Subaru Uncharted, Jeep Cherokee Deep Dive, New Silverado

Summary

Car Stuff Podcast – June 22, 2026

Episode: Subaru Uncharted, Jeep Cherokee Deep Dive, New Silverado

Hosts: Tom Appel, Jill Ciminillo (Consumer Guide Automotive)
Guest: Vince Galante (Jeep Design VP)

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Overview

This episode explores several timely automotive topics: a deep dive into the all-new Jeep Cherokee with Jeep’s VP of Design, hands-on impressions of Subaru’s new Uncharted EV, a rundown of the just-announced 2027 Chevrolet Silverado, and banter about current challenges and trends in auto manufacturing, EVs, and car culture. The episode’s tone is friendly, humorous, and lightly irreverent, with clear expertise from the hosts.

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Key Segments, Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Banter & Recent Industry News

Timestamps: 01:39–11:11

• The hosts joke about family feedback and the podcast’s demographic (“our core audience is women over 85”) with playful back-and-forth about reviews.
• Recent car experiences: Tom’s been driving the 2026 BMW M5 Touring (the “fastest station wagon” currently available), while Jill reminisces about fast wagons from Audi and Porsche.
• Shoutouts to producer Margaret and her recent interview with radio personality Jennifer Kuyper, touching on personal stories, challenges, and changes in the radio industry.
  • “She’s a big Burning Man fan, so she goes to Burning Man.” – Producer Margaret (06:10)

Podcast Listenership Geography

• The surprising breakdown of the podcast’s top countries: U.S., Canada, Singapore, Spain, Vietnam – followed by more typical car-loving regions like Japan, Australia, U.K., and Germany.

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2. Car Market Updates

Timestamps: 09:41–18:00

Toyota RAV4 Shortage

• High demand, low supply due to the shift to hybrid-only production and international sourcing.
• “If you want one, you’re screwed.” – Tom (09:46)
• Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid versions are rare; dealers are holding hundreds of unfilled orders.

Lucid Sales Trouble

• Lucid’s EV sales (especially the Gravity CUV and Air sedan) are down.
• “They had hoped to sell 25,000 units this year. Not going to happen. It’s going to be more like half that.” – Tom (12:59)
• Discussion of Lucid’s product cadence, Saudi funding, and whether diversifying Air trims (from $80k to $250k) confuses buyers.
• Rivian’s next compact EV could help the brand reach a broader market.

Best-Selling Vehicle Nameplates in U.S.

• Ford F-Series is the all-time best-seller, followed by Silverado, Model T, Honda Accord, and then (globally) Toyota Corolla.
• “The Corolla has done like 50 million units, but only about 8 million in the U.S.” – Tom (17:48)

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3. Interview: Vince Galante – Jeep Cherokee Deep Dive

Timestamps: 20:29–41:12

Jeep Cherokee’s Return

• The Cherokee fills a core gap in Jeep’s U.S. lineup; it’s now bigger and “boxier,” echoing ‘80s/‘90s XJ design without going full retro.
• “The all new Cherokee fills kind of a gap we had there and we’re really excited about what we’ve brought to the market.” – Vince (21:34)
• Cargo space up by 30%, more rear seat room, and a focus on “starting from the inside out.”
• Segment trend: Crossovers are generally getting larger with each generation.

Rear Seat Space

• Contrary to Tom’s theory, Vince asserts rear seat space is crucial, especially for young families and car seat needs.
• “That backseat becomes awful important real fast.” – Vince (24:22)

Design Philosophy

• The team (mostly ‘80s/’90s kids) wanted “boxy and tough” over sleek—a nod to classic Cherokee DNA.
• “We wanted to not do a retro design, but bring some of that heritage in… They call it the ‘square-key’ for a reason.” – Vince (25:58)
• Functional design: Boxy shape allows for wider/taller cargo opening, tailored for utility.

Powertrain & Trim Strategy

• 2026 Cherokee is hybrid-only and all-wheel drive only (Trailhawk coming soon).
• “I’ve never heard any resistance to hybrid. They love the extra fuel economy.” – Vince (30:44)
• Real-world fuel economy for the hybrid: Hosts report 40-45 mpg, exceeding EPA estimates.

Trims & Future Editions

• Trims: Cherokee (base), Laredo, Limited, Overland, and Trailhawk (teased for launch soon).
• Special editions (like 85th Anniversary) provide extra visual and historical appeal.
• The Laredo ($40k) hits a key price/content sweet spot.
• Interior touches: “The pattern on the cloth seats… were inspired from the XJ as well.” – Vince (34:22)
• Jeep color fun: Juice orange and Willys olive green versions are standouts.

Personalization – “12 for 12” Program

• For Jeep’s 85th anniversary, a new special edition Wrangler debuts monthly in 2026.
• “Every month on the 12th at 12 o’clock, we do another drop. They keep getting more and more fun.” – Vince (40:17)

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4. Subaru Uncharted – First Drive Review

Timestamps: 51:34–59:54

The Toyota-Subaru EV Collaboration

• Uncharted is a Subaru-badged version of the new Toyota C-HR EV, joining previous Subaru/Toyota electric siblings (Solterra, Trail Seeker, Getaway).
• Jill’s verdict: “I really, really liked it. And I think it is an excellent city vehicle.” (52:39)
• Highlights:
  • Conservative range estimate (280 miles at 95% charge) – real-world range exceeds EPA rating.
  • Adequate charging with just a wall outlet for typical city driving.
  • Tesla NACS charging port provides wide charging network access.
  • Comfortable interior, smooth ride, and unique rear door handle (confusing for unfamiliar passengers).
  • The entry-level Uncharted is the first front-wheel-drive Subaru in years (vs. standard AWD in other models).
• “If you are looking for a compact EV, I think that this is a good one to start with.” – Jill (59:16)

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5. 2027 Chevrolet Silverado Announcement

Timestamps: 59:54–65:19

Major Redesign for GM’s Biggest Moneymaker

• New styling: Cleaner, more muscular look with cues from heavy-duty trucks.
• Engine lineup changes: New 5.7L (replacing 5.3L) and 6.6L (was 6.2L) V8s—evoking historic displacement numbers, with expected improvements in efficiency.
  • “The 5.3 becomes a 5.7. And this matters if you're my age because the 5.7 was a Chevy engine of great legend.” – Tom (61:09)
• Still high on advanced tech: 10-speed auto, direct injection, cylinder deactivation, digital screens, and standard infotainment UI upgrades.
• Silverado & Sierra redesign is crucial—these trucks account for a massive percentage of GM profits.
• Speculation about continued truck-size inflation, column shifters, and the possibility of a new small EV pickup.

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Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• “If you want [a RAV4], you’re screwed.” – Tom (09:46)
• “My wife gave us a four-star review. My wife?” – Tom (02:17)
• “[The Lucid Air], one of the nicest vehicles I’ve ever driven...just a fantastic vehicle. Not selling so well because the market for large luxury sedans doesn’t exist.” – Tom (12:07)
• “We wanted to have kind of this boxy profile...the boxy profile lent itself really well to the mission that we were after.” – Vince (25:58)
• “A juice colored Wrangler...just a wonderful thing to see.” – Tom (36:31)
• “I really, really liked it [the Uncharted EV]. It’s an excellent city vehicle.” – Jill (52:39)
• “I'd like to get someone on the show...We don't, you know, you and I don't tow for example...Do you need a lot of hay?” – Tom (62:32)
• “Trucks are getting big, which is why we need more compact trucks.” – Jill (64:07)

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Overall Tone & Style

Friendly, conversational, and filled with automotive expertise, the hosts blend sharp analysis with casual banter—making the episode highly accessible and engaging for enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike. Guests are given plenty of room to share insight, and listener-friendly explanations are woven throughout.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:39 – Start of episode content and banter
• 09:41 – RAV4 shortage & market dynamics
• 11:52 – Lucid, Rivian, and EV market challenges
• 16:00 – Best-selling vehicle nameplates
• 20:29 – Jeep Cherokee interview with Vince Galante
• 51:34 – Subaru Uncharted review
• 59:54 – 2027 Chevy Silverado discussion

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Conclusion

The June 22, 2026 episode provides a lively, thorough look at car market trends, new vehicles, and in-depth product launches—especially the Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Uncharted—with the usual doses of humor and real-world perspective. Also, keep an eye on Chevy’s next-gen Silverado: while details remain scarce, its redesign is set to shake up America’s most competitive vehicle segment.

