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Tom Appel Host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Long-time publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive, and frequent radio and podcast guest. Currently co-hosting the Car Stuff podcast with auto-review veteran Jill Ciminillo. Life-long Chicagoan. Live with my wife of 30 years, and have a daughter earning her masters degree in animal behavior.

Recent Content

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Charger Daytona, Tesla Market Share, Impact Of Trump Tariffs &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Charger Daytona, Tesla Market Share, Impact of Trump Tariffs

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that legendary Car and Driver/Automobile Magazine writer Jean Jennings had died. Formerly Jean Lindamood, she had, per Tom, helped define the tone and personality o…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that legendary Car and Driver/Automobile Magazine writer Jean Jennings had died. Formerly Jean Lindamood, she had, per Tom, helped define the tone and personality of Car and Driver at a time when the magazine was most influential. Tom went on to question the profile of a LinkedIn user who self describes as, “Gen Z Career Coach, Content Creator, and TikTok Consultant." Listen in for Tom’s complete analysis. Jill shared her previously embargoed drive impressions of the all-new Dodge Charger Daytona electric muscle car. Jill noted that social-media trolls…

Listen · 54:30
Melting Ev Charging Adapters, Jaguar'S New Attitude, Volkswagen Id. Buzz Deep Dive &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Melting EV Charging Adapters, Jaguar's New Attitude, Volkswagen ID. Buzz Deep Dive

 Jill and Tom opened this week’s show hitting briefly on a number of topics, including melting EV charging adapters, Jaguar’s perplexing marketing reboot, the electric Dodge Charger Daytona, the …

 Jill and Tom opene…

 Jill and Tom opened this week’s show hitting briefly on a number of topics, including melting EV charging adapters, Jaguar’s perplexing marketing reboot, the electric Dodge Charger Daytona, the high-mileage Ram 1500 HFE, and the consolidation of Infiniti and Nissan dealer stores. Still in the first segment, Jill recapped her time in the all-new Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan. Jill found much to like, but noted that the van comes up short on estimated battery range, and that starting prices are high. In the second segment the hosts welcome Mark Gillies of Volkswagen to expand the …

Listen · 54:58
Stellantis Ceo Quits, Volvo Xc90 Review, Porsche Macan Ev Deep Dive &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Stellantis CEO Quits, Volvo XC90 Review, Porsche Macan EV Deep Dive

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down from his position over the weekend. The surprise move sent company stock down steeply early Monday. The hosts also d…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down from his position over the weekend. The surprise move sent company stock down steeply early Monday. The hosts also discussed one of Tom’s X polls, this one ranking the most prestigious car brands. Listen in for details. Still in the first segment, Jill shared her review of the 2025.5 (yes, 2025.5) Volvo XC90 midsize crossover. Not a full redesign, the big Volvo sees a number of design and tech updates, most of which Jill found appealing. Jill also explains the whole .5 thing. In the second segment, the host…

Listen · 54:56
L.a. Auto Show Highlights, Hyundai'S Big New Ev Crossover, Mazda Cx-50 Hybrid &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
L.A. Auto Show Highlights, Hyundai's Big New EV Crossover, Mazda CX-50 Hybrid

Jill and Tom opened the show discussing the L.A. Auto Show, which is currently open to the public. Jill, who attended the event, shared what she learned on the show floor. The hosts went to discuss t…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show discussing the L.A. Auto Show, which is currently open to the public. Jill, who attended the event, shared what she learned on the show floor. The hosts went to discuss the interiors of select Stellantis vehicles. Tom decided—contrary to a suggestion of his from last week’s show—that Stellantis deserved to be considered among the carmakers producing the best-finished cabins. In the second segment, Jill and Tom welcome Hyundai Product Planning Manager Andre Ravinowich to the show. Andre walked the hosts through the brand’s L.A. Auto Show reveals, including…

Listen · 55:21
Test Driving The Subaru Soltera Ev (Bonus Episode) &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Test Driving the Subaru Soltera EV (Bonus Episode)

 In this special crossover episode of the Car Stuff Podcast, Tom rides along with Robert Colangelo of the Green Sense Show to experience Subaru's first all-electric vehicle, the Solterra small c…

 In this special cr…

 In this special crossover episode of the Car Stuff Podcast, Tom rides along with Robert Colangelo of the Green Sense Show to experience Subaru's first all-electric vehicle, the Solterra small crossover. Robert and Tom share their takes on the likable little EV, and take note of a few drawbacks in the process. 

