Le Mans 2000–2009, Inside The Official History with John Brooks

What truly changed at Le Mans when the 2000s began—and why did teams abandon open cockpits just as speeds stayed sky high? We invited author and photographer John Brooks to walk us through the decade he chronicles in Le Mans: The Official History 2000–2009, and his trackside vantage point delivers a rare blend of technical clarity and human detail. From Audi’s R8 and R10 TDI era to Peugeot’s blistering 908, we explore how diesel power, aero efficiency, and rule changes made reliability the ultimate performance edge.

John pulls back the curtain on the engineering trade-offs that redefined endurance racing: the gains in safety that came with closed cockpits, the pit stop calculations that win 24-hour fights, and the unsung collaboration between European operations and American squads like Champion Racing. He also shares how he inherited the official history project from the legendary Quentin Spurring, why the 2000–2009 window stands on its own, and how writing the story with his own photographs turns a coffee-table book into a time machine.

We keep the wrenches turning beyond the track. Jeff breaks down the easiest cars to work on—Toyota Corolla and Camry, Kia Rio, Chevrolet Silverado, Honda Accord, and Mazda MX-5—spotlighting accessible engine bays, abundant parts, and weekend-friendly maintenance. Then we climb into the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica, a thoughtful family hauler with stow-and-go versatility, a smooth 3.6L V6, available AWD, and cabin tech that keeps everyone calm mile after mile.

If you’re searching for Le Mans history, Audi vs Peugeot, prototype safety, and real-world car advice in one place, you’re home. Hit play, subscribe for more smart car talk, and share this episode with the racing fan or DIYer in your life. Got a favorite 2000s Le Mans memory or a go-to easy-to-fix car? Tell us—we’ll feature the best on the show.

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Transcript

Live Welcome And Show Rundown

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast. Hello and good morning. Welcome to the In Wheel Tire Talk Show coming up. Author John Brooks talks about his new book, Le Mont. The official history from 2000 to 2009. Later in Jeff's Car Culture, Jeff has 10 easiest cars to work on. And Mr. Mars has a review of the new Chrysler Pacific. Howdy to you and welcome. Along with Mike out of this world of Mars. We always need more Jeff Zeke and Chief Engineer David Ainsley. I'm Don Armstrong. Thank you so much for joining joining us here on this Saturday morning for our live broadcast. If you're listening on a podcast, we thank you for that too. We just thank you for everything. Thank you. And don't go change it. There is that. Well, let's just get right to it, shall we? Our uh guest this hour is author John Brooks, who's talking to us from a little place just outside of London called Isha. And uh John, it's great to have you with us as the sun goes down there just outside of London.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Well, thank you for inviting me. It's a privilege.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Well, so um, are you a well-known author out there in uh in in in Great Britain?

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Uh not really. This is my first book as such. Well, congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I I I have written a couple of other things for um uh wealthy people who want books about themselves racing.

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Um, I can see that you've got all of the chapters right behind you there in the bookshelf. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

In real time's gonna be next.

Le Mans History And Format Shifts

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Yeah, yeah. In real time. And we'll take up the bottom shelf on that one. But uh at any rate, so uh my first question is Lamont, the official history 2000 to 2009. Now, Le Mans has gone on as long as I think I've been alive, am I mistaken?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

1923 it kicked off. That was the year I was born, yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Yeah, and then um before that, in 1906, they had the first ever Grand Prix on a circuit rather than a race between two towns or cities. Uh, but that wasn't near where the current circuit is, it was out to the east of the track. Um, I think it took like two days and 14 hours or something. So they have a big history of motoring in Le Mont.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Well, you know, uh before you joined us, I was talking to my partners here on the show, and I said, you know, there's something that's always been appealing to me about the cars themselves, and I assume it's been a while, uh, but um I assume that it's still open top uh sports car racing, basically.

