Top Gear USA!!!
11-21-2010, 11:25 PM
#34
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"Waaah waaah waaaah."
Let's all hate on the best American made show for car enthusiasts ever. Maybe if we try really hard, we can get it cancelled before they even air the rest of the episodes!!!
"I hated it first!"
"No, *I* hated it first!!!"
You guys sound like a bunch of whiny UK Top Gear fanboys. Just admit you were so biased against it from the start that you didn't even give it a fair chance to begin with.
Yeah, the UK TG is great. It does a bunch of things great. But there are certain things the USDM TG is going to do better. Like: Showcase cars available in America (instead of Vauxhalls and Holdens, etc.) How about showcasing different cities in America, and filming here, capturing OUR automotive culture? Hell, I'm just happy I know exactly how much I can't afford a car 'cause they tell me the price in US dollars, and not euros/pounds/yoplait lids/wax lips. Oh, and you know what? The US test track isn't going to be covered in rain half the bloody time.
I'll watch the show over and over just to see Lamborghinis in 1080p. Any true automotive enthusiast should appreciate just seeing these cars put through their paces.
Wish some of you could see how silly you sound. Calling the hosts "fags?" Yeah... 'cause the UK hosts are paragons of masculinity, right?
Let's all hate on the best American made show for car enthusiasts ever. Maybe if we try really hard, we can get it cancelled before they even air the rest of the episodes!!!
"I hated it first!"
"No, *I* hated it first!!!"
You guys sound like a bunch of whiny UK Top Gear fanboys. Just admit you were so biased against it from the start that you didn't even give it a fair chance to begin with.
Yeah, the UK TG is great. It does a bunch of things great. But there are certain things the USDM TG is going to do better. Like: Showcase cars available in America (instead of Vauxhalls and Holdens, etc.) How about showcasing different cities in America, and filming here, capturing OUR automotive culture? Hell, I'm just happy I know exactly how much I can't afford a car 'cause they tell me the price in US dollars, and not euros/pounds/yoplait lids/wax lips. Oh, and you know what? The US test track isn't going to be covered in rain half the bloody time.
I'll watch the show over and over just to see Lamborghinis in 1080p. Any true automotive enthusiast should appreciate just seeing these cars put through their paces.
Wish some of you could see how silly you sound. Calling the hosts "fags?" Yeah... 'cause the UK hosts are paragons of masculinity, right?
11-21-2010, 11:49 PM
#35
I enjoyed the show. It's not perfect, but was worth the time spent watching it. What US-based car show tops it? It's nice seeing them review current cars vs. last year's models, as w/ Top Gear UK on BBC America.
I guess your perspective depends if your glass is half full or half empty. If you hated it, please don't watch it anymore so you can quit bitching about it.
I guess your perspective depends if your glass is half full or half empty. If you hated it, please don't watch it anymore so you can quit bitching about it.
11-22-2010, 12:50 AM
#37
Originally Posted by i_heart_my_DB8,Nov 22 2010, 03:25 AM
I really wanted to like it. I gave it a fair chance, and like I said, I'll continue to watch it in the hopes that it gets better. Hopefully it will.
11-22-2010, 04:19 AM
#38
Registered User
Originally Posted by Chris S,Nov 22 2010, 02:49 AM
I enjoyed the show. It's not perfect, but was worth the time spent watching it. What US-based car show tops it? It's nice seeing them review current cars vs. last year's models, as w/ Top Gear UK on BBC America.
I guess your perspective depends if your glass is half full or half empty. If you hated it, please don't watch it anymore so you can quit bitching about it.
I guess your perspective depends if your glass is half full or half empty. If you hated it, please don't watch it anymore so you can quit bitching about it.
I'll be watching it again.
11-22-2010, 04:27 AM
#39
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Originally Posted by i_heart_my_DB8,Nov 22 2010, 03:25 AM
"Waaah waaah waaaah."
Let's all hate on the best American made show for car enthusiasts ever. Maybe if we try really hard, we can get it cancelled before they even air the rest of the episodes!!!
"I hated it first!"
"No, *I* hated it first!!!"
You guys sound like a bunch of whiny UK Top Gear fanboys. Just admit you were so biased against it from the start that you didn't even give it a fair chance to begin with.
Yeah, the UK TG is great. It does a bunch of things great. But there are certain things the USDM TG is going to do better. Like: Showcase cars available in America (instead of Vauxhalls and Holdens, etc.) How about showcasing different cities in America, and filming here, capturing OUR automotive culture? Hell, I'm just happy I know exactly how much I can't afford a car 'cause they tell me the price in US dollars, and not euros/pounds/yoplait lids/wax lips. Oh, and you know what? The US test track isn't going to be covered in rain half the bloody time.
