Top Gear Australia

[trdsaads]

Ok guys, Top Gear Australia made its debut on our screens tonight.

What did everyone think?

I didnt mind it, but they emulate the originals just alil too much, instead of putting their own twist to it. Everything from there dress, to manerisms.

Aside from that, i think it was good veiwing!

[Rolla Boy]

I totally missed it lol...

Too busy watching Two and a half men and forgot about it...

[levinboy]

Yea i agree they are trying to hard not to be like the uk version but are basically copying it, there is only one jeremy clarkson dont try and be like him cause you will FAIL lol

[Gavin672]

pretty much all copy of uk version...

won't watch if i have to...

[trdsaads]

It always will be a copy of the original, so i guess its kinda hard to be different. But they could have tried atleast!

I hope its not going to be full of V8 Holden and Ford worshipping though!

[Kenneth]

It always will be a copy of the original, so i guess its kinda hard to be different. But they could have tried atleast!

I hope its not going to be full of V8 Holden and Ford worshipping though!

you might be out of luck thr jayme..

[dayve]

i thought it was okay

i still prefer the UK version only because it has its own feel to it, with pommy jokes and the rivarly

between the presenters.

but i guess ill watch the next few episodes to see how it develops

hope they do a segment on imports

[Lawz]

It was crap crap crap... even the live audience didn't find it interesting.. could read there faces in the background.

I definitely wasn't impressed because it was pretty much a copy cat of the UK version... which I believe it was going to happen anyway and also why recreate the same characters... why not have a woman in the dam team... why not just 2 hosts...

I don't see this version lasting too long... but I suppose give it time as it's only the first episode.

Oh but I must admit I'm keen to watch the next episode simply because of the Holden vs Ford debate... wondering if a TRD Aurion will gatecrash the party

[leasaunce]

main guy reminds me of DICKO! annoying LOL

[X-Power]

anyone record it? was at work and missed it lol might youtube it

[quantum]

check out finalgear they should post a link to the torrent soon enough

[TRDYUS]

Damn, missed it.

Any good car show shouldn't over dramatize a vehicle...

Which is why there a few quality ones left.

Should catch the next one.

Was it any good?

Edited September 29, 2008 by TRDYUS

[mtbrider]

I thought it was ordinary. A rubbish copy of the original. I though the editing was rubbish. When he drove the RAV 4 over the sand dune in the air they showed it for about 1 second. I would have liked to see it for longer and possibly twice. It seemed when the cars were doing something interesting they would cut to the hosts having a laugh or an in car shot again of the hosts head and we could not see the action.

You could see that the front of the RAV was toast after the jump but they didn't mention it or show it again.

They need to do a lot better.

[whitestivo]

Give it time my fellow forum members, there's no point stamping a hole personality in the first episode.

They gave credit to the lotus elise around the race track running a 1.12, better than a M3 and AMG, crediting it's lack of horsepower with the fact it's a "superb" motor vehicle.

And the GTR ran a 1.09.

That kept me happy, those pony pushing boat anchor LS1's won't get close to that.

whitestivo

[Hiro]

Copied from my Toymods post:

I think it had ups and downs. Warren Brown (despite his driving abilities) is a natural presenter, he's probably the funniest of the lot because of his relaxed attitude, and in a way he's the most used to the TV camera too. Charlie Cox sounded like he was going to burst a blood vessel doing his Melbourne Cup commentary on the Power Laps, even though you saw more of the interior and Stig's helmet than the track. Steve Pizzati is obviously the Hammond of the lot, but even so I think his gerbil-face and school-kid enthusiasm is going to wear a bit thin after......ohh, the first five minutes of the show.

And it's been said by many people, but the real comparisons need to be made to the first season of the British Top Gear. Camera-work was shoddy on the track for them too, the set was spartan, and they had a useless presenter too who got ditched after the first season.

And SIARPC/SIABSC is going to get better the more and more people come on, as are the Power Laps (as long as camera-work improves), because a single time is just boring and no comparison (although apparently the Stig was about 10-15 seconds faster than Colosimo). Damn the track is narrow in some parts though, completely different to the UK one.

[Cappuccino]

I say give it time... top gear has been around for many moons, i still remember watching it when i was a kid and you had just Tiff Needle, Clarkson and the black stig.

Its going to take more then one season to evolve, i just hope they do get this right because the only thing us aussies seem to be good at are backyard shows and not car shows.

[IMB055]

I think it needs to be given a chance. I thought it was a reasonable first effort.

I will be watching again, for sure!

