UK: Top Gear, for the fans.. (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pratt]

Yeah the Cool Wall could get them in trouble pretty quick

 

[Jeff_Standley]

Sounds promising, I really want this show to work out.
I'm wondering how much improv from Corrola will hurt or help the show though since Clarkson is known to write everything for the UK version.

http://podcast.971freefm.com/klsx1/1233612.mp3

 

[Brent M]

I don't think there's any way the U.S. version can be as hard on American cars as the UK version has been and still expect to get any sponsorship. Clarkson basically calls all American cars "rubbish" and kills them every chance he gets. Whether it's true or not is up for debate(I happen to believe it's not), but a show airing on NBC can't get away with anything close to that.

 

[John_Lee]

I dunno, they seem to like Fords. They liked the Ford utility van best of the vans recently. They deemed the Mondeo the best car they reviewed one year. And does more need to be said about Clarkson's infatuation with his F40?
Their 'rubbish' assessments are usually for either hamster wheel city cars or detuned supercars that fill a ridiculous niche, like the the Aston Martin convertible that was sluggish and bendy, or the Lambo that had umpteen grand extra in carbon fiber and customization with little to nothing in performance enhancement, or that V-12 Golf that couldn't handle it's power, or anything, for poop.

 

[Brent M]

If you get a chance, try to track down a 1 hour special Clarkson did called "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". He comes to the U.S. to drive a bunch of American cars and then compares them to their European counterparts. He absolutely destroys every offering from the states and it's clear he doesn't think much of our cars. In one episode of Top Gear, he tested the Ford F150 pickup and said it was the worst vehicle he had ever driven. There are countless other examples of his hatred of American cars, but then again he did buy a GT40 and they do compliment other Fords on the show from time to time. I find that odd because of all the American cars, Fords are probably the last ones I'd ever give accolades to.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Clarkson's paradigm is fixed on european needs and so most of our cars don't make sense for him...at least that's the angle he uses on a UK TV show where its good for ratings to trash talk American products. Clarkson is a showman and knows what his public wants to hear...besides to be honest his assessment of the F150 isn't that far off..it is not a good car for the masses yet it continues to be one of our top selling vehicles year after year, it is however a great work truck.

 

[Aaron Schmitt]

Euro Fords do not equal US Fords, you have to keep that in mind when looking at their reviews of American cars. There is no US equivalent of the Mondeo anymore, and Ford destroyed the Focus in the US. One can only hope they go back to the Euro styling/builds/options soon.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see GM bringing over some of their Euro cars, sticking them in the Saturn family. Hopefully this trend continues and the US companies give us some of the same option packages available in Europe.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Agree the Euro Focus looks much better then ours. I'd like to see more diesel offerings as well.

 

[Jeff_Standley]

I haven't seen the "good bad the ugly" episode but I know on one of the most recent episodes I've seen, they take shots at things like the Cadillac Escalade for being a gigantic $60,000 truck with a flimsy plastic dash. Hammond was right on that one. And Clarkson said that the new Dodge Challenger will most likely be all power and no handling. That hopefully wont be true, but with most new classic remakes it's probably spot on.
While I don't agree that all American cars are rubbish, I do however recognize that there is a big gap in quality between American and any other manufacturer in the same respective price ranges.

On the F-150 stance, I think Andrew is right, you have to look at that truck from a utility point of view. It's work truck, it's not meant for speed, style, elegance.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

At least in the US market, American cars are now second to the Asian makes in reliabilty and better than the European makes. Note that this is for operational reliability, not perceived quality of interior plastics, body fit and finish, or handling prowess.

If you want a Euro Focus go buy a Mazda 3--it and the entry level Volvo share the Euro Focus platform.

As previously stated the anti-American car bias on Top Gear is aimed at pleasing the non-US market, and actually isn't all pervasive. Clarkson did seem to catch the appeal of some American cars when he used that beater Camaro in the Florida-to-Louisiana story. His comments seemed to paraphrase the old saying "I like Chevys, they seem to run great no matter what's wrong with them." They were certainly pretty scathing of the BL cars they did on a later episode as well as of the Jag from their recent cheap coupes that aren't Porsches episode.

 

[Neil White]

Another huge TG fan here.

Interestingly, going back to the early days of TG, it used to be a 30 minute, serious review show. Clarkson did it with others (not May and Hammond - heck, Hammond would have been in short trousers) and it focused on detailed reviews of new vehicles. The new direction it went in was a genius move though.

Clarkson writes for the newspapers in the UK and it's hilarious reading.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Here's an interview with Carolla from MotorTrend

Adam Corolla talks cars - Interview with Top Gear U.S. host, comic and DJ Adam Carolla - Celebrity Drive - Motor Trend

 

[Matt_A]

Top Gear is my favorite show anywhere. Clarkson/Hammond/May have a chemistry that is unmatched on any show. I've seen every episode, and am always ready for more.

I have high hopes that the USA version of Top Gear won't suck. After reading Adam Corolla's interview on Motortrend, I'm even more hopeful. Basically, he talked how American cars have a long way to go before they'll be any good, and how our interiors are terrible. Reading the comments was interesting, considering he ticked off a lot of people!

I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Time will tell how popular the US version of the show is...Carolla's certainly going to stir the pot if he voices his thoughts on American car makers...esp the Muscle Cars

People love to say Clarkson is anti american so it'll be interesting when Carolla gets on stage and says the same thing about North American cars being less then they ought to be.

 

[Brent M]

Same here. While I'll definitely tune into the U.S. version I'm still not expecting it to be anywhere near the U.K. show. Those guys are just so perfect that I don't see how their chemistry can be matched by Carolla and crew. Then again, I didn't think the U.S. version of The Office would work and it has become my favorite sitcom since Seinfeld went off the air so I guess anything is possible.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Clarkson for Prime Minister - The INQUIRER

 

[John_Lee]

Interesting he commented on the Lotus. Only way a guy as tall as Corolla gets in a Lotus is take the soft top off and drop him in from above.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Clarkson got into a Lotus and he's a big guy...though watching him get out was funny.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Anyone catch this Sunday's show? I hear Clarkson's taking heat for his prostitute comments

 

[mattCR]

Season 12 start already? Wow, I'll have to check. I generally LOVE Clarkson.