Top Gear (US) s05e02 Episode Script
Desert Trailblazers
Ferrara: Now on "Top Gear" We race through the rugged terrain of Arizona Whoa! on a trailblazing journey to the Grand Canyon Unbelievable! to find out which of our 4x4s will make it out alive.
We got to stop them, Tanner! We got to get on that plane! Wood: Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy! Foust: The Sonoran desert, stretching over 800 miles across California, Arizona, and Mexico, home to some of the most challenging and dangerous terrain in America.
Explorers have spent nearly 500 years trying to tame this vast area.
With its endless mountains, rivers, and canyons, many have simply vanished, never to be seen again.
And so "Top Gear" has challenged us to take our own perilous journey.
[Engine revs.]
We were told to pick the best 4x4s for the task at hand and meet up 20 miles outside of Sedona.
The goal was simple to find the strongest, most capable truck in the land.
Unsurprisingly, Adam hadn't been subtle with his choice.
Ferrara: This is the A.
E.
V.
Brute.
A.
E.
V.
stands for American expedition vehicle.
Basically, they're a company that takes a standard jeep rubicon, about 36 grand, and turns it into this monster.
This has just shy of 500 horsepower.
When you're in a position where you can't call anybody, no one else is gonna come and save you, it's up to your vehicle to get you to safety, the brute is what you need.
It ain't cheap.
The one I'm driving over $132,000.
So far, it's worth every penny.
Ferrara: While I had brought the muscle, tiny dancer had taken a more refined approach.
This is the 2012 overland journal edition of the Land Rover LR4.
The Land Rover is known to have one of the best off-roading pedigrees on the planet, and this one well, it's just a pleasure to be behind the wheel.
Land rover certainly takes the high-tech route as it approaches off-roading.
It's got five different suspension settings, airbag suspension.
You can raise and lower this thing several inches.
It works well.
Foust: I had chosen luxury with serious off-road credentials.
However, Rut brought something that appeared to be a kid's toy.
Oh, my gosh.
I match the car again.
This is the 2014 Toyota FJ cruiser trail teams ultimate edition.
It's the last year of the FJ cruiser, and they're going out on top.
This is the best and baddest FJ cruiser they've ever made, and this one is serial number one of 2,500 of this edition.
That's right.
I got my hands on the first one.
Wood: But unlike the others, at $39,000, this one you might actually be able to afford.
Now, the FJ cruiser may not be the biggest or the baddest S.
U.
V.
out there, but this thing can get you anywhere you want to go.
And I'm gonna prove it.
[Rock music plays.]
Holy crap.
Yeah.
Really? Where'd you come from a day spa? This thing's ridiculous! How did you get it? You can get this there's about 80 jeep dealers around the country you can get a brute.
This is a monster 6.
4-liter hemi in it.
It's on 38s.
Look at this ground clearance.
I got a snorkel.
It actually comes with ground support.
You can get a small army for it.
The great thing about jeeps, though, is that they're short, and they can, like, maneuver and everything.
This is huge! You can't go anywhere with this.
Are you kidding? I can go anywhere I want with this.
The difference between this off-road vehicle and those is that this doesn't just on paper look good, it actually has done it already.
It's already gone around the world.
And what is this? There's like a party deck on the roof? This has a bed inside, bridge on the back.
Yes, it's $70,000, but you get what you pay for.
This is full-factory warranty.
That's the cool thing about Land Rover.
Yeah, they back it all 'cause they know it's gonna break.
Can you get a Land Rover service repairman out here? I love that your shirt matches your car every single time.
I really didn't mean for that to happen.
[Laughs.]
Come on.
You know what's crazy? That thing bone stock.
Uh-huh.
It's got a locking rear disk.
It's got traction control.
It's got everything you need for off-road.
And you know what it is? It's light and it's short something that neither of these two seem to be working with at all.
This is big and monstrous.
If I want light and short, I got him.
You know, you guys pick some of the most unreliable vehicles in the world.
Like, if you rank the most reliable cars in the world, Toyota's fourth Land Rover, 32nd.
Jeep, 28th.
Jeep won world war ii.
What are we doing here? We had to drive 200 Miles off-road through the bleak desert landscape to the grand canyon, where we were told our 4x4s would be picked up.
First one to touch their wheels in the Colorado river wins.
But we only had two days, or we would be left stranded to make our own way back.
And to really make things interesting, we wouldn't be allowed to use any modern devices no GPS, no phones just a good, old-fashioned map.
What could possibly go wrong? Hey, guys, there's actually no roads on here.
I think this is from the 1800s.
Yep.
Well, probably not much has changed.
I mean, you think? "Three conspicuous peaks.
" [Chuckling.]
Fantastic.
That's really what it's called? This is great.
Gentlemen, we're just like explorers.
We're like Magellan.
Which way is north? That way.
It's got to be that way.
No.
Look, the sun goes like look.
The sun rise in the east, sets in the west.
No, goes like that.
Hey, guys, I was a boy scout for a year.
I can handle this.
You know what? Let's go.
I'll take the map.
Just follow me.
I know where we're going.
This isn't gonna end well at all.
We began our search for a big hole in the ground.
There was no direct route to the river, and with our phones and GPS disabled, we were sticking together for safety at least until we got closer to the finish line.
Although, we were taking our chances and putting our faith in Tanner a man who's made a career out of driving in circles.
Foust: While I may not have the best internal compass, I definitely trust my own instincts more than I do those two jackbutts.
Ferrara: Tanner might not have known where we were going, but he knew how to get there fast.
Now we're talking, fellas.
Ferrara: Yeah! Get some! How's things going back there, Rut? Wood: Why don't you put the pedal down on that 6.
4-liter hemi and let me by? The brute is eating this up! Wood: Oh, that's a big ooh, ooh.
The FJ is definitely the underdog, but it does a lot of things really well.
260 horsepower out of a 4-liter v-6.
It only weighs 4,300 pounds.
They got more power, but if you can't use it, it doesn't really matter.
You remember the tortoise and the hare.
Who won that? Oh, that's right the tortoise.
Ferrara: Of course! It's typical! Tanner picks a Land Rover.
"Oh, it's all kinds of sophistication, and it's got all kinds of stuff.
" Yeah, it's got like 16 computers.
That does a lot of things until it stops doing a lot of things, and then you're pretty much screwed.
'Cause out here, you're lucky if you find a dirt road.
I'm really inspired by Land Rovers lately.
Yes, they have had some reliability issues.
Sometimes they get a little too techie for their own good, but, fact is, they're pushing the envelope.
[Undercarriage thumps.]
Yeah! That's what I'm talking about.
Wood: Oh, this is awesome.
Ferrara: [Laughs.]
Get up off of that thing! Ha ha! Okay, we got a river that is just creeping in on us here.
That is a big river right there.
Gents, the river's getting a little closer here.
Ferrara: Hey, where we going, Magellan? Did you even look at the map? 'Cause I tell you what.
This going around the river's taking way too long.
I think we're gonna have to cross it.
All right, let's hop out.
Wood: After a couple of hours of driving, we hit a major obstacle.
The question now do we go back 50 Miles the way we came, or do we forge ahead crossing the river here? Sounds pretty deep.
I think you're good, Rut.
Go for it, dude.
Yeah.
You should be fine.
You guys realize if this is too deep and it just swallows that FJ, I could die right here.
But at least we'll know to take a different line.
Yeah, and don't buckle up.
I mean, you could Probably get out, I think.
Yeah.
Just go.
You're the most Buoyant.
He took that the wrong way.
I know.
That's what you went for, huh? It's the volume of the truck.
I get it! I'll go first.
I mean, this water is really moving, for the record.
Rut, let's do this so we don't have to Leave him alone.
He's praying.
All right, FJ.
Here we go.
Ferrara: What do you think? Uh, I'm shocked at how little I care if he makes it across.
[Laughs.]
[Laughs.]
Oh.
Oh, boy.
Come on, baby.
It's getting deep! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! Ferrara: Coming up Whoo-hoo! Tanner takes a nosedive.
And things go rapidly downhill.
Foust: We were on a mission to find the most rugged, versatile 4x4 around, trailblazing our way across an endless desert on our way to being picked up at the grand canyon.
