[16x02] January 30th, 2011

[gtrNL]

The news and the 250 GTO / 288 GTO where the only great parts.

599 GTO felt like a total repeat of the 599 review. I know it's a computer.
Ashes, meh. Seen it before.

7/10 because it still was the best thing on telly.

 

[victorloya]

LOL I'm mexican and I have to agree it was funny, even though they tore us a new one. It's funny how we sort of have the "been lazy" feature attached to us even if it isn't truth every time. Still pretty funny

Just hope they give the mastretta (or "tortilla" as it is now know) a chance to run on the track, I've heard good things about it they say it handles like an elise

Hello Chimi. You're right, it was funny.

I also hope they give it a chance in the test track. It kinda looks like an elise, though.

Their opinions weren't as bad as I thought. Although I didn't like May's opinons about Mexican food. There's something he must know. They haven't tasted Mexican food, from what they said all three of them have tasted the U.S. version of Mexican food, with "sick cheese".

Taco Bell is a good example of what is not Mexican but stands as being Mexican food.

And about being 'lazy', it all came from a cartoon designed to promote Tequila,(source: http://www.bicentenarios-daad.org/pdf/JMA.pdf) , I don't know if it was effective, but that image has remained as the stereotype of mexicans.

But what is a fact, and I personally know, is that in hot, humid and sunny zones you really start to feel a little more sleepy, the weather really affects you.

In Mexico, it is recognized that the North and the Center of the country live the most hardworking and entrepenuers people, they live in colder zones. It is in the North were exists San Pedro Garza Garcia, well-known for its high quality of life and as the location for a great amount of industries and businesses, ofter regarded as Latin America's most affluent suburb. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Garza_García)

So, not as lazy as often depicted.

 

[MWF]

Isn't it always nice to see strange comments in the TG specific episode discussions by people who otherwise contribute nothing at all to the forum? I mean, it's like readers' letters to a newspaper: You simply shake your head about it and then forget it.

Anyway, I really liked this episode. I have no idea why the nitpickers always have the first word on it but saying that it was using old footage, is stupid. Also I cannot understand, how somebody can make up his mind about the whole episode and vote it down, just because they didn't show more of their favourite car

Mexican jokes: Finally something new on the show, didn have those before It wasn't racist at all, btw. It was the usual thing they do with EVERY foreign nationality. So calm down.

Boris Becker: Strangely enough he seems to be cooler on English TV, than on German TV. I think the chemistry was good between him and Jeremy. But you should always consider, that an interview can never go as smoothly between two persons, who speak different languages, as it can go between two speakers of the same language. But at least Boris can speak proper English. You should watch some of the SIARPC stars, when they are on German TV and have to be translated simultaneously, because they DON'T speak the language of the show's host but try to be funny by quoting some German phrases they picked up somewhere Talking about embarrassment...

Didn't care for the Ferrari bit (because I don't care for Ferraris at all).

Gave it 9/10, just to give a counter balance to all the nitpickers.

Thanks. You just saved me from typing pretty much the same thing, although an 8 from me. And

 

[aaurora]

Like most dedicated TG fans, I had seen the Ashes before. However, still re-watched this episode and enjoyed it.

Thank you, Jeremy, for giving your thoughts to the people of Australia who have suffered in the floods. Very thoughtful to mention it, and I hope that when you and James come to Brisbane in March, you won't judge it too harshly as there's still a lot of rebuilding to be done. So please come back again next year

 

[temppa]

I ruined this episode by watching parts of the Australian version from Youtube earlier... The challenges would have been a lot more interesting if they had been... well, fair. Didn't like the GTO review and the news weren't as good as they were last time. SIARPC was good.

6/10 for me.

 

[halllo_fireball]

After complaining a lot about last weeks episode - what a brilliant one! Proper honest track test, proper SIARPC, proper news, proper fight with the Australians - proper Top Gear! The battle was shortened quite a bit, but this made it rather brilliant. And how nice is it to have a good news segment. However, there is one little complaint: Why can't they just drive a car down the straight without any interruption, so everybody can enjoy the sound?! I mean, how hard can it be?
Great episode - not epic - 9/10

 

[rideclutch]

Like most dedicated TG fans, I had seen the Ashes before. However, still re-watched this episode and enjoyed it.

Thank you, Jeremy, for giving your thoughts to the people of Australia who have suffered in the floods. Very thoughtful to mention it, and I hope that when you and James come to Brisbane in March, you won't judge it too harshly as there's still a lot of rebuilding to be done. So please come back again next year

Jeremy was so right about the 599 not deserving the GTO badge as well. 8/10.

 

[cKone]

the stig broke character at the end! he almost shook Hammond's hand. Did anyone else notice that?!

Some say, shaking hands is a knee jerk reaction the programmers haven't gotten around to debugging yet.
Others say the new stig isn't used to being the stig yet

All we know, he's called James May

Hi there, I found some more "acting out of character"!
http://forums.finalgear.com/top-gear/the-new-stig-behind-the-scenes-sort-of-48030/

 

[Interrobang]

This weeks episode didn?t work that well for me. It mainly was the Australian Segment ... it was a lot better than when they took on D-Motor, still not such a great bit of entertainment for me. The highlight was the prison-van and the Transit XJ220. Apart from that it didn?t do anything for me. The Ferrari-bit was pretty good ... but far from outstanding. Unlike the original 599 review. THAT was awsome. This felt like a reheat.
News - not bad, better than last week. Guest - skipped. I don?t like Boris Becker on German telly ... I wasn?t too happy seeing him on my favorite british show ...

