Unnamed Automotive Podcast

How different is the new, front-wheel drive platform under the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe as compared to the rear-wheel drive BMW 2 Series coupe? Sami drives a prototype and comes back with his opinion on how well this entry-level four-door fits into the BMW family. Benjamin drives two of the best three-row SUVs on the market - the 2020 Hyundai Palisade and the 2020 Kia Telluride - and can't believe how much better they are compared to a number of more expensive luxury people movers. The pair wrap things up with listener questions.Links: 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Prototype Drive — Come next spring you may do a double-take when the new BMW 2 Series drives by. Now sporting four doors and the Gran Coupe badging, BMW is taking the 2 Series mainstream. What used to be a sporty coupe – and one of the most enthusiast-friendly vehicles in BMW’s lineup – is going toe-to-toe with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 with an entry-level four-door that brings the brand to a wider audience.

Is it possible that taking the roof off a car Benjamin never really enjoyed driving suddenly changes everything? So it would seem with the 2019 BMW M4 Cabriolet, the last edition of this generation's convertible M car, and perhaps the second-most interesting drop top in the BMW line-up. Sami, on the other hand, can't quite understand who's out there lusting after the 2020 BMW X6's muscular hindquarters after driving the new model at the company's Spartanburg plant. The pair also answer listener questions about the Mustang Mach-E, the VW ID3, and update everyone on the status of Benjamin's Scion xB situation.Links: 2020 BMW X6 M50i Review — There’s a line with luxury cars where they’re no longer just about luxury and style, but where they are designed to make a statement. The BMW X6 is a perfect example of this. Logically, the X6 isn’t as practical as the X5, but is just as high-tech and engaging to drive – not that high-end SUV-coupe buyers are looking for any of that. They want a car that makes a statement – like athleisure – that they’re too cool to care about anything like style or practicality or performance. In that regard, the X6 is a pretty big success.

Guest Chad Kirchner gets a ride in the 2020 Ford Bronco R, the 'Raptor' version of the upcoming SUV, and dives deep into the details on what to expect from the heritage-inspired model. Benjamin is back from Texas after driving the 2020 Aston Martin Vantage, which marries a German heart to a British body. Sami and Chad both attended the Infiniti at 30 celebration, which generated some surprise EV-related news for the brand, and finally the trio debate the merits of the upcoming electric Ford Mustang SUV, before trying to decide whether Benjamin need to buy a Release Series 1.0 Scion xB.Links: 2020 Aston Martin Vantage review: Freethinkers welcome — The Porsche 911 is the obvious choice in this space, and though it offers many flavors, it’s still the de facto uniform of early-career conspicuous consumption. Aston Martin would like to make a dent in this rear-engine hegemony with the Vantage, the newest, and most accessible way for buyers to tap into a sports car lineage that dates back to nearly the beginning of the internal combustion engine. No, it’s not a 911. It’s a properly sporting English GT car, and that’s exactly the point.

Sami's trip to the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show with Toyota paid dividends for car fans who are also robot lovers, as he was exposed to all manner of chasing, gripping, and transportation-oriented bots that combine terrifying levels of dexterity with a personality that 'wants to get to know you better in the night.' Highlights include Olympic robots, artificially intelligent Lexus concepts, and some sort of self-driving broom that may or may not be Halloween themed. It's the stuff of Benjamin's nightmares!

How far has the Porsche Cayenne fallen behind the rest of the luxury people mover pack? Sami discusses his disappointment with what was once a class leader after driving the 2019 model. Benjamin, on the other hand, has a surprisingly positive encounter with the 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio after failing to be impressed by the standard, non-performance model. He compares it back-to-back against the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 SUV, which may be one of the last V8-powered muscle trucks from the German brand.Links: 2019 ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO: SUV PERFORMANCE SET TO 'OVERKILL' — So it goes that in 2019 it's possible to find a trucklet with as much thrust and nearly the same levels of grip as supercars from a decade or so previous. The expectation that a full-zoot hot rod SUV be able to pivot like a pro, despite its towering center of gravity and typically ponderous weight, has lead to vehicles like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio—a crossover that stretches brand credibility to the max by way of its family-courting practicality and over the top go-fast feature set. Surprisingly? It kind of works. On the Road: 2019 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S — It might sound strange, but compact high performance SUVs are now so common on dealer lots and in driveways across the country that a natural pecking order has begun to emerge. Gone are the days when a small crossover with big power was an anomaly—we've now reached the point where every major Euro player has folded its sport-utility offerings into their mainstream tuning tier. Just like with sedans and coupes, buyers have multiple flavors of fast to choose from when seeking out their next hatchback-on-stilts for daily duty.

Minivans get almost no respect on an SUV-laden landscape, but if the 2019 Chrysler Pacific Hybrid is any indication, they are still the best option for families who truly need to maximize space and practicality. Benjamin drives the battery-powered van and discovers all the ways it's a better choice than an SUV for so many buyers. Sami reports back on his time with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, a revised sport-utility that has more bounce to the ounce, but doesn't quite deliver when it comes to th drive. The pair also answer a listener question about the current crop of turbocharged subcompact hot hatches. This weeks episode is brought to you by the new Roland Gumpert Nathalie. To learn more go to https://www.rolandgumpert.com/en/Links: Roland Gumpert Nathalie — This weeks episode is brought to you by the new electric Roland Gumpert Nathalie.