Transcript

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Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride

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with friends, you've come to the right place.

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Join Jill and J. Tom as they break down everything that's going on in the auto world.

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electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests.

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This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.

[Tom Appel]

All right. I am Tom Appel and this is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast. Thank you. Thank you for joining us this week. When you have a chance, check us out@consumer guide.com while you're there, check out our 2026 Best Buy picks. If you were shopping for a new car or truck, this list is super handy. It's basically your must drive test drive list. You can also listen to back episodes of the podcast right there on our homepage though you really should subscribe, right, Joe?

[Jill Simonello]

Yes, absolutely.

[Tom Appel]

Subscribe, subscribe and review.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes, and review please. Only. But like all the stars though, five star reviews.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, use all the star. My wife gave us a four star review. My wife?

[Jill Simonello]

Why?

[Tom Appel]

I don't know. My. My wife and daughter have this pushback against the notion that I think I'm funny. So the podcast being a venue more or less for me, being funny, I think irritates them.

[Jill Simonello]

So my mom thinks you're funny. If that counts for anything, maybe.

[Tom Appel]

Yes, I'll take it.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

I don't get enough of that. My mom thinks I'm funny too.

[Jill Simonello]

See, there you Go. Mom's thinking you're funny.

[Tom Appel]

Which is our core audience is women over 85.

[Jill Simonello]

Well, you know,

[Tom Appel]

that voice is Jill Simonello. She is contributing editor [e-mail] North American car, the OR juror and a prolific freelancer.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

How are you doing this week, Jill?

[Jill Simonello]

Good, good. Still pigeon free, so that's good.

[Tom Appel]

And, oh, I forgot about your pigeon problem.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, the pigeon problem. Still pigeon free. And, you know, the sun is shining in Chicago, so no complaints here.

[Tom Appel]

No, it's very nice looking outside of my window. Last week we talked about obscure station wagons in my parking lot in my driveway right now. 2026 BMW M5 Touring. Oh, station wagon. The fastest station wagon probably you can buy in the US Right now. Delighted to be driving that, I would say.

[Jill Simonello]

I, you know, and I haven't looked at the specs on it, but I would also say the Audi RS6 Avant is probably also pretty fast.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, you know, it's faster accelerating will be the Porsche Taycan wagons, which have both been discontinued. Yeah, those will be faster from a stop. I wanted to talk about something real quick. We have not talked much about producer Margaret, but she has a long and interesting history here in Chicago, including having produced Green Sense Radio for a number of years, which I was a regular guest on, honored to be a guest on as hosted by Robert Colangelo. But Margaret is also famous for her interviews of Chicago radio personalities. And one of those people is Jennifer Kuyper. You and I both know Jennifer via mama, the Midwest Automotive Media Association. But Jennifer is one of those people that just got caught up in the swirling vortex of cbs, CBS Radio. CBS News being discontinued, unfortunately. But she's got a great history. She knows a lot about cars. She knows a lot about business. But Margaret, you just spent an hour Producer Margaret, you just spent an hour or so talking to Jennifer Kuyper. Tell us about that.

[Producer Margaret]

Yes. And it was the third time I interviewed her.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, okay.

[Producer Margaret]

Yeah. And the first time I interviewed her was 10 years ago at WLS Radio. And then previously I interviewed her at WBBM News Radio right when the pandemic was hitting. So we sat outside. And then this time I interviewed her after she left CBS News Radio. And of course, CBS Radio doesn't exist, and it existed almost 100 years. So we talked. We just did an update. But she said some surprising things. She did talk about cars towards the end about her association with you guys, and she also talked about some personal things. Usually I don't require anybody to talk about anything personal, but she shared she Shared some news about her background, some challenges they went through and her family went through, and that her sister tragically died by suicide and. Yeah, and she wants to get that out there, you know, for people to get help. And then also, it turns out her sister's son also passed away some time later. And then she just talked about, you know, sticking to quality and the fun that she has. Like, she's a big Burning man fan, so she goes to Burning Man.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, cool. I don't know if I would have entirely guessed that.

[Jill Simonello]

No, no, not at all.

[Producer Margaret]

Yeah, that's why we talked about it for a while. Like, what? And, yeah, and then she talked about how she discovered it, why she likes it so much. She goes with her friends, she broke it down, and I guess there's some Midwest things happening that are similar. And then she talked about, you know, the changes in media. But I mean, if you want to hear everything. So, like the previous one, we did a live stream and then I posted it on the Radio Girl podcast. You can find that on Apple or@podcast radiogirl us. And you can also find the two previous interviews I did with her because we covered her career at various points, so I didn't want to do a rehash.

[Tom Appel]

We will link to that stuff in our show notes and on our Facebook page.

[Producer Margaret]

Yeah, thanks. I appreciate you mentioning it.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, Margaret.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

Jennifer Kuiper. Cool lady. I, I, I don't talk to her as much as I'd like to. I don't know when the last time you chatted with her. Jill.

[Jill Simonello]

It, it's been a couple years.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, I used to see her at the, at the rally, but I have, due to my mobility issues, I haven't been to the rally in a while. Speaking of mobility, not in the physical sense, but sort of in the global sense. I have weird, weird numbers for you, and I don't know how much people are going to care about these, so I will go through these quickly. But I want you to guess what country our podcast is most popular in.

[Jill Simonello]

Well, I know it's not Sweden.

[Tom Appel]

Well, you should get the first one.

[Jill Simonello]

The United States.

[Tom Appel]

Yes. And you should get the second one.

[Jill Simonello]

I mean, if I had to guess, I would say Canada.

[Tom Appel]

Yes. You are never going to guess number three. Never ever. Well, you would eventually because you would run out of nations.

[Jill Simonello]

But I don't know, I would have to do a, like, look at a map. I'm gonna say Germany.

[Tom Appel]

No. 3, 4, and 5 are so weird. I don't even understand Singapore, Spain and Vietnam.

[Jill Simonello]

Ah, well, I can say hola to the people in Spain, but I, I don't unfortunately know those other languages.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, after that it gets normal like I would expect the rest of these, Japan, Australia, China, the UK and Germany. All of those make sense. They're four nations that they either speak English or they people there learned English. Not on the list, interestingly, is Brazil. I think I've mentioned this before. I used to be involved with the production of Collectible Automobile magazine and we had a shocking number of subscribers in Brazil and Australia. Like, they love American cars there, but they have their own cars based on American cars. So there is a, a crazy symbiotic classic car thing going on here, but apparently that doesn't stretch to new cars.

[Jill Simonello]

Got it. All right, well, I'm going to challenge you next week to do your intro. At least a part of it in Spanish. Spanish, yes.