Why Closed Cockpits Replaced Open Tops

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Uh sadly, no. Um the last the last of the open tops disappeared in 1617. Um why the well safety. Um in 2012, Audi made the jump from sorry, 2011, Audi made the jump from uh open-top cars like the R8 that dominated uh prototypes in the period covered in my first half of my book, and they shifted to a closed cockpit, partly because of regulations on tire changes, partly because uh the power was cut back, so aerodynamics became more and more important if you were going to maintain the speed. And in many ways, it was a very fortunate change because uh during the race in 2011, both Alan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller had massive accidents. Uh McNish landed on the roof on the uh barriers uh just past the Dunlop Bridge, and Rockenfeller had some massive accident, ended up in the trees in the night. Um and they both stepped out and walked away. Okay, they went to the medical center for a bit of a check. But had they been open cars, we might have been repeating what happened to Paul Michaeli Alberetto in 2001.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

So they went in the right direction. And you know, uh I guess the point that I was going to make is the fact that boy, isn't that dangerous to have an open top car with today's speeds? Who are the who are the manufacturers of the cars? Uh engines, uh uh chassis, that sort of thing. Today.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Uh today? You're asking a historian here.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Uh well uh uh from from your book, yeah, 2009. That's close enough. That's close enough to today.

Audi vs Peugeot And The Diesel Era

SPEAKER_00 5:03

That started with, shall we say, Audi dipped uh toe in the water in 1999, and they ran an open car and a closed car, and they came to the conclusion the open was a much better option, which is a bit unfair on the closed car because the whole thing was thrown together in a matter of months. Um and in the end, the the theories and the design of the uh closed car, the RHC, uh set off the train of thought that ended up with the Bentley, which was a closed car. But um it's a lot easier to change drivers, a lot easier with problems with when it's wet or humid, there's no windscreen to keep um uh to keep clean or keep clear. Um you didn't need to carry an air conditioning unit. Um however, uh the rules gradually pointed in that direction. Um, they reduced the amount of power, etc. And that was going on even during the second half of the uh book period. Uh Peugeot came with a diesel to chase Audi's diesel, and they ran a close car. And while they only enjoyed one uh win at Le Mon, they won, they they beat Audi in quite a number of the other races. Um but Audi had a a lot of very, very good people, but not just drivers, but the uh the engine guys, the chassis guys, the mechanics, Reinhold Yost's team. Um also the there was a considerable American contribution as well from champion racing down in Florida. Um so I must admit, I too think that the uh open top cars look better in some ways, and uh but you know, things move on and we can't afford to have accidents where people are injured or worse. So that's how it's come about now.

Choosing The 2000–2009 Window

SPEAKER_01 7:17

John, let me ask you this. Why why the time frame from 2000 and 2009? Was that something that you had a passion for, or was it a request? How did you get to that time frame?

How The Book Came Together

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Um you might notice there's a number of books here. And there's a marvelous chap called Quentin Spurring, uh, who had edited Auto Sport for 20 years and then set up his own magazine called Race Car Engineering, which is probably the top magazine dealing with technical stuff. And he decided one day that he was going to do a history of Le Monde. So he contacted the Automobile Club de la West and persuaded them, he got them to answer, which is quite amazing. Normally they don't bother if it's come from across the channel, but obviously Quentin was more influential than me. And he did 23, 29, 30, 39, 49, 59, 60, 69, etc., all the way to 1999, and he completed that in 2014. Then, unfortunately, his wife developed a nasty condition, um, and being the gentleman that he always was and still is, he decided that was it, he was going to stop, and his wife would be his focus from then on. As I said, a proper gentleman. And then somebody else had the book for uh a number of years, I won't say who it was, and they didn't turn anything in. And the publisher, um uh Evro, and the saintly publisher, a director, Mark Hughes, uh, eventually lost his patience with this chap and somehow gave me the job. Um I've been involved with a book for uh the GT side of things. Um Stefan Rettel, who runs the uh the World Championship um for uh GT cars, GT3, and he did a book to celebrate 25 years in business, and somehow or other I got asked to do an essay, and um Mark rather liked it, thought the style was okay. Uh I have to say, um I was quaking in my boots when I finally signed the contract because how do you follow someone like Quentin Sperring?

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Well, obviously, somebody thought that you were okay to carry on, willing to take the torch.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah, one thing you learn, I mean, I now understand why the um other guy didn't manage to turn things in. He writes for about 10 magazines, he's he's running and racing all over the world. Um he just didn't have the time. Uh, it makes me wonder how the guys like uh Clementaski, who um held down a senior executive position at Ford, managed to turn out the amazing books he did and still does. Um I saw him a couple of weeks ago in London at the RAC Book of the Year Award, which he he won one of the categories, at 91. I mean it's quite amazing. Oh my god, it gives all of us hope. Yeah, yeah. Well it does, it does. You should you should talk to him as well. He's a an Evro um publisher. I mean, he's just turned out a three-volume thing on supercharging and turbocharging, and it's several hundred pages long, and you'd need a supercharged engine to lift the thing.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

But uh John, John, are you married?

