“The Bear” Has Me Crazy For All Things Food, Chicago and … Cars? Here’s What They [Should] Drive
With a new teaser for the last season of The Bear (noooo!!!!) circulating the internet, I can't stop thinking about what the characters of the hit show would drive.
The same day a strange coincidence involving black Chevy Avalanches took me on an emotional roller coaster, my husband and I watched the “Gary, Indiana” episode of The Bear. In it, Richie and Mikey drive that exact truck—a vehicle that practically sparks Richie’s villain origin story. Then I see two parked in front of my house. No way.
I even reached out to FX to see if a vehicle coordinator was processing some personal Avalanche trauma. They weren’t, but it made me realize: coordinating cars for TV is my new dream job (and as an auto journalist and former LEGO Model Builder, I have high standards).
With The Bear’s final season dropping this summer, here is our spoiler-filled breakdown of the cars we expect the characters to drive in Season 4. You’ve had almost a year to catch up, so no excuses.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
The Bear’s Star, Carmy, Would Drive a Toyota Corolla—Not a Camry
I don’t know what kind of Corolla Carmy would drive. I bet he wouldn’t really know what kind of Corolla he’d be driving, either—whatever he found for whatever cash he had on hand. I initially was thinking he might want something a little bigger, but I don’t think Carmy would want a Toyota Camry because the comments would annoy him to no end (not unlike someone named Ben owning a Benz. Ben’s Benz. Get it?).
Richie Would Be Happy to Drive a Hyundai Tucson
Richie’s come a long way since his days tooling around in a Chevy Avalanche, and the Hyundai Tucson is the perfect vehicle to represent his growth and maturity. The Tucson is one of the most affordable compact SUVs you can buy and has a class-leading warranty. Those factors certainly played a role in this decision, even if Richie might not have realized it.
He’s grown the most of the major characters on The Bear, and the Tucson is a great car for a guy who is starting to realize that looking pulled-together is part of actually being pulled-together. It’s a smart pick for a parent, too, since it has a ton of safety features.
A Toyota RAV4 Would Be Perfect for Jessica
Jessica’s a minor character, but since I’m totally ‘shipping her and Richie, I’ll give her a car in hopes of manifesting a bigger role for her next season. This saucy minx is all business with a smile on her face, and I love it.
The Toyota RAV4 now comes standard as a hybrid, and it’s a great vehicle for a woman in Chicago who takes no crap from anyone. It’s peppy and agile, fun to drive even for the type of person who might not particularly care about driving dynamics. A bit on the expensive side, but Jessica strikes me as the type who doesn’t deny herself what she feels she’s earned, but spends money carefully but confidently in the quality-over-quantity kind of way.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee Just Makes Sense for Sugar
Sugar, to me, very much seems like the type who’d have saved up for an aspirational vehicle and get kind of attached to it — nurture it and care for it. She gets attached, even when she knows better. She’d get attached to her vehicle if it served as a warm, comfortable surrogate for, say, an emotionally abusive mother, or a crappy best friend.
Not to say that people with attachment issues are necessarily drawn to Jeep Grand Cherokees. I just want Sugar to have something nice, something that’s all hers. Sugar’s hypothetical Grand Cherokee has been her sanctuary and it’s certainly the cleanest, most well-cared-for old-ish Grand Cherokee on her block.
Sydney, Well, Wouldn’t Have One—Stick With Me
For this article, we’re indulging in a little fantasy—after all, many of these characters have been shown in vehicles other than what we’re suggesting. This is one case, though, in which I think the writers nailed it. We know Syd doesn’t have a car, because “The Bear” has shown her on an El train more times over the course of four seasons than I’ve actually taken the El since before the pandemic. Given how practical Syd tends to be, I’m not sure she’d want the hassle and significant expense of owning a car even if she could technically afford it.
Furthermore, there are plenty of real people in Chicago who simply prefer to commute by public transit; I used to be one, and it’s kind of a lovely way to live. Sometimes I get kind of wistful when Syd’s sitting on an early morning or late night train, surrounded by people yet utterly alone. Chef Sydney is often deep in thought, and an elevated train is the perfect setting to dwell on your place in the world.
Cicero is a Cadillac Escalade Kind of Guy
Cicero strikes me as an American car guy. I don’t think he’d care too much what kind of car, just that it would have panache and presence, that it would take up a lot of space without apology. Cicero would probably also say, the less said about things like this, the better. Therefore, a gas-only Cadillac Escalade just makes sense for him.
Claire Has a Thing for Volvo Wagons
Claire deserves better, to put it mildly. In pretty much every respect. She seems like the type who’d be happy to drive a hand-me-down from a parent, and we don’t know as much about her family as we do about the Berzattos or Faks, but they’re all of the same tribe. Smart, practical, driven, strong work ethic. I can see her in an old-ish, but clean, well-maintained, boxy but safe Volvo wagon.
A Subaru Impreza and Pete Would Get Along
I love the Subaru tribe and I can’t stand Pete, but hear me out. Sugar’s dumb husband has been a pain in everyone’s butt since he first showed up. Remember the time he turned up to the Feast of Seven Fishes with an eighth fish—a freakin’ tuna casserole—despite every single Berzattos’ stern warning against that specific gesture? Or, in the current season, when he warned Sydney about the new partnership agreement before talking about it with his own freaking wife, who is also a partner?
His real crime against humanity, though, was wearing a shirt from Nectar’s, a bar and music venue in Burlington, Vermont. The actor who plays Pete, Chris Witaske, is reportedly a Phishhead, and Nectar’s is known, in part, for giving Phish its start. But of course.
Given the fact that Pete is perennially annoying, and given the subtle reference to Vermont, Pete is almost certainly a Subaru Impreza driver. Subarus run rampant in Vermont because Vermont is generally wonderful, and everyone knows that. However, Pete’s Subie of choice would be an Impreza hatchback, based on the delusion that the Impreza hatchback is as cool as the Crosstrek, and he’d probably boast about how he saved a couple thousand bucks. No matter how hard this guy tries, he always misses the mark. Sorry, Pete. No Subaru wave from me.
Francie Fak Would Rock a Nissan Sentra
Near the end of Season 4, we finally meet the infamous Francie Fak, Sugar’s estranged former ride-or-die. Francie, of course, turns out to be basic AF, and she’s totally the kind of girl who would prefer a cheap new car to a nicer used one. We don’t know much about Francie’s background beyond her Fak-ness, so Nissan’s budget compact sedan, always available with a killer three-year lease deal, is a match made in heaven.
Surprise! Francie shows up in a floral dress, her hair adorned with a ribbon, and she’s played by none other than Brie Larson. The same Brie Larson who starred in all those Nissan Sentra commercials a few years ago, demonstrating how the Sentra comes with enough standard safety features to save your butt even if you’re busy being a total narcissist. It’s too bad the Sentra’s standard automatic rear braking won’t intervene when you stab your BFF in the back, right, Francie? And on a related note, we still don’t know what went down between Francie and Sugar all those years ago… but if I had the chance to hook up with Brie Larson, I’d take it, too
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