The Fast Lane Car

Review: The 2012 Chevy Silverado 2500HD is rugged, comfortable & Cadillacky pick-up

I find truck stops romantic—not for the leathery hot dogs or fluorescent-lit mini-mart aisles, but for the sounds. Specifically, I like the sound of an 18-wheeler’s diesel engine. I don’t think of that sound as “clatter.” A diesel engine sings of power and potential borne of an efficient, robust design, and its hypnotic industrial tune is one big reason that I’m a sucker for a well-executed, king-of-the-road style, diesel pickup like Chevrolet’s 2012 Silverado 2500HD.

Chevrolet’s truck engineers—and plenty of Americans—apparently enjoy the same song (pickups again top American sales charts). I recently drove a Silverado 2500HD 4WD LTZ Crew Cab packed with enough luxuries to almost make me forget I was in a utility vehicle. But then there was that rhythmic rat-a-tat-tat emanating from underneath the contoured hood as well as the cannon-sized exhaust pipe, courtesy of the 6.6-liter, Duramax V8 turbo-diesel engine. During hundreds of miles of driving, sometimes I turned off the Bose-speaker stereo and the GPS’s female narrator just to hear the diesel go.

2011 Ford F-150 Mashup video review: Ecoboost V6 Twin Turbo vs 5.0L V8



The 2011 Ford F-150 Ecoboost Twin Turbo has been a surprise grand slam for Ford. 

Not only has this V6 Twin Turbo pick-up proved to be the most popular engine choice in the country's most popular vehicle, but it also surprised many automotive journalist and buyers with it's fuel economy, towing capacity and 365 twin turbo charged horsepower.

But is the 2011 Ford F-150 Ecoboost Twin Turbo a better choice over the more traditional V8 powered full-sized pick-up>

We wanted to know which is the better F-150?

The traditional V8 or the brand new twin turbo V6 Ecoboost?

Check out this video as we compare the two Ford pick-ups to each other in a head to head exclusive The Fast Lane car Mashup video review.

Video: 2012 Nissan Quest minivan road trip review

The 2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE is Nissan's newly redesigned minivan, and it competes directly with the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Town and Country to name just a few of its car rivals.

The new Nissan Quest seats seven and has plenty of room to take you and your family on a cross country trip from coast to coast.

We recently had the chance to explore the Oregon Coast in the Quest. The Quest was a reliable travel companion in the near constant rain. The minivan's 260 HP engine provided plenty of power to take on the twisty and hilly 101 Highway.

The roomy 2012 Quest also has all of the deluxe appointments that you expect from a luxury car including heated front seats, supple leather, and duel sunroofs.

Check out this road trip review as we put the 2012 Nissan Quest to the TFLcar road trip review.

Video: 2012 Nissan Frontier & Titan PRO-4X pick-up off-road Safari review

The 2012 Nissan Titan can certainly go anywhere that you are brave enough to drive the pick-up...especially if you get the off-road Pro-4X version with the complete rock bashing kits.

The same can be said for the Titan's baby brother...the 2012 Nissan Frontier.

Both trucks are very off-road worthy with skid plates and rugged shocks to handle everything that mother nature can throw at them.

We recently had the chance to test Nissan's two sturdy pick-ups in Texas at a ranch stocked with African animals to see just how much rugged bashing they can tolerate, and how far off the beaten path they will take you.

Check out our first drive video safari below.

Fast take video review: the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon is the UnCrossover of family haulers

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon is the UnCrossover, UnMinivan and the UnSUV of the current crop of new family haulers.

While it has a third row seat, it still manages to drive like a sedan, brake like a sedan and handle like a sedan.

Why?

Because the old school ride is basically a bigger version of the Mercedes-Benz E350.

Best of all it looks sexy and svelte very much unlike most family haulers on the road today.

Below is a TFLcar fast take video review of this very cool and expensive station wagon.

Video: Ford F-150 Ecoboost vs Chevy Silverado Duramax Pick-up Mashup Review

Ford excepts to sell almost 100,000 brand new Ecoboost twin turbo F-150's this year. With a towing capacity of just over 11,000 pounds and 360 HP, the F-150 is a class leading pick-up truck.

But how will it do when stacked up against a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (heavy duty) with the Duramax turbo diesel engine?

And perhaps even more importantly how do both classic American pick-ups do when used the way that many people use pick-ups...as their daily drivers?

We took two of America's newest and most popular turbo-charged pick-ups and put them to the everyman test of comfort, ease of use, and combined that with a very unusual drag race to see which pick-up was the better daily driver.

Watch this classic American pick-up mashup challenge and review below.

Video review: the 2011 Toyota Tacoma TX Pro takes on the Colorado Rockies

Can you teach an old pick-up a new trick...or in other words, can the 2011 Toyota Tacoma TX Pro TRD pick-up truck take on the Colorado Rockies?

The Toyota Tacoma has been around a long time.

Toyota has not really changed the pick-up in any significant way for over a dozen years.

Sure Toyota has tweaked the looks and the two engine choices but at the core the Tacoma has not changed. Many people would say why mess with success.

For 2011 the Tacoma gets a TX Pro and TRD (Toyota Racing development) option making it even more off-road worth with such goodies as off-road tuned suspension, 18 inch wheels and specific off-road worthy BF Goodrich tires and even a locking rear differential.

