-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
And I have to admit, it makes me kind of sad.
Here's my favorite TV program, reviewing my favorite car, and not really acting their usual selves with it. There is a lot of fun they could have had with the Model X that they didn't. It was a glowing review, but it was not funny, not their normal funny.
Being the recipient of TG/GT humor is IMO an honor. It is endearing. I didn't dislike Porsche or Range Rover because of the "hate" they got, I laughed with the cars - not at the cars.
I didn't laugh with the Model X review.
Tesla is the awkward kid that they didn't quite dare be normal with. I really felt for Clarkson when said he had just decided to ignore Tesla after the lawsuit because it sucks getting sued.
IMO Tesla made a mistake on this one. Getting a roasting is a positive thing when taken right.
Here's my favorite TV program, reviewing my favorite car, and not really acting their usual selves with it. There is a lot of fun they could have had with the Model X that they didn't. It was a glowing review, but it was not funny, not their normal funny.
Being the recipient of TG/GT humor is IMO an honor. It is endearing. I didn't dislike Porsche or Range Rover because of the "hate" they got, I laughed with the cars - not at the cars.
I didn't laugh with the Model X review.
Tesla is the awkward kid that they didn't quite dare be normal with. I really felt for Clarkson when said he had just decided to ignore Tesla after the lawsuit because it sucks getting sued.
IMO Tesla made a mistake on this one. Getting a roasting is a positive thing when taken right.
He casually mentioned that the Model X did a 1:29.6 around their track. The same as the Mustang they tested (#21 on their list) and faster than the Bugatti they tested last week. That has to make it the quickest SUV/CUV they've tested.
I thought having the six lawyers in the car and the overall "angle" the skit took was quite funny. They laughed at themselves as well as the situation they were put in. All of which pointed out that the first suit had a silliness to it. So they had fun with Elon.
I have always liked TG and now GT. I don't really want to re-hash the original argument too much but I personally thought Elon suing TG was justified. JC gave a generally favorable review then fudged reality to make their point that they don't like electric cars. The rest of the show was a glowing review of a Honda Clarity where they didn't try to thrash it around their track. If they had stuck to their roots and said they didn't like the roadster because it's not a track car and charging at a track is inconvenient then I wouldn't have any issues. Trashing electrics by pointing at a standard plug and saying it takes 47 hours to charge is pushing it way too far. The problem is that plenty of people believe the show isn't scripted when it is.
TG rightfully won their suit. The judges ruling that no one would ever believe that TG is real is true for most of us. The suit also did prove that Elon was right that the failure was scripted and manipulated. So, for Elon, he won his argument.
So I was real happy with this review. It respected history while having fun with the awkward situation.
I thought having the six lawyers in the car and the overall "angle" the skit took was quite funny. They laughed at themselves as well as the situation they were put in. All of which pointed out that the first suit had a silliness to it. So they had fun with Elon.
I have always liked TG and now GT. I don't really want to re-hash the original argument too much but I personally thought Elon suing TG was justified. JC gave a generally favorable review then fudged reality to make their point that they don't like electric cars. The rest of the show was a glowing review of a Honda Clarity where they didn't try to thrash it around their track. If they had stuck to their roots and said they didn't like the roadster because it's not a track car and charging at a track is inconvenient then I wouldn't have any issues. Trashing electrics by pointing at a standard plug and saying it takes 47 hours to charge is pushing it way too far. The problem is that plenty of people believe the show isn't scripted when it is.
TG rightfully won their suit. The judges ruling that no one would ever believe that TG is real is true for most of us. The suit also did prove that Elon was right that the failure was scripted and manipulated. So, for Elon, he won his argument.
So I was real happy with this review. It respected history while having fun with the awkward situation.
Last edited:
I'm glad he didn't harp on charging times or infrastructure. Journalists always get that wrong and make it sound worse by stating how long it takes to charge from 0 to 100% which is not typical in any daily situation. Also, no mention of the large windshield. Overall, a good review.
I agree. The characters have gone from strangely interesting idiots to just idiots. Its run its course. The writers must a horrible job rehashing the same gags.
But IMO made Elon/Tesla look like humorless bad sports in the process and also lost them plenty of goodwill and screentime on Top Gear/Grand Tour over the years. I can hardly see that as a net positive for Tesla.
At best it was a neutral outcome (i.e. TG/GT didn't matter), which still IMO made it a pointless exercise. They could have protested verbally or just laughed it off. Made a counter-spoof making fun of Clarkson or something.
Then again, I myself am prone to sticking with an argument longer than was necessary, so maybe I need to sympathize with Tesla there.
But even for me there comes a time when one has to say: Sticking to that and that argument was a bad call.IMO Tesla made a bad call there.
Last edited:
Are you referencing the early 90s Bugatti? Could be argued your comment there is as dishonest as anything JC said about the Tesla. You said Bugatti which folks will presume is newer, leaving out the fact is was 25yo and in an unknown state of repair is a huge ommission.
TG and The Grand Tour are comedic entertainment and to those actually familiar with the characters this was a glowing review from Jeremy.
If you are a blind koolaid drinker that only turned it on because they talked about your brand of koolaid I am sure you will be unhappy.
That was a rude response. So I suppose commenting about a Tesla on a Tesla forum is somehow mean spirited to TG/GT which I commented I like.
