RE: Car of the Year
Friday 1st February 2002
Car of the Year
What's your car of the year? Do you agree with the bods at Top Gear or have they got it all wrong? Robert Farago begins the first of a regular series with his slant on the TG verdict.
Discussion
Would have to agree with Rob for nominating the M5.... the car is such a beast to drive, it seems to have such a vast array of personalities built within to suit whatever driving mood you are in, from "commuter" right up to "Ari Vatanin" Would love to see how Jaguar's New S-Type R stacks up against it in a head to head and would love to ge tthe chance to sample the "S" from behind the wheel. Having driven Beacham's "R" conversion over here in NZ (a standard S-Type, supercharged and modified by a private firm over here in NZ) if the factory product is anything as good as the conversion, the M5 might have a class-contender after all.
I also agree, the Murcielago is a worthy and evolutionary successor to the somewhat over-the-hill Diablo, if only Lotus would take a similar step with the Esprit *sigh*.
The Porsche GT2 continues to get rave reviews and its performance figures speak for themselves.
But in my mind we can look elsewhere for genuine contenders.
The Noble M12 GTO is a fantastic
balance of raw-performance and Grand-Touring style. It really represents to me what Exige buyers will mature into ater they are tired of having all their fillings fall out. And who can go past the Tuscan "R"? Blackpool continue to go from strength to strength, offering cars now on a par with any of the mainstream manufacturers of the world. TVR have carved out their own niche and are making cars that generations of people lust after. Their build quality may still be an issue but for what is still a hand-built car is well on a par with any of its direct competitors.
My personal choice after all of this would be for the Tuscan"S" to win the overall title, but it is of course horses for courses and obviously many shortcomings, but none of them are shortcomings that I would give a second thought to when lining up to purchase one.
I also agree, the Murcielago is a worthy and evolutionary successor to the somewhat over-the-hill Diablo, if only Lotus would take a similar step with the Esprit *sigh*.
The Porsche GT2 continues to get rave reviews and its performance figures speak for themselves.
But in my mind we can look elsewhere for genuine contenders.
The Noble M12 GTO is a fantastic
balance of raw-performance and Grand-Touring style. It really represents to me what Exige buyers will mature into ater they are tired of having all their fillings fall out. And who can go past the Tuscan "R"? Blackpool continue to go from strength to strength, offering cars now on a par with any of the mainstream manufacturers of the world. TVR have carved out their own niche and are making cars that generations of people lust after. Their build quality may still be an issue but for what is still a hand-built car is well on a par with any of its direct competitors.
My personal choice after all of this would be for the Tuscan"S" to win the overall title, but it is of course horses for courses and obviously many shortcomings, but none of them are shortcomings that I would give a second thought to when lining up to purchase one.
quote:
the new Range Rover's monocoque construction
REALLY? since when did this happen? I thought it was separate girder chassis with non-stressed body perched on top..? Thought only the Free Lander (pretend landy) had a "modern" construction..
Otherwise it hasn't got any excuse for the weight !!
Ahh, bring back the Defenders. All is forgiven. Atleast they weren't dressed up like a tart's handbag, with stupid price tag.
C
What a load of bollox! What the hell is car of the year about anyway? TG has lost the plot since the loss of petrol head Clarkson. Now it seems they're only interested in pushing out middle of the road mediocre shite. Also can someone please explain how a rebodied golf is superior to the latest evolution of the great 911? Looks like this year the winning points were handed out for being the slowest , ugliest, most pointless school run barge with enormous boot, shite mpg and a penchant for rusting faster than it depreciates. Makes me wonder if large sums of cash changed hands to come up with that one. This country!
It seems to me TG has caught the illness of the modern trend in car mags: to compare cars wich can't be compared...How can a Lambo be found in the same list as a Range Rover???? Even EVO compare in their COTY issue the clio 172 abomination with the Zonda C12S...I don't understand.
My car of the year 2001: TVR Tamora
My car of the year 2001: TVR Tamora
Ah, c'mon, lads, we all want a car that can do anything and everything. We all want a sports car that can carry 12 people and a sideboard. We all want nice ally dashes and cute dials, and exterior looks to die for, exhaust note that sends tingles down the spine, etc. etc. How do we get it? Either buy a TVR, and a family runabout, or possibly wait for the ridiculous concept of the Porsche Cayenne - Jesus, the school run is going to get interesting.....
quote:
Ah, c'mon, lads, we all want a car that can do anything and everything.