But with no GPS and no cellphones, we'd already gotten lost and were forced to correct our course by crossing a river.
Since Rut's FJ was least likely to make it, we let him go first.
It's getting deep! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! A little water was nothing the FJ couldn't handle.
Oh.
The current is washing him away a little bit.
Hurry up, Rut! Oh, it feels like it's floating.
[Laughter.]
Come on.
Just keep digging.
Oh, man.
I'm so glad we sent him first.
30 inches of ground clearance on this thing.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
There it is.
There it is.
There it is! Okay, he made it.
Fj! All right, I'll go next.
Go get him.
You'll be fine.
Hey, Rut? Yeah? How much does Tanner's truck weigh? That actually weighs more than the brute.
I just hope it doesn't weigh more than the brute's towing capacity 'cause I'm gonna have to yank him out.
I'm coming in, gents.
Ferrara: Normally, when crossing water, the safe thing to do is go slowly, unless, of course, you're Tanner.
Oh, like a champ.
Yeah, wait for all the electronics to get wet.
Like a champ! It's like taking a nice bath and dropping the hairdryer in it.
Oh [Bleep.]
[Chuckles.]
You're an [Bleep.]
man! I got nowhere to go! [Laughs.]
Oh, it's a job well-done.
Finally, it was the brute's turn a real 4x4, not something you take to the country club.
This is not a safe place to be.
This is perfectly safe.
We can see him coming.
You just run if you see impending danger.
I can I can actually see Adam, so I know there's impending danger.
[Engine revs.]
I have a snorkel, which allows my engine to get air and keep firing even if it's underwater.
Theoretically, I can go as deep as the windshield.
[Inhales sharply.]
Let's see if that works.
[Gear shifts.]
Go! You know what? Let's make this a little interesting.
Oh! Oh, the current! The current is washing me away! I don't know if I'll be able to make it! [Chuckles.]
[Laughs.]
That's it, baby.
You're a brute! We'll take the long way! You know what's crazy? If he just noses that thing in right now.
Yep.
Come on, baby.
Oh [Bleep.]
look how deep that is.
You dig your way out.
Dig your way out.
He's killing it.
Upstream, it's not working out so well.
I think he's in third gear.
Momentum.
[Laughs.]
You better hit the gas, son! Throttle, throttle.
Do you hear a misfire? Don't lift! Don't lift! What a ohh! [Laughs.]
[Dramatic choir music plays.]
[Laughs.]
Only oh, and he can't turn it.
Of course he can't.
He's gonna freaking flip it.
[Laughs.]
Wait! Wait! Ha! What the hell, man? [Laughs.]
What's wrong with you? [Laughs.]
Wood: So the brute had dominated the water hazard.
Tanner had set our course for the grand canyon Or so we believed.
Ferrara: All right, Magellan.
Now that we're on the other side of the river, which way are we heading? Foust: Uh, well, I mean, we got to continue north, so the sun went over to the east, South sorry, west.
[Scoffs.]
The sun sets in the west.
It would be to our right.
He doesn't know.
What what did that mean? Gents, we're going the right direction.
Just keep following me.
We're good.
We're good.
We're lost.
We are so, so lost.
Foust: I figured the best bet was to head toward the mountains.
I mean, how many mountains could there be? As grassland gave way to desert and the terrain became increasingly rugged, I was feeling pretty confident about Land Rover's off-road pedigree.
Okay, it's starting to look a little bit more like Land Rover country.
I'm not sure if you guys want to keep going this way, but this is definitely gonna be the shortest way.
There's a couple drop-offs here.
I need to take the pace down a bit.
Copy.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hitting the brakes.
Hitting the brakes.
Wood: I'll take something Tanner foust has never said for $100, please, Alex.
[Laughs.]
Ow.
Rut, you might want to think twice about this one.
I'm not sure.
Oh, you're picking up a wheel.
There we go.
Oh ho ho! This is what it's about right here.
[Chuckles.]
Come on, Rut! Come on, baby.
[Skid plate thuds.]
Ohh! What was that? Skid plate she's fine.
You know you're not supposed to take any part of the desert with you.
Leave nothing but your footprints.
Now it's getting steeper.
Holy crap, guys.
Crap doesn't sound good.
What's crap? Let's hop on out.
Let's take a look at this thing.
Wow, look at that.
Ferrara: We had arrived at the devil's staircase a treacherous 45-degree incline in the middle of nowhere.
This steep, rocky obstacle could tear apart the underside of our 4x4s, and I was concerned about Rut and his FJ.
I'd hate to leave him here.
Poor guy can't survive an hour without a pulled-pork sandwich.
I think you just have to go straight up it.
Adam, let's find a good spot to watch the rover break.
I feel like this is probably a good spot, like halfway, probably here-ish.
I'm gonna go.
Okay.
I've got the more technologically advanced vehicle here, so I'm gonna use it.
I'm gonna turn the compressor on, the rear locker, the front locker.
Any one of his computers can malfunction at any point on this staircase, and you can't control-alt-delete this thing.
You cannot.
I'm gonna put it into rock-crawling mode, which will raise the suspension slightly, giving me 4 1/2 inches of additional travel, and I'm just gonna hopefully put my 7,000 pounds right on up this thing.
That's a lot of weight to get up there.
Here we go.
I think I'm just gonna find my line here.
Oh, oh! Ooh, ooh.
Got a wheel spinning.
Oh.
Oww.
[Gasps.]
He stalled it? Did it turn off, really? [Engine turns over.]
Ohh! Awesome! Oh, it's like all the jokes come true with a Land Rover, don't they? Oh, they've been in Antarctica.
Well, they can't go to kmart without stalling.
He stalled it again.
Did it stall again? Foust: To hell with being gentle.
I needed to hammer down.
If the rover got a couple scratches in the process So be it.
Ohh! Oh! Oh, oh, oh! [Tires screeching.]
Wood: We were trailblazing our way to the grand canyon through Arizona's unforgiving deserts, trying to find the toughest 4x4.
We had just two days until we had to return our vehicles, and we couldn't use our GPS or cellphones.
So far, the brute had dominated a river crossing, and now Tanner's country-club Land Rover is battling its way up the devil's staircase.
Ohh! Oh! Oh, oh! [Tires screeching.]
Oh! Oh! That's good there.
That that's all right.
We'll get someone to valet it for you.
I'm not a fan of a.
B.
S.
In off-road trucks.
All right, here we go.
Foust: It was time to stop playing nice.
[Engine revving.]
Oh, that didn't sound good.
Hey, that's why you have skid plates.
[Metal clanks.]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Yeah, there it is.
Yes! What's what I'm talking about! Holy crap! [Sighs deeply.]
Never had a doubt.
Never had a doubt.
Hey, Adam, the key is to just hammer down.
Don't try to finesse it.
It's a brute.
This is gonna be brutal.
That's for sure.
Holy crap.
You realize you just told him to go hammer down.
I think it's a good idea.
You ever seen tires smoke on rocks before? 'Cause you're about to.
Ferrara: Come on.
Get up this hill.
Good girl! [Engine revs.]
That's good.
This is so awesome! Yes! Do it again.
Do it again.
That's it.
But suddenly, it looked like Adam wouldn't do it again.
Wow, that thing's actually climbing pretty good.
Until he did.
Get up, baby.
And again.
Smoking told you.
Smoked the tires on rocks.
And again.
Come on, Adam! [Engine revs.]
[Tires screech.]
I don't think the rear is locked.
He's just making holes for you, you know, right? You know what's weird? That hasn't stalled once.
Well Huh.
Huh.
Huh.
[Engine revs.]
There it is.
Nice and easy.
Yeah, it's a brute! Oh [Bleep.]
[Chuckling.]
yeah! [Laughing.]
Don't hit the Land Rover.
[Growls.]
[Sighing.]
Wow, that was scary.
Wood: Let's be honest.
I don't have the power that those guys have 260 horsepower, 271 pound-feet of torque but what I do have is lighter weight.
This thing only weighs 4,300 pounds.
I just have a vision of him going up and just tipping backwards Just the weight of his head is the balance.
When he goes like this, he's like, "I think I got it.
" "Aah-aah!" And the whole thing just comes back.
