Top Gear: Season 13

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Top Gear is back !!!
And I do mean it.
This was the best episode so far, with no dull moments at all !! Won't spoil the fun for those who haven't seen it, but it was brilliant.

Which episode are you talking about?

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Which episode are you talking about?

episode 5 - downloading now.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

I'v started to understand why lots of people keep mentioning that TG Season 13 is getting a little drab. Is the equation going all wrong suddenly? Gives rise to the question. Is there a season 14 coming? They may want to die down with lotsa fans.
Looks like I've been thinking too far.
For now, hoping for the rest of season 13 to live up to its old charm.

Nope. Budget cuts. I remember reading an article on the TG site before the season started where a senior BBC director was talking about how they had to slash their budget significantly.
The thing about TG is that they use EVERY last penny... and they use it well, but the budget cut was unavoidable. In fact, in the opening of the first episode of season 3, I think JC talked about how they had to take a cut in their operating budget.

[Dippy]

Done watching episode 5 and I quite liked it. The Jaguar XFR is amazing and really holds its own against the M5. The difference in the timing of both cars around the TG track is surprising. I wont give out the timings though. The cheap car challenge is fun this time around.

Overall a good episode and its Sienna Miller in the Optra drive around the track.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Done watching episode 5 and I quite liked it. The Jaguar XFR is amazing and really holds its own against the M5. The difference in the timing of both cars around the TG track is surprising. I wont give out the timings though. The cheap car challenge is fun this time around.
Overall a good episode and its Sienna Miller in the Optra drive around the track.

Liked it too... good episode. Nice that Jag comes so close to the M5 with the XFR.... and it's much more attractively priced, which gives it the edge in price-performance.

But here's the thing... imagine you bought an XFR. You're waiting at a red light, feeling please with yourself, and then an M5 pulls up. Now the whole reason you bought an XFR is because performance is everything to you... otherwise you'd just have bought an XF.
Sooo.... how would you feeling knowing you can't match what the M5 is packing?

[equinox22]

^^ You would have paid less for the Jag though. If thats any consolation.

I loved that drift in the Jag.

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

But here's the thing... imagine you bought an XFR. You're waiting at a red light, feeling please with yourself, and then an M5 pulls up. Now the whole reason you bought an XFR is because performance is everything to you... otherwise you'd just have bought an XF.
Sooo.... how would you feeling knowing you can't match what the M5 is packing?

If this is the point of a performance sedan, then why not the RS6? Much more powerful than the rest. Add AWD to the equation and it'll blow the others into the weeds. What the hell, even a Caddy CTS-V is awesome.
Horror of horrors, a Mitsubishi EVO at half the price, will kick these cars' German and British butts up and down any damned road or on any damned track.
The point of a powerful saloon is that it gives a perfect blend of performance, ride, handling, comfort, good interiors and looks. That's where the Jaguar excels. The only signals you might race at, where the little difference in performance might come into play, are in the middle east - if you like to think of it that way.

[NOS Power]

The whole point of these powerful sedans is to give it that extra zest for what the chassis is actually capable of handling and bragging rights for its owners.

Moreover at the start lights they wouldnt drag against each other cause they know that each of the cars are in their own way superb. Who cares about the M5 packing more ponies or a better suspension, point is 90% of the owners wont even be taking these cars to the tracks. So they buy the cars cause of the snob value of the R or M badge on the boot (and elsewhere).

I think its quite an achievement when you consider that Jaguar actually gave BMW, Merc & Audi a scare (in terms of sales and product quality) with this so called underpacked car.

[ImmortalZ]

I love how the Jag has a good ride despite having a performance oriented suspension. The 2011 M5 will probably blow the XFR to kingdom come though.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by Aditya

If this is the point of a performance sedan, then why not the RS6? Much more powerful than the rest. Add AWD to the equation and it'll blow the others into the weeds. What the hell, even a Caddy CTS-V is awesome.
Horror of horrors, a Mitsubishi EVO at half the price, will kick these cars' German and British butts up and down any damned road or on any damned track.
The point of a powerful saloon is that it gives a perfect blend of performance, ride, handling, comfort, good interiors and looks. That's where the Jaguar excels. The only signals you might race at, where the little difference in performance might come into play, are in the middle east - if you like to think of it that way.

I disagree. Paper figures notwithstanding, the M5 offers better pants-on-fire performance than the RS6, doesn't it? Didn't TG do an episode where they stacked these two against each other and the M won....?

And the Evo's a difference class of car... for the sake of this discussion, we were talking about Beemers, Audis, Mercs and Jags. You'd buy one of their tuned variants against the stock versions for precisely the reason I mentioned... performance. By the way... I once had the pleasure of driving (shotgun) 450 miles (LA to SFO) in an EVO VIII. NEVER again.... for long distance driving, it's SUPREMELY uncomfortable. All the other cars mentioned here will crunch miles effortlessly.

My point is not that the XFR is a bad car.... quite the contrary. I think it's a brilliant car. I just think the M5's better.


Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please take the time to use proper punctuation as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid...typing...like...this. Thanks.

[Nitronium]

You don't buy a German saloon for the fact that you can snake through forests .67 seconds faster than an EVO. You buy it for Badge, supreme road manners and some pretty amazing driving experiences.

Your EVO will be amazingly fast, the Germans are fast AND supreme to own.

A mop of an episode really. This season is actually turning out to be a damp squib. Budget cuts- whatever, i'm getting very sick of these budget car specials. Slapstick humour is really getting on my nerves. And gentlemen, they are now reviewing just ONE CAR PER EPISODE!! Lousy.

*sigh*

[abhinav.gupta88]

Just finished watching 13 x 05.
Brilliant. The Jag was simply fantabulous.
I liked the 1500pound RWD car challenge especially the Last part.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by Nitronium

You don't buy a German saloon for the fact that you can snake through forests
*sigh*

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I disagree. Paper figures notwithstanding, the M5 offers better pants-on-fire performance than the RS6, doesn't it?
My point is not that the XFR is a bad car.... quite the contrary. I think it's a brilliant car. I just think the M5's better.

Originally Posted by Aditya

If this is the point of a performance sedan, then why not the RS6? Much more powerful than the rest. Add AWD to the equation and it'll blow the others into the weeds. What the hell, even a Caddy CTS-V is awesome.
.

going way guys. We can continue the bashing elsewhere i guess.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

going way guys. We can continue the bashing elsewhere i guess.

Sorry... but how do you call this off-topic?? This is a civilized debate about something that we extremely on-topic if you've watched episode 5. We're comparing two cars that were mentioned (in detail) in this episode, so I fail to see how this is off-topic.

And bashing?? Where's the bashing?? It's an extremely civilized discussion between two people with slightly different points of view. Please point out the "bashing" you're referring to.

[govigov]

good episode, the jag bit was great, but even better was the rwd challenge. and careless airways. lol!