[Tom Appel]

My daughter can help me with the Spanish.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes, you can. Well, it's Bienvenido. Consumer guard Consumer guide. I'm going to mess up on the English consumer guide automotive car stuff podcast. Bienvenido.

[Tom Appel]

I'm changing topics now.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay. You don't want to speak Spanish anymore.

[Tom Appel]

I'm not even shooting for a segue.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

I'm just changing topics here. RAV4. Toyota. RAV4.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

If you want one, you're screwed.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, like the demand is high and the supply is very low.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. Apparently the rollover to the hybrid only thing slowed them down a little bit and they're now coming from three different countries. Japan, Canada and the US which is messing with things. It's also messing with them when it comes to tariffs.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

By them, I mean Toyota. But the fact is they're 55,000 units behind demand at the moment. So if you, if you want a RAV4, you're going to be painless price for it. And if you want to plug in hybrid, that's actually the only model that's sort of available. But there's a dealer in California that reports having 800 orders for vehicles.

[Producer Margaret]

Wow.

[Tom Appel]

A lot unfilled orders. So RAV4 are tough to get right now. Apparently you've driven it. I have, yeah. Your take.

[Jill Simonello]

You know what? I think it's a great vehicle. I really liked it. It's very comfortable for a road trip. I like the tech. I had the regular hybrid, not the plug in hybrid, but the fuel economy was spot on. You know, I had me, my husband and a 6 foot tall dude in the back and all of our luggage fit and he was comfortable in the back seat. So you know, every, it was like, win, win, win, win, win across the board.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, this guy in the backseat, did you know him?

[Jill Simonello]

We picked him up on the side of the road.

[Tom Appel]

That's what I'm asking.

[Jill Simonello]

No, no, we knew him. It was one of my husband's fraternity brothers.

[Tom Appel]

I actually think picking up hitchhikers is a violation of the loan agreement.

[Jill Simonello]

Probably.

[Tom Appel]

I don't know if you've ever read the loan agreement. It's pretty complicated. There's weird stuff in a loan agreement.

[Jill Simonello]

So, you know, and some are more weird than others. Like some don't want you to park on the street and, you know, some won't let you use a valet. I occasionally dip into them.

[Tom Appel]

You can't barbecue in the car? That's a thing.

[Jill Simonello]

It, yeah, that's no fun.

[Tom Appel]

I got some bad news here.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

And it's, it's kind of bumming me out. Lucid. Do you remember we were talking about electric, like new companies, and I said the, the, the jury was still out on whether or not Lucid's going to make it.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

Lucid sales are really down this year despite the introduction of the Gravity late last year. And for people who don't know the Lucid Air, a Tesla Model S size large electric sedan. Very nice vehicle, One of the nicest vehicles I've ever, ever driven. Just a fantastic vehicle. Not selling so well because the market for large luxury sedans doesn't exist. But they brought out the Gravity, which was a mid size electric crossover. Everything Lucid sells is electric and it's not selling so good. Also, the S sales just fell off a cliff when the Gravity came out. But yeah, we're looking at some bad news here. And Lucid's going to have to revise its guidance for 2026 because they had hoped to sell 25,000 units this year. Not going to happen. It's going to be more like half that. And this is just kind of sad really. And we've talked a little bit how all of Lucid's money, much of Lucid's money comes from the Saudi wealth fund, which is almost limitless money. But at some point, even if you have limitless money, you don't want to waste it, right?

[Jill Simonello]

Well, you know, and I will say they, they do have a product lineman, like a product cadence of things that are coming that are exciting. And you know, I, I, the, the large sedan is a tough sell. You know, let's, let's be honest. And even though Tesla just, you know, got rid of the Model S and The Model X, you would think that Lucid might be able to those sales. So I don't, I don't know, maybe that's coming. You know, I do have to say my brother in law owned like Teslas for several years. He got one of the first Tesla Model S's in 2012 and owned them all the way through, I want to say like last year, 2025 and just bought a Lucid Air and loves it. He said it is so much better than the Tesla Model S and you know, because of features, functionality, how it drives Apple CarPlay and you know, he was just like, I didn't know what I was missing until I got this car. This is amazing. So you know, if, if you have a Model S and you aren't going to be able to replace it with another Model S, I would say give, give the Lucid Air serious consideration from, from a Tesla owner to a Lucid Air owner. You know, they, they think it's amazing. So just, just gonna put that out there.

[Tom Appel]

I wonder too if Lucid hurts itself a little bit by putting. Attempting to sell way too much variance on the Lucid Air architecture. Right. You've got a car that's about 80 grand and you've got a car that you drove that's about 250 grand.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

And, and that's very confusing I think for consumers and I think it's very hard to sell a quarter of a million dollar car that's based on an 80 grand car. But, but I don't know. But we're watching Lucid, we'll see what happens there. But I'm wondering if that has the legs anymore.

[Jill Simonello]

I'm hoping so. I've got my fingers crossed.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, I hate to see it go because they've made a nice product, they've done their own battery development work. They're a real company, they've got real technology. So the whole thing makes me a little bit sad. And when we talk about Lucid, it's hard not to talk about Rivian. Rivian is selling some volume of vehicles. It's R1s, R1t, nearly big pickup and nearly big crossover. And people seem to love those vehicles and the reviews are good. But their next vehicle is a compact crossover.

[Jill Simonello]

Yep.

[Tom Appel]

With a more attainable price though, they are, they are launching it in its most expensive trim level. But they're supposed to be like a 40 grand version of that coming.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

At some point. So we'll see.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

All right.

[Jill Simonello]

Still trying to get someone from Rivian on the show by the way.

[Tom Appel]

Good, I'd love to talk to those folks. I love, I love the look of the car. Real quick, I wrote an article about the best selling models, car model names.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

In the US of all time. You want to guess?

[Jill Simonello]

No, the quiz is at the end of the show. So just, just spell it.

[Tom Appel]

So the bestselling. I lost my list. I lost my list. Well, the best one, you can guess the first one.

[Jill Simonello]

I mean, I would guess Corolla.

[Tom Appel]

No, no, not Corolla. F series. Okay, but this is messy. And the people who report this, I got these numbers from different places. So everything is grain of sand, grain of salt. Here. The Ford F Series. 40 million sold since 1948. That's when the F1 came out. That was the considered the first F series. Number two. It should be easy after that. Silverado. In 1999, Chevy started calling his big truck Silverado. Before that they were just called ck.

[Jill Simonello]

Right.

[Tom Appel]

Number three, the model T. Number four. We're going to be talking about this later. Our friend Vince is going to be coming back on the show. Vincent, I'm sorry? To talk about the Honda Accord.

[Jill Simonello]

Wait, oh, John Vincent. I was like. Our guest coming up is Vince Galanti.

[Tom Appel]

No, no, I'm sorry, that was today. Yeah. No, after the break we talked to Vince Galanti, vice president of design for Jeep. John Vincent of U.S. news World Report will be talking to us about the 50th anniversary of the Accord. And that's a great story. And then finally the candidate.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, wow. Carlo is even on the list.

[Tom Appel]

No, it is actually just not the U.S. list.

[Capella University Narrator]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

The Corolla has done like 50 million units, but only about 8 million in the U.S. okay, so there you have it. All right, that's some stuff. Later on you're going to review the Subaru. Uncharted.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

But before that, we're going to take a break and come back and talk about the new Jeep Cherokee. All right, stick around.

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Welcome back to the Car Stuff podcast.

[Tom Appel]

All right, we're back. This is the consumer Guy Car Stuff podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Jill, how you doing?

[Jill Simonello]

I'm doing all right. How are you?

