TECH INDEX, EV DENALI, MUSTANG 60TH, HYUNDAI ELANTRA N
Hey, it's Fred Staab for cruise control. Coming up on this edition. Ford celebrates 60 years of Mustang with this special edition.
GM delivers the Sierra EV Denali Edition one, and we have an at the wheel review of the Hyundai Elantra N that's coming up right now on cruise control. Hello, and welcome to Cruise Control. It's that time again to buckle up and head out and check out what's going on in the automotive world. And in order to help me do that, let's. Jackson is along. Hey, les. How you doing? Hey. Good friend.
How about you? We've. We're enjoying some lovely, un summerlike weather. Yeah, that that is absolutely true. And, what else is on summer? Like, is there's a lot of reveals, a lot of pricing information on new vehicles and, a couple of good studies. So we're going to jump right in and we're going to talk about the JD Power Tech's, Tech Experience Index. Of course, technology.
It is the big thing that kind of separates old cars from new cars. Some of it work, some of it doesn't. They took a look at it. And, I think we will agree with a lot of the studies. I think so.
And, you know, we get to see the technology all the time. So we're much more used to it than people that have their trading in their eight year old car. Get, tech shock when they get in. You. I like that tech shock. Yeah. GMC, delivers the Sierra EV Denali Edition one.
So we'll talk about that. That's quite a machine. Quite a machine at quite a price.
And then, we're going to talk about the Mercedes GLC plug in. What's unique about this is it gets, almost 60 miles of all electric range when you plug it in. And this is a trend I think we're going to see a lot more of with these plug in hybrids getting 60, maybe. Who knows, even at some point 100 miles of range.
Yeah. And that is real usable when you think about it. What kind of range did some of the first EVs have? 125, 150. Right. Even not even around 100 for. So yeah yeah yeah yeah. And VW prices out the ID buzz fam, this is very cool.
Yeah, well, I think people have been salivating for this. An all electric, EV vehicle. So we will talk about that.
Plus something completely different than that. Well, it's the 60th anniversary Ford Mustang and good looking vehicle. We're going to tell you how they're celebrating the 60th anniversary of the original pony car. So we'll tell you about that. And less on top of that.
We're going to have a review of the Elantra. And this is quite the performance vehicle. I got some time behind the wheel. They have gone to great detail into great detail to make this a great performance vehicle. It's got a couple of unique features too.
I was surprised to see. So I think it's another hint hint for Hyundai. So we'll talk about that and more when we come back on cruise control your on air automotive magazine with Fred stop and less Jackson keep it buckled up.
We got plenty to get to. Cruise control. Hey welcome back to Cruise Control. We're going to pop over to the J.D. power offices. Pop on over.
Wherever they are. And, Troy, Michigan really love talking about their surveys because they're just the top. Yes. Best at it.
Covering the auto industry. And, this time it's the highest and lowest ranks for overall technology innovation. Okay.
Which works, as Fred said, it works well for some manufacturers and not well for others. That's true. And, and we've experienced all of them. They call it the tech. By the way, is the top. And I, I go along with that.
They call it the Texas Tech Experience Index or right, right. And, you know, they talk about some technologies. You and I laughed at this, and I carmakers put it in. They invested in it. I don't think anyone used it where you would swing your hand in the air to, to to, you know, increase the fan speed of the, You know, the haptic.
Yeah. Or you're making hand signals or. I know you did that. Nobody used it.
Nobody used it. No. Well, I it it misinterpreted everything. Yes. I was just, I had a Mercedes that I tried to put on the heat and it and it moved my seat back. It and.
And I'm yelling at it. And it's like, that's great. No. Now I can't reach the steering wheel. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. So what's interesting here is they said new artificial intelligence technologies like Smart Climate Control have won the popularity with those owners who have used them. Of course, yet recognition technologies such as facial recognition, fingerprint reader and interior gesture controls.
Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
You look you look like you're about ready to launch a plane. Like spinning. Yeah. You're. I bring that throttle up. Catapult out. You're right. Yeah.