Listen · 8:34
Worst Rental Car, Honda Prologue Ev, Best And Worst Cities To Drive In &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Worst Rental Car, Honda Prologue EV, Best and Worst Cities to Drive In

Jill is back in studio this week. The hosts opened the show discussing Jill’s recent travels, and noting that she had driven the all-new Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan to the studio. A full re…

Jill is back in stud…

Jill is back in studio this week. The hosts opened the show discussing Jill’s recent travels, and noting that she had driven the all-new Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan to the studio. A full review of that vehicle is due in a week or two. Tom shared an interesting experience. A fellow health-club member of Tom’s sought him out to share her terrible rental-car story. She had been upgraded to a surprising crossover which she found entirely unsatisfactory. Jill reviewed the new Honda Prologue EV crossover. The Prologue is showing surprising early sales. Jill explains why. In the secon…

Listen · 54:49
Jeep Lowers Prices, Cadillac Axes Xt4, American Motors Went Big In 1965 &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Jeep Lowers Prices, Cadillac Axes XT4, American Motors Went Big in 1965

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed fills in for Jill this week. The hosts opened the show taking note of Cadillac’s decision to end production of the XT4 compact crossover. What is General Motors bui…

Paul Herrold of the …

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed fills in for Jill this week. The hosts opened the show taking note of Cadillac’s decision to end production of the XT4 compact crossover. What is General Motors building in its Fairfax assembly facility instead? Listen in. Paul and Tom turned their attention to Jeep's 2025 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer price cuts. Both hosts agree that Jeep’s big SUVs, launched for 2022, are fine vehicles, but were overpriced relative to the competition. Listen in for details. Paul talked about a new Sons of Speed video, this one comparing two Hyundais: The Ioniq 5 N,…

Listen · 53:58
Ram 1500 Rho, Carvel Ice Cream, Leasing An Electric Car &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Ram 1500 RHO, Carvel Ice Cream, Leasing an Electric Car

sJill and Tom opened the show talking about EV range and Jill’s recent trip from Chicago to Indianapolis in an electric test car with only about 200 miles of promised range. Listen in on her story.T…

sJill and Tom opened…

sJill and Tom opened the show talking about EV range and Jill’s recent trip from Chicago to Indianapolis in an electric test car with only about 200 miles of promised range. Listen in on her story.The hosts acknowledged a couple of friends-of-the-podcast birthdays, and discussed how cheap gas has become locally and nationally. Tom shared a tribute to his dad, who died about a week ago. It’s a funny story about pouring a milk shake out the window of his father’s shake-colored 1970 Nova. Tom went on to complain about Land Rover’s trim-level naming strategy, which is, indeed, rather con…

Listen · 55:54
Porsche Macan Ev, Vw Rolls Out Scout Brand, Serious Car-Care Products &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Porsche Macan EV, VW Rolls Out Scout Brand, Serious Car-Care Products

 Jill and Tom opened this week’s show discussing the all-new 2025 Porsche Macan EV, an electric version of the maker’s popular Macan small crossover. The new electric Macan is offered in four tri…

 Jill and Tom opene…

 Jill and Tom opened this week’s show discussing the all-new 2025 Porsche Macan EV, an electric version of the maker’s popular Macan small crossover. The new electric Macan is offered in four trim levels and starts around $75,000. Still in the first segment, the hosts discussed the media launch of Volkswagen’s all-new electric-truck brand Scout. VW will launch the brand with a pair of EVs, including a crossover and pickup truck, both of which are closer in size to full-size vehicles, including the Ford Expedition and F-150. Volkswagen also plans to employ a controversial “direct-to-c…

Listen · 53:56
Buick Envista Surprises, Ev Registrations, Best Used Cars &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Buick Envista Surprises, EV Registrations, Best Used Cars

