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Auto Buyers Guide PodcastAuthor: Auto Buyers Guide
The Auto Buyers Guide team is dedicated to bringing you the latest in automotive industry news, car buying advice, car reviews, and all things car, truck, SUV, and EV. Every week Alex and Travis try to tackle important questions like: are software defined cars a thing? Should shiny black plastic be banned? Language: en Genres: Automotive, Leisure Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Nissan Finally Hybrids, BMW's M5 Makes Sense, & Nobody Makes Cars for Kids
Episode 122
Sunday, 11 October, 2026
Nissan just showed up to the hybrid party — only about fifteen years late. But here’s the thing: the new Rogue Hybrid might actually be worth the wait. Three big electric motors, rear torque that would make a RAV4 blush, and a three-cylinder engine that exists purely to keep the electrons flowing. Is Nissan’s serial hybrid system genuinely clever engineering or an elaborate workaround? Meanwhile, Volvo quietly transformed the EX90 into a fire-breathing 670-horsepower rocket that does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and adds 100 miles of range in five minutes — and almost nobody noticed, because Volvo tells nobody anything. GM unveiled two brand-new V8s big enough to make Ram nervous, and Tesla wants you to buy a Cybercab, deploy it as a robot taxi, and somehow turn a profit. Spoiler: the math doesn’t math. Then it gets personal. Alex is car shopping — again — and the requirements are ruthlessly specific: CarPlay (non-negotiable, household law), a back seat that actually fits a rear-facing car seat designed for a seven-year-old, and preferably something that plugs in. What sounds like a reasonable list turns out to eliminate approximately everything good on the market. Along the way, the show falls down a genuinely fascinating rabbit hole: only 3% of new car buyers have young children at home, which explains — with uncomfortable precision — why modern cars are designed as if children don’t exist. More Subaru buyers have pet chickens. Key Topics Nissan Rogue Hybrid e-POWER — 40 city/36 highway MPG, three motors, 66% rear torque capability, no parallel mode Why three-cylinder engines excel in serial hybrids — exhaust scavenging, turbo efficiency, the German “half-liter per cylinder” philosophy Honda’s deliberate sacrifice of efficiency to preserve engine-feel continuity in their hybrids Nissan’s 2 million e-POWER global sales and what that means for the US rollout Volvo EX90 updated — 800V, 670hp, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, 350kW peak charging, ~100 miles added in 5 minutes EX90 Supercharger problem — drops to 112kW on 400V stations, 45-minute charge sessions Volvo’s baffling product strategy — launching half-baked, fixing quietly, same model year with two drivetrains EX90 vs. Lucid Gravity — charging speed, interior quality, plastic sun visors at $97K GM’s new 5.7L and 6.6L V8 engines for Silverado/Sierra — cylinder deactivation, competing with Ram’s 6.4L Tesla Cybercab business model holes — ROI, insurance, cleaning, platform cut, range management, fleet logistics Cybercab format problem — two seats, no luggage space, no consumer version with a steering wheel Alex’s new car hunt — CarPlay required, big rear seat, plug-in or EV, Super Cruise/autonomy trade-offs Why Silverado EV almost made the list but no CarPlay killed it — and the aftermarket hack question Wired vs. wireless CarPlay — lossless audio and Dolby Atmos need the wire; GM wants your data instead Car seat statistics — only 3% of new car buyers have toddlers; more Subaru owners have chickens than babies Car seat regulation history — California rear-facing mandate not until 2017, only half of US states require it Axkid rear-facing car seat — works to 65 lbs/49 inches, fitting a 7-year-old rear-facing Why pickup trucks may be winning with young families — rear seat room that crossovers and full-size SUVs don’t actually provide Palisade vs. Tahoe for child seat practicality — why the midsize crossover wins 00:00:00 - Intro & What's On the Docket 00:00:59 - Nissan Rogue Hybrid: America's First Real Nissan Hybrid 00:04:11 - 3-Cylinder Serial Hybrid Engineering: Why It Actually Makes Sense 00:17:39 - Volvo EX90: 670hp, 800V & a 5-Minute Charge to LA 00:28:14 - Charging Reality Check: 350kW vs. 112kW on a Supercharger 00:32:49 - GM's New 5.7 & 6.6L V8s: Big Power for Silverado & Sierra 00:38:08 - Tesla Cybercab: Great Concept, Broken Business Model 00:49:39 - Alex's New Car Hunt: CarPlay, EVs & the Silverado Problem 00:51:49 - The Statistic That Explains Why Cars Hate Kids 00:57:45 - Car Seat Reality: Why Nothing Fits & Why Trucks Might Win
