Car Reliability Secrets with Consumer Reports, Winter Driving Tips, and a Preview of the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale

Consumer Reports

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast . It's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming up . We talk to Mike Quincy from Consumer Reports the most reliable and best car brands . It's going to be a good conversation . Jeff has winter driving knowledge that he wants to share . Mars has reviews of the new Alfa Romeo toenail Just ahead on this segment of the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show . Howdy Along with him , mike out of this world , mars , he are here . We always need more , jeff Zekin . I'm Don Armstrong . We gave David Ainsley , our chief engineer , the day off today . What , and guess what he's doing .

Speaker 1 0:46

He's probably not home yet .

Speaker 2 0:48

Probably not .

Speaker 1 0:50

From that bar , that'll go unnamed from last night yeah unnamed bar . Good for you . David , so thanks so much for joining us . You know , when we got up this morning it was rainy . It was dreary , moisture in the air , just blech kind of a day . And stepped outside just a minute ago and going , wow , there's sunshine , not to say that it's not supposed to rain here .

Speaker 2 1:10

Yeah it's supposed to rain , but at least it's 70 degrees outside .

Speaker 1 1:14

You can't we can't knock that from all of the things that we've seen on the news about places around the great lakes and eastward oh yeah , where the weather is really ugly Iowa's getting hammered yesterday , I believe Really .

Speaker 3 1:28

Like up where Mike Quincy is with Consumer Reports .

Speaker 2 1:31

Well , Mike Quincy can brave it .

Speaker 1 1:32

He's a good guy , Well you know what we need to do . We just need to go ahead and get the weather report from Mike Quincy . Consumer Reports . Mike Quincy , good morning to you , sir . Hey guys .

Speaker 4 1:41

Morning to you , sir . Hey guys , How's it going today ?

Speaker 1 1:42

Well , it's going a lot better than it is in a lot of the northeast . You got snow up there .

Speaker 4 1:48

We had snow . It did melt because we had this torrential rainstorm , but the last couple days it's been freezing cold . I don't know if you can see I'm layered up , but I was born and bred in New England so I'm used to this kind of stuff . But no , I do miss the warm winters that I had when I lived in Austin , Texas .

Speaker 2 2:08

There you go . We'll send you some about July yeah .

Speaker 4 2:14

I think I'll stick with New England . Yeah , exactly I don't blame you .

Speaker 1 2:17

So , mike , great news , another great report from Consumer Reports the most reliable cars and the best car brands . Let's start with the most reliable cars Now . Give me a little background on the research criteria in developing this list .

Speaker 4 2:35

Sure . So every year we send out surveys to Consumer Reports members and we basically ask them to tell us about any problems that they've been having with their car over the last 12 months , and our trouble spots include major components like engines , battery packs and whatnot , but we also include in-car electronics , squeaks and rattles and things like that , and that makes up our predicted reliability , and we have new information for the 2025 models , as well as lots and lots of information for used cars as well . But we're also looking at owner satisfaction , which is part of our surveys , and we're looking at the amount of crash test data that we have on cars , as well as standard active safety features , and that kind of goes up to give an overall score not only on the brand level , but also on the model level .

Speaker 1 3:23

How big is the research base ? How many people ?

Speaker 4 3:28

We have several million subscribers , not several . I'm not exactly sure what our latest subscriber numbers are , but they're still pretty robust . The number that I guess I want you and your viewers and listeners to take away is we have about 300,000 cars in our survey , so it is among the most robust automotive surveys out there .

Speaker 1 3:50

Yeah , and I guess that the one thing that you know whether you like Consumer Reports or you don't like Consumer Reports and I knew somebody that all Consumer Reports Well , I will tell you what I like it . I like your criteria , I like what you do as far as testing new cars and I like this sort of stuff . These are the things that really drive the thing home with me when it comes to new cars and when you're trying to purchase one , what are you going to use ? Are you going to go with your gut and your eyes ? Are you going to go ? Well , that's got a really pretty shape . I'm going to buy that . And then you wind up buying it and it spends most of its time in the penitentiary dealership service department .

Speaker 2 4:30

Well , to that point , who else does this type of research ? I don't know of anybody else ?

