We give our first impressions of the all new 2019 all electric Kia Niro EV. We talk about the latest developments in the Honda CRV engine oil dilution issue. And we answer audience questions, including what happened to the spare tires.

Hi, and welcome to the show. I'm Jennifer Stockburger. I'm Ryan Pszczolkowski. And I'm Jon Linkov. So we're going to jump right into some news. This is a topic that many of you have certainly reached out to us about, which is the dilution of oil in Honda CRVs with gas. Manifested from anything as simple as people smelling fuel in the cabin, to some drivability issues. Stalling, stuttering, things like that.

It was obviously uncommon for Honda to have serious issues. We certainly saw it in our reliability. And Honda did react in that they're now repairing them. Took them a while, I will say. And it started with the cold weather states. It seemed to be a cold weather issue, or they said it was. Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin were getting fixes.

And then it started into other states. Our reliability saw it in warmer states as well. But the news is they're kind of giving owners a little bit of extra time, Jon, if you want to summarize. Yeah, it even was something that reached into China at first. There was a whole discussion that China had some kind of action. But it's not the same as a recall in the United States. And you can't say apples to apples.

So like you said, 21 cold weather states, 239,000 vehicles are eligible for a fix. It covers - I'm sorry, this is the 1.5 liter turbo engine. Oh yes. So it's the 1.5 liter turbo, which is a new engine for Honda. It applies to certain 2017 and '18 CRVs. Also the '16 to '18 Civic. Same engine. Which our viewers asked us about.

Right. And that's the thing. A lot of people contacted us about it. We did get verbatim comments from people who said that they were experiencing it foaming, the gas smell as well. Yeah, it's good that they're finally doing something. You can't really give them a pat on the back for doing something considering it was since last fall is when it really kind of blew up.

And we have an episode about that right. This is a big issue. But they're extending the warranty. They're going to extend the warranty. The repair involves new software for the engine, transmission, oil change, possibly replacement air conditioning control unit, extended warranty. No mileage limit, which I thought was interesting. Six years, but no mileage limit.

So certainly if you have those and you experience any of those symptoms, certainly take it in. Yeah. And like you said, we saw it in warm weather. So it's obviously some kind of tolerance issue, not just cold. Yeah, I think people are shocked. It's Honda, and they're known for reliability.

But stuff like these little headaches, this can happen to any car company, even the most reliable car companies. Doesn't mean Honda's a bad car company now. This was a new engine for them, and it's a little bit of headache. In particular, it can happen when it's new. Right? Yeah, new technology.

It's a new technology. And there are some thoughts about whether it should - right now it is not a recall - but if a car is stalling while it's running, Jon, I know certainly our policy folks have said some things about it. Yeah. Quote from our policy people, we're glad there's a free fix available. But vehicles are stalling, and some people said that.

They should they should have an official recall because it doesn't expire. A technical service bulletin, a free fix will contact you. You come to the dealer. Those types of things expire. Recall will be open forever, not a mileage limit, not a time limit as age of vehicle. Right.

