[14x01] August 11th, 2008

[matt2000]

I agree the thing with the Kuga was a bit unnecessary. It's not a 4x4 really so we don't expect it to perform well off road. 10 years ago maybe that would have been okay but now we're used to useless SUVs. He could have got a bit further in the mud though if he tried.

I don't understand people's beefs with Vicky though. She barely said anything in the show last night, but still she gets some stick for knowing about cars.

And if they want a woman on the show they should get a hot one that is not an automotive expert.

That's a shit idea, I hate having thick people stuffed into shows to act as eye candy. She would be completely useless on a show that is meant to be about cars, and is more technical than TG.

[Martin]

That's a shit idea, I hate having thick people stuffed into shows to act as eye candy. She would be completely useless on a show that is meant to be about cars, and is more technical than TG.

I agree, it would only be marginally better than Lovejoy in the beginning. By the end of the series everyone would be saying, "Get the dumb blonde of the screen I can't bare to hear her talk anymore."

[cellularcoffee]

Better than nothing.

[Posmo]

Vicki in the c63 was really the only thing I liked about the episode.

The new presenter is a TERRIBLE actor.. Some of the prescripted lines were horrid.

Kuga was kinda meh.

Scuba waskinda meh.

Evo and Scooby was a bit underwhelming. And short.

Jonny could probably have gotten more money had he just sold the car as an MOT'd, road-going car.. Making his part in the episode a bit pointless.

IMO, quite crappy.

I have to admit though, I also have a soft spot for Vicki.

[Steve Levin]

I thought the Kuga episode was pretty decent. They should have shown more of the damage done to the poor thing, though.

And the Tiff/Jason stuff remains the highlight of just about any episode. While this wasn't the best shootout, it was still pretty funny. You can see how competitive they get, which I just love. Especially Plato's dive bomb pass that almost wrecked the two cars...

Steve

[Koppel]

I think they have really worked on the soundtracks, it really added to the show. Very well selected tracks!

The series still have some weak parts but overall this season is a huge improvement!

[vRS]

Enjoyed the Ronnie OS bit.

The petrol segment was also good

Loved the underwater car. So want one, could get me to town alot quicker.

Overall 7/10.

[nefarious79]

meh dont care for the new guy. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the sti vs. evo bit

[sutratiago]

They should have shown more of the damage done to the poor thing, though.

Steve

They would never show it because there was probably nothing!
In FG they lie about almost every stunt they make... it's a sort of TG-look-a-like stunts, except they can't make it happen naturally...

Proof:
Back a few seasons, at the Goodwood Festival, Tom was about to drive the Maserati Birdcage Concept but when trying to take it off the line, he kept stalling it... and he said he could never lap it around Goodwood...
But that's what he said on the show...



Ooops... Tom is at the wheel :O

[fallen angel]

I think it was a nice start for the new series.
I missed the 2nd hand star (Johnny) when the shows what the problems are with used cars

On the other hand I really liked the underwate car
Hopefully this series will get even better

[Aston Martin]

Firstly why play any Avril Latrine song?... secondly they were fucking snowboarding not skating.

Vicky is back on form (She always was... but the haters should appreciate her now.)
Evo vs big ass hatchback was fantastic, especially the Plato pass.



p.s. I told you the new boy was a c***.

[superchevy]

7 - sure, they had some excellent segment ideas, but the execution and editing was horrid.

the m3 vs. c63 amg comparison was wack! it was clearly biased from start to finish. we barely saw nor heard about the m3. sure, the guy picked the m3, but i wouldn't understand why if i were an automotive neophyte. the dialogue was bland, and didn't seem to flow well with the cuts. and the breathtaking drifting shots were ruined with cuts that showed moments of imperfection in the drift. why???

the potentional of the rinspeed scuba's segment was squandared; as was the evo vs. sti segment.

and for the first time i could remember in forever, tom ford's segment was actually boring. the fact that the ford kuga would be tested in off-road elements really got my attention in the promo, but what a disappointment...