Charger fans have finally been thrown a bone by SRT in the form of the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody, a track-oriented version of the super sedan that mimics the wider stance of last year's Challenger Widebody while bringing some important suspension and performance improvements to the table, too. Benjamin drives both the Hellcat and Scat Pack Widebody cars at Sonoma Raceway and compares them to how their standard versions handle themselves at high speeds. Next up is Sami talking about his driving experiences in Ireland behind the wheel of Volkswagen's tiniest SUV, the T-Cross.Links: 2020 DODGE CHARGER WIDEBODY TRACK DRIVE: CONQUERING SONOMA WITH 707 HORSEPOWER — 'More, More, More,' isn't just the refrain of an unforgettable disco classic—it's also clearly the guiding philosophy at FCA's SRT. It's fitting, in many ways, that a superhit from the 1970s applies to so many of Dodge's recent performance products, given that they often wear badges that harken back to that decade's muscle car glory days. The latest load of excess horsepower from the last American automaker continually raising the stakes on street, strip and track, is the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Joined by its somewhat-attenuated Scat Pack 392 Widebody sibling, this revised edition of the world's mightiest family sedan now features bulging fenders, a more focused suspension setup and body work that's aggressive enough to intimidate any other four-door in the daycare pick-up line.

Is America ready for the first-ever Subaru to have been fully built by STI - to the point where it had to be homologated as an all-new manufacturer? Benjamin drives the 2019 Subaru STI S209 on a race track to find out if it lives up to the hype. Meanwhile, Sami puts the 2019 Ford F-150 Platinum Diesel to work and realizes he might still prefer the revamped Ram. Finally, we take a deep dive into Jeremy Renner's private social media network controversy.

The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI really a Golf GTI with a trunk? VW would love to convince you that's true, but Benjamin isn't so sure after a week together with the car. Sami rediscovers the Mini Cooper S magic that he thinks makes the car something special in a very crowded slice of the new car market.Links: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI: STILL NOT-QUITE-GTI PERFORMANCE, BUT FOR LESS MONEY — The redesigned Jetta GLI swapped its somewhat bloated NCS platform for the very same MQB architecture underpinnings as the Golf GTI. On top of that, it also boasts an identical drivetrain to the GTI, with no more handicapping of horsepower between the two sides of the same compact performance coin.

Friend of the show Chad Kirchner spends time in the 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBost High Performance Pack and comes back to tell Benjamin just how wrong he was about his instant dismissal of the turbocharged muscle car. Sami then leads a discussion on the Netflix show Hyperdrive, which is perhaps the first time someone has made a competitive driving program that doesn't completely suck.

Is the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata's new motor a worthy upgrade over the previous 4-cylinder? Benjamin certainly thinks so - to the point where it changes the entire character of the car for the better. Sami then dives deep into the 2020 Hyundai Palisade SUV and wonders how such a luxurious three-row hauler came to market without a Genesis badge. Finally, the pair pay their respects to Benjamin's Datsun engine, which died doing what it loved at Watkins Glen International Raceway this past week. Also - Porsche book contest winners!Links: A YEAR ON THE RACE TRACK IN A VINTAGE CAR: WHAT DID IT COST ME? — Four years later, almost all of the bugs have been worked out of my 1978 Datsun 280Z. A series of upgrades have left the engine largely untouched, but the driveline and the suspension have been built to withstand the perils of high performance driving. Now that I am past the stage of correcting the issues that crop up on any secondhand automobile (deferred maintenance, design defects), I thought it would be interesting to examine what it cost me, in terms of time, toil, and treasure, to keep a 41 year old automobile in fighting shape during a full summer of on-track abuse. 2019 Mazda MX-5 Review — The Mazda MX-5 adds horsepower for 2019, addressing one of the most common complaints from people who’ve never actually driven the car. Is the extra output more of a good thing, capable of pushing the world’s most popular roadster to the next level where it can better hang with the current crop of sports cars? Or is it too much sauce slathered on top of an already excellent recipe?

Subaru's basic design language doesn't take any risks, and after driving the 2020 Subaru Legacy for the first time Sami kind of wishes it did so that more buyers might be tempted to take a chance on the brand instead of seeking out the more stylish competition. Benjamin sets sail in the 2019 BMW 750i xDrive across two-lane blacktop seeking county fair fun, and is surprised by the combo of performance and plushness offered by the massive four-door sedan.

Is the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R a hot hatch, or a 'stealth executive car?' Will Sami tolerate Benjamin's unabashed use of marketing speak to describe the turbocharged, all-wheel drive Golf, or will it end their friendship forever? Will Sami's time in the 2019 Subaru BRZ Raiu Edition make him paint his own BRZ 'Cool Khaki Grey?' The answers to these questions, plus a Porsche book giveaway and fun listener feedback on this week's episode.Links: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R REVIEW: HOT HATCH OR SLEEPER AGENT? — What if Volkswagen's intentions were to play the long game by creating a compact Q-ship, an executive car experience in hatchback form that defied the expectations of what was possible at the peak of the entry-level? 2019 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI VS. 2019 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R: COMPARING THE GERMAN HOT HATCH TWINS HEAD-TO-HEAD — Should you save your pennies and dimes in anticipation of a Golf R down payment, or would you be nearly as happy snagging a GTI and enjoying the savings instead? I drove each of these mighty 'Dubs back to back to bring you the answer.

How strong is the charisma of Steve McQueen that Ford is still making Bullitt Mustang tribute cars 50 years after the movie debuted? Sami dives deep into the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt and comes away impressed with its mix of style and performance. After a detour into the weird world of movie tie-in cars, Benjamin continues the discussion with the 2020 BMW M340i xDrive, the fastest non-M3 version of the 3 Series sedan ever built. Don't even bother trying to re-read that sentence. Finally, the pair answer a question from a listener about how each of them got started in the automotive writing business.

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Turbo worth of the 1LE road racing package? Benjamin spends a week with the entry-level car to find out. Meanwhile, Sami pits the 2019 Ford Ranger against the 2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 in a mid-size pickup battle that may have a surprising winner.