Motoring television pioneers to podcasting misfires.

IN the vast landscape of automotive media, MotorWeek is an absolute American icon, right up there with the bald eagle, cholesterol-inflating burgers and Route 66. 

Boasting a legacy dating back to the early 1980s, it has since expanded into the digital realm of podcasts. But do decades of experience equate to a riveting podcast or a mundane miss?

https://podcasts.apple.com/gm/podcast/modified-movie-cars-at-the-petersen-mazda-cx-70-honda/

With new episodes revving fortnightly, MotorWeek’s pod is fronted by its founder, John Davis, who is regularly joined by Greg Carloss, Stephanie Hart and other talented scribes. Their collective expertise offers authentic, unbiased insights into the narratives shaping the auto industry, with a keen eye on the transition into electric mobility, auto shows, and new car reviews.

The podcast’s fervent focus on the American market is a double-edged sword with casual relevance to Kiwi consumers. Yet, lingering intrigue about the forbidden fruit we don’t see on New Zealand soil will have you hooked. Keen to know more about Tesla’s Cybertruck, Acura Integra Type S, or the Chevrolet Blazer EV? …No problem, the pod has you covered; no matter what US-only car it is, there is almost something featured to capture your interest.

Having recently toured the holy grail of automotive history, LA’s colossal Petersen Museum, I was eager to hear about MotorWeek's take on the movie cars on display. 

The podcast fell disappointingly short of fully unravelling the captivating backstories behind these exhibits. 

Sure, iconic rides like the DeLorean from Back to the Future and the Batmobile will always capture attention. Still, their neglect of other Petersen displays, such as the Monocycle from Men in Black 3 or the 1976 Ford Grand Torino from Starsky and Hutch, left this writer yearning for more.

While providing valuable insights, the show’s constrained 20-minute format left much to be desired, and consequently, the dialogue feels hurried and overly formal for a podcast setting. Subpar production quality, characterised by poor audio, also detracts from an otherwise informative experience.

Ultimately, MotorWeek struggles to reach its full potential in podcast format, yet it is still a commendable effort. Subscription-worthy? …that is up to you, but I’d check out the television series bearing the same name instead.

The MotorWeek Podcast Homepage: https://podcasts.apple.com/gm/podcast/motorweek/