 100 horsepower.
But uh it's also quieter, so I didn't quite notice as big of a difference just because you're not bombarded, your senses aren't bombarded um by the extra noise.
Uh But uh yeah, it was, it is good.
It's a solid.
The, the biggest thing I think um that's improved is the interior, the old explorer.
Um That was the, the biggest sticking point for me was just, the interiors were really sort of drab.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
And uh yeah, this is much, much more improved.
They, they, you know, completely redesigned the dash, um added a lot more tech.
Um You can actually play video games in it.
Now.
I was playing um uh Asphalt Nitro two with a wireless controller.
You can, you can hook up a Bluetooth, Bluetooth controller to it and play.
So, so in your downtime you're seeing there and, and there's streaming services too.
Um so you can watch movies or, or youtube or whatever.
Um But yeah, it's just a way nicer place to spend time.
Uh, better designed, um, speakers are sort of hidden um behind this fabric as sort of a, like a sound bar across the dash is how I would describe it.
Um uh better materials um, everywhere you touch, a lot less of that grainy black plastic in your face everywhere.
Um, better places to set your phone, things like that.
Just, um, well, a lot better place to spend, spend time up front.
Do you think?
Uh where would you put it in the segment now?
Because it's the Explorer has been, it's always been a huge volume model for Ford, you know, and it's also, you really laid out some of the weakness is pretty well.
It's also got some pretty big shortcomings and I think people buy it because they're used to it because they're comfortable.
The power trades have usually been interesting.
Some people like the style, like I could go either way on that.
Uh But where do you think it ranks with these new enhancements?
You know, five, maybe, maybe like toward the bottom of the top five?
I don't know, I, I still like some of the other, like smaller three rows better and the bigger three rows better.
Um Like, you know, III I like the fact that you can get a Sorrento hybrid and plug in hybrid.
They don't, your, your only options are the 2.3 and the 3 L Ecoboost as of right now.
Um, and they don't have, um, you know, they don't have like the rugged sort of off roady, uh, uh, trim level, uh, yet, hopefully they, they, they bring that back because that, that, that's always nice.
Um, gives, gives a little more character.
Um, but yeah, it, you know, I, I sat in all the rows, comfortable third row, especially if you have the, the, um, captain seats.
Um, but then, you know, six seats instead of you don't, uh, instead of seven.
but, uh, yeah, it's decent.
It's, it, I, I would, I would consider it depending on, you know, sort of what deals were available when I was looking for.
I, I do, I, I'm, I personally like, um, you know, the hands free driving tech.
Um, I find myself using it whenever I have a, a car with that.
So I might, um, that might be a, uh, an advantage.
Um, if I were shopping for it that might be something that could cause me to choose the Explorer over, um, the competition.
Uh, but the fact that it's a subscription service is, you know, a little distasteful to a lot of people.
Um, you know, it's, it's $800 a year.
Um, or you, you can do it monthly, you can go month by month and if you're not gonna be taking any road trips, uh, for a couple months, uh, you don't have to pay for it and then just pay, I think it's $75 a month on the months that you'll wanna use it.
Um, but I, I personally like, uh, Blue Cruise quite a bit.
I haven't driven in it that much.
So that's, that, to me is something that if I, you know, were a potential ford buyer or leaser, I would probably want to get more familiar with it, you know.
But all right, well, let's, uh, shift gears over to something that I just drove and I actually good news.
My load was extended by one day.
I forget why.
Uh maybe it showed up a day late, but that's the Jeep Gladiator.
Uh This thing is just a, it's just a party on wheels.
It's so much fun.
Uh The one I drove is the, uh, the Mojave trim, Mojave X, uh which is like just ready to go conquer the desert.
It's, you know, it's like army green.
Uh Sarge Green, I should say.
Uh the price is actually more reasonable than I thought it's $71,320.
I thought it might be north of 80.
Uh, but it's, you know, it's pretty loaded.
The options include like, uh about $1100.17 inch machines, dark gray wheels.
It's got sprayed bed lighter, which I highly recommend uh cargo group with the, like the rail system which is cool.
The roll up tunnel cover is really nice.
I just got some groceries which make it the gladiator almost as functional as, like, you know, a crossover an SUV, I'm still trying to figure out after almost a, like a week with this thing how to really operate the roll up tunnel cover.
Like the little latches don't quite work intuitively.
So I may not jump off that bridge.
We'll see.