[Tom Appel]

I am well. I am dealing with computer issues that I'm not going to share right now, but I find them frustrating. And you know what's kind of frustrating about them?

[Jill Simonello]

What is kind of frustrating?

[Tom Appel]

My in house tech person is my 27 year old daughter and the answer to everything is that I'm old.

[Jill Simonello]

Well, my in house support system is my husband and his answer to everything is always well, did you restart it? Did you turn it off? Did you turn it back on? That is usually he's right, that, that works for me.

[Tom Appel]

If I go to check what should be wrong with it, everything keeps telling me to reboot my docking station, which I swear to God, 18 months ago I didn't know was a thing. But enough of that, let's talk about stuff that works. I just spent a week, I just spent a week in the Jeep Cherokee.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

And for people who don't know, there's been a hole in the Jeep lineup for a little while now because the Cherokee had disappeared about three model years now. But it is back. It is a bigger vehicle. It is a more Jeep looking vehicle. And on the phone with us, online with us is Vince Galante, vice president of Jeep Design and we're going to talk all things Cherokee today. Vince, how are you?

[Vince Galante]

I'm good.

[Tom Appel]

How are you doing? Apart from dealing with my daughter's snide remarks about my age, I'm doing good. How are you?

[Vince Galante]

It's a good day. It's a nice day here just outside Detroit. So had a good Father's Day weekend, so yeah, doing great.

[Tom Appel]

Well, happy Father's Day.

[Vince Galante]

Thanks.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, I'm looking out the window. It's very nice out there right now. So let's talk a little bit about Jeep and where Jeep is going. The lineup there was a little bit light for a while. You guys had the Cherokee disappear on you. Kind of a core segment. Right. For everybody, even Jeep. And that's compact or large? Compact crossover. It's back now. Tell us a little bit about what that does for the Jeep lineup.

[Vince Galante]

Sure. It really, as you, as you mentioned, it really, the all new Cherokee fills kind of a gap we had there and we're really excited about what we've brought to the market. I think, of course, for me, the kind of boxy, unique Jeep looks, I think every dimension on the vehicle is larger than the predecessor. So now you're going to have tons of great space on the inside. About 30% more cargo than we had before, which was something we found from customers, was an area where we could improve. So that's great. Got a new hybrid powertrain. It's going to be super efficient. Lots of tech on the inside that you connect five. So I think overall fills a nice spot in our showroom, but I think really answers a lot of a great question for some of the, you know, the families that are really looking for a Jeep.

[Tom Appel]

I want to get back and talk about uconnect a little bit, and I know Jill does, but let's talk about the fact that, that the Cherokee is a little bit bigger overall. Is that something that we're seeing in the segment? Does Jeep need to make this vehicle just a little bit bigger to kind of fill that space between the. What is it, the Compass and the Grand Cherokee?

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, yeah. It's kind of sits right in between those. I think, you know, we were, we start, you know, every car, every Jeep design that we do, we start from the inside out. And so when we were looking at that, specifically at that rear seat spaciousness, the rear seat legroom and the cargo room that we were after, that's really what drove the size. So it really started from making sure that people, you know, were comfortable and they could fit all their stuff. And we worked from the inside out. So I think if you look at the segment overall, the vehicles are trending a little bit larger with each generation. So I think we're right on point with that too.

[Tom Appel]

Jill and I were talking about something off air recently and I had this theory and maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can tell me that rear seat space isn't all that important in this segment.

[Jill Simonello]

You're throwing down the gauntlet there.

[Vince Galante]

Yes. I. I don't know. I. I mean, I have a young family that we, we pack cars full, we put car seats in the back, you know, we're out, we're out of the rear facing stage. But I know for some of those young families that do have a rear facing car seat, they'll take all the room they can get back there. And you know, I, so I, I think it is important, especially in a vehicle like this and what people are using it for.

[Tom Appel]

So one of the reasons I thought this, and, and you can comment on this if you like, was simply that Ford has just abandoned the Escape, which seems like a really strange move from, from, you know, looking at, from the outside in. And, and that was a vehicle with some rear seat space. But they're still going to sell the Bronco Sport, which has absolutely no rear seat space whatsoever. And that's now their entry into this segment. And that vehicle, compared to the Compass, actually has so much less cabin space that I'm wondering how important that is. Or is the segment so big that there are just, there's a lot of room for a lot of different vehicles in it?

[Vince Galante]

I mean, I think, I think you, the segment, it is the largest segment. So you do see a lot of different types of vehicles, everything from, you know, I would say more utility to more lifestyle and everything in between. I think for us, we were looking to kind of balance that, you know, the cool, kind of adventurous Jeep, lifestyle and capability, but also make something that works well for, for families. You do see a lot of people. You know, myself, I drive back and forth to work, just me in the car. But again, like on the weekends or if I'm going to soccer tournaments or basketball practice or whatever it is, you know, that backseat becomes awful important real fast. So I think for us it was. And cargo. Yeah. So I think for us that was top of mind. And I think we can, you know, we've done a good job of making a cool, exciting vehicle that does happen to have all that utility. So, yeah, for us it was important.

[Jill Simonello]

You start with the interior and you get your interior dimensions and then you kind of like wrap the exterior around it. Were there some design considerations and some things that you wanted to do with the Cherokee when you were, you know, putting pen to paper and then, you know, making your models and things like that. Because, you know, when you look at it, you know, it's a Jeep. But I'm just wondering if there were any like, special touches or anything like that you specifically wanted to focus on with this vehicle in terms of design.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, I think we wanted to make sure. So, you know, all of us in the studio are 80s and 90s babies. And we grew up with or maybe had a, the original XJ Cherokee like that 80s 90s Cherokee is, you know, that was our, for me, that was my mom's car when I was growing up. For some of the guys in the studio, that was their first car, you know, so we, we wanted to not do a retro design, but bring some of that heritage in. So I think, you know, one of the first thing people call it the square key for a reason. So we wanted to have kind of this boxy profile, which I think, you know, for, you know, brands that like to do more slick, aerodynamic types of things, it is a struggle to get that spaciousness on the inside in the cargo. But for us, the boxy profile lent itself really well to the mission that we were after. And you know, like you look at some of the kind of the D pillar all the way in the back and the way the liftgate cut line wraps around the side and the tail lamps are integrated. There's some small touches there that kind of hint back to that XJ Cherokee. But then at the same time they help us make the cargo area, you know, wider and taller and they make the cut lines go all the way out so that the opening, when you do open that trunk is as wide as it possibly can be. So I think it worked out well for us on this one because we wanted to do something boxy and kind of tough and boxy and kind of tough gives you lots of space.

[Tom Appel]

So, you know, if you really wanted to do a cool homage to the xj, you've got to do a two door version of the current Cherokee.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, we've designers always try to do a two door of everything. I think, I think we have our other, we have our other two door that we're having tons of fun with too. So I think hopefully you guys just, just saw the, our 12 for 12 release this pat and we did Sarge and we showed. I saw a lot of the forms light up and a lot of the comment sections light up because the two door reappeared. So I think we were pretty excited to see that out there. So we, we get all, we get all our, we get, we get it all out on that one. As far as two doors go for

[Tom Appel]

people who don't know but could do a little bit of car spotting if you're looking for old XJ jeeps and they're still out there and there's two of them, right? There's completely trashed examples and unbelievably clean loved examples and, and, and of the clean loved examples, a lot of them are two doors. Still, it's. And that didn't go the whole run, right? That was just a few model years, I think.

