[12x01] September 3rd, 2007

[Viper007Bond]

This thread is for discussion of the episode, not discussion of the torrent or anything else.

[phenergn]

I thought it continued the increasingly high standards of the last season.

The Maserati GT was just fantastic, for sheer desirability it's right up there with a DB9. The proportions are just right, and the noise is amazing.

The formula palmer audi film was good, but after some of the other similar celebrity segments it didn't stand out.

I quite liked johnny's test of the "i", he's a competant road tester, and got to the point quickly about the car. It's what a road test of a more 'ordinary' should be like. Plus they didn't overdo the quirky bit with the double decker smart. It was pretty funny and enjoyable, and I think they made the right decision giving it about 5 minutes of screen time. It would have been an easy temptation to make more of it then it deserved (a temptation I fear Top Gear would probably have given in to)

The Veyron was brilliant, and it was great to see inside the factory, I haven't seen anything like that in any of the UK motoring press. I can't believe the size of the engine - it's HUGE! But I suppose being two 4 litre V8s glued together it would be big.

The track they were on was way too tight to make the best of the veyron, but I suppose that wasn't their fault. I think a good soundtrack and slick cinematography goes a long way on a track test, and that was lacking here, but perhaps I'm being overly critical.

On the whole it looks like they've kept up the good work

[Speedtouch]

They still need to work on their camera angles that's for sure. I don't like their 'simpleton conversation' type approach. Certainly better than the last series, but still needs improvement.

I also found the Palmer Audi section quite boring. Their camera angles didn't show the speed, and the race was cut down too much.

And I agree, the Veyron section was great. Top Gear would just keep it on the track constantly sideways, not even considering to ask to send a camera to the factory.

[likus]

To be honest, I've never really even considered looking Fifth Gear. Just finished watching the Veyron part, and I have to say, that really was good. Compared to a Top Gear test, the test felt more thorough somehow and I don't know if I've just come bored of JC's constant shouting about how good or bad the car is, but Needell managed to describe the feeling of the thing quite nicely. I mean, the factory bit, all the background stuff and of course, the test drive on a track. If Clarkson ever gets it on a track, I'm pretty sure he'll only scream and make new adjectives.

And Audi R8 next week! Gotta watch that

[Buba]

I know what the IRC people think and its not that good, but I really enjoyed it.

I guess Jezza couldn't even get this thing sideway the way Tiff did, Speedtouch

//edit: Considering the R8 bit next week: It won't be as good as Dmotors take from today. So go and DL that tomorrow, even though you don't understand it...

[growfybruce]

I've been a long term Top Gear fan - but I just registered at FinalGear to say, erm, that was a damn good episode of Fifth Gear.

Please {insert deity here}, let Top Gear actually have car reviews next season - or else Fifth Gear's going to leave it standing.

[ViperVX]

I've been watchin' FG for like 3 seasons, it's gettin better. The Veyron segment was great, everything else - fifthgearish lasyboring with a spot of speed & humour.
Other than that, the show improved bigtime, although not even close to the "Top" & the "Gear"

[awdrifter]

The shoot out was pretty good, I love seeing the S5 in action. I knew the 335i would win on a track, the S5's handling is just too safe. The Maserati GT is beutiful, but why don't they offer it with a proper 6 speed manual? Auto should always only be an option.

I was a little disappointed at the Veyron segment, because the track time is so short, and the track is so restrictive, it's like an autocross track. Oh well, at least we get to see more Veyron.

For an opening ep though, this is no bad, the only find Johny Smith building a double decker Smart boring.

[Ilpav]

Wait. Didn't Tiff already test the Audi R8 in Las Vegas? Or is it out on a track next episode?

+ YouTube Video

[mooble117]

I quite liked this episode. That Grand Tourismo is just stunning, right up there with Alfa 8C.

But what i found most interesting. What was that mystery Bugatti which they couldn't show?

[gregster]

Quite enjoyable on the whole, with two luxury coupes a few details of options and on road manners would be nice rather than just lap times.
Whats with the camera angles in the cafe?, shooting through the salt & pepper and some geezers head!
The camera angles being jerky, sharp movements is the only real downfall, looking forward to more though

[Prost264]

By far the best episode of Fifth Gear I have ever seen. (Though I admit I skipped Plato's bit)

Perhaps its just because they had such a great selection of cars to test, the Maserati and Bugatti could make any program entertaining

I hope the rest of the season is this good.

edit: I could do without the stupid camera angles in the cafe, while I like the new approach I dont want to feel like I'm looking over a bunch of straws to see Tom and Vicki.

[stecube]

I don't really know what to say. This episode isn't bad, but it lacks sth. All the talk is pretty much useless and the clips 'taste' like the editing had to be finished as quick as possible and fall short of being good.

What I miss on FG is the sense of freedom you have in TG. First of all the clips are just way too short. Second, it doesn't matter which car FG reviews and where they do it, because every time the action takes place in a very small environment. Take the Maserati clip for example: it's driven up and down the same 1-2 miles of road. The Veyron? Very narrow street and even more tiny track. In TG you have huge landscapes and the tests bring you from one end of Europe to the other.

