Top Gear 3 set for USA show

Hey there, How's it going?

I certainly can't argue with you on the pacific rim front, you're totally correct and I'd take the same choice as you! :D

Please don't think I'm trying to be totally negative about the US car industry, the big US makers do make some decent cars, it's just sad thet they're few and far between and the big makers can't pull their collective fingers out and give the US public what they want. I'm not some dumb brit who hasn't ever driven american cars either, I spent ten years through my late teens and early 20's in calaforinia and learned to drive there. I got to drive a great many american cars though my dad job at a car distributor.

I certainly can't argue with you on the engine reliability front for some of the older cars, my first car was a 1988 GMC Jimmy, the 5.7 V8 in it had over 190000 miles on it and was still going strong.... until the chassis and body rotted away. Not sure how that happens in southern calafornia. :? :D

My main problem with the US car industry is that the current line up from the big car makers is STILL heavily dependent on big SUV's, if you look at ford's lineup this year there are as many SUV's and "trucks" as there are sedans and hatchbacks. The sedans and the hatchbacks are for the most part cheap and nasty with the Focus and Fusion being notable exceptions, however the focus is just an Americanised version of the Ford Europe car of the same name. Ford Europe does a pretty good job of producing a decent lineup of visually and technically interesting cars, that have good handling and good yet relatively economical engines.

I have to say as well that I find Japanese cars to be for the most part bullet proof in terms of both chassis and engine, I've owned a few Jap cars and have had immense fun with them, they may be bland to look at but a turbo charged impreza on a back lane at night is awe inspireing!! :D

I'm fine and you? My main problem with the US automakers is the lack of real design and interior build quality. I agree with you that the big three in the US are mostly reliant on SUVs and more importantly pickup trucks. But a model here and there hs creeped into the light from each of the big three that is actually quite good. The new Ford Edge, Ford Fusion, Ford Freestyle (aka Taurus X), Chevy Cobalt SS, Cadillac CTS, the new Chevy Trailblazer SS, the new Chevy Camaro, Dodge Charger R/T & SRT-8, Dodge Magnum (V8 models only), and the new Dodge Challenger doesn't look that bad. God I just realized most of my list were muscle cars...lol.

Most pre-1993~1995 Japanese cars ARE bulletproof minus a few things here or there. Old American engines last forever no matter how you beat them into the ground. And the old Japanese engines will last forever if you take care of the regular maintience. But, I've seen alot of older Japanese cars where the electric windows, radio, lights, turn signals, and etc either worked sometime or not at all. Thankfully my electric windows in my Camaro still work. :mrgreen: Either way I think they could find at least one American car a week to give a "not bad" review to go with the 3 "rubbish" reviews. :lol:
 
I welcome the idea if it's the same show but with NA cars. There's a chemistry they have to preserve though.


I'd personally like to see a shootout between the Infinity G35 and Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B. :mrgreen:

I don't think the G35 is even available in the UK?


Maybe they TG can help encourage NA diesel adoption....
 
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if they're using the same presenters, sweet. it'd be nice to see if jeremy pusses out, and tones down his anti-america rhetoric.

unless he wants to get shot leaving the set in his lambo, i think he just might
 
USA G35 = Skyline elsewhere.

i havent actually seen many, infact i think i have only seen 2.

yeah the G35 is called the skyline here, and its got a big ugly nissan badge on the front instead of the infiniti one. there was rumour of infiniti being brought to the UK though, since their toyota equivalent lexus are doing extremely well.

i have actually seen a proper infiniti G35, some japanese dude at uni had one imported. rich git.

problem for the g35/skyline is that because it has to be rebadged as a nissan, it sits awkwardly in pretty much the same stable as the 350Z. they are essentially the same cars... v6 powered 2 seat coupes, there just isnt space for two. if they want to sell more (the 350z is a popular car here) "skylines" its gotta have that brand differentiation like toyota and lexus have.

the second thing it needs is to be not called a skyline, its a bit of a wet lettuce compared the proper skylines, its not crazy enough to wear the name.
 
Actually, I'm kinda thinking....

We Americans had a show called "Married....With Children." It got extremely popular when some bored housewife launched a piss-poor crusade to have it taken off the TV. Advertisers who pulled out came back 3 months later after the ratings skyrocketed for the show.