6/10

 

[maxtortheone]

If that's the same Stig they use on the track that they used in rally part, then he's really, really fast. Also, I'm surprised by the GTO's lap time.

 

[ALXBWSCREW]

5/10 - this season is getting worse with every episode.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

The news was pretty funny. I wonder how long it will take the Daily Mail to stir up some Mexican "outrage"? .. or will they just use that Muslim idiot they usually drag out?
The GTO thing was OK .. just wish they would get off the test track .. If it is designed to be a road car .. test it on a road!! You don't test aircraft in a swimming pool ...... or then again, Clarkson might.
I thought the Ashes challenge was better on this version than the Australian one .. there seemed to be less of the "Bruce" and "Nigel" crap ... but it was still basically all rubbish that should've been left on the cutting room floor.
Boris Becker was an excellent guest ... he's my favourite German too (after MacGuffin ).

They tested the Comet in a swimming pool of sorts. To find out why they were dropping out the sky. Square windows!!

All those moaning about no new material. I mean come on, that's tour fault for watching both shows. They can't get around that unless they just don't show it. And jeremy's review on the gto? What did you expect him to say something completely different? You'd be moaning if he did, and again not everyone is a major tg fan and won't have seen the DVD either.

You can't moan that its recycled footage when it technically hasn't been aired in the uk before.

 

[The Spie]

I'm an Anglo who ran a staff of 110 Mexicans for a year and a half, and let me assure you, there are a lot of Mexicans that do fit that stereotype. It did make things on the guys who were hard-working a lot more difficult. So, I ended up just...well, nodding when they went into that routine.

Decent editing on the Ashes segments. We at least got to see a good quantity of footage we didn't see in the TGAUS version; compare the D-Motor version of the German challenge, where the only thing new TGUK broadcast was the Spitfire footage. One thing that I wish they would have done was modify the end credits to list Shane, Steve, and Ewen as presenters, although that might have gone against Equity rules. It would have shown a bit of worldwide Top Gear solidarity had they done it/been able to do it.

I am so utterly bored with Jezza In A Fezza. There needs to be some kind of moratorium on this, something like, "For the next two series, all power tests of any 911, any Ferrari, and any Mercedes will be done by James." Anything to stop them displaying their Car Boners and increase the variety of the reviews.

Pretty good SIARPC. The sports stars (F1 drivers excluded) tend to produce some of the best interviews, and this was no exception (witness the incredibly nutty Usain Bolt SIARPC).

All in all, a better effort than the last episode. But this season is turning out to be more like 14 rather than 15.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

We know that, we get that...still.....sucks. No matter where it airs, chances are TG Fans have seen it. The BBC is aware of the internet. Re-used footage is re-used footage nevermind the country/market. So I still kinda feel ripped off.

people should remember that before they start ranting, about people ranting, about how they feel ripped off. Pulling that union jack out the ass might do the trick too.

How can you feel ripped off? you haven't paid for anything

 

[Cobol74]

Yes, "Andy please ban Jezza from Fezzas and Hamster from Prosches" for EVER MORE. Enough already.

btw the only joke I know involving a Mexican.

... and the American said "Remember the Alamo" and threw the Mexican out.

 

[jedd_kenobi]

We know that, we get that...still.....sucks. No matter where it airs, chances are TG Fans have seen it. The BBC is aware of the internet. Re-used footage is re-used footage nevermind the country/market. So I still kinda feel ripped off.

people should remember that before they start ranting, about people ranting, about how they feel ripped off. Pulling that union jack out the ass might do the trick too.

How can you feel ripped off? you haven't even paid to see it. The BBC is funded by the licence fee that everyone in England pays for. For the millionth time it isn't re-used footage either. The Ashes special has not aired over here and it was new footage for the uk market.

 

[biggie]

8 for me, but I hadn't seen the AU section before. Laughed quite a bit during the News.

 

[BobTG]

This season better than expected

This season better than expected

I was saddened by the pettiness RE: Xstig in the US special and it felt like the TG ride had come to a pathetic whinging stop. However 16x1 & 2 were refreshing and fun. Not the best but far from the worst and it felt like they were getting back to the fun they had in the earlier series.

A great gag would to have had "Stig" remove his helmet in the rally car and to have had it been James. However that would have taken away from the real "Stig's" wildly entertaining rally drive.

All in all nice to see them moving forward with the new season and nice to see Tiff in 16x01. Always nice to see Tiff on the show he probably really belongs.

 

[prizrak]

Great episode, I was surprised at how well the Stig did on the rally race, I have a feeling that both the Stig and TGA driver had a bit of rally training prior to this episode.

 

[halllo_fireball]

Guest - skipped. I don?t like Boris Becker on German telly ... I wasn?t too happy seeing him on my favorite british show ...

You shouldn't have done that. I was in for a shock as well, when they announced Boris - a man most famous for changing his wife every half hour, at least nowadays. But rather surprisingly the interview was really nice - so go and watch it

Why are you all complaining about Jeremy driving the Ferraris? I don't think James did a very convincing job testing supercars - he simply belongs to something different, a Bentley or a Rolls. The only thing that really annoys me about Jezza supercar testing is when he wants to tell us he likes a car, just because it is British, although you can clearly see he doesn't enjoy it.