Unnamed Automotive Podcast · Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Episode 435: Guest Adi Desai of DoubleClutch, 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro

·1 hr 13 min·4 clips

Adi Desai calls the V10 Touareg one of the best-driving SUVs he has ever driven.

Sami Haj Asad and Benjamin Hunting open the episode with guest Addy Desai, a friend of automotive media and the founder of an automotive site, as well as the owner of a couple of dealerships, including Clarkson's Fine Cars. The tone stays loose and familiar from the start. Addy jokes about having listened to their voices for a long time, and the hosts keep that same playful rhythm instead of trying to sand it down. An awkward first meeting story comes up too, which makes it clear this is the kind of conversation that prefers honesty and embarrassment over polish. From there, the talk settles into Miata generations and pretty much stays there. The NA, NB, NC, and ND are lined up as different answers to the same small-roadster question. The NB is framed as the generation many people forget, partly because it has become cheap and partly because some examples rusted out where they live. The NA still carries the nostalgia crown thanks to pop-up headlights and the value memory has attached to it. The ND is treated as a platform that has now been around for about ten model years, with the early ND1 drawing reliability and transmission complaints. The hosts also note that the ND2 motor is the better, more engaging unit. The NC gets a fairer defense than it often does. It is described as larger inside and more comfortable than the bookend cars, and also as the Miata nobody really talks about. Roof design becomes one of the sharper comparison points. The NC's hardtop-down setup is treated as a true convertible experience, while the ND RF's buttresses are criticized for the blind spots they create. That opens into a broader discussion of which compromises make sense in a small sports car. The episode wraps with plugs for the hosts' writing and contact details, then a tease that next week's vehicle will be the Terrain Denali.

As heard by us

Miata generations, roof choices, and dealership perspective, with a practical edge.

The episode settles into a Miata generation debate with a guest chat around it. Sami Haj Asad and Benjamin Hunting bring on Addy Desai, then spend much of the run comparing Mazda Miata generations, roof choices, and which trims still stick in the memory while others fade a bit.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You came for Miata generation talk and left with hardtop blind-spot arguments.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Unnamed Automotive Podcast