It's just, it's, it's, yeah, but, you know, beautiful, you know, tough looking vehicle.
Uh I had the 3.6 L V six under the hood that's turned 85 horsepower, the eight speed automatic.
Um Yeah, it's a, it's a gladiator that you can go anywhere and do anything with.
It has been, I would say multiple years since I have driven a Gladiator.
So to drive one for the first time in a while reminded me of just how much fun it is.
I've driven the Wrangler several times since then.
So, um you know, but it's just getting inside the Gladiator.
Uh It reminded me of how like cool special of a thing we thought this was, you know, like four or five years ago.
Uh There was so much anticipation for it.
Uh I took the roof off uh which was fun.
Uh My son and I were in it like all weekend.
It was just like having a test vehicle like that.
I mean, it's kind of like why this job is so cool is you're like, hey, let's drive this green Army truck all over Uh So it's cool, you know, it's, you're up, we definitely kept the windows mostly down because it's summer and it just was kind of the right vibe for that again, with the roof off was really cool.
The front roof panels, funny story.
I took the one passenger side paddle off.
It was like, you know what it comes with this kind of carrying bag.
I don't know if you've seen those in other Jeeps.
Uh And I was like, you know what, I'll just put this in my living room.
It'll be easier that way.
I know where it is.
Like the garage was kind of cluttered and I didn't wanna zip it up and put it in the bag.
I come out of the house and my son already has the second one off.
Couldn't believe it.
Uh Yeah, I mean, which shows you, hey Jeep, you're doing something right that he can do that.
And uh he's also freakishly stronger than I thought uh because they're fairly awkward.
Uh But he got it, you know, grab that pedal right off the top and move that in very smoothly.
Uh So that's cool.
Uh But honestly, it just reminded me the cheaps are fun.
It really kind of made me want a Gladiator.
So everybody was saying that don't do that.
That's you think of an impulse buy.
Don't do that.
Uh But I don't know.
I wrong.
Do I think you think a gladiator would be a bad purchase if I could find a used one.
No, I mean, um you know, I recall that, that mid size truck comparison.
We did a while back.
Um and we had the Gladiator off road and it was just so much fun.
Um It was a really good uh truck in its own, right.
But then it does all the jeep things that other trucks just can't do.
Like, like you said, taking the roof off and having it be easy to take the roof off.
Um And yeah, really good off road.
Um Yeah, we live in Michigan.
That's something we have the opportunity to do.
And if you uh want to have a truck that you can drive around on a day to day basis and then, yeah, go to the trail um, later that night if you want, you know, and uh the, the gladiator will, will do it.
And yeah, it, it looks cool.
Um, it's, yeah, all the jeep stuff I think is just what really sets it apart and makes it sort of special.
Yeah, it, it's really something different and special in the mid size segment.
You know, it's, uh, you get in there and you're absolutely in the jeep.
And I mean, I, I would be interested in daily driving a Honda Bridge Light as well for entirely different reasons.
But, you know, II I like the taco.
I like the Colorado, uh, the Maverick down a segment, the Ranger in this segment.
I really like almost everything in that segment, including the frontier.
Uh But the Gladiator just manages to like lightly take one step to the side and be slightly different, not really slightly completely different while still playing in the segment.
And it's a, it's a big truck too like it, you get in there and you're like, but it doesn't drive that big either, which I think is a, a good feature of it.
Uh, in some ways I found it more agreeable than the Wrangler, which I, I think that might have to do just with the proportions of it.
Maybe.
I don't know.
But, uh, you know, the dad's side of course is, you know, they're not cheap.
You open that back door and it's like an angle, like a sharp angle.
I was like, how would I ever get my dog in here?
I would have to get a ramp for her.
Uh, and even then she'd hate every minute of it.
Uh, so, I don't know.
It sounds like you're supporting by Gladiator, uh, ideas but, you know, it's tricky.
Yeah, I mean, like you said, it, compared to the Wrangler it, I think it does drive, um, a little better in a lot of situations.
I think a lot of that's thanks to the longer wheelbase.
But, you know, that's a little bit more of a hindrance off road.
Um, you know, with the break over angle and whatnot.
But I think that from day to day driving.
Yeah.
Yeah, a longer wheelbase just gives it a little calmer, uh, ride, you know, and, and just sort of, uh, more predictable handling, I would say.
Yeah.
No, it's, I, I thought even the steering was noticeably, uh, better as far as just, even though it's like, very much the same set up just the way, the whole, the proportions, the dynamics.
