Podcast: The 2021 Toyota HiLux – everything we know so far – Tools in the Shed ep. 131

James and with me is chest: oh hello, all, and now today this week, we're looking at what could be the first glimpse of the new version of Australia's best seller we'll. Also talk about some of these tweets entries in the cars guide, garage and we'll catch up with the world's most daring freedom fighter in this week's must watch so stay with us, but first of all, we've had some feedback, which is great and last time around. We were speaking about the Nissan Z, the much anticipated 400 Z for innocent and a new GTR. So a mom on it came at us with a manifesto or at least it's it's, a list of demands, and he ended with this, but for context. I'Ll put it up the top. He says yes, I'm in the u.s.. Some of the models that he talks about are pertinent to the US market, maybe not so much as quick. He agrees with us that Neeson needs something lower than the new Zed. He agrees that the idx concepts would be perfect, those beautiful concept, cars that listen did a few years ago. He also would call it Silvia, and he says it should be: a 2 liter manual, rear, wheel, drive and lightweight so basically that's a 180s dext, 200sx Silvia. He cruised up Nyssa needs that and it would be very timely. He says the 400 ZX or 400 Zed is supposed to have the infinity 250 q60 engine, which is that 3 liter v6 vr38dett red sport is at 400 horsepower out of the box, so that's just under 300 kilowatts.

So you could have a Nissen Nismo Edition, because it's very tunable, so you could be up to 450 horsepower like 335 kilowatts in no time, so I think he's right that that would be the perfect engine and that's the rumor. I think yeah well that car will live and die. I reckon by what they do to the chassis. If it's, just an engine in the old chassis, that's been tweeted little bit, it's not going to be a fabulous drive. But if I put a lot of work into how it actually steers and it could be a thing of absolute beauty – you get a great example of exactly what Chester's concerned about in the q50 red sport, in that it is a great engine but it's. Never the only had the chassis to support it. Yeah, yes, it's still get this more of a luxury car than that right performance machine, but my theories are high I'm, so excited about that car I've said this before my first ever car was a 260. Is it so that thing is, if that is it, I will be occupied with your first car that's. Yes, Mike bought it for 5 grand wrote it off, like every other people ever has before Kenny. I understand it. Wasn'T Chester's fault, though no, it was not. No. Someone hey, actually it was no God, and it was the two seater not the 2. 2 ruin the shape. Well, what a shame that it came to an untimely end, Omar isn't finished.

He wants a pulsar GTR to come back using the verson Versa. Note body, which is a hatch and a 2 liter turbo all wheel, drive fantastic all power to him now for infinity. This is obviously relevant cause he's in the States – infinities, not a goer here in Australia anymore, but he wants the concept roadster, which I think was called the prototype 10 until a bit of de looks amazing for people on YouTube will have an image of that up. For you to have a look at with the leaf electric powertrain as a flagship loaded with tech and touch screens and the cars need a way better interior anyway. So he sees that as a bit of an icebreaker and he loves the new steering wheels from Michelin. They were kind of retro and he cites the Sentra and I've found an image of it and again people on YouTube. They all have a look at it and he's right. It does look like an old school recognizably, listen steering wheel, so some interesting observations in omar's manifesto. Thank you very much. You ever on the same track. Nyssa said: listen should also bring back the fair lady knife. He says something about smacking fools on the track. With my sphere, lady took off my favour Music and then then he came back with a follow up comment to his own comment and said scratch that and any other genius ideas I've ever had all humanity needs.

Is the Alfa Romeo Giulia gtam we've peaked boys? He thinks that's as good as it's gon na get no that's it's in two comments. We'Ve seen people suggesting the returners, the official return of Sylvia and fair lady Kerr and, like you know the reason we never got Sylvia and fair lady really in Australia or the u.s. is because you know, listen presumed. It was a little bit Sookie to tame them. You know such in in our markets, the language fail language. Will, you all know them Roma? We all know the backstory. The time is now. I could give us the proper name today. Yeah slide topic for just a moment. These conversations just making it long for the good old days of the Japanese, auto industry, so many great when that II know I know it's the 90s they're looking for you know, yeah necessarily the 60s no get we'll get to that soon and, of course, there's. Some commentary very much in that vein, but the evocatively named our soul, says you know with the biggest financial crash since the 1930s due to a massive public health crisis. I wouldn't expect to see any newness in sports cars anytime soon. Seeing is there weren't doing all that well prior to all this malarkey to use his word so it's an interesting point. That is a great point bus. You would have thought that when Volkswagen had its trouble a couple years ago that the the likes of the be getting Chiron would be the first to fall and guess what we've got to be getting Chiron.

