Station Wagon Nostalgia Meets Modern SUV Engineering: Tucson and QX60

The evolution of family transport has come a long way from the wood-paneled station wagons of yesteryear. We take the wheel of two distinctly different approaches to modern family hauling with the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and the 2025 Infiniti QX60.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited AWD immediately stands out with its angular wheel well flares and distinctive styling that breaks from conventional SUV design. Built in Korea, this compact hybrid combines a 1.6-liter gas engine with electric power for 268 combined horsepower while achieving an impressive 35 MPG. Perhaps most appealing for urban families is the ability to travel up to 30 miles on electric power alone—perfect for school runs, grocery trips, and daily errands without burning a drop of fuel.

Taking a more luxury-oriented approach, the Tennessee-assembled Infiniti QX60 delivers a premium three-row experience with our Luxe AWD test vehicle featuring the striking Black Edition package. The sophisticated interior includes leather seating, a 12.3-inch infotainment display, and thoughtful touches like window shades in the second-row doors. Powered by a 2.0-liter turbo generating 268 horsepower and 286 lb-ft of torque, the QX60 balances comfort with capability, including a 6,000-pound towing capacity when properly equipped.

We also take a nostalgic journey through station wagon culture, remembering those rear-facing third seats, manual windows, and family road trips without digital entertainment. Whether you're shopping for a family SUV or just curious about how today's vehicles compare to the classics, this episode offers valuable insights and honest assessments of two compelling options in today's market. Let us know which of these modern family haulers catches your eye!

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Transcript

2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Review

Speaker 1 0:04

time now for this hour's car review. Yours truly had the chance to drive the 2025 hyundai tucson now. This vehicle was built, is built in ulsan, korea, so it's going to get the the tax on it available. Trim levels, sel and limited. I had the hybrid limited all-wheel drive.

Speaker 1 0:28

This is a small SUV. I want you to notice the angles over the wheel wells on this and I'll bring that up in just a minute. Seats five based on the fourth generation Tucson introduced in 2022. Attractive front fascia with edgy fender flares front and back, very unique to this, and that's a good thing because it does make this a unique vehicle. Rear hatch has a sloping glass with a sun visor over it. Quad tail lamps with kicked up rear valance Gives it that kind of off-roady look. Wheels are plug-in. Exclusive Overall look gets high marks in my opinion. What could use improvement? I'm not sure I do like that distinctive look. Wheels are plug-in. Exclusive Overall look gets high marks in my opinion. What could use improvement? I'm not sure I do like that distinctive look.

Speaker 1 1:11

Interior highlights New big screen, includes the instruments and the infotainment system. A horizontal, linear dash looks really good in this. An odd shifter on the steering column is a twist and push affair. Once you get used to it it's no big deal. But how odd Comfortable seating with rugged faux leather interior Adequate for this size SUV, is the cargo room behind the second row. What I like? The overall design just works just right. What could use improvement? An odd cell phone pad on the elongated center armrest and console. I guess you get used to it, but it puts your phone right there at your right arm, right hand, it's right it's an odd looking thing.

Speaker 2 2:03

Use it as maybe a controller. Well, I guess, you can see that at the bottom of the screen.

Pricing and Competitors

Speaker 1 2:08

Yeah, I see that 1.6 liter gasoline inline four-cylinder engine coupled with the electric motor gives 268 horsepower, combined Torque 258, which is plenty. Six-speed automatic transmission. Miles per gallon 35 across the board city highway and combined I got 32.7, over 356.4 miles, what I liked. Well, you can get up to 30 miles on electric only. So you know, if you do the church thing once a week, you go to the grocery store, you take the kids to school, get home, plug it in, you're good to go. What could use improvement? The overall good combo with plenty of power. So no improvement there. It's just a comment that I wanted to make. I think that this is a good, well-rounded vehicle.

Speaker 1 3:03

Base trim price $49,045. That's 4-0-9-4-5. Prices tested $43,000. Base model price $41,000. Competitors Kia Niro plug-in hybrid $34,490 is where it starts. Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid $40,490 is where it starts. Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid $40,445. Ford Escape plug-in hybrid $38,400. So it's right in the smack dab middle of all of these, and I'm not sure where the other ones are built, but obviously it may have an impact on you. Now, of course, the ones on the lot currently, I would imagine, do not have the tariff on it.

Speaker 2 3:49

Yeah, I mean it's only for, like, new deliveries. I would say new deliveries to the country. Yeah, at the port Right.

Speaker 1 3:54

As a matter of fact, I read a story this morning that apparently there are several manufacturers that are holding their cars at the port of entry. So in other words, they haven't crossed the line yet into the United States. They're holding them at the port. So hopefully they can get this thing worked out and then, when they get worked out, Release the hounds yeah.

