[18x01] October 8th, 2010

[18x01] October 8th, 2010

  • 10

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • 9

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 8

    Votes: 9 12.3%
  • 7

    Votes: 17 23.3%
  • 6

    Votes: 10 13.7%
  • 5

    Votes: 19 26.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 3 4.1%
  • 3

    Votes: 5 6.8%
  • 2

    Votes: 6 8.2%
  • 1

    Votes: 3 4.1%

  • Total voters
    73
For only 22 mins it was quite a respectable show. The shoot out was not as marred by the usual cock measuring competition that Plato and Needell embark on and the other segments were OK. They didn't make out that the dragster was the peak of drag racing .. they simply said that it was the fastest thing that Ben Collins had driven.
 
Hate it. The only good part was the Fabia's record breaking. Vicky sound snob when making a reference to her unborn child, Ben Collins sounded like a prick when he tried to joke about the fact he was once Stig and on a 22 minute show spending 4 minutes with a stupid text messaging contest leads me to give this episode a mere 2.
 
Just saw it and thought it was quite decent.

The same complaints as last season regarding the running length of the show.

A solid 7/10 from me.
 
Didnt know what to expect from Collins, but wasnt terrible. Have to admit I was pretty curious as to how he would do... Would be interesting to see a Ben v. Jason v. Tiff showdown.

Have to say though that Jonny is becoming my favorite presenter on Fifth Gear.
 
Doing any serious comparisons between the drivers is pointless. In the past any Tiff vs Jason has been with different cars, and I'm glad it's that way. Knowing who is faster around a track adds nothing to the show, it only introduces tension.
 
It was ok. I am absolutely in love with Vicki so I could care less what she does or how she speaks. I was kinda taken aback by Ben Collins. It wasn't bad but, ok you were stig right on doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it. As for the dragster bit 1. I have friends who have street legal cars that are capable of under 9 seconds. 2. I have a hard time believing that is the "fastest thing the stig/ben has ever driven. Maybe straight live acceleration wise. Anyway it was an alright episode. to be honest I myself am waiting for the next Top Gear Aussie. If the special was anything close of whats to come, I can't wait love the host. And yeah I think Tom Ford should be on TG I think he would be cool it was stupid of fifth gear to drop him IMO. Anyway can't wait to see what the sti..err i mean cocky ben does next.
 
I think its bad form Ben Colins to bring up 'stiggate' his segment was very dry too. I'm guessing he was a last minute addition to the cast and they had to film something quick

Would have been more fun see Tiff and Jason doing a shoot out to have Ben burst in half way through with a 3rd option.
 
Too short, they should go back to 1 hour.

When he started talking I knew why STIG never talked.

Now they got a great opportunity to do another 24hr race special with 3 proper racing drivers.
 
Just watched it. Not too bad, but overall fairly boring episode. M3 vs C63... again. And the M3 won... again. I was rather hoping the intro with the M3/C63 was a lead up to the real competitors. And it's really starting to annoy me how often all these shows try and drift everything they drive. Personally, I don't give a shit about that. It's a gimmick that has next to nothing to do with the actual handling of the car, case in point with the M3 in this episode.

Ben Collins was average at best. I think it was a very poor opening segment for him. Drag racing does take some skill, but his expertize is in other areas. I also thought all the Stig references were in poor taste. A subtle joke here and there would have sufficed. And I cringed at his voice over at the end when he posted a sub-9-second run. "Yay. I did it. Yay." He's not very good at faking excitement.

The Bentley was alright, but Vicki needs to tone herself down. They really shouldn't let her talk so much. :p

The Skoda segment was pretty good, considering Jonny was only setting a record for a 1.4L car.

Overall I give it a 5/10.
 
Everything was alright until the 'twig' showed up. His presentation style is mediocre at best and the whole segment was a bore.
 
Had nothing better to do so decided on checking out how the new fifth gear season looks (tried to watch some episodes earlier but found them too boring).
Firstly 20 mins (including that stupid advert!!!) is just too short.
Most of the presentation was average at best. I mean two rounds for comparing the AMG and M3, surely they could have included some more like a drag or how the two feature on non-racing stuff like comfort, gadgets etc. (just to get some material for presentation) (could make it funny also like when JC tried to teach the S-Class computer to dial a number) for starters or atleast included some more cars (underdogs) to spice things up.

Vikki section was boring as expected.

I have no problems with ben collins moving to fifth gear (he has every right to do so) but the Stig reference was repulsive at best. Fifth gear could atleast include a lap board type concept now that they have hired him (?).

The Skoda part was definitely the most interesting. But one kind of expected it to perform like it did (we are comparing it to an old metro). One should not read too much into the 1.4L part as i guess the engine in question is the GDI Turbo which will easily compete with larger (1.6 or even 1.8) MPFI engines. As an after thought this segment could also have been expanded to include some of the other hot hatches like the Focus, Golf, Clio etc (would have made the episode last longer).

Well, a total waste of time even after I had nothing better to do. 5 due to the Skoda.
 
the engine in question is the GDI Turbo which will easily compete with larger (1.6 or even 1.8) MPFI engines.