I'll watch the show over and over just to see Lamborghinis in 1080p. Any true automotive enthusiast should appreciate just seeing these cars put through their paces.
Wish some of you could see how silly you sound. Calling the hosts "fags?" Yeah... 'cause the UK hosts are paragons of masculinity, right?
Let's all hate on the best American made show for car enthusiasts ever. Maybe if we try really hard, we can get it cancelled before they even air the rest of the episodes!!!
"I hated it first!"
"No, *I* hated it first!!!"
You guys sound like a bunch of whiny UK Top Gear fanboys. Just admit you were so biased against it from the start that you didn't even give it a fair chance to begin with.
Yeah, the UK TG is great. It does a bunch of things great. But there are certain things the USDM TG is going to do better. Like: Showcase cars available in America (instead of Vauxhalls and Holdens, etc.) How about showcasing different cities in America, and filming here, capturing OUR automotive culture? Hell, I'm just happy I know exactly how much I can't afford a car 'cause they tell me the price in US dollars, and not euros/pounds/yoplait lids/wax lips. Oh, and you know what? The US test track isn't going to be covered in rain half the bloody time.
I'll watch the show over and over just to see Lamborghinis in 1080p. Any true automotive enthusiast should appreciate just seeing these cars put through their paces.
Wish some of you could see how silly you sound. Calling the hosts "fags?" Yeah... 'cause the UK hosts are paragons of masculinity, right?
11-22-2010, 04:42 AM
#40
Ok, here goes...
They got some things right.
- The cinematography is fantastic as always.
- They have their own test track, and it seems pretty decent, though I would have preferred some elevation changes in it - it appears to be as flat as the British Top Gear track.
- Yes, the Stig (me) is here too.
- The "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment is thankfully shorter (it always seemed to drag on far too long in the BBC version), and so far, the star (Buzz Aldrin) seems far more pertinent and relatable to the American audience than the usual crew they have on the BBC version.
- They made sure to really let the glorious sound of the V-10 in the Gallardos really scream through on tv. It only reinforces my belief that this is one of the best sounding engines ever made.
The indifferent
- The set seems like they just shot it in some barn somewhere. Way to portray America. YEE-HAW! Then again, it is only the set, so I really shouldn't grip too much.
- The segment where they had to have the Cobra helicopter achieve a target lock on the Viper had already been done by the BBC Top Gear crew. It was a different car, and a different spin on it, but ultimately it had been done already.
The bad
- Ok, we get it. The American audience loves muscle cars and video games. So your first segment is with a Viper who has to evade an attack helicopter. But stop saying things like "We have 2 lives left!" You're not playing a video game. This irked me to no end.
- Same segment: they have to get to the bridge and back. When they get to the bridge, they STOP on it wondering where to go next, and all of a sudden the helicopter is in view, and gets a direct kill right on the middle of the picturesque bridge. Now I'm not saying that the BBC Top Gear doesn't stage things, but at least their staged things are for something usually pertinent or greatly hilarious. This was just pointless.
- The whole Lambo segment. Great idea. I love the idea of seeing which Lambo is the fastest. However, they spent an inordinate amount of time with each host (I would guess nearly 5 mins each) of them telling about their car they picked and why it was the fastest, leaving them with only a few minutes to do their tests. Did I say tests? I meant test. A single, straight-line standing mile run. Because everyone knows Americans only like drag racing and don't care about how a vehicle handles. No sir. And here was my biggest beef. I'm not sure if it was the driver, or the car, or conditions, or what...but the fastest car (on paper) didn't win. The Murcielago SV may weight about 500 lbs more than the Gallardo Superleggera, but it also has a hundred freaking more horsepower! That should help it dominate in a race like this...and yet the Gallardo won. I highly doubt that Lamborghini would allow the "Baby Lambo" to outperform their flagship vehicle (much like how the Boxster and Cayman will never have more power than the 911). So I can only assume that the conditions were unfavorable, that the Murc was a dog (or the Gallardo was a factory freak), or the driver simply wasn't good enough. Which brings me to my next point...
The ugly
- Yup, it is the hosts. I don't care how much knowledge, driving experience, or cars they have in their collection. These guys flat-out were terrible as hosts. Every bit of dialogue felt forced, their reactions seemed scripted rather than genuine, and each one had the charisma of a cardboard box. Not to mention, I saw nothing to really differentiate between the three of them. They all seemed very generic to me, and I just don't see where they will go out and claim that something is garbage like the BBC hosts do. They have none of the chemistry...and ultimately that is what makes Top Gear, Top Gear.