Speaker 3 4:15

Yeah bring them in then.

Speaker 2 4:17

Yeah.

Speaker 1 4:23

And it's time now for Jeff's car culture. Remember riding in the back seat of your parents' station wagon? A lot of people do. Yep, yep, yep, we're ready to hear all about it.

Speaker 2 4:30

Yeah, these are things that kids rode in a station wagon remember. If you grew up in the 60s or 70s. Chances are you spent countless hours in the back of that wagon. Before minivans and SUVs took over, these wood-paneled beasts were the ultimate car family. Those of us who survived the pre-seat belted days have some unique memories of what your kid did as a kid back there. Nowadays the kids won't understand. The first one we talk about is the coveted rear-facing back seat. The rear-facing third seat was a prime real estate. People would fight the kids would fight over who rides in the back, waving at cars behind, making faces at other kids. It was like having your own private clubhouse on wheels.

Speaker 2 5:10

If it meant getting a little car sick sometimes, that was okay too. And the next one they appreciated was the way back was our territory. The vast cargo area behind the seats was our domain. The vast cargo area behind the seats was our domain. Kids sprawled out with pillows and blankets on long trips, reading comics, playing games or just watching the sky through the rear window. No seatbelts, no rules, just freedom to roam in our rolling living room. The third one we appreciated was wood paneling. It was cool. Oh yeah, baby, those fake wood panels on the sides were the height and style. Whether it was a Ford Country, Squire, a Chrysler Town Country, the wood grain siding made our cars look like surfboards on wheels. We had no idea how tacky it was decades later.

Speaker 1 5:50

So there you go Family truckster, baby, there you go.

Speaker 2 5:52

And then we have the manual rear window. The rear window was a source of endless fascination. Some rolled down into a tailgate, others lifted up, but all required manual operation. Some rolled down into a tailgate, others lifted up, but all required manual operation. The power window was a luxury few had and we became experts at the crank and latch system. Road trips we all did them with no screens or devices. We invented our own entertainment license plate bingos, I Spy, the alphabet game. For all the activities that we had. The station wagon became a mobile game room with siblings competing and parents mediating from the front seat. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. That was a big one. Tailgate party position. The drop-down tailgate was perfect for picnics, drive-in movies, parade watching. It became an instant bench seat complete with metal support that would leave impressions on the backs of your legs. Every family gathering started with pop the tailgate. There you go. You knew it was a party after that Summertime seat burn. Those final seats were lethal in the summer.

Speaker 2 6:55

We learned to check the seat temperature before sitting down or risk that third degree burns on the back of your legs. The ritual of throwing blankets over the seats became second nature during the hot weather season. And, of course, who remembers uh no, air conditioning experience? Many wagons didn't have ac back then. They relied on the 40 60 system four windows down, 60 miles an hour. Your hair got tangled, maps flew around and you couldn't hear anything.

Speaker 2 7:17

But it was our version of climate control secret storage, storage. We all had it. Every wagon had hidden compartments under the floor or in the aisles. This became our treasure trove storing emergency supplies, hidden snacks or that forgotten toy on the summertime trip. Finding something months later was like discovering a buried treasure. And, of course, by then it was the end of an era. When minivans appeared in the 80s, our beloved wagons began disappearing. Modern kids will never know the joy of riding backwards, the freedom of the way back or the distinctive squeak of those vinyl seats. The station wagon wasn't just a car, it was a way of life that was so good. That was good, yeah.

Speaker 1 7:58

I enjoyed it. We had wagons.

2025 Infiniti QX60 Lux Review

Speaker 2 7:59

They were fun. They were fun. How many brothers and sisters? I was the youngest of four, but it wasn't our wagon. We would ride relatives and things. My dad always had a Pontiac or a Cadillac or something.

Speaker 1 8:09

See my sister and brother-in-law. They had a station wagon, four kids and man, that thing got wore out.

Speaker 2 8:15

Yeah, they're cool they are, and that's why I I like them to today. I like a station wagon. Well, you know what's so funny?

Speaker 1 8:20

Because really, in essence, the SUVs that everybody drives now is basically a station wagon.

Speaker 2 8:27

And you know, the doors had ashtrays with cigarette lighters in them and everybody pushing them. Don't play with the lighter, all that stuff, oh yeah.

Speaker 1 8:34

How about the tattoo that you got on your leg?

Speaker 2 8:37

Oh, yeah, yeah, Burning down on your leg. I'm not touching you.

Speaker 1 8:48

Thanks for joining us today here on In Wheel Time, and Mr Mars has a review of the Infiniti QX60.

Speaker 3 8:54

Yes, sir, I had a chance to drive the 2025 Infiniti QX60. Now, this vehicle.

