[21x01] February 2nd, 2014

[21x01] February 2nd, 2014

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Maybe I'm getting too old for Top Gear but I hated this episode. :lol: The end was so bad I started checking my email and plugged in my phone just to distract my mind from the painfully scripted mess that played before me. It reminded me of Top Gear USA which annoys the hell out of me with the endless supply of three-car-road-trip-script shows. Let's all get cars! Now trucks! Now...uh...tractors!


6/10 and I only went that high because they are back for a new season.
 
Viper007Bond said:
I'm sure they had a million miles on them and were pieces of junk. They made plenty of those cars anyway. Nothing of value was lost in this case.
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The UK have much much much higher standards for vehicles inspections than we do, so those cars were probably in better condition than most of the cars on our roads. And while they may have made plenty of them, 20-30 years ago, that doesn't mean there are many today. Not when young chavs are buying, "modifying", wrecking, and rolling them on a daily basis. I think the GTI and any hot Ford hatch are going to be future classics someday. I found it in poor taste to destroy them for nothing more than a cheap predictable unoriginal laugh. Not least of all because I never get any sense that the boys on the show even like cars anymore. I know Clarkson used to love hot hatches, but he seems to only love destroying them in his old age. If the show got cancelled now, it would probably be the best thing to happen for future classics.
 
I did enjoy the first half, up until Hammond's Nova slid out of the supermarket on its side. Already noticed something was up at Hammond's first crash when the car appeared undamaged despite what the sound effects told me.

Top Gear could still have been good if they took this challenge more seriously. In comparing those old hot hatches to the new ones, only the hill climb came closest to being relevant, and even so it was just the one new car against the three old ones. What's wrong with current Fiesta, Golf and Corsa versus its old models? Where in that episode did it reinforce why the old Golf GTi was at #20 in Clarkson's top 100 cars in his 2001 video?

I think I'll give it another chance just because I did chuckle, but first impression says its an episode dedicated to the joyriders of the public highway.

I reckon those "new eyes" will get bored of seeing the same thing over and over again after a few seasons like the old eyes do now.
 
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Viper007Bond said:
This is something we really have to remember. Most of us are gearheads who want the kind of shows that will be happening this Sunday. They mix it up a bit and cater to many different types of folks. Sure, they probably went a bit overboard on this episode but in general it's not a bad thing if they do things other than just car reviews. Go watch Fifth Gear for that! ;)
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Let's be fair though. Early shows were much more mature and restrained, had great witty reviews with really clever references and intelligent jokes. They were high quality and high standard. Each review was a short film in itself (I still take myself back to the Aston vs 6 series vs 911 review a lot).

This is just ADHD generation shit. It's Bacardi Breezer to a bottle of great red wine. Sure, it will find its audience, and you can still get drunk on a Breezer, but let's just make it clear that early Top Gear was in a completely different league.
 
freefall said:
Let's be fair though. Early shows were much more mature and restrained, had great witty reviews with really clever references and intelligent jokes. They were high quality and high standard. Each review was a short film in itself (I still take myself back to the Aston vs 6 series vs 911 review a lot).

This is just ADHD generation shit. It's Bacardi Breezer to a bottle of great red wine. Sure, it will find its audience, and you can still get drunk on a Breezer, but let's just make it clear that early Top Gear was in a completely different league.
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Spot on. Top Gear used to be able to blend together car-related content and messing about really well, and in a much more consistent and sophisticated way when compared with what they often do now. If you compare this week's episode, which was essentially a cheap-car challenge, with Series 7-Episode 4 (for example), they are miles apart in terms of quality. I'm not trying to say that current Top Gear is always like this, but it's simply less consistent than it used to be.
 
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I'd love to see them do more actual car reviews. I'm in for some fun, but these challenges are getting so repetitive it's ridiculous.

One more "and they told us to go and buy three old.." and I'm out. Seriously.
 
Finally a new episode after months of waiting, I enjoyed most of it even though there are some predictable and boring bits.
The most boring bit of all TG episodes is the drag race, except for the tractor "drag" race.
 
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tuscan12 said:
The most boring bit of all TG episodes is the drag race, except for the tractor "drag" race.
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Perhaps, but for me the scenario I like the least is a race between some vehicle and people on skateboards/bicycles/on foot/parachutes/jumping over buildings and so on. A lot of pointless tearing around with an engineered result in with the vehicle loses.

Aside from this I generally get a lot out TG segments, especially when there seems to be a genuine coq up. I like the unexpected, the unanticipated.
 
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For me, worst episode ever.

