In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. First they talk about driving the Volvo V60 Cross Country and Ford Explorer ST, with some thoughts about the Subaru Outback and Super Bowl commercials as well. Then they dive into the mailbag, answering questions and following up on the outcomes of previous "Spend My Money" segments. Finally they wrap things off with a new "Spend My Money," in which they help a listener pick a new car that will accommodate a new, tiny family member without sucking all the fun out of driving.
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GREG MIGLIORE: Welcome to another episode of the Autoblog podcast. I'm Greg Migliore. Joining me on the phone from the west coast is west coast editor, James Riswick. What's going on, man?
JAMES RISWICK: Doing real well, aside for a two man podcast here.
GREG MIGLIORE: There's just two of us. Literally everybody else in the office is sick. James is scheduled to be off anyway.
JAMES RISWICK: I'm not even in the office.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, that's how you stay healthy-- is work from home and, you know, stay bunkered down and stay healthy. I'm going to start crushing Emergen-C and all that other good stuff just to keep the vitamin C flowing. But we do have a good show for you. So listen in. Trust me-- we're not contagious. You could listen. I don't think that's a thing. You can't get anything over the podcasts.
But we're talking about the Volvo V60 Cross Country. We both drove that, as did much of the rest of the staff, which is currently laid low. I also drove the Ford Explorer ST. You've driven explorer. In other forms, is that right, James?
JAMES RISWICK: I actually have driven the ST I was on the first drive launch out here in Oregon. So--
GREG MIGLIORE: All right.
JAMES RISWICK: Well briefed.
GREG MIGLIORE: Nice. We'll riff on that. And then we're going to spend your money. But we do have kind of a mailbag segment for this episode, which is kind of cool. We've got some updates on how people actually spent their money. And then a question. So let's live dangerously. It's almost like we're doing it live.
Volvo V60, though. First of all, check this out on our website. We've got a nice sort of East and West coast driver's notes-- cross-pollinated, if you will. James contributed. We drove it here in the office. Wiped it down with hand sanitizer, I hope. Maybe-- maybe that would have kept everybody healthy. Anyways.
I really liked this, like, sort of lifted wagon. I think it's good looking. I really like the design cues, the Thor's hammer headlights. This one was very handsome, you know? The interiors of this and other Volvos, I generally like. Sensus is something that I'm not really loving. I think we all thought it was amazing maybe three or four years ago or so. Now I just find it takes a few too many layers to get it to do what I want it to do, specifically involving temperature. So that's the thing with me.
But overall, I think you buy this car because you want a modern day wagon. In this case, like, a lifted wagon. It's really, the Cross Country is sort of aimed more at the meatier part of the segment than perhaps the V60 is. Aesthetically, give me the V60 all day. I think that's a great looking car. And any time you put those sort of plastic wheel wells on, you know, basically anything-- whether it's an SUV or a crossover or something-- I think it kind of just kind of muddies it up. It doesn't look too good. So yeah, I mean, that's sort of like my thumbnail view. We could get into a more, but what did you think, James?
JAMES RISWICK: Well, I am actually a customer and owner of a plastic wheel welled raised wagon. I own a 2013 Audi All Road, so this is kind of up my alley. Now at the time, we bought the All Road because they stopped making the Avant in 2013. So with the CPO thing, we couldn't even get a CPO Avant.
That said, I kind of like the wheel wells. It kind of makes it look wider. In the Audi instance, it kind of makes it look like an RS6 Avant, even though it isn't. But going back to the Volvo, it actually does have a wider track on it. So it's not just hiding-- it's not just a kind of Cross over look thing. It actually is hiding a wider track.
And I do like-- actually, I'm kind of a fan of anything that's raised. I always liked the-- if you ever see the movie, "Thomas Crown Affair," the raised Shelby Mustang, I think, is, like, the coolest thing on earth. But I do like this Cross Country quite a lot. And if I were to replace the All Road, I'd happily get one. I like the fact that it's just-- it's boxier in the back. And that alone makes it that much more practical.
I've made a lot of road trips in our wagon. And it's generally sufficient amount of room, but I tell you, I could fit basically one more bag in it, and that can make a big difference. The other thing I like about-- now you talked about Sensus. One thing I found about Sensus is that it does take a little while to figure out where everything is and to configure it to your specifications. I agree with you that having physical buttons for the climate system would be better.
But once you figure it out-- where everything is, and how to, in my case, remember what my settings were the last time I was in a Volvo, once you get that, I kind of like it. Specifically, with the larger screen, you can show both Apple CarPlay at the same time as some other vehicle element. And choosing what that element is, be it navigation or even the radio-- so you can have radio and, like, Google Maps up at the same time-- it's a lot easier to do that than, say, in the vertically-oriented screen that I currently have in the Subaru Outback. That's not really-- that doesn't take advantage of its vertical orientation as well as Volvo's does.
And then also, once you get-- once you know where things are-- you know, swipe right for certain aspects, swipe left for others-- it's basically a dating app describing it that way, but that's what you do. Once you know where everything is, I think it is pretty intuitive. But that learning curve does make it a little harder, especially the fact that it is pretty different than a lot of them out there.