[Vince Galante]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Vince Galante]

And if, if you follow the Easter Jeep safari that is back in March and then sometimes early April this year we actually did a two door Cherokee. So kind of a resto mod heritage piece on that. It was kind of, you know, the classic kind of gold metallic color. But we left it, we upsized the tires and gave it a little bit of a lift. But we did leave it kind of in place. But it's exactly like you said. We found a really nice clean example down in Florida of a two door Cherokee. We're so excited to have that. We were able to, to kind of modify and look at that one again.

[Tom Appel]

For people who don't know, those vehicles were exceptionally good off road. And there's all sorts of video on YouTube just XJ, just, just type in XJ or Cherokee XJ. Great video. These vehicles dominating off road. I mean they earned their legend. You know, it's, it's absolutely cool. We haven't talked about the big thing here about the new vehicle or at least one of the big pieces of news and that's that we're hybrid only for 20, 26. How was that decision reached? And hybrid only and all wheel drive only, correct?

[Vince Galante]

Yep. Yeah. So we're, for us, it was again, it came back to the customer that we were designing the vehicle for. I think, you know, efficiency again is top of mind. I like to picture the people of all ages that buy these, but the young family that needs the spaciousness and utility like we talked about, but you know, wants to have something as efficient as possible. So with the hybrid, the hybrid did make a lot of sense and we wanted to do something that you didn't have to plug in. So this one, you know, you know, for, for a lot of people this would be just a nice easy transition if they're used to just a standard kind of gas vehicle. So I think it's a really nice kind of in between step that'll work really well for the customers that are, you know, attracted to these, these types of vehicles.

[Tom Appel]

Are there, to the best of your knowledge, are there still people that are hybrid resistant? I get the sense now that electric is the big, you know, the big scary thing out there for, for car buyers that, that hybrids are now fully accepted and just people associate them with good fuel economy and with gas where it's at. Are we, are we just in sort of an Open hybrid market now, I think.

[Sling TV Announcer]

So.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I.

[Vince Galante]

You know, I've never heard any resistance to hybrid. I know for me, my toughest critic is always my wife. And so we. We've, you know, we've rented a few cars here and there on vacations and gotten hybrids and just the. I kind of, you know, the routine of going to the gas station and putting gas in just like you would any other car. I think, you know, for her makes that something really pretty seamless. So I think I. You know, besides, for her, I have never heard of anybody having any resistance to it. And they just. They love the extra. The fuel economy. I think when you're driving them, it feels pretty seamless as well. So. Yeah, I think it's a great. It's a great powertrain.

[Tom Appel]

I had the Laredo for the weekend, actually for the week. Just got out of it, and I photographed it yesterday. And usually right before I photograph it, I check all my numbers, including my fuel economy. I got 45 miles per gallon last week, according to the trip computer. Pretty dang good for a vehicle with this kind of interior room and decent power, too. Are you hearing similar numbers from customers?

[Vince Galante]

I know. I know that, you know, that. That. That's wonderful, because I think the label is right at 38. 37. 38.

[Tom Appel]

So there's something like that.

[Vince Galante]

44, 45. I think in real world conditions, I think that's amazing.

[Tom Appel]

So that's pretty cool.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. And I know I. I'm usually very hard on the gas pedal, and I think I was even averaging around 40 to 42 miles per gallon when I drove it. I know I did better than what the EPA estimated. So I was thoroughly impressed with the hybridness of the powertrain and how efficient it was.

[Vince Galante]

Awesome. Great to hear.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. That used to be the unique territory of the Prius. The Prius would always exceed its EPA numbers. Vince, can you walk us through the lineup and just let us know what people have there to choose from?

[Vince Galante]

Yeah. So the base model is called the Cherokee. And then we have the Laredo, which is the one, Tom, that you drove, the Limited and the Overland. And then just today, we teased the Trailhawk, so it'll be exciting.

[Tom Appel]

So that's a 20, 27 the Trailhawk.

[Mint Mobile Announcer]

Yeah, we have.

[Vince Galante]

There's no timing officially on that yet, but, yeah, if you look online today, we released a teaser image of that. So it'll have all of the. It'll have exactly what you expect.

[Tom Appel]

Listed earlier this year was the 85th anniversary edition. Is that already sold out?

[Vince Galante]

You know, I'M not sure. I don't. I don't get so much into the sales numbers, but, yeah, the 85th anniversary, that was a fun one. We got to work on a package across the entire showroom, so. And I think one of the most exciting ones on the Wrangler, you know, besides for the exterior package, I. We finally. We put the plaid seats in, which I was so excited about.

[Jill Simonello]

I got to see that when I was at headquarters a couple months ago, and I actually got to see that, and it was so lovely. It was very attractive.

[Capella University Narrator]

Yeah.

[Vince Galante]

Something we've been showing in Easter Jeep Safari concepts for a long time. But I just love the idea of. Of these patterns and textures and things that we can add to the Jeeps and just add a little bit of fun, I think. Tom, you were asking about the. The lineup. You said you drove a Laredo, and I think one of the things, you know, our design models, of course, when we build them in the studio and we sketch them, are always the top of the line. Biggest wheels, you know, most, you know, luxurious interior, all of that stuff. But, you know, so the Laredo, I. I think I, you know, pleasantly surprised every time I see one, how premium it feels, even though it's just one step off off the base. You know, I think one of the. We talk about, you know, some of those retro touches and the actual. The pattern on the cloth seats of that vehicle were inspired from the XJ as well. They're not a literal copy by any means, but just the kind of having fun with those patterns and textures. Our color materials team really cited that one as one of their favorites, which is, you know, pretty awesome that a base model would be kind of that. That well appointed.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. I think the Laredo hits a sweet spot in terms of pricing and just general content, because it's right at $40,000. And I think people shop by that. I think they're trying to keep their price at 40 or under, but it also hits a payment right now with high interest rates of about 600 bucks a month, which I think is a line in the sand for people, too. So this is like. You can tell me if I'm wrong. This is probably your volume car, right?

[Vince Galante]

Yeah.

[Capella University Narrator]

Yeah.

[Vince Galante]

I think it's right in the heart of the market. So.

[Tom Appel]

So what is it about the. The Cherokee? We haven't asked you that you want us to know.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I.

[Vince Galante]

You know, I think we. We were just in. In. You guys have seen kind of the ones that are out there now, and I just mentioned. We teased the Trailhawk But I think, you know, we've been having a lot of fun with the wrangler on the 12 for 12 program and doing heritage inspired things and military inspired things and I guess more modern, youthful types of things and all kinds of pop culture sorts of like. And we can go pretty far in the Wrangler. But I, you know, we're looking to have fun with the Cherokee too. So, you know, whether that be color, whether that be patterns and textures like we've been talking about, but we really do have kind of a nice future outlook on that vehicle and how far we can push and pull it. Because I do think, you know, you see, when we look at the trend reports, you know, it is always white and silver and gray cars that have been the most popular and we're starting to see that actually kind of reverse and people are looking for color again. So. Yeah, so you'll see us having a lot of fun. I, I think it's in its own, in its own way. It's a, it's a canvas as, as the Wrangler is so looking to have a lot of fun on the design side, inside and out with the.

[Tom Appel]

I need to thank someone at Jeep for juice. It's just when I see a juice Wrangler, I just feel better about my whole day. And for people who don't know, this is an orange color that's fantastic. And it's just in a sea of white and gray and silver. A juice colored Wrangler or Scram, not Scrambler. I'm getting ahead of myself here. Gladiator. Just a wonderful thing to see.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We have, we have tons of fun.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. I'm like, you guys always do the best job with your colors, from the names to the actual vibrancy. I actually just this morning got a Willis 41 Wrangler and it's that drab olive green and it has the olive green wheels and I'm just like this, this is, this is amazingly well designed and I love.

