Top Gear is back - Sunday 27th January

Killinator

Let me see Fifth Gear review the new Focus ST(complete with trip to foreign country)
"Thats cool, real cars for real people, unlike Top Gear "

Top Gear do a three way review of 3 similar cars including the ST,
"Boring, we want hyper cars, they've blown their budget already, etc...."

Can't please some people.

Also the most recent show that had a Porsche race against a fighter jet was :
A. Top Gear
B: Fifth Gear

Are we aloud to just watch both, or is this another Oasis/Blur, PS3/360 style pick a side affair!

Also seeing The Stig pull up in a police car to roll down the window and issue a yellow card was funny, it just was!

ofcork

I feel the show has become samey ie same old things races etc being done.

kneemos

ofcork wrote: »

I feel the show has become samey ie same old things races etc being done.

It's a worldwide franchise so don't know if they can stray off the normal formula.

ofcork

Still think they need some new ideas though.

alan partridge aha

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

The Ford Focus of the time has always been a superior car to the Golf of the time. Not sure about the Civic.

The last generation 1.4 Civic was terribly underpowered. The Focus was said to be a nicer car to drive than the Golf, but in every other respect the Golf is the clear winner.

Build quality of the Golf is vastly superior to all the rest including the Civic. The newer 1.2TSI petrol engines in the MK7 Golf promises much, good acceleration and very good fuel efficiency. Diesels are good as well.

Auris has now improved the looks and is a real contender.

Chris_Heilong

alan partridge aha wrote: »

The last generation 1.4 Civic was terribly underpowered. The Focus was said to be a nicer car to drive than the Golf, but in every other respect the Golf is the clear winner.

Build quality of the Golf is vastly superior to all the rest including the Civic. The newer 1.2TSI petrol engines in the MK7 Golf promises much, good acceleration and very good fuel efficiency. Diesels are good as well.

Auris has now improved the looks and is a real contender.

Golf fan are we?:P

AugustusMinimus

alan partridge aha wrote: »

The last generation 1.4 Civic was terribly underpowered. The Focus was said to be a nicer car to drive than the Golf, but in every other respect the Golf is the clear winner.

Build quality of the Golf is vastly superior to all the rest including the Civic. The newer 1.2TSI petrol engines in the MK7 Golf promises much, good acceleration and very good fuel efficiency. Diesels are good as well.

You actually serious ? The Mk 4 gearbox was an absolute disaster. The 1.4L Turbo engine in both 140bhp and 170bhp form gives shocking trouble and I won't even start about electrical problems across all Volkswagen Group cars.

German and Volkswagen reliability is completely overblown and save a dodgy coil pack in the Mk 1 Focus, I can't think of much else from a reliability point of view which is wrong with them. The interiors of the Focus are also a much nicer place to be compared to the Golf which is simply functional.

colm_mcm

I think someone may be confusing rubbery plastic with build quality

alan partridge aha

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

You actually serious ? The Mk 4 gearbox was an absolute disaster. The 1.4L Turbo engine in both 140bhp and 170bhp form gives shocking trouble and I won't even start about electrical problems across all Volkswagen Group cars.

German and Volkswagen reliability is completely overblown and save a dodgy coil pack in the Mk 1 Focus, I can't think of much else from a reliability point of view which is wrong with them. The interiors of the Focus are also a much nicer place to be compared to the Golf which is simply functional.

The mk 4 golf was replaced in 2004 (9 years ago).

I have a 2002 vw bora (mk 4 golf with a boot) from new, no issues at all bar 2 doorlocks.

Tea 1000

alan partridge aha wrote: »

The mk 4 golf was replaced in 2004 (9 years ago).

I have a 2002 vw bora (mk 4 golf with a boot) from new, no issues at all bar 2 doorlocks.

Bora's are fairly terrible cars though. One of the ugliest cars VW's ever produced, unpleasant to drive and dodgy electrics and gearboxes and most engines are shocking. An insult to motoring of the time.
Doorlocks were a problem even when they were new. Build quality my hole!

alan partridge aha

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Bora's are fairly terrible cars though. One of the ugliest cars VW's ever produced, unpleasant to drive and dodgy electrics and gearboxes and most engines are shocking. An insult to motoring of the time.
Doorlocks were a problem even when they were new. Build quality my hole!

Are you taking the p, engine and gearbox absolutely fine, very lively for its time and you know your not driving a rattlebox. What do you drive?

sean1141

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Bora's are fairly terrible cars though. One of the ugliest cars VW's ever produced, unpleasant to drive and dodgy electrics and gearboxes and most engines are shocking. An insult to motoring of the time.
Doorlocks were a problem even when they were new. Build quality my hole!

In your own opinion of course;)

I had a bora for almost two years. While it was never a stunning looking car I wouldn't call it ugly. I put almost 70k miles on it without a single problem. I have had 3 mk4 based cars and never had problems with door locks or electrics on any of them for that matter. Same goes for the engine and gearbox.