You could have picked three people, hell about ANY three people off this board and you would have had three better hosts, with more chemistry, personality, and the ability to critique.
And this is why I do not like it. The whole point of watching Top Gear is to see the interactions of Clarkson, May, and Hammond. The cars are secondary. The three of them have such distinct personalities, the producers just throw them into any situation involving cars, and the true entertainment value is through watching these three guys butt heads with one another.
My girlfriend loves BBC Top Gear, and it is for precisely that reason. She didn't like the US version. She said it was just another car show. And I'm inclined to agree with her.
Also more unnerving: the show was sponsored by Mercedes. If the hosts do get the cajones to actually criticize a vehicle...what do you think the odds are that it'll be wearing the three-pointed star?
Not likely, I'd think.
They got some things right.
- The cinematography is fantastic as always.
- They have their own test track, and it seems pretty decent, though I would have preferred some elevation changes in it - it appears to be as flat as the British Top Gear track.
- Yes, the Stig (me) is here too.
- The "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment is thankfully shorter (it always seemed to drag on far too long in the BBC version), and so far, the star (Buzz Aldrin) seems far more pertinent and relatable to the American audience than the usual crew they have on the BBC version.
- They made sure to really let the glorious sound of the V-10 in the Gallardos really scream through on tv. It only reinforces my belief that this is one of the best sounding engines ever made.
The indifferent
- The set seems like they just shot it in some barn somewhere. Way to portray America. YEE-HAW! Then again, it is only the set, so I really shouldn't grip too much.
- The segment where they had to have the Cobra helicopter achieve a target lock on the Viper had already been done by the BBC Top Gear crew. It was a different car, and a different spin on it, but ultimately it had been done already.
The bad
- Ok, we get it. The American audience loves muscle cars and video games. So your first segment is with a Viper who has to evade an attack helicopter. But stop saying things like "We have 2 lives left!" You're not playing a video game. This irked me to no end.
- Same segment: they have to get to the bridge and back. When they get to the bridge, they STOP on it wondering where to go next, and all of a sudden the helicopter is in view, and gets a direct kill right on the middle of the picturesque bridge. Now I'm not saying that the BBC Top Gear doesn't stage things, but at least their staged things are for something usually pertinent or greatly hilarious. This was just pointless.
- The whole Lambo segment. Great idea. I love the idea of seeing which Lambo is the fastest. However, they spent an inordinate amount of time with each host (I would guess nearly 5 mins each) of them telling about their car they picked and why it was the fastest, leaving them with only a few minutes to do their tests. Did I say tests? I meant test. A single, straight-line standing mile run. Because everyone knows Americans only like drag racing and don't care about how a vehicle handles. No sir. And here was my biggest beef. I'm not sure if it was the driver, or the car, or conditions, or what...but the fastest car (on paper) didn't win. The Murcielago SV may weight about 500 lbs more than the Gallardo Superleggera, but it also has a hundred freaking more horsepower! That should help it dominate in a race like this...and yet the Gallardo won. I highly doubt that Lamborghini would allow the "Baby Lambo" to outperform their flagship vehicle (much like how the Boxster and Cayman will never have more power than the 911). So I can only assume that the conditions were unfavorable, that the Murc was a dog (or the Gallardo was a factory freak), or the driver simply wasn't good enough. Which brings me to my next point...
The ugly
- Yup, it is the hosts. I don't care how much knowledge, driving experience, or cars they have in their collection. These guys flat-out were terrible as hosts. Every bit of dialogue felt forced, their reactions seemed scripted rather than genuine, and each one had the charisma of a cardboard box. Not to mention, I saw nothing to really differentiate between the three of them. They all seemed very generic to me, and I just don't see where they will go out and claim that something is garbage like the BBC hosts do. They have none of the chemistry...and ultimately that is what makes Top Gear, Top Gear.
You could have picked three people, hell about ANY three people off this board and you would have had three better hosts, with more chemistry, personality, and the ability to critique.
And this is why I do not like it. The whole point of watching Top Gear is to see the interactions of Clarkson, May, and Hammond. The cars are secondary. The three of them have such distinct personalities, the producers just throw them into any situation involving cars, and the true entertainment value is through watching these three guys butt heads with one another.
My girlfriend loves BBC Top Gear, and it is for precisely that reason. She didn't like the US version. She said it was just another car show. And I'm inclined to agree with her.
Also more unnerving: the show was sponsored by Mercedes. If the hosts do get the cajones to actually criticize a vehicle...what do you think the odds are that it'll be wearing the three-pointed star?
Not likely, I'd think.