Yes, that's true the nature of all bitches and you know all I'm reading in the moments who is and they're just waiting to cut the ribbon on the 400th. The production on that would have started way before any of this malarkey good. So that made that that will still cruise through I'm sure. Well I mean our soul says that he wouldn't be surprised to see a few car manufacturers go belly up in the near future that's. So with that, I agree with him: yeah yeah now John Schroeder calls out the GFC and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Of course, we cheap, Japanese manufacturers hard, but he says we're right was Richard. That made the point in the last podcast that Nissen had Carlos lugar post go on operating in the background, so John agrees: creative bookkeeping with the management style of a god or guru that yeah, you know, good goodness knows what was going on the background. He says where's the money Carlos you know, can't baby goat, does a legal shuffle and runs home to mom, so it it's not to be discounted as a factor and he says it'd be good to sing, listen back with a performance. Styles, ed capper and reaffirm the missin brand instead of the endless generic lines of SUVs, which are duplicated by Renault, remember being in Japan, we're missin, Nismo cult cars were all over the place and that put me in mind of going up to Japan.

You know I want to say it was about 1991 and going to the Fuji five. It was five hundred kilometer touring car race at Mount Fuji. The car park – Fuji Speedway, was uniformly r32 GTR, yeah and 180sx is the whole place that's what it was for locked yeah those cars. So I totally take his point and it's a missing head nestled ahead, something that it's lost and could could easily regain. Now. Hopefully, David Bowie yeah, sorry also, since a hopefully they've learnt the lesson from the GFC we're missin during the GFC scaled right back and we're still feeling repercussions of that, whereas master pushed ahead in bed too heavily and a deal with the Masters we've got now so, Hopefully they take a leaf out of masters book and don't. Do the same thing twice: it's all it's, all those cliches isn't it you know who dares wins. You'Ve got to take a risk and yeah we'll see this will be it quite a telling time. Yeah David Berst is each story apologizes but says the Nissen Toyota halo models we featured last time are all caps ugly with a multitude of angles and shapes. The super looks like it's, been shunted up the rear by two hundred series on the m5 or the Mohnish. So huh it's quite interesting comment. He says in many respects: the toy 86 is a much purer execution of a 2 door sports car than these two plus fantasticks in a similar vein to the deaths in 240, said so there's a lot of cinnamon out there wanting that simplicity, yeah, yeah yeah.

I I agree with him Casey. To be honest, I love the Supra. I don't think anybody's head over heels, with the way that it looks but it's, but it certainly drives very well, but I agree with the 86 was a really nicely styled car. I thought yeah absolutely and interestingly, you know. Tetsuya Tata was the engineer in charge of both those programs, the 86 and the Supra. So, in terms of the way the cars were styled, there's a big difference there, so he obviously gave free rein to the people working in the broader team, that's right or I complained that the the GTR isn't beautiful though, like you know the r34, even is probably The most celebrated of all GTRs yeah and a beautiful car – you know it smells really it's blah I've got a site. You know that that 55th anniversary it tell design version of the GTR. I really like, I think, it's amazing, looking thing so yeah. It can be made to look beautiful, but I suppose yeah you're right looks aren't everything. But when you see that car do they see the Italian it's so clear what they've done it's like they've just taken a giant iron and I got all the creases okay. Actually, it's quite a good looking car that direction for the GTR Italia. Well, they've, just put it in the microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds and all those hard all those hard edges that just kind of softened off a bit.

Now we shifting shifting subjects here previously. We also talked about Utes versus a van now in for Matt Matt Campbell, who is in the podcast. Last week we discussed the prospect of comparing youths with one box vans because, as a working vehicle, you know which has the better utility and stuart GD thinks. The youth versus van idea is brilliant and for work he has hilux for towing and generally his words, not mine. Looking flash and hi ace and ohio's for the actual on site work. He says the vans got it all over the youthful working out of put a false floor for ladders, etc under 90 and still have a shared Lotus space for everything else, above any says, love your work, so that's what even better JC yeah sorry I'm out. You go so since they, but the same to time, there's a Holly good stuff. You can fit in the infinite height capacity very well be Billy. The load height, the load height, is quite generous in Hyannis, it's, infinite. You'Re right, I suppose, I suppose, is also the security of a one box that whatever is in it, is in it you're, not risking anything falling or flying off all that kind of stuff as well, and the weather protection JC is well. My point I've seen this before, but if, when I'm moving house it's van over you any day, the way yeah yeah yeah too true, we'll, look on I'm gon na have a crack at this name, and just watch me now list Andre for Gia.

He loves the van and in fact, calls out the mitsubishi delica 4×4, which has been a big grain port favorite over a period of time in Australia. But I did note that our around our friends at go Auto a while ago know that that Mitsubishi Australia is studying the return of the current d5 version of the delica. And if you look for people on YouTube behind us, we've got some pics of that car. So Mitsubishi, Australia, saying yeah we're studying having a look at, it might add it into the mix I and it would take T GE triton and the ASX to have a big big whack in their sales charts for the push go on the delay car that's, my Tc yeah DeLuca, so you're going the delica as in salika rather than delica silica. I think that's how the enthusiasts pronounce it likely listen. I guess dodgy a wagon. You know yeah Sturge, yeah enthusiast and always remember: Mel's never made a carry doesn't like so there's. Also TJ t GV, the very fast train has said: I prefer the SUV versions of the year, so he likes the pajero sport if Fortuna over the respective try and Ranger and Hilux. So if it comes down to a comparison in terms of walks, what works best for him, that said, I really want the new 2024 to explore at st Shane Ford won't, make it in right hand, drive I've raised my hand for just a moment.

