America on the Road Jack Nerad - Host

Many think that we in America should change the way we get around every day, increasing our use of public transportation, electric cars and commuting by bicycle much as they do in Europe. But is that a practical solution for the average American? To find out, Host Jack Nerad traveled to two major European capitals — London and Copenhagen — to find out how Europeans get to work, to the grocery store and to all the other places they need to go on a day-to-day basis.



Over the course of a week in Europe, Nerad took about every kind of European transport imaginable, from planes to trains, subways, cabs, canal boats, and…well, even walking. After sampling them all he's come to some definite conclusions.



In this episode of America on the Road, he will share what he discovered. In a discussion with Co-Host Chris Teague, he will offer his thoughts on how the typical American would react to the European style of transport. He’ll point out the positives and negatives of how they travel “over there.”



In the road test portion of this week’s show, Teague will deliver his thoughts on his week-long evaluation of the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4 X AEV Edition. It’s not only a mouthful, but it is also the most off-road-capable GMC Canyon ever.



Also in the road test segment, Nerad will outline his findings after a week of driving the luxurious $99,000 Genesis G90 AWD 3.5T E-Supercharger. Can it compete with the op large luxury sedans from the vaunted German makes? Is the E-Supercharger really a thing?



Leading the news this week, there is a lot going on at Tesla as the company tries to get Elon’s Musk’s multi-billion-dollar back pay reinstated at the same time that the company is laying off 10 percent of its workforce. We have more on that soap opera in this week’s show.



While Tesla is struggling, Ford and Honda have issues of their own. Ford is recalling nearly half a million vehicles over sudden loss of power, while Honda is dealing with an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its automatic emergency braking system that sometimes hits the brakes when there is no emergency. We’ll have details on both stories.



And Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford just told an industry gathering that politicians are a big problem for the auto industry. Hmm, this just in? We’ll have more of his remarks and our comments as this week’s AOTR rolls into your ear canals. Thank you for joining us.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

The 2025 Ram 1500 light-duty pickup truck isn’t all new, but its changes are more significant than the typical mid-cycle refresh. The biggest change is the substitution of the new twin-turbo Hurricane inline-6 for the legendary HEMI V-8. But there is a lot more to it than that, as chief engineer Doug Killian tells us in an exclusive interview.



At the truck’s introductory drive event Host Jack Nerad sat down for a lengthy and insightful discussion with Killian on the heavily revised truck. From the engine, to the suspension, to the special changes Ram made in the cabin, Killian and Nerad look at them all.



In this week’s road test segment, AOTR Co-Host Chris Teague slipped behind the wheel of a new model many Americans probably haven’t heard of yet — the 2024 Buick Envista Avenir. Its the top-level trim of Buick’s latest effort to build and market an affordable entry-level SUV. Does it hit the right marks? Teague tells us in this episode.



At the same time, Nerad will report on his recent road test of the 2024 Hyundai Tucson PHEV Limited, one of the most appealing mass-market compact utes he’s driven in a long time. With plenty of horsepower, tons of interior space, and a handy size, the Tucson plug-in hybrid is an especially appealing vehicle. But it does have at least one shortcoming, which Nerad will reveal in this episode.



Leading the news this week, Toyota has just unveiled its all-new 2025 4Runner, and it has Co-Host Chris very excited. We’ll have plenty of details on the all-new generation coming up.



If you are about to trade in your current car and you haven’t finished making the payments on it, you might be in for a nasty shock. We’ll tell you all about that and what you can do about it coming up.



Acura has just announced a new entry-level SUV that will go on sale next year. While details are scarce, speculation is rampant. We’ll tell you what we know and what we suspect is coming up.



So we have a lot of show for you this week. Thanks for joining us.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

You could say the Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear is the unexpected Lightning. Sporting 37-inch tires and outrageous bodywork, the Ford Performance on- and off-road demonstrator vehicle doesn’t simply get stares for how it looks but also for what it can do. That’s because the stuff it can do is pretty epic.



In this week’s show we get behind the scenes of this amazing one-off truck in an interview with one of its key development engineers, Sri Pakkam. He’l give us the details on why Ford decided to build the truck, the challenges the development team has faced and what it hopes the truck can acomplish.



Designed and built in collaboration with RTR Vehicles and inspired by the 2016 F-150 RTR Ultimate Fun-Haver project vehicle, the Switchgear’s arresting carbon bodywork covers off-road upgrades that take the F-150 Lightning where it’s never been. With a wider track, greatly improved ground clearance, and plenty of suspension travel, it’s a testbed for pushing the boundaries of what’s expected from electric trucks. The interview will tell you more.



The road test segment will also include an electric vehicle this week. Co-Host Chris Teague was blessed with the opportunity to drive the 2024 Genesis GV60 crossover in a week of frigid temperatures, ice and snow in Maine. Across the country, Host Jack Nerad drove the 2024 Mazda CX-90 to the desert and back, battling 80-degree temperatures and sunny conditions all the way.



In the news this week, we will examine the key vehicles unveiled at the New York Auto Show. Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, Porsche and Genesis showed off some notable vehicles. We offer details and give our thoughts on each one.



Meanwhile, there is plenty of trouble in EV Land. Ford has just laid off or transferred two-thirds of the 2,100 workers at its Rouge plant who were building F-150 Lightning electric pickups.



Things are even more dire at Fisker. The EV brand has cut prices drastically on its 2023 models as it tries to fend off imminent bankruptcy. Investors in the company have been told to prepare for the worst. We’ll have our comments on all this mayhem coming up.



