So what do you reckon of Topgear Australia

[Davidm1600]

Well all petrol head Alfisti, having just sat down and seen Topgear Australia, do you think they have got it right, that is the essential nature of Topgear but with the Aussie flavour ?

For my money, I reckon Warren is a natural, ditto I suspect Charlie but Steve, hmn I am not so sure.  Still early days, and hopefully they won't dwell on the boganism of Aussie car nuts, but get stuck in properly looking at a range of cars and challenges.

Was good to have an Australian Stig, though wonder if he has the same choice in music as the UK Stig. 

In overall terms I think it should be good value.  Dave

[Simon Bidese]

i would like to see them show their own stye a little and not copy the show layout segment for segment.  The hosts..pretty good...but once again be themselves and stop trying to copy Clarkson/Hammond and May.  Impressive display from the R35 Godzilla!!! Overall pretty good for a first show...it will be interesting to see how the next couple of shows turn out.

PS...Stuart T was that you in the audience, wearing a red and black looking Alfa Pit style shirt?

[alfagtv58]

I thought it was reasonable, certainly Warren is the most polished in TV presenting (and so he should be, he has the most experience in broadcasting).  I thought they were all pretty good in their individual pieces, but the stuff together was a bit contrived, but give them time, I am sure they will gel and it wont be so forced.

hopefully they won't dwell on the boganism of Aussie car nuts, but get stuck in properly looking at a range of cars and challenges.

Amen to that Dave

[Davidm1600]

Yes, I agree with both your views, and most definitely that Warren definitely seemed at ease in front of the cameras. 

I think that in a way part of the problem is that we all are so used to UK Topgear, the presenters, their professionalism and sense of humour and when you try to mirror that success with a totally new crew it is always going to be difficult especially when they have copied the set and effectively the Topgear format formula.

I saw on a blog page this morning something like 70 odd comments and virtually everyone bagged it out as rubbish etc.  Only a few people were willing to give it a go. 

Personally I actually would like it to work.   I did notice on the UK Topgear site that the guys from the UK (Clarkson, Hampster and Captain Slow) are actually going to do a world tour, including shows in Aus.   

[Paul Newby]

The  AROCA NSW had the good fortune of having Warren Brown as a guest speaker last year. Alas it was all a bit last minute and there was no publicity, so we didn't get a great turnout of members.

However Brown was easily the best guest speaker I can recall at our club night. He mainly spoke about the Peking to Paris reinactment that he had participated in and he had everyone in stitches. A real natural.

I thought Charlie was sound, but no so sure about Steve - too hyperactive for my liking. He needs to slow it down a bit.

[AlfaHolic]

I thought it was terrible the commentators were very annoying trying too crack jokes that just weren't funny, "they say he was the serpent gods taxi driver" i mean come on who wrote this stuff or allowed them too use it. And when he is going on about the SA? police "they will be there with there gold and diamond guns and put a cap in your ass" stuff like that wrecked it for me. They should just leave the show as it was in UK.
Lars

[alfagtv58]

OK, second week down.  Opinions anyone

It's still not great, but better than any other Aussie motoring show.  I still think Wozza is good, but he needs to loose the cartoon thing, he may be quite talented at it but thats for print media.

The cutting of sound is woeful, when the GT40 was going around their goat track the sound was waaaaay off (acceleration and up changing as the car was going through a chicane....i think not).  Speaking of the goat track.....c'mon we have more land per capita than almost anywhere on earth and the best they could come up with was a glorified footpath barely wide enough to fit a Daewoo.

And for the second week in a row - start the car in the studio and straight up to the rev limiter.....ever heard of a thing called oil pressure?

Have we lost the UK version now?  Bring it back!!!!!

[Brett]

Yeah, l'm sick of hearing  'head down, bum up' already - needs to expand his vocabulary a bit 
But much better than watching the other rubbish on offer Monday nights.

[Scott Farquharson]

Unfortunately - thumbs down......bring back the UK.......not sure what an Aust show can bring to the table other than Holden Vs Ford - do we really need a TV version of Motor Magazine......

[Gary Pearce]

Sorry. Thumbs up for me. You are all to harsh.
I think our trouble is we have had too much access to the UK version.
The show is obviously a franchise, where the rules are 'do it exactly the same as us!' After all the original is the best rating show on U.K. T.V.
If you happen to see Dancing with the Stars, Idol, or (heaven forbid) Big Brother overseas, they are exactly the same as ours. Or more likely ours is a direct copy of their proven recipe.
For my money I can look past the presenters quirks, enjoy the format, even the sillyness which is part of the Top Gear character and at the end of the day get cars and guest stars that we can relate to here and now, not 4 year old Pommie episodes, where they believe all old grannies in twin-sets drive Hondas when we know they really drive Volvos.
No, I will be glued to the box as usual on a Monday night, and if I want a hit of Clarckson I will download or catch an episode on youtube.

[Davidm1600]

Yes I am with Gary on this.  Sure I cringe a little at the Australian ockerisms, and as an Italian car enthusiast, Chooks (fowlcans) and crapadores do little for me but at least it is now out of the way.  I enjoyed the GT Ford test. To my mind nearly as good as Topgear UK would have done. 

Ditto I cracked up over the ute in a mine test.  Given I have worked with the mining industry for years I could relate to it and the idea of a Proton ute compared to the rest really had me fallling out of the chair, ditto the Smart eco hurse and burying coffins vertically.  Excellent.  I like the idea of Wazza's cartoons since it is an original concept and not related to UK Topgear and he does it well.

I just wish that Charlie (aka Clarkson wannabe and Steve the scruffy one) would stop waving their arms around and shouting so much. 

Still I will be in front of the box 7.30 next Monday.  Oh and by the way, I read somewhere on line that SBS will continue to air UK Topgear, when Aussie Topgear season is over. 

[GTAM1]

The third ep was much better. Thought the CLK Black would have rated better but Merc still has a way to go before its cars can be rated along side a GT3 or Stradale. The X6 was canned accordingly seeing them on the road they are just plain ugly and really have no place. BMW are trying to manufacture a niche segment but have failed i'm afraid.
Back to the show, i think the presenters were a bit more relaxed and had wound back their 'look at me i'm on TV' hyper over the presenting. I'll be back again next monday.
Had a good laugh at the paddock bashers too!

[Fast Eddie]

Agree.  We have been spoilt by the UK version for many years but if you remove that and the sometimes over the top jingoism and lingo, it isnt too bad a show.  I even laughed a few times.  At least they are trying to break the mould where they are permitted.Then again, i watch Kenny and have a giggle too.  It's better than no Oz TV motor show

[Gary Pearce]

Whos the STIG?

[Fast Eddie]

is it filmed in Vic or NSW as they seem to have cars with both regos and scenes from both states?

Alex Davison?