[14x02] August 18th, 2008

[Viper007Bond]

http://www.finalgear.com/shows/fifthgear/14/2/

[ahpadt]

/want that M5!

[MXM]

Why does it say HEIKKI on the side of Lewis' hat?

[Suedschleife]

My fist post on the FG side. I didn't post here before because frankly I didn't have anything positive to say.

I really enjoyed this episode, compared to the previous seasons of FG I seen this one is huge step up.

Cinematography put a smile on my face right from the start.
The new studio, while a little deserted, is so much better than the cafe and the editorial office.
The new guy is OK so far (hasn't made me want to throw something at the TV set like Tim Lovejoy or Jon Bentley).
Someone seems to have found the volume knob on VBH

2 thumbs up from me.

[Viper007Bond]

Overall good episode. I'm thinking a 7 or an 8.

Originally Posted by Suedschleife

I really enjoyed this episode, compared to the previous seasons of FG I seen this one is huge step up.

You should watch 14x01. It was better IMO.

[acabinian]

Enjoyed the Lewis Hamilton segment; rollover test with the convertible was a bit sobering...

Quite enjoyable, interesting throughout - I'd give it an 8/10.

[acabinian]

Originally Posted by MXM

Why does it say HEIKKI on the side of Lewis' hat?

Perhaps it was a McLaren team hat which had Hamilton's name on the other side?

[Danski]

I didn't believe Fifth Gear would become better than Top Gear, at least not so soon. But it's a given fact, Top Gear went, if not into wrong direction at least at different direction comparing to the first seasons. I do NOT have any joy watching the 3 TG guys buying some old cars and braking them down with "challenges" which are in 80% bloody cheap, and all that to be the main stuff in every single episode. I used to love TG mainly because Jeremy's reviews full of different and funny approach to the car and the interesting tests with those supercars. I don't want to watch no more "buy a bicycle for 20 bugs and make it Ferrari in Jeremy's way" - it's mediocre, really. And Jeremy to say that the races from point A to point B are not made up when EVERY time they have 30 secs difference at the finish is what I call arrogance.
And in the name of the Gods of the cars, please Top Gear, enough with those gays as guest stars. From where do you dig those individuals. Are those the stars of UK. Please, stop it ! When was the LAST time a beautiful woman was on the show (oh yes, the news girls, who are not the exact idea of beautiful IMO). I understand that in the UK is quite unusual to meet a beautiful female, but came on... Take one girl from some model agency and put it there just to look at her for 10 min, but enough with those gays and semi-crazy "stars".

Sorry for so much TG, but that was needed in order to express what I see in Fifth Gear: great car reviews in most of the time: GT2, SL63 AMG, some sporty cars... A car flipover just for taste. That's what I want. I don't want circus with 3 clowns driving old 1000 pound cars...
If I do, I'll watch Thunder Races or Junkyard Wars on Discovery, 'cause they do it so much better than TG's show.

Well, not the best presenters in Fifth Gear. That new guy - OMG ! and Vicki - wow, when they say ugly, thats what it comes to mind...
But looking forward to see Fifth Gear getting better and better. I liked this episode a lot.

Sorry for being so offensive, but as a real CAR lover and not cheap comedy show lover I felt obligated to say all this.

[NecroJoe]

The Lewis Hamilton segment was lame...but I'm not British, so...

The rest was OK. Tom wasn't as funny as he used to be, the new guy is SOO much better than Loveboy was, and why do I have the feeling that the "Ode to Vikki's glorious fun-bags" thread will get a few .gifs of her eyes-rolling-back reaction to the F1 car's sound.

The crash-test was interesting (as they usually are) but we got to see NONE of the "craziness" that's apparently inherent in the GT2...none. *shrugs* That segment was just okay...

[Cobol74]

Even better than last week - Johnny's piece was interesting. Peach of an old M5 - even I'd buy that.

[Aiolos]

That episode was great, even better than last week. Liked pretty much everything cept Johnny's segment, just cause I'm not really interested in buying a super-cheap used auto like that, though that M5 was lovely.

Tiff's bit was nice, way better shootout than Vicki's. Didn't think the RX-8 would win so I wasn't surprised.