Compare it to the other garbage that has been produced in Australia trying to pass itself off as a "car show" (yes, I am thinking about that one that used to be on Channel 9 with Glenn Ridge, among other atrocities) and Top Gear Australia wiped the floor with it.

Look, we are a smaller country on the other side of the world. We have a smaller supercar market, let alone the overall size of the car market. The fact these guys have a track at all (Camden airport, I believe) is an awesome step up from anything else that has been attempted. It will always be a struggle for it to win a comparison against an established product with something brand new. I take people's points about it being derivative of Top Gear UK, but it has to be something like it, doesn't it?? The fact that they, in their first episode, bagged out Mercedes Benz and their Maybach showed that they won't be yes-men and say every car is good, which is positive.

Think about your first lap on a racetrack. You had seen it done before, you thought you would be a shot but professionals who had done a few track days before you still made you look like the new kid on the block that you were. I prefer not to be a hater. I will be supporting this show, and I thought left the line well, and will build speed, finishing with a respectable lap time at the end of the first season :D

On another note, any guesses as to who "our" Stig is??

PS: Having re-read this, it almost looks like I work for SBS. Just for the record, I don't.

[Speedz]

I dont like the track...

its too narrow... wish they rent a proper track, doesnt have to be in the airport like the UK version mate...

i dont get some of the jokes too, as i guess ive gotten use to the witty uk jokes for the past 9 season...

and i dont think they going to rev and race the car on public roads like they did on the Isle of Manns segment either...

[-JC-]

I think everyone is jumping the gun a little with their critisism. Let the show run a season first.

I didn't mind it, but I thought they were trying a little too hard on the humor front. Its not like every line that comes out of their mouth has to be something funny, but it seemed that was their intention.

In relation to the comments re: It being an exact replica of the UK program, we need to consider the terms of the "franchise agreement" etc that would have to have been signed to allow use of the Top Gear name for a show here. Look at how successful the original is, and look at how inept the Poms think we are over here ("just a bunch of convicts" remember). My bet is that they were given a very very very strict set of guidelines as to how the show should be presented, which is why the studio is an exact replica etc.

Its better than anything else I have seen on Australian TV re: Cars, and I think over time as we stop trying to compare the guys presenting it to JC, May and Hammond, we will probably start to embrace it a little more.

Agreed that the similarites make it difficult not to compare the 3 with their UK counterparts, but I think it will grow on us.

Re: The Holden and Ford thing, Its an Australian show, what did you expect?

[Speedz]

I was thinking they should do a hmm....

a dune race special on Fraser Island with Landcruisers, Land Rovers, Porshe Caynne, VW Toraq or watever?

but then i think the fun police will spoil the fun...

[Hiro]

In short, best Australian car show on TV since.....ummm, well, Torque. The Car Show was basically carpoint.com.au on TV, and was awful. I remember the stupid Territory vs Porsche comparison, about which was the better city car, and they were using points like the Territory rode better down a cobblestone lane, and had more doors (no *****, Sherlock). Biggest waste of time I've ever seen (not a waste of braincells though, because they clearly didn't use any)

[Cappuccino]

I dont like the track...

its too narrow... wish they rent a proper track, doesnt have to be in the airport like the UK version mate...

i dont get some of the jokes too, as i guess ive gotten use to the witty uk jokes for the past 9 season...

and i dont think they going to rev and race the car on public roads like they did on the Isle of Manns segment either...

Thats because if the did it on a proper race track everyone will be hunting to beat the stigs time he is suppose to be the best! But doing on a track that no one will ever drive on...no one can see how good or how bad the stig is.

[TRDYUS]

They should have a Stig challenge B)

[Guest]

I thought, all things concidered it was pretty good.

Concidering that last nite was the first episode and they still are (hopefully) in the process of fine tuning the show that it was a good effort.

I was quite surprised that they actually have some decent cars on there too (eg. the lambo, porche, maybach) I guess time will tell if they can keep up the good work and make improvements to the show.

I will definately be watching to see how it developes

[Speedz]

I dont like the track...

its too narrow... wish they rent a proper track, doesnt have to be in the airport like the UK version mate...

i dont get some of the jokes too, as i guess ive gotten use to the witty uk jokes for the past 9 season...

and i dont think they going to rev and race the car on public roads like they did on the Isle of Manns segment either...

Thats because if the did it on a proper race track everyone will be hunting to beat the stigs time he is suppose to be the best! But doing on a track that no one will ever drive on...no one can see how good or how bad the stig is.

True in a sense, well they really SHOULD rearrange the track really... i dont think the track is long or wide enough for the cars to stretch their legs...!