regularcarreviews

God's Rambo and the Legend of the Ghost Camaro

Why Do We Still Commute?

Patreon Exclusive! Fiat Multipla!

Why Are People Stopping to Turn?

Live Recording a Video About Slow Turning Drivers

Regular Friends: Jimmner

1998 Ford Mustang V6 Convertible: Race To the Bottom (Bonus Bottom)

Regular Friends Podcast: Coopertom

Designed to Fail: The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire (RCR Stories)

In 1999, a truck caught fire inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
What should have been a manageable incident turned into one of Europe’s deadliest infrastructure disasters. Thirty-nine people died, not because of a freak accident, but because the tunnel itself worked against them.

This is the story of how a ventilation system spread toxic smoke for miles, fragmented French and Italian management delayed critical decisions, emergency procedures were untested, unpracticed, and poorly understood, and why courts later ruled the catastrophe could have been avoided.

In this episode of RCR Stories, I’ll ask the uncomfortable questions about the Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire: how it started, who was to blame, why the system failed to prevent it, and if it could even have been prevented at all, or if the design of Mont Blanc Tunnel made this tragedy inevitable. I’ll also discuss some of the safety reforms that reshaped tunnel design across Europe, and how a motorcyclist rushed into the fire…and became one of Italy’s greatest heroes.

1998 Volvo S70 GLT: Regular Car Reviews

The 1998 Volvo S70 GLT should be dead. It’s nearly 30 years old, has almost 280,000 miles, is missing a cylinder, leaks oil like state secrets, and sounds like it’s one cold start away from an overdue grave. And yet it just passed inspection. In this episode of Race to the Bottom, my ongoing search for the worst car in the world lands on the 1998 Volvo S70 GLT, the most confusing car I’ve ever driven. A bafflingly brilliant highway cruiser that’s as frustrating as it is fun, and as baffling as it is brilliant. I’ll talk about sunk-cost ownership, the inherent value of pre-2000s Volvo, and why some vehicles refuse to die even when logic says they should. The S70 GLT represents the end of an era, but the survival of something that deserves to still be here, warts and all.

Snowpocalypse 2014: The Worst Disaster 2 Inches Ever Caused (RCR Stories)

In January 2014, Atlanta was brought to a complete standstill by just two inches of snow. Highways froze solid. Thousands of cars were abandoned. Children slept overnight in schools. Parents walked miles to reunite with their families. Emergency vehicles couldn’t move. A modern American city collapsed, and it wasn't because of a hurricane, but because of winter weather so routine, it barely would have canceled school if it had happened anywhere else.

In the latest episode of RCR Stories, I'll tell you the catastrophic tale of the Atlanta Snowpocalypse, a transportation disaster that exposed the hidden fragility of car-dependent cities. When everyone drives, everything works. That is, until it doesn’t. And when cars and systems fail, they don’t fail gracefully.

Automotive Journalists Have Lost the Plot

Automotive journalists and content creators have been out of touch with their audience for a while now. In this episode of Fuel for Thought, I present my theory for why.

Stick Shift Minivan! Race To the Bottom Patreon Cut

They really don’t make cars like the 2012 Mazda5 Sport anymore, and that’s sad. On this episode of Race to the Bottom, I get to end 2025 by driving one of the most surprising cars I’ve featured this year: a minivan with a manual transmission! Mazda and Ford really cooked with this, because it’s not just a minivan with a 6-speed manual transmission, but it rides on a compact car platform rather than a dedicated van platform! Known as the Mazda Premacy in Japan, the Mazda5 had the potential to completely change the family car landscape in the United States. So why did it ultimately fail to find an audience? And why don’t automakers build cars like this anymore? Is there even a market for something this delightfully weird anymore? Come along with me for a test drive, a critique, and an in-depth history of the 2012 Mazda5 Sport. 

Mazda 5: Stick-Shift Minivan

Thank you Patreons for supporting RCR! More fun stuff coming!