Speaker 1 9:00

Sissy.

Speaker 3 9:01

Sissy, yeah, you said it, I'm not going there. So this vehicle is assembled in Smyrna, tennessee.

Speaker 3 9:11

The engine comes in from Japan. The transmission is US made. It's available in four trim levels. You get the pure, the lux, the sensory and the autograph as the top of the line. We were driving the lux all-wheel drive version.

Speaker 3 9:24

Now your government says this is a standard SUV. To me it's a midsizesize. I like calling it a mid-size. It makes it a little bit easier to determine size whenever you're talking about it.

Speaker 3 9:34

Now it is a three row vehicle. We had the seven seat. We had the seven passenger arrangement. You can get a bench seat in the second row and it'll give you another passenger. Now we have also had the black edition.

Speaker 3 9:47

Now this is an add-on. It gives you the black front grille, the black roof rails, black emblems around on the car and also had the optional black finish alloy wheels. Now it's really kind of a shiny black, really looks nice on the vehicle and it's got a lot of the luxury touches you would expect from a luxury SUV Rain-sensing wipers, power-folding, side mirrors that are heated, got approach lighting. So when you walk up to it and I really like the size and the style of this vehicle Now when you get into the interior, again, infinity You're looking at leather seating surfaces, the front row, it's heated, ventilated seats.

Speaker 3 10:25

Second row, the outboard seating positions are also heated, and the third row falls down and there's actually some underfloor storage back there underneath that third floor. Not a lot, but a little bit. Now you're going to find you've got a 12.3-inch center stack screen and that's where you're going to find your Infinity InTouch system, which is your nav, your audio, your convenience controls, surround view camera. That I thought worked really well. If you weren't going very fast, you could actually go down the road with it and kind of watch what's around you a little bit before it hits the speed where it kicks in Talk about distracted driving.

Speaker 3 10:56

It has Apple CarPlay, that's wireless, but the Android Auto you've got to be wired, it's not wireless to make a connection with that kind of connection Way to go. So we also had the Bose 17-speaker audio system and the rear doors the second-row doors, have window shades in them, which I've seen that now twice and I think that's a nice little add coming back from the past.

Speaker 1 11:19

Up under the hood 2.0-liter turbo, four-cylinder, Pardon me, sir, do you have any Grey Poupon the Rizu window shades?

Speaker 3 11:24

Yes, coupon the reason we're in this state 268 horsepower, 286 pound-feet of torque, with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Now properly equipped with a tow package and things, you can tow 6,000 pounds with this vehicle. Epa says you should be looking for 22 in the city, 27 on the highway combined, 24 using premium fuel. It's required Uh-oh, the sticker says premium fuel, so you've got to make a note. You're going to pay a little bit more for that fuel?

Speaker 1 11:51

Did you put premium fuel in it when?

Speaker 3 11:52

you had it. I only had to put gas in it one time.

Speaker 1 11:55

Did you use premium fuel when you put it in there?

Speaker 3 11:57

Actually I did because I didn't oh.

Speaker 1 11:59

Mars, come on. I saw you roll your eyes.

Speaker 3 12:02

That's because I believe him. I did it and I thought how stupid is this Anyway? But I did it. It's on my car. I didn't want to mess it up and I don't believe it does. But anyway, I drove this vehicle 451 miles, nice range on it, a lot of highway time, a lot of city time. I averaged 23.3 miles to the gallon on this vehicle so I thought it was very nicely done. It had plenty of smooth power band Smooth. I thought it drove quite nicely inside the city. It's flexible to maneuver around. It's easy to park Out on the highway, an open road. The highway bumps, the imperfections in the highway. It felt a little stiff, you could feel them. They were a little bit harsher than what you do at the city speed.

Speaker 3 12:48

So I'm not sure if you, mike, could do something with the tires. If you really wanted to change that. It wasn't real bad. It was a very we'll fix that up. Yeah, yeah, but it had a nice quiet row. If I was going to change anything I would leave that third row out. I just small vehicles like that. I prefer without it. More space, uh, if uh. Pricing base trim price fifty eight thousand eight hundred dollars now, as tested with a few things that we had, like the Black Edition $62,745. Base model price you get into this thing at the base model on the pure level at $51,550.

Speaker 1 13:16

Good luck in trying to find one of those on the line.

Speaker 3 13:18

Yeah really, if you're looking for something to compare it to, an Acura MDX will start at $51,200. Audi Q7 at $60,500. And the Lincoln Aviator at $58,995,. All of them in what I call a midsize that your government says is a standard SUV. So if you're looking for a package in this size vehicle, you absolutely should look at this Infiniti. I think you'll like it real well and that's my review of the 2025 Infiniti. Qx60 Luxe all-wheel drive.