But in general, that interior is so beautiful. It's just-- it looks great. Even though we drove them 3,000 miles away, we have the-- we had an identical car. And it just has this--
GREG MIGLIORE: How magical and coincidental is that-- the magic of the press fleet, right?
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah, I know. It has this open pore wood in it-- it's just like peak Scandinavia. It looks fantastic. And yeah, I think that would make the difference for me, because it just seems kind of special. And I I don't think the current All Road looks as good as the old one, and I think this Volvo looks better than the All Road. So really, we're talking about a two car off road-ish wagon competitive set here. And BMW doesn't make a 3 Series wagon anymore. And you can't buy the Mercedes C Class wagon unless you're listening to this in candidate or white Europe.
So it's a two horse race. Unless, of course, you buy what is currently parked outside my house right now, which is a loaded Outback Onyx Edition, which has all the bells and whistles in it. And it has way more space. The Outback is enormous, compared both to the Volvo and most other vehicles, really. It's amazing how much stuff you can fit in that, how money people can comfortably fit inside. And comfortably, obviously, it only is five people capacity, but the backseat is giant. I had three full size adult friends riding comfortably back there the other day.
So it's a lot cheaper than the Volvo, too. That's another element. But it's not anywhere near as nice inside and nowhere nice-- nowhere as nice to drive. So that would be the other thing to consider. But I'd get the Volvo-- albeit a couple hours later, certified preowned.
GREG MIGLIORE: I agree with you. I think the Volvo really has eclipsed sort of that, you know, what Audi set out to accomplish. I feel like Volvo just-- their cars feel a little more special than the All Roads, I think, frankly, ever did. We actually had an A-- geez, what did we have-- an A4, an A6 All Road back in like, '16, '17. It was sort of like a short long-term vehicle. We had it for three months.
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah, that's the A4 [INAUDIBLE].
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. And that to me was just like a very-- I don't know-- that car did not feel special in the way, really, any of the Volvo-- like, V60 or V60 Cross Country sort of feel. So there's that. I mean, one car that, frankly, if I had my pick, the Jaguar XF wagon-- that's a beautiful car. But I don't believe they make that anymore, if I'm Googling correctly. Because for a while, we actually kind of had a really nice-- like, you know, there were some wagons out there for enthusiasts if you wanted to go down that road.
You could get excited. You could, you know, sort of just, satisfy your Jones for a wagon, you know? It's a thing. It's almost like a-- I don't know. Car journalists always want brown manual wagons. And then it seemed like for a while, car companies were actually listening to us and they were making more wagons. But I think you're seeing the market slimmed down a little bit. But yeah, I mean, it's too bad.
JAMES RISWICK: The other thing is-- one thing to point out is that there's a V90 Cross Country. And that I do like better than this, not just because it's more expensive, but because its ride quality is a lot better. I tested one with 18 inch wheels and it has an air suspension at the rear that's mostly for loading purposes and auto load leveling.
However, a lot of these new 60 and 90 series Volvos-- their ride quality, once especially you get larger wheels, really degrades. It'll feel totally-- they're nicely damped, and it'll feel totally fine. And then you head off sharp bump and there is a level of impact harshness you're not going to get, say, in my Audi All Road or a BMW, even.
And this V60 we had had 19 inch wheels that absolutely, do have that impact harshness over bumps that you didn't get with the more-- go figure, more higher profile tires result in a more comfortable ride. So I haven't driven a V60 with the 18s. And if I have, it was in Sweden on snow, so I don't think that's comparable. So--
GREG MIGLIORE: Could be like Michigan roads, maybe. I mean, it's about the same.
JAMES RISWICK: Exactly. On a Michigan road, this is exactly the type of thing you would notice-- is just you've hit some pothole and you're going to notice it more than you would in another car. And the thing doesn't-- I thought actually driving it, I thought it had run flat tires on it. It doesn't. It has a spare tire. So that's something to consider, because although I really like it, I would absolutely push to get the 18 inch wheels. And even then, I do think that the V90 would be that much more comfortable. Because Volvo has tuned these Cross Countries to be more comfortable than their non-Cross Country wagon versions.
GREG MIGLIORE: I think one thing real quick. You actually still can order an SFX Sportbrake on Jaguar USA. Go to your local dealer. I thought it was dead, but apparently, just rumors of its demise were rather strong for a while. But for now, enthusiasts, you can still get a Sportbrake, which I think is actually an awesome thing. And frankly, that would be my pick in this segment. But it's like to me, even though that car got a lot of issues-- we had one in the office, and we thought it was gorgeous, but we also-- there were a lot of complaints.
I think, James, I think you actually did a review of one of these-- of a Sportbrake a while ago, too. Maybe back in '18. My point being is that's probably the-- you know, the prettiest of the bunch. But you know, it's expensive, and it's got some foibles. Then I think you get the Volvo, and then the Audi All Road, and then the Outback, though, for just bang for your buck. It's really tough to beat an Outback if you want, like, a wagon-- a lifted wagon sort of thing.
