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I don't know, I think if you're an enthusiast who cares about the environment, Clarkson isn't your favorite guy ever. I felt like the piece on the Tesla was pr

I don't know, I think if you're an enthusiast who cares about the environment, Clarkson isn't your favorite guy ever. I felt like the piece on the Tesla was pretty offensive in how biased it was, and I normally like the guys on Top Gear.

khafra 16y ago
I do think Clarkson is a bit over the top anti-conservation; but suing him for that seems like the worst possible response. Something along the lines of a clever rebuttal in the form of a short video could've scored them some goodwill points.
- Quarrelsome 16y ago
  He's over the top because he plays it up. Its not a documentary. Its a play and the actors play roles to a degree of excess (although tbf their roles are pretty close to their real life personas).
estel 16y ago
I genuinely didn't feel as though the piece on Tesla was particularly biased though? Sure, they pointed out the flaws inherit to the car (recharge time) and filmed the car being pushed in for entertainment, but overall the piece still came across as pretty positive about the car: at times he was gushing about its performance and how enjoyable it could be to drive. I'm sure if I were invested in Tesla it's easy to feel that they're "biased" against me, but the review didn't come across as any more negative than 90% of car reviews on Top Gear.
- olivercameron 16y ago
  Compared to a lot of car reviews on Top Gear, Tesla got off lightly.
  - nettdata 16y ago
    Just imagine if it were made in Mexico. EDIT: For those that don't get the reference, there is a running bit/theme on Top Gear about a so-called Mexican Supercar that was released a while ago. They've been thrashing it, and Mexico, ever since. So much so that the US version of Top Gear has been edited to remove the comments, and the Mexican Government has issued official communications about it. Just Google "top gear mexico supercar" and you'll see. It's not like I just randomly slammed Mexicans with this post. That's what the Dutch are for.
- Retric 16y ago
  They took a worst case mileage and recharge time and said a specific trip would take you 3 days. Without saying if you actually drove that distance and used a larger power source than a normal wall outlet it would take a few hours. They also pretended one of the cars ran out of power which did not actually happen. Now, I don't mind making fun of actual issues. And they had some things that actually broke, but making shit up crosses a line IMO.
  - SwellJoe 16y ago
    Have you seen Top Gear? The Reliant Robin, while obviously a horrible design, does not roll over every time you drive one a half mile (and it is not the primary reason for the decline in population in the Sheffield region in the decades since its release). The Stig is not really "half man, half machine with petrol running through his veins". And a race against a jet or helicopter is not a realistic test of auto performance. The Tesla episode was cheeky, but no more cheeky than many episodes. It's not a "straight" review show. It is a comedy that happens to have a lot of cars in it. If it is occasionally true, that's just a bonus.
    - jedsmith 16y ago
      > The Reliant Robin, while obviously a horrible design, does not roll over every time you drive one a half mile But it is absolutely hilarious when it does.
      - nikster 16y ago
        Reliant Robin show was epic. Only in England.
      - BrandonM 16y ago
        Agreed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8
    - dotBen 16y ago
      To explain for Americans and non-Brits, A Reliant Robin was a 3-wheeled car that was designed so that it could be taxed as a motorcycle with side car (ie 3 wheels). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliant_Robin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliant_Robin
sliverstorm 16y ago
Maybe not your FAVORITE guy ever, but I don't know if you can call yourself a motoring enthusiast if you don't derive at least a little bit of guilty pleasure watching them race a jet fighter in a Bugatti.
- CWuestefeld 16y ago
  How that jet got in the Bugatti, I'll never know.
  - flipbrad 16y ago
    No, the Bugatti driver's other pastime is punching jets on the nose.
dman 16y ago
Expecting the Top Gear folks to be fair, sensible or responsible is totally missing the point of the show in my opinion. These are the same guys that do - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjzpx_jUUA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjzpx_jUUA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvp69lnZbA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvp69lnZbA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMcZH-1FEHo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMcZH-1FEHo Consumer Reports and Car and Driver are factual and fair. But they arent entertaining, passionate or engrossing.
- Chrono 16y ago
  Exactly this. Top Gear isn't fair (or balanced). That is what makes the show funny.
dereg 16y ago
You can't blame Clarkson. Top Gear's reviews aren't necessarily based on some objective standard. They rate a driving experience. For them, electric cars haven't provided the same experience that they are used to and it will be a while before mass-market electric cars do that.
synx508 16y ago
As I see it, Clarkson and the team are basing their eco ridicule on the long view. They know that if they praise the current half-baked electric car technology, they'll look quaint and whimsical in 50 years when electric cars are practical. Better to be insightful and honest about just how far short the current offerings fall when compared with mature fossil-fuel powered vehicles, surely?

khafra 16y ago

I do think Clarkson is a bit over the top anti-conservation; but suing him for that seems like the worst possible response. Something along the lines of a clever rebuttal in the form of a short video could've scored them some goodwill points.