And as we were covering this, we did reach out to Honda, and they said -

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWe give our first impressionsof the all new 2019all electric Kia Niro EV.We talk about the latestdevelopments in the Honda CRVengine oil dilution issue.And we answer audiencequestions, including whathappened to the spare tires.Next, on Talking Cars.Hi, and welcome to the show.I'm Jennifer Stockburger.I'm Ryan Pszczolkowski.And I'm Jon Linkov.So we're going to jumpright into some news.This is a topic that many ofyou have certainly reached outto us about, whichis the dilutionof oil in Honda CRVs with gas.Manifested from anythingas simple as peoplesmelling fuel in the cabin,to some drivability issues.Stalling, stuttering,things like that.It was obviously uncommon forHonda to have serious issues.We certainly saw itin our reliability.And Honda did react in thatthey're now repairing them.Took them a while, I will say.And it started with thecold weather states.It seemed to be a cold weatherissue, or they said it was.So Maine, Minnesota, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Wisconsinwere getting fixes.And then it startedinto other states.Our reliability saw itin warmer states as well.But the news is they'rekind of giving ownersa little bit of extra time,Jon, if you want to summarize.Yeah, it even was something thatreached into China at first.There was a wholediscussion that Chinahad some kind of action.But it's not the same as arecall in the United States.And you can't sayapples to apples.So like you said, 21cold weather states,239,000 vehicles areeligible for a fix.It covers--I'm sorry, this is the1.5 liter turbo engine.Oh yes.Yes, .So it's the 1.5liter turbo, whichis a new engine for Honda.It applies to certain2017 and '18 CRVs.Also the '16 to '18 Civic.Same engine.So same engine.Which our viewersasked us about.Right.And that's the thing.A lot of peoplecontacted us about it.We did get verbatimsin comments from peoplewho said that they wereexperiencing it foaming,the gas smell as well.Yeah, it's good that they'refinally doing something.You can't really give them a paton the back for doing somethingconsidering it was sincelast fall is when it reallykind of blew up.And we have an episodeabout that right.This is a big issue.But they're extendingthe warranty.They're going toextend the warranty.The repair involves new softwarefor the engine, transmission,oil change, possibly replacementair conditioning control unit,extended warranty.No mileage limit, which Ithought was interesting.Six years, but no mileage limit.So certainly if youhave those and youexperience any of thosesymptoms, certainly take it in.Yeah.And like you said, wesaw it in warm weather.So it's obviously some kind oftolerance issue, not just cold.Yeah, I thinkpeople are shocked.It's Honda, and they'reknown for reliability.But stuff like theselittle headaches, thiscan happen to any car company,even the most reliable carcompanies.Doesn't mean Honda'sa bad car company now.This was a new enginefor them, and it'sa little bit of headache.In particular it canhappen when it's new.Right, yeah, new technology.It's a new technology.And there are some thoughtsabout whether it should--right now it is not a recall--but if a car is stallingwhile it's running,Jon, I know certainlyour policy folkshave said some things about it.Yeah.Quote from ourpolicy people, we'reglad there's afree fix available.But vehicles are stalling,and some people said that.They should they shouldhave an official recallbecause it doesn't expire.A technical service bulletin,a free fix will contact you.You come to the dealer.Those types of things expire.Recall will be open forever,not a mileage limit, not a timelimit as age of vehicle.Right.And as we were covering this,we did reach out to Honda,and they said the following.\"Abnormal oil dilutionremains extremely rare,especially outside ofextremely cold weather.In extreme and rare casesin the cold weather states,where abnormal oil dilutionhas occurred prior to a vehiclereceiving the softwareupdates, this extensionwill provide extra time forany undetected engine damageto become apparent and becovered by the warranty.