[01x08] January 9th, 2011

[01x08] January 9th, 2011


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I think Rutledge is the best presenter on either show TBH. He's hilarious, down to earth, and you get the sense that he means what he says. Much like James May rather than Clarkson or Hammond who seem to overthink what they are going to say. In other words, Clarkson has even stated he drives a car around a track a bit to figure out how his dialog during a shoot is going to go, Rutledge seems like he just goes out and shoots it.

...also Rutledge comes from the modified Honda scene. I hate Hondas, but love building cars at home. So there is that, he feels like a genuine car guy. Unlike Tanner, who, despite being a car guy, feels like a rich yuppy with too much money.
 
He's hilarious, down to earth, and you get the sense that he means what he says. Much like James May rather than Clarkson or Hammond who seem to overthink what they are going to say. In other words, Clarkson has even stated he drives a car around a track a bit to figure out how his dialog during a shoot is going to go, Rutledge seems like he just goes out and shoots it.

Well James May has very good presentation skills something that cannot be said about Rut. What one says is important but how it is said is also equally important. I think it is always nice to see extempore comments, but again the same comment will have bigger effect if said articulately.
 
I actually really liked the Panamera review much better than any of the UK Panamera stuff for exactly that reason. Whenever TGUK talks about the Panamera, you get exactly one bit of information: The three hosts think that its an ugly car. You might agree with it, you might not, but thats just not much information.

Not everything Porsche makes might be the bee's knees - but when you exclude looks, price and usability (though people usually wish for buttons when they get I-Drive, Command or MMI, yet complain about a button/touch combination in the Panamera or Cayenne...) - it might be the best 4 door saloon out there.
Its extremely fast, very maneuverable, has a big amount of space in the trunk and the back and is very luxurious inside. And it really is extremely fast...
Yet everytime TG UK talks about it, you leave just with "Its ugly".

TG US proved that you can actually do a review of that car providing more information than that one fact (even though they share the opinion about its looks and state it several times) and still be entertaining. I like it. Also like the fact that they obviously don't share (or have to share) every opinion of "the mother show" (see also SLS)...

BTW: Anyone else who can watch that Spoiler expand again and again? Just in Case ;)

Side note: I spoke with Tanner about the Panamera recently. Apparently their non-PCCB equipped car cooked the brakes every single lap and it took all day to run 20 laps.
 
Rutledge is the anti Clarkson
 
One shot included a car overtaking the California before Foust even knew that he was running low on fuel. I mean cmon, it's a race, im expectin you to run at the speed limit, if not overspeed.

Since when does everyone stick to the speed limit on freeways? There are plenty of drivers out there willing to go faster than someone on the clock in a borrowed car with their employer's legal department looming over them. I'm not surprised someone passed him.

EDIT: I really doubt it was even a genuine race, if these weren't staged they wouldn't keep ending in photo finishes...
 
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Since when does everyone stick to the speed limit on freeways? There are plenty of drivers out there willing to go faster than someone on the clock in a borrowed car with their employer's legal department looming over them. I'm not surprised someone passed him.

EDIT: I really doubt it was even a genuine race, if these weren't staged they wouldn't keep ending in photo finishes...
He wasnt even on the passing lane.
Foust races cars for a living and hes on a ferrari. I at least expected he was the fastest car out there, but nope he wasnt even trying, maybe because it was quite a lopsided race.

And that was poor editing by the way, afaik in no TGUK race did you see a random car overtaking a perfectly running presenters car, for obvious reasons.
 
Where are the 720p rips of the last 2 episodes???:blink:

Does anyone have any idea?

BTW I rated this episode a 8. Top Gear US is growing on me. Actually enjoyed the whole episode...But I am wondering, wasnt Rutledges plane delayed by more than 30 mins?? If so, he would have easily beat the car...anyone else catch this?:?

edit: When Tanner was "low on gas" and he pulled up to the gas station that was closed, why would you do a burnout and accelerate as fast as possible to turn around when you are low on fuel? Doesn't make sense to me. He must not have really been that low. Oh, and I'm suprised that he mentioned that drafting behind semi trucks saves fuel. This is true, I've tried it but i know for a fact that truckers hate it, they can't see you. I think its quite dangerous, not to mention that they kick up rocks and if I am driving a Ferrari, thats the last thing I want to do...Kind of stupid if you ask me.
 
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Oh, and I'm suprised that he mentioned that drafting behind semi trucks saves fuel. This is true, I've tried it but i know for a fact that truckers hate it, they can't see you. I think its quite dangerous, not to mention that they kick up rocks and if I am driving a Ferrari, thats the last thing I want to do...Kind of stupid if you ask me.

It may be stupid, but when you don't have enough gas to make it to the nearest station, you do anything to save fuel. Especially if the alternative is to walk several miles in the desert in the middle of the day.
 
crude in his presentation? i think he is the most natural, what do you mean by crude?

Crude as in basic. His word choice is generic and his delivery is mediocre. Yes, he's natural talking in front of a camera, but his speaking style is very plain. If you were to read his reviews in a magazine perhaps, and not have the flashy video and audio to accompany it... it would be very boring and borderline cliche.

