Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 170: Cars That Will Never Be Classics, Rolls-Royce Honey, Hyundai Designer Leaves, Listener Questions May 03, 2020

Show notes

The car that tries the hardest to be cool is often the car no one wants to own. Benjamin and Sami take a look at 11 modern automobiles that will never be classics no matter how much 'effort' their designers and engineers put in at the time. After dissecting these victims of circumstance, the pair also discuss Rolls-Royce joining the automotive apiary with its new line of honey, before trying to understand why Hyundai's chief designer just quit. Finally, it's time for listener questions about trunk design.

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These Modern Cars Will Never Be Collectible Classics — Once viewed as at least somewhat special, these models will forever just be used cars.

Episode 169: 2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 10 Coolest Movie Trucks, Bigfoot Apr 26, 2020

Show notes

Is it cooler to drive Bigfoot through a car dealership or escape tornados in a brand-new Dodge Ram? Could you really pull a house off of its foundations with a GMC dually? And what, exactly, were Tango & Cash actually driving in that weird climactic scene? Benjamin and Sami dive into the best movie trucks of all time, with Sami displaying a shocking lack of interest in the world of monster trucks no matter how many times Benjamin decides to bring up the history of Bigfoot, Bigfoot Shuttle, or Bigfoot 7. The pair also touch on the upcoming Hyundai Santa Cruz, which would be the Korean brand's first foray into the world of pickups.

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10 Best Movie Trucks and Pickups To Come Out Of Hollywood — Car chases might get all the glory, but trucks have enjoyed their share of screen time in Hollywood, too. In fact, there are a number of movies where pickups and SUVs have played a key role in either advancing the plot, saving the day, or just injecting some much-needed adrenaline into a movie's sagging second act.

Episode 168: Cars That Found A Way To Fail, 2021 Mazda 6, 2021 Cadillac Blackwing Apr 19, 2020

Show notes

Even with the market primed and ready, there are still cars and trucks out there that completely whiffed on finding an audience. Benjamin and Sami take a look at 8 vehicles that found a way to fail despite the best possible chances of success. The pair also discuss Mazda's strange decision to court luxury customers with an upscale, rear-wheel drive version of the Mazda 6, as well as Cadillac's orphan Blackwing V8, which can't even find a home in a pair of cars with Blackwing written on the badge.

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These Cars Were Set Up to Succeed But Failed Anyway — On paper, these eight cars should have been winners. They were not.

Episode 167: Fake Fast And Furious Movies, Cars That Were Better The Second Time, 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Listener Questions Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

What cars were better the second time around? Benjamin dives into automotive sequels that outshone the originals. Speaking of sequels, Sami laughs it up about the terrible list of car movies that came out after the success of The Fast And The Furious. The pair also answer listener questions, before wrapping things up with news about the redesigned 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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The Lost and the Furious: Films that Tried (and Failed) to Ride the Fast & Furious Wave — It seems "The Fast and Furious, but with X" remains a losing formula. The inherent laziness of that idea is why none of these knock-offs could ever hope to reach the same heights it has. But bless their hearts for trying.
Second Chances: 10 Vehicles Where the Sequel Topped the Original — There are more than a few examples of cars that didn't get it right the first time finding their footing in their second generation—or vehicles that made the leap from "good" to "great" as they built on a strong foundation.

Episode 166: 2020 Jeep Cherokee, 2021 Hyundai Elantra, 2021 Genesis G80, Benjamin Rents A Viper Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

Is the 2020 Jeep Cherokee still relevant in the hyper-competitive compact SUV segment? Benjamin spends a week behind the wheel to find out. Sami dives deep into both the 2021 Hyundai Elantra and the 2021 Genesis G80, while Benjamin wraps things up by sharing his teenage memories of renting the world's sketchiest Dodge Viper from a local gas station.

Episode 165: 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Hyundai Kona EV, 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Mar 29, 2020

Show notes

Does the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon succeed because it's one of the few SUVs left on the market that wasn't built by committee? Benjamin has some strong words about the two-door Wrangler and it's place in the world, as well as how it compares to the Gladiator Rubicon pickup. Sami keeps things green by sliding through the week on a carpet of electrons, comparing the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt and the 2020 Hyundai Kona electric vehicles back-to-back.

Episode 164: 2020 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road, 2020 Toyota Highlander Mar 22, 2020

Show notes

It's time to TRD all the things, and with the Camry and the Avalon out of the way it was only logical that the 2020 Toyota RAV4 be next. Benjamin samples the TRD Off-Road version of this very on-road focused crossover and comes back with a surprisingly nuanced point of view on its place in the world. Sami spends a week at the opposite end of the size spectrum in the 2020 Toyota Highlander, and SUV that makes a lot of sense for 3-row shoppers.

Episode 163: 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo, 2020 Kia Seltos, 2020 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered, Guest William Clavey Mar 14, 2020

Show notes

What's it like to drive the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo at speeds of up to 160 mph on a race track? Sami has all of the details after piloting the Italian supercar at Road Atlanta. Benjamin has a confusing time with a more down-to-earth performance vehicle, the plug-in hybrid 2020 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered, which can't decide what it wants to be (yet is comfortable charging you a huge amount of money while it tries to figure it out). Guest William Clavey of Clavey's Corner also stops by to talk about driving the just-released 2020 Kia Seltos SUV.

Episode 162: Guest Chad Kirchner, Snowplows, 2020 Tesla Model 3, 2020 Subaru Legacy, 2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport Mar 08, 2020

Show notes

How much do you want to know about snowplows? Guest Chad Kirchner dives deep into the art of pushing snow on this week's episode, before talking about his 2,000 miles behind the wheel of a 2020 Tesla Model 3. Benjamin compares the 2020 Subaru Legacy to the same-platform Outback he drove a few weeks earlier, while Sami laments the existence of the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Sport Cross SUV.

Episode 161: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8, 2020 Subaru WRX Mar 01, 2020

Show notes

The moment thousands of enthusiasts have been waiting for is here: Benjamin and Sami get a chance to drive the redesigned 2020 Chevrolet Corvette on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada, and the track at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch. Does the mid-engine C8 have what it takes to take the C7's place in Benjamin's heart? Can Sami handle the indignity of Benjamin forcing him to drive with the top off in the rain?

The pair also discuss the 2020 Subaru WRX, and try to decide just where this somewhat older high performance sedan fits in the world of compact turbocharged rockets.

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2020 Chevrolet Corvette First Drive — Years from now, automotive enthusiasts look back on the 2020 model year as the chronological cut-line dividing two very different schools of sports car philosophy. On one side, receding ever more rapidly into the distance, are the champions of driver involvement, visceral sensation, and the ability to occasionally colour outside the lines by way of great big streaks of black rubber. On the other lies the current zeitgeist of carefully curated speed experiences engineered primarily to produce impressive on-paper numbers coupled with squeaky-clean asphalt performance.
Code 45 - Benjamin's graphic novel! — The Kickstarter campaign for Benjamin's graphic novel, Code 45, starts March 3! Click the link to find out more.

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