Uh, yeah, I don't know.
Look here, it looks like used ones are couple years old or about 30 still get some miles on them.
You know.
It's terrible.
Uh, you're almost in some ways, maybe look for a new one and hope to, I don't know because they, they seem to hold their value pretty well.
So, and, uh, you know, if you've got kids, uh, free rubber ducks.
That's true.
That's true.
Yeah, car seat fit that in the second row pretty well.
Like that was no problem, you know, we just invented that window and, you know, great air passing through.
Um, you know, it's, it's like the perfect summer vehicle in many ways.
So, uh, yeah, it's a lot of fun to drive, a lot of fun to drive.
So, all right, let's move over to the BMW five series that you dropped off at my house with some eggs a few weeks back.
Uh, this was, this is a 530 IX.
I have very nice vehicle.
$71,000.
We'll call it um, pretty, pretty good.
Uh, why don't I tossed over to you?
I have some notes here.
Um, you had the M Sport and Caribbean packs which definitely dress things up quite a bit.
Um, yeah, I mean, what, what did you think of it?
Um, I, I think BMW is taking sort of an interesting direction with its design.
Um, I, I feel like it's dialed back in some of the ways where there's less annoying and, and glaring um, features that are there just to be there and, and put the things that they are working with, they put a little more um attention to like it just, you know, the trim and, and things like that and, and where they place things um very comfortable car um all around.
Uh not super exciting the, the 530 power train, um but definitely very, very smooth and comfortable.
Um, I mean, I guess I'd gotten out of some of their crazier, uh BMW S earlier in the summer.
So this one felt a little milder to me but, um, but still, you know, good to drive um especially for the size.
Um And yeah, the tech uh better, it's getting better still uh uh sometimes pretty frustrating to use.
Um But uh I, I like it.
II, I feel like, I don't know, it wouldn't be my top pick I don't think, but I don't know.
What, what do you think of it?
I, so I wrote down in my notes that I getting too old for BMW s which is a weird thing.
I think it's the reason I wrote that down is to me it's like I have this idea in my head of what the five series is and this does not feel as much like the five series does anymore.
Like, when I think of the five series, I go back to like 2010 ish that to me, is it?
And now it's gotten so digital and the, the design has gotten kind of weird.
I think it still looks like a BMW five series, but it's generic enough that it no longer, I think truly has that like Bimmer identity as much, at least not as much as those cars from 1015 years ago did, it's different for sure.
Generic is where I would go then.
Uh, you know, it handled pretty well, like going through curves, you know, I definitely hit some expressway ramps, you know, with the limits, I guess such as they are.
Um, it's good on the expressway.
It's one of those, it's got that like German feel to it that it's like well screwed together.
Uh So that's, you know, good, good place for it.
Uh Decent power train turbo four and eight speed automatic with the 48 volt Mild hybrid was, you know, ok, I, where I would put it in the segment is I definitely put it behind the E class.
I think, you know, based on my recent experience with Mercedes cars, I feel like Mercedes does a better job with the tech and then making it work with the interior designed materials and they're like, their, their sedans are even more styled up, but I think they, they pull it off better.
So I guess in my mind it's like the 2011 refresh, that's the idea of a modern five series.
And like, if you looked at it right now, that's kind of a dated look, but it also feels like they've moved enough away from that, that they've moved into new territory and I don't know if I like this new territory.
So, yeah, fair enough.
Yeah, I, yeah, I, I don't, I don't think it feels quite as maybe luxurious as Mercedes, um, as the Eclass.
Yeah, and it doesn't, it definitely doesn't feel quite as sharp as, you know, as the Audi.
Um, I think that that's a more engaging car to drive.
Um, but I don't know, I, uh I'm, I'm looking forward to, you know, the next, um M five to come out and change my mind.
So, yeah, maybe it will.
I mean, that's sometimes what halo cars can do is they get you excited about the rest of the portfolio.
Uh, you know, this one just again, I really liked driving it, but it's just to me it's not as competitive in the segment as it used to be and it feels like they lost a little bit of their mojo lost a little bit of their fastball here.
Yeah, I can see that.
I agree.
Uh, so that is the five series.
Let's talk about the, uh, Chrysler Pacifica, uh, p have so the plug in the hybrid, uh, this is one that it's almost as long as the, uh, since I've driven the, the Gladiator.
Uh, but this was pretty cool.
Uh, as far as just being useful, fuel, fuel efficient.
