So did anyone watch the "new" Top Gear?

[snedger]

I tried watching it on catchup in the early hours, fell asleep after about 10 minutes - decided not to bother watching the rest.

I think it's going to be confusing having two BBC programmes called Pointless.

[dfour]

Avoided it because of CE

[Smudger]

I watched it last night, it was a bit dull. But then towards the end of old (new) Top Gear, I was finding it a bit dull. I felt it needed to go back to being about cars, rather than set pieces. I think that it had to be a bit similar to the old one, and it'll gradually evolve into something new, but in order to keep the fans onside, they have to do it gradually.

Something that immediately struck me was in the first segment, he said something about how rubbish the viper engine was because it was old fashioned and didn't use modern tech (he didn't say turbo charging, but it was implied).. old school engine love is HUGE for petrol heads, and he seemed wide of the mark with those kind of comments.

The Viper (truck) engine was rubbish when it first came out. It was soundly beaten in tests by TVRs with even older Buick V8s, and of course the newer TVR v8. A well-tuned engine with half the displacement, even not something-charged would probably give better performance, that thing must weigh a lot...

[kalniel]

The Viper (truck) engine was rubbish when it first came out. It was soundly beaten in tests by TVRs with even older Buick V8s, and of course the newer TVR v8. A well-tuned engine with half the displacement, even not something-charged would probably give better performance, that thing must weigh a lot...

But surely there's charm/character in having a lump of a simple truck engine in there? I don't know personally - I've never had the experience - but I have been in a corvette V8 and I found my golf gti more exciting since there wasn't enough character, just creamy smooth acceleration.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Did they ever test the Dodge Hellcat Charger SRT on Top Gear?? 707BHP!!

Regarding the Viper V10 the one it is based on was the Magnum V10 in the Dodge Ram truck but Lamborghini actually redesigned the engine in aluminium alloy as the original was in cast iron.

Edit!!

Also Dodge Tomahawk!



Yep,they shoehorned the V10 into a motorbike!

Probably not as mad as the Rolls Royce Merlin one.

[Smudger]

I think the original complaints were that it was a truck engine, and sounded like it. It was also underpowered, considering the size of it...

[peterb]

I see CE is hitting back at the critics, saying that the viewing figures were exceptionally good for the first of a 'new' show (My quotation marks)

But I suspect that many of those were viewers watching out of curiosity and I don't think the figures take into account how long someone watched the show,

It will be more interesting to see what the subsequent figures are.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think the original complaints were that it was a truck engine, and sounded like it. It was also underpowered, considering the size of it...

It is a normally aspirated engine and AFAIK had no VVT- the one in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has 20% less displacement and 20% less displacement but is supercharged and produces more power.

I think the main issue is the size of the engine - the Viper is mostly bonnet!!

[Dayks]

Watched it last night, loved Matt LeBlanc but could not stand Chris Evans. I suspect I won't be able to keep watching it, the good bits with MLB are not enough to make me sit through CE.

[TheAnimus]

I see CE is hitting back at the critics, saying that the viewing figures were exceptionally good for the first of a 'new' show (My quotation marks)

These tweets, oh dear. This is why I don't like CE. That's not how you handle it.

[Saracen]

These tweets, oh dear. This is why I don't like CE. That's not how you handle it.

Absolutely.

The first "new" show that's actually a revamp, a reincarnation, of one of the Beeb's alltime most popular hits is hardly the typical "new show". What'll be more interesting is viewing stats after a few more. How many old-show fans are still watching, and how many new viewers can a Clarkson-free show attract?

My suspicion is that many old fans might cut them a bit of slack for two or three shows to see how it settles in. Though, many that can't stand CE won't even give them that. Me, he's not getting 5 seconds let alone several shows. Even their promo adverts was too much. Almost anyone else and I'd give it a try, but the Beeb would struggle to pick a better candidate if their sole objective was to drive me, personally, away.

His reaction strikes me as defensive, egotistical and utterly unwilling to take negative comment on-board. He's right, and thousands of fans are wrong, obviously.

[directhex]

These tweets, oh dear. This is why I don't like CE. That's not how you handle it.

Do you blame him for being pissy?

Scroll up. Look at how many of the replies on here are entirely personal. Multiply that by the entire TV-viewing public.

[Saracen]

Do you blame him for being pissy?

Scroll up. Look at how many of the replies on here are entirely personal. Multiply that by the entire TV-viewing public.

If your career is based on being a TV (and/or radio) celeb, or a politician for that matter, you put yourself up for mass criticism. So yeah, I blame him when people say they don't like it because of him. Anybody was going to face a 'not-Clarkson' backlash from fans and if he didn't anticipate that, he's a Grade-A moron.

So the question is .... how to react? Pissy isn't a wise move.

[kalniel]

These tweets, oh dear. This is why I don't like CE. That's not how you handle it.

Indeed. And what will the ratings for the second show be like?

[AGTDenton]

They simply tried to copy the previous presenters and scripting style. The problem towards the end of JC's era is that it was overly scripted, and they've simply gone and continued this heavy scripting.
It was fairly obvious in some parts that CE did not do some of the stunts or all of the driving.

The 4x4 towing a reliant part was a complete waste of time, plus I'm pretty bored of the UK vs. another country theme.

Cringe worthy the whole way through for me.
And as for the Top Gear Extra show, no no no... this just spells disaster.

As expected the 1st episode gets an E- from me.

[Biscuit]

These tweets, oh dear. This is why I don't like CE. That's not how you handle it.

What an idiot, he must realise how stupid he's going to look if the audience plummets in the second week?