Yes, with the wonders of Google I've dug up the Japanese and it is dark, Lika, dhalika, you're enough. Okay, I will adjust my pronunciation from this moment forward. Delita now our New Zealand correspondent waxed triple three seas. Will we sleep in this and tighten in Australia and New Zealand and that's been the 64000 question for some time chess, though I think you've written some stuff recently, most recently about the Titan what's what's, your mail on that it's it's, coming lock it in well, look It was coming before the corona craziness broke out. They were investigating that they're, so keen on having that car in Australia. They were investigating right hand drives factory production if they can't get that they were hedging their bets by investigating right local conversions in Australia, because yet success of RAM and others, so they were champing at the bit for that vehicle. It was a Brazil. It was a lock, what's happened since coronavirus has come out and their havoc that's wreaked on car company finances. I don't know, but certainly a month ago was it was a certainty and can I just add they weren't simply just pondering it. They were actively pursuing this car for at least a few years before all this, so yeah solid, solid indigenous technically, but of course, there are narrow so much there very well thing so fingers crossed all right well. Waxed also says that Nissen should renew the primeira based on the p 11, which was a 1995 to 2002 car, but the reason might be that that car was assembled in wery in the southern part of Auckland in New Zealand.

For some time he says the styling would be cool to see maybe a skyline to the masses yeah, and he also asked. Is there any details on the new Subaru, levorg, 1.8 liter, turbo and power outputs in our own Tom white did do a story for us on that and – and he said they all knew that they're calling it lean, burn 1.8 litre source on the boxer, nothing's confirmed, But he's saying maximum output: sir 147, kilowatts 294 newton meters with the ladder available quite low down because it's a turbo, but you know we'll see those things need to be confirmed over time now, under the subject of general commentary, fun thunder 250 came in with first Viewer, which is a you know, an online, must do then he said something I'd love to see a more cast similar to imprisoned Evo's of the 90s there's. Just this nostalgia: yeah it's a little cars of the 90s and early 2000 that have small capacity. Four cylinder engines capable of pushing huge power with a few modifications, but still affordable for most people. Similarly, the current 86 because it's, so there are a lot of people out there. They just want more of that. You know what we need to make that happen, though we need rallying to take off again. You know: we've got Toyota with the the GRF Garris. The commenter before was asking for the return of the Pulsar GTI are that you are the existed for a Yamaka yeah.

Your ex Pirelli Evo forelli, get begun rallying and the rest will follow well, I reckon is also an argument that the time is coming again for that, just through circumstance, v8s are already on the our v6 s will be next. If you want a performance vehicle in the future, it likely will be a four cylinder. And, frankly we, when you look at the Chico output with its 1.63, you can see what's actually possible with those engines. I mean. I just think that times coming again, naturally to be on well Luke Tony tell Roy. You made a good comment in response to thunder 250 see I reckon Hyundai will bring all that stuff yeah. You know when you think about I 30 n kind of in Atlanta. In on it goes, I mean, is a philosopher, you know so that kind of stuff may well come from beyond a and and a new source and don't forget that Toyota's gon na gr, everything from the you know Corolla to the see a chart yeah. I arguably the Yaris incur old across so there's a lot of stuff, a lot of little performance cows coming yeah, yeah, it's, not a sure, I'll see it in the same as we did in the 90s with the earth probably go. The rallying point is a really good one: yeah homologation drives that kind of innovation. Doesn'T. Now our old mate hammer rock says I don't mean to brag, but I've been practicing social distancing.

That is avoiding people way before coated night now ends inside one says: we were talking about coffee in cars and coffee makers in cars, and he says out it. He or she says. Aldi has an optional coffee maker on some of its SUVs, and I did a bit of digging here and it's actually called that believe it or not hand, press oh it's, the hand presser and for people on YouTube there'll be some vision of it. In the background, it's a little, you know 12 volt powered unit that sits in your cup holder. You pull the water in round the top put a little coffee bag on the top screw, the top on give it a press and it spits out an espresso. The walls can have on the road and Audi does bad diversion so as a not even accessory for some of their cars, hopefully no one's doing it at 180 on the auto yeah that's right and look. Finally, barton is one: two three has a dilemma. He says I have a dilemma: window tint or no tint. My new car has no factory tint but I'm, actually somewhat enjoying that finding the visibility at night superb, but anyone I've ever talked to has always gone directly for the tint. Am i the odd one out here? Should I be tinting and I think it's a really good question yeah? As far as I'm aware, the benefits are that it cuts UV light and that's for heat and fading or damage to the interior of the car.

