[04x02] September 6th, 2011

[04x02] September 6th, 2011


  • Total voters
    33

Viper007Bond

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Please stay on-topic. :)
 
6/10

The 9:30 timeslot sucked. I fell asleep near the end. Competent production, but not particularly entertaining.

The Smart car bike thing was okay.

The VW Anorak 'challenge' was obviously "We'll give you an Audi spyder if you take the ute as well." It would have been more logical to do something against the Hilux.

I can't believe there's only 42 minutes of content and they still see a need pad it out with lame V8 and jet car stunts.

I finding myself cringing all the way through waiting for them to deliberately damaged a car or kill an audience member.

Competent but unentertaining.
 
It was so boring. There is no chemistry between the hosts and the challenges are very boring. They think they make an Australian show because their car is a UTE. A 4 from me and a recommendation to people to not watch it.
 
The show makes me cringe it is embarrassing , how do they get people to turn up to filming. The guys on the show "The Talent" are woeful
 
This series is pretty painful so far. I'm sorry but this crew is pretty bad. Warren is greatly missed, he made the show much better. Steve is decent, but, only on the first 2 series. I almost think I prefer series 1 over the others with Charlie. Maybe they shouldn't of brought it bad if it was going to be this bad.

The US show is definitely better. Bring Warren and Charlie back and lets start over and give it 1 more chance.
 
Guess I'll be the first dissenting voice here and judging by the votes not the only one. Had a good chuckle for most of the show including the star in the ute and I don't have clue who they were. The 4x4 race was predictable but still had a few chuckles and a few cringes. I've been trapped in the passenger seat with a much worse driver and after a few hours it hurts but not as bad as the next day.

The part that I thought was lame was the v8 kebab spinner. Now if they had left that out and used the jet to burn the biker lycra then it would have been pretty good.

Still think TGUS and TGAUS are more entertaining than TGUK which seems sort of stale or in a rut right now. I'm still surprised to see someone that has watched any TG at all really expect to see a serious car review. :cool:
 
I thought the Audi vs VW segment was quite good, but there was just something that wasn't quite right. The pacing and flow of the segment just seemed off. Maybe it was just the ad breaks distracting me.

The smart car cyclist thing was kind of cute, but nowhere near funny enough.

The Redback needed a more in depth test. Not being road legal does limit them somewhat, but there was much more that could have been done, and said about it.

Having seen that jet car in action myself...

IMGP1459.jpg


...I'm still wondering what the point was on having it on TG.
 
If they're not going to say anything about the VW 4x4 then why have it on at all!

Every few years some person comes out with a "Australian Supercar", they do nothing and it goes nowhere, that Spyder thing will be no different and since it can't be road-registered why show it. When an Australian Supercar sells 50+ I'll pay attention to it.

Initially started ok, but went downhill.
 
The Carbontech has been a one-off since about 2007 I believe, it was at a few motor shows in that year. Also didn't really see the point in it but it is a very cool car. Can't wait for a Joss though.
 
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This definitely reminded me of something out of Series 2 TGUK, which is not a good thing. The comparison would have been complete if Shane had shouted, "I am a driving god!" That being said, at least Ewen didn't trigger a need in me to smash his face repeatedly into a brick wall, which was the case in the previous episode.

I'm glad that other people are saying that Warren needs to come back, but not Charlie Cox, please. He's the answer to the question, "What would New Top Gear have been like if they'd hired Tiff Needell instead of Richard?" A cast of Shane, Warren, and Steve, as I've said before, would be perfect.
 
You know what, I like the presenters, but after four seasons I reckon it's time to call it a day.

Let's just admit that Freehand don't have the required skills to make a show worthy of the Top Gear brand.

Time to face facts. It's time to quit. Freehand is simply not the right tool for the job.

Pull the pin.
 
i think its moving very well in the right direction and in time it will be a great show. what the hell is wrong with some of you? What are you watching?
 
I'm glad that other people are saying that Warren needs to come back, but not Charlie Cox, please. He's the answer to the question, "What would New Top Gear have been like if they'd hired Tiff Needell instead of Richard?" A cast of Shane, Warren, and Steve, as I've said before, would be perfect.