Nope...I want a car in which everything is sacrificed for the single pursue of performance: the more unconvenient the better; I think there's much more pleasure to be found in driving a terrific noisy everybody-annoying car
than a practical,rational,sensible car. I think it's nice to see people staring at you and think "how,why??" 
.... (please don't blame me for driving a VW though...
) >> Edited by thom on Monday 11th February 10:56
New Mini by a country mile. Three versions should satisfy all tastes from mumpty to Kamikaze freak. Great design inside and out, handling, performance (according to version), compact, affordable, practical, build quality, versatility - you name it.
That car has everything any reasonable person could possibly want. (No reasonable folk here....?)
P.S. Thom, what happened to your 944?
That car has everything any reasonable person could possibly want. (No reasonable folk here....?)
P.S. Thom, what happened to your 944?
How can you have a Car of the Year poll when you have just argued that it is a nonsense comparing Lambo with school run truck!! At least set criteria for an overall or have classes if you want votes.
Best sportscar? Any TVR. Car to die for? Aston Martin Vanquish. Would not touch a BMW, would not want to be associated with the image.
Best sportscar? Any TVR. Car to die for? Aston Martin Vanquish. Would not touch a BMW, would not want to be associated with the image.
Someone mentioned that money may have changed hands to find the winner. Well, did anyone see the homage to the Focus TG did? 30 minutes dedicated to why the Fix Or Repair Daily tin box is the best car ever made; and so obviously Ford-sponsored that I complained to the beeb (and felt old afterwards...). Owners were asked - in supermarket car parks - why they chose Focus: "Well, it's got room for four people and my shopping". Oooh big deal, so's my Audi - plus a hundred-odd extra horsepower.
Any coincidence that Range Rover and Focus are made by the same company?
Any coincidence that Range Rover and Focus are made by the same company?
New Range Rover has cunningly fulfilled two requirements that previous RR drivers never even knew they needed:
A bigger car (never heard many people who wanted their RR taller, wider and longer!
A thirstier car - already on first name terms at their local filling station, the RR driver needs lower fuel consuption like a hole in the head. And on this not, what about the diesel - OK so it's bigger than the outgoing 2.5, but come on, 3 litres (particularly vs. 4.2 Landcruiser) is still a joke.
Ok maybee it should be car of the year somewhere - between Mexico & Canada perhaps - but not here.
A bigger car (never heard many people who wanted their RR taller, wider and longer!
A thirstier car - already on first name terms at their local filling station, the RR driver needs lower fuel consuption like a hole in the head. And on this not, what about the diesel - OK so it's bigger than the outgoing 2.5, but come on, 3 litres (particularly vs. 4.2 Landcruiser) is still a joke.
Ok maybee it should be car of the year somewhere - between Mexico & Canada perhaps - but not here.
Speaking of ford having bunged the beeb a wodge, I remember a few years ago when the multipla won Top Gear car of the Year, and my brother met Quentin Wilson in town one day, and asked him why on earth they'd picked the multipla (QW had come up to my brother to complement his car (then a Mini), my Bro was well chuffed), and QW replied 'Because Fiat paid the beeb a lot of money' !!!
Cheeky f*uckwits! That takes takes the piss out of everyone watching doesn't it? I've noticed a while back with TG a crazy amount of coverage on Ford's - full of over the top praise for nothing in particular. One episode was like a bloody advert. Gave up watching that shite ages ago.
Now, even though I'm American, I can make a better COTY choice than a Range Rover. Even if it is a nice truck, I would have to nominate the insane TVR Tuscan S. This is the most amazing production sports car I've ever seen, even if it is a bit of a beast. Sure, you could nominate a Murcelago, but they're so rare, who would really be surprised. I can agree with the M5, yet you can buy a Tuscan for the same price. Whatever the case, I would nominate either the almighty Nissan Skyline GT-R, or the TVR Tuscan S for COTY.....instead of TOTY (Truck Of The Year)
Hahaha sorry for going against the grain here, but I actually enjoy Top Gear. Okay, okay... I'm over here in NZ and only catch it OCCASIONALLY at 2am in the morning when it's lucky enough to be screening on BBC World but over here the only other piece of motoring TV is "Jim's Car Show" hosted by the same incessant prat that does the weather for TVNZ (NZ's equiv of the beeb). I'll admit as guys go, Jim himself isn't bad, hes a car enthusiast in a loose sense, but unless it's American and not literally buckling under it's own weight of chrome adornments, he doesnt really care too much for it.
