A truck named Zack! Lot’s of PHEV questions? // QCC #229
Welcome to the Motormouth YouTube channel. I’m Zach. I’m Andrea. And this is Questions Coffee and Cars 229. You said before we started, but I forgot already. How do you get questions in? Follow along on Instagram at motormouth_andrea. Every Sunday I put a post out asking for questions. Once we gather them, the post is deleted and we start the show. Time now for questions, coffee, and cars. Your questions from Instagram. I have a 2024 Toyota Supra that I love, but want to get into something more practical yet still fun to drive. Looking at the Lexus IS- 350 and the BMW 340i. Interested in your thoughts on both. We’re in northern Alberta. Well, the IS 350 got a refresh and I actually think the interior looks really good. Got some tweaks to the exterior. I like that model a lot. It’s not only reliable, but is actually kind of fun for a Lexus. And then, of course, you’ve got the BMW, uh, which is always a fun one to drive as well. So, I don’t think the is has arrived yet. Um, so the new one has been released, but I don’t think it’s actually arrived yet. Um, so the thing is that if you’ve got the Supra with the inline 6, you’ve got the same power plant that you would get in the BMW. So, you’re kind of familiar with that and that is uh legend status. But then on the other side, um the Lexus is legend status when it comes to reliability. Are you going to keep this car long term? Doesn’t sound like you keep your cars long term if you’re flipping out of one already. Um so there’s no wrong answer there. The is surprisingly good handling car, but but still always a Lexus. It’s never going to feel raw. No comfortable. Um, the F-S Sport 2 in Canada starts at 62,000 and the F-S Sport design in the US all-wheel drive is 47,000. So, priced really well. And then the BMW 692 for a starting price in Canada and 637 in the US. So, how much is in Canada in Canada? What are we talking about? The is 62. It’s good price. Uh, you have to decide what you want. Go drive them. see if they have them. And um I don’t know if your if your whole mo is ultimate reliability and resale, get the Lexus. And I’m sure they have a 2025 model Lexus on the lot. They didn’t change the powertrain, so it’s going to handle the exact same. 2026 Lexus NX450H plus, which we just reviewed, versus the regular RX 350H Premium. Okay, the NX is a few thousand cheaper out the door, but seems a bit more cramped. So, basically, you’re going for the plug-in NX, which is the smaller one, or the hybrid of the larger RX. This is a tricky one, Andrea. We’re going to do a 3,21, you and I, and we’re going to see what uh Sorry, you and me. You and me. Yes. And uh we’ll see which one we choose. Okay. In three, two, one. RX. RX. I look, I just find the NX is a little bit cramped. I agree with you. I like the powertrain that’s offered in that plug-in hybrid. The fact that you can stay in EV mode at high speeds is pretty amazing, especially if you’re staying within that EV range daily. So, a lot of positives with that NX plug-in hybrid, but I just feel like you get more with the RX. And I’d rather just get the hybrid. When you go into the RX from the NX, you like you drive it and you’re like, “Oh, yeah. This is a more substantial vehicle for sure.” When driving a plug-in hybrid, is pure EV mode. In pure EV mode, does one notice much less torque power considering the electric motor is responsible roughly for a third of the total power only. It depends on the car. And some of them you get u back to the NX. We drove it last week and because we plug it in, most of the time we’re driving just on the electric, but Andrea did the one shot where she’s I’m in this car at filming her from behind on the sort of kind of quasi highway and then I said, “Okay, hit it.” And then you accelerate away and it’s staying in EV mode and it’s just not the same. It just doesn’t have the snap. No, it doesn’t. So, a lot of plug-in hybrid systems um don’t necessarily work that way that um like the way the NX works, if you have it in EV mode, it stays in EV mode, which there are benefits to that for sure, but other plug-in hybrid systems when you really accelerate and you need that extra power, then the gas engine just comes on automatically to give you the most power that it can at the time. So, another great example of what you’re talking about is we recently did the plug-in version of the Cayenne and that’s got a turbocharged V6 and it’s got the electric motor and you’re using the electric motor, but then when you put your foot all the way into it, the whole thing lights up and away you go, which is going to give you But I’ve yet to meet a a plugin that doesn’t have that delay and then all of a sudden, whack, you get you get it all coming on together. But they’re getting better at that. Yeah, it takes time for the system to kind of talk to each other and say, “Okay, here we go.” Hyundai and Kia models definitely when you get on the highway and you accelerate there, that plug-in hybrid system, uh, the gas engine comes on right away to give you that extra power. So, it kind of depends on what you like. What are your thoughts on the Prius? I noticed that you don’t recommend it as often as something like the Civic Hybrid. Is there something about the Prius that you don’t like? I think for Prius it’s price and they’ve moved the Prius more up market but you got to remember 10 years ago for hybrids Prius did kind of all the heavy lifting then they brought in um you know the Corolla hybrid they brought in the RAV 4 hybrid and now there’s more hybrids so they’ve made Prius kind of like a specialty car now um but the there are other options that are cheaper and I think that’s one reason why you we don’t talk about it as much. Yeah. And also, some people who get in the Prius find that there isn’t enough headroom for them and there’s some visibility issues. It’s not that I don’t uh like the Prius. I actually think that the styling is so much nicer. It even handles better than the uh former Prius model. It delivers great fuel economy. So, it does a lot well. But the question is, if there’s only a few trims that are available, you’re going to pay top dollar for a Prius. And if it’s not an affordable option, let’s say, like the Civic or the Corolla Hybrid, then um you know, it’s it’s difficult to recommend something like that when there’s But there’s so many more less uh there’s cheaper alternatives. Like I was saying, 10 years ago, they introduced maybe a little more than 10 years ago, they introduced a RAV 4 hybrid and then the sales of that took off and then all of a sudden they have a Corolla Cross hybrid. So the sales of that have taken off and then they have a Corolla hybrid and it’s all-wheel drive. And so there are so many more options now for vying for your dollar. So when we actually give a recommendation, the Prius and the Civic, they’re out of step with each other when it comes to price. The Civic is better value. And then you take a look at the Camry hybrid and that base model is priced really well. So you’re moving into a midsize hybrid sedan and there’s a ton of value there. So some people will say, “Oh, do I get the Civic hybrid or do I get the Camry hybrid?” Rarely do we hear, “Do we get the Civic hybrid or the Accord hybrid or Accord hybrid and the Camry hybrid?” They’re actually comparing the Civic to the Camry because the Camry is priced so well. Well, then you start, that’s what I’m saying. They’ve moved Prius up market and then when you start looking at how much value there is in a Camry, it’s like get the Camry. Mhm. So, here’s just a comment that I wanted to use because it’s based on a question that we answered recently. I just want to say thank you for using my question in a recent QCNC episode number 225. That was a good one. I thought that one was a really good one. A good one. I thought I thought we did great. Well, that that’s why I’m reading this because it makes us sound really great. Oh, okay. Uh, I asked a question about Kia skipping the 2026 year Telluride in favor of the 2027 Kia Tellide. I did not mean to get Andrea riled up, but listen, we were on a we were on a a trip and Andrea was straight time messaging people from Kia. Yeah, because it the information I was getting I knew wasn’t correct, so I kind of pushed them on it. I’m glad that she was able to ask and get the answers to a question that every other reviewer was just nonchalantly glossing over. Glad that we have the mighty Andrea and you too, Zach, to ask the big car company executives the questions that they don’t want to voluntarily answer. To the both of you, I say keep up the great work or good work. Well, and it’s it’s it’s interesting because a big part of our job is the relationships that we have with the brands. Um, and it’s interesting because this morning, Andrea, I’m in the basement and uh on my laptop and Andrea comes down, she goes, “Oh, someone reached out to us from Tesla in the United States.” And I said, “Well, isn’t that interesting? Tesla in the United States. Maybe things aren’t going as well as they used to be.” And they’re like reaching out to us. But