In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show

Ugly Grills, Great Cars

• In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan • Season 2025 • Episode 328

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Some faces you can’t forget. We kick off with a sharp, entertaining tour of automotive front ends that sparked love, hate, and head-scratching in equal measure—from the Jeep Cherokee KL’s split lighting and the Lincoln MKT’s controversial split wing to the Dodge Nitro’s gym-bro stance and the Chevy SSR’s retro grin. The thread through all of them is clear: when the nose leads the story, it can amplify a car’s character or drown out everything it does well.

Then we pivot to a grounded, detail-rich review of the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer in its two-row electric 4xe configuration. We break down the sleek seven-slot grill, the long-wheelbase proportions, and a cabin that feels more expensive than the price tag suggests. Think full-length dash, integrated displays, ambient lighting, and upscale seating that deliver daily comfort without forcing a third row. On the road, direct-drive electric power brings up to 600 horsepower potential, stout torque, and an up-to-300-mile range target, with the quiet, planted ride you’d expect from a 5,600-plus-pound SUV. Towing up to 3,500 pounds adds weekend flexibility, and for gas loyalists, the Hurricane inline-six in the L variant keeps the door open.

We compare pricing and positioning against the Cadillac Lyriq, Lexus RZ 450e, and Genesis GV70 Electric, and we talk honestly about the complexity of trims and badges across Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. The takeaway: design should match purpose, and the Wagoneer’s balance of refined styling, practical space, and real-world range makes a strong case in a crowded field.

If you’re into car design hot takes and want straight talk on whether the new Wagoneer belongs in your driveway, you’ll feel right at home here. Enjoy the ride, and if this sparks a memory of your favorite ugly grill or seals your next test-drive plan, share it with a friend. Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help more car lovers find the show.

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

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SPEAKER_01:

Time now for Jeff's car culture. Cars with the ugliest mugs of all time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, friends that went too far, ugly mugs stuck in our memories. So, what's the first thing you see when a car rolls into a car meet? No, not the ugly tacky rap. It's the grill. The grill alone can't entirely ruin a car, sometimes it can, but it can certainly shape how people remember it, often for all the wrong reasons. Many had solid features, thoughtful engineering, and even loyal followings somewhere. But when the front end starts the conversation on a strange, awkward, or just plain ugly note, it's like trying to find a perfectly sized wrench in a messy toolbox. First one we got is a Chrysler 300 from 2005 to 2010. Chrysler 300 made an entrance that shook the sedan segment harder than an ugly earthquake. When its wide stance squared off portions, proportions, and strong shoulder lines, it looked like a concept car that actually accidentally went into production. Or a muscle car dressed for a formal occasion. It stood out from other sedans like a sumo wrestler in a ballet class, and that was exactly the point. It quickly became a darling of rappers, customizers, and anyone who wanted to look deep on the budget. There you go. And then the next one we have is a Jeep