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2024 Land Cruiser-palooza and 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 43 | Autoblog Podcast #792

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd for a news-packed discussion that starts with the story of the week: the official return of the Toyota Land Cruiser for 2024. That's not the only big news item to cover since our last installment, however. Seven major automakers have announced a joint venture to create an "open" American EV charging network as an alternative to Tesla's Supercharger network. Also, Mini showed off a new digital dashboard. After news, Byron talks about his time with the sporty 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Greg closes the book on the 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid. After that, they spend your money. This week, it's a European sedan showdown with a modern twist.  Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #792 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 43 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid News 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser debuts with retro looks, mid-$50,000 price 7 major automakers to build open EV charging network 2025 Mini Cooper reveals its OLED screen, retro gauges and dog assistant Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Why it's difficult to accurately test the efficiency of a plug-in car

When it comes to electric vehicles and plug-ins in general, the Environmental Protection Agency-certified range is a hugely important number. While actual range anxiety is largely psychological, the magic number does provide a point of comparison of buyers considering one EV over another. The driving distance is also often touted by automakers when marketing their models. Unfortunately, as Green Car Reports finds in a recent deep dive, the way the EPA calculates the figure is a convoluted mess, and discovering the reasons why is definitely worth the read. The issue isn't about bad science but instead comes down to vague wording. The EPA's accepted range test is sourced from an evaluation called J-1634 from the Society of Automotive Engineers, and it seems to provide balanced results for vehicles that automatically reach a single state of charge when plugged in. However for models with multiple charge settings, the situation gets complicated very quickly. Of course, these modes are often created in the software, meaning that a car's certified driving distance can change with just a few taps of the keyboard without the real world results owners might experience actually changing. By showing the test's effects on the certified range for the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf and Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive over the last few years, Green Car Reports makes a compelling argument that it's the evaluation that needs to change. Thankfully, it appears that the solution is a very simple one. Get the details here.

XCAR marks 20-year anniversary of Senna's passing with Mercedes 190E Cosworth

While the automotive world is focusing on the twentieth anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death, there was much, much more to the legendary driver than his untimely passing at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
XCAR has the story of a younger Senna, who, by a stroke of luck, found himself matched up against a veritable dream team of nine Formula One champions, not to mention a cadre of German touring car aces. A "probably still pissed (drunk)" James Hunt, hard-driving Niki Lauda and future champion and rival Alain Prost, were in attendance for the one-off, spec race, which was put on by Mercedes-Benz, in honor of the opening of the Nürburgring's Grand Prix circuit. And Senna was on hand with the explicit goal of besting them all.
Each driver was handed a lightly modified, but brand-new 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, a car that can best be though of as the distant ancestor of the lovable C63 AMG. As for the race itself, well, it was sort of like an introduction of what the sport could come to expect from the Brazilian.