It reduce it can reduce glare and it helps the ac gives it a bit of a leg up because you're getting less heat into the car. All I would say to Barton is one two three as if he does it don't. Do it yourself the number of times you can save a lot of money? I'Ll just do it myself would be great and then it's an absolute horror show everyone's seen it always starts with that famous question. Yes, very hot, I think so I mean, if you can remember, covering your books at school yeah part of its aesthetic as well. I suppose, if you like, that kind of brooding darker look around the windows on your cars, but it seems is that there's a lot of upside to it another detail. Once again, it comes down to the job you're doing with the car, but another key consideration is the comfort of any children in the backseat yeah. You know you put baby in there, Delta's cry. They don't tell you all the Suns in my eyes they just dry. Yes and it's, a good you know, cover all and you're, also protecting their skin anyway, you know, if you think about it, we should be lathering up in sunscreen every time to go, for a drive sure that if you've got it, you can just turn around and Really wet couldn't you just whack a pair of sunnies on on the Pompey, but kind of cut out.

The middleman I've tried that didn't go well, no didn't last well, alright! Well! Look thanks to everyone who came at us with all that feedback. It was terrific! Thank you very much and we'll move on to our main subject area, which is Hilux and Hilux 2021, the vehicle of next year, it's it's within reaching distance. Yes, yes, so you've researched and written a story for us during the week and fill us in on the latest. What'S what's been happening. Yes, oh look. We'Ve covered this car a lot for obvious reasons: best selling car in Australia, always a perennial favorite super important car to Toyota, and particularly for Toyota in Australia, so new ones coming. We know that, and last week we got our or this week we got our first peek at add some images of that car. What it should look like now released by a website called milller or Miele Motors, which is a vehicle wholesaler that Asia and Africa, which, as I said earlier, a maker of very high quality kitchen appliances. Now what was was the other one vacuum cleaners? Thank you. Thank you, but it just might be a separate i'll. Does that guy, okay, okay, but but anyway, it does add some credibility to these images. These are the guys that will be selling in Asia in Africa, so the presumption is that they would have had a pretty good look at this vehicle that's about to launch, I guess the first and most important I'm sure it's popped up in the background now.

I actually think it looks really good. It gives the high like some kind of Tacoma styling at the front end. It adds a bit of toughness to it, which is never a bad thing but yeah, but it doesn't change the sort of overall dimensions or concept or anything it's, just if you're giving a vehicle a tickle it's a really good way to do it sure, looking at The photos it there doesn't seem to be any sheetmetal changes all were looking at is a new grille front, fascia and headlights. Yes, so you knew LED headlights at the front and at the rear do 17 and 18 alloy wheel choices, new TRL's and design and a new front end. I mean that's. Basically, the Hollis bolus Ravi the wheels in the photo, though they're, like the the renderings we've we've, seen so the track widened by at least three or four inches that's not going to happen unless unless they actually give us the you know, the the Hilux Raptor we've. All been getting corralled, but just visualize it with the standard track. Just with that nose and that's. I don't know about you guys but I've spoken to numerous. You know car designers and they always use those earlier renderings as a way to push the envelope but know they'll teach the dog to jump this high and then hope that they get to this height. I'Ll put these massive rims on yet and then we'll get the size.

We want and I'll one the track that much and maybe we'll get what we're. Actually after really amazing this. This only represents the mid cycle facelift for the Hilux. You know you're seeing this much for a fair few more years. Yet alright – and this is a decent update to it, but it'll be the same car from you know the radio to support panel backwards. We bus leads to the question chest so in terms of what's going to be under the bonnet yes, so while the exterior changes are not massive but significant in the way they style, the cast are more significant, as some of the other tickling that's been going on. I'Ll start in the cabin you'll finally get apple, carplay and android, auto in a Hilux which is frankly unbelievable that it's taken this long to arrive. But if you know it will arrive with this one – and I know the bonnet it's the same engine but it's been fiddled and we're, expecting the output to increase by about 20 kilowatts and 20 Newton meters. Now I know they don't sound, like huge numbers, but the idea there is that it will put it just about on par with the Ford Ranger, which is its biggest rival, not the 500 Newton meter engine, just the larger but lower capacity yeah. So yes, so it should be roughly 150 kilowatts, 470 newton meters, which is a enough grunt. Now the bad news we were expecting it to arrive in Australia in July, but the factory where it and the Fortuna are both being produced is currently still closed to the craziness so that the production date has reportedly been pushed back to May 9, which is a Month later, well, yes, which, if all goes according to plan, should push its arrival in Australia by a month.

But again, if you know so much of that is how long's a piece of string at the moment it's just a plan to reopen it. Hasn'T actually done it yet so I'm gon na be delayed, but it will be here this year, barring you know some unforeseen disaster. Yes, Toyota will be calling the 2221, even though it will arrive this year only model year, car yeah, correct, correct, so that's about a rapper we don't know. Unfortunately, we don't know pricing and a bit yet but it's. A hugely competitive space. Don'T expect the pricing to increase by too much if at all, and you look expected from around August with some pretty critical updates missing a fling. You have a question. Oh thank you. Mr. Cleary is point out. I can't remember the first time we clapped eyes on the most recent length, prison 200 series update and it came to aspire similar renderings that what we're seeing here with the the Hilux and I was really worried, I thought they'd broken the landcruiser and it wasn't good. Looking car before that, but now I think the the current 200 looks pretty good yeah now. The reason why I'm saying this is that looking at these renderings now and to actually think wow, that looks good bodes well for the real thing. I am criticizing the track. We'Re, seeing in the images but alright yeah the last the length we had on 200, it needed to IH for you.