You know, like you're going to launch a plane of a carrier. Not. Not like, just set your air conditioner. But anyway, that that stuff did not do well. For example, not only do owners say that the interior gesture controls can be problematic, they included 43.4 problems per 100 vehicles,
but 21% of these owners say that this technology lacks functionality, according to newly added diagnostics questions in this year's study. So they don't use it. And why do they put it in there? And you know why? Why do manufacturers put this stuff in there? They they're just sold a bill of goods I guess by some suppliers.
Well. I you know, the problem, it's it's it's like so many other things, you know, you you just get, you get fixated on coming up with innovation, and you, you don't ask yourself, well, is this really worth having? How many people will use it? You just throw it out and you end up with a with and I get personal experience, 600 page owners manuals, and and an additional 140 page owner's manual explaining the features. And no one reads them. I know you do, but. Well, most people don't.
That's right. I mean, you know, most people won't. Because they don't want to invest that time.
But it isn't like reading a novel, you know, you'll like this one, less, and this I would say to Mercedes. Hello, Mercedes. Listen up, owners don't see value in passenger screens. Automakers are expanding their offering and vehicles containing a passenger display screen. Despite this feature being classified as not necessary by vehicle owners. Yeah, the tech is negatively reviewed by many owners who point to usability issues.
If it might be viewed more favorably if the front passenger seat was used more frequently. But only 10% of vehicles carry front passengers daily. That's an interesting take away, isn't it? That is. Yes. So maybe we should do away with passenger seats. Get away. Get do away with passengers.
And unfairly, most people have. That takes care of the divorce rate. Yeah. Yes. In the US, of interest and, and I have not seen this on any test vehicles, but, we'll have to do a review on my new car. Because I've just, taken it on a very long trip. And, you know, and really sick shaking it out.
But one of the things that it has, and I've not seen this before, I may be ignorant, is that on the nav system, if you want to move it, and route, while you're rolling, a screen comes up and says, do you reject or accept the risk involved in using this while you're rolling because it assumes there's a passenger doing that's terrific, because how many thousands of times have we had to pull over to this site? Absolutely. It says can't use that. Yes. Yes. Yeah.
So that's that's that's good thinking. Okay. Well we'll have some more good thinking from J.D. power when we come back. We're also going to take a look at the Denali EV. So stay tuned to Cruise Control.
Cruise control. And welcome back to Cruise Control. We're taking you on a ride this time around, the J.D. power Txi their tech index study.
I'm Fred Staab. He is Les Jackson. You're on cruise control. A lot of takeaways from this.
It's funny that a lot of manufacturers are putting things in their cars that people didn't ask for. Don't want. It's adding price to the vehicle. And, you know, like we were talking about those passenger side screens. I think if you're on your passenger, if the passenger's there, they'll probably be looking at their phone.
Which is perfectly fine if you're a passenger. But, you know, I don't know. We'll, we'll have to see if that, if that trend continues, Tesla might be losing its edge. It says, previously in this study, Tesla owners have expressed enthusiasm for the brand's technology and rated their vehicles highly, for often looking overlooking quality concerns.
You and I have been trying to highlight those ways. We're pioneers, and that subject. Trend is waning, though the satisfaction numbers are going down.
But, yeah, highest overall rank in this study was Genesis for innovation. They did very well. 584 of, they got 584 points out of a 1000 point scale. Hyundai ranks the highest among mass market brands. List Jackson.
Here. For the fifth consecutive year with a score of 518, Kia right behind it for 99 and GMC for 39. So, good for GMC. You know that they they're ahead of the GM pack.
Yeah. Some of the highlights include Toyota Sequoia for its, camera rearview mirror technology, the Genesis Gv70 for, its front cross-traffic warning, Kia Carnival for mass market model, for receiving the emerging automation award for its front cross-traffic warning, BMW IX, the award for energy and sustainability. BMW X6 for infotainment and connectivity in a premium segment, for form based digital key that that's one thing I'm not real big on. I don't need that. You know, I can carry keyfob and, Hyundai Santa Fe receives award for infotainment and connectivity in the mass market segment.
What's interesting on the study is a lot of these systems are, the same systems used in different vehicles. So it's kind of interesting that one gets called out more than the other because they pretty much use the same system. In vehicles, you know, if they're all up to date, the manufacturers, the same system in, in that vehicle.