Yeah, that could happen.
Here we go.
There he goes.
I guarantee you his mouth does not close the whole way up.
Ferrara: Rut got his nimble FJ off to a nice start.
Wow, that thing really is pretty lightweight.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Come on, baby.
But halfway up, the lightweight FJ was beginning to look like a 98-pound weakling.
I'll be honest with you, that's further than I thought it was gonna get.
[Engine revving.]
It had become clear to us that rut, his Toyota, and his gaping mouth were not going anywhere soon.
[Sighs.]
Come on, baby.
Come on.
I can hear him trying to will it up there.
That's just not gonna happen.
With nothing for us to do but wait, Tanner was kind enough to share his wilderness knowledge with me.
A fir tree you can grab onto, and it doesn't prick you.
Because it's a friendly fir.
Come on.
Christmas tree is a pine tree, right? Evergreen.
Well, they're all evergreens.
Oh.
Oh.
Wood: My little Toyota that could was up for anything.
Here it is.
Active traction pulling us up.
Yep.
Feeling it.
[Tires screeching.]
There we go.
Oh, yeah.
There he is.
Totally stock.
What an animal.
Nice job, Rut.
How long's your beard now? Whoo! Let's roll.
We had all made it up the devil's staircase, and we were on our way again.
But the question was, were we even going in the right direction? Rut, let me ask you something.
Does this feel like the quickest way to you? Who needs GPS, huh? Yeah, you may notice a surplus of Manzanita wood.
It's one of the hardest woods in north America used for macaws and other parrots that chew through normal wood.
Do you ever get bored of your own stories? After several hours of driving at seven Miles an hour, we'd lost all confidence in Tanner's navigational skills.
Without a drop of water around, we were nowhere near the Colorado river.
Ferrara: Wow, look at that, fellas.
[Vehicle doors close.]
Yes, it was beautiful, but at the rate we were going, we'd never get there.
It does not you know what? I got an idea.
Follow me.
Let's try that for once.
Oh, that's not gonna work.
Yeah, it's gonna work.
Just follow me.
Stop worrying about it.
This trip just got awesome.
Follow me, fellas.
Famous last words.
Foust: Where exactly do you think you're going, though? Straight over this.
Did the map tell you to drive straight off a cliff, Rut? Okay, should we come scrape you off the bottom or what? Oh ho ho! Oh, this is awesome.
Adam, you're gonna love this right turn at the bottom.
Oh, good.
Ooh, Tanner, you might scrape.
You might get stuck.
Wow.
Adam, good luck.
I hate you both.
I'm sure you got it.
Adam would need more than luck.
It's one thing to have a brute.
It's another thing being one.
Oh [Bleep.]
[Laughs.]
I didn't roll off a Mountain.
That's good.
Foust: With over 100 Miles to go and the sun setting, we had to make up some time, but as we climbed up, the temperature dropped and daylight vanished.
Scoutmaster Rut had led us yet into another terrain one with snow on the ground and trees all around us.
Driving at night with no navigational reference, things started to feel precarious.
Whoa, that's a big stump.
Watch out.
Ferrara: Yeah, that's good.
Let's make hairpin turns through the trees.
I'm driving a school bus! Our visibility was fading fast.
There's nothing more dangerous than driving at night on unknown terrain somewhere near the grand canyon, where nearly 700 people have lost their lives.
Foust: You realize what this means, Rutledge, now that the sun has gone down? We are camping here.
Thanks, Rut.
Oh, I'm sorry that you guys are so scared about a little nature in your 4x4s.
Get over it.
Wood: Those kids certainly weren't as tough as their trucks.
Let's find a good place to set up camp, I guess.
So just ahead, we pulled off for the night, hoping to make better progress the next day.
As the sun rose, we were finally able to see where we'd ended up.
[Grunts.]
Wow.
Hold that.
Oh, sure.
Thanks.
Nice bed.
What a jerk.
Surprisingly comfortable, actually.
But we weren't prepared for what we saw next.
Mother of pearl! Foust: We had just one day left to make it to the Colorado river, where our 4x4s were supposed to be picked up or risk being stranded in the wilderness.
We'd been through rivers, up and down rocky hills, and thanks to Rut's brilliant navigation, we spent the night in the snow.
But we weren't prepared for what we saw next.
Mother of pearl! Rut had led us to the polar opposite of the Colorado river.
Adam! That's definitely that's definitely a chairlift.
What happened? Did you sleep in the truck? Rut drove us onto a ski slope.
In my defense, there's a lot more visibility during the day.
All right, gentlemen, I'm taking the lead.
We have a new direction.
Down.
Nice hat.
Mount up.
Whatever.
We'll follow the brute.
Can't be any worse than this.
Ferrara: So it was up to me to lead these morons out of here.
All right, this way, fellas.
And with no sigh of a highway, I decided to find the quickest way down.
You sure about that? It looks a little bit like a snowboard park to me.
Okay.
Well, there's this.
It was a 500-yard-long slalom with 6-feet berms on either side.
I say run it.
We're trying to get to the grand canyon.
You know what I mean? I like your thinking, pal.
I'll go first.
[Laughs.]
He just goes for it.
Nice knowing you, Adam.
Oh ho! [Laughs.]
Oh, my gosh.
He's gonna kill somebody.
I am snowboarding in a jeep! Whoa ho ho! Yes! Wag that tail! Wag that tail! Whoo-hoo! [Laughs.]
[Laughing.]
Yeah! Oh, there goes Tanner.
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Yeah, buddy! Oh [Bleep.]
Look at that.
Ohh! Oh ho ho ho! Ohh, that was insane! Dropping in.
Here we go.
Come on.
Whoo! Oh, boy.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, there oh! There's a ski patrol behind you, Rut.
Oh.
Oh, ski patrol.
I can't stop now.
I have to get down this damn hill.
Oh, boy.
Ohh, boy.
Ferrara: Rut, when you get down here, turn around.
We're heading back up the Mountain.
The snow cops can't go uphill.
Go, go, go, go! Oh, shift on the fly, four-wheel drive.
[Whistles blowing.]
Oh ho ho ho! You just go.
[Chuckling.]
Whoa! Oh, boy.
[Wind howling.]
Wood: In our haste to avoid capture, Adam led us in the wrong direction and apparently to another planet.
How did we end up here from the snow? So, instead of the grand canyon, we've landed on the moon.
Can you believe we've been on sand, we've done rock-crawling, we've been on snow, and now what looks like volcanic rock, and we haven't left the state.
Well, I think the brute is the perfect vehicle for this state.
It can conquer them all.
I am really impressed with this little FJ.
It is crazy what it can do out here.
Look at it handle this stuff.
Whoa! [Chuckling.]
Whoa! [Laughs.]
Yeah! [Laughs.]
You got to see that thing from back here, Tanner.
It looks like a fat lady doing squats at the gym.
Feels like I'm on a fishing trip in 8-foot seas.
I am glad I did not just eat, I can tell you that much.
Foust: With time running out, we needed to get to higher ground to get our bearings.
All right.
Here, Adam.
You see that volcano up there or whatever the big, giant black rock is? Why don't we go up there, and we'll at least be able to see 360 degrees? I like your thinking.
Wood: Since we were already lined up and Tanner's tongue was telling him it was race time, we figured we'd race to the top.
3, 2, 1, let's roll! Go, Land Rover! Oh, I'm sideways already.
Oh, the four-wheel drive Land Rover kicks out to an early lead! Ferrara: Good girl.
That's it.
You're a brute! Aw, you can do it.
Come on.
Oh, come on! Come on! Ohh! Ferrara: Coming up, Tanner and Rut play a game of chicken.
Oh, he's not stopping! And we race to return our vehicles, upgrading to first class.
He's trying to leave without us.
Foust: We were racing across the Sonoran desert, punishing our 4x4s to see which was king.
But with just hours left to deliver our trucks, Rut's Toyota might have finally met its match, leaving him at the risk of missing the deadline and being left stranded.
[Engine revving.]
Oh, come on! Come on! Rutledge is dead in the water.
Yes! I finally win something! Unbelievable! Whoo-hoo! Ferrara: [Laughs.]
Et tu, brute? Wood: Come on.
Eat it up.
