# So I've been watching "Top Gear" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000 "2007-09-30T02:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/1 "2007-09-30T02:12:39Z")
I’ve been watching videos on youtube, mostly their reviews of American cars. Somehow listening to a bunch Brits say the same things I’ve heard US auto writers say (well, write…) is very insulting. Of course, it doesn’t help that Jeremy Clarkson is a loudmouth. Yes, US cars use typically low tech, or lower tech in the engines and chassis, handling is less important to US drivers and GM makes cars with cheap interiors. But when Jeremy Clarkson says it I get all defensive, but if Csaba Csere of Car & Driver magazine writes I go “yeah!”. I think I’m going to have to stop. I don’t read cars mags any more, and it’s been fun catching up on the cool cars I’ve never heard of (esp the European ones we don’t get in the US), I just don’t think I can take it any more. Maybe I need to go read up on Lucas Electronics or something, make myself feel better. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/2 "2007-09-30T02:23:35Z")
The key to watching Clarkson is that you might agree with 20% of what he says, or you might agree with 80%. Either way, it’ll be good TV. And nobody will be left standing in the corner without an opinion. Don’t watch Top Gear as a guide to buying a new car. Watch it as a piece of really good television. Any good-car-porn, count it as a bonus. (And yes, the Americans are an easy target, but so are the Germans, the French, the Italians, the Swedish, and the British. They all get slagged off. I’ve only seen one Aussie car reviewed, and they loved it. Just imagine if somebody started making cars in Ireland…) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/3 "2007-09-30T02:26:11Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] (… Just imagine if somebody started making cars in Ireland…) [/QUOTE] Heh. It was a nice idea, but they sucked too. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/4 "2007-09-30T02:28:40Z")
Huh. I watch Top Gear and I love it. Who cares if he insults Americans? We can’t take a little insult? I like to think we’re a little tougher than that; unfortunately as a country we seem to be very sensitive. Not really picking on you, OP, but just an observation. If we started making our cars better then there’d be nothing to make fun of. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/5 "2007-09-30T02:48:19Z")
I’m more amused at my own defensiveness, really, and I certainly don’t watch “Top Gear” as a buying guide, most of the cars I’ve watched cost more than my house even if they are available in the states. I’m watching for entertainment. Clarkson likes to make brash statements for the shock factor and I find it rather tiresome, esp after watching several videos in a row. And I refer not just to the US baching, but to statements about anything and everything. Maybe I’ll watch a few more and see what I think… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/6 "2007-09-30T02:54:46Z")
It sounds like you’re coming over to the dark side, **DaddyTimesTwo** …just roll with the punches, and see how it goes 🙂 (Especially when they play Car Darts, or the attempt to destroy the Toyota pickup) ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/7 "2007-09-30T03:04:56Z")
Wasn’t it Top Gear that did the test to see if a car would be literally blown away by jet exhaust? Only one way to find out… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/8 "2007-09-30T03:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=DaddyTimesTwo] Wasn’t it Top Gear that did the test to see if a car would be literally blown away by jet exhaust? Only one way to find out… [/QUOTE] Fixed in favour of the caravan. Quite rightly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/9 "2007-09-30T03:10:06Z")
_[Mythbusters_ tried it with a taxi. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/10 "2007-09-30T03:21:35Z")
I’m thinking of a _Mythbusters_ episode, I think. They had two cars, one got completely lifted off its wheels and blown down the runway. And I didn’t find anything for Top Gear, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/11 "2007-09-30T03:26:17Z")
_Mythbusters_ couldn’t get the proper aircraft due to insurance reasons; but I think this acutally did happen in Brazil behind a 737. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/12 "2007-09-30T03:48:51Z")
