Top Gear (Series 20) Returns Sunday 30th June 2013

rossk26 · 1 Jul 2013 at 09:06

Anyone else not absolutely gutted how badly Renault have ruined the Clio? It looks dreadful, stupid gearbox, and that artificial sound is embarrasing.

On the other hand, the ST is winning me over the more I look at it. I sat in one last weekend at Croft BTCC, and it was extremely nice. It was sat beside the new Focus ST, and I just much preferred the Fiesta.

Hopefully pick one up in 3 years for about £7-8k

DiCe! · 1 Jul 2013 at 10:48

Clio is a bit of a joke, ST looks lovely, Pugs dont float my boat.

James May - poor bloke, that would have killed me.

Jimmy Carr is a hero.

Yaayuh! · 1 Jul 2013 at 10:52

Episode was a bit rubbish for a series debut IMO.

ubersonic · 1 Jul 2013 at 11:09

Azza said:
How much of the BBC's budget gets spent on Top Gear?!

Well considering its the most popular show on BBC2 and worldwide the most popular show on the entire BBC (foreigners don't care about the lives of fictional cockneys).

wingman · 1 Jul 2013 at 11:26

I thoroughly enjoyed the debut episode. It was entertaining and made me laugh quite a bit.

Agree with the Clio argument, I can't get over the looks. I can forgive the gearbox, only just, but the looks are dreadful.

Trifid · 1 Jul 2013 at 11:48

The only thing I took from this is I want a boat...

Nismo · 1 Jul 2013 at 11:53

Great to have TG back.

Stone and Riley...

Dogbreath · 1 Jul 2013 at 12:00

A £17k Astra is neither reasonably priced nor a reasonable car IMO. The Cee'd looked far more composed on the track than the jelly-like Vauxhall.

Sasso · 1 Jul 2013 at 12:29

Was a pretty good episode last night

by chance I turned my head from the PC as the film I was watching had ended, changed channel and BOOM! top gear

HAha yes poor James

12 hours of someone throwing a bucket of salty water at your face at irregular intervals.... and lost the sat phone xD Jeremys' journey was much more interesting hammering that toyota about

probably stupid question but do you think they actually just used the accident report forms and not paid for the damage? as Jeremy truly did a number on the blue car xD

Love it when they get the celebs to take the car round... good ol' Jimmy Carr put the astra to the test.... but what was funnier was the daunting moment when (forgotten lil dudes names) the dwarf rocked up with his extendo pedals..... but didn;t have one for the clutch so Richard botched one together using a princles can!?!?!?!?!?! HAHAHAHA and was only .1 of a second behind the heavyweight boxer xD

rodenal · 1 Jul 2013 at 12:38

I thought the episode was quite well balanced - at least there was some sort of decent test with the hatches, even if the silly stuff took up the other 2/3 of the show.

Actually quite fancy the 208gti, even if the ford is the better car. Clio doesn't get a look in - it's disgusting

Begbie · 1 Jul 2013 at 12:53

rodenal said:
I thought the episode was quite well balanced - at least there was some sort of decent test with the hatches, even if the silly stuff took up the other 2/3 of the show.

Actually quite fancy the 208gti, even if the ford is the better car. Clio doesn't get a look in - it's disgusting

For me the Clio is the car I'd want, but I know if I was to buy I'd end up with the Fiesta.

rodenal · 1 Jul 2013 at 12:58

The "new" fiesta I had as a hire car was really quite refined and impressive for a small car, a decent engine would really finish the package off. At a year or two old it could be quite a good buym though you'd really need to convince yourself a focus ST at a year older but the same money wasn't a better car.

But I still prefer the way the pug looks, even if it has the usual horrid mega-assist steering (which it no doubt will)

A french car with DSG just makes me want to run a mile, even before you look at the thing! I'm sure it's fun to blat around in though

Dogbreath · 1 Jul 2013 at 13:57

Sasso said:
probably stupid question but do you think they actually just used the accident report forms and not paid for the damage? as Jeremy truly did a number on the blue car xD

I'm sure it was a staged scene, I suspect the BBC bought the blue car rather than hired it since getting it wrecked was obviously in the script.

rossk26 · 1 Jul 2013 at 14:17

Dogbreath said:
I'm sure it was a staged scene, I suspect the BBC bought the blue car rather than hired it since getting it wrecked was obviously in the script.

Avis got a bit of free advertising in return? It wouldn't shock me if it was a genuine rental car.

Sasso · 1 Jul 2013 at 14:35

Dogbreath said:
I'm sure it was a staged scene, I suspect the BBC bought the blue car rather than hired it since getting it wrecked was obviously in the script.

Ay more than likely, seeing as he pretty much wedges his car against the tractor and that 4x4 on the bridge xD I'd like to think they do these things by accident.... but then again.... pretty silly if it wasn't staged

just love how he went into the hire car place and pretty much opened with

"There was this mad man in a tractor...."

HAHAHHAHAHA XD

covenantuk · 1 Jul 2013 at 16:01

ubersonic said:
Well considering its the most popular show on BBC2 and worldwide the most popular show on the entire BBC (foreigners don't care about the lives of fictional cockneys).

AFAIK the programme is made by Clarkson's company and the BBC buys it. So it's not really the BBC budget decision. TIf they want the series they pay whatever is negotiated.

Nismo · 1 Jul 2013 at 16:13

covenantuk said:
AFAIK the programme is made by Clarkson's company and the BBC buys it. So it's not really the BBC budget decision. TIf they want the series they pay whatever is negotiated.

I think it used to be "owned" by Bedder 6, a company founded by Clarkson and Andy Wilman, but the BBC bought all of the rights from them a few years back for a rather large sum of money.

No idea if that company is still involved, but I think Wilman still produces/directs and obviously Clarkson has a large say in what happens in the show.

K.C. Leblanc · 1 Jul 2013 at 17:16

Dogbreath said:
A £17k Astra is neither reasonably priced nor a reasonable car IMO. The Cee'd looked far more composed on the track than the jelly-like Vauxhall.

I had been hoping it would be the Dacia Sandero. That would have been a lot funnier.

Ryan-3 · 1 Jul 2013 at 17:20

rodenal said:
I thought the episode was quite well balanced - at least there was some sort of decent test with the hatches, even if the silly stuff took up the other 2/3 of the show.

Actually quite fancy the 208gti, even if the ford is the better car. Clio doesn't get a look in - it's disgusting

I thought it was rather good too? Sort of more balanced than it used to be.

I like the Clio the best though (maybe because i'm 18?), but the artificial sound is a joke - it's just pathetic. But, i've never liked either Ford or Peugeot

AshD93 · 1 Jul 2013 at 20:39

Felt like the whole episode was a advertising session for manufacturers and Avis.

I mean, that Astra, surely the life time warranty has major T&C's that you have to follow stringently.

The two Toyota's were most likely supplied direct. It's like when they did the Range Rover test with the autonomous truck. RR supplied three of them. Or when Nobel drove a new car to Italy for them. It's crazy cheap advertising in their eyes.