I mean, you get standard all wheel drive. I mean, I think Subaru designs sort of transcends, like, segment. Which is a lofty way of saying you know you won't look out of place whether you roll up to a fancy golf club or Kroger in this thing. I think Outbacks sort of have this cred that really just carries over across, you know, segments. And I don't know, maybe this whole segment is a long way of saying Outback is probably the best bet. I don't know.
JAMES RISWICK: Well, I mean, 90 some odd percent of all wagons sold are Outbacks. So it's basically-- the Subaru Outback is its own segment, and then there's other wagons. No one sells remotely close. It's also because it's just kind of its own thing. It's quite clearly an alternative for compact crossovers. It is a far more comfortable spacious vehicle-- more versatile than any compact crossover. Having this thing for a week, I feel very confident in saying that.
And because it is larger, and it is more comfortable-- so-- and for roughly around the same price. And I think when people see that, they're more practicality-minded. They don't need to have the same thing that everybody else has in terms of compact crossover. Then it does make sense. That said, if you live here in Portland, you will be buying the thing that everything else has because everyone owns a Subaru here.
GREG MIGLIORE: So I guess that's maybe a good transition to the Ford Explorer. That's pretty ubiquitous here in Michigan. And they're actually-- they sell a lot of them all over the place. I spent last weekend driving one that was very attractive. Rapid Red tinted clear coat was the color. So yeah, it stood out. This was the Explorer ST. Our sticker for just under 50-- just under 60 grand. So it was not cheap.
JAMES RISWICK: Woof.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. It was expensive. You know, you're kind of treading into Lincoln territory at that point. But that's--
JAMES RISWICK: That's tough territory to walk, yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's tough territory. $60,000 for a Ford Explorer?
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah. When the Aviator is really good.
GREG MIGLIORE: But this has the ST, the 3 liter six cylinder, 400 horsepower, all wheel drive. I was actually reading an old "Car and Driver" article on the Explorer ST-- but it was a fairly older article-- and they were complete it to the Cyclone and the Typhoon. I'm not sure we'd go that far back-- those, like, '80s hot rods from GMC. I don't, like-- to me-- and here's where I would-- like, just as a discussion point here-- this was kind of ruminating as I was driving it.
To me, those car or those truck things were, like, so different from anything else available at the time, that they did stand out. And it was totally different, you know? Whereas 400 horsepower all wheel drive SUV-- I mean, hello, Land Rover, hello, like, almost everybody. You know, it's not an uncommon thing. So you know, not obviously to pick on a fellow publication, but to me, I thought that was very interesting line of thought. And I kind of felt differently.
So I mean, to me-- and especially as I drove it and got into it-- really felt like, just, like, a very, like, normal Ford Explorer. Don't mean that in a bad way. It just-- it had a little bit more juice, you know? I think, you know, we have so much horsepower available at our disposal in so many different vehicles, that a big heavy SUV with three rows-- yeah, I kind of want about 400 horsepower. Yeah, I don't know. That's kind of my meta thoughts on this.
I know you did the first drive out in Portland. I mean, how do you feel about the Explorer ST?
JAMES RISWICK: Well, the ST, now it does have that big engine that you mentioned but. You can pretty much get nearly as much power in the Explorer Platinum, range topping version. So that means it comes down to the other performance improvements, specifically the suspension.
And when the Explorer came out and it was going to be rear wheel drive, we were very excited for the fact that a rear wheel drive vehicle is likely to handle better and just feel better behind the wheel than all of its competitors-- minus the Durango-- that are front wheel drive.
That didn't really come to pass, though, with the rest of the Explorer line. There's it's just very kind of flowy rear end when you're going over-- when you're going around corners, and around undulations, and just driving it the aggressively as you might for something that is apparently kind of has a performance edge. It has a lot of power for the segment.
The ST, though, settles it down. That is-- it is far more neutral around corners. It does feel buttoned down. It's kind of the way the rest of the Explorer line should feel if they were actually wanting it to be a little more performance-oriented in keeping with the power. It doesn't have to be like an AMG Ford kind of thing. But it just felt a lot more secure and I think kind of what we were expecting.
That said, again, it doesn't really feel like that, like, hard core of a performance. It doesn't seem kind of-- like, there's the Durango SRT that thing seems silly. It's just like over the top, and kind of ridiculous, you put the big hemi V8 in it. The ST kind of feels like it should be more over the top, because if you're just looking to be a serious performance machine, why are you buying a three row family crossover? That's definitely never going to be that.
So just go over the top with it. Make it a little silly. And it just didn't strike that right balance between an actual performance machine and just kind of-- again, just over the top thing to just to have. Because if you're going to drive a family mobile, well, let's make it ridiculous. It just didn't really strike enough of a unique appealing niche for me, if that makes any sense at all.
GREG MIGLIORE: No, I'd agree with that. Like, frankly, when I signed it out I was thinking, well, what am I going to do with-- you know, what am I going to do this weekend? Is it going to snow? Is this thing, like, can be a little too much of a handful, you know? Do I want to take this over and load a bunch of junk into it, you know? What am I getting myself into? And then I thought to myself, like, Greg, come on you're signing out a Ford Explorer. Like, this isn't that big of a deal, it's going to be fine, you know?
