5th gen on top gear

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Jinx

I think they are going to compare all three pony cars together for shit and giggles, Clarkson will prolly favor the Camaro and say good thing about it (while grinding his teeth like it hurts him to say it), then at the near end of the show in the studio recap Clarkson is going to walk up to a BMW or some other european car that cost twice as much and out of nowhere start talking about how he would rather have that car; even though that car wasnt part of the story.

Words to expect (these are the "positive" Clarkson words referring to American cars:

-crude
-brute
-forgiving


Then somewhere he will find something minor wrong with the car (armrest or dash grain texture) and bash it, even though he would overlook it on a european car. Expect these words:

-garbage (pronounced by Clarkson: gaaarbige)
-clumsy
-primitive


Then if he does a overall positive review, he will say something along the lines that he is surprised the Americans are capable of building such cars (As if we are cavemen or something). Then he will flame the styling by complaining the retro cues (in which he has no respect for, which isnt surprising....since he is not American) and complain that it is not has stylish as his nutswinging favorite European cars.

I think that prolly is what the script will look like.

Thats what I'm thinking too. I was about to post something like that, then saw that you saved me the trouble. I will add a few things though. They are going to be impressed by the handling and compare it to a BMW (the same has been done with the other zeta cars). If they compare all three pony cars, the mustang will get the worst review. The challenger is supposed to have a rather soft ride, which they seem to love. And styling, well thats always subjective anyway.

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

That was the entry-level Vette. I remember which episode you were talking about. Hammond drove it, and when they got back to the studio -- that's all Clarkson could say was "Leaf Springs?!?"

BUT! They did the Z06, too. And Clarkson absolutely loved it! Except for two things: He claimed it was undriveable on the road, and the Nav computer defaulted to Fast Food joints. "Typically American".

Other than that, he went from 0-160 in 5th gear, he outran fire, he skidded the crap out of it, and compared it to an exotic, highlighting the double in price that the European car demanded for the same performance.

The argument against the leaf springs seems to sound similar to talk against pushrods and V8's. Focusing on the tech, not the results. Oh well.

As far as the fire, not sure what they used but it wasn't regular gasoline. According to mythbusters you can pretty much outwalk the fire of a gasoline trail.

[2010_5thgen]

Originally Posted by jsenn

All those guys hate American Cars...I hope none of them get to drive it...

they did like the z06 when they drove it . but yeah i hope none of them get to test it.

[The_Blur]

This is good publicity. They'll compare it to the Mustang and the Challenger. Most American viewers know that there's a clear bias against American machines. They'll see the beauty in the car, and we'll have a few more converts.

[68RS]

I think Jeremy will probably be the one to drive it, but it will be fine if either Richard or Jeremy drive it. I do agree with teh comments that Jeremy generally likes simplicity, but they won't be able to help themselves slamming it a bit. Again, it is entertainment.

[willisit]

Okay, so I live in the UK and have more exposure to these guys (they were on the radio this week) but they don't hate US cars - and Clarkson has done several DVDs in which he states that he LOVES the Corvette (in 2 very different DVDs and at least 2 written articles for the Times newspaper).

As several have stated, it's done for entertainment purposes only and nothing else.

Read TopGear the magazine - Hammond LOVES (see the big capital letters?) US cars - he has owned a '69 Charger, currently owns a Mustang (again, an older one) and is really looking forward (or was) to the Challenger (it's no longer coming here).

The Camaro? Well, we'll get 600 cars (300 of each, coupe and convertible) and that's it - it'll be such low volume and so expensive that it'll get slated for that reason alone! :(

[Design1stCode2nd]

A lot of American cars make absolutely no sense for the British. The roads are small and the cities congested, would you honestly like to have a Camaro and commute into Manhattan every day?

The other thing I think Top Gear should acknowledge is that while a camaro may cost $60k in England it only costs say $30k here (V-8 of course). American cars are built for American consumers where we have miles and miles of highways, large suburbs and many places you can get a house with 5 acres of land without blinking an eye. Of course they don’t make sense in Europe or Britain.

[Tomash]

Originally Posted by Design1stCode2nd

Of course they don’t make sense in Europe or Britain.

They do

If they didn't, all the cars You see on european streets would be small city-driving oriented Fiats, Peugeots, Renaults etc.

Man, I live in Poland - a country in Eastern Europe with average salary somewhere around half the average salary in France/UK. Big Audi A8 is not a rare sight, SUVs are common. And there're already a few new Mustangs to be spotted on the streets.

And here in Europe the prices of gasoline are something people from the US wouldn't even believe

You don't have to be born on your side of the big water in order to feel the spirit

[GothamCamaro]

Originally Posted by Tomash

They do

If they didn't, all the cars You see on european streets would be small city-driving oriented Fiats, Peugeots, Renaults etc.

Man, I live in Poland - a country in Eastern Europe with average salary somewhere around half the average salary in France/UK. Big Audi A8 is not a rare sight, SUVs are common. And there're already a few new Mustangs to be spotted on the streets.

And here in Europe the prices of gasoline are something people from the US wouldn't even believe

You don't have to be born on your side of the big water in order to feel the spirit

I believe you, the love and spirit of the new Camaro is worldwide, I love knowing that from you guys on the other side of the Sea.

[Emher]

^Hell I know I want to use my new Camaro to burn right past all those boring Volvos I see every day when I get it

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by Tomash

They do

If they didn't, all the cars You see on european streets would be small city-driving oriented Fiats, Peugeots, Renaults etc.

Man, I live in Poland - a country in Eastern Europe with average salary somewhere around half the average salary in France/UK. Big Audi A8 is not a rare sight, SUVs are common. And there're already a few new Mustangs to be spotted on the streets.

And here in Europe the prices of gasoline are something people from the US wouldn't even believe

You don't have to be born on your side of the big water in order to feel the spirit

I agree with Tomash completely. I should clarify my other post. There is a bias against American cars evident on the show because the UK is more part of the European car community than the American car community. It is necessary to compare the top tier of American cars with the top tier of European cars to show why: America's top cars are generally less luxurious and slower than the top tier of European cars; there are more European brands than American brands; American brands tend to flaunt V8 power that is entirely unnecessary for most Europeans.

I'm not saying that XLRs aren't nice and fast or that Chevrolet doesn't advertise the Aveo for efficiency like Smart advertises the fortwo. I am just analyzing the general trend that American car companies and European car companies prioritize different market segments that Top Gear watchers might not see entertaining in the same way that they might find the cars that do end up on the show. Sure, the Camaro will make a great impression as a stylish, even flashy muscle car, but European flashy involves a certain level of glamor—see the Phantom, the F430, the Gallardo—that nothing GM makes can match.

(This post in no way intends to offend fellow American car enthusiasts. This only seeks to identify some of the rifts between cars in Europe and cars in America. More clarification may be necessary in my next post.)

[carsismeZ06]

I think they will be surprised because the Camaro has like 52/48 or 50/50 balance, which is really good for an American car (to them, they think American cars handle like crap) and it has at least 400 horses! (correct me if i'm wrong)

[Jinx]

Ok I just watch some episodes of UK's Top Gear about American cars. Its seems like they love to bash American cars, but it seems like envy after watching some of Clarksons specials. Hell, they seem to envy the icon that muscle and pony cars are to us. There is a special on just the history of the Mustang, but then turn around to another episode they are back at bashing them again. Its funny really.

Good example:

Its not the best example. The person who made the video has some info wrong (it was the 3v 4.6L in 2006, not the 2v version), but it makes the point to a degree.

[Fandango]

Did you guys watch the Summer special? Jeremy loves Camaros.

[Justin]

I loved his review of the Prius...