its only been two episodes, please everyone give it a chance, im sure they will come along sooner rather than later! yes the show needs to be polished up, yes they arent entirely comfortable (imo) as presenters, but remember sbs has gone for people who have proper driving experience and enthusiasm rather than the journo type who merely reads cue cards…the 2nd episode was a big improvement over the 1st and i feel it will get better as time goes on…

it seems to me that alot of people bashing have a reeeal bad case of cultural cringe!

If rubbish like kath and kim can some how survive, nay excel (i cant stand that show for the record), the TGA can…you just have to give it a chance, Australia needs a proper car show and this could be it!

The tests weren’t even accurate which is pretty sad. The Commodore had a 1/2 second start doing the 1/4 mile in which they didnt even mention.

They didn’t even give us any proper specs like power/torque/weight or anything technical or even price for that matter.

Also whats up with not taking the Commodore around for a lap to compare it to the Falcon?

The only thing they could do was half a** attempts at burnouts.

They have the right cars but simply don’t know what to do with them.

And lets not even go in to the SMART and coffin thingy. That was really pathetic and in bad taste.

Pretty bad so far. Hopefully it will improve or else it will definitely get the flick.

Cheers

Charlie Cox just comes across like a tosser. I don’t know if he is one in real life – I will assume he isn’t – but he reminds me of Dicko, except Cox doesn’t even seem to know what he’s talking about. He even insults his other hosts – probably because he feels the need to emulate Clarkson – but where Clarkson is joking, and quite funny, Cox seems harsh, and quite hurtful. He talks himself up non-stop, and unfortunately, is too stale, emotionless, and lacking in enthusiasm to be strong host. Unless you haven’t worked it out, I think he is the main problem with the show.

Pizzati and Brown, in contrast, have potential. Pizzati may have a, uh… distinctive voice, but when Cox is removed from the equation, he is playful and enjoyable to watch, in a happy-go-lucky, geeky sort of way. When he is talking with Cox, he tries to appear knowledgable, but becomes boring, and his voice becomes more irritable for the viewer. Odd, but it’s true. Oh, and he needs to throw out the “designer” stubble – he grosses out even my girlfriend, and that takes a lot considering she puts up with a fugly person like me.

Brown is doing a better job of keeping me watching TGA. Although he never comes across as being anything but nervous and unsure of what he should say, when he does open his mouth, usually it’s because he’s got an interesting point to make. And at least he’s got a sense of humour that doesn’t pick out all the motoring cliches of the last 50 years (yes, I’m talking about you, Cox!). And I think the cartooning thing makes him a bit unique – a bit like Top Gear itself really: a little bit different, but always very funny.

All the hosts have the same problem – that forced delivery that so many people have commented about on this site. But there is light at the end of the tunnel – the “Smart Hearse” story (that didn’t include Cox), worked rather well, because it had a sense of fun and spontinaety about it.

And I agree with everything others have said about the Top Gear track – it looks really boring, the camera angles don’t give you any sense of what it looks like – and I guess it doesn’t help that Cox is obviously feigning enthusiasm and feeling quite stupid while he’s talking about a lap.

And what’s with calling the Australian driver “The Stig” too? That’s like having an Australian Harry Potter. Why are there two alien like racing drivers called “The Stig” on the planet – don’t even pretend that they’re one and the same person. What do Top Gear want to do with 2 stigs? Breed them? Actually, that could make for quite an interesting adults-only episode. Are the Stigs both men? Do the Stigs even have genitalia?

Oh, and “What were they thinking” when they made that segment? It is no substitute for the cool board. Episode one of this segment showed promise, but episode two was so unfunny I cringed. Why couldn’t they have thought of something funnier, like matching newly released cars with the social-stereotypes that drive them? Come on, I’m no comedian – when SBS spends a million dollars an episode, surely they can come up with something better.

The production of the show itself is very good – you can tell that it’s been handled with care in the editing room. It looks slick, even though the presenters aren’t. Well, yet.

I don’t really have much hope for Cox, but Pizzati and Brown’s styles should develop nicely. They have their own niche personalities that are different from the british TG three – Pizzati is a sort of Gen Y chic geek, and Brown is the honest, man-of-reason with a cartoonist bent sort of person. What a shame Charlie Cox has already tried to brand Warren Brown our James May with his endless comments about the slow nature of his driving. What will he call Warren? “Captain Sluggish?” – Come on boys, average viewers like me can see through these things.

Well, my message is clear – dump Charlie Cox. You do not need someone who knows everything about cars. Even worse, you do not need someone who THINKS they know everything about cars, like Cox.

Top Gear Australia CAN work – it just NEEDS work. They can replace hosts; TG Britain replaced some fat guy with James May ages ago, and haven’t looked back.

The thing is, Top Gear Australia to flourish, and for the hosts to relax into their roles, they need far less pressure on them to perform. I’m obviously not helping here, but if SBS expects millions of viewers, and millions of advertising dollars, it must wait a few years, and let Top Gear, like a swiss cheese, mature.

But the holes in Top Gear Australia’s program shouldn’t be left alone, like in a swiss cheese. They need fixing.

Whoa – the length of this doesn’t make me look like I don’t have a life, now does it?

I resemble – err I mean resent that comment! (woooo….yeahhhhhhhh!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!)

(1) Clarkson’s acerbic wit has always been a driving force for the show; none of the TGA guys come close (in fact very few people have Clarkson’s bite).
(2) They actually reviewed cars. Not, as someone said, “drove around like an 18 year old”. Seriously, Charlie acts like a P plater with the keys to dad’s expensive car. The dude is an ex-racing driver, wtf!? May and Clarkson have years (I mean serious years) behind them in reviewing cars, makes a huge difference.
(3) The chemistry was always there between the presenters, right from the beginning. The relationships have evolved over time and now they piss around and mock each other. You can’t 3 randoms and expect them to act the same. Even Jason from season 1 was more charismatic than these guys. And Jason was a car dealer, so he brought industry experience with him.

The big problem seems that they’ve taken the recent TG and tried to replicate it. TG in season 1 started by reviewing cars and telling motor industry news. Over the years they built up a relationship, became more controversial, more popular and introduced more challenges and “cool wall” type stuff.
You have to start at the beginning. I don’t want TGA to do challenges. Tell me the news, be entertaining, and just review some f*@king cars properly.

Another thing that I don’t get: why is TGA based at an airfield? TGUK is because, a) Britain has a lot of them b) it’s a place away from populations where they can do the driving without annoying people with noise.

Why isn’t TGA based somewhere like, say, a race track? Here in Queensland, for example, they could set up shop in Ipswich/Brisbane and use QR during the week when it’s not in use. A proper race track to do testing on. Plus there’s a bunch of sheds/paddocks/whatever out Ipswich way to have a studio. Just a thought.

Can you arrange a live blog with all or part of the Top Gear team?
Obviously we have a diverse range of enthusiasts from different walks of life who share a common passion.
I want an Australian car show i am proud of, not embarrassed by.

Brett-Vicki Butler-Henderson? You must be joking, lacks talent in any form (especially in the looks department), squeals annoyingly and has a pommy hyphenated name.

What were they thinking, pinning up pictures with one pin and letting them swing? Really makes them look like Richard Craniums!

Which turns Car enthusiasts away so ratings dropped
As a result they were often relegated to weekends during the day when car enthusiasts are out enjoying their cars so ratings dropped even further.
And to have someone like Kochie Mel or Andrew O’ Keefe even Jennifer Hawkins [heaven forbid] or some other “IT” celebrity from another network would have the same effect

Sure Charlie Steve and Warren aren’t as good as Clarkson Hammond or May.. but they do have an interest in cars or an automotive background.. which is a start at least
Remember it took TG 5 yrs to be as successful as it is now

The show, the show!