I say controversy creates ca$h. Top Gear pushes the right buttons and it creates ratings.

your right, i know for a fact i only watch pop idol (when its on on a sunday dinner time, while having my sunday lunch) because i wanna see simon cowell destroy some wannabe who thinks they are the shit.

if cowel can get away with stuff that he says, i think JC and the gang would too.

the only trouble is, cowell is so rich he can just drown any opposition in money to shut them up. the guys froms TG arent quite so rich
 
Dude, if they rip an American car, the advertisers will theaten to pull all their advertising from the whole network not just the show. And it could go farther than that, If it was NBC, they could threaten NBC, MSNBC and whatever other networks are owned by them for pissing on them on one show.

That's why the US is too chickenshit to do it and why it works on the BBC as the British people underwrite the BBC costs, not advertisers.
They'll get used to it. I watched the docu from 99 about the 21 years of TG, they talked about the change in the presenting style (from being sort of polite to trashing cars totally), and I believe it was Chris Geoffy who slaughtered the Fiat Bravo. The next auto show, Fiat physicly removed him from their stand.

Give them a couple of years, and the makers will stop their outrage.

Then again, they need finance in the meantime, so it will probably die anyway.
 
Curious to see how it plays out...
 
They'll get used to it. I watched the docu from 99 about the 21 years of TG, they talked about the change in the presenting style (from being sort of polite to trashing cars totally), and I believe it was Chris Geoffy who slaughtered the Fiat Bravo. The next auto show, Fiat physicly removed him from their stand.

Give them a couple of years, and the makers will stop their outrage.

Then again, they need finance in the meantime, so it will probably die anyway.

yes at least the american car producers will get some well deserved feedback on their "crappy products" :mrgreen:
 
They'll get used to it. I watched the docu from 99 about the 21 years of TG, they talked about the change in the presenting style (from being sort of polite to trashing cars totally), and I believe it was Chris Geoffy who slaughtered the Fiat Bravo. The next auto show, Fiat physicly removed him from their stand.

Give them a couple of years, and the makers will stop their outrage.

Then again, they need finance in the meantime, so it will probably die anyway.

It was Noel Edmonds, not Chris Goffey.
 
I'm fine and you? My main problem with the US automakers is the lack of real design and interior build quality. I agree with you that the big three in the US are mostly reliant on SUVs and more importantly pickup trucks. But a model here and there hs creeped into the light from each of the big three that is actually quite good. The new Ford Edge, Ford Fusion, Ford Freestyle (aka Taurus X), Chevy Cobalt SS, Cadillac CTS, the new Chevy Trailblazer SS, the new Chevy Camaro, Dodge Charger R/T & SRT-8, Dodge Magnum (V8 models only), and the new Dodge Challenger doesn't look that bad. God I just realized most of my list were muscle cars...lol.
Camaro - Australian Designed platform/chassis, and the Camaro is even being engineered by Holden! 8)

/me swiftly swifts out the topic.

ANYWAY.

It will only work if the show stays the same, just change of location. It can't be dictated and/or influenced by advertising.
 
Jezza's last DVD is the worse thing i've ever seen. (and i've seen Bedazzled)
The reason is he hates all US cars, so the show cant work.
 
It feels to me that this whole US TG thing is more of a belated April Fool's joke!
I cannot see that working- the 3 of them in USA trying as hard as they can to find something positive to say about American cars? They couldn't find many good things to say about them in the past, and suddenly going: "Uhh, this actually corners rather well" would just be a complete joke!
 
I have this sneaking suspicion that it's round two in the salary negotiations -- the BBC's response to Jezza's 'well it won't be'.

Given that the USA special provoked a flamewar that ate the internet for a day or two, I can't believe in it as a serious proposition. But hey, I have a long and glorious history of being completely and utterly wrong.
 
I suspect it also may be a product of the loss of the Dunsfold lease. A track with a hangar far from a populated area is probably very hard to come by in the UK, so they may have to go to the States out of pure necessity.
 
Camaro - Australian Designed platform/chassis, and the Camaro is even being engineered by Holden! 8)

Hmm, I knew it was on the Zeta platform but I thought the US GM division was mostly responsible for the interior, exterior, and drivetrain bits. Time for me to do some research! :mrgreen:

More offtopic: I love Australian cars, even the bland models look cool compared to what the US has to offer. The Ute is just too cool, too bad America will never see it.
 
problem for the g35/skyline is that because it has to be rebadged as a nissan, it sits awkwardly in pretty much the same stable as the 350Z. they are essentially the same cars... v6 powered 2 seat coupes, there just isnt space for two. if they want to sell more (the 350z is a popular car here) "skylines" its gotta have that brand differentiation like toyota and lexus have.
I see the coupe some. I was refering to the sedan myself (I'm the sport saloon type). I see quite a bit of those and a few M35.

Too bad the G35s miles to the gallon is so poor though.
 
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