[Vince Galante]

Thank you.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, thank you.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, I love that. That one's the original, right?

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

People want to go to the Jeep website and check out the Willys products because the Willys Wranglers look fantastic. I love the distressed lettering. I love the throwback to the, to the World War II colors and stuff. It's just fantastic. So, Vince, we're running out of time here, but you mentioned a Trailhawk which is off road oriented. Does that mean we'll see a Trailhawk? You guys like to talk about future products?

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, yeah, No, I think we, we teased it today. Yeah. So you will see a Trailhawk tv.

[Tom Appel]

I'm sorry, I'm in Trackhawk. Forgive me. Trackhawk.

[Vince Galante]

Oh, no, no, nothing on that. On the, on the Cherokee.

[Tom Appel]

All right.

[Jill Simonello]

No Hemi engine in the Cherokee.

[Vince Galante]

Unfortunately, the. Doesn't fit in there, but.

[Tom Appel]

Well, Vince, thank you so much for your time today. If there's anything we need to know about Jeep that we didn't ask, what was it?

[Vince Galante]

I, you know, I just think keep. We're having so much fun. Whether it's the Easter Jeep Safari concepts, the colors that you mentioned, some of the special editions that have come out, or will and will come out. I think we're having so much fun with the brand and with the different products. So, you know, looking forward to seeing what our customers think of them. I'm always online looking at forums, looking at comments, and I love to get the feedback and see where we can take the brand in the future. I think it's a unique brand in that way that we have such a rich community to listen to, to learn from and to kind of, kind of serve. So, yeah, Excite. Excited to see where the future goes.

[Jill Simonello]

Well, you know, along those lines, before we sign off, can you just tell us briefly what the 12 for 12 program is? You've mentioned that a couple of times, and I think that there are people out there who might not be familiar with it. So I was just wondering if you could just give us a brief synopsis of what it was, what it is, and what we should look forward to in the future.

[Vince Galante]

Okay. So the 12 for 12 program. So for 85th anniversary, of course, the Wrangler is our icon and it's, you know, where it all started. You mentioned the Willys 41 and the green and all that. We have an original one of those cut in half and mounted to the wall in the studio. So that's, you know, kind of our. One of our inspirations. But the 12 for 12 program, for the whole 85th anniversary year, we wanted to do a different special edition Wrangler every single month of the calendar year. So, you know, some of them, you know, the one we just showed is called Sarge. It's a very military inspired. Back in May, we showed the Rewind, which was a very like 80s 90s kind of throwback kind of pop culture type of wrangler. We've done the Willys 392, which is kind of a entry level, but with the Hemi 392 V8 in it. The white cap, which has kind of white A white grille and a white top and kind of has a little bit of a heritage flavor, nostalgic flavor. So we're having, just trying to see how many different personalities we can, we can make. And so every month on the 12th of the month at 12 o' clock, we do another drop. So, you know, you can look forward to the next one on July 12th. And they just keep getting, I think, more and more, more and more fun as we go. So, yeah, special edition every month for a year. So 12.

[Tom Appel]

Cool. We're waiting.

[Jill Simonello]

Do you want to give us any teasers about what's coming?

[Vince Galante]

It's the only, the only thing I would say, like, keep watching the interiors. We've been the last few, we've done some pretty cool different interiors that I think a lot of people have been really asking for and looking for. So just keep wait to see that there's, there's some good ones coming.

[Jill Simonello]

Awesome.

[Tom Appel]

Sounds good. Vince, thank you so much for your time today.

[Vince Galante]

Yeah, thank you for having me.

[Tom Appel]

All right, that was Vince Galante. He is vice president of design at Jeep. We're going to take a break and when we come back.

[Jill Simonello]

Quiz time.

[Tom Appel]

Quiz time.

[Advertiser]

Questions or comments?

[Announcer]

Drop us a line at carstuffinsumerguide.com that's

[Advertiser]

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[Advertiser]

Welcome back to the Carr Stuff podcast.

[Tom Appel]

And we're back. This is the consumer guide Car Stuff podcast. I'm Tom Appel. She is Jill Simonello. Jill, it's good to see a Cherokee back in the lineup.

[Jill Simonello]

You know, it really is. And this is, this is a nice Cherokee. You know, I think I, I had the opportunity to drive it maybe a month before you did. It was right after the, the Midwest Automotive Media association spring rally meeting. And so it's been, it's been a minute, but I have warm and fuzzy memories of that car in terms of, you know, the, the overall design and the, the way it looks.

[Tom Appel]

I, I'll be honest, I wish it was a little bit more engaging to drive, but I'm super impressed by the fuel economy and I'm really impressed by the use of space. And the interior looks good. I have read, I have read some concern that the interior doesn't live up to the price. And I, I disagree strongly.

[Jill Simonello]

I would agree with that. I, I think that the, the interior, especially on 1, 1 level up off of the base is really nice.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. And I think they are hitting a price sweet spot of 40k for that vehicle. The only option on the vehicle I drove was special paint.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

So that took it to. I think it was 40,495 or 595, something like that, but nice vehicle. All right, it's quiz time.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

And as, as you know, I know that you love to talk about classic cars. Really, your, your knowledge sweet spot. And today's topic. Are you ready?

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

Was it an Oldsmobile?

[Jill Simonello]

Okay. Okay. I mean, I like how classic cars look. I mean, you know, I, I have pillows of, of classic cars that. Photos that I've taken. But was it an Oldsmobile? Okay.

[Tom Appel]

Yep. I've got five model names for you here. You just have to tell me if it was an Oldsmobile or not. And then there's a bonus question. You need three total for a victory.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

And the bonus question is just an excuse for me to go completely off topic. I mean, the bonus question is always related to the topic of the day.

[Jill Simonello]

Completely. Completely related.

[Tom Appel]

All right. Number one, the Omega. Was there an Oldsmobile? Omega. You do get the nice alliteration I know.

[Jill Simonello]

And I'm like. But only if there was an Alpha.

[Producer Margaret]

I'm.

[Jill Simonello]

I'm gonna say, yes, there was.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. In the 70s and the 80s, the omega was on both times on General Motors X chassis. The first one was. Was similar to the Chevy Nova. And for the 80s, it was similar to the Chevrolet Citation. You're on the board. You have one point. All right, Number two, The Savoy. Was there an Oldsmobile savvy?

[Jill Simonello]

I mean, it sounds like it could be a car name, but was it an Oldsmobile? I mean, that almost. Savoy.

[Tom Appel]

I should have looked up Savoy. I. I know. It was like a Harlem Club, and I think that history's. The name's got great history. I'm gonna need an answer at some point.

[Jill Simonello]

I'm gonna say no.

[Tom Appel]

No, it was a Plymouth.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

There was a plymouth Savoy between 54 and 64. Nice. You've got two points. You're not in trouble yet.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

Starfire. Was there an Oldsmobile Starfire?

[Jill Simonello]

Ooh, I know there was a Something Starfire. Yes, yes.

[Tom Appel]

Between 1975 and 1980, it was on GM's H body architecture, and it was similar to the Monza from Chevy and the Sunbird from Pontiac. Nice. You've already won.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

All right. Was there an Oldsmobile Intrigue?

[Jill Simonello]

Ooh, I. Again, I know there was an Intrigue. That was the name of the car, but I don't think it was Oldsmobile. I'm gonna say no.

[Tom Appel]

No, there was.

[Jill Simonello]

Oh.