The lightbulb replacement piece was funny and quite ridiculous. I'm sure Renault could have slightly modified the 5-star crash test body to make the light bulb way more accessible.

Lewis Hamilton bit was interesting. Nice to see how even at the press events he gets to have a little fun messing around the track.

GT2 bit was nice, but I wish their supercar reviews were longer

Tom's SL63 bit was quite nice, and I felt it was thorough

The cabrio bit was interesting, but of course old cars are gonna suck in crash tests.

[anthrax]

Liked the convertible crash test.

Did someone noticed the annoying sound inside the RX-8, like piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ?? Funny thing Tiff didn't complained about that.

[Handonam]

Originally Posted by anthrax

Liked the convertible crash test.

Did someone noticed the annoying sound inside the RX-8, like piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ?? Funny thing Tiff didn't complained about that.

i believe they mentioned it before. Clarkson did at least, but then again he's not FG

[awdrifter]

RX-8 vs 350Z, this has been done many times, but I guess since both cars are updated, a rematch is justified. I didn't like their new track though, it looks way too narrow for the more powerful cars to show their advantage. Still the 350Z really owned the RX-8 in this one, but looking at the videos the RX-8 look much more nimble, Mazda needs to step up and make a 3-rotor version of the Renesis engine.

Porsche GT2, I think that was a little too short, they could've shortened the Lewis Hamilton segment and give this segment a bit more time. I loved the interior, it's not too spartan, but with the exposed roll cage and all the luxury stuff removed, it looks so clean. Too bad they couldn't get a 911 Turbo for comparison, I wanted to see the difference of the additional power but trickier handling makes.

SL63, I like the look more than the four headlamps. But Tom's right, it's slower, it handles marginally better, with the old model so much cheaper a used one is definitely the way to go.

This ep is not bad, but Megan headlamp and Lewis Hamilton segments didn't grab my interest, but the rest is good. 8/10.

[Viper007Bond]

Voted 7. Good, but some content that wasn't all that interesting IMO.

[Shawn]

Pretty decent episode. The shootout was boring as usual, and I didn't care for the Lewis Hamilton bit. I would absolutely hate to have that guy's life.

The SL63 looks ugly to me. I just can't shake the fact that they took the rear of one car and put it on a new front end. Pretty glad also that Tom prefers the old SL55.

That M5 from Jonny's bit is so damn sexy. I wanna trade (down?) my car for one of those.

[edkwon]

Just watched the lightbulb segment, the new guy is definitely good in front of the camera and earning his keep on the show. Keep it up.

[anti-net]

I really liked Tiff shoot out, I think he's better at it than Vicki. I wasn't that surprised by the result! The Lewis Hamilton thing was lame, Lewis is a bit boring to hear talking - he should keep to driving.

The Bulb changing thing was madness, how can they make it that hard to change a freaking bulb! But its a fantastic business model for keeping dealerships with money, that and the general unreliability of Renaults

Johnnys M5 find - If that was the competition prize I would have entered it without even thinking about where I'd put it or how I'd fuel it! It looks sort of subtle but aggressive, one of the best looking M5s ever IMO.

the 911 GT2 review was good but not amazing, a bit dull for what is a very interesting car. I liked Tom Fords SL63 review, surprised he didn't talk about the slight uglyness.

I gave it 7/10

[MXM]

I don't see how you can compare it to last week's. Because last week's was complete crap. This one was pretty decent, I didn't even skip any segments, watched everything in one go

[starfox07]

Fifth Gear....getting better

Liked most of the segments save for the Lewis Hamilton one...which just came off as a bit obsessed to me. Then again, I'm not English, so it wouldn't make sense to me.

The SL segment was good. I've never heard a production Mercedes sound so pronounced, raspy and vulgar. All others, SLR included, seem to have more of a restrained, brutish dignity about their exhaust note. Can't decide which I like better?

The supercar segments, on both shows are getting entirely too repetitive. I, for one, would rather see a Ferrari Enzo destroying a country lane IN ADDITION to blasting down some unihabited cold-war era airbase. The old top gear used to have these hybrid segments(Mclaren F1 and Jaguar XJ220 for instance) and I think it more logically illustrates how good, or bad, a ROAD car is.