So does all of this extra rugged stuff make the Tacoma the Jeep or Land Rover of the pick-up world?

In the first drive review below we put the new Tacoma TX Pro TRD to the test.

2011 Acura TSX video review: Do the words 'sport' and 'wagon' really go together?

Do the words "sport" and "wagon" really go together?

You bet they do.

With naturally athletic and precisely balanced steering, a rev happy 201HP 2.4-liter inline-4 mated with a paddle-shift 5-speed automatic, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon will put a huge smile on the face of any driving enthusiast.

Best of all, since the Acura TSX Sport Wagon is 1.3 inches longer and 130 pounds heavier it also carries more of it's weight further back which means it now has 57/43 front/rear weight distribution, versus roughly 59/41 for a similarly equipped TSX sedan.

The 2011 Acura TSX Sports Wagon proves that you can combine the utility of a wagon with the frisky handling of a sports car.

Check out this first drive video review as we put the 2011 Acura TSX sport wagon to the test.

Video Review: the 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 4WD will tow your house

The 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 4WD Crew Cab will go from 0-60 in just over 7 seconds.

It will also tow 16,800 pounds and cargo bed will carry over 2500 pounds of payload. That's pretty amazing for a full sized pick-up.

Part of the reason the 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 4WD Crew Cab is so capable is the Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo Diesel that puts out 397 HP and an astonding 765 ponds-feet of torque.

But is it better than the Ford or the Dodge?

Recently Nathan and Roman had the chance to drive the HD pick-up in Colorado. Check out their first drive video below.

Video Review: Is the 2011 Toyota Tundra the most dependable pick-up in the land?

The 2011 Toyota Tundra is a full sized pick-up battling it out in the market place with the best selling Ford F-150, the popular Dodge Ram and all American GM Sierra.

It's no secret that Toyota has been struggling to break the strangle hold that Ford has on the full-sized pick-up market.

The Ford F-150 is not only the best selling pick-up in America, but in fact the best selling vehicle in the land every month for decades now.

Last month Toyota sold 4307 Tundras while Ford sold 42,399 F-150's. That's a whopping 90 percent more F-150s that went out the dealership door than Toyota Tundras.

BTW: Click HERE to check out our first drive review of the Ford F-150.

For 2011 the Tundra remains largely unchanged, but it does offer something that has made Toyota the biggest car company in the world---reliability.

So can reliability convert American pick-up buyers to choose a Tundra over the F-150 and  does the Toyota Tundra have what it takes to succeed in the American pick-up wars?

Video: 2011 Volkswagen Routan one minute speedy review

The 2011 Volkswagen Routan is the sister car to the Chrysler Town and Country Minivan.

But you probably already knew that.

For 2011 the Routan gets Chrysler's new 3.6L 283 HP Penastar engine.

The new engine breaths life into a Minivan that's set-up to haul families around American in German style.

But is the Volkswagen version of the classic Chrysler minivan a better buy than the sister car?

Five reasons why the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch 4x4 Diesel is one of the biggest, baddest pickup trucks built

Ford has dropped a lot of time and money into their truck program. The proof is apparent in most of their rigs, other than the Ford Ranger. Many journalists are no longer allowed to properly sample their vehicles, so we must seek them out. I had to find the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch Crew Cab 4x4 Diesel at an event in Southern California. There, I spent the better half of a day driving one. What a pain in the neck.

Review: Five reasons why the 2011 Mazda5’s Kung Fu is stronger

I love the 2011 Mazda5 like I love Kung Fu.

It is one of the few martial arts that have something for everyone. Styles were conceived to beat other ones. Combine a few, like crane and tiger styles, and you are unbeatable. Tiger is power – attack – strength and crane is grace – defense – beauty…

Okay, that’s a bit too much of an analogy for this simple mini-minivan to live up to.

Or is it?

The Mazda5 is a unique vehicle. There are some people who can truly appreciate its utilitarian beauty; namely, young families.

Here are five reasons that the Mazda5’s Kung Fu is mighty:

2011 Geneva Auto Show Highlights Volkswagen’s Bulli Microbus T1 Concept

 

VW Speak: “Bulli” = Microbus (USA) or T1 (just about everywhere else).

First of all, before you get too enthusiastic about this minivan, keep in mind that this is a concept vehicle. Sadly, Volkswagen had a similar minivan a while back and killed it after teasing several hippies, yuppies and a few regurgitated beatniks.

Sorry folks, no air-cooled boxer engines in the back. 

Report: A last minute reprieve for the Honda Ridgeline keeps it from the chopping block

In 2010 Honda only sold 16,142 Ridgelines...which is almost the same amount of the small pick-ups that it sold in 2009. That's not a lot of units for a large car maker like Honda.

Rumors have been swirling around recently about the imminent death of the Ridgeline, but this week Honda's Executive Vice President John Mendel said the little truck will go on.

"We think we have a ways to go on the Ridgeline," he said, but at the same time he didn't commit to a new model.

TFLcar.com veteran reporter Nathan Adlen recently drove and reviewed the 2010 Ridgeline in the story below he entitled, "Busting My Head in a Honda Ridgeline."  You can read Nathan's review below.