Uh It definitely Chrysler in recent years has kind of gone back to a more generic look, they've kind of lost that kind of like bubbly.
Uh look that our long term had uh pretty fuel efficient, hugely roomy, uh, reminded me how much I liked it.
It came somewhat charged.
So that was good.
Uh Byron HD, associate editor swapped me the minivan for uh an sl 63 S. So it was kind of funny.
Uh the trade and I like them both.
Uh I ended up having the Mercedes for the weekend and then the minivan during the week.
Um But I mean, again, when you look at this segment, Chrysler is still very competitive here.
You know, they, I think the inside is looking a little dated, but that's mainly because, I mean, it's just, it is what it is, it works, it's functional, it's attractive enough, but they don't really, they haven't brought like some sort of screen attack like you've seen other brands do into the Pacifica yet.
It mainly because ST at this hasn't really done that in any of their vehicles in the US.
So, um, yeah, it probably wouldn't hurt to pump somebody and do it and get a refresh, but it's still very competitive.
You know, I think it's still like, depending on what you want.
It could very much be the mini van for you.
You know, if you want the hybrid, you should look at it, plug in hybrid, you should look at it.
Uh, you might prefer it just from a design perspective that you like this better than say the Kia Carnival or the Honda Odyssey.
Um, very comfortable interior.
Uh, plenty of screens, plenty of plugs.
Uh I'm sure your now jean bottle would fit many different cup holders in here.
It's good but there's nice big cup holders.
Yeah, I, I still like it very much.
I think in the segment it's, there's nothing really truly bad in the minivan segment.
It's more like what do you want and what are you gonna use it for and that type of thing?
And it's the only domestic one.
So, I mean, for some people that's literally where their first and only stopped.
So there's that, um, I, it's a strong player still.
I, I don't think it's the definitely the best but it's, it's in the conversation, you know, and there's a lot of things in that conversation, but I, I think it still has, uh, most of its fastball.
I, I'd be curious to see what would happen if, uh, you know, one of the other automakers introduced, uh, plug in hybrid, uh, minivan.
Um, you know, would we still look upon the, the Chrysler as fondly as we, as we do?
I think, um, I think a lot of what makes this, uh, attractive is, is the plug in hybrid powertrain, although some people, uh, might be scared off by it.
You know, it's been a subject of a lot of recalls and issues and, and whatnot.
But, um, you know, a apart from that, uh, you know, it is, it is quite old but it, it is also more classic looking than some of the others.
This is the, the design of, of the Sienna or the carnival might, uh be a little more than, than what someone's looking for in there in their family minivan.
Um, but yeah, I, I, I think it drives well, I, um, it's definitely roomy.
You don't get the stone and go seats because of the battery underneath.
But, uh, I don't know those seats, those captain's chairs are always, I've always got kids in them anyway.
So I'm not really, uh I don't really need them to go away very often.
Um And yeah, still, still tons of space, you know, the, the, the rear seats to that sort of stowing maneuver.
Um, and, you know, yeah, very comfortable.
Um, yeah, the materials are, you know, they've, they've done a little bit to the interior to sort of try and keep it fresh.
I don't think they've done enough.
Yeah, I'd agree with that, but, like, especially like the gauges, the IP, that type of thing.
That's like vintage Chrysler.
Uh, literally, uh, but some of the materials though, like the captain's chairs seating is really comfortable.
Yeah.
And a lot of the, the steering wheel, you know, is attractive and comfortable.
Um, and some people might not like some of the materials there.
But, um, but yeah, I think a lot of what keeps it competitive is, is the power train.
Um, because there's just, that's your option if you want, if you want.
Yeah, plug in hybrid minivan.
Um, and, yeah, I, I'd be really curious to see, um, how it would compete if, you know, they did a little bit bigger update on it and then someone else came out with a plug in hybrid, uh, to compete with it.
Um, it might, you know, I have a little bit harder time.
What I think is interesting is, I mean, two thoughts go right here would be Toyota because, like, they have Prius technology, I don't know, like, is cultural as we're always like, why don't they just do this?
And it's like, well, it's not maybe as adaptable but it seems like they at least have the ideas that could be applied over to this.
So there's that and and with, with Toyota's, uh, um, you know, plug in hybrid system, you could, you know, I mean, they already offer all wheel drive which, which you don't get with the, the Pacifica hybrid.
Um, but yeah, a plug in hybrid, um, all wheel drive minivan.