[Tom Appel]

And what's really weird, I was a big fan of the show NYPD Blue, and Dennis Franz's character, Sipowitz, for some reason, in one episode, did this crazy product placement scene where on the side of the road, he gets out of his Intrigue. It's the only time we ever see the car. It was just a really weird scene. But, yeah, Sipowitz drove an Intrigue.

[Jill Simonello]

Were there any other brands that had an Intrigue?

[Tom Appel]

Not that I'm aware of.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, okay, all right, all right.

[Tom Appel]

Apex. Was there an Oldsmobile Apex?

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, so I have to say, whenever I hear Apex, it makes me think of the trx, because Apex Predator. But that is a compute. Like a huge digression. I'm gonna.

[Tom Appel]

I'm gonna say, no, there was not. There is an Apex Motors out of Hong Kong. I don't know much about it. I don't care. It's. It's just another. It's just another one of these really weird, small supercar makers that doesn't sell cars in the U.S. okay, all right, so you have three bonus question. Doesn't matter.

[Jill Simonello]

I had four.

[Tom Appel]

You got apex?

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, all right. You got four. All right, we're back to one of my favorite bonus question topics, and that is franchise opportunities.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, from.

[Tom Appel]

From franchiseopportunities.com I have a list of four franchise opportunities that you can invest in today, Jill. Today. Today. Three of these are real. One of them is fake. I need you to tell me which one is fake.

[Jill Simonello]

All right, let's see. What's my next. My next career gonna be?

[Tom Appel]

Number one, area 51 cupcakery. That's area 51 cupcakery. Number two, jet set. Modern pilates. Number three, USA ninja challenge. Number four.

[Mint Mobile Announcer]

That one.

[Tom Appel]

You want that one?

[Jill Simonello]

I want to do that. Okay, sorry. Go.

[Tom Appel]

All right. And finally, Chow Chow. Quick Healthy Asian cuisine. That's Chow Chow. Quick healthy Asian cuisine.

[Jill Simonello]

All right, so my. My initial thought is that the Area 51 Cupcakery would have very, very limited opportunity, unless it was like, you know, the cupcakery is the. Is the franchise, and then it just happens to be one that's available in Area 51. But otherwise, like, no, that's area.

[Tom Appel]

That's actually the name. Area 51 Cupcakery.

[Jill Simonello]

I'm like, I just don't think you could put an Area 51 cupcakery in Chicago.

[Producer Margaret]

That's.

[Jill Simonello]

That's all I'm gonna say. I mean. No. So first inclination is to say that one is not real.

[Tom Appel]

Okay.

[Jill Simonello]

And, I mean, I like the. I would go eat it at Chow Chow, and then I want to own there.

[Tom Appel]

I'm sorry. Quick Healthy Asian Cuisine.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, I would eat there.

[Tom Appel]

All right.

[Jill Simonello]

And. And I want. I want to own the Ninja One.

[Tom Appel]

USA Ninja Challenge.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes. And, you know, I mean, the Pilates thing. Thing, I. I feel like that could be real too, but I feel like it's either going to be the first one or the last one, because, like, Chow Chow really sounds real, and Area 51 just does not. I'm gonna go with Area 51. I'm go with my first inclination.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, that one's real.

[Jill Simonello]

Oh, wow.

[Tom Appel]

And you can get a franchise for $80,000.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. Chow Chow. Quick healthy Asian cuisine is fake, but I can make up a number. You can get one for 20 grand.

[Jill Simonello]

Check made payable to Tom Appel. And that's a P, P, E, L, not a P, P, L, E. Yeah,

[Tom Appel]

just mail your checks to me. Should Modern Pilates. Should those words be pushed together? That's a weird. I don't know. I don't know much about Pilates. All right, all right. Enough of the quiz. You won the quiz. Nice job.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

We were going to talk briefly. Not that briefly. Toyota and Subaru, we've mentioned this on air before, are confusing me because all of a sudden there's a bunch of Toyota EVs that there are Subaru analogs for, and the Subaru analogs confuse me. But here they are. There's the new Toyota chr, and there's a Subaru Uncharted, which is based on it.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

There's also the old Toyota bz, which is the Subaru Solterra. They've been around for a few years. There's the BZ Woodland, which is the Subaru Trail Seeker. And then finally the Highlander for 2027 goes electric. And there's a Subaru based on that called the Getaway.

[Jill Simonello]

Correct. Yes.

[Tom Appel]

So that's what's going on there. But you just spent time in the smallest but not cheapest of the Subaru EVs, and that's the Uncharted.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah. So I got the Uncharted on Wednesday and just, just, they took it away today.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, so you just drove it?

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, just, just drove it. And I really, really liked it. And I think it is an excellent city vehicle. So it's funny because they delivered it to me on Wednesday morning and it was raining and miserable and I had to go downtown to pick up my in laws and then we went out to Highland park to. We had, we had to go out to the suburbs for something and then, you know, I had to go back and drop them off and then, you know, come home and, and you know, I live on the Northwest side in Chicago city proper. And so I was, I was concerned when I got that car. I'm like, I don't, I don't know that I'm gonna have enough range to do all of that, especially because they're gonna deliver it to me not at 100%. Well, they delivered it to me at like 95%, which was 280 miles of range. And I was like, I got this. This is going to be fine. And it was like, I feel like I only went through like 50 or 60 miles of range, even though I drove far more than that. And, and so first off, I want to say they're very conservative on their range estimates in nice weather, which is good.

[Tom Appel]

That has been true of Toyota EV products since the beginning.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

The range tends to exceed the published EPA figure.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. So I was, I was very, very impressed with that. And you know, second, I brought it home and I plugged it into a wall jack and I, you know, I, so I drove again. I think I went 40, 48 hours without driving and I came back out and it was up to 100% and I was like, oh, okay. And, and so, you know, for the driving that I do like, I would not need to have a level two charger at home. And just plugging it into a wall jack was, was fine for me. So those were the, like the range and the plug in were two of the things that I really, really liked about it. It has a Tesla NAX charger, so standard NAX charging, which means you can go to a Tesla supercharger to charge. It has really nice interior, comfortable amenities, smooth ride and handling. And even though I have driven the chr, I have to tell you that I couldn't tell you what the differences are. Even though the CHR is or the Uncharted is supposed to be tuned differently for Subaru. It would take an expert, I think, to really be able to tell the differences in the ride and the handling. But the interior is very similar to the C hr. It has a large infotainment screen, the Toyota infotainment system, that weird gauge cluster above the steering wheel that I like, but I don't think you like.

[Tom Appel]

It's not weird. It's dreadful.

[Announcer]

It's.

[Jill Simonello]

I think it's, I think it's fine. But people who are taller or larger than me are going to have a problem because the steering wheel kind of hits it in a weird place.

[Tom Appel]

I, I have to interject for a moment. It's not related to the car. I just accidentally drew on my face. So the fact that my camera isn't working is to my advantage right now. That's all I got. I. I'm holding a pen, you know, for emphasis, even though no one could see me. But I just drew on my face. So just want to get that out there.

[Jill Simonello]

The, the reference to the camera is. Yeah. I'm now recording these because we're doing these via zoom. So I'm now recording these and putting them on my YouTube channel. So unfortunately for those who are watching, you're not seeing Tom today because his camera isn't working.

[Tom Appel]

Also, since no one can see me, I'm freshly shaven. Oh yeah, that's not true. But let's just.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay.

[Tom Appel]

Makes it seem like I put in the effort.

[Jill Simonello]

Got it.

[Tom Appel]

I wanted to ask you about this. The CHR used to be a Toyota product, a gasoline powered Toyota product. Kind of a cute subcompact crossover. Actually was a lot of fun. To drive. Is this based on that or is this all new architecture?

