Agree with comments about the car rugby being boring and too long, also the handbrake crap in the news was annoying but apart from that I quite enjoyed it.
What I dislike is Clarkson's hatred for vauxhall cars and his love for Fords, one can't help but wonder if he purposely had the Renault brought in because the Vauxhall trounced the Ford.
Yes it may have been the fastest when three different people were driving the cars, but later on when The Stig took them all out, the Vauxhall was faster than the Ford.
I have owned many vauxhalls, all of which have been sport hatches and none of them were slow and that vectra he was ripping the piss out of, where was the mk1 mondeo? That thing was worse than the vectra
Agree with comments about the car rugby being boring and too long, also the handbrake crap in the news was annoying but apart from that I quite enjoyed it.
Agree....
Same old same old....and I just didn't get the Handbrake stuff....The Lewis Drive was the only highlight for me.:(
Impressive that they could get Mat Le Blanc, Bruce Willis, Eric Clapton and Lewis Hamilton all on the same show.
I'm not sure if that's Clarkson doing his best to burn through the BBC budget or just showing off who's in his phone contacts.
Wasn't completely comfortable with the car rugby.
Didn't really see the need to wreck quarter of a million quid's worth of cars just to make the point that they're well-built.
The whole show seemed to have a vague whiff of ass-kissing Kia to it.
And then, of course, there's LH's SIARPC time.
I'm sure KIA were happy to foot the bill.. what price an extened ad on the BBC at primetime, £250K would be a steal
I'm sure KIA were happy to foot the bill.. what price an extened ad on the BBC at primetime, £250K would be a steal
The cars didnt look to battered either. KIA will probably replace the damaged panels and sell the cars as 'used'. So the whole thing wont cost them £40K.
I tend to agree with most of the comments. The handbrake skit was too long, bordering on cringeworthy (and I can't be only person who didn't relate to that surely. Or am I? ). I thought the rugby segment was great, and I loved how they got Eric Clapton, Bruce Willis and, erm, Matt Le Blanc in the show for pointless cameos.
(I can only assume they're going to pop up as SIARPC at some point during the series.)
It's the childish silliness of it that I still love. "And to captain the team we have a man who knows all about Twickenham. He drives past it almost every day - James May", and at half-time, May's diagram of how he wanted his team to attack Clarkson's.
I thought it was a good laugh start to finish; the knowing silliness of it all is what makes it fun. The handbrake jokes were arrow straight for me, even if it was over 30 years ago since I was doing that (still got it though, for the kids' benefit when we're out in snow, and wife does indeed make that face).
Loved the demo of how water explodes when sulphur dioxide is added, with JC decked out in hat, safety goggles & hi-viz then he does nothing more except set off on a silly run and ends up right back where he started next to the exploding tank. A neat nod at his H&S perceptions.
Having celebs drop in was clever, in a look who we've got but haven't made any real use of them way. Much better than One Show style fawning over them whilst they plug their book / film / play.
Rugby - I didn't think I'd like this as the previous stabs at car football hadn't worked for me. It was good though - v enjoyable.
TG is a bit of Sunday evening light entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. On that level it works brilliantly, some weeks better than others, but this week's was a good one.
What I dislike is Clarkson's hatred for vauxhall cars and his love for Fords, one can't help but wonder if he purposely had the Renault brought in because the Vauxhall trounced the Ford.
Yes it may have been the fastest when three different people were driving the cars, but later on when The Stig took them all out, the Vauxhall was faster than the Ford.
I have owned many vauxhalls, all of which have been sport hatches and none of them were slow and that vectra he was ripping the piss out of, where was the mk1 mondeo? That thing was worse than the vectra
Agree, it also has to be remembered that a percentage of Astra's are built in this country, employing 1000's directly and indirectly, they are not a bad car and don't deserve the scorn that he gives them, there are far worse cars.
Unfortunately many take what JC says for gospel, does he really want to jeopardize sales and therefore jobs?
As far as the Mk1 Vectra goes, I had one as a company car circa 1998, it was a comfortable motorway cruiser that would eat up the miles, superior to the Mondeo that preceded it.
Unfortunately many take what JC says for gospel, does he really want to jeopardize sales and therefore jobs?
I really can't accept that someone about to punt £20+k on a new car will base any of that decision on what TG and in particular JC says about the car. Everyone sees JC on TG for what he is - a cartoon parody. Claiming that people take his word as the sole arbiter on major financial decisions is pushing a bit too far tbf.
In the past I have been critical of the last few seasons of TG. The programme was getting a bit repetitive same stunts same old Clarkson thrashing about in a £100 00 car
Tonight was however very good in the main. The rugby at the end I could have done without or at least not made it as long and the handbrake turn stuff on the new went on a little too long. Apart from that a very car focused show and as others have said some decent totty
Yes, I was expecting more. I was actually disappointed by the whole episode apart from the ruby at the end, This was one of the least interesting TGs for a long time.
It was a disappointment that they did the same things.
Car rugby = Car football
Normal(ish) car roadtest = get some cameos because without them it who would be interested?
I was waiting for the alternative car to show up in the Astra test. I thought it would be a Focus as it is the natural competitor.
I thought they spent too long on the handbrake discussion as the news segment is usually a highlight for me.
