https://www.carthrottle.com/post/4-ways-top-gear-misled-the-world-on-american-performance-cars/ 4 Ways Top Gear Misled The World On American Performance Cars [20151012] Christopher Smith
[image https://d37nk263jfz2p8.cloudfront.net/image/1/700/0/uploads/articles/tesla_roadster_japanese_displa-56182cad86766.jpg (Tesla Roadster EV) ] The boys are brilliant in their passion for cars, but they don’t always tell the whole story. Here are a few points on American cars that need to be set right! It wasn’t until the eighth or ninth series that I started watching what’s now known as New Old Top Gear. Back in those days, getting full episodes in America wasn’t necessarily easy, but as a devoted petrolhead I’ll just say I found a way. At that point I’d already had a few cheap car experiences of my own, so watching a show with three blokes cocking about with cars in a similar manner as me (albeit with a MUCH larger budget) was sheer pleasure. As a budding auto journalist with a strong automotive background, I also learned that the boys tended to stretch the truth from time to time. Hey, that’s okay; it’s a television show designed to entertain. But there were also moments - primarily during road tests - where that hyperbole was stretched to the limit in a way that might not be so obvious to casual viewers. Admittedly I have some bias to U.S. manufacturers, just as Clarkson, May and Hammond have bias to British brands. It’s that bias which compels me to help clear the air on a few moments in New Old Top Gear where the trio weren’t entirely forthcoming in regards to some American car reviews. Informed car enthusiasts like you will likely recognise what I’m saying, but for the non-car lovers, here’s a bit more insight into a few moments that, while entertaining for the presenters, created all kinds of frustration for American auto enthusiasts ... 2. The Tesla Roadster 'will run out of power after 55 miles' Here’s an instance where stretching the truth for entertainment purposes actually led to a formal lawsuit. Most people recall Clarkson’s review of the Tesla Roadster, notably that both test cars broke down and that they would run out of power after 55 miles, as opposed to Tesla’s claimed range of over 200 miles. Ultimately the lawsuit was dismissed in Top Gear’s favour because their conclusions were technically correct; under continual racing conditions the Tesla would run out of power much more quickly. Obviously. However, since nobody would be running a Tesla under continual racing conditions, why make such a big deal out of the shortened range? If you run a 2013 Porsche 911 turbo under continual racing conditions, it certainly won’t achieve anywhere near its combined rating of 19 US mpg. And yet, in the many Porsche reviews through the years, that subject never came up. Obviously the takeaway is that Top Gear doesn’t like electric cars, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Personally, I’m not a fan, either; they’re too heavy, too quiet, they take far too long to recharge, and the reliable range varies far too much on how you drive. The technology is improving, but it just doesn’t make sense yet as a performance car. Had Clarkson simply said these things, then no harm no foul. Instead, the crew resorted to some very questionable editing, and if you believe Tesla, flat-out lies to paint a very bad picture of a car that is really quite brilliant. Is it perfect? Certainly not, but neither is it the disaster that Top Gear tried to make it out to be. Even for an entertaining motoring show, they crossed the line in their attempt to be witty ... [© carthrottle.com] For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Old-Top-Gear-Misled-The-World-On-An-American-Performance-EV-tp4678089.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