That's pretty cool.
I feel like, uh, here in the snow belt a lot of people would, wouldn't mind that.
It's funny what I think of the interior of, like, things like the Sienna though.
I mean, it's, that can be pretty drab too.
Like this is back to our long term in the infotainment and the NAV, like it's newer, but it's worse in my opinion than, like, what Chrysler is doing with you connect and just their sort of dated interfaces.
So, uh, if that's where this segment gets a little weird, it reminds me almost of like, you know, before the Bronco came back where it was like Wrangler and Forerunner and not really, but sort of land cruiser, like in that off road segment when there's not that much stuff in it, you can kind of get away by being old and people don't always penalize you for it, you know, because maybe they like it or they're comfortable with it and that buyer is buying it for a reason.
But, uh, it's been a minute since I've been in the carnival.
So, you know, that might change my thinking a little bit too.
That's probably, uh, that's a fresher take on the segment for obvious reasons.
Um But, but yeah, so uh why don't we talk some news here?
Uh We touched on the frontier briefly.
I think we were talking about the Gladiator, uh a little bit of an upgrade here.
Uh new touch screen, 12.3 inches higher, tow rating truck, uh buyers, you know, heads up.
Uh So there's that, I mean, clearly Nissan is now looking at the frontier is a key part of their portfolio because they are giving it normal updates.
This isn't like the front tier of old, right?
They everybody forgot it was there, you know.
Uh Remember we even asked Nissan for one for Aero and they were like, uh it's a value play.
We're not looking at it to be competitively benchmarked and we were like, wow, ok. Yeah, that, that sounds a lot and ironically even in its sort of vintage state back then, I think people still kind of liked it for what it was.
I don't know, uh you know, the Tacoma back then even was still pretty old, not that old, but so they are updating it.
This is some updates for it.
Uh I generally like the frontier.
Uh I've driven the new one a few times, not this refreshed model yet, but I expect to probably this fall maybe in the winter, uh some substantive upgrades that I think will, you know, again, keep it fresh.
And I also kind of like uh, the approach in these, I took just kind of look at this at a high level.
It's definitely a blocky truck, you know, they offer a lot of like, uh, like steel wheel options and like, sort of, you know, this one in the press shots has black wheels.
It looks just like straight up like a truck, which I think is, uh, that's a good thing, you know.
Yeah, it's a tight cabin though.
I remember last time I drove one.
So, like, even tighter than the gladiator that I'm in.
But, uh, yeah, how you feel about the frontier.
Um, well, I, I, I, it's, it's hard to get super excited about it just because there's some good stuff out there.
Um, but I think, uh, you know, upping the, the tow rating, um, even, but, yeah, I did, I, I think about 500 pounds.
Um, it's now, uh, 7150.
Um, just doing that I think is, you know, any, any time you can, um, in the pickup truck world, uh, is, uh, just makes it a lot more competitive than it would with any other vehicle.
That's something people actually want to do with their trucks, even their, their mid sizers.
Um, and I think, yeah, overall I think it looks really great.
Um, and I think, yeah, actually giving it some attention and keeping it fresh, um, is, is a really good idea.
Um, but yeah, I haven't, I haven't driven the updated one either.
So it's, it's hard to say, I'm not sure what I mean, just to like, look at the, uh you know, the mid-sized truck segment.
You know, now that we're thinking about this with the Gladiator, the Corolla, I struggle, I still would put the frontier is competitive now.
Very good.
Definitely the right truck for some people I would enjoy owning it.
Wouldn't put it in the top three frontier specifically.
Uh You know, in no particular order, I'm not sure where I'd end up.
Gladiator would be in the top three because it's different.
And also because one's in my driveway and I will just say, hey, I'm a prisoner of the moment.
I like the Gladiator right now.
No questions asked.
Um You know, the new GM trucks, the refreshes are very, very solid.
I feel like I would go.
Uh It's tough.
I always with Colorado over Canyon, but now it feels like they've managed to take some of the Colorados, Mojo and the canyon seems to have some of that.
Uh which is weird, but that's just how I'm currently sketching it out and then you gotta throw the taco in there somewhere as well.
So in no particular order, those are my top three with the ranger maybe is fourth.
What do you think?
What's your look?
Um Yeah, Colorado.
It's really where I, where I would land.
Um Just, it's a tremendous truck.
Um It's, yeah, it's in the update.
Did it a great service.
Um, but, uh, I haven't driven the Canyon, um, yet.
So, uh, yeah, I, I could go, you know, either way on that.
Really.
Uh, but probably just the, the Colorado just because, uh, I don't know, I've always liked the Colorado.
Um, but, yeah, the, the tacos up there, the, the, well, the taco hybrid too, I think it definitely kind of, that's, that, you know, power Train is pretty sweet.
Um, so that would be compelling and yeah, the, the Gladiator, it, it, it, for me it'd be between probably the Colorado and the, and the Gladiator.
Um, and I'd probably go Colorado.
Oh, that's interesting.
Just, uh, because I feel like I could justify this, the, where I spend the money a little better.
Yeah, it's interesting too because again, I'm in a Gladiator.
I feel like if I drove a Colorado tomorrow, I would probably come back and be like, ok, you could have your fun with this truck but maybe the Gladiator isn't, you don't have to like, totally go gonzo.
I need the, the Jeep for this daily driving segment.
But uh yeah, it's a tough segment.
There's a lot of good stuff in there.
And unlike minivans here, you gotta bring it or you're gonna get like really left in the dust.
I mean, everything in the segment is very good right now.
Uh I, I like the canyon personally.
I don't, you know, it's, it gets expensive.
So, I think if I were spending my own money, if I were in the market for a car, I would, you know, I probably Chevy is where I would land versus, you know, spending an extra few grand for that GMC stuff which, uh, you know, can go either way.
Um, if you were spending your own money, is this the pickup segment that you would think you would land in?
You think you'd go mid size?
Yeah, I do because I don't think the only reason for me to get a large truck would be just the cabin space.
I don't use the bed enough to say, hey, I need this.
Uh I just need a vehicle.
So it's like to me, I take that sort of crossover functionality and then make some compromises for the comfort because hey, I'm having more fun driving this sort of truck and then, you know, probably slap a ton of cover on it and enjoy the hell out of my, you know, school drop offs and grocery pickups and anything else.
So I think for me the segment and I realize I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth.
At this point.
I would look, it would be gladiator for sure.
It would be one of the top two or three.
And then, because again, as I'm looking at the prices, I would probably do uh probably Colorado and that I, I, the, the only thing about the taco hybrid is, it's expensive.
I would be like, I like that a lot.
I like the idea of it, but not like 40 plus grand enough to like it, like 4647.
Like, I, to me I wouldn't spend that much money just to get like a commuter truck kind of thing.
You know?
To me the Maverick is awesome.
My family really like the Maverick, but whatever they've driven it, they've enjoyed it.
Um, but it's also small enough that I would probably still need room for something else, you know, especially that cabin gets pretty tight.
Uh, so, yeah, I guess for my personal spending money would be Colorado Gladiator and Taco in no particular order.
How about you?
Um, man, you know, I would, I would, I would go downsize and I'd go with the Maverick.
I would, I hear you.
I, I don't blame you.
I would, you know, I wait for the, you know, all wheel drive hybrid to, to be on the lots and that we get the lobo.
That's maybe, maybe.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, I, that's where I would land.
I honestly don't do a lot of truck stuff and when I do, um, you know, I feel like, uh, most of the times I could get away with a, with a smaller bed.
Um, yeah, because sometimes, I mean, you can sort of stretch that if you have to put the, put the tailgate down and, and get some ratchet straps and make sure everything's good and secure.
Um, but I, you know, just, I think so the value proposition and, yeah, just economically, um, you know, in, in terms of driving it every day, uh, just having, and I, I like driving a, a smaller vehicle, uh, as well.
Uh, the, I just, I would, I would not want to drive, I would not want to daily drive a full size pickup, I don't think, um, unless it was something really cool, like, uh, like a Hummer.
Yeah.
Um, yeah, the Hummer truck version is, is pretty cool, for sure.
Uh, I, I mean, you know, senior editor for all things electric, I definitely like the electric Silverado.
It's, but it's also a big, it's a very big truck, you know, and I don't, I mean, exactly like what you said, I don't need that much on a daily basis to, like, have a, that much bed space, you know?
I mean, you need to have a better cargo space.
Uh, and I mean, I guess on the other hand, you drive a Gladiator even in the base trim and you could basically go to one of the toughest off road settings and do it right.
So, it's like, do you really, it's the same thing with like a Wrangler, you know, do you really need this capable of an off road vehicle?
But, I don't know, I mean, cars are about a motion, you buy one that's fun and you like to drive it, you know?
I mean, it's so true.
And I would, oh, man, if I had a, I had a Maverick, I would be, you know, making the most of those diy sort of functions and, and building stuff that would fit in the, you know, to hold cargo and tools and, and stuff in the bed.
That'd be fun.
Yeah.
No, I hear you all right.
So close out the news section uh with uh let's see, the Gr Corolla get some upgrades and hey, get an automatic transmission.
That's kind of random.
Uh Sure.
Ok.
I mean, it takes away sort of like the almost like the bragging, right?
You know, enthusiast thing.
But uh you know, makes sense to do this.
It's a, it's a good eight speed automatic uh the stick, the six speed stick shift.
Uh you know, obviously is the, it remains the standard, you know, option, standard option.
There we go.
Um But I mean, honestly, I, I hate to say this but a lot of times you get these hot hatches and you try, you try out the eight speed and you, you definitely lose that degree of interaction and engagement, but a lot of times the eight speeds or the dual clutches or whatever one they choose to drop into these are so good and you're like, oh wow, it's, it's almost like a cheat code.
And if you were to really put these cars at the limit you might want to make that trade off.
I don't know.
It, it does make them a little more daily drivable for people who are not the hardest of enthusiasts.
So there is that thought, I mean, it's just a normal evolution.
Uh, this segment is so kind of small and weird that I think, um, you know, it's news that they did add the automatic, you know.
But, yeah, makes sense, I guess.
I, I think, yeah, I agree.
That makes sense and, you know, in the sort of hot hatch world, um, some of the other things, like, I, I really liked the, the, the Kona N with the, with the automatic, um, you know, things like that.
It's, if it depends, yeah, it depends on how you're gonna be driving if you're gonna be getting stuck in traffic a lot.
Um, you know, if you just have a, a terrible commute it, it will make a lot of sense and it depends on it.
I mean, it depends on how it's gonna interact with, with the motor and how it's gonna sound and stuff when you, when you're shifting and whatnot.
Um, I still, I still would probably pick the, the, uh, manual.
I, well, I know I would pick the manual but for sure.
Uh, I can, I can see a case for the automatic.
Nice.
All right.
Well, that's the news and that is the car reviews section.
Uh, let's see, we've reached the point of the show where we often do, uh, what we're eating, what we're drinking, what we're cooking, what, uh, what's going on in your, uh, sort of five o'clock, uh, you know, when five o'clock hits.
Oh, let's see.
Uh, yesterday I ate like just the, one of the biggest burritos I've had in a long time.
Um, we, here, we've got this place, it used to be called Big 10 Burrito until they, um, and there's one, there's one, East Lansing too.
They've got the closest thing to like a California mission style burrito.
Um, that, that I've been able to find here.
Uh, so I had that yesterday and I, um, we, we were actually at the pool, we ordered it and we were eating at the pool and I had, um, uh, a regular Budweiser, not the Bud Light, you know, the, the Bud Heavy.
Um, I, I bought some, a, uh, a while back for a, a buddy of mine who, you know, was replacing our furnace.
Um, so something to have when we were, you know, wrapping up with that at the end of the day.
Uh, that's what he likes.
And, uh, yeah, so it just takes me back, uh, something I used to drink a long time ago.
Um, not, not quite as, you know, crisp and refreshing as you'd want on a, on a muggy August August afternoon.
Um, but I also had a, um, a founder solid gold, which are great.
Yeah.
Just a really, that's like a really good barbecue lager.
Just, um, you know, nice and light, uh, just tastes good with, with any sort of food, especially something like hot or spicy or smoky.
Um, just something that sort of cleanse your palate a little bit.
Um, but yeah, I, I haven't really been, um, you know, seeking hunting the whales, so to speak of, of the micro, micro brew world lately.
I've still got, um, a bunch in my fridge, um, that have been brewed by like friends and stuff that I still have to get through that have just been, uh, I've been sort of uh, I don't know, just not, not giving my fridge enough attention, I suppose.
Ok, that sounds pretty good.
I, uh, I had a, a band beer at Jolly Pumpkin.
Uh, we were out in Ann Arbor doing some tubing, uh, the Huron River, uh, recently.
So that was fun with the Hyundai a tra that we talked about.
Uh, we got the tubes in the car.
I had to deflate them eventually.
And, uh, so yeah, I, if you're in Michigan, Jolly Pumpkin, there's a few locations, one in Detroit, one in Ann Arbor, there's another one to Traverse City, I think.
