Fleets could be a savior for the Equus, maybe a step up from a TC (for however long it may exist) as a DTS seems small for that service and other large cars too expensive.
That's another stumbling block H has presented itself in the premium area - the better version is always just around the corner. Wait for the better engine or better suspension or nicer design. Not the best way to build any kind of image or prestige.
Still haven't seen one on the road, and I don't imagine I will anytime soon.
Genesis waited for suspension retuning and the engine you mention, I've read there's a better engine supposedly coming for Equus too...along with an eventual restyle that has to be less of a mix of bland and awkward. Knowing that, why would one buy now?
The TC has degenerated into a deluxe Crown Vic or a slightly nicer Mercury Grand Marquis. Sad, because I remember when a Town Car was a truly plush car.
I agree the DTS is a bit too small for livery work. I've seen DTS's stretched into limos, but the proportions are awkward. I hate when I see SUVs stretched into limos. The only person who'd think something like that had any class is a "Jerry Springer Show" guest who suddenly hit the lottery.
The Mercedes S550 and S600 would make excellent limousines, but few livery companies could afford them.
Even when I was a kid, the TC was a very plush car, indicative of a little money. I lived in a podunk area with the nearest German lux car dealer a couple hours away - the money there drove a lot of TCs and Caddys.
Nothing says classless like a stretched Hummer.
S class and 7er are used as livery vehicles in Germany, but I suspect they are just late model ex-rentals.
Back on the commercial front, Mike whathisname and his ford commercials are really annoying! They seem to be getting worse.
I get that Ford is now fully competitive but this concept that runs through all of them that one should be embarrassed driving a Honda or Toyota when there is such a thing as a Ford is hogwash and it grows tiresome.
Some would say if the commercial reminds me of the product that it's a good commercial. Generally I agree with that concept but in this case the ads are so much like fingernails on a chalkboard that they are making it far less likely that I'd be saying "maybe I'll go look at a Ford." Killer is that without the ads at all I would be thinking about checking out Fords.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
There's been a lot of "poking at Toyota" going on over the past year or so from Ford with their recent ads, Government Motors with their extreme arrogance and now Hyundai.
What was the saying about poking a bear one too many times?
Thing is, Toyota has the means necessary to seriously strike back, and strike back hard.
If we step back and look at the pipeline and then we realize that we have no clue what the next generation of vehicles have in store, including a new Camry and Corolla which are #1 and #3 best selling cars as well as an onslaught of new Lexus models ready for a new generation in the coming years, Toyota could be poised to recover quite easily...
I see it more as a chauffer-driven limo, though, vs. a large luxury car. The [non-permissible content removed] child of a Mayback and a Lincoln Town Car, perhaps.
Having sat in the back of one I can honestly say that I agree with you. Lots of room in the back seat, it would make a great car for livery services.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I don't like when they compare 3 different aspects to 3 competitors, though.
Still, the visual is neat. I wonder if they really re-tuned the IS350's suspension, like they did with the IS-F (shaved 8 seconds a lap off their Lightning Lap times)?
Shame, too, because the Speed3 is a nice pocket rocket.
Agreed; I have a 2007 MS3; I much prefer the looks of the 1st. Generation cars. The Nagare inspired cars all look like escapees from a bad Manga comic.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
They are comparing the times compared to the M3 from a previous test. It would have been better if they ran the track in the same test. I wish they had only included the base MSRP plus performance options in the price classifications, too. 8.5 seconds improvement is impressive.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Yes, I did notice but I decided not to post anything about it.
I have been debating about 'Top Gear USA', but after watching all the episodes, I think it has a lot of promise. To be honest, I think it needs a non caucasian person, although I do think the group is starting to work well together.
Episode 9 The TV version was about 45 minutes long.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
It's not a bad show...not as polished as the original of course, but it has to have a tiny budget in comparison, and is still brand new. The early days of TGUK were less than awesome as well.
I don't even mind the hosts...a driver, a kind of pseudo-redneck wannabe hipster, and an east coast funnyman...they've had their moments. I don't know if any racially based cast changes would change anything.
The truck episode and the "American car" themed one were pretty good, even if the latter was a take-off of a UK show. It can be good for a laugh, and really, there aren't a lot of car themed shows out there to begin with. Perfection isn't expected.
I predict the demographics of the UK are pretty diverse too...gotta pick the best candidates above all.
It is definitely getting better, showing signs of promise.
I think the dialogue is still too slow, there are lots of dead spots. It's as if they were waiting for a laugh track, except we don't hear laughing.
Foust is fine, and it's good to have a driver among them.
Ferrara is funny. He pulls off the East Coast psuedo-mafia humor.