Cherokee from 14 to 18. This Jeep Cherokee, the KL generation, brought some genuinely useful uh updates to the Jeep lineup. It offered a smooth ride on pavement, shocking revelation for Jeep, solid fuel economy, and better tech than many rivals. Inside, it felt like a real step up toward daily drivers. The front end, however, told a different story. While Jeep's traditional seven-slot uh design grille was technically perplexing, the ultra-narrow upper lights, which were actually the daytime running lights, and the main headlights were tucked awkwardly down in the bumper, left for many buyers scratching their heads. Imagine that. The next one is an AMC Matador Coupe from 74, and Kathy and I knew she had a real good friend that owned one of these, and it was a cool little car. Oh, for who? At the time it was. AMC had a habit of doing things its own way, often with mixed results. The 74 Matador coupe was no exception. The grill pushed the limits, shaped like a giant pair of aviator sunglasses on a very surprised face. It gave the car an expression that bordered on comic, like a confused alien. While it certainly helped the Matador stand out in a crowd, bland the mid-70s cars, it didn't win any beauty contests. The car version of a bad toupee. The next one is a Lincoln MKT. Lincoln wanted the MKT to feel luxurious and forward-thinking. Offered strong engine, including the twin turbo Eco Boost V6, which is a cool motor, quiet, comfortable ride, and available three-row seating, making it a generally practical full-size crossover. The grill, however, went all in on Lincoln's controversial split wing design, sometimes effectively uh affectionately or mockingly referred to as the butterfly or the mustache grill. With wide chrome bars sweeping across the front, it gave the vehicle a wide-eyed, almost bug-like look that felt more awkward than refined. It simply didn't feel aligned with the elegant upscale interior behind it, creating a jarry disc jarring disconnect. It was like putting a cartoon face on a serious business executive. Dodge Nitro, still around. The Dodge Nitro certainly packed a serious personality into a compact SUV. Personality that looked like it spent too much time in the gym. It squared off shape, progressively flared fenders, and a bold styling made it look like a miniature bruiser or a bulldog on wheels. The grill leaned heavily on that theme, which thick vertical bars, often in chrome, and a massive dodram badge that took up the prime real estate. It bordered on the theatrical. Theoretically. Theoretically is theatrical. Screaming tough guy, louder than a muscle car convention. The grill made a strong impression that left little room for nuance, like a brick wall with a giant grin. It was all attitude all the time and very tacky. Last one, everybody's favorite, the Chevrolet SSR. One of Chevy's most playful, bizarre, and utterly committed designs for the 2000s, it combined a convertible, fun, power retractable hardtop with a retro pickup body, creating something no one else offered at the time. For drivers looking to stand out and relive their 50s hot rod fantasies with a modern V8, it absolutely delivered. It was like a cartoon come to life. The grill kept the retro theme going, but the wide, almost goofy smile and oversized curves gave it a slightly cartoon-like quality, like something out of the cars movie, even resembled Lightning McQueen a little bit. The grill certainly fit with the customer's overwall whimsical theme. Uh it even made its uh the styling feel more eccentric than generally cool, bordering on character. So it was a bad, so much unapologetically silly.