\"Even in our data--and still, it'sa serious issue--Very serious.But it has been relativelyrare for the CRV.And it made big newsbecause it was Honda.But it is rare.We have still maintained ourrecommendation on the car,because it's not a ton ofvehicles that it has affected.But if it does affectyou, certainly reach out.And it's not to minimize itin the sense it's importantif it happens to you.Any of these things areimportant if it happens to you.Yeah, it's a new car.And you certainlyunderstand that.But as far as the recommendationgoes-- and like you said,the reliability-- it isminor in the world of CRVsthat were sold.Right.So that leads me to alittle bit of our newsin that because small SUVs theseare so incredibly popular--both new and used--we looked back tomake a small listof those that were particularlygood in reliability, road testscore.The idea being that they coulddepreciate out, but stillhave plenty of lifeleft in them becauseof their reliability record.So specifically 2016s,look at the show notes.And it'll drive itback to our list.There's others,obviously, that work.This was a small list.So Ryan, why don't you giveus your thoughts on anythingthat's on that small list.So I took a look.The Mazda CX-5 is goingto be the pick for me.It's the most fun todrive, and I thinkthe interior's the nicest.It feels the mostluxurious, anyway.Yeah.And it's a good lookingcar, I think, personally.I certainly find inmy personal life--I don't know if youguys get the same--there's four carsthat stand out.And they may not.The RAV-4, the CX-5, theForester, and the CRV.That is like the quad of peoplecall, which one should I get?And truly, depending on whatyour personal preferences are,pick any of them.You almost can't go wrong.Almost can't go wrongwith any of them.But Jon, did youhave a particular onefrom that narrow list?I don't have one from the narrowlist because I've actually--and you get into thereliability issue.So it depends on what youwant financially, it dependson what you want reliability.You want something else thathas these positive attributes,and you're willing to go withan average reliability car.Nissan Rogue is aninteresting little one.Not the most dynamic.Continuouslyvariable transmissiondoesn't initially meanenjoyment, but a nicely roomycar.It works well for me.The '16 Honda CRV--again, so it'sbefore this recall--you're not getting the turbo--not the recall, butbefore the engine problem,extended warranty.It's the finalyear of the design,so it means they workedout any headaches--they should have.And it's roomy.I just like the wayHondas drive a little morethan the othercompeting products.Not the CX-5.CX-5 is still more enjoyable.But I like the CRV.So refer to the list.Take a look, seeif it's somethingyou might be interested in.So in keeping withthe small SUVs,we have a new one here at thetrack, a little bit different.The 2019 Kia Niro EV.All electric Kia Niro.Reporting 239 miles of range.We've talked about gettingover that 200 mile markto make it a practical vehicle.We had tested the hybrid Niro.1.6 liter hybrid.43 miles per gallon.Ryan, did you get a chanceto get into a Niro EV?I did.I did.So it's exciting.Like you say, getting overthis 200 mile hump is as big.It's huge for me,because I have anxietywhen it comes to these things.He has range anxiety.And that's huge.It becomes a dailyusable car, I think.Because you're notterrified everywhereyou go to turn on the wipersor the headlights or something,and watch the mileage disappear.But I was pleased with it.It kind of reminded meof the Honda Kona EV,which is a better version ofthe Kona-- regular gas Kona--I thought.This is kind ofin that same vein.It's quieter.It's got plenty of power.The Niro hybrid thatwe tested originallyhad that little bit revvy,grainy motor sound in there.Takes all that away.This is just littlemore pleasant to drive.And the controls, it'sgot that dial shifter thattakes a little getting used to.But the controls,everything's pretty simple.And I like that.It's not gettinginto like a Tesla,where you have to learnthis whole crazy screen.It's a normal car.Most of their controlsare quite simple.Right.User friendly.Yeah.Jon?I echo.At least thecontroller, for example,isn't some kind of weirdmonostable where you--I'll just do-- where itsprings back to the center,so you're never sureexactly what gear you're in.Well it does do that,and it's a dial.But it identifies it.And you can't miss hit.You're in a reversedrive or park.You're not in a weird neutralor anything like that.I like the conventional control.I like conventional EVs.I like the Jaguarpays for all of its illsmore so than a Tesla Model 3.I personally am not a hugeTesla fan with the screen.When the screen goes bad,you can't do a single thing.HVAC and such.Yes, there's resets, butresets don't always work.Because we know with phones,computers et cetera--It is.It's super quiet.It's quick.You sit up high.I do like it.But yeah, last nightwith the cold weather,hit the heater, 10 miles comesoff immediately on your range.AC does the same thing.But at 239 you couldmaybe deal with it.It's reasonable, I think, yeah.I wish they kept thetraditional shifter that wehad had in the hybrid Niro.It's just one--I won't say gimmick-- butit was just different enoughthat I didn't care for it.You have to look to makesure you're in that gear.I do think, to Ryan'spoint, it compensated.One of the things we didn'tlike about the hybridwas this lag that it had.The all electric takesall of that away.Yeah, it's seamless.The only thing-- ohyes, and it was $47,000.That took my breathaway a little bit.Just to qualify,the hybrid was 26.That's a considerable jump.So another 21 to me, yes itis a better car, not worth.