22 replies to this topic

[MGMT]

i just think that top gear is boring now and all the same.

think of something else rather than buying 3 cars and trying to get somewhere...

[Dog]

In all honesty, I've only recently started watching it, thanks to iPlayer... but its seems to be like it was all the years ago when i heard about it.

Expensive cars that only the poshest of toffs will own, and no "real" cars.

But I still watch it purely because of the comady value

[Ethel]

I think this week's was one of the better ones. Was watching it on my laptop, which crashed right as Hammond's hand was hovering over the board with the R500's time

Dread to think how much the Fiesta advert cost the UK tax payer for The Marines! They used the wrong car: Marine/Marina so obvious and they already had one too

If they made a "making of Topgear" programme that'd be more interesting, the production is pretty much in a league of its own even if the content is starting to look jaded.

A proper look at the Caterham would have been good, I don't think Stiggy has ever driven anything as hard round their track. It would have been easily the most impressive car to do a lap even if it wasn't at the top of the board

[jammiedodger26]

999dave, do you work for Ford?

I thought the test of the Ford was possibly the best thing Top Gear have done for ages, in fact most of that episode was great....I agree that the East Block thing was slightly strange, but good all the same!

The banter with Boris Johnson was great as well!!

Thing is, you can't buy that sort of publicity that the Fiesta had, and Top Gear are really good at doing that. It was like the Hilux that they took to the North Pole, when I was in the Toyota Marketing department, they made the most of that with various advertising campaigns, taking the car round to loads of events etc...but it was Top Gear who came to them with the idea of using hte Hilux in the first place.

It's strange, because Top Gear is no longer a show to watch them test out cars...it's an entertainment show, and as such the audience is so much wider than, say 5th Gear. Therefore when they make comments about various cars on there, it reaches a larger audience and a general attitude is born. Millions of people will now be interested in the Fiesta when they wouldn't have been before....genius!!!!

[Sleepy Stu]

Lets not be naive here yes the fiesta may have made it onto the beach but then again it probably didnt. Nothing a bit of editing cant sort out.

It just proves the route the show has gone done that a viewer writes in asking why they dont do any proper road tests of everyday cars any more and all they can do is make a big joke of it and race it around a shopping centre and then put it in a beach landing with the marines.

Now dont get me wrong i personally like all the crazy stuff they do i makes me laugh but if you are looking for a show about roadtesting of everyday cars then unfortunatly Top Gear is no longer the show for you. These days it is about super cars, showing off and overinflated egos.

Dont expect it to change though as i read somewhere that Top Gear as a brand is worth £500 million per year to the BBC and if the current format makes them more money that the old format then there is no guessing which direction it will continue to go in!

[Jammy]

If the majority wanted to watch proper road tests of 'normal' cars, and were truly sick of the overinflated egos, Fifth Gear would be more popular than Top Gear.

[minimarco]

If it was about "real" cars, or they did proper car reviews, then it would be like any other car show. I'm not buying a car every other week to know all these "real" info about cars. If I were to buy a car, I would definitely not base my purchase on anything any car show presenter would say.

Fifth Gear is a good cross between the two, it's fun to watch tiff, Jason and Vicki throw cars around the track. And they are just that, there is no story to it except for lap times. nothing to draw you in. I especially find Tim Shaw's segments galacticly boring. I'm not bothered to re-watch any fifth gear episodes. On the other hand, every Top Gear segment has a story or a point that they make, however ridiculous it is, it is very entertaining.

[998dave]

999dave, do you work for Ford?

Yes I do, I'm a powertrain engineer.

Lets not be naive here yes the fiesta may have made it onto the beach but then again it probably didnt. Nothing a bit of editing cant sort out.

All Ford's, (and no doubt other brands), have to pass serious durability testing nowadays, this involves the vehicles running full-life cycles of constant abuse at the Lommel Proving Ground, (for Europe, Arizona or Michigan for US). This includes water splash tests, salt baths, dust tunnels, kerb strikes, cobbles, rumble strips, etc.

It also includes a wading test where the vehicles must be able to drive through a certain depth of water, (varies, higher for Transit then Fiesta - but all more then I'd want to take my mini near).

I'm told, and believe, the car did make it.

If you read the paper coverage, (telegraph, times, sun), which include the photo I posted above, and eye witnesses statements, they all say the car beached and none mention it being rescued.

Dave