I honestly didn't like it. It's just more of the same. Sometimes it seemed like i was watching re-runs of Top Gear.
Haha, I just got it, and as soon as the Mustang took off the line, I realized it was a V6. And a 'vert at that....no wonder it lost.
^ It was mentioned before - it's just a flatish rock casting a shadow.
I think its the intellectual dishonesty people are so opposed to. I wouldn't mind seeing an American icon like a Mustang against a British icon, a Rover. What I do mind is when he tests a Mustang on a track against an Exige, because as he says later in the show, the result was a foregone conclusion. You may as well run the Mustang against a Ferrari F430 so that in the end you can say, "This is what happens when the Italians decide to use a V8."
And this type of comparison was seen all over the place. Range Rover against an Escalade and H2. Please. While I don't doubt that the Rover will climb the hill better than the other two, I am still not clear on what happened to the H2... and the driver of the Escalade was clearly inept. Build quality tests by filling cars with water? Getting car parts through an airplane window hole? What is he getting at? I am so lost?
And then it all came to a head for me when he walked across the street complaining that Americans drive rubbish cars too slowly. Is he griping that we use our stop signs with a general sense of fairness to other drivers? If so, how does this jibe with his article complaining that American drivers are prone to road rage and excessive speeds? And how are we supposed to accept his premise that we drive rubbish cars when in that scene, I saw a Porsche Turbo, what I think is an M3 and a Boxter?
"God, I'm glad I don't live here," he says. Why? Because there aren't a bunch of Italians flailing their arms?
Overall, I liked the film. Primarily because I watched it paying only half attention, criticizing nothing, using none of my brain to analyze what was said. But the more I think about it, the more I find to dislike, and the more I discover to be senseless. And those films never last for the long run in my book.
Perhaps Jeremy made this movie to be just like American cars. Disposable.
I wanted to get my two cents in on this. First of all - Thanks for that, I'm in withdrawal and it was nice to have some Clarkson material. As an American though - a couple of things about it bothered me. Many have already been commented on and I understand its all in good fun.
I am pretty self-critical as an American - I love Clarkson's American bashing, and he has our number on a lot of issues. That man on the street business is sad but true and a bitter-sweet laugh. There is a Paris themed casino RIGHT THERE - come on; Venetian? Bellagio? Monte Carlo?. Factual issues aside:
As noted, these comparos were pretty stacked.
M5 v SRT8 - Bringing a knife to a gun fight - as he conceded, huge price difference, the SRT8 has no pretenses of going head on with an M5
Mustang v Exige - Again - a mass market cheap sports car vs a more expensive, purpose built, creature comfort free, track car? why not an SLK350 or even a Boxster?
Viper v Atom - I mean come on - I have infinite respect for the Atom, I do, but seriously the viper is a fully enclosed car, same as the exige problem. I think a Viper vs an M6 would be a much more dignified and pertinent comparison
Offroad Challenge - H2 - fair point - but the Escalade is no off-roader. What about the H1, or any manner of Jeep? Give us a fighting chance.
The Corvette, Viper, and Rousch Mustang are solid, the Cadillac Sixteen was incredible (and I lament that we didn't build it) and some of the SS models are solid. Fords and Daimler Chrysler cars, particularly (while certainly having European contributions) are fine.
There are things we can do, and things we can't do
We can't do: (This isn't news to anyone)
- Luxury
- Comfort
- Economy
- Corners
- Refinement
(I know thats a LOT)
But we CAN do:
- Cheap
- Fun
- Great sounds
- Straight-line fast
(for some reason we have refined the absolute hell out of pushrod v-8s and live axels)
- Offroaders
- Blue-collar exotics
Were not European, but we deserve a little credit. Still - hilarious vid and all in good fun. This was a great watch - the cinematography was beautiful. I especially love that scene it goes out on - fantastic.
Meh - whatever - I respect and enjoy his editorial opinion
I thought it was good yes, it was very biased but, what else do you expect of Jeremy? He's unapologisingly British. Once more, I don't think it's overly unfair some of the things he said. If you put an average American in the UK, just think for a moment how they would be.
He reused some of the old lines on a few things. It's hard to come up with something new, about the same car.
I think the reason most Americans don't like it is the way Jeremy confronts our society, claiming it as disposable with no sense of time. Which if you think about it, really is true. Most Americans will look at something just two or three years old and want to buy something new obviously, there are some exceptions but well, you get the point.
At least you can import them, if you wanted. It's much more difficult to import into the USA.
But with current currency exchange rates, you could pick up a Z06 for around $40-50,000 pounds. I don't know exactly what you'd have to do to get it UK legal, but it shouldn't cost an extra $80,000 pounds to do.
It did make 405hp when 300hp was a lot. But the LS6 makes that easily. Hell, I've seen LS1's making 500hp with nothing more than a cam and tune.
And LS7's making 700+hp with a cam, tune, and pump gas.
Yes, the Nurburgring is tricky. But the Z06 has posted better times than a 997 Turbo on many different tracks with the same driver. In a straight line it's just as fast from 60 to 150mph as a McLaren F1 and will do 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 11.5. That's Enzo territory.
TVR is an amazing company. I'd take a Sagaris over a Z06 probably. But they don't mass produce engines like GM and BMW. Also, their V8 is based off the Buick V8.