CianRyan

Not to get personal but I'd definitely call them ugly.

166man

CianRyan wrote: »

Not to get personal but I'd definitely call them ugly.

IMO they're not ugly, they're just a nothing looking car if you get what I mean, there's no redeeming features which make it a good looking car and no features which make it ugly.

Just bland really.

colm_mcm

I actually think the bora was a good looking car for one that came out around 1999. Nice big arches, styling simple and crisp.
Problem is when you see loads of them you get sick of the same old thing.

Cookie_Monster

dastardly00 wrote: »

^^^
The bit in bold .....
sorry, does not compute.

well maybe racist is the not the most correct term but he doesn't like the Germans, thinks the Americans are all morons and regularly derides the French. HE certainly doesn't like other nations as opposed to race or skin colour. Regardless of skin colour Hami is a Brit so he's fine.

Cungi

I love TG when they modify an old shit heap

My God the Fiat Multipla is the most hideous car ever made. Glad it blew up.
Bad comparison saying the Focus is too complicated for old people. It was the ST. No OAP is gonna drive one of those. They'll have the basic LX.

Range Rover vs Terramax Drone was impressive. Self driving vehicles are the future.

Source of the Nile next week should be good.

dgt

You were happy to see RoverJames blow up??!!! :eek::pac::pac:

Marcusm

MY God, they named their latest creation the Rover James; is it after our own Corkonian?

MuppetCheck

Isn't imitation the greatest form of praise?

That show was as bit crap though if you ask me. Of course the British built RR was going to win!

Stheno

dgt wrote: »

You were happy to see RoverJames blow up??!!! :eek::pac::pac:

RIP The RoverJames and of course, poor Tiddles

It was an enjoyable episode, the Multipla has got to be one of the ugliest cars ever designed.

Cungi

dgt wrote: »

You were happy to see RoverJames blow up??!!! :eek::pac::pac:

Not our RJ. He's useful to have around (and almost definately prettier!)
But Multiplas i hate more than Micras. Multiplas must have been designed by a blind man.

thats not gone well

Cungi wrote: »

I love TG when they modify an old shit heap

My God the Fiat Multipla is the most hideous car ever made. Glad it blew up.
Bad comparison saying the Focus is too complicated for old people. It was the ST. No OAP is gonna drive one of those. They'll have the basic LX.

Range Rover vs Terramax Drone was impressive. Self driving vehicles are the future.

Source of the Nile next week should be good.

video of the testing and development from 2007. very interesting.
they've come a long way in 5/6 years.

Rural

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoiJeIb0wBA

Urban

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xibwwNVLgg

Barry Barry

alan partridge aha wrote: »

The mk 4 golf was replaced in 2004 (9 years ago).

I have a 2002 vw bora (mk 4 golf with a boot) from new, no issues at all bar 2 doorlocks.

I've seen a few 06 MK4 estates on the net before, unsold cars or something Id guess?

Cungi

thats not gone well wrote: »

video of the testing and development from 2007. very interesting.
they've come a long way in 5/6 years.

They certainly have. In 50 years we'll all be saying to our grandkids.
"I remember when we drove cars ourselves"
And our grandkids will be saying "Shuttup granda. talking shite again"

thats not gone well

They certainly have. In 50 years we'll all be saying to our grandkids.
"I remember when we drove cars ourselves"
And our grandkids will be saying "Shuttup granda. talking shite again"

in the video you can see how something rudimentary like going through a gate can confuse the early systems. a lot of refinement has been done.

IMO we're not really 'that' far from seeing these on the road, its only a step up from radar guided cruise control.
baby steps and all that :pac:

MuppetCheck

Barry Barry wrote: »

I've seen a few 06 MK4 estates on the net before, unsold cars or something Id guess?

The estate is usually the last to be replaced on the Golf's.

Barry Barry

MuppetCheck wrote: »

The estate is usually the last to be replaced on the Golf's.

So a MK4 estate could be bought new in 06?

Stheno

sean1141 wrote: »

In your own opinion of course;)

I had a bora for almost two years. While it was never a stunning looking car I wouldn't call it ugly. I put almost 70k miles on it without a single problem. I have had 3 mk4 based cars and never had problems with door locks or electrics on any of them for that matter. Same goes for the engine and gearbox.

CianRyan wrote: »

Not to get personal but I'd definitely call them ugly.

I'd one for two years, did 50k miles in it in that time. It was comfortable, and reliable, but pretty plain looking, but I didn't have any major issues with it at all in the time I had it.

alan partridge aha

Stheno wrote: »

I'd one for two years, did 50k miles in it in that time. It was comfortable, and reliable, but pretty plain looking, but I didn't have any major issues with it at all in the time I had it.

I'll give you ugly cars, Nissan Tiida (horrific) and the Corolla saloon (02-07)no design thought put into both.

On Top Gear I thought this was a good episode funny and interesting and Hamsters pulling the face to match that mini was brill.:cool: