This week we have the test results of the 2020 RAM 1500 Diesel pickup truck, and discuss its impressive ride, whether it is "diesel enough," and how it stacks up against competitors like the Chevrolet Silverado diesel in the half-ton truck segment. Honda recently unveiled a prototype of its popular Civic, and we talk about its new chassis, exterior styling, and cabin. Subaru also made news, revealing the new BRZ, and we discuss if it can retain its sporty DNA from the previous generation and its sister model Toyota 86? We also share some of the key changes to the new Acura MDX redesign. Can having your key fob in your car drain your car's battery? We answer that, and cover other topics including if cars can have a country of origin anymore, and which off-road vehicle would be a viable replacement for a vintage Land Rover Defender.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:00 – Introduction
00:27 – Preview: 2022 Honda Civic
04:32 – Preview: 2022 Subaru BRZ
06:44 – Preview: 2022 Acura MDX
08:54 – 2020 RAM 1500 Diesel Test Results
16:10 – Question #1: Could a key fob drain the car’s battery?
18:22 – Question #2: Where are most vehicles manufactured, and do cars have a country of origin anymore?
23:20 – Question #3: Which off-road vehicle would be a viable replacement for a vintage Land Rover Defender?
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Preview: Redesigned 2022 Honda Civic Hides Big Updates Under Conservatively Styled Exterior
Preview: 2022 Subaru BRZ Still Emphasizes Balance Over Brawn
Preview: 2022 Acura MDX Luxury SUV Has More Room and Adds a Performance Powertrain
2019 RAM 1500 Quick Drive
2019 RAM 1500 Drops Weight, Adds Luxury Touches, and Keeps Its Smooth Ride
Winter Driving Tips
How to Replace Your Car’s Key Fob
What Makes a car ‘American’?
Preview: 2021 Ford Bronco Reinvents a 4×4 Classic
Toyota 4Runner Review
4K Review: 2017 Jeep Compass Quick Drive
Coronavirus Resource Hub
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Wanted to buy the Ram diesel in the 1500 but it was not yet available in January 2019. Bought an F-150 with the diesel motor and love it. Will look again in two years.
I’m curious did CR follow up what happened to the oil dilution issues with Civic & CR-V 1.5T engines? Last time Jen asked owners to report stalling issues and drive ability issues in safercar dot gov.
In regard to the country of origin story. It would be interesting to understand where the most $ toward labor employment, or most profit is going. So if I buy a Volvo made in the US, by a Swedish company owned by a Chinese company where does the $40K of my US dollars end up?
GM’s Duramax and Ram’s Ecodiesel are great engines and I’m glad to see them taking a larger slice of the market. I live in an area (Seattle metro) where diesel is usually the same price as regular, so the price increase compared to the gas engine is a small price to pay up-front, and certainly a savings down the road, for what I think is a superior engine anyways. If I had to get a Ford, that Power Boost engine looks pretty sweet, though I’d be curious to see how well fuel economy stacks up down the road (Power Boost vs Power Stroke).
One interesting note about country of origin: anything that is made in Canada counts as “domestic” for the purpose of window sticker labeling. So a vehicle with 50% Canadian and 50% US parts would count as 100% domestic.
I was extremely surprised to see halogen lights on such a big and expensive truck.