Ram has unveiled the 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups, offering exceptional capability, enhanced towing features, and cutting-edge technology. Our special guest this week, Ram Product Communications specialist Nick Cappa, will tell us all about the new trucks.

The heavy haulers feature a powerful Cummins 6.7-liter inline-six turbo diesel engine or a 6.4-liter gas-fueled HEMI V-8. The 2025 Ram 2500 offers improved 0 to 60 mph and quarter-mile times, delivering quicker, more responsive performance. The pickups also feature an advanced Uconnect 5 system with a 14.5-inch screen, a segment-first 10.25-inch passenger screen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, digital rearview mirror, and dual wireless phone charging pad. The pair also include an on-board power inverter, adaptive cruise control, ParkSense front/rear park assist, drowsy driver detection, traffic sign recognition, and active lane management. Kappa will deliver additional details and also preview the Ramcharger electrified pickup that is also on the way.

In our road tests this week, Host Jack Nerad takes us behind the wheel of the 2025 Lexus ES 350 F SPORT Handling with the Black Line Special Edition Package. A luxury sedan with elegant styling, advanced technology, and driving dynamics, the ES 350 test vehicle featured exclusive F SPORT Handling tuning, a premium interior, and advanced safety technologies. The 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 302 horsepower, is at the heart of the model. Nerad and co-host Chris Teague will answer the big question: does the F Sport Handling Black Line Special edition deliver performance to match its looks?

Across the country, Teague road tests another version of one of our favorite vehicles of the past year or two — the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy. The top-of-the-line midsize SUV has every whistle and bell one could imagine. Is it worth the added coin to buy it versus a mid-range Santa Fe? We’ll let you know.

In the news this week, the move to self-driving cars continues as Uber and Waymo bring a new driverless taxi service to Austin, Texas, right in Tesla’s backyard. We’ll have more details and our reaction.

Speaking of Tesla, we’ve heard reports that Tesla is getting some blowback as the result of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts in the federal government, but is the so-called “Tesla Takedown” real? And who is behind these reports? We help provide some clarity.

In a mirror to the cost-cutting of the U.S. government, Mercedes-Benz has indicated it is now scaling back based on the increased competition it is encountering around the world. We’ll give you details. Motor Trend has put together a list of the quickest electric cars it has tested, and we’ll have that for you, along with our thoughts on these crazy-fast EVs.

As always, a lot to talk about this week. We thank you for joining us.

Jack Nerad's newest book

Jack is now offering his newest crime novel, Only One Thing Stays the Same, at a pre-publication price of just $4.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at this special limited-time price.

Matt DeLorenzo's Book

Pick up a copy of co-host Matt DeLorenzo's terrific new book How to Buy an Affordable Electric Car: A Tightwad's Guide to EV Ownership.

Brought to you by:

• DrivingToday.com

• Mercury Insurance: Find out how much you can save at DrivingToday.com/auto-insurance.

• EMLandsea.com, publisher of Only One Thing Stays the Same and  Dance in the Dark

We have a lot of shows for you this week. Thanks for joining us, and don’t forget to look for new content on our YouTube and Rumble channels. Please subscribe. If you do, we'll like you forever.

America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Only One Thing Stays the Same which is available HERE on Amazon.com