Talking Cars Episode 15: Orphaned cars and new Toyota Corolla

The engineers kick off the latest episode of Talking Cars with Consumer Reports with a reader question about orphaned brands. Is it worth buying a car from an abandoned car brand, such as Mercury or Saab? This is a relevant question in the wake of so many brands fading into the pages of history. The guys talk from the heart and from a bit of research.

Director of Auto Testing Jake Fisher and Senior Engineers Gabe Shenhar and Tom Mutchler then tackle American-targeting Volkswagen sedans in search of "German" driving character. Other reader questions look at substitutes for the defunct Lincoln Town Car and Cadillac DTS, testing the diesel Audi A7 TDI, whether the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ are powerful enough for our tire test program, and how we purchase test cars.

The guys discuss the latest Toyota Corolla, now undergoing testing. The redesigned sedan has a bit more character, space, and daresay a relatively intuitive touchscreen stereo. (See our first drive.)

The latest video podcast features candid insights into these topics and much more.

As with the other shows, this episode is also available for free through the iTunes store. Subscribe to the video or audio. The audio is also available via SoundCloud.