I would say almost the buyer, I feel like, is somebody who walks into a Ford dealership, looks at the other trims, and sort of knows they need a Ford Explorer. You know, maybe a couple of kids, maybe they're gonna put some dogs and just stuff in there. Like, all the normal reasons you could buy a Ford Explorer. And you sort of think to yourself, 400 horsepower, that sounds fun, I think I'm going to do that.
Like, in some ways, I feel like maybe there's a little bit of a disconnect between the way-- it seems like Ford did a pretty good job of really promoting this is like a performance SUV. Whereas I think the buyer kind of likes that idea. So hey, I guess in that case, Ford did a good job of promoting-- it's a performance SUV. But the reality is the buyer. The average buyer is somebody who just needs an Explorer and is willing to pay a little bit more, and get the bigger engine, and go on some of the extra gizmos.
I would also hazard a guess that your average SRT explorer buyer doesn't need the suspension stuff. Like, to me, I think they're almost overdelivering there, you know? You don't, like-- I don't know. You're really turning into Mr. Suspension Guy there, James. I feel like, you know, this is the Volvo-- you're really doing deep dives on them.
JAMES RISWICK: Well, it's not just-- it settles it down. It makes it feel the way it probably should-- not, like, really make it feel sporty. But you said the ST was around 60, right, that you had?
GREG MIGLIORE: It was, like, literally 90 bucks under 60.
JAMES RISWICK: Well, you can get it all wheel drive Lincoln Aviator Reserve, which is the second trim level up for $60,000. And I have a hard time imagining, like, who is this person who really wants the ST instead? For $60,000, you're going to get an actual luxury vehicle, because that aviator is very nice inside. Whereas the Explorer, even an ST, is kind of eh. So even within the Ford family, the Ford story you're going to go to, there's a great big bogey off the starboard bow of the ST, and it's the Aviator. And I do not-- I just don't know how you pick one instead.
GREG MIGLIORE: The Aviator is such a beautiful SUV inside and out. I know that's not everybody's cup of tea as far as just, like-- you know, there's a reason people buy German SUVs, as people buy Japanese SUVs, and Volvos, and all that stuff. But I mean, the Lincoln is really a good-looking vehicle. So I see where you're going there. I think-- I do think there's sort of like a section of buyers that probably-- like, needs a big SUV. They can afford to spend 50, 60, 70 grand, and they will never see themselves in a Lincoln, though. And they're always going to say, no, I'll just get the Ford, and I'll get everything on it, because they just can't see themselves as, like, a Lincoln buyer.
Granted, I would argue that's kind of outdated thinking at this point. I think if you drive one, sit in it-- you know, the Aviator is a really cool name, I think, just like Navigator. I sort of feel like if you came to Lincoln without having just the sort of, like, historic venerable sort of baggage that it carries, you would be like, oh, wow, this is a really good looking car. Like, what do I do? Like, if you just said Aviator on it, you might be like, oh, what is this thing, you know?
In some ways, I'll give Lincoln credit. I mean, that's kind of like what American luxury should look like like. It is a confident, somewhat bold, but it's not brash-- it's not like-- bold is a cliche. It's confident. It's a good-looking vehicle, whereas, like, you know, I think Cadillac sometimes is a little bit much. You know, you look at the XT-- different XT5, XT6. There's all these lines, and wrinkles, and the headlights are kind of like, hiding.
So yeah, I mean, long story short, aviator is a good looking car. And it's-- you know, we've said this-- it's a compelling alternative to the Explorer. I also think the Explorer interior is not quite as good as it maybe should be. I think, you KNOW we've got the new Tahoe, the new Yukon coming out-- those were you know, pretty old interiors. And we just sort of acknowledge that and moved on.
Whereas it'll be interesting to see what Chevy could do to spruce those up and see-- you know, Ford just felt like they kept pace with the Explorer. It doesn't feel like the interior is anything amazing. Like, I feel like there's a chance here to really take it to another level. But I don't know, maybe all the interior juice is going to Lincoln right now.
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah, they don't want to create too much of a point of comparison between the two, but at the same time, Ford is competing with Hyundai and Kia. And maybe, you know, to be fair, Ford didn't know the Palisade, the Telluride were on the way when they were developing the Explorer. And the Explorer certainly has a better chance when you're looking at say, a Honda Pilot or a Subaru Ascent next to it. But still, 60 grand-- it's gotta be nicer.
GREG MIGLIORE: I will say this-- I think the exterior design of the Explorer is a job well done. First, I remember specifically, I was watching the reveal-- like, whenever they did it. I think it was the Detroit show maybe year and a half, two years ago, somewhere in there. And I remember thinking, wow, they did nothing. This looks exactly the same. What were they thinking?
