Top Gear Verdict...

[valentino46]

Just seen the Top Gear car revue of 2016 new cars .....Avensis given 4/10  marks  only....BUT WHAT DO THEY KNOW.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I only watched the first episode of Top Gear with Chris Evans, then refused to watch any more. Previously an avid Top Gear fan. Also cancelled my subscription to the magazine.

However, I have watched all of The Grand Tour episodes so far, usually just turned midnight of Friday morning.

[revband]

10 hours ago, valentino46 said:

Just seen the Top Gear car revue of 2016 new cars .....Avensis given 4/10  marks  only....BUT WHAT DO THEY KNOW.

Sadly at the moment I am inclined to agree with them.

[mickburkesnr]

Well the Avenvis will only get 4/10 if they compare it to a Maserarti Quadraporti. I don't tend to give a damn about what journalists in magazines say about a specific thing. I remember reading once how good the Stereophonics album "Keep Calm And Carry On" was, so I went out and bought it. Listened to it, gave the CD away. It was a God awful album, and is the only record I've ever bought and given away because it was so bad.

Oh, as for The Grand Tour. I can't stand it. They've no one to kick against as the Amazon bosses know that them being aloof and borderline offensive means more people will buy the Prime subscriptions. Then there's that Conversation Street, I'm still struggling to find what level of cheese that is. It's not as smelly as Stilton but it's damn close.

[fordulike]

20 minutes ago, mickburkesnr said:

Well the Avenvis will only get 4/10 if they compare it to a Maserarti Quadraporti.

Exactly, I remember when Chris Evans totally slagged off the Aygo:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2695945/Chris-Evans-reviews-Toyota-Aygo-If-appalling-Aygo-car-I-owned-Id-say-Ill-never-drive-again.html

For a stuck up a**ehole that has cash flowing out of his hairy ginger ****, of course it's not appealing when you've just jumped out of a Ferrari. But for the regular joe who needs a reliable car on a budget, which I personally think drives very nicely, it ticks all the right boxes.

 

[mickburkesnr]

Exactly. The Aygo is a fun car, it drives like a go-kart. Costs nothing to run and on long journeys can be surprisingly comfortable. I should know, I drove to Budapest from Birmingham in my 107.

The type of reader who buys Top Gear magazine is buying it for car !Removed!. Not to make an informed decision on which car to buy. If that was the case you would only very rarely get McLaren F1's and Piaggio Zondurs in the issue.

[fordulike]

2 hours ago, mickburkesnr said:

The type of reader who buys Top Gear magazine is buying it for car !Removed!. Not to make an informed decision on which car to buy. If that was the case you would only very rarely get McLaren F1's and Piaggio Zondurs in the issue.

And if you have the dough to be able to buy one of the cars so frequently reviewed, you would go straight to the Lambo, Ferrari or Bugatti dealer.

I'm an 'Auto Express' magazine kinda guy. It's full of tips and reviews of products/cars that the everyday driver wants to read about, not some overblown fantasy just in case they win the EuroMillions.

Don't get me wrong, they still review supercars, but the ratio of supercars to regular cars is far less than 'Top Gear' magazine.

[fordulike]

Auto Express have got 6 issues for a £1 at the mo, so great value.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/

BTW, I'm not a shill working for the company lol.

[mickburkesnr]

Well I was scepticle about your £1 Auto Express offer, saw it and it looked OK. BUT you didn't mention you got a free toolkit!

#sold

[fordulike]

Lol, yeah... free toolkit everybody 

[Husbandofstinky]

I can't fault Auto express. Been a subscriber with them for years.

I think that the test reviews are pretty fair from the cars to kit bearing in mind that with everything, they are or course subjective.

Treated myself to an alcosense breathalyser following their test back in November (been meaning to get one for a few years) and can't fault it as a best buy tbh. But hey, what the hell do I know about breathalysers. Just don't waste your money on the Chinese stuff on eBay. Thought they might at least be an indicator but it was way to variable even for that. 

TG is a good fantasy mag and why not. It is what it is and has been for many years.

Horses for courses.

 

[Konrad C]

I find that more recent publications tend to want performance, features and style.

I have a copy of Autocar from 1997 which has the original review of the Avensis. It was compared to the then Ford Mondeo, Peugeot 405 and Volkswagon Passat, Nissan Primera , which they rated better, but they cost a lot more than the version of Avensis tested. The Avensis got 3 stars. The car was a red 1.8 GS saloon. Under Autocars section headsings it got the following marks :- design and engineering - 3 stars "sound engineering principles but styling a disappointment, performance/brakes - "leanburn engine is refined but a modest performer" 3 stars, handling & ride - 3 stars "Fine ride but body control no match to European rivals", Comfort,equipment & safety -3 star "Well equipped but front headroom,cabin design are poor", Economy - 5 stars "Exceptionally frugal for a petrol car of this size", Market & finance - 3 stars "Not a solid investment that you might think", and the Overall Autocar verdict - 3 stars "Effective but unappealing Mondeo rival. Now in the motoring week section, Steve Cropley had the car for a 193 mile drive, and agreed with every syllable of the verdict, but he "also had a lot of time for the car". Here is the full statement I scanned from the magazine and converted to a word document as follows:-

Avensis impresses quietly  

Nobody's going to get over- heated about the debut of Toyota's new Mondeo-chaser, the Avensis. Read our road test on page 44: it's very much a case of a decent but unspectacular model (Carina E) giving way to something more modern but no less sober-sided. Having just taken an Avensis on my usual 193-mile home-and- back sprint, I agree with every syllable of our verdict, but I also have a lot of time for the car. It's straight-laced, sure, but it has two vital virtues: the engine is unusually subdued at all speeds, and the suspension is almost Jaguar-quiet over all kinds of surfaces and bumps. These may not be headline attractions, but they are things a particular kind of owner will appreciate for every single mile he or she drives. They also dovetail with the truly excellent fuel economy of the 1.8-litre model I drove and its easy, predictable controls. The Avensis situation underlines one of the truisms about road testing today: it's every bit as relevant to point out exactly whom a car is intended to attract as it is to decide whether it's good or bad.

 

Now if you look on the roads today and even go back to 2010, how many of the rivals are still going compared to the Avensis T22 Mk1. What was the reliability like with these rivals! I had my 1998 Mk1 until last year and it is still on the road. I used Autocar because it is a good example.

The thing is car mags need to look long term at cars longevity. I have read that some of the car favoured by the motoring press can be nightmares to own a few years down the line!

Take Tog Gear as a lads mag on cars.  

[FROSTYBALLS]

I bought a new Primera SX in 1998 - special edition to celebrate Nissan winning the team prize of the BTCC - 

Brilliant handling. British built. Reliable. Still see the occasional Primera knocking about. 

 

[Heidfirst]

4 hours ago, Konrad C said:

The Avensis situation underlines one of the truisms about road testing today: it's every bit as relevant to point out exactly whom a car is intended to attract as it is to decide whether it's good or bad.

This. 

I find that reviews of Avensis rarely mention things that are important to my usage e.g. no transmission tunnel in rear seats, that the rear seats actually fold properly flat (sadly this seems to be becoming rarer r& rarer as standard).