Rutledge struggles, IMHO. It's just not his best format. He's funny, but a lot of the long, awkward pauses seem to be with him smiling in front of the camera. The southern-boy schtick can work, but it needs polish.
I've read all the columns and comments from the masses stating how TG US will _______ (fill in with your vitriolic adjective here) when compared to the _________ (use positive adjective) TG in the UK.
I have not made a comment on this before now because I wanted to watch all of season 1 before rendering an opinion.
Hosts: Being season 1, I think that the interaction between the hosts got better as the season progressed. It's important to remember that TG UK has been around for, what, 8 or 9 years? Easy to have a comfortable relationship after that much time. I did see some improvement as the TG US season went on. I saw quite a difference in the interaction in the studio as opposed to when they were out on a challenge. I suspect this will get better with time, assuming there is a 2nd season. I think the biggest difference between the hosts is more linguistic .. can't imagine Tanner calling Rutledge a "heartless [non-permissible content removed]" or some such British phrase.
Cinematography: About par with TG UK - this is one of the big reasons I like both shows so much. The camera angles and editing are first rate in both shows. I particularly liked the scenery in the Alaska episode.
Stig: The US show doesn't use The Stig as well as the UK show. Would love to hear Adam say something like:
"Some say his driving gloves are made from pork rinds ... and that kindergarten teachers run from him when he removes his helmet. All we know is .... he's called The Stig!".
Plus, they need to involve him in some of the challenges and/or races. Again, jury is out and we'll see what happens in season 2.
Cars: Would have preferred that TG US focused more on US hardware than on Lambo's, Aston Martins and Ferraris. Yeah, they had the Raptor and the Viper, but that was about it for the formal road tests. Would have been much better for Tanner to have driven a Corvette to Vegas when racing Rutledge rather than the Ferrari California.
Challenges: Not much difference between the shows in this respect. My wife, who has only watched part of an episode or two of both versions, commented that the "Moonshiners Challenge" reminded her of the TG UK episode where the boys flew to Miami, bought junkers for $1K or less, then drove them to New Orleans. No originality in that respect - again, there needs to be more Americana infused into what they do.
Overall, I guess I'd give season 1 of TG US a B-. Certainly room to improve, but better than some of the c**p that ends up on TV. And, hey, it's better to have TG US than not, eh?
Good post. I would give the show a C+. Sometimes, it does seem like a car commercial or infomercial. The episodes are very uneven. I do like the celebrity drive segments, because they actually care about how they did their lap compared to the other celebrities. Personally, I think the 'Stig' is Paul Tracy.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Sometimes, it does seem like a car commercial or infomercial. The episodes are very uneven. I do like the celebrity drive segments, because they actually care about how they did their lap compared to the other celebrities. Personally, I think the 'Stig' is Paul Tracy.
One big thing to remember is that TG UK is publicly funded, whilst TG US is driven by commercial revenue, so the boys in the UK can say pretty much whatever they want. MB does some serious advertising on TG US, so one wonders what would happen to the ad revenue if the TG US hosts were to trash an MB in a review.
Big Star / Small Car: I'm OK with the SX4 being the car (again, would have been better if it was from a US manufacturer), and I think that the pre-lap interviews were good. Nice that all three hosts were involved, and that they tried to match the personality of the host to that of the guest. This segment, too, should get better with time.
Was completely shocked to learn that Michelle Rodriguez didn't even have a drivers license when she was cast for the first "Fast 'n' Furious" movie.
I can't watch that show after I saw what they did to that 1975 Cadillac DeVille in the promo commercial!
I'll admit, that was a bit sad, but how many GM cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's are sent to the wrecking yard every year?
Just because this one car met its demise in a public way, you want to castigate the whole show?
There was another episode where each of the hosts had to pick a former GM model to be resurrected. One chose a Fiero (V6 GT w/ manual), another a '72 Cutlass coupe (350 w/ automatic) and the third chose an early 90's Buick Roadmaster Estate (with the 5.7L V8).
It was a heap though, close examination of it during the episode showed lower body rust, who knows how bad it was structurally - the way it bent wasn't good. It was put out of its misery in a blaze of glory on TV, there are worse ways to go out.
I think I was more peeved at the Fiero that they trashed than I was the Caddy. The Fiero was in immaculate condition, had all the right options (2M6 Motor, manual, body kit with wing) and in a unique and rare color combo.
The Fiero may be written in the history books as (yet another) terrible, half baked attempt by GM to build a small car but I'm sure there are a couple of Fiero enthusiasts who threw their remotes at their television after seeing that episode... :sick:
Comments
The current Equus is a quick adaptation of an existing Korean market car. The next one will be ground-up and should be a lot better.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
That's another stumbling block H has presented itself in the premium area - the better version is always just around the corner. Wait for the better engine or better suspension or nicer design. Not the best way to build any kind of image or prestige.