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Uh I think I am.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

I was gonna say, because I I was gonna say, you know, your wife is probably going to go, and you're writing what? Yeah, and and and and and you really are delving into turbocharging and supercharging. Way to go, John.

Life As Photographer And Writer

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Yeah, exactly. Well, uh, I chose not to do that. I mean, I had an advantage over a lot of people in that I took all the pictures in the book.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

Ah. Ah, so that helps. And that was gonna that was kind of leads into my next question. Ken, is this is this one of those books that I want to buy for a Christmas present for somebody?

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Um, I think you should buy dozens of copies, frankly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

One of the things that I love about British folks is their sense of humor, and I've always been attracted to that, and uh you seem to fit the bill quite well.

Where To Buy The Book

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Well, you know, we have a lot to uh to laugh about here. Um laugh or cry. Yeah, it's exactly. I think that I, you know, given my uh interest in America, and I do have an interest in America, there's plenty to laugh about and cry there as well. But having said that, um, you know, I I got very lucky. Uh I was an accountant till '97, and then I was doing so much traveling around the world doing photography that the chairman of the design agency I worked for in London said, I think you should do it full-time. The downside, of course, is there's no book new BMW every four or five months. There was no uh nobody to pay the expenses. Quite often you didn't get paid by the clients, um, or maybe it was just the rogues that saw me coming. So um I got kind of lucky though, in that I did I did manage to stagger on financially long enough to uh make it, and then in the decade following the one I've written about, I actually ended up doing PR and making a film. But in that in the 2000s, the early 2000s, I got lucky and ended up doing the American Le Mon series. Um didn't cover every race, but the vast majority from 1999 through to 2001. So I got to know North America reasonably well. Um, and then I wrote for a number of uh uh websites, you know, like Speed Hunters or Driving Line, and they were sponsored by uh Electronic Arts or um a tire company, NETO Tire. So you knew the money would come in each month.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

And you also know that we fit right underneath all of those famous and wonderful companies that you have worked for, and now you can brag about the fact that you have appeared live on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Yeah, you're gonna be getting calls from all over all over the globe.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

The next city.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Yeah.

unknown 13:59

Next city.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's that. I'm sure. Yeah, well, I'm sure. But I mean, I've I've been lucky in that I got given the opportunity. Um, you know, I've been put forward for a couple of awards, I didn't win them, but even being selected is an honor.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

You bet, you bet.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Uh we've got the Guild of Motorine Writers over here, and they've got their dinner at uh up at the REC Club in Pal Mall on Thursday. So I'm I'm one of the three there. Unfortunately, one of the others I understand is uh Mr. Carl Ludwigson and his huge book on turbocharging and supercharging.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Yes. Yeah, uh your wife is a big fan of his.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Yeah. Yes. Fortunately for you and for me, my wife's at work currently.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

So exactly. Who are these heathens that you're talking to over there in the United States? John, so let me ask you, where is the book available? Can we get it on Amazon?

SPEAKER_00 15:02

I believe so. Um I'm not sure who's distributing it in the States. Um, it took an awful long the book was originally printed in India and then took a hell of a long time to get to the UK, three months or something. Um, because you've got to go round the south of Africa now rather than through the Suez Canal for various reasons, which we won't go near. Um, and then I believe there was some delay in getting the books over to North America, they've only recently arrived.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Um well, I think that our Jeff Zeke here probably had something to do with them coming from India. Uh, he he is in touch with his cousin over there. Remember, cousin?

SPEAKER_01 15:51

No, no, no, we're not gonna mention that cousin.

unknown 15:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

There's that.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

We've taken the cousin out of the family.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Yeah, that's it from India. John, it's great to talk to you. It's a pleasure to meet you. Say hey to the Crown family for us. Yes, please do. Um well, maybe not. Maybe not. Maybe not. That's kind of like the lost cousin that Jeff has over in India, one of those kinds, yeah. Uh but at any rate, it's a real pleasure to talk to you. The book is called La Mont, The Official History 2000 to 2009. Again, the author's name is John Brooks. This is going to be a picture book as well, John. Yeah. And people love to put those out on the coffee table, especially at Christmas time. Look what I got for Christmas. And especially book collectors and automobile freaks like us. Quite. Well, anyway, thank you so much for your time. Anytime, and uh, hey, give us a call. Let us know what you're doing, will you?