[Jill Simonello]

It is all new architecture. I mean it does look a little hatchbacky. It does have it, it has that quirky rear door handle that's kind of embedded in the C pillar. My parents in law, when I picked them up, they couldn't figure out how to get in the car. Yeah, yeah. And I was just like, oh, oh. And, and they're like, you know, they're

[Capella University Narrator]

not getting in the car.

[Jill Simonello]

I'm like, why are they getting in the car? And it was like, oh, the door handle. Right. They don't, they don't know.

[Tom Appel]

You know what else had that. And just to say topical, a bunch of Oldsmobile cutlasses from the 90s.

[Jill Simonello]

Because the quiz always has everything to do with the, the topic of the day. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Good, good tie in. But, but no, I, I really enjoyed my time in the Uncharted. I thought that it was comfortable, it was fast. You know, I had the mid level. It was, they called like the, the sport trim and so standard with all wheel drive. And so here's, here's the interesting thing about the Uncharted. It is not standard with all wheel drive. The base trim actually comes as a front wheel drive model. And this is like the first front wheel drive Subaru in America in many, many years. You have the brz, but that's real wheel drive.

[Tom Appel]

So the Solterra, their first EV was all wheel drive only.

[Jill Simonello]

I think so.

[Tom Appel]

Okay, interesting.

[Jill Simonello]

I don't remember that. And the really interesting thing is the CHR version of this vehicle is all wheel drive only. And I thought that was a little reverse to me. I would have thought that Toyota would have the front wheel drive model and with the all wheel drive being available and Subaru would be all wheel drive only. But it is not.

[Tom Appel]

What's really interesting about that is that Subaru seems to be willing to, to give up some of its legend and lore for its electric vehicles, but not its hybrid vehicles. The, the Forester, Subaru's compact crossover which would compete directly with the Compass. I'm sorry, the Cherokee, they did a hybrid version of that, but they, they didn't go with an E axle in back because they didn't want to compromise the vehicle's all wheel drive capability. So it's using the mechanical hookup to get power torque to the back of the car, which most hybrids do not do because you can save money and, and power and, and fuel by going another way. But they wouldn't compromise on that. But on the evs, it's like, what are we gonna do?

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tom Appel]

Alrighty. So overall, nice vehicle.

[Jill Simonello]

Overall, nice vehicle. If you were looking for a compact ev, I think that this is a good one to start with. And you know, obviously the CHR is another good option. I have some TikToks that I'm going to be and YouTube shorts that I'm going to be uploading over the next week. So if you are curious about what I liked and what I didn't like more specifically, you can dig into those over the next week.

[Tom Appel]

I like the orange Tic Tacs. Have you had those?

[Jill Simonello]

I'm not really fond of Tic Tac. Tic Tac. Tic Tacs. Tic Tacs.

[Tom Appel]

Oh, my bad.

[Jill Simonello]

I don't, I don't eat a lot of candy.

[Tom Appel]

All right, sorry, my bad. You wanted to get to a topic today and strangely I have notes on this topic just because I thought we might get to it, but the Chevrolet Silverado, the second best selling vehicle in the United States is all new. I believe it's all new for 2027.

[Jill Simonello]

It is next generation.

[Tom Appel]

This is a big stinking deal for a bunch of reasons. And General Motors, Chevy, excuse me, and, and GMC Sierra, which is a companion vehicle. They're not twins, but they're very similar mechanically. These vehicles are all new for 2027 and interesting decisions were made here.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, and, and we haven't seen the GMC version yet. They've only released photos of the Chevrolet.

[Tom Appel]

And I, I like the look. I think it looks cleaner than the last one. The grill is borrowed from the medium duty trucks from the 2500 and 3500, but the flanks are a little bit cleaner. But one of the really interesting pieces of news, and this is total geek stuff, but they've replaced the two top engines.

[Jill Simonello]

Yep.

[Tom Appel]

There used to be a 5, 3 and a 62 pushrod, but otherwise very advanced engines with direct injection and cylinder deactivation made it to 10 speed automatic. So there's a lot of tech there. But the push ride allowed them to build a lighter engine and a more compact engine. But that 5.3 becomes a 5. 7. And this matters if you're my age because the 5.7 was a Chevy engine of great legend. It was the 350. 350 cubic inches. And it was in everything for a long time. So the engine got bigger, but reportedly fuel economy is going to approve. We haven't seen the EPA numbers yet. And then the, the old 62 becomes a 6 6, which is another legacy thing. I don't know if it's 400 cubic inches, but if it is, that's another historic number for, for General Motors too. So a little bit legacy play there, but huge deal here because this is a high volume, high profit, high margin vehicle and something like a third of all the money GM makes comes from the Silverado and the Sierra. So huge deal and early word. I think people like the design. They like the look.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah. I think the design is, is really bold and different. I, you know, I like the, the new kind of reverse C headlight treatment they've got going on. Yeah, no, I like it. I think it looks great.

[Tom Appel]

I'd like to get someone on the show. We don't talk too much about trucking and we don't, you know, you. And I don't tow for example, or haul. I don't need a lot of hay. Do you need a lot of hay?

[Jill Simonello]

I don't actually need hay, no.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. So when I get a truck, it's almost always a half ton, a 1500 and I drive it like I would commute in it. And I've generally enjoy these vehicles very much. The Ram, the F150, the Silverado. These are really, really nice vehicles that just drive around. But this is a huge deal. We will talk more about this and maybe we can get someone from Chevy on to talk about this because Ford, I don't know how many people know this story, having a hard time getting F150s built because of an aluminum shortage because there was a fire at an aluminum provider at their factory. So General Motors has been sort of incrementally gaining market share anyway. Yeah, I think that there's still a shortage of F150s, but maybe that shortage is going to be dissipated because there's going to be a shortage of Chevys in a minute when they do the switchover.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah. Because they're saying this is going to be 20, 27 model, which means it should be out by the end of this year.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. And we don't know that much. We don't know horsepower figures, we don't know specs, we don't know dimensions. It would be really, really bold if this was the first full size truck in like 30 years that didn't get bigger.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

Because dang. Are trucks getting big?

[Jill Simonello]

They are getting big, which is why we need to introduce more compact trucks.

[Tom Appel]

Well, I guess they're coming.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah. Apparently the Toyota model T moment, thirty thousand dollar electric small truck is being seen on the roads. In camouflage. So they're really pushing that pretty fast. They're talking about having that on the road next year.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

All right, well, that's the stuff. Did you have anything else about the Silverado you wanted to share?

[Jill Simonello]

No, I mean, just tbd more to come. We. We don't. We know much. It's going to have a lot of standard technology across the board with large infotainment screens, digital displays, and things like that. I noticed that in some of the pictures, the shifter looks like it might exclusively be on the column, which is kind of a big deal for truck drivers. So I'm just. I'm going to be very, very curious as more details come out about this truck.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, it's not manly. It's not manly to have the shifter on the column.

[Producer Margaret]

But.

[Tom Appel]

But if you want to get three giant yeti mugs into the center column, you've got to move something off of it.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Tom Appel]

Off the console. And one of those might be the shifter.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. I mean, the OG shifters were on the. On the. On the steering column.

[Tom Appel]

So three on the tree, baby.

[Jill Simonello]

Yep.

[Tom Appel]

All right. Well, guess what we did.

[Jill Simonello]

We had another great show.

[Tom Appel]

Yeah, that was a fun show. Big thanks to Vince Galante of Jeep for joining us today. Thank you, Jill. Thank you to producer Margaret. Let's talk more about cars again next week. Next week.

[Announcer]

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