Yes, The $355 Umbrella Holder Is Real, And No, We Don’t Want It

Infiniti QX80 Overview & Trims

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Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast. All right, time now for this hour's car review. Mr. Mars has the Infinity QX80 to talk about.

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The big Infinity QX80. Now this is the 2025 Infinity QX80 Autograph Trim Level, all-wheel drive. Now there are four different trim levels, and starting with the pure, the Lux, the Sensory, and the Autograph. So we had, I mean, yes, so we had the top of the line, and it comes with all-wheel drive. That's just the way you're going to get it. Now, the final assembly for this vehicle is in LA. So it's actually one of the cars that's built, put together, assembled in the United States. It's been redesigned for 2025. This so this starts the third generation of this particular vehicle. And again, we were talking about the autograph all-wheel drive. It comes with a standard seven-passenger. It's a seven-passenger vehicle, but you can get an optional bench seat in the second row so that you can make it eight-passenger. It's considered a standard SUV, but to me, this is a very large, full-size SUV. But your government says it is a standard. Now, outside

Exterior Design And Features

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you're going to find a very large, distinct, distinctive grille, got sharp LED headlights on it, got uh auto folding, heated outside mirrors, got roof rails on it, got a motion-activated liftgate panoramic moonroof, not a sunroof, but a moon roof. And this is just a big vehicle. 22-inch wheels that contribute to the luxury SUV look on it and the stance on it. Now inside, you're going to find quilted leather upholstery. That too. Front seats are heated, ventilated, and massaging. The second row, another set of captain's chairs, are also heated, ventilated, and massaging. The third row is heated as well. And there are touch screens back there for the passengers to use. Up front, you're going to find a 14.3-inch center touch screen. You're going to find the digital instrument cluster for the driver, as well as a heads-up display. And it's got that digital rear view mirror that I think just about everybody ought to go to. Just a much nicer view of what's behind you, even with a lot of people in the back. Technology, it's wireless phone charger. It's got a Google app in it, which gave me some issues because I like Apple CarPlay and I had to adapt not very well. Android Auto. Now it did have the 24-speaker clips.

Cabin Tech, Comfort, And Audio

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And it's very nice when you're talking on the phone because it puts that phone conversation much easier than the other.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

But you still ignore them anyway, like you do us here on the show.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Well, but he's got you blocked. Yeah, you just blocked him. The worst part is it's so much bigger to put that in there. It's already a big headrest. It's bigger. If you're trying to look to your side, like we were taught to drive that way, look back, you can't see. Has anybody told you that? Yeah. Not in the last five minutes. The other thing we had, I wanted to point out, we had the optional umbrella holder at 350 meters. Dang. 355. Here, hold this. Yeah, yeah.

Powertrain, Towing, And Fuel Economy

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We had a 3.5 liter V6 twin turbo, which is the only engine that's available. Up to, because it's a variable uh compression on the turbo, it's up to 450 horsepower, 516-pound feet of torque, backed by a nine-speed automatic. So this vehicle can tow up to 8,500 pounds. Now the EPA says in the city you should be looking for 16 highway 19 combined 17. Now I drove 433.5 miles in this vehicle and got 18.7 overall. I was very happy with that uh with the mileage that I put on it.

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Since it weighs about 10 tons.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Absolutely. Uh one thing about the ride handling, it does have the air ride suspension, so the highway ride is smooth. It's pretty quiet. Unless you really hammer that V6, and then you kind of hear a little bit of engine noise. But if you're just driving uh easing up to cruise speed at even at uh I-10 speeds, you're just fine. Around town, it is very quiet. It is easy to drive, but you've

Ride, Pricing, And Competitors

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got to remember it's a big vehicle. So when you go to Parkisting, you know you're driving a big vehicle. Now, base model price, $82,450. But just wait, just hold on. Base trim price, $109,900. And the Anastasia price with the $355 optional umbrella holder is $113,965.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Yeah, I don't want the umbrella holder. Pocket change, take a look at the market change.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

They've got people right up there in the driveway here at the Hemi Hideout taking that money right now. They're waiting for it. One of them just fainted.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Now, some people may be looking at other things like that, kind of like Escalade that starts at $88,100. The Lincoln Navigator starts at $99,995, which surprised me. Or even the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer that starts at $84,945. So this is the new Infinity QX 80. This is their big SUV, and if you're looking for something in that category, you really ought to look at this one.