But then you see it on the road and it's got a very prominent sort of chiseled, like, belt line going up the side. It's more angled. It goes into the headlights, which are kind of-- like, they seem a little smaller. Best thing I could say is check out a picture on. Autoblog. You'll see what I'm saying. And to me, it just looks a lot fresher. It looks like-- it has more presence. It's got, you know, your favorite plastic wheel wells and things like that and most trims. But
I just think it looks a lot fresher, a lot better than one, which looked fine. Nothing wrong with it. This was very much an evolutionarily, we're going to take a big SUV and just kind of lightly change of things, but I think they did just a little bit more. Stuff that you might not notice, frankly, even in the press photos. But there is a ton of Ford Explorers driving around Michigan and. There's a lot of new ones.
So what you see them frankly side by side is not an uncommon occurrence. The new one just looks like it-- I'll use the cliche-- hit the gym and came out, you know, sleeker and better. So I like the look of it.
Cool. So any other Explorer thoughts?
JAMES RISWICK: No. No. I think we got it. i think we're definitively kind of math on the value proposition of the SRT.
GREG MIGLIORE: Sounds good. So we've got-- so we're going to spend some money. But before we do that, I'm going to go to the mailbag. This is kind of something we've been meaning to do and just haven't. But since we've got a little bit of more of a chill podcast this week, I'm going to get I just go in here and kind of update everybody. So this is an update from episode 610. This comes from Will. He was the one who wanted to basically find a second car. Was looking at-- his wife's daily driver was the 811 Targa S. He had a $20,000 Limit he was looking at all sorts of toy cars, if you will.
He writes back, he's looking at cars still, essentially. Thanks us for the recommendations. Says the S-2000 and the MR2 are very interesting. He's going to start looking at them. And get this-- I think this may have even been your recommendation, James. He's going to more seriously consider a Mercedes SL 500/550. So that's kind of interesting. I think that's, like, three very different cars. So I don't know, it's always kind of cool and people take your advice. You have any follow up thoughts there, James?
JAMES RISWICK: Well, the Targa thing-- that sounds like a cool car you currently own.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, yeah.
That was my thought, too. Was, like, hey, you've got a 911 Targa? Maybe keep that. But actually, I'm thinking that must have been me. I might have been the Mercedes recommendation.
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah, I wasn't on that podcast.
GREG MIGLIORE: Gotcha. Who was it somebody-- said they like GT cars. Maybe that was Kirsten.
JAMES RISWICK: Oh no, that was me. That was me. I just don't think that was that was episode. Because I definitely do-- no, that's my bag. I'm more of a CL guy than an SL. I got-- got to have the near-useless backseat, you know?
GREG MIGLIORE: I'm kind of with you there, actually. I like that theory. I like a little car. You know, little car around you. A little more, like, style, a little more gravitas, if you will. So yeah, anyways, he was looking for sort of a toy car. And it sounds like we've narrowed the field and then thrown a couple of kind of random things to sort of muddy the waters. So hey, glad we could kind of help.
OK. This comes from-- Moises wrote this one. This was-- let's see, he ended up buying a 2006 Porsche Cayman S with under $30,000 that was completely stock and he says mint condition. So way to go.
JAMES RISWICK: Cool. Awesome car.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's pretty cool. Yeah. So that's an update. This is another writer who has a mid-sized driver-- or excuse me, midsize crossover for all of his daily driving and was looking for something just a little more fun in his off time. He was looking at a bunch of BMWs. Threw a Boxster S on there, which I think was my pick, and a Golf R. But hey, he went with a Cayman, so good choice. Thanks for writing, Moises. That's cool.
It seems like we have a lot of fun Spend My Moneys, if you will, where people, just, they need a second car. And you know, hey, they kind of-- they looked for us to have some fun with it. So that's cool. Frankly, I think the Cayman is an excellent choice. What do you think, James?
JAMES RISWICK: No, absolutely that's an early came in to because the first gen Boxster, there was no Cayman option. It was just a convertible. So that's an early one. And that's a lot of-- that's a lot of fun. Those cars are-- doesn't matter what the year is. Even if you're talking about, like, a '97 Boxster or something-- they're great value because they have not gone up in value like every other Porsche has.
And they look basically the same as a brand new one does. And they've always had that mid engine superlative driving experience. And if you're looking for a toy that isn't that much to buy initially-- and they've made a lot of them, so on the Porsche scale, it's not as expensive to maintain. Boxster, Cayman-- regardless of year, awesome choice.
GREG MIGLIORE: Agreed. Agreed. Totally. I went on the launch of the Cayman/Boxster. It was the GTS back in the spring of '14. It was off of an island in the Mediterranean-- I forget which one. It was an amazing Porsche trip. Had a ton of fun. It was a great car. So I've always kind of had a soft spot for both of those.
Let's see. Another one here. This one, writer, Adam writes to us, asking-- we'll have to kind of double check this one. I don't have this figure at HAND and it's kind of one that you could sort of debate about. Wondering if Tesla's Q4 sales figures means the Model 3 is the best selling premium vehicle. I don't know about that. I feel like depending on how you quantify--
JAMES RISWICK: Premium vehicle? Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, qualify-- I mean, yeah, I don't know. That's a little nebulous, let's put it that way. I tell you what, if it was a traditional automaker and they had something that was in the race, they would 100% try and nail that down, and say we have the best selling premium car. I don't think Tesla cares, to be honest. I think in some ways, they like that they have, you know, an order bank, and you know, people can't get their cars, and all that good stuff.