SPEAKER_00 16:47

Sure will. I've got a few ideas to put to you.

SPEAKER_02 16:51

Well, good. And we're gonna we're gonna take the trip around the Horn of Africa.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Okay.

Jeff’s Easiest Cars To Work On

SPEAKER_02 16:59

We appreciate you, sir. Take care of yourself. Just ahead. Jeff's Car Culture Plus Mars reviews the Chrysler Pacifica after this break here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Stay with us. The Tailpipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 2025 happens Saturday, December 13th from 8 to 11 a.m., and you'll want to be a part of it. Tailpipes and Tacos is the cruise in everyone wants to attend. And the Christmas edition is extra special. Donate an unwrapped new toy and help yourself to a free Loopy Tortilla Breakfast Taco. Velvey Adult Beverage is available for purchase too. And don't forget you're ride. Just cruise in and you're automatically registered to compete for one of three famous chili pepper trophies. Best Hot Rod, Best Classic, and Best Modern Classic. Tail Pipes and Tacos Christmas Edition will be held Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Mex, located at 703 West Grand Parkway, just south of the Katy Freeway in Katy. Oh, and don't forget to bring the kids. There'll be special trophies and goodie bags for them too. It's the Tail Pipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 25, Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Mex at 703 West Grand Parkway in Katy. Bring a toy, get a free breakfast taco, and enjoy the camaraderie. In Wheel Time will be there too. Apple or Android InWheel Time Podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give InWheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Mm-hmm. InWheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists. Next week we're going to be out at the Gulf Coast Auto Shield World Headquarters. It's over there on the South Sam Houston Tollway, Beltway 8, for some of those that uh are not familiar with it. And then it's just going to be a little bit south, because that's where the freeway and the beltway interchange. Yeah. Just a little bit south there by about a mile or two. So look it up.

SPEAKER_04 19:12

It's right there where the freeway does this.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Yeah. Yeah. On a good day. Kind of like a day. Yeah, when traffic does move. Thank you, Mars, for that. He went to school for that. I I think we used to be a hula dancer.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

He was a hula dancer in college, I think.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

That's a hoolie hulie dancer. Huly hoolie.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

I played there.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

I know you have. I I visited there. Yeah. All right. Uh, time now on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show for Jeff's Car Culture. The easiest cars to work on.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

Yeah, modern cars. So if you're at home and you're a you're a shea tree mechanic or a home mechanic and you want simple things to fix on a vehicle or maintain, by choosing the right brand and model, uh, you can ensure most of the work can be done without visiting a repair shop. I say most. So you can have to take that in for certain things. So the first one we've got we're talking about is the Toyota Corolla. May uh very well have been one of the most popular cars ever sold in the United States. Because of the popularity, you'll never have trouble finding the parts that you need. And the engine is easy to access because they use a timing chain rather than a belt. Maintenance is even easier. The best uh thing for the Corolla is known for driving hundreds of thousands of miles uh without any major malfunctions. Even if the body eventually wears out, the engine can keep going strong only with motor repairs. So there you go. Keep that in mind for the next one. Uh Kickia Reel. I didn't think of this one, but it's a popular subcompact car that spent a lot of years on the streets, multiple body styles, so you can get the type that best fits your needs. Plus, a small engine design makes it easy to get anywhere under the hood for quick repairs. You're also aren't going to spend a lot of time and money on parts. It helps keeping the cost down that way as well. Kiyas are very reliable nowadays, and on the top of the list, most reliable cars. So they're they're up there with all the good ones. So chances are that you don't have many repairs if you own one of these. Hey, what is that? That's a Rio. It's a Rio. Uh-huh. It's a real car. It's a real Rio. It's a real Rio. And then, you know, the next one on the list is a Camry. It is much like the Corolla, but the Camry is just a little bit bigger. You need more room in that vehicle. This vehicle also has spanned many decades on the road with parts plentiful. The Camry has uh been built with multiple engine options. While the four-cylinder engines are the easiest to work on, the V6 shouldn't cause you any more problems than what you might think. So with the proper maintenance, you can expect the Camries to last just as long as the other Toyota cars, making it a good investment if you're looking for something long term. Right. So if you know how to turn a wrench, there you go. Very easy stuff.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