Eat it.
Ferrara: Rut, the sun's going down.
Wood: It was the first time the FJ had let me down, and Tanner was all too happy to come and gloat.
That one just stopped spinning.
That's not that's not doing me any favors.
You know, I feel like if you hadn't come and talked to me, I would have just driven right out of here, but you're screwing the whole thing up.
Do you want a tow? No, I don't want a tow.
But there was no way I was gonna let Tanner and his Land Rover tow me.
Just need a little momentum.
I'll be fine.
Ferrara: You know we don't have all day, rut.
I got to make it up this hill.
All right.
Here we go.
Now I'm ready.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Go.
Go! Whoo! Go, baby, go! Don't stop! That's right! That's right! Whoo! Only took me a second! What the [Bleep.]
was that? Perhaps it wasn't quite as graceful, but the FJ had made it.
Sadly, you get no points for third place, and Tanner's Land Rover was the clear winner on the hill.
We pressed on, finding ourselves on top of the world where we could finally see the grand canyon.
This is unbelievable.
Oh, my God.
What do we got? There it is right there grand canyon.
You're kidding.
Look at that.
You can see it just cuts into there.
Wow.
It's not that far.
Foust: Now we were in an area that I was actually familiar with, but we still had a good 30 Miles to go.
We were in a race against time and risked missing our ride home.
We just got to get there in like an hour.
We're almost home, fellas.
All we got to do is go down there, back up, and we're there.
Follow the bRute, fellas.
[Laughs.]
Whoo-hoo! This is a hill.
Whoa! Whoo-hoo! Now we're talking.
[Chuckles.]
That is way steeper than it looks, isn't it? Whoa! [Bleep.]
Hey, don't turn sideways, Adam.
Don't turn sideways.
Ooh.
We've landed! Oh, oh, oh.
Why don't we get out and talk about this? What's this? Is this yours? Uh, no, Adam probably dropped something off his truck.
I mean, I-I-I had sort of a smooth ride over that stuff, barely experienced a thing.
[Laughs.]
Uh I'll just put it in the back here.
Told you I was gonna end up picking the pieces up off of that thing.
It's literally falling apart.
My Land Rover had taken a hit but came away with only cosmetic damage, and I had a simple yet elegant solution for that.
Nice tape job, Tanner.
Those Fender flares look fantastic.
Thank you very much.
With 25 Miles to go, the grand canyon came in sight, and the race to the Colorado river was on.
You know what, fellas? I have a shortcut.
See ya! Yeah, 'cause that always works out.
Wood: All right, if you're bailing off, I am, too.
See you guys there.
What?! All right.
I'll have my swimsuit on when I see you next.
Make sure you wax.
[Chuckles.]
No matter what shortcut Adam thought he had, I knew better.
Foust: This road that we're on is actually a road that is run in the ramada express rally, which I've done a few times.
So I know that this road is the quickest way to get to the river.
Wood: Oh, I got to get down there first.
Come on.
Oh, boy! It's a great rally stage.
The average speed down this road can be as high as 80 Miles an hour with top speeds approaching 130.
Wood: Come on, baby.
You can do it, FJ.
Oh, man! There's Tanner! Whoa! Oh, he's not stopping.
Oh! Foust: For two days, we had trailblazed across the deserts of Arizona on the way to the Colorado river to catch our ride home.
Now, in the final stretch of our race, Adam had chosen his own route See ya! while Rut and I were facing off in a game of chicken.
Wood: Oh, he's not stopping! Oh! [Laughs.]
Did you see that? You are crazy! What is wrong with you? Ferrara: [Chuckles.]
Wood: And speaking of crazy, Adam had a plan.
Basically, water takes the path of least resistance.
So this is gonna be the quickest way to the river.
The problem is, when the water flies up over the windshield, the wipers can't keep up, and you can't see where you're going.
So for the next 30 feet You're driving on faith.
So far, God loves a jeep.
Ow.
Foust: It appeared the FJ was having visibility issues of its own.
Wood: Oh, man.
I can't see a thing.
I don't know how rally racers do this.
I can't see anything behind Tanner.
[Laughs.]
Being in the lead, however, I could see just fine, but I couldn't believe my eyes when suddenly, the brute appeared.
Oh, no! There's Adam! How did he get in front of me? I couldn't let Adam beat me, but luckily there was still two Miles of heavy terrain to go, giving me just enough time to catch up.
Oh, that's definitely a river there! Whoa! Ferrara: [Chuckles.]
I am gonna win this! The guy from New York! You know why? My father was a plumber.
When I was a little boy, he told me, "son, crap don't flow uphill.
" Wood: Meanwhile, I was still eating Tanner's dust.
I do have one huge disadvantage here, and that is Tanner is a professional rally racer.
I'm just a dude from the South that has screwed around on a lot of dirt roads.
There's just no way I can win behind Tanner.
I'm gonna have to find another way.
That's all there is to it.
I'm gonna have to find another way.
There's no doubt that this road is a little bit out of the way.
It's also getting pretty rough down here.
But the more water that's on the trail, the closer to the Colorado river we get.
Adam is probably stuck in the river, and Rutledge is just putting along, I'm sure.
I'm not really worried about that old tortoise.
Wood: Where have I gotten myself? Oh, come on.
Please let this be a shortcut.
Oh, boy! Ohh, gosh.
Whew.
Oh, that's that's not gonna do it.
Foust: So with Rut and Adam behind me, I rounded the bend and could see the end of the canyon and could taste victory.
How sweet it is.
Another win for Land Rover's illustrious history.
And there it is! Foust: What the what?! [Laughs.]
There is no way.
I'm touching the river anyway.
Not bad.
[Laughs.]
What the Sam hill? [Laughs.]
How are you here? I'm here because of the brute.
There's got to be a helicopter that dropped you off or something.
Nothing, pal.
I just drove over stuff.
You came down the river with that? Yeah.
What a bastard.
[Engine revving.]
[Laughs.]
Rutledge is coming from the other direction.
[Laughs.]
He looks like a tour guide at a kids' park.
And he just touched water.
Wait wait a minute.
We came from over there, right? How did he get over there? I don't know.
Hey, welcome.
Who won? [Clears throat.]
Hey, well, it could be decided on technicality.
No, it would be me.
You got here first? That is unbelievable.
He drove down the freaking river.
I'm correct again.
The brute is the best off-road vehicle.
Unless you want to spend half that much, this thing is ah tough.
Those are sharp.
[Laughs.]
But I know that the FJ may not have been first, but it's here.
It did everything that these did.
Wood: But having all made it to the finish line on time, we noticed there was nobody in sight, no one to deliver our cars to, and no one to give us a ride home.
So we decided to break out our phones.
I got a message.
This is not where they're picking the cars up.
What? Yeah, we got to get them to an airfield.
We've got about a half an hour to get there.
That's the address.
Why don't you plug it in your GPS? We'll follow you.
Let's roll.
Let's go.
Okay.
Ferrara: We had just 30 minutes to cover the 25-mile journey Come on, Adam.
Come on, come on.
where we had to meet a cargo plane that was already preparing to take flight.
Check is complete.
Ferrara: Here we go.
Come on, baby.
That's it.
Oh.
Oh! Oh, it's dusty now.
Oh, there it is.
He's trying to leave without us! [Radio chatter.]
We got to stop them, Tanner! We got to get on that plane! Foust: I'm gonna go try to flag him down.
I don't think he sees us.
We might want to go here now.
Ferrara: They're letting the ramp down! We got to jump in! Jump in? Wood: Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy.
[Country music plays.]
Here goes nothing.
Come on, Tanner.
Come on, Tanner.
Oh, my gosh.
You got it.
You got it.
Whoa! Tanner just jumped into a plane.
I'm in! I'm in! Come on in, Rut! All right.
Go, go, go! Here I come.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm driving into a plane! Oh ho ho! Yeah! Oh! Oh, I jumped! Make some room, Rut! I'm coming in! I'm moving up.
It's gonna be a little tight, Adam.
Ferrara: Great.
We're taking off into the sun, and the wash is pushing me around.
Oh.
There you go.
That's it.
[Laughs.]
Ah! [Laughs.]
This is awesome! This is awesome! I think we're in the air.
