Car reviews with the fine print left in.
Talking Cars brings a rotating Consumer Reports panel to new cars, auto-show debuts, EV testing, and buyer questions. The appeal is its plainspoken skepticism: every shiny feature gets measured against ride quality, controls, visibility, value, and daily use.
PRESS PLAY
Talking Cars is an automotive review and advice show from Consumer Reports, shaped by panel discussion rather than interviews. It feels like a test-drive debrief with people who have spent real time poking at the same car from different angles. The show is practical first. Powertrains matter, but so do door panels, cup holders, tire sidewalls, screen placement, subscription features, and the price gap between trims. Recent episodes show that range clearly. The 2026 Subaru Outback discussion compares the Premium and Touring XT trims, asking whether the turbo engine and nicer details justify a roughly ten-thousand-dollar jump. The 2026 Mazda CX-5 episode turns a familiar small SUV into a broader argument about touchscreens, Google built-in, wireless phone projection, and the way automakers sometimes chase showroom dazzle at the expense of use. The Nissan Sentra conversation looks past the low sticker price and asks why a hybrid is missing in a compact class where fuel savings can change the ownership math. The Audi A6 episode appreciates a smooth turbo V6 while still pressing on interior sameness, screen complexity, and whether a luxury sedan should feel more distinct for the money. The EV range episode is more methodical, explaining real-world highway testing at 70 miles an hour in Connecticut and why controlled conditions matter. Mailbag installments widen the brief, taking on portable jump starters, fuel-efficient speeds, timing chains, and timing belts. Auto-show coverage loosens the format without abandoning judgment, mixing new-model impressions with cost, weight, range, and practicality checks. The show has room for jokes and side comments, but the center of gravity is always evaluation. Praise is rarely left alone; it gets tested against competitors, daily use, and long-term sense. Criticism is not theatrical either. It usually lands as a buyer-focused question: why make this harder, pricier, heavier, or less functional than it needs to be? That makes Talking Cars useful for shoppers, enthusiasts, and anyone trying to understand what modern cars are gaining and losing. It is not about hype. It is about the fine print that becomes obvious once the car leaves the lot.
Made for: For shoppers, enthusiasts, and practical car people who want new-vehicle talk grounded in testing, ownership costs, controls, comfort, and everyday usability.
What sets it apart: The panel evaluates cars as lived-in products, not showroom objects. It is strongest when comparing trims, calling out confusing tech, and tying opinions back to Consumer Reports-style testing and buyer value.
Join our experts at the Consumer Reports Test Track as they discuss cars, answer buying questions, and share insights on everything automotive.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
It makes vehicle technology legible by testing interfaces, powertrains and advertised features against cost, comfort and everyday use.
Talking Cars (Video) treats a new vehicle as a collection of decisions that have to survive ordinary use. A rotating three-person discussion moves from powertrains and trim pricing to fuel costs, charging standards, driver-assistance systems and cabin controls.
A $40,000 touchscreen gets cross-examined, so your showroom crush meets its missing buttons.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
The Outback's SUV move matters most in the ride and trim choices it creates.
The 2026 Subaru Outback is presented as a clear shift toward SUV territory, even if its dimensions stay the same as the 2025 model. The comparison between the Premium and Touring XT, at $40,098 and $50,290, makes the lineup feel easier to read: one trim leans more practical, the…
The CX-5 stays sporty, but the new cabin brings a few notable convenience tradeoffs.
The segment keeps the 2026 Mazda CX-5 in focus as one of the sportier small SUVs, while noting that the new model looks much like the one before it. It is longer and a little wider, and the borrowed top-trim Premium Plus carries a $41,080 price.
A practical auto-show tour that keeps EV spectacle tied to range, weight, price, and daily use.
Talking Cars treats the 2026 New York International Auto Show as a practical floor walk through familiar show themes: EVs, sedans, SUVs, off-road hardware, and carmakers sharing development costs.
A careful refresh for Nissan's lowest-priced car, with the missing hybrid option shaping the value debate.
The 2026 Nissan Sentra is framed as a careful refresh rather than a full reset. With the Versa gone, it becomes Nissan's lowest-priced car, starting at $22,600 and reaching just under $28,000 in SL trim.
The A6 makes its strongest case with the turbo V6, while its screens and cabin leave the value question more open.
Talking Cars frames the redesigned 2026 Audi A6 Premium Plus around the question that matters for a midsize luxury sedan: whether the updated tech supports the car, and whether the whole package feels worth its price.
A small EV gets a careful look at charging, regen, and the boundaries of its driver aids.
The new Nissan Leaf is judged on the things that matter in daily driving: the move to a North American Charging Standard port, the end of CHAdeMO, quicker charging, and the car's still-compact shape, even with a slight height increase.
A Toyota bZ review centered on daily ease, phone-charging tradeoffs, and winter range caution.
Talking Cars frames the Toyota bZ as a check on whether the right updates can make a familiar EV feel easier to own. More power, longer range, and a Tesla-style charge port matter here because they show up in ordinary use: a pleasant drive home, music on, and less of the fussy…
Real car testing, plain-spoken buyer advice.
Garage talk meets new-car judgment.
Fast car talk with lived-in opinions.
Car reviews with garage-floor honesty.
The hosts discuss the 2025 New York International Auto Show, reflecting on its 125th anniversary, classic cars like the 1924 Chrysler 6, and the lack of a clear overarching theme this year.
The panel looks at the 2026 Subaru Outback as a model that has fully leaned into SUV shape while staying the same size as the 2025.
Mike Quincy, Maddie McCarty, and John Williams spend the episode on the 2026 Mazda CX-5.
Talking Cars marks its 500th episode from the floor of the 2026 New York International Auto Show, with Mike Quincy, Ryan Bilikowski, and Michael Crossan comparing the show’s quieter atmosphere to earlier years.
The hosts discuss their first impressions of the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander, highlighting its new 1.5L turbocharged mild hybrid powertrain and Yamaha audio system.
The hosts discuss Consumer Reports' real-world highway EV range test results, explaining the testing methodology and parameters used to evaluate electric vehicles.
This episode is a listener mailbag where the hosts answer automotive questions, including topics like portable jump starters, fuel-efficient driving speeds, and timing chains versus timing belts.
The panel opens with a plainspoken take on the redesigned 2026 Nissan Sentra.
Consumer Reports' Talking Cars hosts Ryan Pilikowski and Jeff Bartlett review the redesigned 2026 Audi A6 Premium Plus, tested at roughly $73,000 against the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class.
The host and a guest welcome Steph Schrader to the show.
Consumer Reports' Talking Cars hosts Keith Barry, Michael Crossan, and Mike Monticello review the redesigned 2026 Toyota bZ, the renamed and updated successor to the bZ4X, noting its jump to 338 horsepower, a Tesla-style NACS charge port, and conventional door handles.
This episode provides practical advice on tire maintenance, including how to know when to replace tires, checking tread depth, and understanding tire safety features.
This live podcast episode discusses the current state of electric vehicles in 2025, covering market trends, consumer considerations, and industry developments.
The hosts discuss their first impressions of the redesigned 2024 Chevrolet Traverse, focusing on its new features, engine changes, and pricing based on a vehicle purchased for their test program.