Episode 63: 2019 Ram 1500, eTorque, 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake, Amelia Island, Ford's New SUVs

Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Can the best full-size truck on the market get any better? For the moost part yes according to Benjamin and Sami, who each drove the redesigned 2019 Ram 1500 in the Arizona desert. The pair wish there'd been an eTorque model to test out, but other than that there's plenty to talk about when discussing one of FCA's most important vehicles. Benjamin also had a chance to drive the 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake, which might be the coolest luxury wagon on the planet, while Sami spent time with the XF sedan. Finally, hot takes on Ford's big announcements / non-announcements, and pitting Amelia island against Pebble Beach in a battle of the Concours.

Links:

• 2019 Ram 1500 Limited First Drive — Luxury pickups are often stereotyped as the automotive equivalent of the Texas tuxedo, the ultimate expressions of Lone Star excess that marry exceptional capability and “biggest state in the lower 48” size with leather, leather, and more leather.
• 2019 Ram 1500 Review — The 2019 Ram 1500 completely embodies the cliche of working smarter not harder. It packs a ton of features that will make life easier for truck buyers, which will really help it stand out in this market.
• 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake Review — But that’s really not the entire Sportbrake story, as I would discover again and again during my time spent driving up and down the southeastern coastline between Florida and Georgia with the leaping cat’s latest family cruiser. It seems as though somehow, only a year or so after having joined the SUV party with the F-Pace, Jaguar has managed to make wagons sexy again.
• First Drive: Jaguar’s supercharged station wagon, the 2018 XF Sportbrake, is one sweet SUV alternative — Live long enough and you'll see almost anything that was once considered the epitome of uncool come roaring back into style. Witness the nascent wagon renaissance, which has seen these once-lamented family trucksters reborn almost exclusively as high-end luxury touring cars.