So anyway, but interesting study from J.D. power. Let's jump over and talk a little bit about the the new, GMC Denali. EV. Right. That is something we've been waiting on for a while.
It's now going out the edition one. It's beginning. The customer deliveries. This is kind of like the Hummer EV, but but a little bit more mass appeal, I would say.
Right. And a little bit more, boy racer. Boy racer. Okay.
Or middle age guy racer. Because, it, it puts out 754 horsepower total. Wow. 785 pound feet.
And that makes it even though it's heavy and big, it makes it really fast. Yeah. This has the mid gate, which I like a lot, which is very much like the old Chevy Avalanche. Yeah. I think it's a great way to get around having a shorter bed, which you use most of the time. But if you want to be an active lifestyle, which they showed of active lifestyle or carrying a kayak, I carry one everywhere I go.
Well, same here. I, the neighbors are getting frustrated with me storing, my surfboards outside. You're not you. Even your surfboards. Your stand up paddle boards. That's the hip thing you gotta handle. You're right, you're right. Yeah.
But the fact is, this is, it's it's quite a quite a machine, and it's, it's got tremendous towing capability, by the way, that, it does do 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds, which is impressive for its weight. Big block Corvette ever did.
And it weighs the weight of probably eight of them. But three, at least three of them. Yeah. I mean, it's just remarkable that all this technology just works.
Yes. And and, you know, again, GMC is just it's just really outperforming Chevy, by by a, well, country mile, whatever that is. Yeah.
And 440 miles of range, which is. Huge, huge. Remember, again, if you're in a tow, you'll use that up pretty quickly, more than, faster than 440 air ride adaptive suspension, as you mentioned. Wow. So Super cruise technology to which is, available for about 750,000 miles of compatible roads, grilled to great versatility. GMC first multiple mid gate.
As we talked about it, trunk in increases cargo room capability, which is nice. You have your kayak in the back. You can have your your other gear up front.
10,000 pound max towing. I would get this over the Hummer myself. It's as I say, it's very much the same vehicle, but I like the styling a little bit better. It's yeah, more traditional sort of. It sort of looks like a truck.
When you say. Well, it does. And it's, I just like the GMC name more than I do. The Hummer name. Yeah. What? I don't like Mr. Staab. Yes, sir.
Is that if I want to use the Super Cruise, I actually have to pay a subscription for it. Oh, yeah, that that kind of sucks the edge of. And more and more, I'm seeing this in every brand. Something, is offered only on subscription.
Little Asterix. Yeah. You know, $39 per month or whatever it is.
You know, and it's interesting that they don't have a buyout for that where, you know, like when you order, you know, like, let's say you're there's a lot of things we use to create this show, right? The software and music and things like that. And you can buy it month to month, or you can buy it for a year, and you save significantly. If you buy it for you, you know, you're going to use it for your why not say, well, you know what, I'm going to keep this vehicle for five years, so I want a five year subscription at a, significantly reduced costs. Right. Or or how about something the equivalent of an E-ZPass where when you use it, you pay some fee for. Yeah, for each use. So yeah.
Yeah, a per use basis, a per use per use. Right. Because otherwise you're paying an awful lot for not using it. Right. Most of the time. And they spun it around like BMW like.
Well you use your heated seats in the summer, you know, you're going to pay for. Yeah, but I'm not paying that much for them. And frankly, sometimes I do turn the AC on, put the heated seats on if it gets cold. So,
anyway, you know, you and I have talked about this a lot, this, that concept of subscriptions and our and our listeners are like, I don't want to pay more for the car. Once I paid 45,000 for it, I think that that will be sufficient. Yeah. The bad taste in your mouth, it just does. Yeah, yeah. Cool.
Well, there you have it. But the new, the new GMC looks good. And let's move on over to Mercedes now. Mercedes, when you look at their, GLC, I remember having this, vehicle and, it, you know, it looks pretty traditional as a as far as a, SUV goes, but this is a plug in hybrid.
And the neat thing about this plug in hybrid is it gets 54 miles of range. It just tested by by the EPA. That's significant.
And I think that is one of the biggest things we're going to see in plug in hybrids. The range will continue to go up. And we're going to talk a little bit more about this GLC and some of the things behind it. And we're also going to talk about the Volkswagen. ID buzz.
