It’s not as if Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis needed a rainbow to assure him that his weeklong test drive of the Lincoln Nautilus would be an exercise in the art of elegance, but that’s just what mother nature had in store for him. Listen in for more details of his most enjoyable experience with this all-wheel drive, five-star safety awarded, compact SUV. Also in this week’s episode, there’s analysis of a new automotive study from iseecars.com , plus a bevy of space and high-tech stories to keep you up to date with all things technology.
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.
“Lincoln’s newest small luxury SUV, features a luxurious, airy cabin that clients have come to love in the brand’s larger SUVs including the Navigator and Aviator. Clean, horizontal lines across the dashboard and an attractive mix of glossy and matte surfaces, as well as five different interior color options place Lincoln Corsair on Autotrader’s top 10 list.” ~ Lincoln Media
Quietness is indeed an attribute that Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis admires in a vehicle, and the 2021 Volvo XC60 did not disappoint. In fact, the entire cabin of the mid-size SUV offered up a measure of luxury that elicited an abundance of oohs and ahhs, whether it was the sumptuous accommodations or the copious high tech equipment. There’s more, too, on his exciting week with the T5 Momentum edition of this Volvo that’s shown in the featured image. Have a listen for all the details. Then stay with the program for more automotive news, a couple of space news items and some mighty interesting alternative energy solutions.
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.
Heated Front Bucket Seats w/ 10-way Power Front Seats
Rear Park Assist Rear Parking Sensors
Blind Spot Alert w/ Lane Change Merge Aid
City Safety
Lane Keeping Aid / Run-off Road Mitigation
Lane Departure Warning
“We care for the environment both outside and inside the car. Advanced filtration technology works as part of our world-first air quality system to help make the air you breathe in the cabin clean.” ~ Volvo
When Hyundai describes the 2021 Venue as an urban crossover SUV, consider it a marketing-speak sort of way of saying that it’s a handy, well-sorted runabout that doesn’t cost a bundle to own.
With a base price starting around $18,750 ($19,935 with destination) including plenty of what used to cost extra, the 159-inch, 2612-pound Venue certainly holds its own in the cheap, nimble, and efficient categories.
The Cheap:
Just to clarify, when I say cheap, I don’t mean cheap as in stingy or poorly constructed. I mean cheap as in inexpensive. The Venue is one of the cheapest small SUVs on the market, and, even at the base level, a buyer gets a very decent amount of tech and safety features.
Our test car was an SEL with the optional Premium package that adds LED headlights and LED driving lights, heated mirrors, heated seats and a power sunroof.
Inside, the 5-passenger Venue offers a clean, easy-to-operate layout with buttons and knobs. It may seem odd to be excited about a car with a volume knob, but not everyone is in a rush to the future. If you’re NOT looking for a car with zero buttons and a giant touch-screen that controls everything this might be the car for you. Or, if there’s a new driver in the house, the Venue would certainly make a great starter.
There aren’t many interior color choices for the Venue, but the available two-tone color schemes found in the SEL and (more so) the Denim trims, give the interior a bit more of an upscale appearance. Sure, you won’t find a lot of soft-touch materials in the Venue, but keeping the market-level and low entry-cost in mind, that’s not unexpected.
Some reviewers knock the Venue for this, but I think they lose sight of where an inexpensive car sits in the marketplace. Personally, I’ll take more standard tech and safety features over extra dashboard padding any day.
On the technology front, the base Venue SE includes an 8-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity with voice recognition, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. The touchscreen is mounted high up on the dash for easier visibility and the menus are about as simple as you can get in a new car. If you want embedded navigation then you’ll have to step up to the SEL or Denim.
Having a built-in navigation system can be handy, but with the standard 8-inch touchscreen paired with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you probably won’t miss it. In fact, with all the cars I’ve driven, I find myself using the automaker’s embedded navigation systems less and less after giving them the obligatory testing.
Strangely, if you order a Venue with the navigation system you can’t get wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, which seems a bit backward.
Standard safety features on the base Venue include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Brake Assist, Lane Keep Assist, and Driver Attention Warning.
The SEL trim adds Blind-Spot Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning, while the Denim adds Cyclist detection to the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist system.
The IIHS named the Venue a Top Safety pick for 2020 and 2021. Outside of the Toyota brand, that’s not something a lot of small vehicles can claim. Another plus for families looking for a safe car for their new driver(s).
Another value advantage that the Venue has over the competitors is the brand’s 10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty. For those who hold onto a vehicle for a long while, not having to worry about repair costs years after the car payments end is a big plus.
The Nimble:
Remember, the Venue is Hyundai’s urban crossover SUV and although I’m not entirely sure what they mean by that description, for me it references a small vehicle that can dart between large SUVs and trucks in traffic and park in ridiculously small parking spaces with little effort.
The Venue certainly checks those boxes. Fortunately, I’m not needing to play that urban driving game very much since moving out to the sticks. Even so, here’s a surprise: the Venue also makes a good backroad driver for us country folks (sorry marketing gurus).
