Lexus executives readily acknowledge that the Lexus RX “is the franchise.” Both Guest Co-Host Matt DeLorenzo and Hot Jack Nerad were among the first journalists to test the all-new 2023 Lexus RX. The model comes in a variety of versions including gasoline, hybrid, and “performance hybrid.” If the last of those seems like an oxymoron to you, we can assure you after our drives that it isn’t. And we’ll have a lively discussion about all the new RX models in this episode of “America on the Road.”

But that isn’t the only important crossover SUV we examine this week. Host Jack Nerad recently traveled to North Carolina for a first drive of the heavily revised 2023 Hyundai Palisade, and he came back with an interview with an expert on the vehicle — Hyundai product planner Melvyn Bautista. The interview will provide rare insight into the changes the Palisade has for 2023.

In the news, the state of California gathered big-time headlines by banning the sale of gasoline cars after 2035. But while that was the headline, the state’s action has more immediate effects that are even more concerning. Matt Delorenzo, who is the author of How To Buy An Affordable Electric Car: A Tightwad’s Guide to EV Ownership, and Jack Nerad, who is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hybrids and Alternative Fuel Vehicles, will offer their analysis of the California’s move. Will the edict actually go into effect? They’ll offer their thoughts on that, too.

Also in the news, a major carmaker has just started to build electric vehicles at an American factory. We’ll tell you all about that and how it fits — or doesn’t fit — into the new green vehicle push contained in the recent Inflation Act. Does the new legislation damage chances for the adoption of EVs?

In the road test segment, Jack Nerad will review the 2022 Lincoln Navigator, the full-size luxury SUV that competes with the Cadillac Escalade. The Navigator is so stuffed with tech that it is hard to discuss anything else about it, but Nerad will offer his well-rounded look at the big Lincoln.

All that and more is coming up in this episode of “America on the Road.”