[11x02] June 29th, 2008

[WillDAQ]

Anyone for a Dacia Sandero?

http://www.dacia-sandero.org/

[vikiradTG2007]

Originally Posted by WillDAQ

Anyone for a Dacia Sandero?

http://www.dacia-sandero.org/

There will soon be thousands of them around here. Probably in the next two months. Because it's made here.

[IceBone]

I really hate how they mispronounce the names. Same with Lancia. It's Lan-chah and Dah-chee-yah. Or something along those lines.

[pitdog]

The chemistry between Clarkson and his co-hosts seems to be a bit different this season. Mebbe he is sticking to the way he dominates the show an they do not like it any longer...

[Kurokage]

Originally Posted by edkwon

This is what's wrong with the new breed of Top Gear fans,

Well hold on. I'm a veteran Top Gear fan and I still enjoy their cocking about segments just as much as the actual reviews, if not more.

The reviews are always more artistic and better made, but you gotta admit, the African Safari, British Layland Cars, Amphibious cars, etc, etc. They're all great and hilarious. Speaking of which, can't wait for the new race AND the cheap Alfa Romeo challenge.

On the topic of James May leaving: I highly fucking doubt it. Unless he actually wants to leave, they're not kicking him off or anything. Plus, this is how it always is with him. He doesn't review a car every single episode. And with the police car thing, he was shown just as much as the other two, plus, his car was obviously the best, with the ice cream truck siren. Everyone loves James, and if he were to leave, I'm sure the shows ratings would drop considerably.

[241mph]

Just finished watchin't and i think it was epic
subaru vs evo X very well put funny smart
audi rs6 was good they always talk about 0-60 times and 155 mph spped limit but they never tell us about the bit in between which is all torque i wonder why ???????
stuntman just got a lot better this time great effort
SIARPC much better ....
cool wall as always
now to my favourite part THE BLACK .... at first i thought he was gonna talk about its 525 horsepower or its mountains of torque .... but near the end it made sense it's not just about the numbers .... it's about the feel of the thing u , the car and the road no compromise nothing to worry about just pure petrolheadness !!!!!! i dream of such a ride.....
the filming grrrreat both the audi and merc segments well put together ...
one thing though the merc's noise could have been better louder and more ............ u know


overwall Top Gear is back in business

[mclarensmps]

I absolutely loved it. I knew this episode would be a lot better than the first one, and I really really enjoyed it tot he fullest. The races have all become predictable, but I reiterate from before: Since when was it ever about the result?

[daedalus]

Great episode. Pure, classic, 110% Top Gear. I loved all the car reviews, they were REALLY good. The black series review was especially good. The mood of the film when he starts out in the Black Series at night sent chills down my spine. Loved it!

Great Music used too. DJ Shadow + Mogwai... how can you go wrong?

[Redliner]

Originally Posted by BlaRo

Those French guys have absolutely terrible taste in music. Jack Johnson sucks.

Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer

i think the jack johnson was a joke that tied in with their preparations to seduce the chalet girls

I'm with otispunkmeyer.

Concerning the episode, I give it a solid 8.
The Evo doing circles around the STi was phenomenal!
The AMG review had me misty eyed, but I've been a little girlie lately...

[controlspecimen]

Originally Posted by Arctor

If you go back and look at the first 5 seasons or so they had a nice mix of supercars and everyman cars. Unfortunately the past 3 seasons it's been just one very expensive car after another. While I love watching supercars around the test track, I honestly think the reviews of the 'normal' cars are a lot more honest and enjoyable.

I agree that the "cheap" car reviews are also very enjoyable. I loved the Hammond and May convertible tests in the rainiest part of Britain. But my point was that before the supercar reviews were also more interesting.

[Silverstar]

Well well...I guess I might want to give some nitpicking into the EVO/STI test, even if I drive a Mazda 3

The film review makes me want a blue EVO...but my god the rear end of that thing is ugly, still looks like Yao Ming was plastered on the back. Of course Clarkson's view wouldn't change, especially if he's tearing around in the FQ360, would eat a stock STI alive. It's also really sad that the UK version doesn't even get the wheels or tires from any other market, they get left to two year old rims and who knows for tires. To be brutally honest, I think the STI in red is hideous, and that car was absolutely base model. It looks almost nothing like my car.

But I am suprised that it was faster, even if by .02 seconds. It died of oversteer at the hammerhead.

Let's get this straight though, the EVO and STI out of the box are one in the same. There are quirks with each of them, but they pretty much mirror eachother. Fanboys this and that...I like both cars, but I love the Subaru.

The RS6 review was pretty good, that car is a beast. Did you see those ceramic brakes? God I would kill to have a scenery and car like that to trounce on as I race crazy French Skigliding nutters to a bar to get wasted

SIARPC isn't working for me...are they running out of bigger named people to get? I'd really love to have just one, with a nice chat with them and their car history. It was better than the last episode, which didn't even flow...all cut together.