So stay tuned for that and more on cruise control with Fred Staab and Les Jackson. Cruise control. Hey, welcome back to Cruise Control. We were talking before the break about the Mercedes. GLC plug in hybrid, 54 mile range on the on the battery when it's when it's been charged again, which is really handy if you live anywhere near an urban area. Yeah.
Because that's a day or two of of, basically free miles. Yeah. And, and and the vehicle itself is a good size. I've, I've tested them and, it doesn't feel big.
It's roomy inside, but it, it it feels nimble and, it's pretty easy to park. Yeah. Because it's not long, past the wheels. Also, it's for a Mercedes.
It's really not terribly expensive. Yeah, I would say that. And also it it has, combined output. The motor is 134 horsepower.
The combined outputs 313, which is not bad at all. Way back when that would have been considered, like, wow, 313 horsepower. But that's not bad at all. 406 pound feet of torque. Quality piece here. And as you said, as far as Mercedes go, it's not bad.
There's, $59,900, trim. That is the standard. The exclusive trim is 61,005 50. And then, the, pinnacle trim is 63,500, which features something called a digital light with projections.
I don't know what. I have no idea what that is. Maybe. It does have heat and noise insulating glass, which I. Yeah, that's a good thing. Yeah.
You know, I think, it's interesting, if you look at all of the things like the exclusive trim has things that I don't know if I would need, like the Burmester 3D surround system, a parking package with surround view. That's that's part of the take away. That's nice. Yeah.
Something called a guard 360 with picture taking functionality. I guess if some bozo is looking to damage your vehicle, enhanced ambient lighting. Nice. But, you know, you know. Okay.
Illuminated door sills. Nice if it has it, but, you know. But otherwise, I don't want to pay. For it. Yeah. I'm not, I'm not.
You know, it's not like, you know, but, really, you get a lot in the, in the standard model, you get, navigation, you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital vehicle key, keyless go and start, Park tronic, DC fast charging, mobile flex charging, cable, self-leveling system and center airbag. Probably the base model is is pretty good at it. You know, the other things really you don't need them, unless that you want it specifically. If you want a big boom box inside the car, then you buy the big sound system. I'm going to venture a guess that that's what is on the dealer's lot. The mid the mid model.
Right, right. And and heads up display. Which I really like, but I don't think I'd want to spend $3,000 more for it now. But 11 finishes, 11 different exterior colors, and 13 different upholstery selections and six wheel designs. Yeah, that's pretty cool. That's actually quite a selection.
Yeah. I don't know where this one's built. Is this built in, where do they have their. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know, but it's pretty nice looking vehicle. I look forward to driving it.
I like that 59 miles of range. I'm hoping we see more plug in hybrids that get more range. And, I think I think you will, I believe I might be wrong. And a lot of people were wondering about this.
There's a Chinese version of the Equinox, Chevy Equinox that gets almost 100 miles of electric range and then becomes a hybrid then. So once you've run out of, you know, the battery, you know, you got to balance that too, because maybe 100 miles. Is it because the good thing about plug in hybrids is a lot of times the battery is so small, you can charge it with a regular 120 volt plug and that in fact, some of them don't even have the high speed charging. That and that's that's significant because most people only have convenient, one 20 volt.
Yeah. So in the case of this Mercedes, it does give you the high speed charging. But I've definitely been in some that don't that they just don't they don't have it. So but you might want high speed charging for our next vehicle.
Yes. It is making its way to the U.S and that is the ID buzz from Volkswagen. I told you I was in, Europe, the end of last year, and I actually saw an ID buzz in a parking lot. It was so tightly parked, I don't know how the guy got out of it, but, a lot of people have been waiting for this van for for years. And, this has all electric.
It has a starting mSRP of 59,995 for the process, with an estimated range of 234 for rear wheel drive models and for their for motion all wheel drive 231, which is interesting. Three three miles. Yeah. Off. You can get the interiors and kind of traditional kind of luxury look or the kind of fun white kind of, you know, fun look.
I guess some of them look like high end minivan interiors. Others look like a kind of a funky, funky VW bus look. Unfortunately, the model you can't get in the US is the the delivery van model, which I think is cool with no windows on the side. And and it's just a delivery van. I think that would look cool. I really do as a two tone delivery van with some cool little.