You could have simply asked instead of being rude. This episode didn't post a track time so I went back and looked at the previous episode for the track list. Coincidentally, the time they posted was for a Bugatti and it was close to the Tesla/Ford time. I didn't rewatch the full episode to know which Bugatti it was nor did I specify which Mustang it was either. So it could have been a plain old Mustang. So your accusation is without merit and doesn't even take into account the full extent of my comment.
I agree they lost screentime and goodwill. Though that may have been a good thing. The GT guys have been pretty anti-electric up until now. Their reviews of the Leaf and BMW i3 were basically making fun of both cars. Tesla needed the time to mature into what they are now. So the extra time allowed for the GT guys to see the market is moving into electrics and allowed for the positive review Tesla received this time. GT was still able to make fun of Elon's humorless bad sport response. C'mon, filling the car with lawyers who derail JC's things he didn't like about the car was hilarious. Watching it again since it was posted here made me laugh even harder the second time around. It was brilliant. IMO.
The show is better off giving with Clarkson giving model X a positive review. Clarkson would have no problem making fun of the car if it improved ratings.
Does Amazon even have ratings?
I suppose they can know to the exact number how many people watched the show.
It was OK, but it was making fun of non-car things. For whatever reason, I liked them abusing the medium-sized SUVs much more.
I would have loved seeing a Tesla handle something like that. But they'd never do it for the fear of Tesla suing.
The Bugatti was a 1992 or 1993.....
The Mustang was a current 5.0l car, no slouch.
Far as electrics, they seemed to like the Rimac, they are coming around to the advantages as the negatives are reduced.
I agree they are coming around on electrics. I mentioned that to Anxiety Ranger above. The GT/TG guys aren't stupid and they know their business. For telling their stories and having fun the power train for the cars they use is meaningless. The guys can see the big trend in the major automakers is to embrace electric. So they can stick to the old technology and lose some of their audience or they can adjust as well. So they are adjusting. Geez, Ferrari is working on an electric. If done right, then ICE can have a solid place in the future too. I hope to see many more seasons of The Grand Tour before the guys eventually hang up their hats and retire. I'd like to see one of them drive the insane new Tesla Roadster when it eventually gets made. I really hope Tesla steps up and makes that a good track car. Or even see the guys race a Tesla Semi in a drag race. That would be hilarious. So I'm glad the guys broke the conflict with this review. It was the right move from the smart and entertaining GT/TG guys.
By the way, I really like Mate Rimac and everything he is doing. I was so upset when I heard Richard Hammond was in an accident and it was in the Concept One.
Watched it today and enjoyed it.
Also just as an aside, libel laws in the UK are generally much more plaintiff friendly than in the U.S. I don't know the specifics of the case, but it's entirely possible a case that would be laughed out of court in the U.S. would be viable in England.
Also just as an aside, libel laws in the UK are generally much more plaintiff friendly than in the U.S. I don't know the specifics of the case, but it's entirely possible a case that would be laughed out of court in the U.S. would be viable in England.
I think they've been into electrics for a long time now. The electric Mercedes Benz got a very fair hearing in its day. James May has been driving a personal BMW i3 for years. Tesla's miscalculated decision to sue them simply hid the bigger BEV force on TG/GT for years, thus making it seem like they were ignoring the entire form of propulsion.
It is true there was a moment in time when the TG/GT gang clearly believed fuel cells were the future, and sort of embraced that for a season or two. This was a decade ago. But IMO then they've been embracing electrics for a long time now. That said, their embrace of the fuel cell already showed their pragmaticism, they never were the petrol-only petrol-heads some made them out to be IMO.
They are lovers of cars and when lovable cars in electric appeared, they were on board. Not IMO because their show required it. Tesla's action made Tesla unlovable for them, at least temporarily.
The progress was thus unfortunately partly masked by their - now we know - conscious decision to snub Tesla. Ignore Tesla and it seems you are ignoring BEVs, because everything else is rather rare... Them being based in England adds to this somewhat, as Tesla's delays in entering the right-hand drive market have delayed the UK presence of the latest cars over time.
Chopr147
Active Member
I don't know if this video will come through but i'll try. GT did a somewhat positive review of the X but added some pessimism GT style. I really do like the show but after the Roadster debacle a few years ago on Top Gear not sure I trust them to give an honest assessment.
Funny take driving with 7 lawyers to "avoid" another Tesla lawsuit.
Amazon.com: The Grand Tour Season 2: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, Andy Wilman
Funny take driving with 7 lawyers to "avoid" another Tesla lawsuit.
Amazon.com: The Grand Tour Season 2: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, Andy Wilman
Chopr147
Active Member
Sorry about that. Didn't look hard enough for the thread I guess.
I really do like the show and was excited to hear this season would involve a Tesla. I think despite GT/TG's intention to ignore Tesla, Tesla's beating all comers on racetracks and range forced them to do it. How can a car show ignore an EV beating supercars and cars like the Hellcat on drag strips. Oh, and it's also a family saloon (to use the UK name) . This year it just made sense to re-visit Tesla. And the 7 lawyers in the car was very funny.
I really do like the show and was excited to hear this season would involve a Tesla. I think despite GT/TG's intention to ignore Tesla, Tesla's beating all comers on racetracks and range forced them to do it. How can a car show ignore an EV beating supercars and cars like the Hellcat on drag strips. Oh, and it's also a family saloon (to use the UK name) . This year it just made sense to re-visit Tesla. And the 7 lawyers in the car was very funny.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Marketplace listing
- Locked
- Marketplace listing
