Fatal Crash Prevention at the IIHS, Subaru Forester Hybrid, & New Engine in the Jeep Grand Cherokee
In Podcast #364, John Davis and the MotorWeek crew are joined by FYI Reporter Stephanie Hart who details her recent visit to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s facility in Virginia to see what they’re doing to help prevent fatal crashes. Then Jessica dives into the more fuel-efficient version of Subaru’s volume seller, the 2025 Forester Hybrid. And Logan is back from a trip to Detroit where he got to see the revised 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee, including it’s all-new Hurricane engine. Our Lightning Round addresses Mary Barra’s recent comments claiming that GM will be leaving Apple CarPlay and Android Auto out of their new vehicles in the future and a viewer wonders if Hyundai or Kia will ever make a body-on-frame SUV competitor.
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Special Guest: Lisa Barrow
The lovely Lisa Barrow joins John and Jessica on this special episode of the MotorWeek podcast! Lisa spent over a decade as MotorWeek’s FYI reporter in the late 1980s and talks about her global travels, how the show inspired her adventurous side, and where life took her after she left the show.
There is also a video version of this podcast that can be found here: https://youtu.be/K8M2HQCWZq4
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Nissan LEAF First Drive, Plus Honda Prelude & BMW iX3 Reveals
In Podcast #362, John Davis and the MotorWeek crew have a jam-packed podcast for you! Jessica starts things off with the global reveal of the EV version of BMW’s best-selling vehicle globally, the iX3. Then Alex relays the details on the recently unvieled production model of the returning Honda Prologue sports coupe…they include a hybrid powertrain and a very distinct lack of a third pedal. Then we have finally had some time behind the wheel of the all-new Nissan LEAF so Greg let’s us know how much this charming EV has really changed. And our Lightning Round discusses Porsche pulling back on their plans to go all-electric while a viewer has a question about how we do our slalom testing.
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Special Guest: Craig Singhaus
In celebration of our 45th anniversary, MotorWeek alumni will be joining us throughout the year as guests for special episodes of our podcast!
Our first guest? None other than Craig Singhaus, who was grabbed by John Davis to assist in the 1978 pilot episode and eventually joined the staff when MotorWeek officially went on air in 1981. You’ll know him best from his outlandish “High Road” segments, but he played a big role in helping to cultivate those early seasons of the show.
There is also a video version of this podcast that can be found here: https://youtu.be/E5DK3PMwCdU
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Season 45 Premiere Preview! Plus How Things Have Changed in 45 Years of MotorWeek
In Podcast #360, John Davis and the MotorWeek crew preview the premiere of Season 45! That’s right, MotorWeek has been on the air for 45 years. So we brought some of our most tenured staffers together to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the show along with their favorite memories.
Once we’re done reminiscing, we chat about our recent time in the drop-trop version of the Ferrari Roma grand tourer. Then, we dive into our two weeks with the 6th-generation Toyota 4Runner.
The Lightning Round discusses the uptick in used car prices and what might reverse that trend.
We thought a podcast would be the perfect vehicle for taking viewers behind-the-scenes of MotorWeek. We produce 52 episodes of MotorWeek a year, but we don't always have time to tell you everything. The podcast is a unique opportunity for viewers to hear our personal impressions of the vehicles we road test, discover the stories behind the stories MotorWeek is covering and learn more about where the auto industry is headed as it focuses squarely on fuel economy.