The Efficient:
The Venue is powered by a 1.6-liter inline 4-cylinder engine sending 121-horsepower to the front wheels through what Hyundai calls an Intelligent Variable Transmission. That might not sound like much horsepower, but the Venue is a small, very light SUV so it definitely has a fair amount of pep around town.
All-wheel-drive isn’t available, which may be a negative here in New England (a.k.a. Subaru country), but most entry-level compact SUVs don’t offer it either. There is an optional snow mode, but if not having all-wheel-drive is a deal-breaker, you may want to move up to the Hyundai Kona.
Fuel economy ratings for the Venue are 30 mpg city and 33 mpg highway with a combined city/highway of 31 mpg. During my week of mixed highway and backroads, I actually was getting above the combined rating. At last check, I was averaging around 34 mpg – not too thirsty in my book.
The available sport mode adds a bit of a kick on take-off, but eventually, the transmission seems like it really needs to shift once you get up to speed in this mode, especially on the highway. Consequently, I found myself using Sport mode to get up to speed, then switching it to normal. Also, the Venue could use a little more sound deadening to counter the engine noise, but again, we’re talking about a car that needs to fit a certain price point.
Speaking of the transmission, I don’t mind the CVT…urrr, IVT, and it does include a manual shift mode that works pretty well, but I would have loved to test this car with the now discontinued 6-speed manual. Even though the Venue made its debut just a little over a year ago for the 2020 model year, the manual transmission didn’t make it to 2021. It’s a shame really, but if the business case wasn’t there for it , then you can’t blame Hyundai for simplifying.
In fact, a quick search on CarGurus for a manual transmission-equipped Venue only turned up 5 examples nationwide. The closest to me is 669 miles away, so I guess that says a lot about its take rate.
The compact crossover / SUV market is pretty crowded these days, and yes, there may be more exciting cars than the Venue on the market if you’re willing to spend well into the high 20’s. Truth is that not many can touch the value of the 2021 Hyundai Venue.
Back in the day, when you got an entry-level car, you likely got a car with roll-up windows, black bumpers and rubber floor mats. If you haven’t noticed, times have changed. Put the 2021 Hyundai Venue high on your list of vehicles to check out and see for yourself.
More than merely satisfied with the luxuriously big ride he experienced this week in the mid-size 2021 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label SUV, Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis has lots of good points to make about the all-wheel drive vehicle. For one, it sure handled well on some twisty roads in upstate New York despite its not being a sports car. No doubt the abundance of luxury accommodations to be found in the Black Label edition had something to do with the assessment. Have a listen and get the details. Also, stay tuned in as the podcast digs into news from an iseecars.com study, high speed air travel, a hybrid electric airplane, transparent solar cells and more.
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.
Adaptive Cruise Control w/ Stop-&-Go and Lane Centering
Distance Alert & Distance Indication
Mood Lighting
Wireless Charging
5-Star Safety Rating
“Our focus continues to be on long-term, healthy growth, and despite the many challenges we’ve all faced this year, the Lincoln brand continues to build momentum and outperform around the world. Global sales rose 17 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, we had our best October in 34 years, and we’re excited to keep building on that success with the new Nautilus.” ~ Joy Falotico, president, Lincoln Motor Company
As Ford gets ready to roll out the F-150 Lightning, its newest and most important electric vehicle to date, all signs indicate that the global shift to EVs is getting ready to ‘pickup’ speed.
Not that the F-150 Lightning is the only truck attempting a breakthrough in the EV pickup marketplace. There are Rivian, Hummer, Tesla and a few others, too. What’s different is that the F-150 has held title to being the best selling pickup for quite awhile. This will surely be a test of loyalty and conviction.
Although the EV market in the USA is still hovering around 2% of overall new vehicle sales, EVs get about 90% of the automotive media hype.
That hype began with Tesla, a car company that basically came out of nowhere and has been underestimated by competitors and angry stock shorters at every turn. No doubt, with Tesla the hype is mostly focused on its leader, which is a shame because the people in the trenches at Tesla have really pulled off some miracles.
The original mission for Tesla as stated by Elon Musk back in the beginning is “to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible.”
Whether you love or hate Elon Musk (or if he even still believes in the mission), the fact is they’ve accomplished that goal. Tesla has pushed the automotive world into going electric. Even if they closed their doors tomorrow and Elon spends the rest of his days living in a refrigerator box, the mission is already underway. Need proof? Here’s a shortlist of EVs currently available that didn’t exist before Tesla:
Chevrolet Bolt
Kia EV6
Polestar 2
Jaguar I-Pace
Audi E-Tron
Porsche Taycan
Lucid Air
Rivian R1T
And, of course, the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Being a longtime Mustang owner and enthusiast, I was a bit skeptical about the use of the Mustang name on an SUV (as you can imagine). I still am. Personally, I think it was a bit of a marketing gimmick to lure in diehard Ford fans and, more importantly, generate headlines. In the end, it didn’t matter because the Mach-E is a wonderful car, no matter what you call it. Interestingly, reports indicate most Mach-E buyers are coming from outside the brand. Definitely a win for Ford.