Quarrelsome 16y ago
He's over the top because he plays it up. Its not a documentary. Its a play and the actors play roles to a degree of excess (although tbf their roles are pretty close to their real life personas).

estel 16y ago

I genuinely didn't feel as though the piece on Tesla was particularly biased though? Sure, they pointed out the flaws inherit to the car (recharge time) and filmed the car being pushed in for entertainment, but overall the piece still came across as pretty positive about the car: at times he was gushing about its performance and how enjoyable it could be to drive. I'm sure if I were invested in Tesla it's easy to feel that they're "biased" against me, but the review didn't come across as any more negative than 90% of car reviews on Top Gear.

olivercameron 16y ago
Compared to a lot of car reviews on Top Gear, Tesla got off lightly.
- nettdata 16y ago
  Just imagine if it were made in Mexico. EDIT: For those that don't get the reference, there is a running bit/theme on Top Gear about a so-called Mexican Supercar that was released a while ago. They've been thrashing it, and Mexico, ever since. So much so that the US version of Top Gear has been edited to remove the comments, and the Mexican Government has issued official communications about it. Just Google "top gear mexico supercar" and you'll see. It's not like I just randomly slammed Mexicans with this post. That's what the Dutch are for.
Retric 16y ago
They took a worst case mileage and recharge time and said a specific trip would take you 3 days. Without saying if you actually drove that distance and used a larger power source than a normal wall outlet it would take a few hours. They also pretended one of the cars ran out of power which did not actually happen. Now, I don't mind making fun of actual issues. And they had some things that actually broke, but making shit up crosses a line IMO.
- SwellJoe 16y ago
  Have you seen Top Gear? The Reliant Robin, while obviously a horrible design, does not roll over every time you drive one a half mile (and it is not the primary reason for the decline in population in the Sheffield region in the decades since its release). The Stig is not really "half man, half machine with petrol running through his veins". And a race against a jet or helicopter is not a realistic test of auto performance. The Tesla episode was cheeky, but no more cheeky than many episodes. It's not a "straight" review show. It is a comedy that happens to have a lot of cars in it. If it is occasionally true, that's just a bonus.
  - jedsmith 16y ago
    > The Reliant Robin, while obviously a horrible design, does not roll over every time you drive one a half mile But it is absolutely hilarious when it does.
    - nikster 16y ago
      Reliant Robin show was epic. Only in England.
    - BrandonM 16y ago
      Agreed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8
  - dotBen 16y ago
    To explain for Americans and non-Brits, A Reliant Robin was a 3-wheeled car that was designed so that it could be taxed as a motorcycle with side car (ie 3 wheels). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliant_Robin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliant_Robin

sliverstorm 16y ago

Maybe not your FAVORITE guy ever, but I don't know if you can call yourself a motoring enthusiast if you don't derive at least a little bit of guilty pleasure watching them race a jet fighter in a Bugatti.

CWuestefeld 16y ago
How that jet got in the Bugatti, I'll never know.
- flipbrad 16y ago
  No, the Bugatti driver's other pastime is punching jets on the nose.

dman 16y ago

Expecting the Top Gear folks to be fair, sensible or responsible is totally missing the point of the show in my opinion. These are the same guys that do - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjzpx_jUUA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjzpx_jUUA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvp69lnZbA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvp69lnZbA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMcZH-1FEHo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMcZH-1FEHo Consumer Reports and Car and Driver are factual and fair. But they arent entertaining, passionate or engrossing.

Chrono 16y ago
Exactly this. Top Gear isn't fair (or balanced). That is what makes the show funny.

dereg 16y ago

You can't blame Clarkson. Top Gear's reviews aren't necessarily based on some objective standard. They rate a driving experience. For them, electric cars haven't provided the same experience that they are used to and it will be a while before mass-market electric cars do that.

synx508 16y ago

As I see it, Clarkson and the team are basing their eco ridicule on the long view. They know that if they praise the current half-baked electric car technology, they'll look quaint and whimsical in 50 years when electric cars are practical. Better to be insightful and honest about just how far short the current offerings fall when compared with mature fossil-fuel powered vehicles, surely?