Jill is back in the studio this week, and opened the show by recapping her Rebelle Rally exploits. Visit the Car Stuff Podcast Facebook page for a link to pics from her trip. Tom shared august electr…

Jill is back in the …

Jill is back in the studio this week, and opened the show by recapping her Rebelle Rally exploits. Visit the Car Stuff Podcast Facebook page for a link to pics from her trip. Tom shared august electric vehicle sales as reported by S & P Global Mobility. While Tesla still dominates the list, a few new vehicles are doing better than expected. Jill and Tom discussed the coming Ferrari F80 hyper car. Not only is the price breath taking, the car’s engine is proving controversial. Still in the first segment, Tom shared his impressions of the Buick Envista small crossover. Is this bargain Bu…

Listen · 55:02
Pickup Truck Sales, Thoughts On The Tesla Robo Taxi, Chatting With Ev Startup Telo &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Pickup Truck Sales, Thoughts on the Tesla Robo Taxi, Chatting with EV Startup TELO

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill again this week. Jill returns for the next episode. Paul and Tom opened the show discussing large pickup-truck sales. Tom had heard that the Chevrole…

Paul Herrold of the …

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill again this week. Jill returns for the next episode. Paul and Tom opened the show discussing large pickup-truck sales. Tom had heard that the Chevrolet Silverado was outselling the Ford F-150 this year, which was inaccurate. Tom went down the list of the top pickup sellers in the third quarter. The hosts also noted General Motors’ decision to drop the Ultium brand in relation to its electric-vehicle products. Ultium had been used by the maker to describe both vehicle architecture and battery chemistry. Listen in for a complete analysis. Pau…

Listen · 54:59
Stellantis And Renault Merger Rumor, Ioniq 5 N On The Track, Driving The Bentley Continental Gt Speed &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Stellantis and Renault Merger Rumor, Ioniq 5 N on the Track, Driving the Bentley Continental GT Speed

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this Week. Paul and Tom opened a topic-packed first segment discussing the coming off-road ready Ford Explorer Tremor. That conversation was followed…

Paul Herrold of the …

Paul Herrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this Week. Paul and Tom opened a topic-packed first segment discussing the coming off-road ready Ford Explorer Tremor. That conversation was followed up by news that Kia vehicles were recently compromised by a group of white-hat hackers, using the maker’s app. More on this story as news is released. Still in the first segment, Paul recounted the events surrounding his and fellow Sons of Speed editor Brendan Appel's efforts to drive an all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N from the Chicago area to the Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI. The …

Listen · 54:19
Legendary Mercedes Designer Passes, Buick Enclave Impresses, Buyers Pick Their Favorite Car Features &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Legendary Mercedes Designer Passes, Buick Enclave Impresses, Buyers Pick Their Favorite Car Features

Jill and Tom opened the show quickly covering a number of topics, including the death of legendary Mercedes-Benz designer Bruno Sacco, the folding of General Motors’ electric commercial-van unit int…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show quickly covering a number of topics, including the death of legendary Mercedes-Benz designer Bruno Sacco, the folding of General Motors’ electric commercial-van unit into Chevrolet, and Tom’s weekend long-trip drive in the electric Subaru Solterra small crossover. Still in the first segment, Jill shared her take on the redesigned-for-2025 Buick Enclave large, 3-row crossover. The near-luxury crossover impresses for its quietness and general refinement, but not everything is perfect. Listen in for complete details. In the second segment the hosts are joined by…

Listen · 56:38
Patriotic Car Brands, Electric Fiat 500, Sam Fiorani On Hot Auto Topics &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Patriotic Car Brands, Electric Fiat 500, Sam Fiorani on Hot Auto Topics

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that elements of the media have been misusing the term “mild hybrid.” Listen in for details. The hosts ran down a questionable list of the “most-patriotic bra…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show noting that elements of the media have been misusing the term “mild hybrid.” Listen in for details. The hosts ran down a questionable list of the “most-patriotic brands,” which included Ford and Jeep. What other carmakers made the list? Listen in. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom reviewed the new, likable, Fiat 500e electric coupe. Fiat’s new subcompact electric runabout boasts a fun design and frisky on-road experience, but won’t be perfect for everyone. In the second segment, Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions joins the show to catch up o…