[Laughs.]
Oh, my God! We're in the air! This is insane! Wait, wait.
Wait a minute.
Where is he taking us?
We got to stop them, Tanner! We got to get on that plane! Wood: Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy! Foust: The Sonoran desert, stretching over 800 miles across California, Arizona, and Mexico, home to some of the most challenging and dangerous terrain in America.
Explorers have spent nearly 500 years trying to tame this vast area.
With its endless mountains, rivers, and canyons, many have simply vanished, never to be seen again.
And so "Top Gear" has challenged us to take our own perilous journey.
[Engine revs.]
We were told to pick the best 4x4s for the task at hand and meet up 20 miles outside of Sedona.
The goal was simple to find the strongest, most capable truck in the land.
Unsurprisingly, Adam hadn't been subtle with his choice.
Ferrara: This is the A.
E.
V.
Brute.
A.
E.
V.
stands for American expedition vehicle.
Basically, they're a company that takes a standard jeep rubicon, about 36 grand, and turns it into this monster.
This has just shy of 500 horsepower.
When you're in a position where you can't call anybody, no one else is gonna come and save you, it's up to your vehicle to get you to safety, the brute is what you need.
It ain't cheap.
The one I'm driving over $132,000.
So far, it's worth every penny.
Ferrara: While I had brought the muscle, tiny dancer had taken a more refined approach.
This is the 2012 overland journal edition of the Land Rover LR4.
The Land Rover is known to have one of the best off-roading pedigrees on the planet, and this one well, it's just a pleasure to be behind the wheel.
Land rover certainly takes the high-tech route as it approaches off-roading.
It's got five different suspension settings, airbag suspension.
You can raise and lower this thing several inches.
It works well.
Foust: I had chosen luxury with serious off-road credentials.
However, Rut brought something that appeared to be a kid's toy.
Oh, my gosh.
I match the car again.
This is the 2014 Toyota FJ cruiser trail teams ultimate edition.
It's the last year of the FJ cruiser, and they're going out on top.
This is the best and baddest FJ cruiser they've ever made, and this one is serial number one of 2,500 of this edition.
That's right.
I got my hands on the first one.
Wood: But unlike the others, at $39,000, this one you might actually be able to afford.
Now, the FJ cruiser may not be the biggest or the baddest S.
U.
V.
out there, but this thing can get you anywhere you want to go.
And I'm gonna prove it.
[Rock music plays.]
Holy crap.
Yeah.
Really? Where'd you come from a day spa? This thing's ridiculous! How did you get it? You can get this there's about 80 jeep dealers around the country you can get a brute.
This is a monster 6.
4-liter hemi in it.
It's on 38s.
Look at this ground clearance.
I got a snorkel.
It actually comes with ground support.
You can get a small army for it.
The great thing about jeeps, though, is that they're short, and they can, like, maneuver and everything.
This is huge! You can't go anywhere with this.
Are you kidding? I can go anywhere I want with this.
The difference between this off-road vehicle and those is that this doesn't just on paper look good, it actually has done it already.
It's already gone around the world.
And what is this? There's like a party deck on the roof? This has a bed inside, bridge on the back.
Yes, it's $70,000, but you get what you pay for.
This is full-factory warranty.
That's the cool thing about Land Rover.
Yeah, they back it all 'cause they know it's gonna break.
Can you get a Land Rover service repairman out here? I love that your shirt matches your car every single time.
I really didn't mean for that to happen.
[Laughs.]
Come on.
You know what's crazy? That thing bone stock.
Uh-huh.
It's got a locking rear disk.
It's got traction control.
It's got everything you need for off-road.
And you know what it is? It's light and it's short something that neither of these two seem to be working with at all.
This is big and monstrous.
If I want light and short, I got him.
You know, you guys pick some of the most unreliable vehicles in the world.
Like, if you rank the most reliable cars in the world, Toyota's fourth Land Rover, 32nd.
Jeep, 28th.
Jeep won world war ii.
What are we doing here? We had to drive 200 Miles off-road through the bleak desert landscape to the grand canyon, where we were told our 4x4s would be picked up.
First one to touch their wheels in the Colorado river wins.
But we only had two days, or we would be left stranded to make our own way back.
And to really make things interesting, we wouldn't be allowed to use any modern devices no GPS, no phones just a good, old-fashioned map.
What could possibly go wrong? Hey, guys, there's actually no roads on here.
I think this is from the 1800s.
Yep.
Well, probably not much has changed.
I mean, you think? "Three conspicuous peaks.
" [Chuckling.]
Fantastic.
That's really what it's called? This is great.
Gentlemen, we're just like explorers.
We're like Magellan.
Which way is north? That way.
It's got to be that way.
No.
Look, the sun goes like look.
The sun rise in the east, sets in the west.
No, goes like that.
Hey, guys, I was a boy scout for a year.
I can handle this.
You know what? Let's go.
I'll take the map.
Just follow me.
I know where we're going.
This isn't gonna end well at all.
We began our search for a big hole in the ground.
There was no direct route to the river, and with our phones and GPS disabled, we were sticking together for safety at least until we got closer to the finish line.
Although, we were taking our chances and putting our faith in Tanner a man who's made a career out of driving in circles.
Foust: While I may not have the best internal compass, I definitely trust my own instincts more than I do those two jackbutts.
Ferrara: Tanner might not have known where we were going, but he knew how to get there fast.
Now we're talking, fellas.
Ferrara: Yeah! Get some! How's things going back there, Rut? Wood: Why don't you put the pedal down on that 6.
4-liter hemi and let me by? The brute is eating this up! Wood: Oh, that's a big ooh, ooh.
The FJ is definitely the underdog, but it does a lot of things really well.
260 horsepower out of a 4-liter v-6.
It only weighs 4,300 pounds.
They got more power, but if you can't use it, it doesn't really matter.
You remember the tortoise and the hare.
Who won that? Oh, that's right the tortoise.
Ferrara: Of course! It's typical! Tanner picks a Land Rover.
"Oh, it's all kinds of sophistication, and it's got all kinds of stuff.
" Yeah, it's got like 16 computers.
That does a lot of things until it stops doing a lot of things, and then you're pretty much screwed.
'Cause out here, you're lucky if you find a dirt road.
I'm really inspired by Land Rovers lately.
Yes, they have had some reliability issues.
Sometimes they get a little too techie for their own good, but, fact is, they're pushing the envelope.
[Undercarriage thumps.]
Yeah! That's what I'm talking about.
Wood: Oh, this is awesome.
Ferrara: [Laughs.]
Get up off of that thing! Ha ha! Okay, we got a river that is just creeping in on us here.
That is a big river right there.
Gents, the river's getting a little closer here.
Ferrara: Hey, where we going, Magellan? Did you even look at the map? 'Cause I tell you what.
This going around the river's taking way too long.
I think we're gonna have to cross it.
All right, let's hop out.
Wood: After a couple of hours of driving, we hit a major obstacle.
The question now do we go back 50 Miles the way we came, or do we forge ahead crossing the river here? Sounds pretty deep.
I think you're good, Rut.
Go for it, dude.
Yeah.
You should be fine.
You guys realize if this is too deep and it just swallows that FJ, I could die right here.
But at least we'll know to take a different line.
Yeah, and don't buckle up.
I mean, you could Probably get out, I think.
Yeah.
Just go.
You're the most Buoyant.
He took that the wrong way.
I know.
That's what you went for, huh? It's the volume of the truck.
I get it! I'll go first.
I mean, this water is really moving, for the record.
Rut, let's do this so we don't have to Leave him alone.
He's praying.
All right, FJ.
Here we go.
Ferrara: What do you think? Uh, I'm shocked at how little I care if he makes it across.
[Laughs.]
[Laughs.]
Oh.
Oh, boy.
Come on, baby.
It's getting deep! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! Ferrara: Coming up Whoo-hoo! Tanner takes a nosedive.
And things go rapidly downhill.
Foust: We were on a mission to find the most rugged, versatile 4x4 around, trailblazing our way across an endless desert on our way to being picked up at the grand canyon.
But with no GPS and no cellphones, we'd already gotten lost and were forced to correct our course by crossing a river.
Since Rut's FJ was least likely to make it, we let him go first.
