Doh! There I was, waiting for the hot-hatch feature as shown in RadioTimes, and once again we get something different.
Top Gear was so bad in this respect that I stopped bothering.
And yet again, Mike brewer shows he can't get a car off the line as quick as the other two drivers.....
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The best part of tonight?s Drive was the Fiat Stilo advert ? and that wasn?t very good! IMHO the style and content of ?Driven?, ?Pulling Power? and ?Deals on Wheels? is dire.
Why is it not possible to have a simple informative motoring programme that is pitched above the ?Sunday Sport? tabloid reading audience. Possibly aimed at people who might even appreciate that if you chose the MGF, as one of 3 cars to drive to Monte Carlo, you won?t be able to fit in a huge amount of duty free beer into it.
Top Gear in the Clarkson/Quentin era was light years ahead of the current offerings. Admittedly it went downhill rapidly when VBH came to the fore(?look at me I am ever so sexy and I can get this car to 4 wheel drift?)
Hurry back Clarkson
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Another ever-useful race. This week: caravans across a muddy field. A must when considering a new car.
It would have been wicked if they had rolled that Freelander though ;)
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Especially as the family didn't want to tow a caravan anyway. And what was wrong with the A4 he already had?
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I think the guy just wanted a 'tough' looking 4x4 to pose in.
Leslie - I said the same as you about the MGF last week. The MGF had a chance to shine on the test track, so they gave it a 20 second handicap simply because it was a sport model. But where was the handicap for the load-luggers in the booze-cruise section? Foul!
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I think most motoring programmes struggle to find a balance between entertaining the 'general TV watcher' and the motoring enthusiast (like members of this forum).
What kind of TV programme should be made ? what kind of tests/reports should it have ?
Would you take part in a TV series HJ ?
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It was 30 mins of total dross
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Thankfully people are seeing the light. When Driven had half the budget and a tenth of the viewers it was a little more informative and looked at realistic cars in a realistic way and was a pleasure to watch.
Last night whilst waiting for what turned out to be a very nice Indian takeaway I had the misfortune to be subject to the program for 20 minutes.
Stupid camera angles and "Jamie Oliver" camera stunts, cars being driven round airfields and to top it all off a "caravan race" - Remind you of any other programs that used to be on at a similar time of the week?
Oh excellent motoring viewing it made - Are caravan sites becoming so few and far between that the caravan fraternity have to purchase a car that can beat all those other swine to that "top" spot on the caravan site?
Absolute rubbish and an insult to anyone with a large or small interest in motoring...
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The Caterham bit wasn't too bad. Brewer got a bit of a hard time when he tested a Seven by turning a power-washer on it and complaining of leaks. It would have been far better to actually show how you don't get really wet in the rain in a Seven until you drop below about 20 mph or stop. Then perhaps people will stop looking at me as if I'm mad.
He wasn't zooming around on a track (a test which is more suitable to Caterhams than any other car) but instead pointed out that you don't need 230 bhp and 3.4 second 0-60 time to have good fun.
Piers
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The thing I would most like addressed is the lack of coverage 2nd hand and older cars get. Not everyone has the financial resources (or willingness) to spend thoursands and purchase and upkeep of a new car. Deals on wheels is the sort of thing that is required. Not an airfield in sight!
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I did take part in a TV Show. It was called 'Dealers Choice' and the idea was that we, the dealers, switch-sold punters off the cars they had said they wanted and into the cars we wanted them to want. Was okay, the budget was much more than 'Men & Motors' (which I turned down for that reason), but the show only went out on ITV2 so no one (and I mean no one) saw it. The trouble with car tv shows is that punters slag them off and tell us they want more authoritative tv and don't want snotty nosed young presenters pre-qualifying themselves for holiday programmes on it. But if they were given an authoritative tv show on mainstream tv, they wouldn't watch it. And neither would anyone else. That's why, when Clarkson comes back he'll pull in an audience of at least three million, maybe five. He's funny and he's genuinely entertaining. Cost per mile comparisons and lectures on camshaft timing aren't.
HJ
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Yep your right HJ,
It all in the ratings, if its not'lifestyle' then its got to be a tabloid excercise for the lowest possible denominator.
Top Gear was the biggest offender in this recently. All the 'lifestyle' merchants and failed F1 stars appear to have decamped to Channel 5 to inflict their brand of rubbish on just a few people. Cant wait to see what fills the void
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