View Poll Results: I've seen this episode and I'd rate it a...

Voters
106. You must log in to vote in this poll
  • 10

    4 3.77%
  • 9

    5 4.72%
  • 8

    26 24.53%
  • 7

    32 30.19%
  • 6

    22 20.75%
  • 5

    8 7.55%
  • 4

    4 3.77%
  • 3

    1 0.94%
  • 2

    1 0.94%
  • 1

    3 2.83%
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 57

Thread: [15x01] January 5th, 2009

  1. #1
    Lazy Head Dude
    FinalGear.com Owner
    Viper007Bond's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 21st, 2003
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Age
    27
    Posts
    27,636
    Car(s)
    2008 Dodge Viper, 2001 Mustang GT
    Rep Power
    459
    ____________________________
    My Cars: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 convertible (summer weekend car), 2001 Ford Mustang GT coupe (winter car & grocery getter)
    There is no replacement for displacement.
    - Wolfgang Bernhard, then Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10
    ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it.
    - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

  2. #2
    teeb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 23rd, 2005
    Location
    Bordeaux, France.
    Age
    25
    Posts
    3,473
    Rep Power
    35
    So far only seen the KTM vs Lotus test (was channelskipping).

    It was good though; looked good and interesting stuff.

    Although I am not entirely sure why the 'boxes' thing was done? A handling course, a braking test or an acceleration test would have done nicely.
    ____________________________
    ...I'm meant to put something here?

  3. #3
    Cobol74's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 21st, 2006
    Location
    The banana republic of Ukania
    Posts
    15,447
    Car(s)
    Honda Accord 2.2 i-Dtec Sport Estate.Hyundai Ix20
    Rep Power
    353
    Yes OK. Nothing to hate and the Ferrari was a nice review by VBH.

    The MPV crash, ouch!

    Shootout good stuff and Joe Calzaggi and GF was quite fun.

    Yes, a solid 8 me thinks.
    ____________________________
    Having some Brains is 'Not a team' game.

    Why are banks run by people who can not do maths, have no Banking Qualifications, are Uber Greedy and do not understand the products that they sell? Hell they are not even fair in the treatment of their customers. Why do governments collude?

  4. #4
    ahpadt's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 7th, 2006
    Location
    Bath, England
    Posts
    7,726
    Rep Power
    78
    All of the films felt very short and clumsy. Whats the matter with fullsize reviews?
    Fifth Gear is better than No Gear anyway, so its still a good watch.

    Alfa rape




  5. #5
    rides with Rebecca Black.. in the back thedguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 18th, 2004
    Location
    Californ-i-a
    Posts
    8,833
    Car(s)
    (OO=[][]=OO)
    Rep Power
    148
    That Ferrari was fucking hideous. I'm insulted by it being named after my beloved home. It's made worse by the fact that the v8 in it sounds like a "tuned" 4 banger.

    So far nothing epic of an episode really but then thats a bit how all fifth gear eps are really.
    ____________________________
    Toyota's are designed to be used, abused, and thrown away like cheap harbor freight tools.

  6. #6
    Wizegui's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 3rd, 2006
    Location
    Richmond, BC
    Age
    20
    Posts
    2,447
    Car(s)
    '93 Toyota Tercel, '01 Swagger Wagon
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by thedguy View Post
    That Ferrari was fucking hideous. I'm insulted by it being named after my beloved home. It's made worse by the fact that the v8 in it sounds like a "tuned" 4 banger.

    So far nothing epic of an episode really but then thats a bit how all fifth gear eps are really.
    That's exactly it! It sounded exactly like them old Ford Escort rally cars. It sounded nothing like a V8... As for the episode, aside from the rather boring celebrity segment, I thought it was pretty decent. 8/10.
    ____________________________

    My 1993 Lexus IS 150...
    If you actually googled this up, then I've got some bad news for you...
    Samsung Nexus S w/ ICS

  7. #7
    turbokompressor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2nd, 2007
    Location
    Bucuresti,Romania
    Age
    27
    Posts
    155
    Car(s)
    Lambor...Daewoo Lanos,DucatiMonsterDark
    Rep Power
    11
    boxes in the KTM and Lotus-NOT FUNNY. I watch Tiff and Jason to see proper driving, not attempted humor.
    As always, Jonny did his part brilliantly -in my opinion,he is the best 5th gear presenter.
    The car wash was authentic:everything that happened to those cars has happened to my car too; also,if you have metallic paint on your car,don't wash it in an automated car wash because it will leave circular scratch marks on the paint(always have it profesionally washed by hand).
    The Volvo City Safety:they should have tested the feature against an object with a much smaller signature-smaller surface area- like a pole or something like that;I say this because the parking sensors of a Lexus RX400h were not able to spot a ~40cm tall pole with the diameter of ~12cm that I placed in front of the car.This is an object you are more likely to hit than another car(so,fifth gear,if you are reading this,please try it ,I am curious).
    The Ferrari California-ugliest Ferrari ever made except for Mondial- is over rated.
    That car will never-ever do 0-100km/h in less than 4 seconds(on a leveled surface,without tangential gravity's help).
    The boxer's wife/girlfriend is a natural.

    I can't wait to see the Porsche Carrera ,a very aerodynamic car (coefficient of drag 0,29 in a car that needs cooling for a 385HP engine is very impressive);the first Porsche Carrera S to go beyond 300km/h.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    May 3rd, 2007
    Posts
    6
    Rep Power
    0
    Stupid question...
    Why FG episodes are more compressed than TG ones?

  9. #9
    Lazy Head Dude
    FinalGear.com Owner
    Viper007Bond's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 21st, 2003
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Age
    27
    Posts
    27,636
    Car(s)
    2008 Dodge Viper, 2001 Mustang GT
    Rep Power
    459
    Quote Originally Posted by Dumah Brazorf View Post
    Why FG episodes are more compressed than TG ones?
    Fifth Gear has commercials. That makes for 44 minutes of video compared to Top Gear's 60 minutes. Scene rules dictate videos over like 50 minutes long or something (I forget the exact number) be bumped up to a larger size than 350MB to maintain a good bitrate. Very few groups use the 4xx or 5xx sizes -- most just go up to 700MB.
    ____________________________
    My Cars: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 convertible (summer weekend car), 2001 Ford Mustang GT coupe (winter car & grocery getter)
    There is no replacement for displacement.
    - Wolfgang Bernhard, then Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10
    ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it.
    - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

  10. #10
    NecroJoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 12th, 2005
    Location
    San Francisco area, CA, USA
    Age
    32
    Posts
    9,596
    Car(s)
    '01 Mercury Cougar V6
    Rep Power
    338
    Quote Originally Posted by turbokompressor View Post
    The boxer's wife/girlfriend is a natural.
    Except for her lips...those are definitely NOT natural.

    That racing looked like a LOT of fun, though.

    Would have liked to have seen multiple laps, or a switch of the cars with Jason and Tiff.

    Vicki didn't have a single criticism of the California...not ONE! That kinda bugged me...

    The crash was to be expected...but I wouldn't have expected the truck to hop that ditch!

    The prize? Damn...wish I lived in the UK!

    The Superb looks like a Passat CC...looked good, but it can't just be "Like those, but cheaper"...it needs to offer something more to be really taken seriously. The hammer/windshield thing was funny. :-p

    The Golf review..eh...nothing special.

    The car wash thing: This was actually a big deal for me. For the past 11 years, I've rarely ever gone to anything but the kind of automatic car washes that only have pressure sprayers (no spinning mops, no brushes, no touching of the car at all, no wheel-alignment-screwing-up wheel grabbers). When I bought my current car, I swore to never take it through a war wash where someone/thing would touch it. I had to look for a LONG time before I found one!

    Basically, you drive in, and park (no railings to drive between). The machine starts up, and a 5-7foot tall arm with nozzles encircles your car, washing it with nothing but water pressure. It circles around once for a water blast, once for soap, one for a rinse, and then if you choose any of their other options, it does those last. Then, there's a high-speed blower-dryer to blow most of the water off. It's quick, and nothing ever touches the car...I wonder how much better this sort of wash would do in that test.
    ____________________________

    There is no such thing as a stupid question.* *but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots.

  11. #11
    MadCow809's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 23rd, 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Age
    27
    Posts
    6,210
    Car(s)
    2006 E87 BMW 130i RHD
    Rep Power
    54
    Very disappointed with this week's ep. Definetely not up to the usual 5th gear standard. The usual great "tiff v.s plato" segment was let down by a meaningless box test and we didn't even get to see more of the vehicle performance review like we normally get.