But he does also ask, being mindful of the craze of crossovers, do you think the Model Y will really take off once it launches? Short answer, I think, yeah. I think so. I think if they could build enough of them and they don't have any, like, crazy quality issues, things like that, I don't see why it wouldn't be a success. This is sort of the Tesla that's, you know, aimed at perhaps the hottest segment of the market. So I would think the Model Y will be super successful.
JAMES RISWICK: I'm sure it'll be successful, too. But anytime someone describes it as a crossover, I have a hard time not rolling my eyes. It's a Model 3 that has more air pumped into it. It's just kind of a Model 3 with a bulbous greenhouse. How, looking at that does that go, oh yeah, that's a crossover, which is kind of like an SUV. I'm sorry, I don't see it. I-- I was very disappointed in that.
For as wacky pants and insane as the Cybertruck is, at least it was different. At least Tesla broke out of its Russian nesting doll thing that it's doing, which I think is disappointing for a company that is so good at innovation, and is known for Innovation, and doing things that are different. And the Model Y hits me like blah. It's just-- it's just very disappointing and almost kind of like Audi in its nesting doll sameness.
And I don't view that as a very crossover thing. It seems very kind of half-hearted. And I don't know why that is really any more appealing than a Model 3. If it has that much more cargo capacity, I'd be really surprised. It's just eh-- I am not that impressed by. It it's hard not to be cynical about that thing. I think Tesla was capable of a lot more than that while making a crossover-- compact crossover, which is absolutely something that it should be making. But call me underwhelmed about that thing.
GREG MIGLIORE: We have another one. Writer is asking us if we had a favorite Super Bowl commercial. So good to see people were asking-- or watching our sort of live blog, which we did at the Super Bowl a couple of nights ago. James, I think you had the second, third quarter. I did the first quarter, where there was, like, no commercials as far as car commercials. And frankly, there weren't that many commercials, period, in the first quarter.
It seemed like, you know, the offenses were kind of moving the ball and then punting. And there weren't a lot of points. But they're just-- it was kind of a weird first quarter, if you will. And there was a Porsche Museum one, which is kind of cool. I like that. That happened under my watch.
And then I also really like the Bill Murray Jeep commercial. I thought that was-- it made a big splash. It's like exactly the kind of commercial you would expect from Fiat Chrysler at the Super Bowl. So those are the two I kind of liked. Actually, I'll give you a third one. The Ford Mach-E was pretty good, too, with all those Mustangs. I don't know. Did you have a favorite, least favorite?
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah, the Bill Murray one was good, because it wasn't-- a lot of these-- a lot of Super Bowl ads tend to be kind of forced. Like, we're trying to-- like, we're forcing this to be like a big moment in some way. And that wasn't. It was like, Bill-- we're going to have Bill Murray recreate some stuff from this movie we all remember. And getting Bill Murray alone is a massive get. And it was-- Gladiator looked awesome. They picked the right color orange on the white background. It had a groundhog in it, which was cute. So I agree. That was a really great ad.
On the opposite side, if I can say my least favorite one--
GREG MIGLIORE: Yes, please do.
JAMES RISWICK: The Audi e-tron. It was just such a wasted opportunity-- so OK, speaking of force. OK, what's the thing that everybody loves? OK, "Frozen." So let's get-- what's another thing everybody loves? "Game of Thrones." So let's get the girl from "Game of Thrones" to sing the song from "Frozen" in our car. Isn't that amazing?
OK, what are we letting go? It wasn't entirely obvious by the commercial what we were letting go. Gas stations, as one of our editors joked. Low rider culture? Like, what are we getting rid of here ? And then they didn't-- it was only briefly mentioned in text that the e-tron is an electric car. So it just looks-- that's kind of the problem with the e-tron-- is it just looks like another Audi SUV. So there was nothing really to indicate what this thing was-- that it's an electric car. I'm sitting next to my wife, she did not register that that's what that commercial was about. Advertising we're letting go gasoline, this is an electric car.
You need to make this abundantly obvious. Look at the Mustang Mach-E. Yes, it's pissed off traditionalists, but it's a new Mustang. That's something that everybody has heard of who aren't car people. And it's an electric Mustang. That's sexy. That's something that other people who aren't car people are going to notice. An Audi SUV with the "Frozen" song, it's not obvious enough. I think that was a missed opportunity for them.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, I think-- so those two commercials that we-- your referenced there. So we've got Audi with "Frozen," And like, a ton of star power. I would imagine that and then the Bill Murray Jeep commercial, both super expensive, both using the celebrity angle, both-- you know, that's what you think of, like, let's spend as much money as we can to make the splashiest Super Bowl you can think of to try and promote your car, your brand. That's two approaches. And I think Jeep got it right. They like, they nailed it. They executed well.
And then I think you look at Audi, and yeah, I agree with you. There was just-- they didn't pull it off. Like, yeah, it's great to get the frozen song into your commercial. And you know, the girl from "Game of Thrones"-- I don't watch "Game of Thrones," but I'm told that's a big thing. And you'd have to be hiding somewhere not to know that. So I mean, like, both had about the same amount of star power. But jeep's. Just kind of worked and Audi's just kind of didn't, you know?
