Car Stuff Podcast

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jeep's new Grand Cherokee L three-row SUV. Harry Moser, Founder of the Reshoring Initiative, joins us to talk about his non-profit organization's efforts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Tom has another quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog--including a First Spin review of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L and a test-drive...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing their test-drive impressions of Volkswagen's first mainstream electric vehicle: the ID.4 compact crossover SUV. Larry Nutson, Executive Producer and Chicago Bureau Chief at The Auto Channel, joins us to give his impressions of the ID.4, and to talk about Ford's recently unveiled 2022 Maverick compact pickup truck. Tom has another quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the...

With co-host Jill Ciminillo out on assignment this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing Ford's forthcoming Maverick compact pickup truck and a host of Toyota new vehicles, including the 2022 Corolla Cross subcompact SUV. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the August 2021 issue, including detailed histories of the 1968-76 BMW 2002 and 1978-80 Pontiac Grand Prix. Tom has a quiz on...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing one of Jill's traffic pet peeves, and lamenting the discontinuation of the Mazda 6 midsize sedan and CX-3 subcompact SUV. Chicago radio personality Bill Leff joins us to talk about cartoon cars and his MeTV show "Toon In With Me." Tom has a quiz on electric vehicles for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including test-drive reviews of the...

With Jill on vacation this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the unveiling of the Ford F-150 Lightning--the landmark pure-electric version of Ford's full-size pickup truck. Frank Hanley, Senior Director, Global Automotive Consulting for J.D. Power, joins us to talk about J.D. Power's benchmark study of OEM electric-vehicle smartphone apps--technology that has become an important part of the EV ownership experience. Tom and Damon run down the latest...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start things off by continuing last episode's discussion of their traffic pet peeves. Justin Pagtalunan, Product Communications Manager for Mazda, joins us to talk about the Mazda brand's focus on moving upscale, as well as the new Mazda 3 and CX-30 2.5 Turbo models. Tom has a "find the fake trim level" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a primer on buying...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start things off by discussing the Chicago Auto Show's recently announced 2021 "Special Edition" show, scheduled for July 15-19 as a scaled-down indoor/outdoor event. The gang also chats about a couple of their Chicagoland-traffic pet peeves. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the June 2021 issue, including detailed histories of the 1981-83 AMC Eagle and 1958-68...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jeep's Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid and the muscular Wrangler Rubicon 392--both new models for 2021. Jeremy Barnes, Senior Director of Communications and Events for Mitsubishi Motors North America, joins us to talk about the Mitsubishi brand in the U.S. and the redesigned-for-2022 Outlander SUV. Tom has a "which came first?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the stand-alone Ford Bronco showrooms that some Ford dealers are planning to build as production of the all-new 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport ramps up. Mike Evanoff, Manager of Product Planning for Hyundai Motor America, joins us to talk about Hyundai's performance-oriented N and N-Line vehicles. Tom has a quiz on the full names of auto-industry luminaries for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz--a genre-bending compact SUV/pickup "Sport Adventure Vehicle" that is slated to go on sale this summer. La Shirl Turner, Director of the Advanced Color and Materials Design Studio at Stellantis, joins us to discuss how she and her team develop paint colors and interior trim for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles. Damon has a Mopar car-color quiz for Tom...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the upcoming GMC Hummer SUV and pure-electric Chevrolet Silverado, as well as the uptick in EV sales. Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman joins us to talk about the effect COVID-19 has had on car shoppers, based on Cars.com's internal data and survey results. Tom has a "sales-per-dealer" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the their test-drive experiences with the new-for-2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Nina Huesgen, Senior Manager for the Electrify Home and eCommerce business units at Electrify America, joins us to talk about electric-vehicle charging and Electrify America's new HomeStation residential EV charger. Tom has a tricky "which vehicle has a higher horsepower rating?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the worldwide microchip shortage, and how the auto industry is being affected by it. Randy Dale, Senior Manager, Product and Advanced Planning at Nissan, joins us to discuss the redesigned-for-2022 Nissan Frontier midsize pickup. Tom has a "name the fake trim level" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a First Spin review of...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing their test-drive experiences in the pure-electric 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. Next, Sergeant Thomas Mason of the Chicago Police Department joins us to talk about the rise in carjacking thefts, and what you can do to keep yourself safe. Tom has a "which vehicle is longer?" quiz on current-model vehicles for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer large SUVs. Robby DeGraff, Industry Analyst with AutoPacific, joins us to talk about the rapidly evolving world of new-vehicle connectivity and infotainment systems. Tom has a quiz on the home countries of foreign automotive brands for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog--including a...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Kia Carnival "Multi-Purpose Vehicle" (don't call it a minivan). Anthony Novak, Toyota Brand and Growth Audiences Marketing Manager, joins us to talk about Toyota's marketing strategies and the expanding role of hybrids in the brand's model lineup. Tom has a "where is it made?" quiz on new vehicles for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the passing of dune-buggy pioneer Bruce Meyers and the results of J.D. Power's most recent vehicle-reliability survey. Paul Strauss, publisher of the popular websites The Awesomer, Technabob, and the auto-themed 95octane, joins us to talk about the latest batch of brawny V8-powered vehicles--the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance, Land Rover Defender V8, and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. We also discuss the...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander compact SUV. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the April 2021 issue, including detailed histories of the 1980-83 Lincoln Continental Mark VI and 1970-76 Porsche 914. Tom has a "who owns what" quiz on automotive brands for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup and the forthcoming Raptor R. Mark Savino, Kia Product Strategy Manager, joins us to talk about the redesigned-for-2021 Kia Sorento 3-row midsize SUV. Tom has another "buzzer-style" name-that-vehicle quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a First Spin test-drive review of the 2021...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the recent unveiling of the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder midsize SUV and 2022 Nissan Frontier midsize pickup. Todd Lassa, veteran automotive journalist and founding editor of The Hustings (thehustings.news), joins us to talk about some current auto-industry trends and fill us in on The Hustings--a news website that is designed to deliver straight news and non-partisan political analysis, with liberal and...