    The whole episode feels cramped and choppy, they need to focus more on the actual segments instead of trying to cram in more stuff.
    ____________________________
    Supporting : Martin Brundle | Kimi Räikkönen | Jenson Button | Michael Schumacher | Robert Kubica | Sebastian Vettel | Petter Solberg | Mikko Hirvonen | Andy Priaulx | Jason Plato | Mat Jackson

    Nokia N95 8Gb | Nokia N97 32Gb | Nokia N900 32Gb | HTC HD2

    '10 Ford Bantam 1.3i | RHD
    '09 VW MKV Golf GTI 2.0T DSG | APR Stage 1 | LHD
    '08 Honda Civic Coupé | LHD
    '06 BMW 130i | RHD
    '05 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS | RHD
    '05 Ford Bantam 1.3i | RHD
    '95 Mercedes Benz E320 Sportline | RHD

  12. #12
    Phila's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 30th, 2006
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    3,555
    Car(s)
    1995 Subaru Legacy, 2008 Subaru Legacy
    Rep Power
    31
    The parts I watched all seemed very rushed, and then abruptly cut off.

    I started looking forward to Fifth Gear more than Top Gear, but not if they continue with this format.

    They could really do with just Johnny, Tom, and perhaps Plato OR Tiff.

  13. #13
    FordGT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 11th, 2005
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    310
    Rep Power
    18
    I liked this weeks episode. It was worth watching just for the California.

    There was a lot going on but that's better than having nothing going on. 9/10

  14. #14
    awdrifter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 29th, 2004
    Posts
    2,870
    Rep Power
    45
    I liked it. But all the segments feels a bit rushed. They probably could've cut out the crash test and give the KTM vs Lotus and the Ferrari California a bit more time. I like the California's look, it would've been nice if they could test it properly on a track.
    ____________________________

  15. #15

    Join Date
    Oct 29th, 2007
    Posts
    24
    Rep Power
    0
    Liked it gave it a 7/10


    As others have already said the box test was pointless. The crash needed a comparison like a volvo estate third bench. The golf could have used a bit more but was solid enough. The car wash did work and I did like it but I think I would have held onto it for another episode to expand the other segments just a little.

  16. #16
    f1freak's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 17th, 2004
    Location
    Southeast U.S.
    Posts
    104
    Rep Power
    16
    Did Vicki seem a little slimmer to anyone else. It's hard to tell with that jacket she always wears. She definitely needs to take it off. Very slowly...

    ...oh uh, where was I? The Lotus v. KTM box test was only slightly funny but the race was fun to watch. The car wash thing was alright (I think they should've done one of those touchless washes too though but I don't know if those are common in the UK). Johnny's Golf review was good and informative, but it seems like a fairly major car and deserves a more in depth review. The Bowler piece with the cock (it's official since he has an RS4) and cockette should've saved everyone some time and found its own way to the cutting room floor. The California seems impressive but, as has been said, she didn't really have any complaints about it. I'm looking forward to TG getting it. The crash test was actually pretty good.

    It just seems like in the past few series Fifth Gear has tried to cram too much into one episode. Instead of being Top Gears less interesting but more useful rival, they're trying to emulate them by doing their own cocking about and just not going into enough depth, except in the lousy pieces that shouldn't even be in the show to start with. They smashed 7 larger segments plus a few smaller parts in a 44 minute show. That's at best 6 minutes per segment. I think if they just did fewer things, lose the stupid celebrity bits and did the good things more in depth they'd be just what they should be. And lose Tim as well. I think they're slowly getting there though. 6/10

  17. #17
    MadCat360's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 15th, 2008
    Location
    Mazda Raceway
    Age
    22
    Posts
    6,800
    Car(s)
    Will race for food
    Rep Power
    219
    Quote Originally Posted by f1freak View Post
    Did Vicki seem a little slimmer to anyone else. It's hard to tell with that jacket she always wears. She definitely needs to take it off. Very slowly...



    Quote Originally Posted by Viper007Bond View Post
    Fifth Gear has commercials. That makes for 44 minutes of video compared to Top Gear's 60 minutes. Scene rules dictate videos over like 50 minutes long or something (I forget the exact number) be bumped up to a larger size than 350MB to maintain a good bitrate. Very few groups use the 4xx or 5xx sizes -- most just go up to 700MB.
    Why do they do that? Limit the sizes?

    Overall I thought the show was good. I dunno what people's problem with Jason and Tiff's box thing was. I thought it was funny. Maybe they're trying to edge the show to be more like Top Gear; I hope not.
    ____________________________
    Wanna start racing? Refer to this guide on getting started in road racing in America.

    Chump to Champ, an aspiring racing driver's blog
    My onboard videos
    Can't we all just be super best friends?

  18. #18
    Mercedes5CLR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 8th, 2003
    Location
    Carrollton, Texas
    Age
    27
    Posts
    202
    Car(s)
    BMW 540I
    Rep Power
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by MadCat360 View Post





    Why do they do that? Limit the sizes?

    Overall I thought the show was good. I dunno what people's problem with Jason and Tiff's box thing was. I thought it was funny. Maybe they're trying to edge the show to be more like Top Gear; I hope not.

    I actually like 5th Gear to be in this size. TG is a better cap in 700 MB format due to the size and length of the film. Plus, most of us here burn copys of the TG films to disc after the season ends.

  19. #19
    otispunkmeyer's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 15th, 2006
    Location
    Loughborough UK
    Age
    26
    Posts
    4,800
    Car(s)
    '03 Skoda Superb (farewell :(), '06 Honda Civic ES
    Rep Power
    36
    was pretty good bar the boxer and his gf..... tbh that just smacked of some bint wanting to be on TV no matter what she did and used her semi-famous boyfriend to do it.

    rest of the show was good though, the california review was nice, i liked johnny's golf review and that crash test was awesome! i dunno about anyone else but i felt all the review sections kinda just ended abruptly, i dunno how to explain it, its like they never bothered to do like a closing or parting shot and instead just flipped the record button off.

    i like that new skoda too, very nice car.
    ____________________________
    Transport History:
    96' Ford Ka 1.3
    02' Ford Focus 1.4 CL
    03' Skoda Superb 1.9 TDi + 06' Honda Civic ES 1.8 i-Vtec

  20. #20
    Lexus? Oh shi- Shawn's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 26th, 2005
    Age
    26
    Posts
    13,990
    Car(s)
    MkVI GTI w/DSG
    Rep Power
    148
    It was okay, nothing too special. Most of the stuff was rather forgettable.

    The weakest link for me is still the new guy, Tim. He's unfunny and uninteresting... and he doesn't get much to work with. I mean come on, that car wash segment was so boring and stupid. Fifth Gear had already done a better car washing segment, then one where the guy has the super expensive waxes and stuff.

    He also blows in the studio segments... those segments are as hard to watch as they were last series. I don't like Tim and Tom's chemistry.

    I liked Jonny's review quite a bit, but I don't know what to think about the new Golf. As if the MkV wasn't already the same thing as the new Scirocco, the MkVI even looks like it from the front. I didn't think the last Golf was a good looking car, but it somehow looks like it should have come after the MkVI. The design is kind fo a step back for me.

    As for the California... people can say what they want, that car is highly desirable to me, and I don't care if I'd look like a big twat driving one. Although I should admit, I thought it was similar to the AMV8 in price, not the DB9 and Conti GT. With that kind of price tag, I'd just save up a bit more for an F430 or Gallardo. But I think the California looks alright, certainly no uglier than the F430 or 599.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. [15x03] January 19th, 2009
    By SL65 in forum FG Pre-Episode Discussions
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: January 19th, 2009, 9:28 PM
  2. [15x02] January 12th, 2009
    By SL65 in forum FG Pre-Episode Discussions
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: January 12th, 2009, 9:30 PM
  3. [15x01] January 5th, 2009
    By SL65 in forum FG Pre-Episode Discussions
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: January 5th, 2009, 10:17 PM
  4. NBC Announces January 2009 Schedule
    By RommieSG in forum Top Gear America
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: December 28th, 2008, 9:17 PM
  5. January 1st
    By The Flying Dutchman in forum The Forums
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: January 2nd, 2006, 11:41 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •