Top Gear Australia premieres tonight
September 29, 2008 by Matt Brogan
Get home from work on time, set the DVD recorder or have a stenographer take notes but by all means don’t miss the premiere of Top Gear Australia tonight.
Kicking off what promises to be the best Aussie made motoring thus far, the lads try out Lamborghini’s new 412kW “baby-bull” the LP560, interview self-confessed rev head Vince Colosimo as well as introduce Aussie Stig and all the new antics we’re sure will become Tuesday’s office conversation for many months to come.
TGA Episode One airs tonight at 7.30pm on SBS.
Print it: 
Forgive me, but I havent read all posts as they all had the same/similar arguements……
What we have to consider is that Top Gear is a Franchise, much like McDonalds and that Top Gear UK would have stipulated certain things that would have to be carried over into the Aussie version making them the same, much like every Maccas you visit.
I too thought it was a bit rough, but will give it time as SBS’s recent airing of early Top Gear UK reminded me of how average the UK lads were when they started out….
Give it time, Im sure they will either pull their fingers out or give it the arse, but in the meantime, Im sure everyone of us as car enthusiasts will watch it, especially next week to see F6 v GTS!!!!!!
It was a good show. It is Top Gear franchise so it has to look the same ,otherwise i wouldn’t be a Top Gear.
Much more relevant than UK one. It is only a first episode ,and it is going to get better.Can’t see what was wrong with Vince, top bloke.
smokin’r32,
A lot of the first show jitters are forgivable but the Proton is not! Also bagging the C5 with no mildly intellectual point in sight.
And then the tough old school racing driver (character) stacks a RAV4 in the first 5 min while driving like a tool!!!!!!!
I will give the show a few episodes to improve before I switch off. But for now the outlook is very grim!!!!!
Going by his driving style I think that the Stig could be Gentleman Jim Richards…. As his son Steve says if its got a steering wheel and an engine; Dad will drive it -
if he hasn’t already.
The Salesman Says: September 29th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Ha Ha,
Grant Denya? He is shorter now so can fit in little sports cars.
Thats Low and Not funny at all – At least Grand Denyer has a spine!
Jimbo, I agree with you about the C5, but whats wrong with the Proton? The reasonably priced car is supposed to be near to the worst car on the market, the proton satria fills the role nicely.
And I wouldn’t say he ’stacked’ the rav4, its not his fault the things 4WD system sucks balls. But its a soft roader, the segment was supposed to show that they struggle when it comes to actual 4WD’ing.
Overall I was happy with it, at times it was a little awkward or rough, but so was first season of the UK top gear, and that was with Clarkson who had years of experience on the original series of Top Gear, so he wasn’t new to the job. I reckon give it time, it’ll get a lot better. Its a bloody tough ask for them to pull off, and I think things like the C5 part kind of show that there is still work to do to differentiate the two versions more. In Europe the C5 is quite well known and Citroen whilst not everywhere have a decent market share, so bagging it off the cuff with no real explanation is possible because people are familiar with the car. In Oz where Citroen is almost non-existant, you can’t bag a car that is as rare as hens teeth and made by a manufacturer that has no real presence without at least a full review of the car first.
And the track needs more explanation, some elevated camera angles would do wonders to show more of the layout, but other than those points, I enjoyed watching it, and thats what matters really.
I watched Top Gear Australia with about 80 people in a pub – cos it was on the tv in the corner. Didn’t intend to – but the whole place just stopped and laughed and had a great time!
It was the Australian feel of it that I liked – loved the sand to snow thing …. and the stupid humour of dunking a moke with sharks.
Looking forward to next week!!!
Well well well, what a disapointment that was. The Oz version is produced by the same bloke that does UK TG so I expected similarities, but I didn’t expect a complete carbon copy, but then again why shouldn’t it be?? It is TG afterall, so I can probably accept that.
But what is much more difficult to accept is 3 blokes that are forced to imitate the UK hosts. Do we need 3 clones of Hammond/May/Clarkson? Those 3 work so well together, their chemistry and humour, they carry the show, so you will never successfully imitate their personalities, impossible – so why try? Our boy’s must be allowed to develop their own style, interactions and personalities if the show is to succeed.
The most painful was the “Clarkson clone”, he was just bloody annoying to watch.