Speaker 3 4:34

Who else does this type ?

Speaker 2 4:35

Yeah , there aren't any , and the ones that do try aren't reliable .

Speaker 4 4:51

Right , and I've spoken with other journalists who will sometimes publish information that says Consumer Reports doesn't like fill in the blank and it has nothing to do with whether or not we like the car . It has to do with test results . We have a 327 acre test facility . We independently buy all of our test models . We don't take any advertising , so it really has nothing to do with liking a car . I mean , I really like the redesigned mustang gt . It's one of my favorite cars that I drove in the last 12 months . However , the reliability data isn't looking too good on it . That doesn't you know that the data is what the data is or the data are what the data are . I never get that right , but , um , but so it just . People tell us about their cars , we crunch the data and we publish the results and some models are up , some models are down , some models lose their reliability ranking compared to the last year because their reliability got worse , and that's just the way that the data goes .

Speaker 1 5:38

And I think , one of the things that we need to keep in mind here . You know , when we talk about car companies , we're talking about designers and we're talking about assemblers . For the most part , they don't make the parts . They design them , they send them out to these companies that actually print them , paste them , put them together , do all the things , and then they send them to the factory and they put them together .

Speaker 2 6:02

Did you ever have a chance ? When you get a vehicle in and you're testing it , you're thinking , oh , this thing's a piece of you-know-what and it's not going to be great . And then opposite happens you get all the positive results . Do things like that happen ?

Speaker 4 6:13

Oh , absolutely . Sometimes cars don't look good on paper but then they turn out to have great braking distances , they get better fuel economy than we expected , zero to 60 times are quicker , they have great emergency handling and then the exact opposite Some cars look great on paper but they fail miserably in our testing . I mean you can't ever just like generalize , you can't just assume anything . I mean our latest reliability survey shows that you know . I mean our latest reliability survey shows that you know . The one time Toyota Lexus always on the Mount Rushmore of reliability and consumer reports data . But they've done a lot of extensive redesigns , they've introduced a lot of new technology and now they've been bumped out of the number one and number two spot by .

Speaker 4 6:59

Subaru . So it's just like you can never assume anything . We give reliability from a brand level , but even within that , even within the most reliable brands , you still have to go to the model level and study that individual reliability .

Speaker 1 7:15

So let's talk about the top 10 most reliable cars . Let's start with number 10 . You got that .

Speaker 4 7:22

Actually , I got the top five . There you go . That's perfect , but we do have time constraints .

Speaker 1 7:24

I got the top five . There you go . That's perfect , but we do have time constraints , so let's do top five .

Speaker 4 7:29

Okay , so the most reliable models in Consumer Reports Reliability Survey continue to be from the Japanese manufacturer . I'm talking about the Toyota RAV4 , the Toyota Corolla , the RAV4 plug-in . The Mazda Miata Yay , love that car . And the Toyota RAV4 plug-in . The Mazda Miata yay , love that car . And the Toyota RAV4 hybrid . One interesting note among the most reliable models is the BMW i4 , which is not only a super reliable car , it's our most reliable electric vehicle and it kind of . That's why I was saying you really have to dive into the model level , because overall , electric vehicles , plug-in hybrids are less reliable than internal combustion engine vehicles . But there are exceptions to the rule . For example , toyota has a lot of experience with their plug-in rav4 . Um , well , used to call it the prime , but now it's just called the rav4 plug-in . So so any kind of problems that they had in the beginning , they've really worked out those issues and , on the other hand , with the domestics , they don't have a lot of experience with plug-ins and with electric vehicles and a lot of their models are among the worst in our reliability .

Speaker 1 8:39

But where do the gasoline engines actually fit in any of this ? Are there any of those that are the most reliable ?

Speaker 4 8:48

oh sure , well sure . I mean the toyota corolla and the miata . Those are just basic internal combustion engines . That they're . They're super reliable . I mean the the higher tech the manufacturers go with their redesigns . Generally speaking , the more problems they're having . Mazda has has had an incredible run of reliability for years . They introduced their new CX-90 SUV . It was a really again . We talked about how it looks on paper . This was a rear-wheel drive design , inline , six-cylinder engine . All of that makes all the sense in the world . But they brought in all this new tech . They have a plug-in hybrid version and it's had nothing but reliability problems . So you know , the advice for you and for all of your listeners is , when a redesign comes out , look at how high tech it is and maybe wait a year or two for the manufacturer to work out the problem .