$21,000 better.So think of it.In some ways, if you buy itand you have a tax liability,you get $7,500.Leasing though--more and more leasingof these for anumber of reasons.Technology you may notwant to buy and be stuckinto the technology as afledgling industry that'sadvancing at a rapidwait-- rate, excuse me.So yeah, you leaseit and the dealer--so you lease it for two orthree years-- and the dealer,they take the taxcredit themselves,but they incorporate itinto the depreciation.So now you have apretty low cost.Yes, you have to worryabout 10,000, 12,000 miles,or whatever a leasewould be for you.But that's a possibility.Buying it outright,yeah, that's a lot.That's a lot ofmoney for a small--relatively small-- SUV.And we have a lot of EVs now.We have a lot more coming.Brought to mind a thoughtI was having is I'ma person who likesEVs, but I like themto feel like they're not EVs.And I don't wantthem to sound funny,I don't want them to have brakeregeneration, touchy brakes.I want them to be EVs, butas traditional as possible.And I'd be interestedto hear what certainlyour audience thinksof, do you want your EVto be EVish, or not?The ones I like the best--like you said, the Kona--are the most traditionalin operation.So I don't like whenthey change the shifter.I want it all traditional.Just leave it alone.I found the brakes a littleweird when it was cold.There was a bite, then all ofa sudden it would really grab.And then I would try to do that,and obviously they warmed up.The rotors, whateverthe system was,and I couldn't replicatethat during a drive.But then you parkit, do it again.Strange.So it'll be interesting.So stay tuned.We'll be testing that,comparing it, of course,to its non-EV version.But talking about viewerfeedback and audience feedback,we're going to moveto some questions.We love them, we lovethem, we love them.We only have sometexted ones this week.TalkingCars@icloud.com.Love the videos, love the text.So the first questionis from Jose.Hi guys, I'm a bigfan of your show.Thank you, Jose.Vehicles You seem to have awarning light for everything.However, drivers only becomeaware that a headlight or brakelight is out when apolice officer stops them.Why don't government regulatorsfocus on this critical safetyissue?Jon, good point.Any thoughts for Jose?Slow down, Jose.Don't give the police areason to pull you over.No, look, some of it is--my opinion-- regulationcreep or something like that.It adds costs, it doesn'thelp older vehicles,it's going take a long timeto get older vehicles out.Is this the key focus?I would personallythink that if there'sgoing to be a modificationto the Federal Motor VehicleSafety Standards, it shouldbe mandating a center headrestraint, which is not.And there's plenty of vehiclesout there that are 2019sor '20s that don't have that.If you have a safetybelt for that position,you think it's aseating position.I would say for Jose, like wesay, check your smoke detectorevery season change.Flip your mattress aroundevery season change.Do these types ofmaintenance thingsHave someone park thecar in the garage,or out in the parkingspace or wherever.Ask someone.If a kid, maybe makeit a fun-- like,this is how youmaintain and check.Great lesson, you're right.Car is parked, you turnit on, keep it in park.Just press on the brake pedal.Do you see anythingTimmy, Bobby, Sarah,whoever your child is.Oh yeah, it's not symmetrical.Only one's on.Great.Do it monthly.Do it quarterly.Do something like that.Should there be astandard for an indicator?Another indicator,another system.If you're relyingon an indicatorand then there's afailure of the system,then it says it'sunlit, but it's lit.I think it's one of the lower--it's a higher hangingfruit, excuse me,and there's lowerhanging fruit to address.I think probably the redundancy.You have two.Three.If you've ever driven behindsomeone who doesn't have anybrake lights, that's--Now you have three.You have the thehigh mounted, and the two.That's a crazy the issue.But because you have two,I think