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All right. Thank you, Mr. Mars. The NWL Time Car Talk Show continues after this

Six-Wheel Vehicles: Pros And Cons

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quick break.

unknown 5:11

Pro Am on.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

What? Yeah, six wheelers. Everybody's gotta have one. Uh my information on this is is golden because six-wheelers, six-wheel drive vehicles, why is it important? Well, vehicles aren't just for show anymore. However, there are many reasons why a vehicle might need six wheels, which means these vehicles have three axles, Mike, not just two. So these vehicles are usually trucks, jeeps, all-terrain vehicles. Six-wheel vehicles aren't just for show, like we said. So here we go. For example, drivers who need to transport heavy goods or transverse rough slippery terrain, uh, six wheels will benefit that vehicle. Advantages. Using six wheels comes with many pros, including weight distribution, improved traction, and increased stability. Better weight distribution, the six-wheel vehicles are highly effective. Transporting heavy, unwieldy cargo, standard two-wheel axles can't do. Because better, the weight distribution is more evenly spaced out, reducing the strain on the wheels. Improved traction. Thanks to added weight to the increased number of wheels, you won't have to worry about your vehicle slipping and sliding on the range slick road. This is because the extra weight in wheels produce more traction. Because of the enhanced traction, six-wheel vehicles perform exceptionally well driving in mud, sand, snow, and that off-road area. So, disadvantages? Here we go. There are many reasons why a driver would prefer six-wheels, one with four wheels. Six-wheel vehicles aren't but uh they are uh more difficult to repair, more expensive to maintain. They also are much harder to drive because of the increased weight. Complex and lengthy repairs. When it comes to drawbacks of the six-wheel drive, most obvious is the one that repairs significantly more complicated, not to mention expensive. Three-wheel uh three pairs of wheels can be difficult to manage because you'll need to track and significantly buy more parts at the disadvantage for that vehicle. In addition, there are more there are significantly more components to your vehicle. You will carry around more tools, spare parts, and your vehicles should be in great shape if you're gonna do that. But increase maintenance costs. One of the biggest reasons the six-wheel vehicles aren't available in all automotive types is that they take up tremendous amounts of space when you repair them, and a lot of maintenance. Where do you get something like that fixed? You can uh you can just come to my house. Uh vehicle drag and weight, well, we all know it's bigger, but bigger is better. Uh this means the driving of a vehicle with six wheels can feel slower, clunkier, and sluggish. Heavy vehicles also consume more fuel, so since more power is required to move that big weight, you need more fuel. Wheels are heavy, same can be said for the chassis. It's designed to accommodate three pairs of wheels. So there you go. That's why you need one. I see I think I saw like two in the

Sponsor Breaks And Show Plugs

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past year, actually on the road. They're pretty.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

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EV Review: Sharp Long-Wheelbase SUV

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Final assembly location, Ramos, Arispe, Mexico. Oh, come on. That's what it is. It comes in three trim levels, LT, RS, and SS. I have the SS all-wheel drive. This is a small, what is considered a small SUV. The wheelbase on it is like a limousine. It uh seats five. Uh this year the new SS trim debuts. The vehicle itself was all new in 2024. Long wheelbase makes a visual that is definitely noteworthy. And you stand out away from it, and you look at it from the side and thinking, my God, the wheelbase goes on forever. To me, this is one of the sharpest-looking designs in the EV class overall. Sculpted sides, complex, modern grill without a blank grill panel in it. I can't stand it. Why do they why do they do that on this electric vehicle? It's kind of like, oh well, we don't know what to do with it, so we'll just put a blank panel in it. Because there's no radiator. Uh yeah, okay. Fastback, sloping roof line with integrated sunshade over the rear glass. What I liked about it. The big wheel well filling the wheel wells uh with tires, and uh it looks good. We could use improvement, but nothing.