It's getting deep! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! A little water was nothing the FJ couldn't handle.
Oh.
The current is washing him away a little bit.
Hurry up, Rut! Oh, it feels like it's floating.
[Laughter.]
Come on.
Just keep digging.
Oh, man.
I'm so glad we sent him first.
30 inches of ground clearance on this thing.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
There it is.
There it is.
There it is! Okay, he made it.
Fj! All right, I'll go next.
Go get him.
You'll be fine.
Hey, Rut? Yeah? How much does Tanner's truck weigh? That actually weighs more than the brute.
I just hope it doesn't weigh more than the brute's towing capacity 'cause I'm gonna have to yank him out.
I'm coming in, gents.
Ferrara: Normally, when crossing water, the safe thing to do is go slowly, unless, of course, you're Tanner.
Oh, like a champ.
Yeah, wait for all the electronics to get wet.
Like a champ! It's like taking a nice bath and dropping the hairdryer in it.
Oh [Bleep.]
[Chuckles.]
You're an [Bleep.]
man! I got nowhere to go! [Laughs.]
Oh, it's a job well-done.
Finally, it was the brute's turn a real 4x4, not something you take to the country club.
This is not a safe place to be.
This is perfectly safe.
We can see him coming.
You just run if you see impending danger.
I can I can actually see Adam, so I know there's impending danger.
[Engine revs.]
I have a snorkel, which allows my engine to get air and keep firing even if it's underwater.
Theoretically, I can go as deep as the windshield.
[Inhales sharply.]
Let's see if that works.
[Gear shifts.]
Go! You know what? Let's make this a little interesting.
Oh! Oh, the current! The current is washing me away! I don't know if I'll be able to make it! [Chuckles.]
[Laughs.]
That's it, baby.
You're a brute! We'll take the long way! You know what's crazy? If he just noses that thing in right now.
Yep.
Come on, baby.
Oh [Bleep.]
look how deep that is.
You dig your way out.
Dig your way out.
He's killing it.
Upstream, it's not working out so well.
I think he's in third gear.
Momentum.
[Laughs.]
You better hit the gas, son! Throttle, throttle.
Do you hear a misfire? Don't lift! Don't lift! What a ohh! [Laughs.]
[Dramatic choir music plays.]
[Laughs.]
Only oh, and he can't turn it.
Of course he can't.
He's gonna freaking flip it.
[Laughs.]
Wait! Wait! Ha! What the hell, man? [Laughs.]
What's wrong with you? [Laughs.]
Wood: So the brute had dominated the water hazard.
Tanner had set our course for the grand canyon Or so we believed.
Ferrara: All right, Magellan.
Now that we're on the other side of the river, which way are we heading? Foust: Uh, well, I mean, we got to continue north, so the sun went over to the east, South sorry, west.
[Scoffs.]
The sun sets in the west.
It would be to our right.
He doesn't know.
What what did that mean? Gents, we're going the right direction.
Just keep following me.
We're good.
We're good.
We're lost.
We are so, so lost.
Foust: I figured the best bet was to head toward the mountains.
I mean, how many mountains could there be? As grassland gave way to desert and the terrain became increasingly rugged, I was feeling pretty confident about Land Rover's off-road pedigree.
Okay, it's starting to look a little bit more like Land Rover country.
I'm not sure if you guys want to keep going this way, but this is definitely gonna be the shortest way.
There's a couple drop-offs here.
I need to take the pace down a bit.
Copy.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hitting the brakes.
Hitting the brakes.
Wood: I'll take something Tanner foust has never said for $100, please, Alex.
[Laughs.]
Ow.
Rut, you might want to think twice about this one.
I'm not sure.
Oh, you're picking up a wheel.
There we go.
Oh ho ho! This is what it's about right here.
[Chuckles.]
Come on, Rut! Come on, baby.
[Skid plate thuds.]
Ohh! What was that? Skid plate she's fine.
You know you're not supposed to take any part of the desert with you.
Leave nothing but your footprints.
Now it's getting steeper.
Holy crap, guys.
Crap doesn't sound good.
What's crap? Let's hop on out.
Let's take a look at this thing.
Wow, look at that.
Ferrara: We had arrived at the devil's staircase a treacherous 45-degree incline in the middle of nowhere.
This steep, rocky obstacle could tear apart the underside of our 4x4s, and I was concerned about Rut and his FJ.
I'd hate to leave him here.
Poor guy can't survive an hour without a pulled-pork sandwich.
I think you just have to go straight up it.
Adam, let's find a good spot to watch the rover break.
I feel like this is probably a good spot, like halfway, probably here-ish.
I'm gonna go.
Okay.
I've got the more technologically advanced vehicle here, so I'm gonna use it.
I'm gonna turn the compressor on, the rear locker, the front locker.
Any one of his computers can malfunction at any point on this staircase, and you can't control-alt-delete this thing.
You cannot.
I'm gonna put it into rock-crawling mode, which will raise the suspension slightly, giving me 4 1/2 inches of additional travel, and I'm just gonna hopefully put my 7,000 pounds right on up this thing.
That's a lot of weight to get up there.
Here we go.
I think I'm just gonna find my line here.
Oh, oh! Ooh, ooh.
Got a wheel spinning.
Oh.
Oww.
[Gasps.]
He stalled it? Did it turn off, really? [Engine turns over.]
Ohh! Awesome! Oh, it's like all the jokes come true with a Land Rover, don't they? Oh, they've been in Antarctica.
Well, they can't go to kmart without stalling.
He stalled it again.
Did it stall again? Foust: To hell with being gentle.
I needed to hammer down.
If the rover got a couple scratches in the process So be it.
Ohh! Oh! Oh, oh, oh! [Tires screeching.]
Wood: We were trailblazing our way to the grand canyon through Arizona's unforgiving deserts, trying to find the toughest 4x4.
We had just two days until we had to return our vehicles, and we couldn't use our GPS or cellphones.
So far, the brute had dominated a river crossing, and now Tanner's country-club Land Rover is battling its way up the devil's staircase.
Ohh! Oh! Oh, oh! [Tires screeching.]
Oh! Oh! That's good there.
That that's all right.
We'll get someone to valet it for you.
I'm not a fan of a.
B.
S.
In off-road trucks.
All right, here we go.
Foust: It was time to stop playing nice.
[Engine revving.]
Oh, that didn't sound good.
Hey, that's why you have skid plates.
[Metal clanks.]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Yeah, there it is.
Yes! What's what I'm talking about! Holy crap! [Sighs deeply.]
Never had a doubt.
Never had a doubt.
Hey, Adam, the key is to just hammer down.
Don't try to finesse it.
It's a brute.
This is gonna be brutal.
That's for sure.
Holy crap.
You realize you just told him to go hammer down.
I think it's a good idea.
You ever seen tires smoke on rocks before? 'Cause you're about to.
Ferrara: Come on.
Get up this hill.
Good girl! [Engine revs.]
That's good.
This is so awesome! Yes! Do it again.
Do it again.
That's it.
But suddenly, it looked like Adam wouldn't do it again.
Wow, that thing's actually climbing pretty good.
Until he did.
Get up, baby.
And again.
Smoking told you.
Smoked the tires on rocks.
And again.
Come on, Adam! [Engine revs.]
[Tires screech.]
I don't think the rear is locked.
He's just making holes for you, you know, right? You know what's weird? That hasn't stalled once.
Well Huh.
Huh.
Huh.
[Engine revs.]
There it is.
Nice and easy.
Yeah, it's a brute! Oh [Bleep.]
[Chuckling.]
yeah! [Laughing.]
Don't hit the Land Rover.
[Growls.]
[Sighing.]
Wow, that was scary.
Wood: Let's be honest.
I don't have the power that those guys have 260 horsepower, 271 pound-feet of torque but what I do have is lighter weight.
This thing only weighs 4,300 pounds.
I just have a vision of him going up and just tipping backwards Just the weight of his head is the balance.
When he goes like this, he's like, "I think I got it.
" "Aah-aah!" And the whole thing just comes back.
Yeah, that could happen.
Here we go.
There he goes.
I guarantee you his mouth does not close the whole way up.