actually the policepull you over almostas a courtesy,because they know youdon't know probably.And then they give you a timeframe, usually, to fix it.But it also speaks to me ofgetting back to the basics.We talk about all these.Automatic emergency brakingand forward collisionwarning, which areall hugely beneficial.But brake lights and headlightsare back to the basics.And head restraints.Beneficial, not to minimize it.But there's othertechnologies that'll help.Right, right.So thank you, Jose.Next question is from Eric.I think your truck ratingshould be separatedfrom cars, especiallywhen comparingride quietness and comfort.Most trucks are not expected tocompete in comfort with cars.You separate electricand gas dryers.How about doing the samething with cars and trucks?Rate trucks comparedto other trucks.It would lift their scoresand give truck buyersa better idea of quality.Ryan.Any thoughts for Eric?So he's right.We don't expect most trucks toride as well as a car or a SUV.But if you're lookingat our ratings,and you see a car thathas a five for ride,and now you have a truckthat has a five for ride--Which one's better?Yeah, what's a five?What's a five?It's a top score, butwhat does it mean?Right.So we ran into this with tires.Back in the day, we usedto rate all our tireswere in separate--every category wasweighted separately.So we had an allseason tire thatwould get a five in thatgroup for snow traction.And then you'dhave a snow tire--Compared to peers.--to the all season tires.And then you had a chart nextto that with actual winter tiresthat obviously most of themget fives because they'remeant for that, right?But people are lookingat the chart going,why would I buy a wintertire if this all seasontire gets a five forwinter traction also?But it's only for that group.It's not for that.So we have to put i onthis big universe of it'sstill comparableto other trucks,but I guess the resolution'ssmaller you're looking at.But you can stillsee the differencebetween the few truck.That's why we do it.So I guess themoral of the storyis if even if they're showingup in different charts,they might actually stillbe on the same scale.Like the gas dryers,electric dryer thing.So that's why we do it.A lot of stuff is ona universal scale.And I would arguetwo things for Eric.One, I think the ridesof some of these trucksare coming along.They're getting better.And I think I'veshared, my husbanddrives this 2012 Frontier.It rides horribly.But new trucks, evennew full-sized pickups,they ride very, very well.So that, and they are usedoften like passenger cars.They are notnecessarily-- and I knowwe've talked aboutthat they're loaded,sometimes the ride settles down.But they're not often loaded.So interestingquestion from Eric.So that takes us to ournext question from David.In poor visibilitydriving conditionsI get a message that my SubaruLegacy's EyeSight systemis inoperative.Are my non-camera basedsystems such as BSM--Blind SpotMonitoring-- and RCTA--Rear Cross TrafficAlert-- still working?Are there any AEB--Automatic EmergencyBraking-- systemsthat work in whiteoutwashout conditions?My son is going to collegeabout five hours away,and while I love the Subaru, I'dlike to have an alternate carto drive him when I know thevisibility will be lousy.So he's right.The systems are in thatimpacted by weather.And I would say you're not goingto find a car now, a vehicle--new or used-- that'sgoing to be infallible.It's actually reallygood that they turn off,because they don'tbecome a crutch.They don't become a systemwhere you set it and forget it.Sort of like we've seen asin commercials and such.And 3M, for example,is a company thatmakes a number of products.But one of the thingsthey're working onis a film that youwould put over fendersto protect the radar units.And hopefully snow andice would slide offof it, that way thesystems would still work.But yeah, the short answeris no, there's not a vehicle.Advancements are coming fast andfurious, but not quick enough.So stop.Maybe use it five hours away.Inclement weather take a break.Take a coffee break.Have a self-imposed breakwhere you clean the sensor off.Because tell you what, ice andstuff blocks up the window.Well you wrote the story--Well yeah, there's a greatpiece on ConsumerReports.orgthat I wrote and spoke tosome people about this.And camera washers andstuff to keep those clear.But yeah, use it as a break.Stop, take a restbreak, clean them off.At least you know thatyou're doing that.But rain can doit, let alone snow.Right.It's unfortunate,because sometimes whenyou need it the most--because you can't see--they don't see either.So I think