In Memorandum: 2025

Another year has passed. Another revolution around the sun. And that sun is setting on yet another group of cars. It's time once again for the annual Regular Car Reviews Automotive In Memoriam, profiling the cars that won't see the New Year. And not all of them are recently-introduced models either, you know, the ones that went from grand opening to grand closing. We have some absolutely legendary cars that will be going from in production to discontinued. Some more beloved than others, of course. But some that might genuinely surprise you.

We're In the Dark Ages of Car Design

Modern car design has fallen apart, and nobody in the auto industry wants to admit it. If anything, it’s almost like they want to make it worse. From long, tall, pedestrian-safety noses, to a bunch of fake vents, fake exhausts, and fake diffusers that don’t actually do anything. We’re in a period I’m calling The Dark Ages of Automotive Design, because we aren’t just bloating and curving the exterior bumpers, automakers are making cabins worse with cluttered layouts and invasive tech. But why do cars look the way they do now? Is it regulation, corporate meddling, consumer taste, or something much worse?

In this episode of Fuel For Thought, we’ll dive into the real reasons new cars look so strange, so aggressive, and so uniformly bland. This might just be the worst era of car design ever, and the reasons behind it will make you rethink every “new” car you see.

And for early, ad-free episodes, and bonus content, consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/regularcarreviews

If you liked this video, check out these other in-depth opinion pieces:

Stellantis Is Putting Pop-Up Ads In Your Car: https://youtu.be/sceLsLkQf7A?si=-JrYNyQReTjKkWkx

GM Is Ditching Android Auto and Apple CarPlay: https://youtu.be/o_Mq5mj5kaQ?si=CKBNUop6h5CcvJa2

Shirts and Mugs: https://regularcars-shop.fourthwall.com/

Key tags and plate frames: https://www.zazzle.com/store/regularcars

Find RCR online:

BlueSky: @regularcars / @theromannick

Instagram: @regularcarreviews / @theromannick

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/regularcarreviews

Second channel: https://www.youtube.com/@regularandroman

Thank you for supporting Regular Car Reviews!

Timestamps:

00:00 The Dark Ages of Car Design

01:35 Intro Song

01:44 Regulations Are to Blame

09:51 No! Executive Meddling Is to Blame

14:48 No, It's the Consumers' Fault!

18:56 A Risky Theory to Explain Bad Car Design

20:54 It's My Fault (And Yours Too)

23:24 An Incredibly Important Message

24:30 Bad Car Design Is the Fault Of...

26:21 Sources and Photo Credits

When Florida Man Gets Behind the Wheel (RCR Stories)

Florida Man isn’t a person. He’s a category of behavior.
A myth of the automotive industry. A menace of America's roads. A walking roadside attraction in cargo shorts with the confidence of a man who doesn't read road signs. When you pair Florida Man with a motor vehicle, you get some of the strangest car stories you'll ever come across anywhere, even when it doesn't involve a car. Whether it's cars, forklifts, golf carts, trolleys, or the occasional drive-thru alligator, Florida Man is the final boss of American car culture.

Brian goes for a walk at night with you. (Sleep Podcast)

Walk with me as I take a stroll at night and talk to you.

Patreon Exclusive! "Brian goes to Wisconsin!

Thank you Patrons for allowing me to take a trip and film cars in the Wisconsin Dells! Here is the whole trip!

Bolivia’s Death Road: 300 Deaths a Year (RCR Stories)