Still haven't seen one on the road, and I don't imagine I will anytime soon.
Come to think of it, it may have been the Genesis that was waiting for that upgrade.
I agree the DTS is a bit too small for livery work. I've seen DTS's stretched into limos, but the proportions are awkward. I hate when I see SUVs stretched into limos. The only person who'd think something like that had any class is a "Jerry Springer Show" guest who suddenly hit the lottery.
The Mercedes S550 and S600 would make excellent limousines, but few livery companies could afford them.
I see this Equus as a stop-gap, until the all-new model arrives.
I'm actually surprised Hyundai brought it here in the first place.
I think some Hyundai execs have inflated egos.
Nothing says classless like a stretched Hummer.
S class and 7er are used as livery vehicles in Germany, but I suspect they are just late model ex-rentals.
But yeah, they bit off more than they could chew.
I get that Ford is now fully competitive but this concept that runs through all of them that one should be embarrassed driving a Honda or Toyota when there is such a thing as a Ford is hogwash and it grows tiresome.
Some would say if the commercial reminds me of the product that it's a good commercial. Generally I agree with that concept but in this case the ads are so much like fingernails on a chalkboard that they are making it far less likely that I'd be saying "maybe I'll go look at a Ford." Killer is that without the ads at all I would be thinking about checking out Fords.
Not NEARLY that big, let's be honest. Piech had world domination in mind.
Now he's back and VW took over Porsche. Ugh.
If you look at how much money VW wasted on the Phaeton plant alone, they'll never come close to making it back:
The best advertising for the Camry is having Ford use it as the yardstick.
Look how much free press BMW gets for the M3. They don't have to spend a penny, competitors do it for them.
Ford should focus on MyFord Touch and the cool things you can do with it, especially with cars targeting Net Gen.
I like it...clever.
It also matches the risks they took with the styling.
What was the saying about poking a bear one too many times?
Thing is, Toyota has the means necessary to seriously strike back, and strike back hard.
If we step back and look at the pipeline and then we realize that we have no clue what the next generation of vehicles have in store, including a new Camry and Corolla which are #1 and #3 best selling cars as well as an onslaught of new Lexus models ready for a new generation in the coming years, Toyota could be poised to recover quite easily...
Having sat in the back of one I can honestly say that I agree with you. Lots of room in the back seat, it would make a great car for livery services.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Mazda3 styling is also as striking in my eyes...not in the best way.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Why would it need it's own factory?
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Luckily Nagare is out, and a new design is in, I forget the name.
Shame, too, because the Speed3 is a nice pocket rocket.
Lexus has a similar drifting IS350 commercial out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjVE6bc79C0
I don't like when they compare 3 different aspects to 3 competitors, though.
Still, the visual is neat. I wonder if they really re-tuned the IS350's suspension, like they did with the IS-F (shaved 8 seconds a lap off their Lightning Lap times)?
That ad ought to piss off those who hate seeing cars being tossed around dusty roads...I remember that drew ire once.
C63 remains a very cool ride either way.
A refreshed model might exceed some stats of non-refreshed cars? Shocking!
Agreed; I have a 2007 MS3; I much prefer the looks of the 1st. Generation cars. The Nagare inspired cars all look like escapees from a bad Manga comic.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Hey - the IS had lots of room for improvement, but let's give credit where credit is due - it tied the M3 around that same track.
I don't think I would want to be the first guy in the commercial who has the cars go by each side of him.
It would have been better if they ran the track in the same test.
I wish they had only included the base MSRP plus performance options in the price classifications, too.
8.5 seconds improvement is impressive.
I have been debating about 'Top Gear USA', but after watching all the episodes, I think it has a lot of promise.
To be honest, I think it needs a non caucasian person, although I do think the group is starting to work well together.
Episode 9
The TV version was about 45 minutes long.
I don't even mind the hosts...a driver, a kind of pseudo-redneck wannabe hipster, and an east coast funnyman...they've had their moments. I don't know if any racially based cast changes would change anything.
The last 2 episodes were pretty good, so I am looking forward to next season.
I predict the demographics of the UK are pretty diverse too...gotta pick the best candidates above all.
I think the dialogue is still too slow, there are lots of dead spots. It's as if they were waiting for a laugh track, except we don't hear laughing.
Foust is fine, and it's good to have a driver among them.
Ferrara is funny. He pulls off the East Coast psuedo-mafia humor.