Ferrara: Rut got his nimble FJ off to a nice start.
Wow, that thing really is pretty lightweight.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Come on, baby.
But halfway up, the lightweight FJ was beginning to look like a 98-pound weakling.
I'll be honest with you, that's further than I thought it was gonna get.
[Engine revving.]
It had become clear to us that rut, his Toyota, and his gaping mouth were not going anywhere soon.
[Sighs.]
Come on, baby.
Come on.
I can hear him trying to will it up there.
That's just not gonna happen.
With nothing for us to do but wait, Tanner was kind enough to share his wilderness knowledge with me.
A fir tree you can grab onto, and it doesn't prick you.
Because it's a friendly fir.
Come on.
Christmas tree is a pine tree, right? Evergreen.
Well, they're all evergreens.
Oh.
Oh.
Wood: My little Toyota that could was up for anything.
Here it is.
Active traction pulling us up.
Yep.
Feeling it.
[Tires screeching.]
There we go.
Oh, yeah.
There he is.
Totally stock.
What an animal.
Nice job, Rut.
How long's your beard now? Whoo! Let's roll.
We had all made it up the devil's staircase, and we were on our way again.
But the question was, were we even going in the right direction? Rut, let me ask you something.
Does this feel like the quickest way to you? Who needs GPS, huh? Yeah, you may notice a surplus of Manzanita wood.
It's one of the hardest woods in north America used for macaws and other parrots that chew through normal wood.
Do you ever get bored of your own stories? After several hours of driving at seven Miles an hour, we'd lost all confidence in Tanner's navigational skills.
Without a drop of water around, we were nowhere near the Colorado river.
Ferrara: Wow, look at that, fellas.
[Vehicle doors close.]
Yes, it was beautiful, but at the rate we were going, we'd never get there.
It does not you know what? I got an idea.
Follow me.
Let's try that for once.
Oh, that's not gonna work.
Yeah, it's gonna work.
Just follow me.
Stop worrying about it.
This trip just got awesome.
Follow me, fellas.
Famous last words.
Foust: Where exactly do you think you're going, though? Straight over this.
Did the map tell you to drive straight off a cliff, Rut? Okay, should we come scrape you off the bottom or what? Oh ho ho! Oh, this is awesome.
Adam, you're gonna love this right turn at the bottom.
Oh, good.
Ooh, Tanner, you might scrape.
You might get stuck.
Wow.
Adam, good luck.
I hate you both.
I'm sure you got it.
Adam would need more than luck.
It's one thing to have a brute.
It's another thing being one.
Oh [Bleep.]
[Laughs.]
I didn't roll off a Mountain.
That's good.
Foust: With over 100 Miles to go and the sun setting, we had to make up some time, but as we climbed up, the temperature dropped and daylight vanished.
Scoutmaster Rut had led us yet into another terrain one with snow on the ground and trees all around us.
Driving at night with no navigational reference, things started to feel precarious.
Whoa, that's a big stump.
Watch out.
Ferrara: Yeah, that's good.
Let's make hairpin turns through the trees.
I'm driving a school bus! Our visibility was fading fast.
There's nothing more dangerous than driving at night on unknown terrain somewhere near the grand canyon, where nearly 700 people have lost their lives.
Foust: You realize what this means, Rutledge, now that the sun has gone down? We are camping here.
Thanks, Rut.
Oh, I'm sorry that you guys are so scared about a little nature in your 4x4s.
Get over it.
Wood: Those kids certainly weren't as tough as their trucks.
Let's find a good place to set up camp, I guess.
So just ahead, we pulled off for the night, hoping to make better progress the next day.
As the sun rose, we were finally able to see where we'd ended up.
[Grunts.]
Wow.
Hold that.
Oh, sure.
Thanks.
Nice bed.
What a jerk.
Surprisingly comfortable, actually.
But we weren't prepared for what we saw next.
Mother of pearl! Foust: We had just one day left to make it to the Colorado river, where our 4x4s were supposed to be picked up or risk being stranded in the wilderness.
We'd been through rivers, up and down rocky hills, and thanks to Rut's brilliant navigation, we spent the night in the snow.
But we weren't prepared for what we saw next.
Mother of pearl! Rut had led us to the polar opposite of the Colorado river.
Adam! That's definitely that's definitely a chairlift.
What happened? Did you sleep in the truck? Rut drove us onto a ski slope.
In my defense, there's a lot more visibility during the day.
All right, gentlemen, I'm taking the lead.
We have a new direction.
Down.
Nice hat.
Mount up.
Whatever.
We'll follow the brute.
Can't be any worse than this.
Ferrara: So it was up to me to lead these morons out of here.
All right, this way, fellas.
And with no sigh of a highway, I decided to find the quickest way down.
You sure about that? It looks a little bit like a snowboard park to me.
Okay.
Well, there's this.
It was a 500-yard-long slalom with 6-feet berms on either side.
I say run it.
We're trying to get to the grand canyon.
You know what I mean? I like your thinking, pal.
I'll go first.
[Laughs.]
He just goes for it.
Nice knowing you, Adam.
Oh ho! [Laughs.]
Oh, my gosh.
He's gonna kill somebody.
I am snowboarding in a jeep! Whoa ho ho! Yes! Wag that tail! Wag that tail! Whoo-hoo! [Laughs.]
[Laughing.]
Yeah! Oh, there goes Tanner.
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Yeah, buddy! Oh [Bleep.]
Look at that.
Ohh! Oh ho ho ho! Ohh, that was insane! Dropping in.
Here we go.
Come on.
Whoo! Oh, boy.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, there oh! There's a ski patrol behind you, Rut.
Oh.
Oh, ski patrol.
I can't stop now.
I have to get down this damn hill.
Oh, boy.
Ohh, boy.
Ferrara: Rut, when you get down here, turn around.
We're heading back up the Mountain.
The snow cops can't go uphill.
Go, go, go, go! Oh, shift on the fly, four-wheel drive.
[Whistles blowing.]
Oh ho ho ho! You just go.
[Chuckling.]
Whoa! Oh, boy.
[Wind howling.]
Wood: In our haste to avoid capture, Adam led us in the wrong direction and apparently to another planet.
How did we end up here from the snow? So, instead of the grand canyon, we've landed on the moon.
Can you believe we've been on sand, we've done rock-crawling, we've been on snow, and now what looks like volcanic rock, and we haven't left the state.
Well, I think the brute is the perfect vehicle for this state.
It can conquer them all.
I am really impressed with this little FJ.
It is crazy what it can do out here.
Look at it handle this stuff.
Whoa! [Chuckling.]
Whoa! [Laughs.]
Yeah! [Laughs.]
You got to see that thing from back here, Tanner.
It looks like a fat lady doing squats at the gym.
Feels like I'm on a fishing trip in 8-foot seas.
I am glad I did not just eat, I can tell you that much.
Foust: With time running out, we needed to get to higher ground to get our bearings.
All right.
Here, Adam.
You see that volcano up there or whatever the big, giant black rock is? Why don't we go up there, and we'll at least be able to see 360 degrees? I like your thinking.
Wood: Since we were already lined up and Tanner's tongue was telling him it was race time, we figured we'd race to the top.
3, 2, 1, let's roll! Go, Land Rover! Oh, I'm sideways already.
Oh, the four-wheel drive Land Rover kicks out to an early lead! Ferrara: Good girl.
That's it.
You're a brute! Aw, you can do it.
Come on.
Oh, come on! Come on! Ohh! Ferrara: Coming up, Tanner and Rut play a game of chicken.
Oh, he's not stopping! And we race to return our vehicles, upgrading to first class.
He's trying to leave without us.
Foust: We were racing across the Sonoran desert, punishing our 4x4s to see which was king.
But with just hours left to deliver our trucks, Rut's Toyota might have finally met its match, leaving him at the risk of missing the deadline and being left stranded.
[Engine revving.]
Oh, come on! Come on! Rutledge is dead in the water.
Yes! I finally win something! Unbelievable! Whoo-hoo! Ferrara: [Laughs.]
Et tu, brute? Wood: Come on.
Eat it up.
Eat it.
Ferrara: Rut, the sun's going down.
Wood: It was the first time the FJ had let me down, and Tanner was all too happy to come and gloat.
