Top Gear coming!

[Jasonof2000]

Can we ban him?

[Lifeguardjoe]

Update!!

Okay folks listen to the whole segment or not.

http://podcast.971freefm.com/klsx1/1879130.mp3
How Say You, Hammer?
04/14/08

Basically, the first caller of the day asks Carolla "Have the other hosts been chosen yet?"

After a bunch of complaining, the short answer is 'no'.

[djjerme]

I could see Adam hosting an American version (and it's not jsut because we work for the same cheap-ass company..) but my concern is the direction the show would take. Ideally, the American car market is FAR DIFFERENT than the European market. Major concerns for Americans are: Gas mileage and safety. For the show to be accepted by the mainstream, it couldn't focus on the pure ballz-out performance of a vehicle.
It would be even worse if NBC gets their fingers on it, while they are not owned by Disney like ABC, they still have to build a show that targets a large protion of the American audience shares. So no bagging on SUVs and Minivans, no anti-Hybrid hype.
Gotta remember, BBC is governement run media, so they don't have to please the advertisers. America is all about the $$$, can't piss of the guys who pays the bills. When they review a car on TG, they make comments about the manufacters and the type of people who drive the cars, and it's not always positive. Almost every American auto show I have ever seen, seems very nuetered on their opinions.

All I know is, my Fiance thinks a car is for going from point A to point B, and hates when I drive fast, but she LOVES Top Gear, and wil watch the ON DEMAND episodes over and over (though I think she just has a thing for Hammond..)



As a side note, I am in the middle of reading one of Clarkson's books from a couple years ago, and while it has very little to do with cars, it does a great job of commenting on the cultures of the world. If you are a fan of TG, I recommend checking it out!

[Wilshire]

Originally Posted by djjerme

I could see Adam hosting an American version (and it's not jsut because we work for the same cheap-ass company..) but my concern is the direction the show would take. Ideally, the American car market is FAR DIFFERENT than the European market. Major concerns for Americans are: Gas mileage and safety. For the show to be accepted by the mainstream, it couldn't focus on the pure ballz-out performance of a vehicle.

I cannot say I agree with this at all. Top Gear may spend a lot of time testing super cars that are out of reach to most people but that is no indication of the values of the mainstream European market. Since when has the American market been more concerned with safety and especially fuel economy than the Europeans?

Look at the way BBC America is marketing Top Gear, you see them pushing it as an entertainment show that anyone can enjoy. If 'Gear' is to be successful, which it will never be in my eyes , it must retain what Top Gear is and not be another American car show with towing capacities and cup holder numbers neatly arranged in dull superimposed charts.

[orionlion82]

Originally Posted by Wilshire

I cannot say I agree with this at all. Top Gear may spend a lot of time testing super cars that are out of reach to most people but that is no indication of the values of the mainstream European market. Since when has the American market been more concerned with safety and especially fuel economy than the Europeans?

Look at the way BBC America is marketing Top Gear, you see them pushing it as an entertainment show that anyone can enjoy. If 'Gear' is to be successful, which it will never be in my eyes , it must retain what Top Gear is and not be another American car show with towing capacities and cup holder numbers neatly arranged in dull superimposed charts.

you forgot the best selling vehicle in america, and on the entire planet is the F-150.

saftey? towing capacity? fuel economy? Cupholders?
you just found the formula there chief.

tough match to a chevy 1500, but at least we get to laugh at rams.

bring it on!

[djjerme]

Since when has the American market been more concerned with safety and especially fuel economy than the Europeans?

When they introduced the low speed bumpers in the early 70's.. Look at how horrendous the cars from about 1974-1978 looked, foot wide bumpers with huge gas shocks behind them, like battering rams. As for economy, then why don't we get the same models that everyone else in the world gets? Focus related, the ST170, the RS?

Why are half the SUV purchasers in America woman? Because there is a common misconception that an SUV is safer than a regular old car. By being higher up, you are safer (nope, just top heavy.) That having all that extra steel and what not around you is safer (nope, just more blind spots.)