There was a commercial, like-- oh geez-- probably 10, 15 years ago, where the commercial was like a cliche about all the Super Bowl commercial cliches. And it was like catchy theme song. It was like, you know, famous celebrity. It was like, super, product you can't live without. Play Journey.
And it was like just literally, they were making fun of sort of the playbook of how to make a cheesy Super Bowl commercial. And then it kind of seemed like Audi actually went out and did that. So I mean, there were worse, let's put it that way. But I just don't think they pulled it off.
Whereas I'll say this with Jeep-- like, that's literally the most obvious Super Bowl commercial, ever. The Super Bowl is always around Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day is never going away. Bill Murray is Groundhog Day. I mean, were they just the first one to back up the Brinks truck and say, hey, man? You know, because literally, that car commercial could have been about almost anybody. Take the Gladiator out of it, you still get Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day" themes. You change some things. But that's been sitting there for the taking for years. And props to Jeep for stepping up and making it work. So yeah, I like that one, too.
JAMES RISWICK: The other thing is the fact that it's a bright orange Jeep Gladiator helps. Because yeah, if that was an Audi e-tron, we never would have noticed it. It does need a car that's of kind of equal grandiosity to Bill Murray to be noticed. So I think that's-- I think that helps it.
Another-- another ad, kind of a similar thing, was the new Hummer ad. And when we saw that preview the previous week, I thought that was just the teaser for the main commercial where we'd see the whole thing. And I don't understand why they didn't show the whole Hummer. They just previewed it. This is the biggest stage that is going to have. You can have some later-- you can introduce it at an auto show. You could introduce it to GMC truck fans four months from now at a special event in Detroit. But you're never going to have the same audience that you had that you've paid multi millions of dollars for than at the Super Bowl.
So just previewing that there's going to be a Hummer, like, show us it. Like, create the hype. Do what Bill Ford did with the Mustang Mach-E. It came out, there it is. What Tesla does all the time. Show is it I don't get why they just kind of previewed it right at the end. It seems like-- that also seemed like a wasted opportunity to me.
GREG MIGLIORE: Well, one thing to remember is that General Motors has tons of money-- specifically, tons of marketing money. So if they're going to make like-- screw up they could make a $4 million screw up or whatever it is. Whereas, like, other brands, they can't do that. You know, that's, like, their budget for the first quarter for the year, you know what I mean? Like, they can't just say, oh yeah, Super Bowl ad, didn't do so well. Oh well, what's next? So there's that.
I agree with you. I think they should have shown the car. I mean, why not, if for no other reason than you just bought a Super Bowl ad. The whole world is watching. Throw it then, throw it out to the masses as opposed to like, doing it like at a smaller like site event where then it essentially goes through the gatekeepers like, you know, you and me. And like, maybe your average EV buyer doesn't see it.
That was a great chance-- and I think they did succeed on some levels, to change the narrative around Hummer. Because hey Hummer as of Sunday is now an EV vehicle. EV vehicle. What a great-- that didn't roll off the tongue right, but you know what I mean. They in, like, one ad, changed the identity of it. So at this point, why not show the vehicle? I kind of wonder if-- and this is somewhat alarming-- if it's like not ready. But I mean I would counter that with they must have some sort of styling buck, some sort of concept that they could backlight, and throw out there and maybe get people excited. I mean, Tesla does this literally all the time.
JAMES RISWICK: That Cybertruck is not ready.
GREG MIGLIORE: Right?
JAMES RISWICK: Definitely not ready.
GREG MIGLIORE: So yeah, I mean, I will say this. I think you were talking about the Mustang is like, one-- you know, the Mach-E is polarizing, but everybody knows what a Mustang is no matter how much you know or don't know about cars. I think Hummer is pretty close to that territory. And that's good or bad. You know, there's people who hate it and then there's people who, like, probably own them, you know? And, Like, really like that style of vehicle.
So I think, you know, you've got a lot of brand recognition. Make it an electric Hummer and you know you could really relaunch s it's not a brand-- but that vehicle with a lot of momentum. So I think they accomplished what they were trying to do. And I think it was an OK spot. I just think they could have aimed a little bit higher. So maybe we should spend some money besides marketing money? All right.
So let's see. I mean, I'm going to kind of do a Cliff Notes version of this one. This is kind of a long one. Longtime listener, first time had the opportunity to ask us for money. Great. Currently is a BRZ driver, found out his wife is pregnant. He was thinking his next car is going to be a used C7 or a Cayman S. He is not going to be able to put a car seat in a way that, you know, it sounds like his family can agree upon. So he is looking for something that has a backseat, quite simply.
He lays out a couple of reasons why he should be able to do things, let's put it that way. Anyways, his contenders-- Subaru STI Limited, Golf R, Civic Type R, Audi RS3, used Ford Focus RS. Or, I bet you i stocks they would pick this one-- the Veloster N, just cause he always likes, seems like, Mach-E. And Kirsten, yeah, yeah. So those are the choices, James. Kind of bounced around on that question, but in short answer, he wants a fun car for his new family, which is awesome. Congratulations on that note. What do you think?
