[11x02] May 7th, 2007

[Viper007Bond]

Discuss. No torrent talk please.

[vRS]

That's what I was like during the majority of this episode. Toms review of the Alfa was great, nice location as well for it. Shame about what he thought of the car, mind you he was true.

Johnny's review of the Merc was also very good, really made it seem like a 3 series was huge pile of crap compared to the C class, all those gadgets make it look like a mini S class. It also looks gorges in white.

Everything else was crap.

[TurnerGTX]

Disappointing 2nd episode of the series compared to last weeks opener. 5 out of 10.

Reminded me of the last series.

p.s Johnny has to go.

[bobo_1314]

That spiky hair dude now has messy hair

[awdrifter]

I thought it wasn't too bad, althought it isn't as good as last week's ep. The Alfa review was good, but I didn't think the Spyder looks that good, I prefer the Brera over this. For 260hp though, isn't it a bit slow? When the 350Z came out it only got 287hp and it could hit 0-60 in 5.6sec, so shouoldn't 260hp put the Sypder in the 6 sec range at least?

The Civic Type-R is cool. But I was more impressed with that biker dude. He's sliding the back wheel of the bike in a few places. That's pretty crazy.

The C-Class does look pretty cool, but I would've preferred if Johnny Smith actually test the handling and performance of the car instead of just talking about the technology.

The D-Type is a cool car, but man, whoever that celeb was he need to shut the f*** up! Just let me listen to the engine. And he's not driving that fast anyways, that looked no more than 40mph.

I woulkd say it's still better than last season, maybe 6.5/10.

[FordGT]

I actually liked this weeks episode. It was still about cars, but with a few bikes and other things thrown in. Last week was better but honestly, nothing can be as bad as last season was.

[TJP]

Originally Posted by awdrifter

But I was more impressed with that biker dude. He's sliding the back wheel of the bike in a few places. That's pretty crazy.

You mean James Toseland...great rider & apparently a great guy and will likely be a double World Superbike champion by years end (based on current form). Likely to see James in MotoGP next year too.

Waiting to see the episode...I watched the ep & enjoyed it. A little better than the reviews that have been posted..6.5/10 if last week was an 8/10.

For me, the only weak parts were the stunts...trial riders have sensational throttle & clutch control plus incredible balance but the segment felt like filler.

So was the pass under a stationary semi-trailer and the run the Hyundai without oil for 3 laps. Sort of interesting but hardly captivating.

James Toseland & Tiff were great, nice to see James giving Tiff a hard time about getting the car sideways

Tom's Alfa segment was good...yet another Alfa review consisting of "great looks...pity about the drive".

Something About Mary hair's C class Merc review was quite good, much improved on last seasons work.

Good to see Rimmer aka Chris Barrie in the D type. I can only imagine the feeling of driving my dream car, probably explains his enthusiastic monologue. I've also watched a couple of his shows on Discovery Channel; they were quite good from memory.

[Formula Stig]

I liked the episode quite a bit.

The Civic was outgunned by the bike, need a supercar to keep up with a rider like Toseland on a bike. But Tiff and James made it entertaining.

The Alfa and Mercedes bits were entertaining. I like it that they were honest about the ALfa. That C class looks really nice.

Those stunts scenes aren't my favorite, the biggest challenge was them putting the glass in.

The C type is a gorgeous car, but that was the most boring part of the show.

I really wanted to see the trials bikes ride over the Mercedes wagon and watch that guy's jaw drop, but they wussed out. Nonetheless those riders had some skill.

When Fifth Gear tries to "entertain" you is when they fall on their face. When they romp about in the cars/bikes etc is when it works.

Compared to last year, these shows are 100 times better.

[Mister Seven]

Impressive episode - I enjoyed this one as much as the first.

I'm happy to see Tom Ford taking on a greater role in the series. I've always felt he's a sorely unappreciated asset on Fifth Gear and one of the most knowledgeable and accessible voices in automotive journalism. It's a pleasure to see him finally getting the attention he deserves.

It's startling how much better the show is with just a few changes. This season is on track to be their best since the switchover to the hour long format.

Highlights: The Alfa and Merc reviews. As others have mentioned, the closer Fifth Gear sticks to cars, the better the show is to watch. The Spider review was classic Fifth Gear, with Tom dishing out pleasure and pain in equal, honest measure.

Cool Moments: Jonny Smith's love for his old, patchwork Benz. I love older cars myself and it's always a treat to see that same passion in others. The segment with Chris Barrie and the D Type had a few similar moments, even if he did lay it on a bit thick. Regarding Smith's return - he's much improved this season but that cold, diffident stare of his puts me off his presentations. I'm much relieved they kept him and not Lovejoy however.

Surprises: The Civic/superbike race. Despite utterly outmatched vehicles and an almost absurd premise, this segment worked better than it had any right to. Tiff and James Toseland were entertaining to watch and it was nice to see the Civic Type R hatch in action - we don't get that model in the States and it's clearly the jewel of the lineup.

Still Boring: I've never been a fan of the film stunts and this one didn't change that view. At least the 'final product' was a better faux movie scene than they are used to producing, for what it's worth. The bit featuring the engine destruction of the Hyundai was mercifully brief but seemingly pointless. What did you think was going to happen? Segments like these don't work well without some sort of post-breakdown engine disassembly to actually show the damage done compared to a fresh set of parts.