the contacts we have with the car company, people that we know that we can get answers is vital to what we do because when we’re in their company, we ask a lot of questions, a lot of questions. And in regards to the person who reached out from Tesla in the US, it was actually an introduction because we recently got a Model Y from a dealership. And so now I guess we’re being moved to actually speak with someone from the PR team. So, we are there’s no PR team. It’s their marketing department because Tesla doesn’t have a PR department. Well, anyway, the marketing department has reached out and uh we’re trying to work on getting a model 3 to review. So, you guys stay tuned for that. What are your thoughts on the recently released pricing for the 2026 Kia EV5? Zach and I were just talking about that. Well, the EV5 um really impressed us. First of all, let’s just talk about what it is. The EV5 is basically the electric version of the Kia Sportage or Sportage. Roughly the same size, uh slightly different styling on the outside, but if you’re looking at a compact utility vehicle from a brand like uh like Kia, now they have a pure electrified version and they’re trying to keep the price down. This vehicle will not be sold in the United States due to tariffs. Uh Canada has a free trade agreement with South Korea, so the cars will come in um with no restrictions and uh we both really thought it was very well done. So what about the pricing? Yeah, the the pricing is good. There’s lots of trims. I was actually surprised by how many trims that are being offered. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options um are available. So including freight PDI and fees, it starts at just over $465,000 and then that top trim climbs to just over $64.5,000. So I think that almost $20,000 in difference in pricing. Yeah. So I think that the lower uh trims are priced okay, but it’s only frontwheel drive. Yes. However, that top trim is now getting into EV6 and Ionic 5 territory. Tesla Model Y. Tesla Model Y. Like you look at the price in Canada and it’s under $65,000 for that Model Y. You know, all contained unless you want to get the full self-driving, which is an extra $11,000. Now, I did look at the specs. I kind of went through them for you. And the there is one trim that I thought was pretty well equipped, the Land trim uh in Canada, and it’s 53,000. So this is the problem we have there though, right? Yeah. This is the problem we have is like people are like, “Oh yeah, we should always switching to electric.” But even, you know, with no duty coming in and um they’re expensive and it’s got to be the just the right buyer. So, we were talking before we turned the camera on. It’s like, what’s the endgame for these companies bringing all these EVs? And we were just picking up a Subaru today and we’re at the auto mall and there’s like all of these all of these electric vehicles, all the General Motors trucks and SUVs, all the EVs parked there. Uh Hyundai had a whole bunch. Um, you know, are they just going to stack up and and are they eventually going to just cry uncle and say we’re not going to do it anymore? I don’t know. I don’t know. It we drove by a Kia dealership. They had plenty of EV9s. Uh we drove by a Hyundai dealership, plenty of Ionic 9ines, Ionic sixes, Ionic fives. Like there’s a lot on the lot. And then like as Zach said, you go by GM and you’ve got Cadillacs and you’ve got a lot of Chevy trucks. Um anyway, it is what it is right now with EVs. I had hoped for a lower starting price on that front-wheel drive model. I’ll have to be honest with you with the EV5. Um, and I think that the top trim price is a little bit too high. So, you’ve got to find something in the middle that works for you. It is a good vehicle. Yeah, they did a good job. Interestingly, I saw it on one of the feeds I have that they’re doing across the board blanket discount for Kia EVs in the United States. And it was a big number. I don’t want to quote the number because I I I’m kind of confused on what I remember it being, but anyway, it was it was like over $10,000 on all of their EVs. It’s just like that’s where you’re at if you want to move an EV. So, to your point, if you like the EV5, wait a while and there will be money on the hood for sure. And we talk about the ID Buds from Volkswagen and that’s up at 80,000 Canadian and then they dropped at $20,000 or 21,000. and you’re like, “Wow, what about the poor guy who bought it for 80 the schmuck?” Update and question. I like it when we get updates and questions. This is I guess the question was from QCC 151 and I asked, “Should I sell my 2021 RAV 4 hybrid for a 2025 Maverick?” Well, I did and it’s awesome. I even named it Zach because we know Zach really wants one. My question is, I’m getting better fuel economy with this pickup compared to the RAV 4. I’ve read that the Toyota I’ve read that Toyota is more conservative with its electric engine use versus the Maverick. Do you think more use of the electric engine will reduce its longevity or is the Ford technology just better? That’s why the fuel economy is better. Well, it’s interesting because I’m first of all, I love that you called it Zach and I absolutely love the Maverick. I just think the Maverick is one of those it’s just a great product. like they just did a really good job with that. And I love the fuel econ. Every time we drive it, it gets better fuel economy than is posted. So that’s incredible. And then when we get a Ford Escape hybrid, it’s so close to the RAV 4 in terms of fuel economy that it’s, you know, it’s basically a tie. So those products use what’s called a planetary gear set, which is different than say Hyundai, Kia, and other hybrid uh makers. Uh, so that’s almost the same as Toyota’s system, which is why they’re able to get that. Whether they’re leaning more on the EV mo electric motor, I don’t think it’s going to damage the electric motor at all if they if they use it more. No, I think it’s fine as well. Front-wheel drive models of the Escape get better fuel economy as uh does the Maverick front-wheel drive models. So, I don’t know if you bought front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, but either way, both of them deliver great fuel economy, and it’s such a excellent truck. The only thing I find is that top trim is certainly getting up there in price for what you get. Everything’s expensive. Yeah. Enjoy your show and watch every episode. Amazed at the huge difference in pricing of vehicles between the US and Canada. Can Canadians buy in the US and drive into Canada or is there a lot of red tape involved? Well, there’s no red tape involved with getting a car across the border. Um the problem lies in that the car companies basically tell the dealers that they’re only allowed to sell to people um in in the country or they pay they get penalties. So you can go and buy a used car. So if you went down to say if a Canadian went down to the states and they found a car that was like um a used car that was less than a year old or whatever that could drive across the border no problem. Mhm. I mean, there are tax implications. There are fees. Uh there are companies that do this for you, so they make sure that your eyes are dotted and your tees are crossed and it does make it easier. But there are people who do do it and they do it on their own. The issue is you need to double check if the warranty is honored. So, you might buy a vehicle in the US and then ship it to Canada and that warranty is not honored. And I read online that Honda and Toyota don’t um honor their warranties. It’s not transferable basically. Um maybe honoring warranty isn’t the right term. Let’s just say not transferable. Uh so you need to look more into that. Um that’s why I think sometimes just hiring a company to do it. Well, you’re using brokerage company. Yeah. And there’s a brokerage companies that will get it across the border. You also have to find out if the uh safety regulations have been harmonized on both sides of the border. Used to have a big issue with the regs being different for Canada and the US. And to get a car across the border for Mercedes-Benz, you’d have to change bumpers and it would be like a huge amount of money. I think that’s all kind of now being harmonized. But double check. But yeah, the big difference is that we’re buying cars with Canadian dollars. Actually, cars are all cars are purchased with US dollars. Um but we have to convert. So when they bring a car in from the United States, whether it’s an F-150 or whatever, that transaction actually is in US dollars and then Canadians have to buy it, which is one of the reasons why cars are so expensive here. Yeah. And sometimes when you look at Volkswagen, for example, if you were to buy the vehicle in the US, it’s actually cheaper in Canada once you do the exchange. So sometimes it’s just easier to buy the vehicle in your own country. Interestingly, as you go up in the higher echelons of cars like Porsche, um, high-end Mercedes, they’re cheaper in Canada with the exchange rate. So, we say we’ll pick a $100,000 car, it should be $130 something,000 in Canada. And