Interior UX, Range, And Value

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High marks for exterior design. On the inside, the interior highlights include a 17-inch huge infotainment screen that melds behind the instrument cluster screen. Works well, it looks good. Operating system is excellent and is easy to understand and operate. Comfortable seating with nice materials throughout. Uh love the shifter stock on the column. It removes the bulky shifter down on the console to leave room for your cell phone charger, cup holders, the stuff that you really need. You how often do you use the shifter? I like the stock that they've come up with. It works well. You've got the same one in your uh viewing. Uh cargo room, plenty behind the second row of seats. What I like. Overall, great user-friendly design, great family vehicle. What could use improvement? Uh it should come with its own trophy. Engine, well, it's all electric. It's rated at 615 horsepower. That's a lot. 650 pound feet of torque. It is obviously electric, so electric motors to direct drive. Miles per gallon, if you want to drill it down to that. They claim 92 in the city and a highway of 77 for a combined of 85 miles per gallon E, which is electric. I got 2.7 miles per kilowatt hour, and I didn't do the math because I don't know how to do it. Okay. It's over 238.7 miles. What, Mars? No, I don't that's so why so if they're going to drill it down and give me a figure that I can understand 92 miles per gallon in the city, E, and 77 highway for a combined of 85. Why can't they put that on the windowstick? And say, here, here, here, here, this is it. No. Instead, it's 2.7 miles per kilowatt hour. You do the math. I don't I don't know how to do the math. No, no, no. 238.7 miles to drove it. Plenty of power if I could use improvement. I don't know, nothing. Uh Ryan Handling rode great, like a great big limo, and it was heavy. The weight? 5,730 pounds. And it felt like it. It felt like a big, heavy limousine. But you know what? It only takes a few it takes a few drives, and you that that goes out of your mind. You don't really think about it.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

More than a NASCAR car, pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yes. Uh base trim price, $60,600. So keep that in mind. $60,600. Uh prices tested $64,180. You can get in one of these, not the SS model, for $44.6. I would definitely, if you're in for an EV, I would definitely check this out. Uh it still have the $7,500 tax credit. It's not going to be lasting much longer. And of course, you know, uh GM is about to pass on those tariffs, at least in

Cadillac Ranch: Car Culture Stop

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some form, so keep that in mind. Now, uh competitors. The Ford Mustang Mach E starts at $37,995. Okay. The GT model, which you would compare to this one that I drove. Remember, I told you that it's 646. The GT model on the Ford uh is 56,490. As a matter of fact, let's just do it that way. The Tesla model Y compares favorably to it. Uh the performance model of the Tesla model Y is 52880. And the Hyundai Ionic 5 XRT, which is their performance model, uh $57,100. So it's right in there with those.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

So if you're looking at it, it's on the high end, but it's still in there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Yeah. Well, for an electric car, it it fits.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Yeah, and but with the review that you just gave it, and it's a sharp-looking vehicle, yeah, you could get all that money. I I I tell you, man, I really liked it. I don't think I wrote in that one, but uh we did see it. Yes, it's a nice car. It is very nice.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email. The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

We'll be back right after.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Okay, inside Jeff's mom. We gotta load it. Close that door. The infamous Cadillac Ranch. And I understand that you actually have been to the Cadillac. I have been there. Have you ever been there? Yes, sir. I've never been there either. But it's in the middle of Penn of Nike nowhere.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Yeah, I went through there one night about two o'clock in the morning and I couldn't see it.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

Well, you couldn't see it anyway. Even if it were there and you passed it by knowing you at two o'clock in the morning, no, you

Volvo EX40: Trims And Design

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wouldn't have been able to see it.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