-Robert
 
I at least expected he was the fastest car out there, but nope he wasnt even trying, maybe because it was quite a lopsided race.

What I'm saying is he wouldn't be speeding because the BBC isn't going to let him do that on a public highway. The limit is 70 so that's what he's stuck with. Can you imagine what it would cost them if he had an accident? Their insurance probably wouldn't cover it and they'd end up paying some multi-million dollar settlement out of their own pocket.

However, you're right that they shouldn't have used that shot... it sorta spoils the illusion :)
 
Crude as in basic. His word choice is generic and his delivery is mediocre. Yes, he's natural talking in front of a camera, but his speaking style is very plain. If you were to read his reviews in a magazine perhaps, and not have the flashy video and audio to accompany it... it would be very boring and borderline cliche.

-Robert

good point, but, as we all know this first season was written by writers and not the presenters. i am hearing that in season 2 the presenters will be allowed to write more so that may change next season
 
Well James May has very good presentation skills something that cannot be said about Rut. What one says is important but how it is said is also equally important. I think it is always nice to see extempore comments, but again the same comment will have bigger effect if said articulately.

Personally I think Rut has great presentation skills. Fits in well with Pawn Stars, American Pickers, etc. He's the easiest of any of the presenters on either show to understand, and the most authentic.

Crude as in basic. His word choice is generic and his delivery is mediocre. Yes, he's natural talking in front of a camera, but his speaking style is very plain. If you were to read his reviews in a magazine perhaps, and not have the flashy video and audio to accompany it... it would be very boring and borderline cliche.

-Robert

I'm glad his word choice is basic. Its a refreshing change compared to the desperate searching for analogies that has plagued TGUK in recent years. Just say whats on your mind, don't compare it to cheese, clamydia, and wallpaper paste.
 
Had to register to weigh in -- have been a longterm lurker.

The US version is really growing on me. I like Tanner and Rut ... as for Adam ... I feel like they had Carolla at first (and I know he is somewhat love/hate but he has had a successful career) and they decided to cast someone as similar as possible on paper (even going so far as the first name ;) ). Humor is subjective to some extent (although Carolla has a rant about how it's not actually that subjective) but I just can't recall finding anything he said funny. Now if the show is mainly written and they are just reading lines then maybe he's really a funny guy and he's handcuffed. Even so, for now he's the reason I like the show instead of love it. Maybe it's the burden of being a comic that we're expecting him to be funny. The interviews especially would be upgraded majorly with Carolla (right now they are fast forward material for me). They could do ten seasons and not get up to speed on interviewing (took Conan and others who are good now years of doing shows every night to get better). Carolla has a decade or so from radio (and short-lived chat show) which would be a huge upgrade. Anyway, maybe that ship has sailed but I think it would be so much better with Carolla -- now that his sitcom is dead I think the show should take another run at getting him.

Laps need to be shorter; I doubt anyone would argue with that. Not Tanner's fault it's borderline impossible to narrate all that time and keep it interesting.

I loved the Panamera -- on the UK show they didn't do as good a job of explaining the positives. Ultimately, if you want a four door luxury/sports car and you are more concerned with driving performance than looks then there really is no other choice. I also don't think it looks that bad. From the front it looks fantastic, from the side it looks good, from the back ... meh ... but when would I see that? I'd rather be driving the best car to drive than the best car for other people to look at.
 
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The worst part was the interview. Brett Michaels, like Michelle Rodrigues, was really out there and eager to have fun and a great time. But at times it seemed like Adam had a personal grudge against the guy, it was terrible to watch. They need to cut the laps down in length and make the interviews a bit longer to make for good conversation and get the interesting stories out. A rock star like Brett that has his own gocart-track at home probably has done a lot of crazy shit in cars that he could talk about. Adam cut him off and the whole thing felt uneasy and rushed.

I thought the same thing - like Adam was on a clock to get his jokes in in the allotted time and who cares if he interrupts the big star. Interviewing is an art and Adam doesn't have it.

Otherwise, this was a pretty solid episode.

8/10 for me
 
Laps need to be shorter; I doubt anyone would argue with that. Not Tanner's fault it's borderline impossible to narrate all that time and keep it interesting.

The problem with this is that if you change the track, you have to dump all the times you have on the board already or re-run them (which I suspect is unlikely to happen). Perhaps they need to show less of the actual lap...
 
Originally Posted by lllllllllllllllllll
Dunno how TG AU is though).


The local station who make it in Oz only showed 3 episodes of a (supposed) 6 or 8 show season because of poor ratings. It is a pale imitation of how good TG US is (let alone TG UK).

Too bad they have poor ratings. The lingering effects of the first 2 seasons I guess.
This seasons 3 episodes and the Ashes Special were quite good.
 
The problem with this is that if you change the track, you have to dump all the times you have on the board already or re-run them (which I suspect is unlikely to happen). Perhaps they need to show less of the actual lap...

The actual lap can be full length, you just don't need to show it all. TG UK does not show the full lap. If there was a time where they did it's a long long time ago.
 
After three pages, I can't believe no one has commented one my favorite part: The lady in the tight white pants.
 
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