It needed to have a bit of time in market and it came good as it were. I think it was merely just seeing in the flesh – and you know this comes you know. There'S also highlights why manufacturers hate leaked images. They want us to show the car in the you know, in the ideal light and and the realistic way that we will see them on the road yeah obscure, rendering doesn't necessarily do that. So just to clarify the first landcruiser 200, you saw it wasn't broken. It was when I saw it in the flesh. I thought it's not broken there. You go: oh hi, kids, wrinkles, yeah, yeah don't, just I'm, sorry, I'm. Just going to just say. I was speaking to someone at Toyota about that very issue the other day and they were saying the curse of having and it's actually it's a feeling shared by Land. Rover in the defender. The curse of having a kind of iconic vehicle in the liner is that every time you launch a new one, the first reaction is well you've, ruined it and then a suit once that gets in the market, for while they get used to it that it comes The new iconic status, then you launch another one and they say well you've ruined the one that we thought you were really ruined. So you know it's just one of those circles. One exception to that, though, is the non on six Porsche.

I don't think anyone thinks the American one egg headlights on the non on six Porsche look good even today, and market market values would very much reflect that now there are some bargains to be had out there, a nine on six 911s that's for sure correct. Alright, now we're gon na move to our own garage and sadly, no not Elevens in there during this week, but Mel I'm gon na start off with you, and this is a car that Chesto nominated as his drive or car in the garage just a little while Ago we want to get your take on it this time back yeah sure, so it was my turn to drive the kodiak RS, the Skoda Kodiak RS, which I understand Chesto discussed at LinkedIn episode 128, which is weeks ago. Yeah and I found it, you know, looking the the notion of a performant issue of a performance issue very still sort of sounds like a bit of an an oxymoron to me, but I think the application of the Skoda Aris formula bodes really well for the Kodiak, Which is a seven seater but it's, not a very big SUV, still only you know like an elongated Mazda, cx, 5 it's, still quite narrow, it's still quite low, and therefore it's still quite maneuverable, and the Skoda RS formula isn't about man performance it's about a bit Quicker and a bit more lively and a bit exciting, I think it works really well it just given this car that's really cleverly designed you know, we've, always loved the Kodiaks near infinite family focused details from the you know the little things that pop out from the Doors two stomachs very thoughtful yeah.

Very you know the classic Skoda rubbish been in the the door. You know the storage space under the back. The fact that it has seven seats in such a small car fast also it's, like RS point it's, got every feature you can think of real yeah. Yes, it's, not a particular cheapskate er, in that it lists at just under sixty six thousand dollars. But you know the Alcantara on the seats is just full of nice. Little details that sort of lift it beyond typical family hauler and give you that that you're feeling I've treated myself here and it's it's something pleasant to go into every day. Very good and it's. Not particularly fast at Chesto mr. zero hundred climbed seven seconds, I think yeah about that yeah that's right so it's at least half a second behind it's, a Golf GTI and actually I'm that much faster than the Skoda below and I think it's a sick and quick Adore 100 desert to the model below it yeah right, but I think the whole package works quite well and you know it is a it's, a it's, a twin turbo diesel isn't, it yeah. So you know the point got the powered 176 kilowatts. The idea of a diesel performance car still yeah, but I've been braced. What made the first Audi sq5 worked so well, and even the sq7 worked so well, but in a yes, a much cheaper, smaller package, you notice off the accentuated exhaust noise, but that also disguises the fact that it's a diesel under the bonnet.

So I think there's, a daily family proposition, it's a really enormous package and it's also unique package fan mail boat in the night. The the point I made a couple of weeks ago, mail that I I think you agree with, is that I felt like if they push that RS envelope too far, they would have ruined it. I think that's meant that it's that it is quite understated as a performance car, so much so that you can still easily use it as a daily running back for the family, which is its core duty, he's, actually a genius of what they've done there. Definitely, you know there's no low hanging body bits. No, you know the opponent to go in there to bumper their driveways and speed, humps and all sort of stuff, but you always get those low hanging body boots, it's thinking poor. They can get you in a lot of trouble, that's. Why I like the the only thing I can. I just say one last thing on that code on the scale which i think is so clever those little pop outdoor bits. I remember being on the launch of that car and I spoke to one of the engineers I was like, oh my god, so how did you make this happen? You know it's so clever. What sort of amazing engineering is going into this? He just gave me this. Look and when made it's just a spring, you know I put it two springs out when your clothes are not spring back in the previous generation focused on it, but I don't keep Australia models over got.