God I hope they get it right.
Also, round 1 to the GTR, 2 seconds quicker than the 911 DSG Posche – impressive!
And heres a thought, for around the same money as the GTR you could pick up the HSV W427. But I’ll bet any amount of cash you can raise that the HSV is not 2 seconds quicker than the DSG 911.
Oops, please insert the “r” in Porsche above!
Aww, c’mon! Quit bagging it, everybody! Sure, it’s a little rough ’round the edges but I’m sure it’ll polish up after a while. Give it a chance. It’s the best Aussie-made car show on…ever.
Besides: it’s gotta be better than the soon-to-be-made US Top Gear.
Give them a break!
Bloody better than most light entertainment crap on aussie tv today. I’d rather watch Aussie Top gear than Better homes and gardens or that sort of tripe.
And as they are all saying – if you’ve seen some of the earliest uk top gear they were pretty crap too!
I think aussie top gear will turn out all good – if you give it some time to find it’s feet.
I reckon it was OK for a first show!
Blondie seemed Natural, like he belonged up there!! The other two seemed a little too nerdie, the short guy was downright annoying with his high pitched voice, and try hard humor!!
Anyway, i give them a few season!!
After a few seasons i’m sure we’l all be looking back at the first few episodes thinking they weren’t that bad after all. The problem is our expectations were way too high.. even though we said to ourselves we ain’t expecting miracles the reality is after the original TG the bar is extremely high. In all i don’t think our blokes did that bad of a job, despite trying their guts out imitating their UK compatriots i’m positive as the series runs on they will find their own personalities, but at least for now they deserve a fighting chance.
Barely ok, first show, it needs a chance. But the cast are pretty bad and the stories have no meat to them. The Maybach piece was rubbish and I fear symptomatic of the biggest problem the show faces – the car makers won’t allow stunts the way they do in the UK. Shame.
Give it till ep 3.
I have to say that all those people who say ‘give them time, it took TG UK ten seasons – no, it didn’t. You watch season 1 all the way through, it was good to go by about ep 4 and has been consistent since S2E1. Freehand just have to see what did and didn’t work and go from there. They broke a lot of fundamental TV rules which is pretty poor.
They tried too hard in the studio, they seemed fake. But during the “challenge” when they were more themselves it was quite good. Whats the point of eing the 1st car show to have a Lambo Gallarado LP560-4 and not actually drive it. The dude with the porno mo seems pretty funny actually, especially when he banged the limiter on the limiter on the lambo. That little bloke pissed me off, you could tell his lines were scripted.
3 ordinary characterless nevilles who cant crack dry humour or closely mix wit into the mix. There attempt at dry humour 95% of the time was as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry. The lines the used at times must of been scripted by Kevin Rudd or someone totally irrelevant to humour and cars!
The only thing that kept me in there was the cars and the hope they can nail it a wee smidgeon!
Yes, they could have done better, but I enjoyed the shark feeding time. A good twist on the Lambo would have been to show the previous model there to show the changes and maybe have a drag down the straight to show the differences. Blondie and the boys really have to tone it done a little and be more relaxed and less forced with less hand movements.
I thought it would be ordinary, and was pleasantly surprised. I thought the guys were pretty good. My only complaint is that you really didnt get to see or find out about the cars. I cant remember one shot showing the interior of any (unless it was an aside while one of the guys was talking). At least in the UK version they manage to splice in a few seconds talking about the car, its good points and bad points. Aside from the porsche, you really didnt find out anything useful about any of the cars. I am more interested in a car show that is kept at a lively pace by good hosts, than a show about 3 guys who just happen to drive around in good cars. Aside from that, though, a pretty good effort for a copy.
I am not one to actually post, but after last nights dribble I have no option.
I went in with an open mind and was left significantly annoyed. With due respect it was the first episode, so in theory they can learn from mistakes. But the list of paux-pas is too long IMO. Over scripted, lame attempts at homour, annoying presenters, no in depth insight into anything.
It felt like they were given a replica script to TG UK and the crammed as much similarity into the 1 hour timeslot as possible. Get back to the basics boys, learn how to ‘mesh’ with one another and sack whoever came up with the pathetic attempt at humour.
