[11x03] May 14th, 2007

[pontus]

Originally Posted by WRxb0y

VBH,... the only good thing about that was the fact I got the title for the original clip
C´etait un Rendezvous, and went into Mininova and d/loaded it.. hehe http://www.mininova.org/tor/161752
I think she killed it.

That bit could have been so much better, the producers should have arranged a fast French classic like the Renault Alpine, Citroën CX GTI Turbo or Peugeot 405 MI-16 and do the driving early in the morning. Instead we got sqealing Vicky stuck in rush hour with a rubbish Citroën C3 diesel, I felt embarrassed watching it.

[SR71]

Just an ok episode. Didn't suck but no thrills either. Blame it on the Car Manufacturers for not releasing any new cars recently. Same thing happened in the last TG series which was void of new car reviews also. I guess FG doesn't have the budget to do more innovative stuff that TG can do (US road trip, Missile launch etc.)

At least it is better to have something to watch rather than counting days for the new TG series (I wish BBC would announce the new dates so we can start marking our calendars).

[matt2000]

not a bad ep IMO. liked the bit about the lexus (felt like a cheap copy of jezza idea of a budget S-calss though) and the smart section was packed with information. all the stuff we used to get. haven't seen the last part though so i can comment on that when i have.

[ycchan]

The smart review IS the cheap copy, much more so than the lexus review.

[MoNnY]

fifth gear has lost it...
they have lost their imagination and are copying top gear...
car full of gadgets, lock one presenter in a Smart...
even during the Smart feature, the countdown is something like what Topgear did when jeremy tested if a audi A8turbo could go 800miles...

[halllo_fireball]

Again a copied show, but a fairly good one. Except the bit with VBH - I'm just can't stand her senseless reviews and other stuff - why can't somebody just put her in a car on a track and shut her up - eh, well no, she should of course talk, but only on the car and without the hilarious squeeking...

Jan

[gregster]

If your interested in seeing the original footage from Paris without the squeeking english blonde, the full name of the film is C'etait un Rendezvous by Claude Lelouch, it's available at the usual outlets!

Gregster

[fantomas76]

Anyway, those girls in Tiff segment... gorgeous.

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally Posted by awdrifter

Yea, FG should leave the destruction to the experts (ie.TG) and stick with traditional car reviews. What happened to the shootouts? Even though Vicky isn't the best driver there, it's still cool to see how a car perform on a track and commpare track time to other cars. They need to bring that back.

they just cant do the stunts and destruction because theyre just not immature enough. it feels very forced and entirely too well set up.

with TG they always seem to pull of the curious 13 year old and his botch job experiment and it always ends hilariously

[Dsemaj]

I loved Tom's Lexus part, even though it was kinda just a rip of Jeremy's S class interior segment.

Tom has to be my favorite Fifth gear presenter.

12 hour car thing? Oh my, just a rip of the Top Gear segment with richard and james... They've also riped the 24 style editing like Top Gear have done twice, although it's been done on other shows, that said.

[nomix]

I just realized that Fifth Gear was on again on Thursday, so I won't bother writing in the other two threads, I'll summerize my impressions so far here.

Well, so, what do we think then? If I am to summarize it in one word, I'd have to say, impressive.

They seem to get it more and more right, in my opinion. I get the feeling they are in some ways where Top Gear was the first series, might just be me, but still. This series has so far been really entertaining, in my mind. Johnny seems to be getting better, a lot better. I think the problem he had in last series was that he was given STUPID scripts. He's a good presenter.

Now, for the suprise from me. I think they should have kept Lovejoy. Not in the Café, not with Vicky, but let him review cars. Remember when he tried that electric shopping trolley? Yes, the car was pointless, and he was good at showing us why. Lovejoy became our hate-object because he was given the wrong tasks. Letting him make ridicule of himself with Vicky was as fitting as making Winston Churchill a kindergarten teacher!

To be honest, Lovejoy is a bit of a mixture between Quenton Wilson and Chris Goffey. Neither are bad presenters. In fact, they are excellent bread-and-butter presenters for bread-and-butter cars.

I'll probably get flamed endlessly for thinking this, but hey.

