Embarassing day for Top Gear: evidence has surfaced implying that Jeremy Clarkson was totally aware of the fact that the battery of the Nissan Leaf tested for the final episode of the show’s 17th series did not have enough charge to finish its 60-mile journey. A serious issue, if you consider that the incident has been used to discredit electric cars‘ effectiveness as well as their place in the future of the automotive sector.

During the Top Gear test in fact we can see the Nissan Leaf running out of electricity half way through its journey to Lincoln - Lincolnshire - followed by the presenters’ 10-hour long struggle to get it recharged. Little we know that the show’s producers have deliberately flattened the battery before setting off in order to make electric vehicles look unmanageable and unreliable in the real world.

We have to remind you that Top Gear seems to have a problem with this kind of cars, often knocking them down, and is currently been sued by electric car maker Tesla for the similar alleged misrepresentation of their Roadster during a 2008 show. The Guardian seems to back up the Nissan Leaf test sabotage theory by pointing out that the car’s electronic dashboard would have notified the driver about the percentage of electricity available (and its translation in miles) as soon as he turned the ignition on.

Top Gear has replied stating that the point of the test wasn’t to make the vehicle look bad, but “to show how bad the charging infrastructure is in the UK [therefore] the car needed to run out of charge so that could be demonstrated” adding that the purpose of the test was not to test the car’s mileage claims. Still Jeremy, we feel a bit cheated.

....

0 comments

Here’s the full Top Gear Christmas episode called “The Three Wise Men” where the usual shenanigans take a turn for the bizarre worse as the trio makes its way across the war-torn middle east to get to Bethlehem. It’s times like these when I realise I might be a bit conservative when I worry about the trivialising of the war in Iraq for a British television show not exactly famous for its restrained respect for authority. But it’s certainly funny and that’s probably the point of it all so enjoy it while the video lasts!

Source | Autoblog.com

....

0 comments

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed at some of the results from the 2011 European Car of the Year Award. Perhaps it’s because most electric cars don’t really excite the socks off me (the Nissan Leaf won this year and deservedly so by the sounds of it), or that we’re all gunning for the Alfa Giulietta to do well and get back some of that old Alfa glory, and perhaps also because I have a secret soft spot for the Citroen DS3. So here is Top Gear to remedy that for me, as the 2010 Top Gear Car of the Year Award goes to the hot little Citroen hatch.

We’ve heard that the DS3 is not exactly likely to blow your mind in terms of performance, but is rather, more akin to a tarted up version of the C3. In that case - what a tart! The Top Gear magazine says:

“The DS3 has pulled off that heady mix of ability, excitement and affordability that’s impossible to ignore. It walks so many fine lines so delicately and so comprehensively that it’s hard to find a chink in the armour. The Top Gear Car of the Year is a small, thoughtful, affordable, stylish, fun little hatchback. It’s the people’s champion.”

I’d consider buying one if that was the kind of car I needed. An acquaintance of mine recently went for a sky blue Citroen C3 model and I asked if they hadn’t considered the DS3 as so much cooler, more appealing and more entertaining. The answer: “It’s only got three doors.” Well, whatever….

Source | Top Gear via WCF

....

0 comments

You’ll have to watch the video to see who wins out of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on Top Gear’s ‘Star in a reasonably priced car’. It’s quite a funny video actually and what a women is Cameron Diaz? More of a sense of humour than her co-star, she’s funny, looks good, doesn’t take it too seriously and can drive. Forget seeing Day and Knight, this is the video you really want to watch.

Source | Autoblog.com

....

0 comments

Check out these two funny commercials from Hyundai South Africa to promote the recent launch of the new ix35 compact SUV in that country.

The adverts spoof BBC show Top Gear becoming the Top Deer with the presenters portrayed as animals; Jeremy Clarkson as the wildebeest, Richard Hammond is the hamster and James May the turtle and the Stig naturally becomes the Stag.

Second video after the jump.

Continue reading: Hyundai Spoofs Top Gear Show (w/videos)

....

0 comments

Okay, so the guys at Top Gear can’t pronounce Bathurst, but this is one funny video. Who in Europe is going to understand Australian V8 supercar sedans and the legendary Bathurst 1000? Here’s a few things you might get about this Holden VXR8 Bathurst edition: it does 0-100 in 4.6 seconds, has a V8 turbo charged, supercharged engine and with 45,000 pounds there’s “limitless vulgarity”.