that's the rule.If you can't see, theyprobably can't see either.A camera, or sometimes radar.Yeah.So slow down.It's a reminder, these are aids.You're still responsible fordriving that vehicle safely.These things are there to helpyou, but they can have issues.And it also shows we're nowherenear self-driving cars yet.It brings me right to that.Let's be honest.It can self-drive inthe good weather only.Well they can't even self-drive.They worry aboutthemselves only.But we're not there yet, nomatter what anyone's saying.Just a reminder.The advantages arestill real though,regardless of the weather.So last question is from Rob.I'm very interested inpurchasing an Audi Q7, whichhas no spare tire,just an air compressorwith a fix-a-flat canister.I certainly don'twant to be strandedon the side of thehighway until a tow truckarrives to tow me to a tire shopshould the fix-a-flat not work.Do you havestatistical informationthat would indicatewhat the probability isof having a flattire that is toosevere for a fix-a-flat repair?Would you purchase avehicle with no spare tire?What do you think, tire guy?Oh man.Inflator kits, they kill me.So to answer his firstquestion, statistically no,we don't have any data on that.From my personalexperience actuallytesting some ofthese kits, there'sa million differentways you can get a flat.And there's a verygood probabilitythat these are not goingto fix that dependingon the type of hole,what you ran over,if the object'sstill in the tire,if it came back out of the tire.You ruin a sidewall,you're done no matter what.They don't work onsidewall, right?Yeah.Would I purchase a vehiclewithout a spare tire?It would depend on the vehicle.A sports car, youhave to expect this.It's also not a car you'redriving your family aroundin all the time.A big SUV like that, youhave to consider that.And it's a very good thing thathe's paying attention to thatbefore he's purchasingthis vehicle.Now the brand new Q7does have run flatsas a base tire option,which I believeis the reason why you get thefix-a-flat canister and a jack.But you can also--and people aren't goingto probably do this--but you can buy a full-sizedspare and put it in the back.But you're taking up halfof your luggage space.I What's the point of that?And share why is thespare going away?What's the impetus that we'renot seeing spares anywhere?It's as simple as weight.They're trying tomake cars lighterfor fuel economy,because there'ssuch pressure onthe manufacturersto make better fueleconomy numbers.And take out a 50, 60pound, maybe 70 poundtire wheel packageout of the trunk,and you got a littlebit of advantage there.And the inflatorkit in there, itdoesn't weigh obviouslynearly as much.But there's a goodchance you're notable to patch the tirewith one of those.There's cases whereit will, but--Well one of our co-workers--Jeff Bartlett-- had that happenyears ago with a Hyundai.So you're talking economy car,not going to have run flats.Ripped the sidewalk,he was stuck.Done.And you're waiting,like he says.No one wants to waitfor the tow truckif you're on atrip or something.And something likea Q7, so you'relooking 20, 21, 22 inch wheels.You're looking atperformance tires.Now replace those tires.Now replace those.The run flat too.Are you going tobe able to find--the trouble is sometimes findinga run flat in a remote place.So to your point too,I guess it matterswhere you think you're driving.If you're in ametropolitan area,you're probably going to havean Audi dealer or someone whocan get to you quickly.If you're in a ruralarea, maybe not so much.You could be waiting a while.Right.A very good thing thoughthat he's paying attentionto that going into it.We tell people that when you'rebuying a car, check it out.See what tires come on the car.A spare is not a given anymore.Right, yeah, because it's not.And see what kind oftires come on there.They might be outrageous toreplace in the first place,never mind hitting something inthe road and then replace one.Are they hard to use, the kits?The inflator kits?Yeah.No.Well, they're not,but they can be.Because sometimes you have torotate the tire to get to the--so the wherever the holeis, if it's on the bottom,and you're trying to putthe inflator stuff in there,the rubber might beheld in a position whereyou can't plug it anyway.It's not for everyone.It's not as simple.Not as simple Sogreat question, David.Keep them coming.If you're lookingfor informationon any of the stuff we talkedabout, see the show notes.Videos, questions,TalkingCars@icloud.com.That's going to wrapit up for this episode.Thanks for listeningthanks for watching,and we'll see you next time.\n"