Top Gear did it. I believe they got a 747, and pulled one of those Citroen 2CV pieces of crap behind it. The thing got blown a few hundred feet and rolled. Whenever Top Gear does something that Mythbusters has done, they usually do it way better. Mythbusters tried to launch a chair with rockets. Top Gear built a space shuttle with a car on its back. Clarkson is always entertaining if you just listen to him right. He’s not Rush Limbaugh - most of his brash statements are nothing more than character, meant to entertain the audience. His role is that of brash loudmouth. James May is the nebbish smart guy, and Richard Hammond is the young impetuous one. Those are the characters of the show, and they play off each other brilliantly. Clarkson has done other shows not affiliated with Top Gear, and he comes across significantly different. I watched one older car series he did a few years ago, and he looked more like the smart interesting guy talking to car people than a blowhard. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/13 "2007-09-30T03:49:59Z")
[QUOTE=DaddyTimesTwo] Wasn’t it Top Gear that did the test to see if a car would be literally blown away by jet exhaust? [/QUOTE] Both _Top Gear_ and _Mythbusters_ tried it. _Mythbusters_ couldn’t arrange a test using a real jet airliner (their insurance company wouldn’t allow it, they said). So they used a wind generator - basically a small jet engine mounted on a truck. They didn’t manage to flip the car, but they had parts of the car flying off. I think the car was a Ford Crown Vic or something similar. _Top Gear_ tried it with an actual 747 and flipped over a Ford Mondeo. [Here](http://youtube.com/watch?v=24iZDl-U8es) is the video clip. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/14 "2007-09-30T04:07:44Z")
[This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF1Ki9w9Otg) video isn’t an official _Mythbusters_ release in any way, but the guy says it was MB and you get to see a school bus get blown away. And it _was_ Top Gear I was remembering, I can’t believe I forgot about the 2CV. Now that is great TV. Or telly, whatever… ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/15 "2007-09-30T06:49:07Z")
I prefer to think of it as a comedy show about cars, rather than a funny car show. Clarkson’s cracks about US autos are as offensive as, say, Jay Leno making fun of Toyotas and Nissans while he goes on about his latest muscle car. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/16 "2007-09-30T07:39:59Z")
Come on! The thing about Top Gear is that actually there is very little mention of American cars. Really the crazy things they get up to (various races, etc) are the most interesting to me. And what about what Clarkson said? I kind of tend to agree with his opinion of American cars. We’re normally unaware of the quality of European cars in the US. For instance, Mercedes makes sedans that aren’t exactly luxury in Europe? Yet they have the same build-quality that they are known for. Your Peugots and Citroens etc are actually usually very good cars. Nothing fancy, but generally of nice quality with a nice suspension. Reminds me of a VW in the US nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/17 "2007-09-30T10:15:23Z")
The Lotus vs. Apache helicopter shootout kicks about seventeen kinds of arse. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/18 "2007-09-30T16:04:05Z")
As an avid _Top Gear_ viewer, let me tell you one thing. Top Gear loves pretty much every car that Ford UK gives them. Ford is supposedly an American car company. There’s a reason why the [ford.co.uk](http://ford.co.uk) lineup is almost ENTIRELY different than the [ford.com/ford.ca](http://ford.com/ford.ca) lineup. I think the Ford Ranger, a rebadged Mazda B-series small pickup truck, and the Ford Escape are the only vehicles they have in common. They share nothing in the way of cars except the recently discontinued Ford GT. The same can be said more or less for GM. Europeans prefer European cars, and the automakers, including the American ones, give them what they want. Ford doesn’t make a big effort selling F-150s in Britain, just like Toyota doesn’t spend a lot of money trying to sell those 900cc 3 cylinder microcars that make up most of the market in Japan. That European consumers dislike a car made for the US market is hardly much of a suprise. It sort of reminds of the the CAW head honcho recently talking about how the world markets were so unfair because “they” are allowed to sell cars in North America while North American car companies are not “allowed” to reciprocate. Because you know, if the Japanese government would only allow it, the streets of Tokyo would be awash with Malibus and Impalas and giant American body-on-frame trucks. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/19 "2007-09-30T16:13:45Z")
[QUOTE=Throatwarbler Mangrove] I think the Ford Ranger, a rebadged Mazda B-series small pickup truck, and the Ford Escape are the only vehicles they have in common. [/quote] And the Focus. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000/20 "2007-09-30T16:20:03Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] And the Focus. [/QUOTE] The European Focus is a completely different vehicle on a completely different platform(based on the Mazda3 and similar to the Volvo C30) compared to the US Focus. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-been-watching-top-gear/421000.md?page=2)