This is not a businessman’s car, believe me. In fact, it’s like the sophisticated look for Aussie men from the country, or who aspire to country. And if you’re a real farmer, you might want to try the HSV VE Maloo R8 “ute”. Otherwise known as a “pick-up” but we’re in Australia, not the US.

There is nothing hick and country about the Maloo ute, though. This is one fast, mean, pick-up: see how the “fatest ute in the world” with five seconds to reach 100 km/hr, stacks up against the Audi A8. It’s equipped with a 6.2-litre V8 with 490 hp. Wanted to know about Australian cars? You have got to watch this video!

....

1 comment

Jeremy Clarkson drives the Aston Martin V12 Vantage in this video. The presentation is blanketed in pathos, with Clarkson saying that he feels like he’s driving an ending. Otherwise, the verdict on the six-litre V12 with 510 hp is: “It’s fantastic. It’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”

....

0 comments

In this video we see lead AC/DC singer on Top Gear, get behind the wheel of a car and really drive. Given the rock star culture, we’d not very surprised this guy drives like his pants are on fire. After all, AC/DC has the second most sold album of all time, Back in Black.

Brian Johnson first drove a Ford Popular sit up and Beg, with a beige exterior and salmon pink interior. He says: “It was mine, and it was freedom.” I know what he means, except that my first car was a 12-year-old Corsa that my boyfriend sold me.

The interview with the AC/DC lead, complete with talk of sex in the back seat of a Mini, continues into the heavy metal phase and the heavy metal vehicles (whatever they are). But check out the video for Brian’s tidy corners and “smooth violence”. By the way, if you wanted to know about the throttle pedal on the 1928 Bentley LeMans 4.5-litre, apparently it makes “your arse go like a rabbit’s nose”. One to enjoy.

Source | Autoblog

....

0 comments

We know that Top Gear does some crazy stuff, and has the budget to boot, and word is the nutty British crew might attempt a recreation of the famous Mini car chase scene from The Italian Job. The original version with Michael Caine has the scene filmed in Coventry, but set in Turin.

The remake of the classic had plenty of poetic licence for a modern audience, but seemed to be hinged on the fact that the car chase would be replicated, this time in Los Angeles. Apparently, Top Gear might try the stunt in Belfast, as the city promotes its new sewers project.

While the Top Gear team have done just about everything, this is the first time they would race underground. We leave it up to you in the comments field to suggest other stunts you’d like to see Top Gear attempt.

Source | BBC via Autoblog

....

0 comments

I love the style of the new Jaguar “design direction” and in case you were wondering if it’s all style and no substance, here’s Top Gear to the rescue. In this video the new Jaguar XFR is compared to the ultimate in sports sedans - the BMW M5.

Apparently 155 mph is not actually the top speed (Jeremy gets at least 162 out of the Jag), the XFR is really comfortable and you can do corners like an F1 driver “wearing brogues”. Really impressive features include the suspension and electronic differential. “Perfect, even when you’re driving like a complete lunatic”. I’m sure Jaguar is thrilled…

The M5-XFR challenge is an interesting one, and you’ll have to watch the video to see who wins around the track (although the XFR is voted better on the road).

....

0 comments

Apparently the Panamera S does have some “drama and theatre” about it, doing things “a supercar does, only it’s got four doors”. If you wanted to get away from the fun of Top Gear racing the Royal Mail and beating a letter to northern Scotland, and get closer to knowing something about Porsche’s sedan, the place to go is the roads of Inverness.

My big question is: did they obey the speed limit in all of this? And, is Porsche happy about the kilometres they’ve racked up in the meantime?

....

0 comments

As the lads from Top Gear say, the four door Porsche Panamera sedan “ought to be good, seeing as it’s taken them 61 years to get around to making it”. After the first road test of the Panamera by Autocar, it’s now Top Gear’s turn in the guise of racing the Royal Mail postal service.

They don’t really need any excuses to go racing cars and so the Panamera S is tested from the very South of England, and driven right up to the Orkney Isles. The Top Gear team is driving the entry level version: the 4.4 litre V8 at 394 hp. It has a top speed of about 280 km/hr, does 0 -100 km/hr in 5.4 seconds and costs about 84,000 euros.

After an amusing discussion regarding the features of this Panamera S, (ceramic brakes, leather interior, sunroof etc), we find out it is equipped with a satellite navigator installed in the dashboard. But, bear in mind there is nothing “ridiculous” about this car: it’s German. Enjoy the video.

....

0 comments