Speaker 1 9:40

And that is the mindset that I've had since I've been in the car business , and that's been a long time . Look , it comes out , it's brand new . Oh my gosh , I got to have one . Please hold back on that desire and the want to go to the dealership .

Speaker 3 9:55

Pump the brakes . Yeah , pump the brakes , that's it . Pump the brakes .

Speaker 1 9:59

Speaking of which , let's talk now about the best car brands . Where does that stand ?

Speaker 4 10:06

Well , as I mentioned before , Subaru has really done a stellar job . Mentioned before , subaru has really done a stellar job . They have combined reliability , great performance in consumer reports testing and high reliability and owner satisfaction scores , and they are doing also great with their brand report card . We're also looking at some of the luxury models that also did well , and that includes BMW , lexus , porsche , uh , audi . Uh , they're in the top 10 . Uh , these are models that do well in Consumer Reports testing . Uh , we really , we really like the idea of . I mean , just in terms of it doesn't you can't just say , well , all the Japanese cars are this or all the German cars are that . Again , I , I sound like a broken , but you have to get down to the model level to really get an idea of which models and which brands make the best .

Speaker 1 10:56

Yeah , because they continually upgrade or change the models throughout the lineup , not all at once . So you've got to really pay attention to what is the new one and what is the one that really has come back up on its reliability score through the years . And that's the one that really has come back up on its reliability score through the years and that's the one that I would be attracted to .

Speaker 2 11:13

And what is transferred from model to model ? They try something on one model and it works pretty good . Let's try it on this other one , and it works , yeah .

Car Reliability & Winter Driving

Speaker 4 11:21

You talked about pumping the brakes on a new design or , in this case , a new brand , for example , rivian , which makes pretty cool-looking EVs . Case , a new brand , for example , rivian , which makes pretty cool looking EVs . They have a pickup truck , they have an SUV , but their reliability is absolutely abysmal . So maybe you want to be the first on your block to have it but , as we just talked about , better wait a couple of years before you can figure out , because they're a new manufacturer and the auto business is tough .

Speaker 1 11:53

Well , let me say this I think I'm going to go for the Fisker . Yeah , I mean , you know , I don't know where the dealer is , because I haven't found one or see one anywhere , and apparently they've all gone belly up . And what do you do now ?

Speaker 4 12:09

Mike , the reliability Go ahead we actually bought a fisker , we tested it I read that and it was a turd you know , for for people that are not necessarily up to speed with uh ev lingo , um , fisker bricked that that if the screen died , the power train died , you almost couldn't even move it . I mean , again , it's really hard to start a car company or even , in Fiskars case , restart the car company . I mean , you know , y'all remember when GM brought out Saturn right , saturn was like a new car company , a new brand , a new approach to everything , all the resources that General Motors had at their disposal to make Saturn into something new . And they still put it in the garbage can . So how does a manufacturer like Fisker or Rivian without the deep pockets of General Motors do it ?

Speaker 2 13:11

So you said that you'll buy all the cars that you test . So who got lucky owning the Fisker or Rivian without the deep pockets of General Motors do it ? So you said that you'll buy all the cars that you test . So who got lucky owning the Fisker after it was all said ?

Speaker 1 13:17

and done . Yeah , no , no . But the real question is how much money did you lose on the ?

Speaker 2 13:21

resale . The other question I have is the reliability . Does it matter where in the world the car is built for the reliability aspect of it ?

Speaker 4 13:32

Does it matter where in the world the car is built for the reliability aspect of it ? No , no , where the car is produced is not a factor . I mean it's just the data . I mean the domestic manufacturers have manufacturing facilities in Canada , in Mexico . A lot of the foreign companies build vehicles in the South , but you've got a huge plant in Texas for Toyota trucks . So if we need to kind of source where a vehicle is built , to kind of figure out why there's variations for example right now the Colorado Canyon GMs of midsize SUVs , I mean pickup trucks . They're both among the most unreliable . We call those twins . Now there have been times in the past when we saw reliability variations with the twin . You remember the brand Eagle .

