Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 58: 2019 Audi A7, BMW i8 In The Snow, Driving Exotics In The Winter, Sami's Extreme Exhaustion Feb 10, 2018

Show notes

How different is the new 2019 Audi A7 from the model it replaces? How strong does it stand next to the growing class of four-door luxury coupes that it once ruled? Sami has the scoop after driving the A7 for two days on the dusty streets of Johannesburg. Benjamin counters the South African sun with a week spent on snow and ince in the BMW i8, a hybrid that is surprisingly competent when the temperature drops, and a supercar that doesn't seem to mind plowing through the white stuff. Also, Sami fades in and out of consciousness throughout the episode, which was recorded a mere hour after he deplaned from a solid day spent traveling.

Episode 57: 2019 Infiniti QX50, Variable Compression Turbo, Mazda Compression Ignition Prototype, 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Feb 02, 2018

Show notes

This week Benjamin drives the variable compression turbo equipped 2019 Infiniti QX50, while both Sami and Benjamin get to say the words 'compression' and 'ignition' over and over again after testing out a prototype version of Mazda's Skyactiv-X compression ignition engine. Finally, Benjamin reveals his disappointment with the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV SUV, while Sami engages him in that eternal debate: do you say 'P-H-E-V' or 'FEV?'

Episode 56: 2018 BMW M550i xDrive, 2018 BMW M760Li, M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

When is an M car not an M car? When it's an...M car? If that's confusing to you, too, then join us for an exploration of two extremely fast, very large BMWs that wear the M badge more modestly than some of their stable mates - even thought one of the features a twin-turbo V12 under the hood and is the most expensive model you can buy from the German brand. We're talking M550i and the M760Li on this week's episode, and wondering what the end game is for BMW's M division: Motorsports or Marketing?

Episode 55: Live From The 2018 Detroit Auto Show Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the largest gathering of automakers in the country, and each year it brings with it a packed slate of new vehicle debuts. Benjamin and Sami hit the highlights and lowlights of this year's show, including new concepts, cars, trucks, and SUVs from Lexus, Ford, Acura, Volkswagen, Ram, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Infiniti, and Toyota.

Episode 54: Live from the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Reveal in Detroit Jan 13, 2018

Show notes

New engines, new design, new interior secret storage compartments and all the other juicy, non-aluminum (and also aluminum) details of the new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. That's all we talk about in this mini-episode of the podcast.

Episode 53: Getting stuck in the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse Redline, 2018 Buick Enclave, Detroit Auto Show Preview, Crappy Jury-Rigged Car Repairs Jan 12, 2018

Show notes

Which of GM's full-size crossovers would you buy: the 2018 Buick Enclave or the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse? Benjamin and Sami debate these near-twins, trying to figure out what, if anything, marks a clear dividing line between their redesigned platforms, drivetrains, and feature-sets. Or, in other words, how much are you willing to pay for QuietTuning, and how many bad decisions did Benjamin have to make before he got the Traverse completely stuck in a snowbank? The two also talk about what's coming up in Detroit at next week's auto show, as well as some of the scariest 'home-made' car repairs they have ever seen or done to their own rides.

Episode 52: 2018 Audi RS3, CES Preview, G-Mode Button Jan 05, 2018

Show notes

How did the 2018 Audi RS3 fare in dealing with some of the snowiest and coldest conditions Montreal has seen in years? Benjamin goes in depth about the most affordable entry point to the high performance RS line-up, with Sami offering his counterpoint after having driven the car on the sandy highways of Oman. The two also riff on the upcoming CES show, the weird technologies (including brain-to-car-interface) that will debut there, and of course, the Mercedes-Benz G-Mode button.

Episode 51: 2018 Subaru Forester XT, 2018 Honda Accord, 2017 Year End Best And Worst Cars, Sami Supercut Dec 29, 2017

Show notes

Sami spends a week with the 2018 Subaru Forester XT and is impressed by what the turbocharged SUV has to offer in terms of fun behind the wheel, while Benjamin dishes on the redesigned 2018 Honda Accord and whether its entry-level engine is worthy of the same praise as its range-topping sibling. The pair then delve into a retrospective look at all the cars and trucks they drove in 2017 - the good, the bad, the underwhelming, the puzzling, and the disappointing - and share their mutual despair for the soul-sucking maelstrom that is CES. Ending the year with a bang is Sami's very first, and very special, supercut.

Episode 50: 2018 Infiniti QX80, 2019 Volvo XC40, 2018 Buick Regal Sportback, Dad Jokes, The Downer Media, Porsche Bees Dec 20, 2017

Show notes

Sami drives the refreshed 2018 Infiniti QX80 full-size SUV and then gets really touchy about how it looks, while Benjamin pilots the all-new 2019 Volvo XC40 SUV in Spain and is surprised by just how big of an impression the compact crossover left on him. We also talk about the 2018 Buick Regal Sportback before segueing into quick hits on the 'the downer media' comment made at this year's LA Auto Show, fake audio speaker technology that Volvo wants you to think is totally real, the uselessness of in-car shopping, and Porsche's millions of honey-making bees.

Links:

2018 Infiniti QX80 Review — The Infiniti QX80 has always been a big truck focused on telling everyone that you have arrived. Hard to miss with a polarizing design, it was the truck of choice for people who wanted to be noticed. Now it arrives with subtle tweaks to its exterior that makes it easier on the eyes. But there’s more to talk about than just its new look
2019 Volvo XC40 Review and First Drive — Perhaps no automaker’s transformation over the past five years has been quite so dramatic as that undergone by Volvo.
First Drive: 2019 Volvo XC40 draws luxury heat with style, not badge — It might be lonely at the top, but in the world of luxury SUVs it's also increasingly crowded at the bottom. Of course, 'bottom' is a relative term when discussing premium people movers – 'entry-level' is more appropriate – but there's no question that the 2019 Volvo XC40 is facing a hotly-contested compact crossover market dominated by the usual German suspects from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Episode 49: BMW M5, BMW i3s, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Supercar Hate Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

BMW's newest version of its M5 super-sedan now sports all-wheel drive and an automatic-only transmission. Is it still fun on a race track? Benjamin drives the latest M5 at Estoril to answer that question - and also puts the BMW i3s through an autocross course to determine whether the brand's new and sporty take on its all-electric hatchback makes sense. Sami drives the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, a vehicle destined to be the last all-Mitsu product to reach American shores, and then makes fun of Benjamin when he admits he's never really been excited by supercars.

Links:

2018 BMW M5 Review and First Drive — Is the fastest M5 ever becoming too much like its rivals?
2018 BMW i3s Review and First Drive — The car has more character than ever, which is a rare thing in the EV market.
The McLaren Senna is one of the Wildest Road Legal Cars Ever — The McLaren Senna is described by the British manufacturer as the most extreme road-legal car it’s ever built. It also claims the car is “legalized for road use, but not sanitized to suit it,” and thus forgoes almost all creature comforts in the name of outright track performance.
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review — The new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is exactly what the automaker needs and what many customers want, with a splash of unique styling and high tech goodies to round out the package.

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