From day one, The Fast Lane Car has made it our policy to answer as many questions and comments as we can. We get thousands of emails and comments and feel that, as part of a tight-knit automotive community, having an open dialogue with you keeps things fresh and exciting.
In this edition of Ask Nathan:
- Good off road CUV?
- Roads in Boulder, CO?
- Q50 vs IS?
- What’s your favorite racing film?
The first question comes from a fan who, despite liking GM body-on-frame trucks, likes Hondas and wants a little capability in the rough.
Q: I need advice with purchasing a new car. I like the gm body on frames but I like the Honda crossovers. I would like to have a little off road capability. What should I get.
Thanks
C.G.
A: Greetings and thanks for the email.
If I understand you correctly, you like body-on-frame big SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban; but, you like Honda crossovers?
Well, the current Honda Pilot and CR-V are okay on dirt trails and mild obstacles, but the excellent packaging and on-road drivability cannot be denied. If you’re a little bit serious about going off-road, I would look at Jeep’s product lineup. They have a little something for most tastes.
Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy may have some good alternatives too
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
N
This next question is about some of the off-road (ORV) trails we use.
Q: Hi TFL crew!
Watched your videos from out of state and now we are moving up here.
Where are some of the roads y’all test drive on? (They look gorgeous!) I have one week before I start my job and I between house hunting trips I’d love to get in the mountains.
For example, where was the road y’all drove a gx460 on and an old T100 stopped and flipped it’s lockers on? Any other pretty drives on or off road y’all would recommend for views? We have three little kids so we won’t be doing anything extreme but even our kids love going off-road.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
P.H.
A: Thanks for the email and welcome to Colorado! I have a good-news/bad-news answer for you. The video you’re referring to was shot about two years ago on the Left-Hand Canyon ORV trail. Sadly, that trail closed over a year ago as much of it was destroyed during our nasty flooding.
Good news. We now use a similar ORV trail called Bounce School Trail in Boulder County. We only use it for more serious off-road machines like Jeep Wranglers and the Toyota TRD Pro trucks et-all. You can see a TrailDamage.com map of this location (here).
Hope that helps and, once again, welcome to Colorado!
N
p.s. we shot this Jeep Wrangler video there!
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This question comes from fan who wants to see a mashup between a Infiniti Q50 and Lexus IS
Q: Roman/Nathan/Emme,
First off, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your auto reviews. I have had a strong passion for new, fast and shiny cars since I instantly gravitated to a black 1974 Cutlass Supreme when I was 9 years old. (Nathan, I remember how you said that black cars don’t shoot well.)This car ended up being our new family car and when I turned 16, the first car I had ever driven.
Today at 49, my passion is stronger than ever and has evolved to the above two vehicles. I have 2 years before I buy or lease my next car, so I’ll have plenty of time to do my homework. Since I have it narrowed down to these two, this sets the stage for a mashup! Please consider doing one for the these two vehicles. I have watched the IS vs Q50 mashup and it was great. My niece has a Q50 and loves it. We sat in the IS and she said it was too small, but she’s not quite the enthusiast that I am!
I’m a Toyota guy. My first car was a 1990 Toyota Celica GT-S 5 speed and I’ve been hooked on the brand ever since. Today I drive a 2012 Camry SE (4-Cyl) and it has served me well, but now, I want performance.
I am a Pittsburgh native, living in Columbus, Ohio. I have attended two Car Shows this year, Chicago and Columbus and entertaining going to the next SEMA event! Nathan, it was so cool to see you wearing the Ben Roethlisberger jersey during your Toyota Highlander review. I have another niece who just bought one.
You three are absolutely amazing at what you do and I look forward to seeing more! Please let me know if this mashup can be done in the future, and lastly, how can I buy a XL TFL T-Shirt?
Warmest Regards,
Kenneth E. Clark.
A: Thanks for the great email! We give tee shirts to patrons and at special events from time-to-time. You can find out more information on this website.
Your request is an excellent one and it’s something that the whole TFL team wants to put together. You see, we have driven all three vehicles (you mentioned the Audi S4 in your Subject section) and they all need to go head-to-head. Hopefully, we can make that happen later in the year.
I can say this: Roman and I agree that the Infiniti Q50 is a racecar, it’s amazing on the track, but it’s pretty harsh everywhere else.
The Audi S4 is one of my favorite all-around driver’s cars – but it’s looking dated.
Roman, Andre and I love the Lexus IS. I especially like the Lexus IS 350 F-Sport. It feels better on the street, drives great on the track and it’s a nice car to live with. It’s not as capable as the Audi S4, nor track driven like the Infiniti Q50, but it is no slouch either.
I hope we can make that mashup happen some day soon.
Thanks again for that great email!
N
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This last question comes from a fan who wants to know what racing movie we like best.
Q: Hi Nathan! Tell me, what is your favorite racing movie? I thought RUSH was amazing, but there are others like Driven and Days of Thunder that are fun too.
What’s yours?
J.J. Mexico
A: That’s a great question and I have a simple answer: Grand Prix (1966) which was written by
Robert Alan Aurthur and directed by John Frankenheimer. The story is meh, but the racing footage is incredible, even by today’s standards. It’s fiction, but it closely mirrors many teams and drivers of the time.
I especially like the relationship between the teams and their drivers. They are based on Ferrari, Lotus and Honda – to name a few. Once again, outside of the racing narrative and astonishing visuals, the rest of the story, especially the silly love triangles, is fluff.
Keep an eye on James Garner, he plays the American driver who joins the Japanese team. He’s the real deal and was one of the few actors who went on to have a real racing career. It’s a hell of a good film and should lead you to other great race films like Le Mans, Dust to Glory, To Please a Lady, The Green Helmet, and Senna (the Ayrton Senna bio) among many others.
Thanks again for the email!
N
Got a question for Nathan? Drop him a line at: asknathan@tflcar.com
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Nathan Adlen reviews vehicles from the cheapest to the most prestigious. His words, good humor and videos are enjoyed worldwide.