JAMES RISWICK: Budget is under $55,000 or so. Now he says NVH has never bothered me. OK, well, that might be the case, but I don't think you want to put any passengers, let alone a baby, in a Subaru STI limited. That car has one of the worst drives--
GREG MIGLIORE: Oh, hell no, agreed.
JAMES RISWICK: --of any car. I have friends who do what we do and they were very big Subaru-- this is their type of car. All wheel drive-- the guy used to race at rallies, and he came back in this car, and says, that is the worst ride I've ever had. And I could not drive that every day. So when you have Subaru people saying that, I'm like, that's not something I want a part of.
And as the person here even indicates the interior is not that great, especially for the money. I would agree with him about the Golf R far being a little dull, but you get a lot of space in that thing. And I mean, you've got to balance this a little bit, right? It's got to have fun and it still going to be a family mobile, which maybe that hasn't hit him just yet.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. I feel like there's a little bit of a delayed reality sitting in here.
JAMES RISWICK: And I just had the Civic Type R-- I wish you could put a paper bag over it, but it looks-- it is fantastic. It's also very-- it's a little more practical, actually, from the Golf R. The trunk is more useful, especially if you have to put like a big baby stroller in the back, it would be a little more friendly for that. It's deeper as opposed to taller. And especially, if it has two rear doors instead of the Veloster, which only has one.
The Focus RS-- that too has a ride that's a little suspect. So RS3 It's just it has that neat five cylinder engine in it. But yeah, no manual.
GREG MIGLIORE: It sounds like it is the Mustang Mach-E, right? Crossover that's a sports car for a young family.
JAMES RISWICK: You can get that, right, with a manual? Manual electric car?
GREG MIGLIORE: Right. A car with like, no gears, essentially.
JAMES RISWICK: 2-speed manual.
GREG MIGLIORE: Right, yeah. That's 1920. Not 2020. Yeah, I mean, the way I would fall in this is between the golf car or the RS3. Golf R, you get all wheel drive and it's powerful. I don't know. That's a fun car. I've always generally liked the Golf R. It's a little expensive, but just considering it's, like, a Golf, if you will. So I don't know, I kind of think I'd land on that from this field of selections. RS3 is a very nice car, too.
You know, I don't know, part of me wonders if-- I just I wonder how tight that interior might be. Probably no tighter than a Golf R, I would guess but. I mean, those would probably be the ones I would look at. I think-- yeah, I mean, there's nothing-- you know, you do get some all wheel drive options here, and you get plenty of power. It's been ages since I've driven a Type R, so like, I'm almost has to do even weigh in on that. So yeah, I guess I would probably skew German in this case.
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah. I mean, and really, the kicker is that's a manual transmission. I think we all kind of feel that now-- is the dearth of them out there. And it's hard not to go I think I just buy a used kind of modern classic, and save the remainder for of the inevitable maintenance on it. So it's kind of unfortunate that you do end up with
That. But yeah, I'd recommend the Type R, but again, I'd have a hard time driving something that looks like that.
I really would like them to do a Type R touring like the Porsche GT3 touring where, like, you'd get rid of the-- you get rid of the wing and 50% of the fake vents. And maybe some red in the interior as opposed to all of the red that's searing-- yeah, he even says, eye-sering red interior-- yeah, there you go-- instead of that.
Yeah. Probably go with Golf R. I'm probably about there.
GREG MIGLIORE: All right, well, we-- pretty good show. Pretty casual. We should probably maybe opened a couple of beers or something. You know, it's almost 4:30. Would have made this kept this casual vibe going, right?
JAMES RISWICK: Except in Portland, where it's 1:30.
GREG MIGLIORE: Oh right, yeah, yeah. I keep forgetting. Like, in Michigan, it's already getting dark out. I'm thinking I have, like, one or two things in me to be able to get out the door and then maybe then have a beer. But yeah, man, it's, like, mid day for you.
JAMES RISWICK: I don't know. The boss is telling me to drink a beer. Here, have a--
GREG MIGLIORE: Day drinking, right? One of those good Portland microbrews, right?
JAMES RISWICK: Yeah.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
GREG MIGLIORE: Well, all righty. Well, hey, thanks for listening this week. Come back next week and have a great show next week. Got to tease that out right now. We'll have plenty of news from Chicago. We're hearing rumblings about new Frontier. Cadillac Escalade is going to be revealed later this week. So just lots of good news coming up. We'll break it all down.
But please send us your Spend My Moneys. As you can see, we'll talk about them, especially when we have them. And if you send us updates, we'll probably read those on the air too, especially if half the staff gets sick. So please stay with us. You know, it's a good way to connect with Autoblog. James, had a good time. Any final thoughts?
JAMES RISWICK: Nope, nope, I'm just going to go downstairs grab a beer. All right, sounds good. We'll leave it there. Be safe out there. Have a great week. You just listened to the Autoblog podcast. We'll see you next week.
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