They don't make too many V6s and put them in vehicles anymore. Usually is it's a four-cylinder. But I've known people that have had that six, I actually had a V6 in the Lexus RX 300 that I bought back in the day. Yeah, Kathy's got a V6 turbo in hers.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

That thing was the smoothest thing ever. And one that I didn't really think of uh on this list would be a Chevrolet Silverado. If you want to work on a truck, there's nothing quite as easy as the Chevrolet Silverado, so they say. There may not be as many on the road as the F-150, but the spacious area under the hood makes maintenance a breeze. You can get underneath the truck and the engine compartment just as easily. You can crawl around in there underneath. If you're looking for the best models for beginners, we recommend anything from the 2003 to 2007 years. Plus, you can find plenty of OEM and aftermarket parts making it easy to customize, you know, nerf bars or bedliners and things like that. So some Chevy cars have been uh worked on easily along with a few of the SUVs that they produce. So if you're just dedicated to the Chevy brand, then you're bound to find something easy to fix in one of those lines, specifically the Silverado. The next one, a Honda Accord, uh is another top choice, but sitting a little bit bigger than the compacts, uh the Civics, and all the Camries that we talked about before. Uh simplicity is everything in this Japanese car, and it's about it's about where there are plenty of different models to choose from spanning several decades. So if you're into the Honda's, there you go. While you may need to keep up on the maintenance, the Accord is reliable as they come, but with proper care, you can get this car to go about 300,000 miles, which is awesome without any major uh problems. Major problems you're gonna have some minor stuff, maintenance of repairs. Even when repairs are needed, you can find a plethora of OEM and aftermarket. Mike, that means a lot. Uh next one, last one on the list, and you can pick any of these out and and go with them from there, but it's the Mazda MX5. The Mazda MX5 Miata is a sports car making it stand out among the lists, even though it's designed to bring a lot of fun on the road, it's simpler than you would think to work on. The engine is easy to access, and all of the spark plugs are on top. The parts in the car are also easy to swap. Plus, there's a nice supply of aftermarket of things available. If you want to decide to customize your ride, considering how cheaply you can buy a used Mazda uh Mazda Miata, it makes sense that this project would be a good idea.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

And if you want to go weekend road racing, they've got a whole racing program for the amateur like you and me to get out there and go for it. Spec racing, it's called. And I'll tell you what, I visited a couple of events where all of the MX5 Miata guys were out there racing their cars. And what a what a what a great group of guys, kind of reminded me of the Corvette Club back in the day.

Review: 2025 Chrysler Pacifica

SPEAKER_04 24:34

Yeah, you remember when we went to Coda with Mazda? Yeah, there was some of them that actually drove their car to the track, changed the tires, went racing, changed the tires back, and drove home. Yep, I do. I mean, just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Well, back in the day, they a lot of people did that before the trailers, so there you go.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

All right. All right. Uh in little time is now bringing you a car review. One that we've put off way too long. Mars has been chomping at the bit for this. Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Mars and a review of the new Chrysler Pacifica. You go, Mikey.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

Yay!

