Enjoying the new season of Top Gear

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

Anyone else enjoying the new season of BBC Top Gear? I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I like it better than season 2 of Grand Tour so far. Gasp!

dewolf · 03-17-2018, 08:44 PM

I like it as well. I think those guys gel well. I like how Matt is always giving Chris sh$t.

onewhippedpuppy · 03-18-2018, 05:36 AM

I’ve been watching it, the Japan bit in the last episode was particularly good. I still think it’s somewhat forced but I don’t hate the hosts like I did when Chris Evans was on there. Definitely potential and it’s worth watching.

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

I really like how the focus is on the cars again. I feel like Grand Tour wastes 3/4 of every episode on conversation street and on the celebrity lap deal. Yes they still have the celebrity lap on Top Gear but it takes up alot less of the episode.

On both shows I just fast forward thru the celebrity lap segments.

I agree Matt is doing a great job as the anchor.

onewhippedpuppy · 03-18-2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickshu

I really like how the focus is on the cars again. I feel like Grand Tour wastes 3/4 of every episode on conversation street and on the celebrity lap deal. Yes they still have the celebrity lap on Top Gear but it takes up alot less of the episode.

On both shows I just fast forward thru the celebrity lap segments.

I agree Matt is doing a great job as the anchor.

I agree on the car focus. The Grand Tour needs to ditch the "celebrity" segment (featuring people that I've never heard of) and conversation street typically feels very contrived. More car reviews, more road trips, more challenges, that's what I watch for.

ckissick · 03-18-2018, 09:19 AM

I have to say a recent episode of Grand Tour was almost too stupid to watch. It's the one where they were delivering fish to a village in Africa. Was it Mombasa? Anyway, the modes of transport they picked were so obviously contrived to be as stupid as possible, it ceased to be a car show. I still watched though, and laughed a bit. But still.

I'll have to give the new Top Gear a try. I haven't seen any of them yet.

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I agree on the car focus. The Grand Tour needs to ditch the "celebrity" segment (featuring people that I've never heard of) and conversation street typically feels very contrived. More car reviews, more road trips, more challenges, that's what I watch for.

That's the recipe. The "new" BBC Top Gear has it nailed. The Grand Tour needs to get back to that format for sure. I feel like the script with Jeremy/Richard/James seems really forced especially in season 2. Goes to show you how much of the original Top Gear greatness should be credited to the writers and directors and not as much to the 3 blokes behind the camera I guess....which is surprising to me.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

I have been watching the new Top Gear and the Grand Tour. The last Grand Tour in Africa was indeed just stupid and not funny.

Top Gear has some funny stuff. I don't get the Chris Harris, drive through every corner at an angle silliness. I guess the think it is more spectacular to go sideways through the corners with tire smoke like crazy. Clarkson seemed to love that as well.

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have been watching the new Top Gear and the Grand Tour. The last Grand Tour in Africa was indeed just stupid and not funny.

Top Gear has some funny stuff. I don't get the Chris Harris, drive through every corner at an angle silliness. I guess the think it is more spectacular to go sideways through the corners with tire smoke like crazy. Clarkson seemed to love that as well.

I agree...drifting is the slowest way around a corner or any track.

onewhippedpuppy · 03-19-2018, 09:53 AM

Drifting gets the YouTube clicks! As long as they drive cool cars with excellent cinematography in interesting locales around the world I will watch. Unless the hosts get too annoying, like TG USA.

pwd72s · 03-19-2018, 11:03 AM

Last night's episode was fun...chuckled through the C2V segment.

cabmandone · cabmandone's Garage

I watched it last night. I still think Hammond, May and Clarkson have better chemistry. Of all the guys doing reviews, I like Richard Hammond's reviews the best.

petrolhead611 · 03-19-2018, 11:36 AM

I watched last nights Top Gear and thought it far better than many of the latterday Clarkson/May/Hammond episodes which were becoming silly.

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Drifting gets the YouTube clicks! As long as they drive cool cars with excellent cinematography in interesting locales around the world I will watch. Unless the hosts get too annoying, like TG USA.

I know but those of us with real track experience just roll our eyes. You could shave almost a second off most of Harris' lap times that go on the board if he would quit hanging the tail in half the corners. But you are right the boy racer crowd would never want to watch someone actually going fast LOL.

dan79brooklyn · 03-19-2018, 06:26 PM

Both are good in my opinion. I’m happy that now I have TWO high quality shows to enjoy for different reasons.
The first season of new Top Gear was dreadful but now they seem to have a good thing going.
I kind of get the feeling that James, Jeremy and Richard only have a few seasons left in them. We’ll have to see how much $$ Amazon can throw their way to make it worth their effort...

onewhippedpuppy · 07:38 PM

I agree that I don’t see The Grand Tour lasting forever. At least not without major changes. They still seem stuck in the rut of making a more ridiculous Top Gear, and you can’t just keep one-upping yourself. I would like to see them throw out the Top Gear model and try something different. Their tribute to Group B rally was awesome though.

Back to Top Gear, I liked the 2CV segment this week and thought it showed some genuine chemistry. I still find Rory to be over the top and the studio segments to be awkward and wooden, but some of the car segments with Matt and Chris are genuinely good.

cabmandone · cabmandone's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I agree that I don’t see The Grand Tour lasting forever. At least not without major changes. They still seem stuck in the rut of making a more ridiculous Top Gear, and you can’t just keep one-upping yourself. I would like to see them throw out the Top Gear model and try something different. Their tribute to Group B rally was awesome though.

Back to Top Gear, I liked the 2CV segment this week and thought it showed some genuine chemistry. I still find Rory to be over the top and the studio segments to be awkward and wooden, but some of the car segments with Matt and Chris are genuinely good.

I watched several episodes of James May's Cars of the People and really enjoyed watching them. It would be interesting to blend Top Gear with something like what May did.

Deschodt · 03-20-2018, 10:31 AM

I watched the latest Top Gear delayed on DVR and was thinking the same thing, I like it... At their best level - 2 seasons or so from the end ? - May, hammond and Clarkson were better. But as of right now (the three stooges aging, not as funny, feeling more scripted, not as car centric), the new Top Gear just kicks the Grand Tour's butt.

I always liked Chris harris and he and LeBlanc are developing great chemistry on set... It's a good show, and it's still about cars, I'm not sure what the grand tour is about - but I'll still happily watch both....

pwd72s · 03-20-2018, 10:38 AM

I'm also wondering if the concept of car guys shows has jumped the shark. Sure seems to be overdone these days.

onewhippedpuppy · 03-20-2018, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

I'm also wondering if the concept of car guys shows has jumped the shark. Sure seems to be overdone these days.

You mean all of two of them? Sure there are the Saturday morning commercials on Spike and the reality shows about people arguing, but those really aren't car shows.