This episode was the second FG one I watched (1st one was 11x01) and I'm still asking myself why all the things they do seem to have no relation one to another. It's just a collection of clips interrupted by some talk only used as fill-in. Where's the logic behind the show? Looks like they try to be spectacular and funny, but don't have really success in that. Perhaps too much going on with too little attention to detail?

Another weak point are the camera angles: way too few different views make for an average final product. Play around with the filters, mix near and far shots... As it is now it's nearly boring.

Finally, the cast: a bunch of people just trying to follow the script. Where are the intangibles? In TG you can feel the great relationship between the guys, but I miss it here and it reflects badly on the show.

That said, I'll leave you now writing down some questions I asked myself after watching the episode:

- ok, the BMW is quicker on a lap, but which car is better built, better to drive in everyday life and so on? Oh, btw, why didn't the girl use all the track when racing the cars? She was driving in the middle of the road...

- double decker Smart? What was that for? Should it be funny?

- what did they want to tell us by showing the Palmer Audi clip? A professional driver wins it even if starting 10" after the newbie? As if we wouldn't have known by ourselfs...

- the Mondeo is told us to be the better of the three, but why? Can you judge a car only by looking at his boot and his front? How about driving them to the next Ikea and load them with stuff like every normal estate owner would do?

- what's the point of taking the Veyron to the track if the only thing you do there is testing the ESP? He drove way faster (too much!) on public roads than he did on the track...


My grade: C-

[Martin]

I thought overall it was a good episode, and continued to show that FG could improve (recalling the horror show that was season 10). Though what was with the Ridley Scott camera work in the cafe? The constant panning, changing angles, and the view from behind the salt shaker got really annoying after about 5 seconds. I hope they cut down on that.

The estate "review" seemed kind of pointless, but I do agree that the Mondeo looked the best. Though it was far from a comprehensive review.

I really liked the first half of the Veyron segment where they showed off the luxury manufacturing facility (very cool). The bits on the track seemed kind of disappointing, especially considering how Tom Ford oversold the segment as "one of the best bits of television ever" (or something like that).

Nonetheless, looking forward to the R8/Porsche face off next week.

[gregster]

Well said!
Everything I was thinking and coudn't be bothered typing!

[Vette Boss]

Tiff's segment on the Veyron was rather disappointing..I expected him to do more with it. My god.. that Maserati, I'm in love with it already.. want one of those, badly.

[Aiolos]

Well, that was a pretty damn good ep. Yeah, camera angles sucks compared to TG, the relationships between the presenters suck, only good one is really Johnny and Tom and Tiff and Jason.

However, there were a lot of nice cars there. The Veyron bit was nice with the factory; I'm assuming the Veyron we couldn't see was the upcoming convertible Veyron....The road part was nice, the track part didn't really show off the car well, no tire smoking power slides? Wth? Also, I wonder how that ferocious ESP would affect the Veyron performance in relation to the TG track.
I liked the Maserati part, but it could've been longer and they could've used more road... And THAT CAR IS GORGEOUS!
The Mitsubishi part was ok, kinda funny, but not too interesting.
The Palmer Audi was eh, they didn't show the speed enough, of course Jason would win... blah blah....
The estate part was totally stupid, because it was based on looks, price, and space. No handling or ride feel were really taken into account, besides Tom's muttering.

My fav part was the 335i vs. S5, because I plan to buy one of them used in 5+ish years, after I get outta college. (Here's hoping ) I wish it would've been longer, but it was pretty good for a shootout. O, and what the heck was Vicky talking about the 335i being half a second slower to 60 than the 5.1 sec S5. Most road tests I've read have put at anywhere from 4.9 to 5.3...???

Originally Posted by Ilpav

Wait. Didn't Tiff already test the Audi R8 in Las Vegas? Or is it out on a track next episode?

He did, but this is more of a shootout, cause they're comparing it with its biggest rival, the 911 (Prob the Carrera 4 (S?) ). Also, in Las Vegas, Tiff was only able to use part of the Las Vegas Speedway, half was coned off...:-/

[MadCow809]

absolutely brilliant episode!!!

[bobo_1314]

Actually, I found the Mitsubishi quite interesting. The interior space was larger than I'd expected; I thought it would only fit 4 adults of shorter height (more like 5'2" for females and 5'5" for males). Johnny doesn't look that tall on TV, but he's 6'3" and he fits very well in the "i" (it's pronounced like the English letter "I"; I justed looked it up on the Mitsubishi Japanese website, and in Japanese it's pronounced like the English letter). The other parts of the show - I feel - were quite predictable.

[dMa]

I thought it was great, unfortunately I hate the cheezy dialog along with the constant clip cuts. Other than that, the content was excellent! Best Bugatti review ive seen yet, but thats just tiff being the man