Yeah, You know, but. American. Like the old 24 window, microbus. That's awfully, awfully attractive. That is awfully attractive. Yes. Wouldn't you want to, though, have that, like the old van and say,
you could have, like, a fun logo on the side? Oh, yeah, I would name it, but moon, doggy moon. Okay. So the price.
So then there's the, Pro s plus, and then there's the launch only first edition. I think we only have, no, we have pricing on on all of them. No, we don't. We just have pricing.
It starts at 59,995 and goes up. With the, the first launch only is 65 for 95. Oh, okay. It is. There it is. And last is 63 495.
Not much difference. And the launch version in four motion all wheel drive is $70,000. Well, we're we're getting up there in price. Yeah.
In coolness. It's cheap. Yeah, yeah.
So will this make what is virtually a minivan cool again? I think so. Yeah. I think this will bring back. It, it kind of defines youth. It defines, playfulness.
It defines a whole bunch of things. Well, does it define it, though, for the current generation? That may not remember. I mean, I remember these things running around with the flower power stickers when I was a kid. You know. Well. And the rear and typically the engine compartment latch didn't work.
And it would always like take off. It would fly up and then fly down. That's right. But but what this does is it gives the newer generations an excuse, gives them an identity that they can kind of kind of go after.
Okay. Which is what the previous one did. Well, that might hold next for this vehicle. What about the 60th anniversary? Mustang. Looking very good.
This is a color that they brought back, for the 60th anniversary. And it's the Britney blue color. And, you know, the Mustang is all about special editions. And this is a 60 year anniversary. One gets unique. 20 inch wheels finish in dark gravity gray.
They get the classic heritage gauges, which a lot of people could get as an over-the-air update, which I think is very cool. And the new grille with a unique mesh design is a callback to the 1964 original with the with the pony in the center, Brembo brakes, which is neat and unique. Badging. You know, all about all about classic, and special editions, right? Well, you're right in this one, of course, looks, very reminiscent of the original Ford fastback.
Mustang fastback. Yeah. Everybody loves Mustang. Everybody has a mustang story. Yeah, yeah. And this, this particular version of the Mustang is a good looking version.
And as you know. It does look good. They basically own the V8 rear wheel drive pony car, though. They are. That's it. They are, they are, they are it. Yes.
Well we are it. I guess we could do that. When we come back. We're going to go at the wheel for the Elantra N.
Very fun sporty vehicle. Stay tuned. That's right. Cruise control.
And welcome back to Cruise Control, your on air automotive magazine. It's at the wheel time less. And this time we're going to look at the refreshed 2024 Hyundai Elantra N. And this starts life as an Elantra, which is a pretty sporty car affordable car.
But let me tell you, a lot of times when people take a small, affordable car and upgrade it to a performance vehicle, it feels like they kind of put badges on it and wheels and maybe, you know, a few parts here and there, not with this Elantra N, this feels like the car was built to be this way. It is. Well, detailed and everything about this, the engineers really went well into it. A matter of fact, the design of the Elantra itself, with this kind of origami, style lines on the side, I think works well for this performance vehicle.
But they've gone through everything bracing up the rear chassis, mounting the steering, gear on a firmer mounting to give it better feel. They have gone through this thing with a fine tooth comb and made it a really great handling, sporty vehicle. And, that's what I love about it.
And for 2024, it gets a redesigned bumper fascia, redesigned dual projected headlights, and, redesigned 19 inch forged alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport for summer tires and re designed, redesigned bumper, fascia and diffuser. So let's talk about this vehicle. This is quite the vehicle. It's an interesting kind of, powder blue color, I would say. Which is that which is an upcharge, but, you know, it's got the spoiler, it's got the exhaust, it's got the black trim, it's got the red trim. And, it's a it's a real standout.
It really is. This is, performance. Blue is the color. And that with the red pops and the red, calipers and the black wheels is, is really a nice thing. I tell you, it got a lot of people, like, I would just be sitting there at a stoplight and people would pull up and look, look at it back and forth, you know, and not really know what it was. I would say, but also it has four door versatility. It has a trunk.