So we have a lot of show for you this week Please join us for this week’s episode.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

The Hyundai Santa Fe midsize crossover has been successful for multiple generations in the United States, but it is expected to leap to an even higher level with the imminent introduction of the all-new 2024 version. Host Jack Nerad drove the vehicle on and off the road at a recent introductory event outside Nashville, and he got the opportunity for a detailed sit-down interview with Hyundai product planner Mike Evanoff.



In many ways, the new Santa Fe is a breakthrough that we expect will find a very receptive audience here in the United States. Hyundai's Evanoff describes the meticulous efforts the Hyundai designers made to prepare the new vehicle, and he'll detail his own camping trip in it as well. We’ll have the exclusive interview for you in this edition of America on the Road.



In the road test segment, Co-Host Chris Teague will outline his recent week-long stint at the wheel of the 2024 Subaru Ascent. That crossover is the largest in the Subaru lineup, and Teague compares and contrasts it with his family’s Volvo XC90. The vehicles have some striking similarities.



Also, in our road tests, Jack Nerad will describe his lengthy driving experience with the extremely pleasant 2024 Genesis G70. The midsize sedan isn’t the sportiest in the segment, but it might well be the best value, and Nerad will tell you why.



Leading the news this week, Jeep has pulled the wraps off four fascinating concept vehicles in Moab, and we’ll tell you all about them. Volkswagen is on the verge of launching an all-new battery-electric vehicle brand in the United States, and if you think the timing might be a little suspect, well, perhaps we do, too. We’ll tell you more.



One thing about which there is no question is auto dealers’ ire at the new Environmental Protection Agency regs that will require them to sell more EVs. One very prominent dealer says the regulations leave consumers out of the equation, and we’ll have details.



Kia just introduced an all-new vehicle—the K4—at the New York Auto Show. We’ll tell you what it is, what it replaces, and give you our reaction soon.



So we have a whale of a show this Easter weekend. Thanks for joining us.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

Some are wondering why it took so long to arrive, but we are simply glad the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is here. We’re especially glad after flogging it both on and off the road in the wild range on the outskirts of Salt Lake City.



The all-new Ranger Raptor is the most powerful and high-performance, off-road capable Ranger ever. That almost goes without saying. Ford Performance designed and engineered it to take the midsize truck’s off-road capability to the next level. And interestingly, it has been tested globally before arriving on our shores.



During his lengthy stints behind the wheel, Host Jack Nerad had the chance to test the truck’s mettle in Baja-like driving conditions and in challenging rock crawls. Its long travel suspension, including a Watts link rear suspension and class-exclusive 2.5-inch FOX Live Valve shocks, is a major differentiator between it and the other brand-new Rangers. So is the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that whirs out 405 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. We’ll tell you more in this episode.



Also in the road tests, Co-Host Chris Teague slipped behind the steering wheel of the 2024 Toyota Crown, one of the most fascinating sedans to be launched in years. He’ll have a complete report.



Leading the news this week, Cornell University scientists have announced the development of a new battery that can be charged in as little as five minutes. If it can be brought into mass production, it has the potential to revolutionize the auto industry. And we’ll tell you more in the news segment.



This week, we’re saying goodbye to the fastest Jeep ever, while at the same time, Mercedes-Benz has just unveiled an all-new AMG GT super coupe. We’ll have details on both.



Also in the news, you’ll tell you about an interesting way to travel to the upcoming complete solar eclipse, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So stay with us for that.



This week, our special guest is Donnelly Baxter, the global marketing manager for the all-new and soon-to-go-on-sale Cadillac Escalade IQ, the battery-electric Escalade so many people have been waiting for. You’ll enjoy our conversation with him.



So we have a lot of show for you this week. Please join us.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

In this episode of America on the Road, we try to answer a question posed by our two road test cars, the 2024 Volvo S90 Recharge and the Hyundai Ioniq 6. The Volvo is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the Hyundai is a battery-powered pure EV. Of course, they aren’t in the same segment, but looking at them can help answer the question that is on a lot of car buyers’ minds right now — should I purchase a plug-in hybrid or a battery-electric? We examine both that question and the pluses and minuses of each car individually in this week’s vehicle test segment of the show.



Leading the news this week, Consumer Reports says that retailers across the country could be the salvation of the troubled electric-car infrastructure that is severely limiting EV growth. CR posits that the more than a quarter million big box stores across the country should take it upon themselves to install public chargers to remedy one of biggest reasons average consumers are rejecting EVs.



The only problem with that is it flies in the face of the findings of an AutoPacific study that describes what EV owners want in recharging stations. It turns out they don’t want the big box store experience. What they want is more in line with what they get at a … well, we’ll tell you the rest in the news segment.



Meanwhile, one highly touted electric vehicle company is looking for salvation of its own. It’s grabbing desperately for a lifeline as it tries to stave off bankruptcy. We’ll tell you more about that and who the company’s possible savior is. Plus,we’ll give you some details on why Apple finally has pulled the plug on its once-promising Apple Car development program. Seems like a car isn’t a smartwatch after all.



Our special guest this week is Tiago Castro, Midwest Regional Vice President of Nissan North America. He’s an industry veteran who’ll discuss the latest trends, including, of course, what’s new at Nissan. We’re sure you’ll enjoy our conversation with him.



We have a lot of show for you this week. All that and more are headed your way on America on the Road.



America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com