RoundAbout: Car Culture and Auto News with a Different Spin

Every week like crazed amazons, we storm the mall of the internet, battling killer crowds in search of the best Black Friday deals, and if Montgomery Ward sells out of seven-dollar toasters, well, we settle for a cohesive, Zen-like theme instead -- and a pretzel from the food court. During the siege we uncover an array of different stories and news bites that fit our theme, however useless or misfitting they may be. And whatever's leftover, well, we buy it anyway, because if we didn't, we'd miss out on the savings. Don't know about you, but even though we've still got a tryptophan hangover we're really starting to eye those leftover mashed potatoes and turkey. So belly up to the table in your bathrobe and get some automotive leftovers with your favorite RoundAbout crew.

Every week like brave Puritans fleeing religious oppression, we sail across the Atlantic in search of freedom, and a cohesive, Zen-like theme. Upon arrival, we find all kinds of different topics and news bites to steal from the natives, however wrong it may be. And whatever’s leftover, well, we give thanks for it anyway, because it’s ours now and we feel guilty about taking it. Get it? This is our Thanksgiving show. Eric is Thankful for a certain famous Brit. Jeffrey, not so much. Nissan owners can be thankful that CVT warranties have been doubled. Meanwhile, we all give thanks that the Buick Regal will be getting a manual transmission for the hardcore enthusiasts. All that plus, our features this week: Blind Spot, In the Garage, Highway Hearsay and more!

As always we scoured the news of the past week, and again as always we ignored the serious, depressing stuff and aimed for levity. Perhaps we just want to close our eyes to the news of lay-offs and recall scandals so we can pretend the auto industry is still the chest-thumping, so-goes-the-auto-industry-so-goes-the-world behemoth it once was. So what if we have an Identity Crisis. Don't judge us! The Apple iMo design concept is an iPod that thinks it's a car. The new Mitsubishi Outlander is a CUV that thinks it's an EVO. And, if you check out Craig's List you'll find a Chevy S10 that thinks it's a rear-engine Cadillac. All that plus, our features this week: Blind Spot brings us a story of stupidity as only the Internet can, the new VW GTI is In the Garage, Craig has another Highway Hearsay and more!

So SEMA was this week, and as has become the tradition over time, we saw a lot of over-the-top, never-gonna-happen cars. It made us think, are these guys overcompensating for something? Hmm, I smell a theme ... Perhaps this episode will be all about trying too hard. As if to will away all bad associations, Chrysler creates a new Aston-Martin-esque logo. Meanwhile a Toyota Tacoma tries way too hard to be a middle-schooler's fantasy. Oh yeah, and two Trans-Am body kits are a little too eager to bring back the '80s. All that plus, our features this week: Blind Spot is all about creepy, fez-wearing old men, AutoGadget will ensure that you never lose your car in the parking lot again, Highway Hearsay is about new Chrysler product that's already out on the roads and more!

Ah, great All Hallows' Eve, wasn't it? What'd you get? Giant gummi snake with a blue raspberry-flavored foam center? A treat to be sure--unless you are allergic to blue raspberry artificial flavoring or you have an irrational fear of gummi-based reptiles. Or did you get a three-year-old, stale circus peanut? A trick--unless you are an 82-year-old man who also likes those candies wrapped in the foil wrappers made to look like a strawberry. But we digress. Trick or Treat? Woo-hoo! You're driving a custom Mustang! Boo! You learn that your bolt-in roll cage isn't worth the powder to blow it to hell. Guess what: the Audi S4 is better than you think--treat! Can a fancy luxury SUV actually scale uneven terrain, like say, two cars? Yes, trick. All that plus, our features this week: Blind Spot proves you have no one but your parents to blame for your driving ineptitude, a Halloween AutoGadget that will look super-sweet in your hearse, our favorite automotive horror stories in Highway Hearsay and more!

This week we thought we'd get all psychological on you and teach by bad example. For instance, everyone knows it's a bad idea to text on your phone while driving--don't they? Despite all the controversy around no-texting legislation, the message seems to have faded into the background noise for most people. That's why today we present you with a parade of people who learned the hard way what not to do while driving. You know those weight limits you'll find in your owners manual? Turns out they're there for a reason--even if you're driving a truck the size of a house. While you're driving that industrial dumptruck, by the way, don't forget that it's a workplace on wheels and all non-smoking regulations apply. And when you do get off for the weekend and go to the track, remember that just because your Ferrari has an automatic, it's no excuse to knit. All that plus, our features this week: In the Garage with a Roush 540RH Mustang, a BMW AutoGadget we take issue with, an iPhone app that drives your van in the Stupid Car Trick and more!