Gas Mileage may have not been the right quip, but lets exchange that for Emissions then.

In honest, I have no problem with gas mileage or Hybrid technology (though I do not understand why get a Hybrid SUV, that gets the same milage as a regular car) but why must they have HYBRID TECHNOLOGY in big ****** letters all over the car? I just want it to look like a normal car, not a reject from the Pontiac Aztec design team! You don't see diesel fueled cars complete setoff from their gasoline cousins. Usually just a small letter "D" after the model number, and they are more fuel efficiant as well! I guess someone who pays twice as much as a regular car, and gets that 50 mpg only half the time really feels they need to stick out in crowd... can't blame them I guess..



"Thaaaanks."

[bR0Ken_H3arT]

One question please. If Euro cars are safer than North American cars - why are Euro cars not allowed to be imported straight away and sold in main dealers?

E.g Euro Focus etc etc...

Doesn't seem to make any sense, unless I'm confused and American crash tests are actually more stringent, and this is why Euro cars aren't ''allowed'' in very easily. Having said that, that doesn't explain how the MINI got to the States, and the Focus didn't!

Either way, I'd love to see an American car show, with American jokes, vehicles, culture and themes. In Europe, we'll be the one asking you guys where the torrent downloads are - not the other way around.

[rpvitiello]

Originally Posted by djjerme

In honest, I have no problem with gas mileage or Hybrid technology (though I do not understand why get a Hybrid SUV, that gets the same milage as a regular car) but why must they have HYBRID TECHNOLOGY in big ****** letters all over the car? I just want it to look like a normal car, not a reject from the Pontiac Aztec design team! You don't see diesel fueled cars complete setoff from their gasoline cousins. Usually just a small letter "D" after the model number, and they are more fuel efficiant as well! I guess someone who pays twice as much as a regular car, and gets that 50 mpg only half the time really feels they need to stick out in crowd... can't blame them I guess..

because hybrid drivers are a "greener than thow:" croud and WANT there hybrids to "look" like hybrids. Ones that look the same as a regular car dont sell. remember the accord hybrid?

Originally Posted by bR0Ken_H3arT

One question please. If Euro cars are safer than North American cars - why are Euro cars not allowed to be imported straight away and sold in main dealers?

when the US started crash testing cars, there was no euro ncap testing, so the US only worked on its own system. Once you guys came out with ncap your safety improved ALLOT, and you made a standard crash test in the EU region...

The US never updated there policy to "accept" ncap testing. So even if a car gets a 5star ncap score, the US STILL wants to retest the car in the US system for it to get a 5 Star rating. The tests are slighly different so the same people can't interpert the results from one test to the other.

[JJFocus]

I don't know all the details about this long thread but pretty much every NA car show sucks a$$.

Top Gear/Fifth Gear are great shows that I watch whenever I can.

I PVRed some show on speed not too long ago, somthing like "super cars exposed".................complete *****!!!!!!!!!!!.

Stupid camera effects and very little to no actual info on testing.

[Ledjar]

Originally Posted by thefrush

I predict epic failure.

agreed, i watch the UK show almost religiously and Jeremy Clark makes the show i mean you gotta have at least him and Hammond for it to be top gear.

[djjerme]

Don't forget Top Gear Dog!

[bluebyutoo]

Originally Posted by bR0Ken_H3arT

One question please. If Euro cars are safer than North American cars - why are Euro cars not allowed to be imported straight away and sold in main dealers?

E.g Euro Focus etc etc...

Doesn't seem to make any sense, unless I'm confused and American crash tests are actually more stringent, and this is why Euro cars aren't ''allowed'' in very easily. Having said that, that doesn't explain how the MINI got to the States, and the Focus didn't!

It's not that they are safer, the crash test standards differ internationally. The standards and requirments for a large male, medium male, and small male (same for the fair sex) are diffrent for US standards and European standard.

What really needs to happen is a consolidation of standards such that there is agreement between contenets on what the standard will be. This would greatly reduce producion cost since there would no longer be two standards.