Holdovers: The motorcycle stunts were well done, but the segment seemed like a last season holdover and the presenters a touch stilted and forced. These parking lot bits don't do much for me, but at least 'wreck my ride' seems have been taken to the crusher.

[Northy]

Id have to say that so far this seris is alot better then the last, I really quite like Vicky & Tom in the cafe, Would like to see Jason in it bit more, but on the whole its marked improvement

[matt2000]

i missed this one (damn you Live For Speed!) but i expect it was good. a glance at Seven's post say it was

[Vette Boss]

New series is a big improvement over the last one. This one was quite good, except for the bike stunts and the faux movie segments, which were a bit boring.

[otispunkmeyer]

good show, i liked the reviews of the alfa and especially the C-class.

yeah some one mentioned he didnt test how it was to drive, but honestly you can easily expect it to be a nice competent waft mobile and most buyers wont be bothered if it cant corner like a 3 series anyway. he focused on the build quality and the technology and thats what i like.

trials bikes..... lol their warmup was more dextrous than the actual stunt, it was boring though. fake film scene = utter garbage.

tiff, bless him, the man can drive...he did well to race the bike that well, but lets be honest the 2 other little challenges were rubbish, sideways in a FF car always looks forced and awkward, and there was no way he was gonna get the Type R to leave the ground over that crest.

theres a pretty sever hump back bridge on the way to trainstation from my university campus and you have to be seriously hauling ass to get airborne over that.

[Austere]

Meh. It was alright. Not as good as last week tho.

The Alfa review was bit light on information and it could have done with a bit more of Tom's opinions. I say this because the review needed something more than that rubbish poseurs car. That thing looked totally out of place going around those corners.

Watching them destroy that Hyundai was painful. I don't like those cars but there was no point in doing that to it. Who was under the impression that you can run a car without engine oil? Who didn't expect that exact outcome? It was both pointless and sad. And a bloody waste of time. I don't why I didn't just skip it.

And what was the point of the Civic Vs Fireblade thingy? The little 'challenges' were pretty stupid and they didn't actually review either vehicle. I reckon Honda gave them a Civic Type R to give away on the promise that they use one in a segment as promotion and, feeling lazy and pressed for time they just threw together something with Tiff & Drifting.

I don't like the new C-Class and I didn't like that review. It may be true that build quality has improved but only time will tell and even then I need to hear it from someone I take seriously instead of that fruity twit.

I skipped the stunts because I'm not into that sort of thing.

The old D-Type bit was cool but if I were that guy I wouldn't have been thinking about the three million pounds - I would have given it a bit of a stir. You only live once and so forth.

Not a very good episode really.

[trionic]

It was pointless waste of time and money to film Alfa Romeo there, serious handling testing could have been done elsewhere. Also music pick at some stage was big time wrong.
btw. they didnt even calculate how fast the roof is? I mean that is BASIC, very BASIC thing in a open-top test....oh well maybe it was a story not a test.

Merc story was too much focused on interior touch feel. More engineer perspective please... I mean how hard could it be to test handling, suspension comfort, noise decibel levels and so on?

Running withoil oil, useless story.

What is this obsession with bike vs car?
They had nice little track, could have done lost of comparison time testing with different car models, but NO.

Hint for the production team(I know you read this board):
More factual information&testing, less visual postcarding.

[geeman]

Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer

and there was no way he was gonna get the Type R to leave the ground over that crest.

The bike didn't really jump either. They seriously need to think and test stuff before making them into challenges. What I don't like about FG is that they just film stuff and even if doesn't really work out to be interesting they put it in the show anyway.

[Austere]

Originally Posted by geeman

...they just film stuff and even if doesn't really work out to be interesting they put it in the show anyway.

Exactly! I couldn't agree more!

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally Posted by geeman

The bike didn't really jump either. They seriously need to think and test stuff before making them into challenges. What I don't like about FG is that they just film stuff and even if doesn't really work out to be interesting they put it in the show anyway.

yeah the bike didnt really either did it. if the bike couldnt no way in hell was a car going to, especially not with that run up. i mean you to be going seriously quick because before you even get the car in the air you need to of cleared the suspension travel as well...im pretty sure tiff would of known that outcome.

im hoping there is a film of tiff burning the FG script like plato did in utter disgust.

at least in TG it doesnt matter if it doesnt work (see bus over bikes) because the net result is funny. but heck even jumping a double decker over some bikes was more plausible than this FG test.

the running a car minus its oil - very poor. i thought they were really gonna flesh it out.....running without coolant, running on the wrong petrol, engaging reverse while going forward, or dropping from 4th to 1st or whatever. not simply dropping the oil out of it and having some dimwit AA man say "dont run a car without oil"

[Cobol74]

Guys you summed it up all already. I enjoyed all bits but the weakest were the Bike stunts (Pick a decent venu, and get some proper obstacles for goodness sake!) and the Merc was a bit too, well too something, er . ... like a rice cake something and nothing. Until someone pointed it out I've not thought of it really but the music is not of a sufficient high standard in FG compared to TG. But did I hear a Led Zep track in there?

[241mph]

that ep. really made me think about ma life...
i nearly spent all the time dreaming, just starin at the bloody screen although i was interrupted by Tiff powerslidin that type R then i went off again
what was that about
i mean the show was just dull i felt nothing .. well to be honest i liked the D-type part for 1 reason: the guy has passion that's it
some gave the first ep. 9/10 i'd say 6.5/10 and this one ....... i couldn't be bothered
c'mon TG already raised the game so stop that nonsense and make a decent car show