All right. Yeah, I have been, and it's been about 15 years. I remember uh when Kylie Kylie was on a show, granddaughter. She was a baby, and I was out there on a business uh excursion, and I said I gotta do it. So here we go. Okay, we'll go. Uh when stepping foot on the field, because it is in a field, you're more likely to hear a mixture of languages from French to German to British English being spoken, and it probably has the most diverse languages than the UN. So grab a spray can, uh, get some paint rollers or whatever you want, grab your camera, and let's go to the Cadillac Ranch. The story behind the art is this a unique piece of art is the brainchild of an American artist billionaire Stanley Marsh III. He was determined to create a baffling piece of public art that would shake the locals up. So he enlisted the help of his San Francisco friends, artists and hippies, Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michaels. The trio referred to themselves as the Ant Farm. Go figure. I don't know. The Ant Farm put uh time in constructing a one-of-a-kind artwork, while Stanley Marsh III decided to assume the position of a silent partner. In 1974, the Ant Farm came up with an eye-catching display of public art known as the Cadillac Ranch. Its purpose, I don't know, uh, to show the evolution of Cadillac tail fins. Imagine that. Ten Cadillacs, starting with a 1949 Club Sedan and ending with a 1963 Sedan de Ville, were driven to one of Stanley Marsh's uh fields and placed nose down facing west in a straight line. Over the years, Cadillac Ranch has become a ritual site for passing travelers like I was and Mike was. Uh today the Cadillacs can still be seen nose down in the ground. As the years have passed, the old cars are now stripped of their original finishes and plastered with paint, which I did, and the exciting tourists

EX40 Interface Quirks And Safety

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eager to make their mark on the worn-down pieces of art. Despite the art being an open field, some of the Cadillac Ranch experience is very personal. Travelers near and far ventured to view the public art. So get out there if you're in the Amarillo area, uh, go out and see it. It's about a quarter mile walk from the road to the actual site itself. I painted it, I put my granddaughter's name on there and stopped at Walmart a few miles away, grab paint, all that good stuff. So the Cadillac Ranch was originally located in a wheat field, but in 1997 they moved it to this location and they get people. Oh, I didn't know that. They moved it. They moved it because of the expansion of the city that they were in would have taken over. That area. So um All right. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Very good. Excellent story. I've got a good story.

unknown 20:30

Join us.

SPEAKER_02 20:31

Okay, Mr. Morris.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

We're going to do it first. We're doing Michael Wooding. Uh, I haven't got him yet. He's on his way, he said.

unknown 20:39

Oh, God.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

Okay, so then you're gonna do your car review.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Let's do the car review. Now we're talking about the 2025 Volvo EX40 twin motor ultra all-wheel drive. Now, this vehicle, the final assembly point, is in Ghent, G-H-E-N-T, Belgium, which kind of surprised me. And uh the reality of it is this is new for 2025, but it's all based on the last year's XC40. So they took the XC40, they kind of rebuilt it and turned it into the EX40. Now, it's

Charging Costs, Range Math, And Rivals

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got parts, uh well, we're not even going into that. So it's got available trim levels. There's actually three trims, but you can kind of look at it at six because there's the core, the plus, and the ultra, but each one can have a single motor or a twin motor. So you can actually get six different variants of this vehicle. Seats five people. Um it's got a new battery, so it charges a little faster. And and uh I read something on Edmonds that it actually charges um ten percent faster. So it's kind of it's a few minutes. It was kind of weird to me that they would even talk about it being that. But anyway, would you like to start this car review over here? No, I'm just I'm trying to stick to the facts and not what I'm thinking. So it's got a lot of things on the outside of it, it's got pixel headlight technology, which, if you're not familiar with that, they actually have little cameras in the headlights that reads what the lighting is on the outside, cars coming at you and things like that, and it adjusts the brightness of your headlights accordingly. Yeah, get where there's no headlights or anything out there, it gets brighter. Yeah, mine does that. Does it? Well, does it have is it called pixel technology? That's first I'd heard of it. But anyway. Headlights, that's what we call them. It's got the LED fog lights, uh, got the power side mirrors, got a power sunroof, power lift gate, rolls on the optional, well, they're actually standard on the ultra trim level, the 20-inch alloy wheels. Now, the get into the interior of this thing. Uh, it's got the floor tunnel. Most EVs don't have the floor tunnel on them because it's still based on that XC40 from the previous year, so it's still got the tunnel in it, so it kind of takes up some of the feeding foot area room that you would expect to have in an EV. It's got a 12.3-inch digital driver display, got a nice nine-inch touchscreen center stack, which is very important, and we'll get to that in a moment. Got suede microtech interior, first row is seated, they they're heated and they're cool. The second row is heated. It is only a two-row vehicle, so which is a very good thing in this size of the vehicle. Got the sound surround view camera, it's got connections with Google and Apple and all these other things. Uh, and it has a digital owner's manual. I thought was rather interesting. Forget looking anything else up. Got the folding second row C, got a Harmon Cardin Premium audio system with 13 speakers, 600 watts subwoofer that is air vented, which is rather unusual. But switching back up to that nine-inch screen, that center stack, it's very important, and I'm surprised it's only that nine inches, and I think it could be a little bit bigger to help out because everything is there. Hold that right there, Jeff.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