I really can't accept that someone about to punt £20+k on a new car will base any of that decision on what TG and in particular JC says about the car. Everyone sees JC on TG for what he is - a cartoon parody. Claiming that people take his word as the sole arbiter on major financial decisions is pushing a bit too far tbf.
Possibly, possibly not, there is also the ridicule factor, which is important, especially from the younger car buyer. Not everyone 'gets' Clarkson some take him at face value.
Yes it may have been the fastest when three different people were driving the cars, but later on when The Stig took them all out, the Vauxhall was faster than the Ford.
I thought he covered that by mentioning that the Astra was mechanically aided whereas the Focus was electronically aided.
Mechanics win out around a circuit
What I dislike is Clarkson's hatred for vauxhall cars and his love for Fords, one can't help but wonder if he purposely had the Renault brought in because the Vauxhall trounced the Ford.
Yes it may have been the fastest when three different people were driving the cars, but later on when The Stig took them all out, the Vauxhall was faster than the Ford.
I have owned many vauxhalls, all of which have been sport hatches and none of them were slow and that vectra he was ripping the piss out of, where was the mk1 mondeo? That thing was worse than the vectra
The Vectra has never been a good car, just average, the Cavalier was better at its time.
Quite often the Astra was no great shakes. I have driven a few the GTE introduced me to torque steer.
The best Vauxhalls used to be from Russelheim and it is well know that TG over the years liked them, especialy when they came via Norfolk. The Senators and Carltons were so much better than the Cavaliers and Astras, in build quality and driveability.
Comments
Yes it may have been the fastest when three different people were driving the cars, but later on when The Stig took them all out, the Vauxhall was faster than the Ford.
I have owned many vauxhalls, all of which have been sport hatches and none of them were slow and that vectra he was ripping the piss out of, where was the mk1 mondeo? That thing was worse than the vectra
Same old same old....and I just didn't get the Handbrake stuff....The Lewis Drive was the only highlight for me.:(
I'm sure KIA were happy to foot the bill.. what price an extened ad on the BBC at primetime, £250K would be a steal
Apart from that, good ep.
The cars didnt look to battered either. KIA will probably replace the damaged panels and sell the cars as 'used'. So the whole thing wont cost them £40K.
(I can only assume they're going to pop up as SIARPC at some point during the series.)
It's the childish silliness of it that I still love. "And to captain the team we have a man who knows all about Twickenham. He drives past it almost every day - James May", and at half-time, May's diagram of how he wanted his team to attack Clarkson's.
No moans on this board that they haven't been reviewing some average, family-type cars, this week, I see.
Yeah, all the Kens and Dereks, with their Ferrari key rings, will be delighted.
Loved the demo of how water explodes when sulphur dioxide is added, with JC decked out in hat, safety goggles & hi-viz then he does nothing more except set off on a silly run and ends up right back where he started next to the exploding tank. A neat nod at his H&S perceptions.
Having celebs drop in was clever, in a look who we've got but haven't made any real use of them way. Much better than One Show style fawning over them whilst they plug their book / film / play.
Rugby - I didn't think I'd like this as the previous stabs at car football hadn't worked for me. It was good though - v enjoyable.
TG is a bit of Sunday evening light entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. On that level it works brilliantly, some weeks better than others, but this week's was a good one.
The 'news' section is now just a general talk about sex, with 50 year old men trying to act like teenagers.
Cringeworthy, indeed.
Agree, it also has to be remembered that a percentage of Astra's are built in this country, employing 1000's directly and indirectly, they are not a bad car and don't deserve the scorn that he gives them, there are far worse cars.
Unfortunately many take what JC says for gospel, does he really want to jeopardize sales and therefore jobs?
As far as the Mk1 Vectra goes, I had one as a company car circa 1998, it was a comfortable motorway cruiser that would eat up the miles, superior to the Mondeo that preceded it.
Many good examples still remain.
Did you miss the bit where he said the Ford had worse steering?
Or at the end where he said if you want a fun fast hatch - buy a Toyota 86?
Tonight was however very good in the main. The rugby at the end I could have done without or at least not made it as long and the handbrake turn stuff on the new went on a little too long. Apart from that a very car focused show and as others have said some decent totty
Car rugby = Car football
Normal(ish) car roadtest = get some cameos because without them it who would be interested?
I was waiting for the alternative car to show up in the Astra test. I thought it would be a Focus as it is the natural competitor.
I thought they spent too long on the handbrake discussion as the news segment is usually a highlight for me.
Possibly, possibly not, there is also the ridicule factor, which is important, especially from the younger car buyer. Not everyone 'gets' Clarkson some take him at face value.
Mechanics win out around a circuit
It's not broadcast live. Not sure what you're missing out on apart from a couple of pages of comments on a message board.
The Vectra has never been a good car, just average, the Cavalier was better at its time.
Quite often the Astra was no great shakes. I have driven a few the GTE introduced me to torque steer.
The best Vauxhalls used to be from Russelheim and it is well know that TG over the years liked them, especialy when they came via Norfolk. The Senators and Carltons were so much better than the Cavaliers and Astras, in build quality and driveability.
Now the best are rebadged Holdens
No I meant when it is first broadcast in the UK. Instead of waiting.