Listen · 55:04
Car Of The Year Qualifiers, Jamie Butters On Future Product, Driving The Volvo Ex90 &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Car of the Year Qualifiers, Jamie Butters on Future Product, Driving the Volvo EX90

Jill and Tom opened the show addressing a couple of future topics: Federal incentives for used electric vehicles, and the number of Chinese-built models sold in Mexico by Chevrolet. Next, Tom apologiz…

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show addressing a couple of future topics: Federal incentives for used electric vehicles, and the number of Chinese-built models sold in Mexico by Chevrolet. Next, Tom apologized to Sam Fiorani for making yet another model-year mistake. Tom also shared his preliminary take on the updated-for-2025 Ford Explorer midsize crossover. Still in the first segment, Jill shared news regarding her new ride for this year’s Rebelle Rally, and walked listeners through the list of vehicles eligible for the 2025 North American Car of the Year awards. The list is crowded; listen in f…

Listen · 56:05
Bad Convertible, Exotic Lexus, Catching Up With Radio Guy Steve Cochran &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Bad Convertible, Exotic Lexus, Catching up with Radio Guy Steve Cochran

Sitting in for Jill this week is Tom’s friend, engineer and car guy David Piluski. Dave and Tom opened the show addressing a mistake Tom made—called out by Tom’s mother—last week. Tom misident…

Sitting in for Jill …

Sitting in for Jill this week is Tom’s friend, engineer and car guy David Piluski. Dave and Tom opened the show addressing a mistake Tom made—called out by Tom’s mother—last week. Tom misidentified the longtime singer of the classic “See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” ad/song as Doris Day, though as noted by his mom, the song was sung by Dinah Shore. Listen in to hear a clip of the song. Dave and Tom addressed a second error from last week, this one called out by listener Celio. Dave went on to share a story about how a rental Dodge Shadow Convertible—back in the early Nineties…

Listen · 55:49
Mercedes Glc 43 &Quot;Coupe&Quot; Review, Chatting With Rivian, Porsche Price Quiz &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Mercedes GLC 43 "Coupe" Review, Chatting with Rivian, Porsche Price Quiz

Jill and Tom are Joined in-studio by Brendan Appel this week. In the first segment Jill and Brendan respond to Tom’s impressions of the updated Genesis GV80 midsize crossover. The trio also discusse…

Jill and Tom are Joi…

Jill and Tom are Joined in-studio by Brendan Appel this week. In the first segment Jill and Brendan respond to Tom’s impressions of the updated Genesis GV80 midsize crossover. The trio also discussed the pending engine-replacement recall facing owners of all 2022 and 2023 Toyota Tundras. The recall is reportedly going to require up to 24 hours of labor per vehicle. Still in the first segment, Jill reviews the 2024 AMG Mercedes-Benz GLC 43 Coupe. Jill was generally impressed by the “coupe” version of Mercedes’ compact crossover. Listen in for her complete take. In the second segment, …

Listen · 54:22
Canyon At4X, Mustang Dark Horse On The Track, Fake Pontiac Quiz &Raquo; 5Cfec01B44F3E29Fae1Fb88Ade93Fc4Aecd05B192Fbfbc2C2F1Daa412B7C1921 1
Canyon AT4X, Mustang Dark Horse on the Track, Fake Pontiac Quiz

Jill and Tom opened the show covering a couple of news stories, including how Mazda used substantial incentives to boost recent U.S.-market sales performance, and a how Volvo is extending its embargo …

Jill and Tom opened …

Jill and Tom opened the show covering a couple of news stories, including how Mazda used substantial incentives to boost recent U.S.-market sales performance, and a how Volvo is extending its embargo of drive impressions of the 2025 EX90 electric midsize crossover, pushing back Jill’s official review. Still in the first segment Jill shared her impressions of the GMC Cayon midsize pickup truck in off-road-ready AT4X trim and equipped with the extreme AEV package. Though generally impressed, Jill shared a number of concerns regarding use of the Canyon as a daily driver, especially in urban en…

Listen · 56:35

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