For decades, a single dirt track carved into the cliffs of Bolivia connected the capital of La Paz to the agricultural hub of Nor Yungas province. Locals called it El Camino de la Muerte or La Carreterra de la Muerte, or simply, The Death Road. Built by prisoners of war in the 1930s, this road wasn’t a symbol of progress, but a lifeline between two regions that depended upon one another to survive. With sheer drops of up to 2,000 feet, no guardrails, constant rain, and cliffs that literally collapse beneath tires, Bolivia’s North Yungas Road claimed as many as 300 lives at the height of its danger. Bolivia's North Yungas Road would come to be known as the most dangerous road in the world and, quite possibly, the most dangerous road ever built in human history. This is the story of why it was built, the unique danger it presents, and why people still ride it today. RCR Stories presents: El Camino de la Muerte, The Death Road of Bolivia. Poul Lorca Dev's excellent Medium article on the North Yungas Road: https://medium.com/the-winery-travel/death-road-bolivias-yungas-road-2d73f1cf6d43 For more longform automotive essays, check out these exciting, in-depth videos: The Worst Traffic Jam In History: China 2010 (RCR Stories): https://youtu.be/vUuCZpktoIk?si=t8rXhdi5vqW9OKLW The 22,000-Mile Race: New York To Paris 1908 (RCR Stories): https://youtu.be/20Q_34im3ec?si=cWH8tWc2LdeW7bob The Outlaw Origins of NASCAR (RCR Stories): https://youtu.be/q7qqy2DBk0w?si=gkaavn4euanm-vHl If you enjoy the show, Patreon is the best way to keep it going: https://www.patreon.com/regularcarreviews Shirts and Mugs: https://regularcars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Key tags and plate frames: https://www.zazzle.com/store/regularcarsFind RCR online: BlueSky: @regularcars / @theromannick Instagram: @regularcarreviews / @theromannick Linktree: https://linktr.ee/regularcarreviews Second channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RegularandRoman Thank you for supporting Regular Car Reviews!

2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD: Regular Car Reviews

2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD: Regular Car Reviews

The 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 is a monument to one truth: that the last American big block V8 failed, and it really shouldn't have. But can this battered, $800 truck WIN the Race to the Bottom?

Japanese Ambulance: Regular Friends

Brian goes for a ride with Tony in his imported 2000 Nissan Paramedic.

2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI: Race to the Bottom

The latest entrant in the Race to the Bottom is a crossover SUV that manages to be a referendum on the concept of trust in the automotive industry. But can the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI WIN the Race to the Bottom?

Buckets of Cum: Regular Friends Podcast

Nick and Brian record a podcast while filming a 2022 BMW M4

The Outlaw Origins of NASCAR

Before NASCAR was a sport, it was a crime. From the tragedy that claimed stock car racing's first superstar to the incredible ending of the first Daytona 500, this is the unbelievable true story of how outlaws, war heroes, and hustlers built a sport out of chaos.

Regular Friends: Kory and Old Cars

Kory, (Brian's college roomate) and Brian drive to Hershey, Pennsylvania to watch old people give each other awards. Thank you Patrons!

Get in on it early! The Love Child!!!

The 2009 Saab 9-7X is a Trailblazer in silk pajamas. The forbidden love child of GM's awkward relationship with Saab, and a symbol of the corporate chaos at the heart of their partnership, the Saab 9-7X shouldn’t work. But underneath all the badge engineered mediocrity is the quirky Swedish soul that just might make this the best GM SUV I’ve ever driven. In this Race to the Bottom episode of Regular Car Reviews, we'll see if this can crack my Top 5. I'll also talk about how Saab transformed the GMT360 Trailblazer into something shockingly refined, the restoration that brought this orphan SUV back to life, and why this “forbidden love child” couldn’t save a brand that deserved better. This is a story about GM, Saab, and a car that makes no sense, yet somehow makes all the sense in the world.

Brian and you and a Bicycle

This is a video just for Patreon. I talk about my side-project Finance bird and how it relates to the automotive world. I also ride a bicycle.

Patreon exclusive! The "FAT PIG"

Thank you patrons for supporting us! Here's bike that was known as "The Fat Pig." I also talk about windmilling your junk on one of Philly's Bridges across the Delaware river.

This car is FAKE FAST!

The 2020 Ford Edge ST is a performance SUV that sports a turbocharged engine, over 300 horsepower, and Ford's legendary ST badge. But for a car that looks fast on paper, the performance screams Fake Fast. In this episode of Regular Car Reviews, the 2020 Ford Edge ST enters the Race To the Bottom, as Roman explores whether the Edge ST deserves its badge, how this SUV betrays the legacy of the Focus ST and Fiesta ST, and the wild dealership story that almost made our volunteer walk away. Does this SUV make the Bottom 5 in our Race to the Bottom series? Watch to find out.