You know the other work around is that you know people stick this. You could rubber things on them with reflectors on them. If I look stupid that ties these ones when the door shut it doesn't exist, but when it oh yeah it's, particularly and he's, actually ideas destroying a chi don't do a rhythm, the the the wall in the garage, all the cars parked. Next to you, you've installed the sit on the EH book on yeah. Definitely you have just your prong straight the best podcast yeah good. Now. Thank you very much now. We'Ll move on to you test, though, and you've been in a different part of the market. Fill us in on your rhymes from the kun is correct: I'm man of the people, as you know, so I mean something far more affordable. The high end, a venue active which is really interesting because it is basically high end A's new, take on cheap and cheerful it's. The is the most affordable model in their range. It replaces the accent which I think towards the end of its days. You could get for about 15 grand drive away, you know the they were selling them hand over fist, but they weren't making any money on that car. So the idea was to bring something in at a slightly higher price point that they could actually turn a profit on, even if they sold less of them, which i think is weird where they'll go to with the venue.

Now I mean mount has his hand up Chester story. He'S just handed me. I just wanted to add that I think Australia is still getting the head around the fact that TM guys added the cone or a couple of years ago is their baby SUV and now yeah we've got the venue as well. Anything maybe baby kind is already pretty small, but the venue is actually marginally smaller again than the Kona that's right and it just. It also feels to sit in and to drive like the Kona's little brother. You know like so it does. It certainly feels a role there now the active is the second in the trim. Level starts with go steps up to active it's about 24 25 grand 1.6 litre petrol engine. Sixty six speed automatic and look it does what it says on the box. It'S, not the most invigorating drive experience I've ever had, but it is. It is comfortable it's quiet that that little engine is surprisingly perky for a car of that size, although you do have to wring its neck a little bit to get the performance out of it, but perhaps most importantly, it has a nice little 8 inch screen in The middle apple kind of sets up it's a great that it is like the perfectly placed cast, and can I add another, look you may yes Mel, go, please not my door. Shutting in the background, the the notion of a issue be replacing a small hatch.

Might sound bit funny to some people, but just so you probably agree that you know the higher ride height. That set is great for access and also yes, you don't. Once again, you don't have to worry about speed, humps or the dividers and car parks, that's right, it's, just an easier car to live with, without actually being bigger, it's a little bit taller, but it's, really no bigger and I'd like to think that by now we've All reframed our idea of what what an SUV is. You know as punters out there, because this one is really an SUV in the loosest sense of the term you're right now, it's a little bit higher it's got a high hip entry points a bit easier to load stuff into the back, but it really it almost Needs to be a whole nother term, it's, it's kind of like a it's, a high riding hatches and it really yeah, but but it does, it does tweet those little elements. It makes it just a little bit easy to live with, but if they leave got a my writing that no one would buy it like that's right exactly yeah – and I mean you – you called it chest. Oh it's, a great peep later car is the start of the staircase it's. The first tread on the on the staircase book young day, isn't it and it's changing people's attitudes in what a first new car might be, and you think about Toyota with the Aris cross.

You know they're, seeing that SUVs are the way of the future. We need an entry level car in that same configuration, so it's an important one and off topic for a moment, but the Yaris cross is gon na, be a stroke of absolute genius, because not only is it an entry level SUV but it'll also be an entry Level, hybrid and we've seen the way the arc of shifting in ishmael there. I said this before, but i think that cars all sorts of gold for toyota – i really direct the point – Bracey evident aim a bit early in the the hybrid world and also like jazz hybrid. I think it was actually a cheapest after awhile that clearly ahead of its time, yeah we're now ready for it, but but also just the Prius is such a it's, just a big fat bottle of uncool isn't it. You know like nobody, you know some people find it cool lots of other people, don't find it cool, but lots of other people don't want to be seen to be driving a hybrid all the time, but want to be able to say it's a hybrid yeah that's, A the other thing is over time, prius as a nameplate picked up a bit of baggage. You know that yeah that you, you had a certain message to send politically when you're in a Prius and something like a garis or a corolla, has none of that. So it's a different proposition, yeah I'll just follow on Oh Mel, go ahead.

I was just gon na ask back to the venue. Sorry what what the back secret report had been thus far from your four legged companion. Well, look my! As you know my four legged. We have a little Corgi, of course, if you follow any of my long term reviews you'll have met her many times. Her legs are roughly I'm gon na, say four centimeters each. I can place about actually to be honest with you. We have used it some of its practicality, perks to date. You know we, you know we're. All in I so there's been plenty of trips to Bunnings and and flowerpower to try and you know, get some home projects done and again it. You know it is surprisingly practical if you're a bit clever in the way you pack it and you fold down the seats. So you pack up the backseat you'd, be surprised at how much so how many people or how much stuff you can squeeze into a car. The size of the venue, you might be shocked, yeah all right, I'll, follow on with the car I've been driving this week. This jag your eat pace, it's the checkered flag, edition p250, so it's all wheel drive bit over nearly 64000 dollars before you put it on the road, 2 liter, turbo, 9 speed, Auto and and it's not 183 kilowatts which, which isn't too shabby 363 Newton meters, develop. Very low 1250 new rpm is is where that'll start to kick in.