often instead of being $100,000 in the US, it’s 120. So, you actually save quite a bit on the exchange. Great videos and content. Thank you. I was interested to know why the new BMW X5X drive 50E removed the feature of being able to charge the battery using the engine. You are right. They did change it. There is a battery hold button. Um so you can hold what’s in the battery and save your EV range for later. Now, the other option is to put the hold battery function on, pop it in sport mode, and then it uses the regen braking more aggressively. Um, and some people have said, “Yeah, I can kind of charge up the battery a little bit that way.” Uh, but I know it’s kind of a shame. I assume they do it for fuel economy. I suspect this is an EU regulation thing. So when whenever we have a German car and you like Andrea’s out trying to get pictures of the car for Instagram or I’m doing the cutaway shots of the car, as soon as you get out of the car, it all shuts off. I know. Like as soon as you open the door, the whole car switches off. So every time you get in the car, you got to restart it. So what Andrew and I have to do is we actually have to climb over the center console, get out the pass, and trick the car to thinking that you’re still in the car so the lights will stay on. So that’s an that’s an EU regulation. The other one, thank God we don’t have is as soon as you get in a car in Europe, the speed warning comes on. So you’re driving along, we’ll just use miles per uh hour. Miles Miles per hour. Yeah. So you get up to 30 miles an hour. As soon as you get there, it goes bing bing and every single time you get in the car, you have to switch the alarm off. Yeah. So, my guess is the EU regulations have said because we know that plug-in vehicles are less efficient than just the regular gas models when the battery is depleted that they don’t want people doing that. So, they’re making them plug it in. That’s my That’s my guess. And it’s probably one of the worst ways to charge your battery is by using the gas engine. I’m not sure why people would want to do that. I get why you would want to hold um your range within the battery uh because maybe you’re going to be in the city and you’re going to be driving at uh a slower pace and I think that makes a lot of sense. But I um it’s just not fuel efficient to do it that way. I remember this was a year or two ago, there was a movement of foot to actually get rid of plug-in hybrids in Europe because they found that most people don’t plug them in. And when they’re not plugged in and the battery is depleted because they’re heavier, they actually use more fuel. So, if the end goal is to use less fuel, maybe that’s why they’re making you plug it in. Could be. Will you guys be driving the new Nissan Pathfinder anytime soon? New? Is it new? No. Refreshed. Mhm. Uh, so it’s got updated technology, tweaks to the exterior and interior, some extra standard features, but it keeps the V6. That’s a big deal because with the QX60, did I get it right? QX60, they went to a Turbo 4, we thought maybe they do the same with Pathfinder, but now that the uh the EPA regulations are basically out the window, there we’ll stick with a V6. Um, yeah, we’ll we’ll get it when it’ll when it comes in the press fleet. We will definitely drive it. We have a Rogue. We have a Rogue coming up soon. I know that’s booked. And there’s a Rogue plug-in hybrid that is coming and I assume that’s going to end up in the Presley. So, there are some vehicles we do need to drive from Nissan that we’ve missed recently because we were in Japan. The Nissan Sentra, the new Leaf, new Leaf booked, the Pathfinder, and the Rogue plug-in hybrid. So, we’re just waiting on all these to come in and then we will get to it. All right. How do you get a question in? Follow along on Instagram at motormouth_andrea. Every Sunday I put a post out asking for questions. It’s only up for a short time and then it gets deleted once we gather our questions. Talk to you next time. Thanks for watching.
This is a Motormouth couple car video answering your questions from Instagram, like:
0:00 Intro
0:24 Lexus IS350 or BMW 340M?
2:32 NX PHEV or RX HEV?
3:45 PHEV power delivery?
5:37 Thoughts on Prius?
8:09 Kia skipping 2026 Telluride?
10:16 Kia EV5 pricing?
14:14 Maverick beats RAV4 hybrid!
16:08 Buying a US Car for Canada?
19:01 No charging while driving in BMW?
21:42 Will we drive the new Pathfinder?
Andrea Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motormouth_andrea/
Zack Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motormouth_auto/
