The Chad
Well-Known Member
Lately, I've been seeing a lot of people get angry at the Top Gear presenters, specifically Jeremy Clarkson because he seems to be ignorant of the ways of the world and is pompous and arrogant.
This is a guide for new viewers of Top Gear to help understand the show and why things are done the way they are. This is by no means official, and feel free to add on to it, but I'm here to help explain why they dislike certain cars and why they like others.
Disclaimer: I'm an American, thus that makes me "authorized" to write something for the American audience. This is from my point of view, of course.
1. "What the heck are they talking about?" There are words spoken on the show that an untrained American may not know what they mean. Mate = Friend or Pal, Chap = Colleague, Rubbish = Crap and so on. By using the skills you learned in 3rd grade you should be able to use context clues of what was said in the sentence to understand most of what was said. There will always be inside jokes and references to people that we won't know, because it's not mainstream here. Also, the Pound Sterling is Great Britain's form of currency, and is referred to as the pound. No, that's not the weight of the car lol. However, the term "quid" is also used, much in the same way we have "dollars" and "bucks".
2. "Why do the presenters, especially Clarkson, hate American cars?" Well, the answer to this question is complex. At the time of this post, one US dollar was worth 0.548 Pounds. That means that a 50,000 Pound Cadillac CTS-v in Britain is the equivalent of $91085.00 US dollars. Would you pay that much for an entry-level Cadillac?
So, why doesn't Jezza (Clarkson) mention how great of a bargin American cars are in America? Well, because it's the BBC and the show is only shown in the BBC market area. It's not shown in this country, and none of their legal, authorized viewers live in this country. The average viewer doesn't care that cars are cheaper here, because they probably already know about the import duties that raise the cost of the cars.
Then, there's the quality. For 91 grand, I'd expect a lot more than what the CTS-v has to offer, so the presenters expect the same from the car. If you own an American car, go out to it right now, sit down, and knock on the dash. It'll more often than not feel "cheap" and "plasticy". Yes, I know most dashes are made out of plastic, but the quality feels like something that will rattle after awhile and not hold together really well. I've owned American cars, and Japanese cars, and to me the difference is noticeable.
Then, there's the gearboxes. Go out and drive a 30 grand US built car with a manual transmission, then go out and drive a Honda S2000. Instead of describing the difference, go out and experience it for yourself. On some cars, a "Victorian signal-box" is an understatement.
Then there's the claim that American cars cannot go around corners. Well, since if you're reading this I'm assuming you're American, so think of when you were a kid, what was your dream car? A Corvette? A Viper? Odds are, it was a large displacement car that can rip off quarter mile runs like it's it's job. In the review of the Viper, Jezza also loved how built the car was for doing launches. To go back to the S2000 example, the differential in that car won't handle any of the abuse that you can give a Corvette day in and day out on launches and 1/4 mile runs. (I own an S2000, so that's why I'm using it as an example). Also, the highway (motorway) system in the US is long and straight, without many curves or needs for them. So cars designed to work well in the American market don't need to worry as much about cornering as a car designed to be driven in Europe. That's why the Corvette is such a value in the US compared to a Porsche 911. The 911 is a more rounded package, so it costs more, but the Vette is good at one thing, and they sorta skimp on the rest, which makes it cheaper. The new Mustang and it's live rear axle, the leaf spring rear suspension in the C6. They get the job done for what most American's will use the car for. So that makes them good here, but remember, they aren't reviewing the cars for here, so they won't work there.
Also, insurance is higher for left-hand drive cars. Most American built cars don't offer a right-hand drive option. Also, our engine technology is dated, IMO. To use the Viper as an example again, only 500hp from 8.3L? That's appalling. Sure it's rock solid, and the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach is good for business, and repair costs are kept lower for us, there are much more efficient ways of making horsepower, and in Europe, gas is a lot more expensive so they really worry about such things.
I had a friend the other day, when he watched the segment about disliking the Chrysler 300C, he's like "WTF ever, it's Motor Trend's car of the year". I had to explain to him that yes it is, but it doesn't work well there. It's big, which makes it more difficult to navigate streets. Sure, they'll make a RHD version and it'll be fairly inexpensive, but another big turnoff was that the presenters value performance, and the inability to turn off the traction control was extremely annoying to them. Just like they don't like the snap-oversteer in the Viper. It is "as stupid, and wonderful as owning a pet elephant".
3. "Why do they rip on Americans?" Well, Clarkson is a proud Brit. I have friends that rip on the British in much of the same way. If you watch the show, they rip on everyone, making jokes about stereotypes and they're meant to be in good humor. If you don't like that, you're not being forced to watch it. Does Clarkson spread misinformation as well? Well that can be and has been debated in the forums and I'm sure will continue to be.
He loves British cars much the same way people will only buy American and think that American cars are the greatest thing ever. It's pride and ego. Also, British cars are underdogs to the Germans and Italians. Jezza is bored with Ferrari because they're perfect. It's like when you watched the Yankees a few years ago hoping that they'd lose. The same thing applies here.
In conclusion, if you take a light-hearted approach to the show and watch it without taking it too seriously, you'll seriously enjoy the show. When he makes fun of Americans, look at the stereotype he's laughing at and laugh with him. I do, mainly because it's true.