In short, it felt like the show was directing the lime light at the presenters, not the cars.
3/10 – At least it can only get better…. *fingers crossed*
If we compare it to the original yep it was crap but if you compare it to any other Motor program we have had in the last 2 decades in Australia it was better than all of them…..lets hope it gets better and the guys are more them selves not try hard clones of the originals .
I agree BM. It may not be as good as the original UK series, but it’s sure better then any other crap car shows we get here like “The Car Show” which I’ve noticed they’ve been trying to copy some of Top Gear’s plot in the past, (when they wrecked that Ford Meteor) but not in a, lets say “humorous manor” like Top gear.
Well lets see. I didn’t even watch it all and i am a huge fan of all things Auto on TV. It wasn’t just bad compared to UK version but bad full stop. The editing was so sub standard and the production values were crap. did anyone even watch the rushes before airing the final version.
Good luck getting anything more from Toyota after damaging their vehicle… Lambo go to the trouble of lending an LP560 and the idiot revs a cold v12 to the limiter. The hosts are terrible and either wooden or boring. It looked like they hated each other sometimes. Cant see any chemistry developing. Notice how so many people above cant remember the hosts names… that’s bad!
oh yeah would an over head shot of the track hurt for god’s sake. how stupid was that. you are at an airport and no ariel shot WTF. The stig sucks too. his driving style was terrible…. *meh*
Comments can be sent to SBS:
comments@sbs.com.au
What did I think the first episode?
At the start when they were driving the small SUVs around the sand dunes at the beginning quickly got boring until the driver of the RAV4 (can’t remember which guy it was) went airborne and damaged the front end a bit.
The 9-11 test after the first ad break was rather ordinary but when they got to the Stig part it was a lot better. It was funny when after he drove the Nissan GT-R around the course you suddenly see a Hummer limousine. That got a laugh out of me.
I thought they could of used a different car for the celebrity challenge, it should have been a large sedan as you know this is Australia and they were copying the UK series too much by using a small size car.
They mentioned the rare old car called the Zeta and actually put it on their “What Were They Thinking” wall. I’ve heard about that car once before, it’s a strange car, a bit like the Goggomobil Dart.
At they end they finally did something good when they put that Mini Moke under the water with the sharks, that’s something very Top Gear-ish. I think that was being rather Aussie how they used a Moke and how he said the sharks grow the size of a Ford Fairlane.
I would give the first episode a 6/10. The second episode might be a bit better with the Holden v Ford comparisons and the ute race around the mining. We just have to wait and see.
I am so dissappointed in this first show…..it was sad to see three grown men try to be something they are obviously not tv presenters…..why not use people who know what they are talking about like dick johnson or any ex driver who has at least half a brain they could at least make the driving believable…….these three new guys are a joke GET RID RID OF THEM!!!!! we should be proud of OUR TG but these guys SUCK big time
If they stay on try to be yourself not a clone…relax enjoy your job dont try so hard and maybe just MAYBE you might last a few more episodes.as for the cars you would have thought they would choose holden vs ford first to show we are ozzie and can do it right from the start.pull ya finger out do something original dont copy UKTG as you will never replace Clarkson/May and Hammond .
Like many I tried my best to keep an open mind..
Hosts – Terrible pathetic attempt to imitate the UK hosts
Soft Roaders – Not to bad I really liked the RAV 4 going over the dune and nearly flipping
Tassie Story – Very Top Gear UK however was missing the speed, in every shot the car went past the camera doing about 60kmh it seemed.
The Stig/Track – Up there with the hosts as the worst part of the show – my mate with a handycam could have filmed better I have no idea what the track layout was and it looked narow and very slow. Surely this is place where we want to see the cars really fire.
Mini Moke – Completly pointless story, is that really the best idea they could finish ep 1 with
I’ll keep watching for a few more weeks at least however part of me hope it flops so we can get back to the UK episodes and never speak of this again.
Maybe if that happens SBS could take a leaf from the book of their commerical cousins and “fastrack” episodes from the UK rather than hanging on to them until they are irrelevent and most have seen them on the net.
Rant over!!
There are those who will compare the Australian Version of Top Gear to the Original UK version
Yet to do so is like comparing a Lexus to either a Porsche or BMW M3 which is something a few people on this site also like to do….
Its totally and utterly pointless because its very unlikely that you will ever be better than the original as its what people use as a benchmark and the one more people remember.
If you do manage to equal the original it will only be after a lot of time and hard work.. Remember it took Toyota 50 odd tears to become number one in Oz despite their supposed high level build quality and reliability etc
However; in Television as in the Auto Industry if something doesn’t wotrk after a season or two its usually axed.
felt like an extended preview of the series to me. there was a lot of material crammed in to a small time space, the review of the 911 seemed brief only focusing on on the PDK gearbox. The maybach segment was underwhelming too, surely the car has more amazing features than headphones in he back seat?
The camera work was top notch, very TG:UK feel to it.
the little guy was annoying, like a jack russel jumping around at the feet of the other two.
As someone else mentioned, its a lot better to watch than any other lifestyle shows on, so give it some time. With time, we can hope that they ease into their roles better and the audience gets to know their personalities better.
What a great way to wreck a good show, Get a small budget and 3 lame presenters that try to compete with the real topgear, I wont be watching next week( actually i couldnt even sit through the whole first episode)
Dudes, this is season one of TopGear Australia… go watch season one of TopGear UK and let me know if you’d give those guys a chance back then. It takes time for the presenters to get in the swing of things and for the show to develop it’s own character, you can’t expect magic straight out of the box.
One thing about the presenters is that they are not sarcastic enough. Dry british humour relies heavily on that, especially when Jeremy makes so much fun out of Richard and May with full sarcasm on their face.
The only thing i find funny over the entire show is what the short guy said during the news about the victorian police using hummer: “They’re gonna put a cap in ur a$$”. That sounded like a geniune joke. You’ll notice that everybody in the studio was laughing only for that.
The car coverage was not long enough. Make it longer and show the details. Use the track more often for the car review.
One last thing. Show a picture of the test track from above. Or maybe look it up on Google Earth??
Okay Ivan, I’ll have a look on Google Earth. I’ll look up Camden NSW and look for an airstrip. (I think that’s where the course is)
ShaunL you are aBSOLUTELY CORRECT, if people actually gave them a chance and watch a few more i guarantee the hosts will get the swing of things, i mean im sure they will be taking note of some bloggs/comments sites on the 1st show, they would be crazy not too.
I loved it except the nes on the couch bit, i didnt get any info what so ever, that needs to be touched up, apart from that i though it was good.
Fair Dinkum, some of you are pathetic tough guy armchair warriors aren’t you? Its easy being critical from the comfort and anonymity of a remote computer.
I think its obvious that SBS have been screening old episodes recently to remind us how unpolished Top Gear UK was in the beginning (of the re-started series). Black Stig, James May’s unconfident segments etc.
Remember that this was series 1, episode 1.
I thought it was a good first episode. It had lots of positives, a good mix of stories relevant to Aussies but presented in Top Gear style. they will clearly focus on more than just V8 holdens and Fords which (news flash!)reflects the reality of the Aussie market. Those blokes are trying their guts out and deserve your applause.
There are things to improve and I’m sure they will work on that. Clearly the presenters dont know each other that well yet. The little bloke is a bit noisyC. Vince Colisimo is an idiot and the test track is a bit of a mystery to the view. All easily solved over the next few weeks.
Remember, its a lot harder to actually go out there and create something than to sit and tear it down.
It s good to finally have a decent Aussie motoring show. Being the first show there were obviously a few teething problems.
Warren: Went well on screen and from his previous TV work (Peking to Paris and various short history programs) I know he has a good on screen personality.
Steve: Has good potential. Especially when he develops his in car dialogue with the camera to say more than “ooh”, “aah”, “whoa” and “holly cow”, and adds things about the car. The Hammond equivalent.
Charlie: His delivery will get slicker/smoother. An absolute Clarksonesque classic when he got major air in the rav4, good stuff.
Production and Editing: Let the show down slightly eg. A better track view, more car flogging and speeding and letting the boys have there own personalities, instead of trying to make Warren May etc. would be better.
Looking forward to the next episodes.
Overall it was totally lame. No chemistry at all between the hosts and at times I really felt a sense of Aussie cultural cringe.
Please don’t follow the UK example of expensive performance cars – the should have used the Lamborghini in place of the Moke.