Rutledge struggles, IMHO. It's just not his best format. He's funny, but a lot of the long, awkward pauses seem to be with him smiling in front of the camera. The southern-boy schtick can work, but it needs polish.
I've read all the columns and comments from the masses stating how TG US will _______ (fill in with your vitriolic adjective here) when compared to the _________ (use positive adjective) TG in the UK.
I have not made a comment on this before now because I wanted to watch all of season 1 before rendering an opinion.
Hosts: Being season 1, I think that the interaction between the hosts got better as the season progressed. It's important to remember that TG UK has been around for, what, 8 or 9 years? Easy to have a comfortable relationship after that much time. I did see some improvement as the TG US season went on. I saw quite a difference in the interaction in the studio as opposed to when they were out on a challenge. I suspect this will get better with time, assuming there is a 2nd season. I think the biggest difference between the hosts is more linguistic .. can't imagine Tanner calling Rutledge a "heartless [non-permissible content removed]" or some such British phrase.
Cinematography: About par with TG UK - this is one of the big reasons I like both shows so much. The camera angles and editing are first rate in both shows. I particularly liked the scenery in the Alaska episode.
Stig: The US show doesn't use The Stig as well as the UK show. Would love to hear Adam say something like:
"Some say his driving gloves are made from pork rinds ... and that kindergarten teachers run from him when he removes his helmet. All we know is .... he's called The Stig!".
Plus, they need to involve him in some of the challenges and/or races. Again, jury is out and we'll see what happens in season 2.
Cars: Would have preferred that TG US focused more on US hardware than on Lambo's, Aston Martins and Ferraris. Yeah, they had the Raptor and the Viper, but that was about it for the formal road tests. Would have been much better for Tanner to have driven a Corvette to Vegas when racing Rutledge rather than the Ferrari California.
Challenges: Not much difference between the shows in this respect. My wife, who has only watched part of an episode or two of both versions, commented that the "Moonshiners Challenge" reminded her of the TG UK episode where the boys flew to Miami, bought junkers for $1K or less, then drove them to New Orleans. No originality in that respect - again, there needs to be more Americana infused into what they do.
Overall, I guess I'd give season 1 of TG US a B-. Certainly room to improve, but better than some of the c**p that ends up on TV. And, hey, it's better to have TG US than not, eh?
I am the US Stig, by the way.
Sometimes, it does seem like a car commercial or infomercial.
The episodes are very uneven.
I do like the celebrity drive segments, because they actually care about how they did their lap compared to the other celebrities.
Personally, I think the 'Stig' is Paul Tracy.
The episodes are very uneven.
I do like the celebrity drive segments, because they actually care about how they did their lap compared to the other celebrities.
Personally, I think the 'Stig' is Paul Tracy.
One big thing to remember is that TG UK is publicly funded, whilst TG US is driven by commercial revenue, so the boys in the UK can say pretty much whatever they want. MB does some serious advertising on TG US, so one wonders what would happen to the ad revenue if the TG US hosts were to trash an MB in a review.
Big Star / Small Car: I'm OK with the SX4 being the car (again, would have been better if it was from a US manufacturer), and I think that the pre-lap interviews were good. Nice that all three hosts were involved, and that they tried to match the personality of the host to that of the guest. This segment, too, should get better with time.
Was completely shocked to learn that Michelle Rodriguez didn't even have a drivers license when she was cast for the first "Fast 'n' Furious" movie.
The show does have a bit of an identity crisis.
The show does have a bit of an identity crisis.
I don't think either the Fiesta or Cruze were available yet when filming was done last summer.
With regards to an "identity crisis" - not sure what you mean by that? You mean, does it want to be its own show or simply mimic TG UK?
As the season progressed, I think they started to get a feel for what they were trying to do.
However, if there is a 2nd season, they need to focus on the following:
1) More Stig!
2) More American cars - tested, used in challenges and races
The awkwardness of the hosts in the studio should ease up as they spend more time together.
I'll admit, that was a bit sad, but how many GM cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's are sent to the wrecking yard every year?
Just because this one car met its demise in a public way, you want to castigate the whole show?
There was another episode where each of the hosts had to pick a former GM model to be resurrected. One chose a Fiero (V6 GT w/ manual), another a '72 Cutlass coupe (350 w/ automatic) and the third chose an early 90's Buick Roadmaster Estate (with the 5.7L V8).
Exactly. Especially when they do the exact same challenges.
The Fiero may be written in the history books as (yet another) terrible, half baked attempt by GM to build a small car but I'm sure there are a couple of Fiero enthusiasts who threw their remotes at their television after seeing that episode... :sick:
The Nomex suit was perfect, but they really needed a Flying Tomato red car too.