Ford’s using the Mustang name on the Mach-E was somewhat daring, but it would have shown more commitment to their EV future had they gone all-in and switched the Mustang itself to EV. That would have been a real test of their dedication – but a terrible business decision, of course.
Enter the Ford F-150 Lightning – Ford’s real EV dedication test. Whereas the Mach-E felt like a good SUV with Mustang-inspired styling, the F-150 is Ford’s bread and butter. It couldn’t have been an easy decision to mess with one of the best-selling nameplates in the world. The result has got to be good.
With the likes of Rivian, Lordstown, GMC Hummer, and Tesla trucks on the horizon Ford needs to be ready with an EV pickup that can compete, or better yet dominate the EV pickup market.
Rivain RT1
Tesla Cybertruck
At the end of the day the RT1, Hummer, and Cybertuck are lifestyle vehicles that will have their dedicated buyers and despite some backing from GM, Lordstown has yet to prove that they can even build a viable EV.
The F-150 Lighting doesn’t appear to stray too far from the everyday, usable pickup truck formula, and that’s a good thing if you are trying to attract average-joe or fleet buyers that are already enamored with conventionally-powered F-150s. Once Ford starts mass-producing EV trucks and bringing costs down, the potential EV fleet market is going to be huge. As ICE (internal combustion engine) bans start taking effect, fleets will need EVs and once they start seeing the cost benefits there will be a snowball effect in EV truck sales.
Ford seems to be aware of this. Along with the F-150 Lightning they are also rolling out the all-electric E-Transit delivery van. In the long run, the E-Transit will do more for the world than the Porsche Taycan. It’s a bit unfortunate, though, that there is zero hype for this lowly delivery van. That’s the commercial vehicle life: they don’t get a second glance on the road, but everyone loves getting their Amazon packages on time. At least its stablemate EV, the F-150 Lightning is getting some attention.
The Lightning name is no stranger to the F-150, going all the way back to the model’s 9th generation. The 1993 F-150 SVT Lightning was basically a factory F-150 hotrod with a beefed-up frame, a more powerful 351 V8 paired with a heavy-duty 4-speed automatic transmission, and a slightly modified suspension. The second generation of the Lightning made even more power thanks to a Supercharged 5.4-liter V8.
1993 Ford F-150 Lightning Photo By Rurik at English Wikipedia
Unlike placing the Mustang name on an SUV, the use of the Lightning name for the all-electric F-150 seems like it was meant to be. Really, the marketing writes itself. Not only does it lend itself perfectly to an EV, but the model name is also synonymous with Ford F-150 performance.
So, what does the new F-150 Lightning bring to the table? Don’t know, we’ll be watching along with you as it makes its debut. But, I can tell you that President Joe Biden was quoted as saying, “This sucker’s quick” after his unexpected test drive on Tuesday.
Before you ask what does the president know about fast? The man drove a 1967 Corvette before he got into office and he’s not afraid to spin the tires now and then. In fact, one of President Biden’s best interviews was done from behind the wheel of his ‘vette with Jay Leno.
Whether it was the abundant technology that surrounded Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis in the 2021 Mazda CX-30 Premium Plus subcompact crossover or that his spouse enjoyed the quiet comfort she experienced in the vehicle as he drove, there were plenty of good things to be said about the small, all-wheel drive utility vehicle in this week’s episode. All things considered, it sounds like quite a bargain at under $36K. Listen in, let us know if you agree. There also is news in this week’s podcast of a study that identifies which vehicle colors most affect value. You’ll be surprised. Then there’s an update on the NASA contract kerfuffle over who gets to build the next Lunar Lander. That’s followed by technology news briefs from around the world that feature a driverless taxi in China, a classic three-wheel vehicle roll out in Spain, and a camel-inspired material being developed at MIT in Cambridge, MA that cools very efficiently. So stay tuned and don’t miss any of it.
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.
6-speed Automatic Transmission w/ Manual Shift Mode & Sport Mode
Windshield-projected Active Driving Display
Adaptive Front Lighting System
360° View Monitor
Smart City Brake Support Forward & Reverse
Rear Cross-Traffic Braking
Traffic Jam Assist
Blind Spot Monitoring w/ Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
Lane Departure Warning w/ Lane-Keep Assist
High Beam Control
Traffic Sign Recognition
Leather Seats
Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel & Shift Knob
18-inch Black Aluminum Alloy Wheels
Gloss Black Door Mirrors
Frameless Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror
LED Signature Illumination Headlights & Taillights
Aluminum Roof Rails
Chrome Interior Accents
Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™
Bose® 12-Speaker Premium Audio
Heated Front Seats
Heated Steering Wheel W Paddle Shifters
Navigation
Power Moonroof
Power Liftgate
“The combination of the turbo engine and standard i-Activ all-wheel drive system with off-road traction assist help expand the capabilities of the CX-30 to offer fans the freedom to explore life in style, from the city to the outdoors.” ~ Mazda Media
Tech Talk listeners can receive a discount on stylish, high quality face masks purchased from Needham, MA-based Rafi Nova. Just used the Code KOWSRADIO at checkout. Rafi Nova is a fair-trade and sustainable fashion brand. Find them at rafinova.com
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt. 