You can easily take it to the grocery store. You can easily take it on a trip. I think Hyundai has done a great job here. They have a spoiler on the back, almost like A01 Corvette spoiler, but it's not gaudy, it's not huge. It's back there. But let's go on the inside.
On the inside, you'll notice it's got these kind of racing seats. They're lit. The logo, the N logo lights up, which I love. There's an Alcantara insert which is always nice. An upgrade on any performance car, nice bolsters bolstering, nice stitching, and, the interior feels nicely upgraded. Okay, so, there is, a, DCT transmission, which does a good job of, the, gear changes.
There's two paddles, on the steering wheel. You can change your drive mode with one and the one on the right. This is one of my favorite things. There's the standard gauge package, but it will turn it into one of the coolest, easy to read performance gauge packages. There's also the ingress, which this will give the, engine more horsepower for 20s and change the shifting.
And it's designed to put a grin on your face. Basically nicely integrated Alcantara into the door panel. So nice upgrade there. They haven't forgotten those out back Alcantara seats.
Yes, your view is blocked by the big race seats in the front, but hey, so what? You get a nice back seat. You even get a couple of, usb-C connectors. Overall, they've done a nice job of upgrading the standard interior Alcantara everywhere with a nice stitching design in it, the updated seats, the LED lights. All good, all good. Now out back you still have a big trunk. Which is which is really great to have.
And you'll also notice they've done in the the tunnel that goes between where the seats fold down and the trunk. They've added this brace to the car to, to stiffen up the whole chassis. Once again, they've really gone through this vehicle and they have, really dialed it in 276 horsepower from the four cylinder turbo. Nice job under the hood.
Making it look really cool. And, you know it. This was kind of a beast on the road, and you could open the exhaust up and get the little popping back if you wanted to, or you can quieted down. I just I just found it fun to drive, and, really, it will stop. Well, two 14.2in front and 12.4in rear ventilated brake rotors. That 2.0, liter turbocharged four gets
276 horsepower, 289 pound feet of torque, multi-link independent suspension, eight speed wet dual clutch DCT transmission with paddle shifters and corner carving dish for rental n Grin control. That's that red button that we told you about. Rack mounted, motor driven power steering, which they put on a heavier duty bracket so it feels good.
The rear chassis brace, the sport exhaust with variable valve positions. I tell you, they've gone through everything quality tires, Michelin Pilot Sport 45, summer tires. You know, they haven't just thrown anything on here. They have done a really good job of detailing this.
Air intake on the front is designed, to get more air to the brakes. They insulated the brake lines so they don't fade, up front, isn't it? I mean, I've never seen something so detailed. Normally you get stickers and a louder exhaust, you know, and maybe nice wheels. The engineers at Hyundai and Kia, or they're just don't want to produce anything that isn't well thought out.
Exactly, exactly. This is a pocket rocket, and it still turns respectable economy. 20, city 27, highway 23 for an aggregate number, which is not bad at all. It's not rated safety wise. Rollover it.
Though it does get five stars, but it's not rated otherwise. And, I just find it, a fun little car, I really do. I like the looks of it. Are you a fan of the performance? Blue. I like that blue.
That's that's really a very attractive blue. It wasn't upcharge $470. I like the fact that it's a usable performance car. I like the lighted seats. I've never seen that on the seat. Have you seen a lighted logo on it? See, see, I thought, well, that's kind of cool, I don't and Alcantara inserts. I mean that is that is a nice thing if you're going to be a fun autocross car, don't you think it would.
It would be. Well, it's it would just be fun overall. You know, it's like a it's the closest thing or equal to a GTI golf that yes, comes out of, comes out of Asia. But it, but it's bigger, has a bigger back seat, it has a bigger trunk. It would sort of like if they did a little bit higher performance.
Jetta. It's GLA if they did a more, higher performance Gli. That would be good.
But the grin button was fun. That was fun to get that. Well, of course it is a. Little. Less expensive than the Germans.
Well, let's talk about that. Mr.. Segway manufacturer's suggested retail price 35,200. You go for that performance, blue. Yep.
They call it the ex-FBI paint for 70 Inland Freight and Handling, which is, 1150
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