Enjoy.
This is a guide for new viewers of Top Gear to help understand the show and why things are done the way they are. This is by no means official, and feel free to add on to it, but I'm here to help explain why they dislike certain cars and why they like others.
Disclaimer: I'm an American, thus that makes me "authorized" to write something for the American audience. This is from my point of view, of course.
1. "What the heck are they talking about?" There are words spoken on the show that an untrained American may not know what they mean. Mate = Friend or Pal, Chap = Colleague, Rubbish = Crap and so on. By using the skills you learned in 3rd grade you should be able to use context clues of what was said in the sentence to understand most of what was said. There will always be inside jokes and references to people that we won't know, because it's not mainstream here. Also, the Pound Sterling is Great Britain's form of currency, and is referred to as the pound. No, that's not the weight of the car lol. However, the term "quid" is also used, much in the same way we have "dollars" and "bucks".
2. "Why do the presenters, especially Clarkson, hate American cars?" Well, the answer to this question is complex. At the time of this post, one US dollar was worth 0.548 Pounds. That means that a 50,000 Pound Cadillac CTS-v in Britain is the equivalent of $91085.00 US dollars. Would you pay that much for an entry-level Cadillac?
So, why doesn't Jezza (Clarkson) mention how great of a bargin American cars are in America? Well, because it's the BBC and the show is only shown in the BBC market area. It's not shown in this country, and none of their legal, authorized viewers live in this country. The average viewer doesn't care that cars are cheaper here, because they probably already know about the import duties that raise the cost of the cars.
Then, there's the quality. For 91 grand, I'd expect a lot more than what the CTS-v has to offer, so the presenters expect the same from the car. If you own an American car, go out to it right now, sit down, and knock on the dash. It'll more often than not feel "cheap" and "plasticy". Yes, I know most dashes are made out of plastic, but the quality feels like something that will rattle after awhile and not hold together really well. I've owned American cars, and Japanese cars, and to me the difference is noticeable.
Then, there's the gearboxes. Go out and drive a 30 grand US built car with a manual transmission, then go out and drive a Honda S2000. Instead of describing the difference, go out and experience it for yourself. On some cars, a "Victorian signal-box" is an understatement.
Then there's the claim that American cars cannot go around corners. Well, since if you're reading this I'm assuming you're American, so think of when you were a kid, what was your dream car? A Corvette? A Viper? Odds are, it was a large displacement car that can rip off quarter mile runs like it's it's job. In the review of the Viper, Jezza also loved how built the car was for doing launches. To go back to the S2000 example, the differential in that car won't handle any of the abuse that you can give a Corvette day in and day out on launches and 1/4 mile runs. (I own an S2000, so that's why I'm using it as an example). Also, the highway (motorway) system in the US is long and straight, without many curves or needs for them. So cars designed to work well in the American market don't need to worry as much about cornering as a car designed to be driven in Europe. That's why the Corvette is such a value in the US compared to a Porsche 911. The 911 is a more rounded package, so it costs more, but the Vette is good at one thing, and they sorta skimp on the rest, which makes it cheaper. The new Mustang and it's live rear axle, the leaf spring rear suspension in the C6. They get the job done for what most American's will use the car for. So that makes them good here, but remember, they aren't reviewing the cars for here, so they won't work there.
Also, insurance is higher for left-hand drive cars. Most American built cars don't offer a right-hand drive option. Also, our engine technology is dated, IMO. To use the Viper as an example again, only 500hp from 8.3L? That's appalling. Sure it's rock solid, and the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach is good for business, and repair costs are kept lower for us, there are much more efficient ways of making horsepower, and in Europe, gas is a lot more expensive so they really worry about such things.
I had a friend the other day, when he watched the segment about disliking the Chrysler 300C, he's like "WTF ever, it's Motor Trend's car of the year". I had to explain to him that yes it is, but it doesn't work well there. It's big, which makes it more difficult to navigate streets. Sure, they'll make a RHD version and it'll be fairly inexpensive, but another big turnoff was that the presenters value performance, and the inability to turn off the traction control was extremely annoying to them. Just like they don't like the snap-oversteer in the Viper. It is "as stupid, and wonderful as owning a pet elephant".
3. "Why do they rip on Americans?" Well, Clarkson is a proud Brit. I have friends that rip on the British in much of the same way. If you watch the show, they rip on everyone, making jokes about stereotypes and they're meant to be in good humor. If you don't like that, you're not being forced to watch it. Does Clarkson spread misinformation as well? Well that can be and has been debated in the forums and I'm sure will continue to be.
He loves British cars much the same way people will only buy American and think that American cars are the greatest thing ever. It's pride and ego. Also, British cars are underdogs to the Germans and Italians. Jezza is bored with Ferrari because they're perfect. It's like when you watched the Yankees a few years ago hoping that they'd lose. The same thing applies here.
In conclusion, if you take a light-hearted approach to the show and watch it without taking it too seriously, you'll seriously enjoy the show. When he makes fun of Americans, look at the stereotype he's laughing at and laugh with him. I do, mainly because it's true.
Enjoy.