Everybody wants it bigger.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Well, I know, but there's across the bottom, there's very it's minimal buttons, but everything is in that touch screen. So, for example, you get into it like a lot of EVs, you put your foot on the brake, put it in gear, it starts, and off you go. Great, love it,

Closing Sponsors And Where To Listen

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that's fine. But now you want to stop. You pull in your driveway and you want to get out. Now you can put it in there and you can sit there and say, get out. Well, it's gonna still be running. Or you can go over to the touch screen and you hit home and you go to the control panel and you go into the control panel, this that's two touches, then you've got to scroll to the bottom, because it's not all on the same screen, and you touch it again the third time, it says, I want to turn this vehicle off. Great, you can get out of your car, but when you do, it's still on, and it's very distressing whenever you get out, and the radio is still playing as you walk away. So, what you have to do once you push the again says, I want to turn this vehicle off, it's gonna come up and ask you, Are you sure you want to turn this vehicle off? And you have to tell it yes. Wow. So you've got to touch four times to be able to turn the vehicle off before you get out of it. I find that silly. Yeah, very whenever everybody else you could push it one time and say, Stop, I stopped.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

Well, the new GM EVs, you don't have to do any of that. You get in with the key in your pocket, put your foot on the brake, and it starts.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

I will say the other thing. The Volvo is known for their safety, they have this reputation for being a safe vehicle, and perhaps that's why they did it. Just like sometimes you jump in the car, you put it in gear, and you're gone, and you want to call somebody, but you didn't pair your phone. So normally you got to wait until you're stopped. Not in this car here. 60 miles an hour is when I did it. I'm sure you could probably do it a little faster, but you can pair your phone going down the highway at 60 miles an hour. Not that it's distracting or anything while you're driving, but you can do that in this Volvo. So you can do all these good things to make your life a little bit better. So uh again, twin electric motors on this vehicle that we had, 402 horsepower equivalent. Transmission is a direct derived, basically it's one speed, will be rated for towing 2,000 pounds. Um gross weight on this vehicle is 5,840 pounds, amazingly. Now the MPG, it says it's rated for 103 in the city, 85 on the highway, combined 94. I still haven't figured out how to convert all that stuff, so I did it a different way. I drove this vehicle 270 miles. I had to charge it twice. The total cost was $33.59 to go 270 miles. Now I took that same $33.59 and figured gasoline at $2.60 in my truck that gets 18 miles to the gallon, if not better. And I could go 232 miles versus the 270 that I went in the EV without spending two hours sitting at the Subaru dealer at 6 o'clock in the morning before he opens charging it. Uh, it's pretty easy to get into, and again, you can get in it and go as you need to. Turning it off is not so much. Uh, it rides and drives, it's heavy enough that it's absolutely going to ride and drive better. It's got there's no engine noise, got a little bit of road noise on it, but I mean it's not anything that's not unacceptable. Turn that Harman cardon stereo up and you override that. Um, as to the cost of it, now the base trim price on this vehicle would be $53,795. Now, the base model price is $62,004, and we had the base Ultra, I guess you would call it. The $62.045 was the MSRP as tested. Mercedes-Benz equivalent is an EQB, which used to be a GLB for $53,050, Audi QE Tron for $49.8, and the Genesis G V60 at $52,350. So it's in the same price as all these other guys, but again, you need to kind of be prepared to deal with the controls and the infotainment system that I think is a little too much problem. Needy. Too much involvement. Yes, it does. Absolutely too much involvement. But otherwise, if you're looking for something like that, uh, you might look at it. Otherwise, it's a nice looking car.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

Well, I've got it.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

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