Jill and Tom are joined in-studio this week by colleague Ed Piotrowski. Ed recently wrote a piece for Consumer Guide regarding premium small crossovers he spent time with at this year’s Midwest Automotive Media Association Spring Rally. Ed shared his impressions of the new Acura ADX, sporty Alfa-Romeo Tonale, and speedy BMW X3. Jill also attended the Rally, and shared her impressions of the electric Cadillac Escalade IQ and BMW iX. Listen in for her impressions. 

In the second segment Jill, Tom, and Ed are joined by Mike Hanley of Cars.com. Mike walked the crew through Cars’ just published “What’s the Best Compact SUV for 2025?” report. Big surprises on the top and bottom of the seven-vehicle comparison test list. 

In the last segment Jill and Ed are subjected to Tom’s “HQ?” quiz. Do you know where Stellantis is headquartered? Listen in. 

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May 26, 2025

EV Sales Growth, All-New RAV4, Ford Auto-Tech Scholarships

 Tom is flying solo this week. He opened the show noting that Tesla is now accepting the Cybertruck in trade, though owners aren’t happy about the trade-in values, which are running around 60...

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May 19, 2025

Cybertruck Tires, New Ford Expedition, Working at a Start-up Auto Company

Jill and Tom opened the show by talking about Toyota’s new-for-2026 electric-vehicle lineup. The changes include revised model names, and smaller and larger companions for the maker’s...

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May 12, 2025

Genesis GV70, Driving other Peoples' Cars, Strange Volkswagen Recall

Tom opened the show with an apology for two mistakes he’s made in the past couple of weeks. Listen in for the corrections. Jill and Tom went on to share a tariff update, as well news regarding one...

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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.