It's the twincharged TSI from the Polo GTI/Golf GT/Ibiza Cupra (turbo + supercharger). Compared to n/a engines from the VWAG range it sits between the 2.3 V5 (170hp) and the 2.8 V6 (193hp).
 
I agree

I agree

Didnt know what to expect from Collins, but wasnt terrible. Have to admit I was pretty curious as to how he would do... Would be interesting to see a Ben v. Jason v. Tiff showdown.

Have to say though that Jonny is becoming my favorite presenter on Fifth Gear.

I agree with the above. All things aside about the various presenters, the only one now who keeps his own (which is all we want from fifth gear) is Johnny.

I also agree with comment that this is, after all, a show with proper racers with decent road tests (albeit not theatrically entertaining) hence not to be judged with the very entertaining TG. I still like fifth gear around to provide alternate advice.

I would advice people to also consider Youtubing the Autocar videos for alternate video reviews.

Keep watching and like your honest comments. I have been your fellow member for many years, almost since the very start of this forum when only a handful of members; lost my login and then rejoined, but never posted. Keep up the honest comments. I did ask Andy Wilman and James May (when I went on live audience) about our forum and they both are fans of ours !! Can you believe that ?!!
 
Pretty good opener. Glad to have FG back for another season for sure. Best bit was Jonny's, as per usual. That guy has serious talent and charm in front of the camera.

So sick of hearing about the Stig. 8/10
 
IMO, FG is trying too hard to copy TG since the previous series with all the powerrrrrrrrr and supercar malarkey. They've lost every sense for sensible consumer advice, which they used to give at least to some extent.
I don't mind it too much that Ben Collins moved over to FG, but his appearance was rather weak. Maybe, he's going to do better in the following episodes. But what I do mind a lot is the disrespectful rivalry which FG is conducting against TG.
overall, a below average episode.
 
They tried to do too much in such a short time span. It was all pretty meh. Johnny's section wasn't that great either which was a disappointment. In an odd turn of events I though Vikkis section was the best. But then she did a car review instead of the lame dragster and Skoda segments.
 
This episode doesn't compare to anything they did last series. Ben Collins doesn't add anything to the show, so far she just takes away from it.
 
Is it just me or have they tried to trim down the amount of time it takes to promote the competition for winning the prizes? Tiff seems to be talking a bit faster and they seem to spend less time on it in general. I think that's a good thing but it's still just too long. All that stuff they have to say, by law, about the call costs and when the competition closes and shit... It just eats up too much time. Back when they just basically gave away a car it was much quicker to get through it all but now they give away the lap with Tiff and the... other things, I dunno, I don't even pay attention. Point is, it all eats up too much time.

I like the segments with Tiff vs Jason. I like the way they get along and seem to be friends yet still remain competitive. It's way better than the phony/possibly actually real bitterness that seems to be shared between the presenters of Top Gear. Man, that gets on my nerves, the way they argue like fucking children and pretend to hate each other and the way each of them is given a car to test throughout a three-way test and they have to pretend to hate the cars that the other two are testing. Anyway, enough about Top Gear. I like the way Tiff and Jason do the segment but enough already with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class with the 6.3 badge and the BMW M3 and enough already with drifting. I know it looks good on camera but it's stupid. Nothing is learned from it and it's basically just another waste of time, especially sinse most cars don't even lend themselves to drifting, like any FWD car or that well-balanced BMW for example. Drifting is just so 2009.

I liked all the rest of it just fine. I really like Viki, I dunno what you guys problem is with her. Leave Brittney Viki alone!!:cry:

Also, I am from Northern Ireland so I liked that segment just partly for the fact that they filmed there.:D

The Bentley sucks tho. It's chintzy and vulgar and too old now to even be noted as relevant. It's always just been a big, expensive, shiny toy for wankers and now now that it's old and we've seen it a bunch of times... ah, who cares?

The Bit with the Skoda was good, I'm liking Johnny more and more these days. i wonder if the issue with the tyre could have been avoided if they switched out the stock Dunlops for something good?

I don't mind Ben Collins. I really very strongly dislike Top Gear and the people affiliated with it who had a hand in turning it into the pile of shit it is now so I don't care that Collins stabbed them all in the back, frankly. I would have preferred the chest but the back is fine. But anyway, that segment wasn't very good. 8 point something seconds is not a particularly fast pass. There are much, much faster dragsters out there. And in addition to that, he doesn't seem to be a very good presenter, at least not yet. He sounds a bit.. I dunno, dry? Boring? something like that. At least he seems natural tho! Jeez, I hope after they read our comments they don't direct him to the point where he sounds like he's coked up mental patient with the over excitement.

EDIT: He seems fine in the bits they've filmed live on the spot or whatever but it's the voice-over that seems dry and like he's reading it off a page... which of course, he is but... it's not supposed to seem that way.

Anyway, I enjoyed it overall and I'll give it... I dunno... a 7?
 
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It was OK. I basically liked the segments, but Collins is just meh. His presentation is kind of dead with no personality. I didn't like the whole bitter negative thing he had going on towards Top Gear. Get over it, move on. I just think car shows should be fun.
 
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