TG stuntman was serisouly cose to getting that spin done. I'm still torn on whether it is comic relief and a bit of time to take up, or some bit of seriousness. It was good to see the cool wall back in it's new form. Lol on the Fiat and May. Suprised to see all the Astons go from Sub-Zero fame to Seriously Uncool...a big push for the DB9 to drop out of the fridge.

The Black Series is an awesome car, those Welsh roads are always the best for car reviews. I enjoyed the camera work on that review too. I bet though, if I ever saw one I would have to look again to know it was a Black Series. It's definately an agressive looking car, but from a glance I might mistake it for a standard CLK. I guess that's a bit of the point though, it's not a stripped out racer MB, it's still civilized enough to live with.

Overall I give this episode a 8/10

Heh, and if we're showing screencaps...the lady over Richards left shoulder ruined her 2 seconds of airtime

[Mr. Nice]

Excellent show, A-. I think I would have given this show a 10 if it hadn't been for Top Gear stuntman, he just came off to be way too homogenized. The planning leading up to the stunt was interesting, as was the stunt itself, but it was definitely lacking something. I think more of an air of excitement is needed, something like what was in the Evel Knievel stunts, fireworks, a live crowd audience, flames, etc. I'm sure Hammond, having met Knievel, might have a few ideas in that area.

SIARPC was much better this week, and was definitely watchable, though when two people are on, it seems to get a little lost. It's much better with a one on one interview, though I don't want to come off as though I'm complaining, as this week was leaps and bounds beyond last weeks duo.

Great to see Clarkson back on form with his car reviews, I don't know what exactly went wrong with the F-430 interview, though I can see that driving the third rendition of a car, it would be hard to say a whole lot that hasn't already been said, no matter how much better it is than the other similar models. It also seemed like the wide screen shots with the Scuderia weren't quite right somehow

Anyways, thank you Top Gear, for a much better show

[zeroSignal]

Overall, the consensus is that this episode was great, and I wholeheartedly agree. Thoroughly enjoyed it, start to finish. Great work!

[Blind_Io]

When Clarkson asked "When was the last time anyone went for a drive just for fun?" (or something like that) I thought to myself all the times I have done that in the past couple weeks, or found an excuse to go out - but always on the motorcycle.

I got a big grin when he said that riders still do this all the time. Of course, it's Clarkson so he had to imply that we aren't people, but it got me thinking. I don't know anyone that goes driving for fun, either they don't like driving or they can't afford it. As a community, bikers are more in touch with motoring for pleasure than any other group.

As for the rest of the episode, I liked it. The cocking about is fine, but it was nice to see the focus go back to the cars. Also, there was a hot girl standing behind Clarkson during the News. Watch her face when he puts up his mysterious internet find.

[upyourego]

In a lot of ways you can compare Doctor Who and Top Gear and the main one is the 'fanbase' there are hardcore fans on both sites - although you guys aren't quiet as nuts as the DW guys - although I can't say the same for the people on the James May Boards

But the other is also Mass Appeal - Top Gear and Doctor Who both appeal to an amazing wide and diverse audience covering male/female and old/young (the ratings breakdown proves it).

Also both have a long history and a pretty geeky original subject matter. Which brings me to the point I wanted to make - I knew I'd get there in the end.

If you take a geeky show + a history + a hardcore fanbase + a mass varied audience = two sides wanting different things from the show.

In the Doctor Who fanbase those outside of the hardcore fans are called Not We's - basically the people that just watch the show every week because it's a great piece of entertainment and don't particularly care about the subject matter.

If we only take the UK audience into account (sorry guys outside) as they're the ones that the show is made - I would suggest that about two thirds of the total Top Gear audience is made up of the Not FGs.

And I would suggest that they prefer the cocking about episodes that don't really focus on the cars - but are more about three middle aged blokes having a laugh.

God I wrote a lot to get to that point.

Which made me wonder whether it was worth finding a friend/family member each week who only watches Top Gear casually (doesn't assess and strip it apart each week) and ask what they thought of it.

I have several people like that in my office and their reaction to this weeks episode was 'yeah it was alright but last week was much better'.

[IceBone]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

I don't know anyone that goes driving for fun, either they don't like driving or they can't afford it.

I just came from a 2 hour drive like that. Just drove into one direction for the hell of it, til i got hopelessly lost (the gravel road ended with a huge tree), then used the gps to come home. Didn't have music playing, turned the phone off and just enjoyed the drive.

[Rapier]

Great episode, I'd like a bit more of mister May but other then that just excellent.

Only really down point I found is the editing of the clips. In this case the Black-Series CLK and the RS6, the shots and camera work themselves are terrific. But why switch angels every 2 seconds? Gives me an headache, as a casing point take the moment when Jeremy overtakes the Range-Rover, 20 switches in less then 10 seconds or so.

I'm I the only one who feels like this?

Also it the CLK really called "The Black" in the UK? Over here it's called the "CLK63 AMG Black Series". "The Black" sounds a lot more menacing.

[aaurora]

Evo and the Impreza - I watched it on the plasma with the surround sound pumping and god, it was good. Beautiful music, beautiful shots. As