Speaker 1 14:20

Yes , eagle .

Speaker 4 14:22

So there was , like the Eagle Talon and the Mitsubishi variant , the Eclipse , and we saw different reliability information because they were they were built at different times at different places , even though they had the same components . So when there are variations with twins then we'll report it .

Speaker 1 14:40

But more often than not these days it's all being standardized and if they're there , if one is bad , the other is bad too yeah , because for the most part that I know of those brothers , sisters , whatever you want to call them , they go down the same assembly line . They just get different bumpers , lights , that sort of stuff . For the most part .

Speaker 4 15:00

Right , but you also have different people working those assembly lines , so there can be variations from that perspective .

Speaker 4 15:10

I mean , mass production , you know , as we've talked about , is is tough . It's tough to get it right all the time . Even brands like Toyota are having issues . Toyota redesigned their , their , their Tacoma pickup truck that usually has been such rock solid reliability . But but we're we're . The data that we're getting back on is showing they're having some issues with , with their with and interior quality problems and this is not lost on Toyota . Toyota is real diligent about fixing stuff and I wouldn't expect that any of their models that are even average in reliability will stay average for much longer .

Speaker 1 15:49

Mike , where can we get this information for our viewers , our listeners , our followers ?

Speaker 4 15:55

Well , you've got to consumerreportsorg and the very smart people in our communications department reminded me . If your viewers and listeners go to crorg backslash in real time , they can get 10% off a yearly digital membership at Consumer Reports . So let's plug you guys and let's plug us .

Speaker 1 16:15

And guess what I did . So I get one of the pieces of mail that you guys send out regularly about Consumer Reports , and you know subscribe . And so I thought you know I'm going to subscribe . Did I put the in-wheel time discount in there ?

Speaker 4 16:30

No , because I forgot , okay , well , you know you can lead a horse to water , but you can't lead a horse to water , that's exactly right .

Speaker 2 16:39

We beat this old horse here To death pretty much .

Speaker 1 16:42

Mike , it's great to talk to you . Thanks so much for joining us today . Tell everybody up there we said hi and Merry Christmas to you if we don't talk to you beforehand .

Speaker 4 16:49

Stay warm , michael , thanks very much for having me on .

Speaker 1 16:52

Thank you , Thank you hey the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show is available 24-7 on the In Wheel Time and Odyssey radio apps . Just search for In Wheel Time Car Talk and podcasts are available from your favorite podcast provider . We also video stream our weekly show on Facebook , youtube and InWheelTimecom . 10 to noon every Saturday Central Time . The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will continue right after this quick break .

Speaker 1 17:16

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Speaker 1 18:21

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Speaker 2 19:24

This week we're going to talk about winter driving knowledge .

Speaker 1 19:27

Do you know how to drive in the winter ? You know I used to , but it's been so long since I've been in winter weather it's been difficult . Matter of fact , I was fortunate enough have ford sent me out to uh portland oregon oh boy I don't remember what car it was , but it was kind of a spring , kind of winter spring , part of the slush and it was a lot of slush . You got to learn how to drive in the slush .

Speaker 2 19:54

Well , this can transfer over to summer as well . You have to prepare your vehicle . You have to prepare when you drive , where you're going , how you're going to get there . So here

Winter Driving Safety Precautions

Speaker 2 20:02

we go . Winter weather can be unpredictable and dangerous , especially when driving . On average , winter weather directly or indirectly contributes to over a half a million vehicular accidents in the United States . The National Traffic Safety Administration does claim this . You can get reports from them as well .

Speaker 2 20:21

Preparing your vehicle , taking precautions before heading out , makes a big difference . One of the things we want you to do is check the weather before you go . Make sure that the weather forecast and all the warnings before heading out , that you understand them . Visit the National Weather Service on their sites . Go to the Weather Channel . If roads in your path are in poor condition , consider postponing or non-essential travel until the road's clear . Consider leaving early or changing your departure to avoid being in the storm . Winter vehicle is ready is yours ? Make sure that the vehicle is ready by having a mechanic check it for potential emergency issues . Make sure the antifreeze levels are up , the battery , the ignition systems work properly . Check your brakes and the tire pressure . Antifreeze levels are very , very important . What you got there , mike , I don't know , something came up here .

Speaker 3 21:09

Okay , we'll let you go there we go .

Speaker 2 21:12

Maintain your vehicle , make sure you've got a full tank of gas . Prevent fuel line freeze-up and all those good things . If you have an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle , keep your battery charged . It minimizes the drain on the battery when you're driving . One of the other things is remove all the snow and all the slush and ice from your vehicle . Adds weight to the vehicle . Plus , it's dangerous if it gets in your windshield area and you can't get it done with your wiper blades . Slow down , increase your distance and following . I've got a process on my car that you can set the distance on how far you want your car to break . That's always a good thing .

Speaker 2 21:47

Avoid sudden movements . Don't be doing Joey Chitwood acts out there and try to slide around or do any skid pads . But if you do get into a skid , always remember stare into it . Use your headlights . A lot of state laws either snow or rain , you have to have your lights on . I know that Florida is one of them . There's many around the country that do have that , so make sure your headlights are on . You can see where you're going . Like we said , know how to handle the skid . Turn back into the skid as your vehicle is sliding , don't try to overcorrect and again , don't do any . Joey Chitwood activities .

Speaker 3 22:23

Does anybody know who Joey Chitwood is anymore ? I do , and that's all that matters .

Speaker 2 22:25

Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle Jumper cables , flares , reflective triangles , ice scraper , snow shovel . I still have an ice scraper in my garage . You know your credit card works as a pretty good ice scraper too . Yeah , you can buy yourself a snow shovel with that credit card . So use these tips . Don't be doing stuff stupid out there . Get your vehicle prepared .

Speaker 1 22:47

That's all I got to say . Be prepared , be prepared . That's the Boy Scout marching song . Be prepared , mars , are you prepared ? I am pro-so prepared . Ladies and gentlemen , Mr Mike Mars reviews the Alfa Romeo Tonale . I mean Tonale .

Speaker 3 23:02

Okay , yes , this is the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale , tributo Italiano , e-all-wheel Drive meaning it's plug-in hybrid .

Speaker 1 23:13

This is a man from Neiderville Texas , trying to talk Italian . Yeah , yeah , okay .

Speaker 3 23:17

It doesn't work at home either . Can you say spaghetti ?

Speaker 3 23:19

So , for 2025 , this particular vehicle . There's two trim levels . There's the base level and then there's the tribute that we are driving . So it's kind of a special edition and again it is a plug-in hybrid , all-wheel drive . It's a small luxury SUV . Seats five people . Okay .

Speaker 3 23:39

Now , up front you're going to find that there's some tri-lobe LED headlights and it's got the tri-lobe taillights . So there's three different little pieces of it and it looks really cool , particularly at night . Got rain sensing wipers up front , got the black roof option . So we got the blacked-out grille , got blacked-out trim , including the side mirror caps . The side mirrors are heated and folding and it's got a hands-free lift gate with a 20 by 8 inch aluminum wheels , which creates a really nice look , particularly with the green that we were driving . Uh , the interior , the perforated leather seating it's got red undertones through it , so you kind of see the red underneath kind of come bleeds through it . It's a different look and it'll work on you really well . You'll like it , I think .

Speaker 3 24:18

Heated front seats got 60 40 folding rear seats . Got a driver has a 12.3 inch display in front of him . That's got all this . We used to call the gauge package , but it's got all his information and he can change some of that , around 10.25 inch touch monitor in the middle . That's where you're going to find your uconnect 5 , your harman kardon audio controls , your apple carplay or google android , depending on what all you want to do your heating , your cooling , it's all right . There got large paddle shifters . Now when I say large , I'm saying large like they blend in behind the steering wheel so they're looking at them . They look like , oh , this will be really cool , but to me they're a little too far away . I've got to reach a little bit far for them , but they're there and they work , I guess . Well , I mean , I'm not sure why . Anyway , so the drivetrain .

Speaker 1 25:06

It's .

Speaker 3 25:06

Italian . It's Italian , it's a 1.3 liter inline four , up underneath the hood but there is a rear axle E motor . This is where you get your e all-wheel drive from , because the e runs the rear wheels , so you've got four-wheel drive out of it , or all-wheel drive . It's got a 285 horsepower equivalent . It's got a six-speed automatic transmission with it . Now the fuel economy on this thing it's kind of good luck , yeah . So , um , gas and electric , the . The EPA says you should be looking for 71 mpg equivalent , 29 miles per gallon gas only and an EPA range of 30 , e range of 33 miles . Now I drove the thing 131 point miles . This is a premium vehicle , premium fuel vehicle , by the way . So I got 31.6 miles per gallon on this vehicle . I actually got 50 miles on the battery of it and I drove it 80 miles on the gasoline .

Speaker 1 26:00

I thought that you didn't use the battery , you didn't charge the battery .

Speaker 3 26:03

It regenerates a little bit if you drive it far .

Speaker 1 26:05

Very little .

Speaker 3 26:05

Yeah , very little . That's why it only went about 17 miles further than what the battery did over the whole time . So it was not much because I did not plug it in and try it . The nine plus hours kind of pushed me away from that idea , particularly with the number of vehicles . I got my driveway Long story , another story . But driving it around town it's pretty quick . Steering it's easy to get around town because of the size of it , the responsive steering , so it's pretty easy to drive Out on the highway . I thought it had a fairly firm ride and I also noticed that when the gasoline engine kicks in and starts running , you get a noticeable increase in exterior noise , whether it's road noise , the motor noise , whatever , because it's so quiet whenever the e-motor is running . It kind of makes it even more .

Speaker 3 26:47

Now , base model price you're going to look at 36 495 , but don't , don't look at that . Go look at the base trim price for this special edition at 51 995 . But that has tested because we didn't have much options . But it's $59,630 . Now the best I could find to compare it to is the Lexus NX450 hybrid $58,000 starting . The BMW X1 xDrive hybrid $50,000 . The Volvo XCc40 recharge starts at 48 000 . So there's a lot of choices . If you get in there and you start looking at that small luxury suv , uh , I did get a lot of compliments on this car from , particularly the color and the shape of it . So , uh , if you are looking at that category , you ought to look at it , and that's my review of the 2025 alfa romeo tonale tributo italiano .

Speaker 1 27:38

I wanted to remind everybody that today's In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show is sponsored by Loopy Tortilla , tex-mex , gulf Coast Auto Shield and Pro-Am Auto Accessories . The In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues right after this quick break . The holidays are upon us and Pro-Am Auto Accessories is your local one-stop for the auto enthusiast on your gift list . Pro-am Auto has been serving Houston since 1984 , providing world-class products for sports cars , european sedans and American muscle . Pro-am was one of the very first distributors in the US for brands such as Recaro , redline , momo Corbo and Simpson . Located in the heart of Houston's premier shopping corridor , the Galleria area , pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom with installation and service bays . Pro-am reaches a worldwide audience through ProAmAutocom , taking its local reputation to the rest of the world . Holiday gift-giving is alive and well at Pro-Am Auto . If you don't see what you're looking for on the website , call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand . Pro-am Auto , 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area . Call them at 713-781-7755 .

Speaker 1 28:51

The award-winning In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show brings you great guest interviews each week , from manufacturers and suppliers to the aftermarket , racers , enthusiasts and other friends just like you and me who love to talk about all things automotive . The In Real Time Car Talk Show takes you to the road , too , with remotes at popular cruise inns and shows In Real Time's live video and audio stream can be found on the Odyssey Radio app , youtube , facebook and InRealTimecom every Saturday 10 to noon Central Time , or grab a podcast anytime from your favorite podcast provider . That's it for this podcast episode of the InWheelTime Car Show . I'm Don Armstrong , inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook , youtube , twitch and our InWheelTimecom website . Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts , spotify Stitcher , iheart Podcast , podcast Addict , tunein , pandora and Amazon Music . Keep listening and we'll see you soon .