The depth of reporting and independent genuine opinion on testing the car is huge (insert sarcastic tone here) where most episodes tend to sound eerily like the advertising brochure for the car they are testing. Another suspicious thing is the huge amount of Toyotas they teston the show.... some nights you begin to laugh when they spend 10 minutes droning on and on about how the "New Toyota MR2 Spider is top of its class, clearly topping the MX-5 and MGF in terms of performance and good-looks so earning its place at the top of the tree in the small open 2-seater market" *cough* LOTUS ELISE *cough* and then the entire ad-break is devoted to every model toyota on sale before its back to test the new Toyota Hilux or some junk..... it REALLY is ludicrous.
And finally here's the bit that really gets my goat.... they give the car they are testing for the week to 3 different average New Zealanders from different walks of life to try for themselves for the day (lets say for arguments sake it's the MR2 in question again) There's the farmer who goes on about how "It's a posers car and useless coz he cant use it as a tractor round the farm and that he'll stick to his Toyota Hilux SR5 Doublecab 4WD Turbo Diesel thanks" (one episode a guy pretty much said that.... I'm suprised he didnt say it whilst commenting on the refreshing taste of the can of ice cold Coca Cola he was drinking!) The second person is a single mum whose own car is a poo-brown '82 toyota starlet which runs on 3 cylinders and leaves piles of rust behind whilst stopped at lights. Who exclaims she "loves the attention that the car gets her and that its performance is absolutely incredible and is surely the closest thing one can buy to a Ferrari for the money" (Yeah right, my old TR7 runs circles around 'em) while the third old lady says she likes it but couldn't bear to part with her brand new silver Toyota Echo (Echo=Yaris) because she needs the room to take her friends to bingo each week and she cant fit all of her weekly garden centre purchases into the MR2 without getting the interior dirty.
Well I can see I've rambled on far too long about this, I'm sure I've made my point a thousand times over. Yes, Top Gear being a mainstream motoring proigramme might be biased and shallow in some areas but it's a damn sight more informative, impartial and entertaining than what we have on offer here in NZ on primetime telly!
Now I must go down town to trade my trusty TR7 in on a new Celica...... OH SHIT THEY'RE GETTING TO ME AAAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!
The depth of reporting and independent genuine opinion on testing the car is huge (insert sarcastic tone here) where most episodes tend to sound eerily like the advertising brochure for the car they are testing. Another suspicious thing is the huge amount of Toyotas they teston the show.... some nights you begin to laugh when they spend 10 minutes droning on and on about how the "New Toyota MR2 Spider is top of its class, clearly topping the MX-5 and MGF in terms of performance and good-looks so earning its place at the top of the tree in the small open 2-seater market" *cough* LOTUS ELISE *cough* and then the entire ad-break is devoted to every model toyota on sale before its back to test the new Toyota Hilux or some junk..... it REALLY is ludicrous.
And finally here's the bit that really gets my goat.... they give the car they are testing for the week to 3 different average New Zealanders from different walks of life to try for themselves for the day (lets say for arguments sake it's the MR2 in question again) There's the farmer who goes on about how "It's a posers car and useless coz he cant use it as a tractor round the farm and that he'll stick to his Toyota Hilux SR5 Doublecab 4WD Turbo Diesel thanks" (one episode a guy pretty much said that.... I'm suprised he didnt say it whilst commenting on the refreshing taste of the can of ice cold Coca Cola he was drinking!) The second person is a single mum whose own car is a poo-brown '82 toyota starlet which runs on 3 cylinders and leaves piles of rust behind whilst stopped at lights. Who exclaims she "loves the attention that the car gets her and that its performance is absolutely incredible and is surely the closest thing one can buy to a Ferrari for the money" (Yeah right, my old TR7 runs circles around 'em) while the third old lady says she likes it but couldn't bear to part with her brand new silver Toyota Echo (Echo=Yaris) because she needs the room to take her friends to bingo each week and she cant fit all of her weekly garden centre purchases into the MR2 without getting the interior dirty.
Well I can see I've rambled on far too long about this, I'm sure I've made my point a thousand times over. Yes, Top Gear being a mainstream motoring proigramme might be biased and shallow in some areas but it's a damn sight more informative, impartial and entertaining than what we have on offer here in NZ on primetime telly!
Now I must go down town to trade my trusty TR7 in on a new Celica...... OH SHIT THEY'RE GETTING TO ME AAAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!
quote:
P.S. Thom, what happened to your 944?
It's fine thank you.
Also thank you for considering it as a "proper" Porsche and not as a VW like many jealous people enjoy to....
By the way McNab, I have seen through your profile that you're also into classic cars; my dad has got the AC Bristol Le Mans 1962; what do you think of ACs?
>> Edited by thom on Tuesday 12th February 10:39
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