That one just stopped spinning.
That's not that's not doing me any favors.
You know, I feel like if you hadn't come and talked to me, I would have just driven right out of here, but you're screwing the whole thing up.
Do you want a tow? No, I don't want a tow.
But there was no way I was gonna let Tanner and his Land Rover tow me.
Just need a little momentum.
I'll be fine.
Ferrara: You know we don't have all day, rut.
I got to make it up this hill.
All right.
Here we go.
Now I'm ready.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Go.
Go! Whoo! Go, baby, go! Don't stop! That's right! That's right! Whoo! Only took me a second! What the [Bleep.]
was that? Perhaps it wasn't quite as graceful, but the FJ had made it.
Sadly, you get no points for third place, and Tanner's Land Rover was the clear winner on the hill.
We pressed on, finding ourselves on top of the world where we could finally see the grand canyon.
This is unbelievable.
Oh, my God.
What do we got? There it is right there grand canyon.
You're kidding.
Look at that.
You can see it just cuts into there.
Wow.
It's not that far.
Foust: Now we were in an area that I was actually familiar with, but we still had a good 30 Miles to go.
We were in a race against time and risked missing our ride home.
We just got to get there in like an hour.
We're almost home, fellas.
All we got to do is go down there, back up, and we're there.
Follow the bRute, fellas.
[Laughs.]
Whoo-hoo! This is a hill.
Whoa! Whoo-hoo! Now we're talking.
[Chuckles.]
That is way steeper than it looks, isn't it? Whoa! [Bleep.]
Hey, don't turn sideways, Adam.
Don't turn sideways.
Ooh.
We've landed! Oh, oh, oh.
Why don't we get out and talk about this? What's this? Is this yours? Uh, no, Adam probably dropped something off his truck.
I mean, I-I-I had sort of a smooth ride over that stuff, barely experienced a thing.
[Laughs.]
Uh I'll just put it in the back here.
Told you I was gonna end up picking the pieces up off of that thing.
It's literally falling apart.
My Land Rover had taken a hit but came away with only cosmetic damage, and I had a simple yet elegant solution for that.
Nice tape job, Tanner.
Those Fender flares look fantastic.
Thank you very much.
With 25 Miles to go, the grand canyon came in sight, and the race to the Colorado river was on.
You know what, fellas? I have a shortcut.
See ya! Yeah, 'cause that always works out.
Wood: All right, if you're bailing off, I am, too.
See you guys there.
What?! All right.
I'll have my swimsuit on when I see you next.
Make sure you wax.
[Chuckles.]
No matter what shortcut Adam thought he had, I knew better.
Foust: This road that we're on is actually a road that is run in the ramada express rally, which I've done a few times.
So I know that this road is the quickest way to get to the river.
Wood: Oh, I got to get down there first.
Come on.
Oh, boy! It's a great rally stage.
The average speed down this road can be as high as 80 Miles an hour with top speeds approaching 130.
Wood: Come on, baby.
You can do it, FJ.
Oh, man! There's Tanner! Whoa! Oh, he's not stopping.
Oh! Foust: For two days, we had trailblazed across the deserts of Arizona on the way to the Colorado river to catch our ride home.
Now, in the final stretch of our race, Adam had chosen his own route See ya! while Rut and I were facing off in a game of chicken.
Wood: Oh, he's not stopping! Oh! [Laughs.]
Did you see that? You are crazy! What is wrong with you? Ferrara: [Chuckles.]
Wood: And speaking of crazy, Adam had a plan.
Basically, water takes the path of least resistance.
So this is gonna be the quickest way to the river.
The problem is, when the water flies up over the windshield, the wipers can't keep up, and you can't see where you're going.
So for the next 30 feet You're driving on faith.
So far, God loves a jeep.
Ow.
Foust: It appeared the FJ was having visibility issues of its own.
Wood: Oh, man.
I can't see a thing.
I don't know how rally racers do this.
I can't see anything behind Tanner.
[Laughs.]
Being in the lead, however, I could see just fine, but I couldn't believe my eyes when suddenly, the brute appeared.
Oh, no! There's Adam! How did he get in front of me? I couldn't let Adam beat me, but luckily there was still two Miles of heavy terrain to go, giving me just enough time to catch up.
Oh, that's definitely a river there! Whoa! Ferrara: [Chuckles.]
I am gonna win this! The guy from New York! You know why? My father was a plumber.
When I was a little boy, he told me, "son, crap don't flow uphill.
" Wood: Meanwhile, I was still eating Tanner's dust.
I do have one huge disadvantage here, and that is Tanner is a professional rally racer.
I'm just a dude from the South that has screwed around on a lot of dirt roads.
There's just no way I can win behind Tanner.
I'm gonna have to find another way.
That's all there is to it.
I'm gonna have to find another way.
There's no doubt that this road is a little bit out of the way.
It's also getting pretty rough down here.
But the more water that's on the trail, the closer to the Colorado river we get.
Adam is probably stuck in the river, and Rutledge is just putting along, I'm sure.
I'm not really worried about that old tortoise.
Wood: Where have I gotten myself? Oh, come on.
Please let this be a shortcut.
Oh, boy! Ohh, gosh.
Whew.
Oh, that's that's not gonna do it.
Foust: So with Rut and Adam behind me, I rounded the bend and could see the end of the canyon and could taste victory.
How sweet it is.
Another win for Land Rover's illustrious history.
And there it is! Foust: What the what?! [Laughs.]
There is no way.
I'm touching the river anyway.
Not bad.
[Laughs.]
What the Sam hill? [Laughs.]
How are you here? I'm here because of the brute.
There's got to be a helicopter that dropped you off or something.
Nothing, pal.
I just drove over stuff.
You came down the river with that? Yeah.
What a bastard.
[Engine revving.]
[Laughs.]
Rutledge is coming from the other direction.
[Laughs.]
He looks like a tour guide at a kids' park.
And he just touched water.
Wait wait a minute.
We came from over there, right? How did he get over there? I don't know.
Hey, welcome.
Who won? [Clears throat.]
Hey, well, it could be decided on technicality.
No, it would be me.
You got here first? That is unbelievable.
He drove down the freaking river.
I'm correct again.
The brute is the best off-road vehicle.
Unless you want to spend half that much, this thing is ah tough.
Those are sharp.
[Laughs.]
But I know that the FJ may not have been first, but it's here.
It did everything that these did.
Wood: But having all made it to the finish line on time, we noticed there was nobody in sight, no one to deliver our cars to, and no one to give us a ride home.
So we decided to break out our phones.
I got a message.
This is not where they're picking the cars up.
What? Yeah, we got to get them to an airfield.
We've got about a half an hour to get there.
That's the address.
Why don't you plug it in your GPS? We'll follow you.
Let's roll.
Let's go.
Okay.
Ferrara: We had just 30 minutes to cover the 25-mile journey Come on, Adam.
Come on, come on.
where we had to meet a cargo plane that was already preparing to take flight.
Check is complete.
Ferrara: Here we go.
Come on, baby.
That's it.
Oh.
Oh! Oh, it's dusty now.
Oh, there it is.
He's trying to leave without us! [Radio chatter.]
We got to stop them, Tanner! We got to get on that plane! Foust: I'm gonna go try to flag him down.
I don't think he sees us.
We might want to go here now.
Ferrara: They're letting the ramp down! We got to jump in! Jump in? Wood: Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy.
[Country music plays.]
Here goes nothing.
Come on, Tanner.
Come on, Tanner.
Oh, my gosh.
You got it.
You got it.
Whoa! Tanner just jumped into a plane.
I'm in! I'm in! Come on in, Rut! All right.
Go, go, go! Here I come.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm driving into a plane! Oh ho ho! Yeah! Oh! Oh, I jumped! Make some room, Rut! I'm coming in! I'm moving up.
It's gonna be a little tight, Adam.
Ferrara: Great.
We're taking off into the sun, and the wash is pushing me around.
Oh.
There you go.
That's it.
[Laughs.]
Ah! [Laughs.]
This is awesome! This is awesome! I think we're in the air.
[Laughs.]
Oh, my God! We're in the air! This is insane! Wait, wait.
Wait a minute.
Where is he taking us?