SPEAKER_01:

Leave that up there for a minute. So the story with the fenders, General Motors.

SPEAKER_00:

I already hit it.

SPEAKER_01:

The fenders, GM had to go back to the 1950s to take the technology in the actual molds of the fenders from that generation to create this because the curves were so sharp to make them round that they didn't have that technology anymore, so they had to go back and look at how they did it. Yeah. And it was truly amazing. The other interesting thing about that, and I remember when it came out because I was in the press crew then at the time and driving it, it had no upper structure, so the whole thing flexed all the time, kind of like the PT not the PT, but the PT cruiser, the hot rod looking thing.

SPEAKER_00:

I had a business company car.

SPEAKER_01:

And there was no structure in the upper part of it. Plus, that one had a V8 in it, it had no horsepower, just like the V6 and the PT cruiser.

SPEAKER_00:

But they were fun to look at. I'm sure they're fun to drive. I've never driven one, never been in one, but they were quite unique with that uh ugly mug.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, lot got lots of looks. I think uh uh Harold Gunn has one of those things. Okay, Mr. Morris. Um, yeah, it was yeah, a different day, shall we say? Thank you, Michael. All right, time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer, final assembly location, which I thought was uh interesting. Toluca, Mexico. Do you know that? No, yeah. Um, available trim levels, the base, the limited, and the launch edition. Uh it was all new in 2024. I had the S Limited 4xE, which is an electric two-row SUV. The S is the gasoline version. Uh it's still a two-row in just the Wagoneer itself. Not talking about the Grand Wagoneer, that's a different vehicle with the same name. Standard SUV, Tahoe size, if you will. Uh seats including the driver, five. Uh all new in 2024, as I mentioned. Sleek, narrow, seven-slot grill, not any bigger than the slim headlights that are uh bookending that. Rear lighting mirrors the front, sloping rear cargo area and uh sunshade over an interesting, very slanted roof uh or slash spoiler area. It's a very interesting vehicle, and if you haven't really paid much attention to it, I think it would be worth your while to check it out. Long, long, long wheelbase with straight line glass, gives it a saloon look. Oh. Extra long. Yeah. It's got a huge cargo area too about that in a minute. Uh what could use improvement? Nothing. It looks a lot more expansive and expensive than it really is. Uh, full-length dash on the interior, high zoot all the way in my mind. Now, I have not driven the Grand Wagon here, which even supposed to be a step above that. Built-in screen into the dashboard. Oh my god, imagine such a thing. It's above the uh second climate screen below it. Uh changeable dash lighting wraps around through the door, really cool. Comfortable seating with high-end leather and flat bottom steering wheel. Some unique features with it that you're not going to find anywhere else. I'm not trying to sell it, I'm just telling you that it is a very unique vehicle when it comes to the SUVs. And uh I think that you'll be interested, especially with the price of this upscale. Uh, tons of room in the back in the cargo area. They didn't try to cram a third row in it. Yay for you. Uh what I liked about it, the ambiance of luxury that this thing exudes. What could use improvement? Well, get the Grand Wagone here for even more wow factor. All right. Engine electric. Two powerful levels are available. Horsepower up to 600. You know, Chrysler Stellantis, uh, that whole group, Dodge, they're all about horsepower. If you want it, they got it. Torque, more than allowed by law. Um, somebody law, I'm not sure whose. Transmission, there is none. It's direct drive from the electric motors. Tower rating 3,500 pounds, which is significant. Uh miles per gallon, E electric. City 100, highway 85, 36 kilowatt hours per 100 miles. You do the math, I don't do that. I got 0.3 miles per gallon or MPGE over 400 miles. What I liked about it, up to 300 miles per charge, and I did get a charge, I'll tell you about that. What could use improvement? Jeep also offers, as I mentioned, L the L version, which is a gasoline engine, the uh hurricane six cylinder. I'm dying to get a hold of. I have not had one of those yet. Looking forward to it though. All right, uh, full-time all-wheel drive, nice ride quality. It feels heavy, and it is 5,667 pounds. So it does feel heavy, but as do most SUV electrics. Base trim price,$65,200. Price is tested$67,195. That's the shipping added into it. The base model price for this one,$65,200. The L starts at$62,945, which is a couple hundred dollars less than the electric. Gasoline version, as I mentioned, has a straight six with 420 horsepower. The Grand Wagoneer is more premium version. So I'm trying to do all of this research on not just the Wagoneer, but the Grand Wagoneer, along with the electric and the six-cylinder engine. It took me a lot of time to try to understand it all. Lots of versions, do your homework. So, uh, as a part of uh the actual review here, here are some that are competitors to the vehicle. The Cadillac Lyric,$58,595. That's where it starts. The Lexus RZ 450E 52,995. I've never driven one. I've never done it. Genesis Electric G V 70, 66,950. So they're all right around$60,000 or so. Next week, we're going to review the 1926, the 2026 Infinity QX 60 SUV.

SPEAKER_00:

That was your first car, wasn't it? That was the 1920, yeah. Thanks. You said it's heavy. It in about the size of a Tahoe in the beginning of your story. Tahoe's look really heavy. I mean, that that's a big machine. They are.

SPEAKER_01:

They are. Uh the Tahoe is based on the truck. Uh it is pardon me? Truck-based, you know, with frame on frame. Yes. And I'm wondering if this one is a modified RAM.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I didn't go that far.

SPEAKER_01:

I spent way too much time worried about making sure that I conveyed the Grand Wagoneer and the Wagoneer.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I really like the way the outside looks on it, though, the lines on it.

SPEAKER_01:

From the side, you're going to go, wow, that's very sharp. Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email. The address is info at inwheeltime.com. We're back after this quick break.

Head Shot

Don Armstrong

Host
Head Shot

Jeff Dziekan

Co-host
Head Shot

Michael Marrs

Co-host