Maybe you're right, Shane isn't so bad some of the time (like the VW Ute review). I just know that Warren was/is my favorite Aussie presenter. He brought a very different and very entertaining feel to the show. The episode where he was riding a horse through the outback racing the Porsche was classic. I'd like Steve to host it with Warren and Shane taking the secondary roles. That should be a good show right there if they borrow some TGUK and TGUS production team. The hosts aren't the only problem though. But at least they are doing proper car reviews, something TGUS and TGUK isn't doing for the most part.

i think its moving very well in the right direction and in time it will be a great show. what the hell is wrong with some of you? What are you watching?

The question is, what are you watching. :lol: Seems to be a general consensus at least on this forum that this show is almost beyond saving. I agreed that after 2 series TGAU deserved one more chance with series 3, but series 3 was a bomb for me and others. Series 4 isn't turning out to be any better. By the 4th series TGUK was nearing the top of their game and miraculously TGUS is nearing its stride after nearly 2 series. For TGAU to survive it is going to need one hell of a finish to the current series--that and bring back Warren.
 
i think its moving very well in the right direction and in time it will be a great show. what the hell is wrong with some of you? What are you watching?

I agree it seems harsh, but I'll humbly suggest that we are actually watching two different shows (assuming you're not an ex-pat Aussie).

It's the cultural cringe element. It's the the same way that I would view TGUS differently to you guys.

I keep willing TGA to improve but it doesn't happen. Nothing would make me happier.
 
Not as good as last week obviously, but they really need to grasp the concept of a challenge. That's my biggest gripe. And there's too many pointless things rather than actual cars.
 
I gave it a seven (as compared to other episodes of this show). It wasn't bad, had some neat things in it. I feel like maybe they're trying too hard for the comedy (guys in underpants, Steve having a Deliverance moment, Ewen screaming, burning some meat with a jet) instead of letting it come a little more 'naturally.'

I know they can do a truly great episode; I really, really liked episode 1 of series 3 (not the Ashes Special, the episode where they drove old cars to Lake Eyre. Bring us more things like that please.

Other thoughts: Ewen is so quiet most of the time. How on earth does he end up so shouty?

Not a Top Gear criticism, but how come the country that brought us the Ford Falcon and the Holden Commodore hasn't got a genuine production supercar? Heck, America has had three just from the big manufacturers (Vette, Viper, Ford GT) and we're not even into the small, guys-in-a-shed end of the market yet. Not criticizing, just curious.

I do like how Steve persevered despite all of Shane's and Ewen's interference. I think this should happen more. Let the other two guys challenge him, delude themselves that they've won, and then have Steve pop out with the win.

I do kind of like the debate segment that's popped up this series. So far its been about things everyone can relate to (speed limits, bicyclists) regardless of nation. Keep these coming, keep them brief and to the point, and this is a win.

I like these three hosts, though I think Steve feels a little outsider-ish. Maybe some 'team building' crap is in order.

Not too keen on the "a V8 fixes everything" segment. There is a reason that Top Gear only tried this a couple of times. Let it go guys.

All in all, this is a much better show than series 2, and just as good as series 1. I'm viewing it as an American of course, so my POV is probably a little off compared to the Aussies here, but there is nothing wrong with this show inherently, just a few minor things. Of course this series is already in the can so nothing can be changed or tweaked at this point, but I hope that the time slot change doesn't bury this show and it can go on.
 
Not a Top Gear criticism, but how come the country that brought us the Ford Falcon and the Holden Commodore hasn't got a genuine production supercar? Heck, America has had three just from the big manufacturers (Vette, Viper, Ford GT) and we're not even into the small, guys-in-a-shed end of the market yet. Not criticizing, just curious.

This deserves a serious answer, even if it is depressing.

First of all, our population is tiny. Niche market segments like that are just too small here to justify wasting money on the attempt. Half the world's supercars don't even get a dealership here. Hell, most of the world's mass produced sports cars are not sold here.

Government regulation of the car industry here is crazy. There are enough differences between our standards and those of Europe and the USA to cause problems.
Our fuel is crap. Most engines need to be detuned to cope. Even those that specify high octane fuels.

Building one-off or kit cars is quite difficult, as the government regulations covering them are way too stringent.

Lots of people have tried in the past. Every few years there is talk of a "new Aussie supercar" to come out of someone's shed, or new start up company. About the only company that has had any real success is Bolwell. They've been in business since the '60s, and produce about one car every five years.

The Ford Falcon is on its last generation. It's due to be replaced with the American Taurus. I've heard that the latest generation of Taurus is not complete crap. It will still be a sad day to see the last Falcon roll off the production line.
 
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