This week's episode ... so very NSFW. Let us get that out of the way right off the bat. Also the first episode where almost all of us were in the same place, in fact the first episode where any two of us were in the same place, so "woo-hoo" for that--but also the crux of our problem. This week's episode was intended to be couched in delicately-crafted inneundo. Turns out, though, that when you get five guys in the same building, testosterone, and thus fart-joke mentality, trumps all. Sorry Miss Motor Mouth, but Skype doesn't transmit estrogen. And so, we look at the automotive side of "It." Russia's answer to Hummer has, among other niceties, upholstery from the, well, most delicate part of a whale. As the automotive workforce succumbs to the economic downturn, what's a GM engineer to do? Just ask George Clooney. But ladies, don't think we've left you out because you know that everyone loves a new set of Tatas. Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with a BMW X5 diesel, another Psy-car-logy as we ask the panel what their cars say about them, the Blind Spot story of the week and more!

This past week J.C. France, racecar driver and grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, found himself staring at the flashing lights of Daytona's finest in his rearview mirror as his late-night street racing spree was called to an abrupt close. We watched as the story unfolded and it only got better: an inebriated race between a lime green Lamborghini and a Porsche Cayenne, a baggie of crack cocaine, illegal possession of prescription drugs. It had the makings of an episode of "Miami Vice" so, we thought, maybe it's time for a series revival. On today's show, we look at some of the vehicles that would find themselves right at home on the set of the 1980s smash hit. It's a blast from the past with a utilitarian Pontiac beach machine, the Corvette gets a turbo-charged eco-friendly makeover and could the Panamera be the next great convertible? Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with the Volkswagen Golf MK6, a cyber edition of Highway Hearsay as one crappy car gets traded for another, the Blind Spot story about small car buyer's remorse and more!

Some days you look at the automotive news cropping up and you realize it's a jungle out there. This week we tap into our animal instincts as we explore the zoological side of car culture. On today's show, elephants show us a brand new way not to get your car clean, a Ford engine taps hair band influences for a "super sweet" mascot, and the Jaguar may rise again as rumors of a new five-door roar to life. Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with the Taurus and Genesis Coupe, another edition of Psy-car-logy as we explore what cars the LGBT community cotton to, the Blind Spot story of the week and more!

Life is full of compromises, everyone knows that. In the perfect compromise both parties come away dissappointed, but in a bad compromise there's a clear loser, and it happens in the automotive world all the time. After a week of fantasies we thought it was time to come down to Earth with the 'Bad Compromise' episode. On today's show you'll get the rare opportunity to have an Audi R8 staring out of your garage, the Corvette will get a retro makeover, and you'll find out how one van can have two interiors. Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with the Camry and Avenger, the premiere of Psy-car-logy with a story about how Hummer drivers are saving America, the Blind Spot story of the week and more!

The Frankfurt Auto Show is in full swing and busting at the seams with both fantastical and nightmarish cars. With that in mind, we were inspired to create the 'In Your Dreams' episode. Whether it's a lavish sedan you're unlikely to ever see on the road--let alone have the chance to drive--or a misshapen oddity you'd hate to meet in a dark alley, these are the vehicles that play tricks on your mind. On today's show we look at the transformation of one of Europe's worst cars into one of its most efficient and the sedan you better get before it's gone for good. Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with the Lincoln MKT, a DIY AutoGadget with a heavenly touch, the Blind Spot story of the week and more!

The gang's all here (fine, mostly here) for our inaugural episode of RoundAbout. This week with the Frankfurt Auto Show on the horizon and with an eye toward more enlightening things to come we bring you the 'Better Driving Through Technology' episode. Come economic meltdown, come animal-borne plague, come celebrity deaths, despite it all, technology never only sometimes fails us. On today's show we have a car that looks like the successor to the storied EV-1, the auto industry's answer to Velcro and roadways that will solve the energy crisis. Plus, our features this week: In the Garage with the Ford Raptor, a supercar AutoGadget that only a supertool could love, the Blind Spot story of the week and more!