Oh, yeah, I've been to that one too.
Yeah.
And then the, you know, they're, um, with a Grizzly Peak and, uh, yeah.
And, um, oh, I forget the name of their cider.
Um, they make the Nomad cider.
But anyway, they're, they're all part of the knoll group.
Um, and they have a, they have a tap room out in Chelsea and in, like this, um, like Business Park, you know, it's just like the weirdest place for a tap room.
But you go there and there's, there's all sorts of good, good beers to try and, yeah, the Jolly pumpkin stuff, you know, tons, tons of different sours and sort of farmhouse ales and lots of interesting yeasts and, and, uh, yeah, some really good, really good stuff.
Uh, they make, yeah, they, they have a ton of stuff that they make and, and they have, you know, limited releases all the time and a lot of them are really good and good, good food too.
Um, I, I, I've been eating at the restaurant in a while but, um, I remember their pizzas were, were good and, uh, they had some sandwiches that I really like to do and good appetizers.
Yeah, they may have, I know you're vegan but they have a, uh, what was it?
It was their chicken sandwich.
My wife says that's the best chicken sandwich you can get anywhere.
It's got kind of like a, uh, like a spicy slaw on top of it with a toasted bun.
It's, it's quite nice, you know, it's really, you can split it, you know, it's big enough that it's, it's quite filling.
I'll have to let cat know about that.
Yeah, it's solid, it's solid.
And they also have, uh, North Peak, uh, brews at their, most of their establishment.
What I was trying to think of earlier.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was struggling with that too and the, the other one that sampled was hooked.
It's a blonde which is just like a f, your solid gold.
So, uh, uh, both very good, perfect sort of like mid afternoon, lunch, drinks, day, drinking, if you will, it goes with the food.
Uh, so it's, it's pretty good, you know, I guess those are our recommendations.
I guess if you're in the Midwest maybe catching a football game.
Uh, you know, they're, it's good places to go grab a bite and, uh, hang out for a bit.
So, uh, cool.
Well, that's all the time we have this week.
Uh, send us your, spend my money.
That's podcast at Auto blog.com.
Uh If you enjoy the show, please give us five stars at Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, uh, be safe out there.
We'll see you next week.
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Zac recently went down to Tennessee to drive a prototype of the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch. Meanwhile the two also spent time in the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLA …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. They look back on Monterey Car Week, and pick their favorite highlights from the event, including the new Lincoln Navigator, the Ruf Rodeo, Cadillac Opulent Velocity concept and more. In the news, Ford has …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. John recently attended the launch of both the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe and the 2025 Ford Explorer. In the fleet, we've been driving the Jeep Gladiator, BMW 5 Series and Chrysler Pacifica …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they discuss driving the 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid and the base 911 Carrera. Once they wrap up the Porsche section, the two chat about their driving experiences in the updated …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor James Riswick. This week, we discuss driving the Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus GX, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and our long-term Mazda CX-90 plug-in hybrid. We also talk about the new Mazda CX-50 hybrid, Electrify America limiting …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd for a tight episode sure to make your holiday travel that much more vehicularly simulating. They start off with some updates on their recent drives. Greg has been in the 2024 Range Rover Velar …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They cover a big week of news and reveals including the BMW M5, Aston Martin Valiant and VW Jetta. They also talk about VW's investment in Rivian, some never-before-seen GM concepts, and the future …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. They're both jazzed after driving the off-road-ish and totally sublime Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato. John recently drove the new GMC Acadia, Greg spent some time in the Toyota Camry, and they also discuss …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. It's hard to believe, but Autoblog launched in June 2004, and that means we're celebrating our 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, our editors singled out the 20 …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd for a packed and fast-paced episode headlined by an absolute superstar: the 2024 Porsche 911 Dakar. Autoblog's Detroit contingent has spent the week with the off-road 911 and boy, do they have thoughts. From …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder. Greg is fresh off first drives to the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV RST and Chevy Equinox EV. John and Greg took turns driving a 2024 Porsche 718 Boxster Style Edition, and Greg spent …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They discuss the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic and its new hybrid powertrain, a possible Ford Maverick sport truck, rumblings of a new Mitsubishi Delica, the continued growth of hybrid sales, the UAW's loss …
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder. John's been driving the new Chevy Traverse and the BMW X5 M Competition, and Greg gives his first impressions from behind the wheel of the new Fiat 500e. They discuss Tesla's abandonment of …