Now, to conclude.

I like it. I now look forward to the next ep. Last series, I didn't. I kept grabbing the eps for the collection, and to keep up on how they did. I am not at the point where I sit playing solitaire on my computer with uTorrent at the side to watch the remaining time, unlike Top Gear, but I surtainly look forward to it.

They are moving in the right direction in my mind. Despite their obvious ripping off of Top Gear and others.

Mind you, I just read CAR magazine, which I hold high in regard. The half page of the review of the new Mondeo + the E90 was a TOTAL rip off of Hammonds 3-series review. So, everyone does that sort of thing.

Heck, Clarkson even rips of himself.

[Quake]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........

I like the old Fifth Gear style where they actually reviewed the car with no stupid FORCED Top Gear like stunts.

Fifth Gear was like an encyclopedia to get cars' knowledge with a little bit of fun while Top Gear is a fun circus with an encyclopedia on top.

It's like if Fifth Gear is experiencing an inferiority complex and always has to compare themselves with Top Gear. Just be yourself and you'll find an audience. You don't have to copy another show to be good.

[Cobol74]

nomix I think you are right about Lovejoy and the stupid things he was given to do. I have seen him on other stuff and he is not irritating at all, in fact I rather like his style. But, he was as irritating as hell on FG last series.

[Aston Martin]

Originally Posted by Cobol74

nomix I think you are right about Lovejoy and the stupid things he was given to do. I have seen him on other stuff and he is not irritating at all, in fact I rather like his style. But, he was as irritating as hell on FG last series.

Erm have u seen 'Something for the weekend'? He's a cock whatever he does.


On topic: I loved this part "Oh hello cheeky".

[efoolution]

Did anyne notice where they filmed the Smart for2 bit? Looked like Spain or Portugal, but where exactly? Anyone know?

[Scorpionrs]

Wish they stop coping top gear and get original....

Where are the proper CAR reviews that fifth gear was known for, who cares about bikes ,wreaking cars and celebs doing lame stuff.
Its unbearable to sit through a entire episode of this show!

I do have some hope for the next episode,Jason + Aston Martin = cant go wrong

[enzojr]

Jeez, tough crowd. Who cares if it's a ripoff, not everyone has seen the stunt/scene/test before (e.g. what's Mythbusters?) and even if it's been done already, we still get to see proper car reviews (e.g. new Smart). Could not be said for Top Gear all the time (i.e. I'd like to see more reviews out in open road rather than on the airstrip).

Favorite bits:
Rendezvous - those who have seen the original thing would have been amused with this. Yes, the Citroen was going slow but was it VBH's or FG's fault for that? If anything, I loved seeing the little "before and after" shots of Paris 30 years (or 40?) apart and just how much busier it has become.

Lexus - Tom actually mentioned some gadgets that I didn't know before about the LS, like the lane control function. I thought the car would only beep when you drift out of the lane but it could actually steer itself. Awesome stuff. Watched the parking assist function on Driving Television here in Canada before.

Overall, not a bad episode but wouldn't call it great either. Definitely miles better than the previous season

[Mr-Stabby]

Did anyone else notice that at one point during the show, there was a caption on screen saying "Media Offline" or something to that effect, which is what happens in a video editor when you edit something, but it can't find the original footage to link it to? It was on screen for about 3 seconds.

That aside, i really enjoyed that ep actually! You could say it was copying Top Gear, but for gods sake Top Gear is getting to the point where they've done everything that can actually be done, so saying that its been done on Top Gear before is hardly an insult!

I've noticed a lot of you in this thread saying how i can barely watch this, can't stand VBH squeeling etc etc yet you still tune in every week. Make up your minds You're like Doctor Who fans or something lol

[sutratiago]

Originally Posted by efoolution

Did anyne notice where they filmed the Smart for2 bit? Looked like Spain or Portugal, but where exactly? Anyone know?

It seams to be around the inner streets of Madrid in Spain, as there are a lot of licence plates with "M" in it... altough there isn't any trully well know place or monument... 8)

By the way..... 5TH Gear is crap every day!
Boring, dry jokes, imitating every single shoot they can remenber of... hopeless