[Karoug]

A promising start i feel. It felt a bit rushed though. Moar Evo vs WRX STI!!

[NooDle]

needs more Johnny

pretty standard Fifth Gear Ep, Vicky squealing in a powerful car, check, Tom testing something sensible, check, Johnny doing something random, check, Tiff & Jason slidey around thing, check.

7/10, mostly because of the Tiff/Jason bit (HOW CLOSE WAS THAT???) and the underwater car.

I lol'd at Tim proving that all the eco shit you can tack onto a car will make it use a bit more fuel

[nouseferaname90]

I thought it was better than most of the previous fifth gear

[The Chad]

I was going to give the episode a 7. I liked the snooker dude's ///M3 E63 bit, for some strange reason. And the Ford bit was funny, though I think the final conclusion is rubbish. Speaking of rubbish conclusions, I think it's funny that both Plato and Tiff voted the Evo X as the winner of the challenge, when clearly the SST transmission in the Evo was rubbish in at least 50% of their criteria testing.

The rest of it was decent, but a bit dull.

But, instead of giving it a 7, I gave it an 8 for one simple reason. OMG Plato and Tiff nearly crashed. They nearly died! Too bad there wasn't a camera mounted on the bumper of that Evo. I would've loved to see how close it really was. Those guys sure do have some driving talent.

[SlammerNZ]

New presenter is pretty good, speaks with his hands a little much.

I agree. He should stop waving those arms around so much. He might hit someone with them!!

[crashmaxx]

Much better then recent seasons. No stupid cafe crap is a huge improvement right there. The new guy is pretty good, but I almost miss having VBH and Tom for those bits. Just because Tom would often say something awkward and seeing VBH's reaction was priceless.

The gas segment was dull and pointless. The whole giving away money thing was dumb. The 'mods' they did were minimal and overall mostly bad ideas. Then the fact they didn't even get a result highlights the fact the whole segment should have been scrapped, even if they already filmed it. There whole thing about the tires being too expensive was dumb. You would be very foolish to just change your tires to get better mileage, but when you go to get new tires to replace worn ones, the cost is so close it could be worth considering. You know, for the average person that doesn't care about grip that is. I'd rather have the stickiest tires I can regardless of mileage or life.

The Evo vs STi was the best bit. Biggest complaint was that it was too short. And the close call was only special cause Plato truly had no control. If he had meant to do that it just would have been cool. I also don't agree with their conclusion one bit. The STi did great in there tests and for such a practical show you think they would consider the massive difference in quality and comfort between these. The STi is still the obvious choice if you want a car and not just a track toy.

The snooker champ segment was ok, but being broken up really hurt it and since they only showed him a couple cars it was very lacking. Why would he want a drop top M3 and not a normal sedan? Why bother showing him an Evo? The track time was pretty fun to watch and it seemed he learned a lot though.

The scrap bit with Johnny was good but I'd prefer something like his used car thing last season.

The Kuga was really forced. Couldn't they just review it for what it is? Maybe just show it in snow to point out its capabilities? It sounded like a really good car for its class, no reason to dog it out and try to break it.

The Squba was neat and would have been more fun if Tiff wasn't such a little girl. He only went down 7m and had a dive crew right by him. There was no danger what so ever. He could have just undone his weight belt and swam to the surface if there was a problem. I expect more from someone who power slides to the limit on a daily basis.

My criticism aside, it was still a very good episode and a big improvement from before. There is clearly a lot they could work on, but it is still far above average and well worth watching.

[bartboy9891]

Tim isn't a bad presenter, but he seems unnecessary since there are already so many hosts in the first place. Because of this, the segments feel rushed. Also Jason said the Subaru had 300 NM of torque, but it has closer to 300 lb/ft. Those are my only real complaints, I give it a 7/10.

Edit: The competition prize this week sounds awesome!

[dMa]

i'm sorry but this episode was so hard to watch during the scenes where they were in their little studio. That and the fuel economy segment was some of the worst tv ive ever seen.

"oh my god."