I have the pluses down as its photon red, and I don't know if you guys have seen that color it's the most amazing kind of pulsing orange II, red color lips. Clearly, the number of people have commented on it. You if I had a dollar for each of them, I'd have around the drinks. You know it's been really really interesting, great front seats. I noticed also one little quirk is the centre storage box between the front seats. You flip the lid, like it's, armrests, they're, also storage box, that space goes in under the cupholders further up in the console. So you've got like this underground, where beneath the cupholders for extra stuff, so it's got quite a lot of space in there sounds like a perfect place to lose things yeah. You could see it that way or you could see it as an opportunity for storage. Good really good reroute has a huge glass kind of sunroof as part of the spec and it's nicely finished red contrast stitching on some leather and all of that. What I had in the the the negative column was that it was quick but not really urgent. You know you, you wanted probably a little bit more pick up. The brakes felt a little bit unrefined. They tend to grab. You have to really squeeze the pedal to get a refine kind of slowing or stopping the road feel wasn't exactly where you'd like it to be through the steering either and most of all the gear shift.

Paddles on the steering, wheel are plastic, and so obviously plastic they've been you know, cast or extruded and there's a big seam down the edge of them and there's something you. You really feel if you want to change the gears and they feel bad. So for me, that's that's, a negative but an interesting car yeah that's, because I think the didn't, the first type have yeah, really ordinary paddle, shifters and so much you know they have yes haven't. They applied that logic across the range I don't know. It'S a pertinent question, because it is just one of those touch points where you want it to feel good, because, if you're choosing to change the ratios yourself, you've been interested in driving whatever and just to have that cheap feeling. Plastic under your fingers is not great. It'S part of that handshake isn't it than the handshake. Your first handshake is the steering wheel and everything that goes with it yeah. But for me I think that look it's, not a huge event. That'S, like in a lot of cars, it's not a huge amount of money, but for me it's a sizable amount, 60 grand I mean whatever. I want everything to be to feel nice. I want it to work, you know absolutely, and it takes me back to your Skoda now. You know I just don't think that's a mistake. They make they everything in that car feels like it should feel. You know like you, wanted to feel at that price point.

So you're the same applies for a phobia for under 20 yeah around 20. So maybe it sounds like we're nitpicking, but but if that's something you notice every day in a car, you know you do want those things to be perfect. Most definitely yep all right. Well, speaking of being perfect it's time for Musk watch a Squatch Music, okay, all right here we go so the verge. According to the verge Ellen, Musk called shelter in place, orders in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the US fascist he says it's stripping. People of their freedom and on it he was on a Tesla earnings call on Wednesday. So he was answering some analyst questions about liquidity during the corona virus and the effect of Alameda County's extension of stay at home orders, which means the Fremont plant stays shut for. Another month, so he was obviously peeved about all this and he's called it fascist. He echoed Donald Trump's so eerily on Wednesday night. He put in all caps tweet out, saying free America now so he's gone full political on the whole thing he says quote him, the expansion of children place or as we call it, forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights is, in my opinion, Breaking people's freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong, and not why people came to America and built this country what the that's, what he put in his statement. If somebody wants to stay in the house that's great, they should be allowed to stay in their house.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah it just goes on and on so it's really it's. The way you treat this whole coronavirus thing. Is it a political issue? Is it a financial issue? Do or is it a health issue and I'm gon na say that in Australia it seems to been treated very much as a health issue and from what you see and read in the media from the states. It is on the fringes at least very much, a political issue which has these financial overtones. You know we, we reserve the right to do whatever we want to do and look Twitter went into a tornado. It just went into this firestorm of feedback claims and counterclaims on the relative merits of a lockdown. Some people say it makes no difference at all, including the Dear Leader, I might add, he launched desire for the Fremont factory to open, so he can make a big payday which we'll get to in a minute, Bentley tweeted, random stats and opinion pieces about. You know trying to justify his position on the whole thing and someone come out said: look it's your fault for not colonizing Mars early enough, which I thought was a which do the good comeback, but Paul Bennett said on Twitter. He one needs a nap and he came up with a book cover for kids and it's it's from paperback paradise, which is something I subscribe to have on Instagram, which is the retitling of classic paperbacks I'd, recommend it and it's a child on top a child's gone To online political discussion, everyone I don't like is Hitler I'll jump in for just one.

Second, let me first apologize for the change in audio I've I've, just gone back on the mains power for a moment yep, but I tell you nobody can read the room like Elon Musk II. He would have been making those statements on just about the same day that America's death toll surpassed that of Vietnam and he's complaining about staying home orders. I just has this inability to read a room, it's incredible. Well, it speaks to his priorities. I suspect you know he wants the factories to be open, he wants people to be working because I think he sees just my personal opinion. He sees the world through the lens of money and he wants people to be able to work. He wants liquidity in the economy and if people have to suffer around the edges of that so bit in credit also he be. You know, like all these things that were worried about ending, are not light switches, they're, not a matter of turning them off and on Eve sure, if these big organizations fail they're not coming back, certainly not in the way, we know them for a long time. You know tire manufacturing plants is such a detail. You know a whole bunch of things that contribute to putting a car together that need him synchronized perfectly to truth, and I do not mean to defend him one bit but that's that's, a sort of thing. He'S. Think of bust, no doubt a big payday which were about to hear about.