SPEAKER_04 25:08

So I have to say up front that that my week with this vehicle reminded me of why I like those minivans. They don't fit my lifestyle right now, but I do love them. Now, this vehicle was introduced in 2017, and it is the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. And uh its final assembly point is in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Uh, a lot of parts come from a lot of places, but that's where they put it together. Now, it's available actually in seven trim levels, with four of them involved as part of the hybrids. They're the selected, the limited, and uh the pinnacle. Now, we happen to be driving the limited all-wheel drive this week. It is a minivan and it has passenger seating for seven. Now, up front, you're gonna find uh the LED functional lights all the way around, projector headlamps, got rain sensing wipers, hands-free sliding doors, and it had the S appearance package. Now, this came with a brilliant white with black trim, and I love that combination whenever they do it right. Had the black side mirrors, roof rails, black wheels on it. Um, it had the hands-free sliding doors I mentioned, and then it had the panoramic sunroof. Now, this is the two-pane sunroof, uh, you know, it gets hot down here in Texas, but it's nice on a nice moonlit night. Had the uh hands-free power lift gate in the back of it, and it was rolling on some nice 20 by 7.5 inch aluminum wheels that were painted black to go along with the package. And it has a very nice, overall sophisticated look, I think, in that black and white combination. Now, inside, this thing is really where it stands out because this is a passenger-related vehicle. It's a people hauler. It's got heated front seats, the second row seats are heated, the front seats are also vented. So the second and throw seat, uh, second and the third row seats are part of the stone-go seating system that comes with uh Chrysler puts in these vehicles so that the seats actually slow down into the floor, and the back seats actually got some push buttons, the front seats. You've got to kind of manually maneuver them, but they all fit down in there nice and flat, so you have a flat floor. Now, up front, you've got a 10.1 inch touchscreen. That's where you've got your Apple CarPlay, your Android, your 360-degree surround video camera so that you can see everything around you. This vehicle had the seatback video monitors on it for the second row people, and uh it's great for the family because they can get in there and the itty-biddies can play and watch things while you're going down the road and not be hollering and screaming so much. And it also had the family cam, that way you could look up into your rear view mirror and it kind of focuses on the back of the vehicle so you can see what's going on back there. It also had 19 Harmon Cardon speakers with a subwoofer and a 760-watt amp scattered around. And uh there's just a ton of stuff on the inside of this vehicle as far as value content goes for a family. Up front, it has a 3.6-liter V6. Now, this is the rock solid engine that Chrysler uses in all sorts of vehicles. 287 horsepower, 262 pound feet. Now, this vehicle weighs in at four found over 4,000 pounds, and it is all-wheel drive, so it has a nine-speed automatic to back up that engine. Tow rating is 3,600 pounds. Now, the EPA says that you should be able to get around 17 miles in the city, you should look for 25 out on the highway and combined it's 20. Now, I drove this vehicle 172.1, so obviously it was a lot of in town, didn't get out on the highway much. But I got 16.7 miles per gallon, and I was quite happy with that knowing what it would do and how it would do and how I was driving it. The um because it has more than adequate power, it'll get you around through traffic around town. It's easy to maneuver and drive in between parking lots and town traffic, and it's quiet. And it's got enough audio in it that you can really hear the quality of the audio because of the quiet, and it's got a lot of glass all around it, so you can see around what's going on all around you while you're driving it. And then as far as pricing goes, you know, you can actually get into this vehicle down to the base trim level, the stripper level,$42,450, which I think is very reasonable for the base level of this vehicle. Now, the base trim price that we were driving is$49,570. As we tested it with the MSRP and some options in it, we had the$59,165. It's still under$60,000 for a nice vehicle that's going to comfortably haul a family of seven, got room for some cargo and a lot of things that you can do with this vehicle. Comparables would be a Toyota Sienna. Now, this is a hybrid-only vehicle, it starts at$39,485. The Kia Carnival starts at$38,235. And the Honda Odyssey, which is the higher price one, is at$43,7154. Again, base model comparison across the three of them. So if you're looking for something for the family, for a people hauler, I mean, we've seen these things used for at concerts, picking up people for taxicabs. These are nice. People holler vehicles, and I really enjoy driving it this week.

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Closing And Podcast Platforms

SPEAKER_02 30:03

I always have love those things anyway. All right, in real time car talk show, we'll continue with a special guest, NHRA top fuel champion. That would be Antron Brown, coming up right after this quick break. Who doesn't like a social event? How about one that centers around your love for all things automotive? Another Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social is back Saturday, December 6th, 9 to noon, at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway. It's a morning packed with incredible cars, some of the finest rides in town, from classics to modern exotics. Here's your chance to talk to fellow car lovers. Grab a coffee, and check out how Gulf Coast Auto Shield keeps these rides looking perfect. Meet the team. Take a look around the shop to see firsthand how Gulf Coast Auto Shield gets the most of the look you're trying to create. In real time, we'll be there with their live car talk show. You might just be one of the guests. Don't miss this free, fun, and fast-paced car gathering of fellow car lovers and their rides. Saturday, December 6th at Gulf Coast Auto Shield, 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway. Bring your car, bring your friends, and bring your love for all things automotive. We'll see you then. The award-winning Inwheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year. Check us out on Inwheeltime.com, YouTube, Facebook, and podcasts available from your favorite go-to source, including our live broadcast every Saturday, 10 to noon central time. The Inwheel Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guest interviews, new car reviews, along with popular features including driving destinations, Jeff's car culture, latest car news, cruise-ins, and racing dates. It's all on InWheeltime.com. Join us. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 AM Central on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.