RoAb #66 - The 'NAIAS 2011 Preview' Episode

It’s that time of year again. Sure, it is National Bath Safety Month but it’s also the season where we cover more ground than marathon runners; break ribs like passengers in the Tokyo subway as we get crushed in media scrums; and test our survival skills, subsisting almost exclusively off of room-temperature turkey wraps and stale cookies from the media lounge.  That’s right, January only means one thing.  It’s the Detroit Auto Show, baby!  What BIG reveals are on the docket for 2011?  Well, you’ve come to the right place.  Buick will unveil its new compact sedan, the Verano.  Porsche *may* take the wraps off a new supercar in a much-rumored production-version of the 918 Spyder.  Chevy will premiere its replacement for the moribund Aveo, called the Sonic.  Enjoy all that and more on this week’s admittedly abbreviated installment of RoundAbout, #66, the “NAIAS 2011 Preview” episode.

Play RoundAbout Episode 66

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Featuring: Michelle Naranjo, Jeffrey Ross, Steven Ewing, Eric Trytko, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders

Show notes after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

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RoAb #37 - The 'All God's Creatures Great and Small' Episode

Just like Noah’s Ark the RoundAbout crew goes biblical this week with an animal-themed extravaganza.  Please, join us for the “All God’s Creatures Great and Small” episode with a lineup of critter-inspired news stories.  Find out what road had to be shut down because of a plague of frogs!  Then we tackle the rumor that Dodge is dropping its long-standing ram’s-head logo.  Is it going back to the Star of David?  After that we take a look at a new and super-secrete type of engine that’s designed to power unmanned aerial vehicles.  All that and more, plus we chat about Mercury meeting the Grim Reaper in our BLIND SPOT Story of the Week followed by a peek IN THE GARAGE where, among other vehicles, we talk about the (de)merits of the smart fort-wo (ugh) again.  Make sure your generic-brand ear buds are firmly seated in your listening organs then crank up the volume on your no-name MP3 player, this is RoundAbout #37, the “All God’s Creatures Great and Small” episode.

Play RoundAbout Episode 37

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Featuring: Christopher Sawyer, Eric Trytko, Jeffrey Ross, Michelle Naranjo, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders

Show Notes and Ustream video recording after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6PM ET/3PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

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RoAb #31 - The ‘Paying Your Dues’ Episode

We’ve all done it, or rather, had to do it – and some of us more than others.  We may have started our careers scouring burnt pudding off of nursing home kitchen equipment; we may have even been forced to serve time in a half-way house for a little run-in with Johnny Law, either way we’ve all had to pay our dues in one capacity or another.  This week on RoundAbout we invite you to pay up or shut up with a lineup of stories ranging from absurd to astounding.  An English woman flips her driver’s training car on her second time out on the road motorway.  One unfortunate man gets socked with a $200 fine for being the victim of a rear-end collision.  And a group of youngsters has to serve some time for an innocent car-to-car paintball fight that turns tragic, sort of.  We also go all Battlestar Galactica in our Blind Spot story of the week, plus we chat about what we’ve been driving In The Garage. 

With RoAb-regular Jeffrey Ross out of action (he’s getting married, finally) we invited muscle-car fanatic and blogger Dave Braddock to take his place.  Also making the rounds is the auto mainstremist himself, Eric Trytko, as well as Miss Motor Mouth, played by Michelle Naranjo.  Autoblog writer Zach Bowman, Producer Ben Sanders and host, Craig Cole are also on hand.

Play RoundAbout Episode 31

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Featuring: Dave Braddock, Michelle Naranjo, Zach Bowman, Eric Trytko, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders

Show Notes and Ustream video recording after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6PM ET/3PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

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RoAb #29 - The 'In Hot Water' Episode

This week our own Zach Bowman goes from the frying pan into the bubbling cauldron as he grabs the reigns from Craig Cole and dutifully attempts to steer RoAb in the right direction. But it turns out that Mr. Bowman isn't the only one In Hot Water this week. A mysterious driver (or is he?) destroys a Zonda incurring nearly half a million in damage--and it's still not totaled. Toyota, already feeling the heat over some gas pedal thingy, decides to go scuba diving in the bubbly depths when it decides to cheat in racing. A driver gets absolutely steamed when he sees an Obama bumper sticker and attempts to remove it the hard way. All that and more, plus our Blind Spot brings us a story of crocodile-skinned Bentleys, Zach and Steven Ewing pit VW Golf gasoline and diesel versions head-to-head, and it's time once again for your favorite game show--this week, the West Coast edition!

Play RoundAbout Episode 29

 
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Featuring: Michelle Naranjo, Zach Bowman, Steven Ewing, Jeffrey Ross, Eric Trytko, and Ben Sanders

Show Notes and Ustream video recording after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6PM ET/3PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

Click to read more ...

RoAb #19 - The 'NAIAS Postmortem' Episode

Well, the North American International Auto Show--otherwise known as the Detroit Auto Show--has made all the news it's going to make for this year. It was a rocky year for the Motor City, and in a way, it really showed at Cobo Hall in Detroit. The digs might have been better than last year (Chrysler was a series of unadorned cars on beige carpet in 2009), but the product reveals were notably less exciting. With the patient on the slab, we called in the best team of doctors we know ... our ... selves. Well, anyway, we're here with the official RoAb postmortem of NAIAS.

Is the new Cadillac XTS worthy of being the luxury brand's new flagship? Does the Volkswagen NCC bring anything new and exciting to the German marque? Will the Honda CR-Z finally be a hybrid that's fun to drive? We debate all these and more. Plus we've got another installment of our new Meet Your Roadmates segment, a Stupid Car Trick and the triumphant return of the long lost Psy-car-logy.

Play RoundAbout Episode 19

 
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Featuring: Zach Bowman, Michelle Naranjo, Jeffrey Ross and Eric Trytko

Show Notes and Ustream video recording after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6PM ET/3PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and listen in on all the antics.

Click to read more ...