I think I think the duality of the whole thing is summed up in two tweets. Robert Oliva said I still believe. Musk'S Twitter has been hacked. It is impossible that the oil mask is stupid and political. If it is the real musk, I will lose all respect for him. Ok and then in the very next we Darrel gray, the first member of the billionaire club to speak the truth Elon Musk. For president. We need more people to stand up and speak about that the truth of what's happening so there it is in in two consecutive tweets the polar opposites on that whole discussion in the US at the moment. Happily, he doesn't qualify for a presidential run. I think cuz. He was born in South Africa, so he was born and grew up in Canada exactly now so the next bit is from inc.com Elon Musk is closing in on a 600 million dollar payday. He could net fifty five billion dollars when it's all said and done now. This is about the remuneration agreement he's he had signed off with the board of Tesla, so musk is already one of the richest people in the world is soon about to add boatloads of cash to his coffers. With the help of a soaring Tesla stock, he could net 600 600 million dollars in new stock as part of a compensation package. There are 12 components which ultimately add up to 55 billion dollars. Now what he's got to do is keep the market capitalization.

Above a hundred billion dollars for Tesla on a trailing six month period, so if you can do that, he gets more than one point: six: nine million Tesla shares in the company now and the timing. It just couldn't, be worse here. He is getting many many many millions of dollars as a lot of Tesla. You know workers are at home twiddling their thumbs and and it's. Just not a great look, but anyway that's what he's staring down the barrel of JC. I got ta say I this. I get to going against what I said a moment ago. He probably deserves it so much of Tesla. For so long has it he's healing him you're right. They had a day but wasn't for him. So yeah. You know he probably deserves the conversation. I agree. I agree now we'll also get to the hood bit in our mask watch watch today. He'S changed his Twitter profile handle to deus ex, which of course means god of in latin. I mean 20. I went back in in 20 18. He asked Twitter followers to nominate which games they'd like to see in Tesla's as Easter eggs right. So one of them Deus Ex, is a role playing game from around 2000 and it has this superhuman hero called JC Denton who's been given these powers via nanotechnology and on it goes, and the developers responded to Ellen's tweet and said: look that'd be great. So just recently, Ellen's changed his Twitter profile pic to this central character, JC Denton, because back in 2018, mary on twitter has said.

Oh, my god, this guy looks exactly like you, meaning elan and he's heroic chiseled. You know he man looking up at the stars and he longs come back with bustard. You know, ah the really cringey little exchange, so others have suggested that back in the day suggested palm and Frogger and pac man. You know Mario Kart all that stuff, but then, at the same time I noticed there was a real thread of little alternate messages coming through hefty curbs and he said less production line, injuries and a unionized workforce that's. What we'd like to see and then MW unicorn, said a way to contact your local union, organizers and yay for Australia. Australian unions said a union ticket, so there was all this kind of feedback on his industrial work practices, but I suppose, through his Twitter profile picture changing you can guess that maybe that deus ex game is going to come to a Tesla near you pretty shortly. I think that's, the theory I'm not sure we're gon na be able to throw a picture up in the background back in his days. Oh there wasn't too much there's a gear I'm thinking of the same photograph. You are and it's pretty tragic. It is pretty tragic. Now, but what is not tragic is the Tesla share price. It has gone up to 781, nearly seven hundred eighty two dollars, and it was seven hundred and five dollars last week now that's, because at earnings call where is talking about fascism, stay at home, orders etc.

Was announcing the fair that they had a profitable quarter and that's three profitable quarters for Tesla in a row, they've never been able to put together a 12 month period, a profit so they're there on the way to that so that's why the share price has gone Up but the risk is that with Fremont closed for another month, it may put that in jeopardy but that's what Center there should be a price upwards mistaken. I think the Tesla Model 3 was the second best selling car in Europe last month. Have you seen? Wow is that right, yeah? Yes, so! Well, I think it's, right with that, we have reached the finish line and I've got to say. Thank you mouths. Thank you James and thank you, Jim and thanks to our Under Secretary to the podcast production subcommittee, mr. Pritchard for his telepathic slider sliding mouse clicking and dial twirling today, he's in a t, shirt, saying party like it's 1994, and he just got a Playstation a pair Of MC Hammer's, actual pants and unicorn moccasins it's a mate it's amazing we're, having a look at the wardrobe room earlier on, please post about the podcast and let us know your thoughts by searching for cars guide on facebook and instagram, using the hashtag, cg, podcast or Email us at cars guide.com about comments at cars, god calm today, you if you're an iTunes listener, please rate and review us and remember you – can watch us on YouTube.

But before we go my mechanic says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We'Ll see about that Laughter.