It all looked like a parody. Every TG cliche in one episode: Car challenge with predictable jokes and huge budget, Jeremy saying 'yeeeees' a lot, James being careful, (not to mention 'gooood news') Hammond, well, being Hammond, a few dirty jokes and no car reviews.
 
TC said:
I found it in poor taste to destroy them for nothing more than a cheap predictable unoriginal laugh. Not least of all because I never get any sense that the boys on the show even like cars anymore. I know Clarkson used to love hot hatches, but he seems to only love destroying them in his old age. If the show got cancelled now, it would probably be the best thing to happen for future classics.
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I might be wrong but don't the BBC's rules as a non profit (or maybe it is liability issues) make it really difficult for them/the show/whatever to resell cars once they are done with them? I was always under the impression that was the case, so they either get saved in the hangar like the boat challenge cars, or destroyed in some way like the Lacetti and the cars in this episode.

It's still not really a good excuse if they know that is what is going to happen to them (buy a shitty beater instead FFS), but I don't think TG, the hosts, or the production company really have a choice.
 
Sandy106 said:
I might be wrong but don't the BBC's rules as a non profit (or maybe it is liability issues) make it really difficult for them/the show/whatever to resell cars once they are done with them? I was always under the impression that was the case, so they either get saved in the hangar like the boat challenge cars, or destroyed in some way like the Lacetti and the cars in this episode.

It's still not really a good excuse if they know that is what is going to happen to them (buy a shitty beater instead FFS), but I don't think TG, the hosts, or the production company really have a choice.
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I don't know. In the cheap Porsche challenge the final challenge was to sell their cars and see who makes the most profit. Which doesn't mean they actually sold the cars, of course. But we've seen a few old TG cars for sale too, including the Maserati that Jezza blew up the engine.

Now TopGear USA probably has issues with liability, which is probably why they destroy everything they buy. Which is why I don't watch that show anymore.
 
You guys sure are a bunch of debbie downers.
 
I didn't hate it. The challenge started well but started to slip with things the others mentioned (like the 'lost' keys, and Hammond exiting the supermarket on his side.
The last segment with the explosions- ugh. Just *too* dumb.
Overall though, I was laughing (apart from the last bit) so 6.5/10 rounded to 7.
Shame Hammond hadn't found a Nova with the 16v engine shoehorned in like so many people did back then- I reckon excessive wheelspin/torquesteer would have provided some more genuine funny moments.
 
Twinport said:
so, erm.. Can you really Start up a Nova just by flippin hazards switch upsidedown??
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Yep! Somewhat ironic that they mentioned it in this episode, as last month I was talking to a mechanic about the exact same thing. There happened to be a Nova in the workshop and we tried it.

A similar trick can also be used on a Mk5 Astra, although using another interior switch to bypass the ignition............ Shhhhhhhh!
 
The cheap car challenges (like the Porsche one) used to be one of my favorite bits on the show, so I when I saw the premise, I was very excited. I can't believe they managed to ruin it as well.

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Webmonkey said:
This episode was a good example of what's wrong with the show. If they kept the fakery out of the silly bits, it would be a lot more appealing across the board. For example, the wrapping was fine, but the car keys left on the top was clearly fake and as such was annoying. A lot of people on here seem to think not finding these things entertaining means that you don't have a sense of humour, but the fact is, people fell in love with TG because it was an entertainment show about cars, that managed to be fun, interesting and different. Now, the challenges aren't challenges, they're skits.
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Really well said!
 
I was hoping for a good episode but was very worried since I saw the teaser. And still was disappointed in the end, it still lacks the happiness as it did last year.

What would this episode look like if it was good old, proper Top Gear:

First segment:

- they would provide more information about the cars, focus on their condition (i.e. rust, scratches etc.), laugh at James's low mileage, things that didn't work etc.
- Hammond would not have a fake accident, or, at least, they would have put more effort to avoid it looking so fake

Second segment:

- they would have shown the process of wrapping the cars, Clarkson forgetting his keys on the roof (or James / Hammond putting them under the foil perhaps) and the results might have looked much better as well
-they wouldn't have overdone the supermarket like they did
- and they would at least try to mend Hammond's engine

The last part:

- if there was a police chase, they would have used early 1990s police cars (Rover SD1 or a Vectra) and they would have been chasing the Stig who has "stolen" their cars
- in the end they would have tried to pass an MOT
- there would be a flipchart of results with their usual "silly table" and "mine was the best" bickering
- as the last segment would have been shorter they would probably put the Cool wall in as well.
 
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