LOL, I don’t think anyone here would enjoy season 1 (I’m talking the real season one, first episode ever or Top Gear).
I do, but I’m a freak. I even watched The Car Show and enjoyed the pain, only because I got to hear a car being gingered around some safety cones by Glen with the manufacturer standing off camera saying “slooooooower…. SLOOOOOOWER!”
I watched the show this morning because it was my birthday, my wife took me out to dinner. I think my $65 steak was the better choice. But I hope the show improves.
Steve’s jokes are terrible. He almost looks like he’s waiting for people to ‘get it’. How about get on with it!
The Sand to Snow was an enjoyable segment. The rest was filler. Star in a bog stock car needs severe improvement.
I hope it improves. It is their first ever show from people who have pretty much never been in the lime light. The next episode should spark some interest with the Ford vs Holden debate. I personally like Ford, I think they’re better built. But I think Holden will win it.
Either way, lets just hope there’s more shenanigans, less crap jokes and better camera work. I hate how they make all these violent camera shakes and angle changes to make it appear like something is happening. It just makes me realise nothing is happening.
I personally couldn’t wait till it was over in the last 10 minutes. I’ve never felt that way over TGUK. In fact, as painful as Fifth Gear is to watch, I have never been compelled to turn that off either. So, it’s a first episode for Top Gear AU, and a first time I have ever been so sick of a TV show that I have turned it off.
Deep down, I hope it improves. I’ll still watch each week and I’ll support it until it flops. It’s still better than anything else on TV besides Top Gear UK.
SteveC
I suppose that they are going to have a hard time finding Australian “stars”. When Ray Martin gets a run, it is time for me to tune out…
Wheelnut Says: “Remember it took Toyota 50 odd tears to become number one in Oz despite their supposed high level build quality and reliability etc”
LOL wheelnut, I’m sure it was just a typo, but I reckon Lamborghini & toyota was crying a few tears after they got their cars back!!!!
Just had a look at the preveiw for next week on the TGA website sbs. com. au /topgearaustralia . It looks like a good episode. Ford Vs Holden, FPV vs HSV is a good thing. Its Aussie Top Gear we want to see Aussie cars.
Get Rid of Steve and replace with a girl on the team. Someone with car/race cred and personality. How about Rachael Splat or Natalie Lownes? This would be unique and work much better (sorry Steve). Too much trying to copy the UK version. Need to add some unique Aussiness (like Deni ute muster, Bathurst 1000 etc). Warren Luff is the Stig, can see that…
If you’re looking for a Female co host then there’s also –
Current Leader of the F3 series Leanne Tander;
Former Brute Ute Racer Danielle A’giro or
GT-P Race car driver Amber Anderson
You need personality, just being a female race driver doesn’t cut it. Being female alot of charisma and wit (can take a mickey) will be needed not just someone who knows their cars.
I am total agreement with both robj and wheelnut & put in any of the girls that you’ve suggested, i think that would be such a great combination and unique flavour to the show. Firstly get rid of that little pest steve, he is so annoying when he tries to be funny an noone laughs, he is exactly like a caffeine addicted fox terrier waiting for attention. Would love to see those two drongos replaced leave the old guy and should be a good recipe. But still like the format, i love cars anyhow, but thier is a limit on the hosts id put up with.
Agreed, a lady on the team would be a refreshing change.
However for me Steve is the one that I find the least annoying so I would keep him and ditch the others. Especially the Clarkson wanna be Charlie (same ego minus the wit or charisma).! And I’m no expert but isn’t this Charlie character supposed to be this top notch race car drive? He seems to be the worst driver of the bunch.
Did any one elso notice during the “Star in the bog standard car” interview the female audience members weren’t that flash? If you watch the UK Top Gear there are always very good looking women in the audience. Just an observation.
Ditch Charlie……….hes not funny and has bad hair! Hes wrecking every car he does a challenge in!
They did it again revved that Ford GT cold last night just like the Lambo the week before!They call themselves car enthusiasts!
MisterTwo I noticed the same thing,they also seem to be older ……..
Pedestrian effort, IMO, and I have been trying to give it a fair shake. The presenters are getting more forced, not less. Maybe they need some sedatives before they go on. Its almost cruel watching it!