Ekona

Given that at the time I posted the only place it had been shown was the UK, then in real terms it couldn't have been any more accurate! What are the viewing figures then for the openers of seasons 22 and 23 then worldwide, exactly? I've not seen them myself yet.

I've just watched it. Really enjoyed it, and now I kinda see what they're trying to do with the show. You have the proper Top Gear that carries on where the old one left off: There's never going to be anything special there, nor any real meat for the proper petrolheads. That's where Extra Gear comes in IMHO. They can be more relaxed, less arty, more geeky, and slightly less concerned about making the big bucks. Rory is a natural in front of the camera, I'd expect to see him do some stuff for the proper show really soon, he's excellent. Harris is also brilliant as he's proved on his own stuff, here however he came across as a bit of an idiot and I can see people not really taking to him if they continue to edit him like that. However, the EG stuff itself was interesting, funny, clever and intelligently shot, proving they've got a very good team behind the scenes. This is kinda what I always hoped TG would be, both entertaining and geeky. They've had to split it into two shows to do it, but I can now see exactly how they're trying to move the show forward. I'd say EG is as much a must-see as TG itself is.

Depends on the knob, but most sit lower.

Budget?

The presenters were announced months ago, did you not see that bit? It was always going to be CE & MLB as the main people, then bits and pieces from the other three.

Still higher than the opening show of last series though.

That's what he does though, he's a lively shouty person on TV. Also, he was nervous as f*ck which didn't help I suspect. In all seriousness, it was okay. I'll watch it again as there's hints of evidence it's not just going to be the same old guff, but at the same time the Star thing in the Mini definitely didn't work at all. MLB is genius though, he really is going to make or break it I think. Thank god the news bit has gone, that was always pointless, and hopefully Harris will be in it more than just on BBC3 behind the scenes. Putting aside my equal hate for old TG and my fangirlness for Evans, I reckon it's a solid 7/10. Could be better, but a promising start.

Hey, if it's a good one...

Suspension travel on that Nomad is insane. Beautiful bit of engineering.

Because you need to rig in greater quantities to defeat a genuine vote, which is harder to achieve. But yes, I agree that we as a nation are by far one of the 'cleanest' countries in the world for this stuff.

Maser is a 3200, not 3500. A good choice, certainly charismatic if a trifle brave to run at that price point.

See, that works both ways though, you can't claim to love old TG and not like this

It's ace! Okay, the Stars bit isn't great but it never has been, really enjoying the rest of it so far. MLB is brilliant as the other guy, Evans you'll love or hate but I think he's great. Genuine lols at not mentioning catering and claiming custody of the Stig

I am!

Ah, so all in your head then, gotcha. The only way to prevent vote rigging is to actually vote yourself.

645/650 cab? Cheap as chips, V8 too. E46 M3 is a nice place to be, even though you don't like the 3 series. I don't fully trust anyone who doesn't like convertibles. They add so much to the driving experience in any weather, not just when it's sunny.

Man up, walk away, be with someone who won't irritate you every five minutes.

You won't be getting any discount on a 718 right now. They've no need, it's a brand new car. You can get good discounts from the premium brands though, just not this early on in the life of a model.

£156k.

Not at all, I'd rather a minimal spec non-S car too. Manual, sports suspension, buckets, sat nav. Job jobbed.

It's not the extra power that makes the difference, it's the extra revs. The HR is without doubt the better engine. Btw, that's not a rev limiter, it's a shift light. You can set it to 4K if you want, the car won't stop you revving past that.

He doesn't have to really, it was always punching above its weight in terms of viewing figures. That said, I suspect it'll go from strength to strength, MLB will make it eminently more watchable around the world because Joey.

Given that he's taken the R2 breakfast show to record figures, I suspect he's far more sellable as a person than you might think.

It's got the world's most intrusive traction control, I think he'll probably be okay If my other half can drive an MR2 with no idea of physics and no TCS at the same age, I think he'll be fine in a Zed.

How does that affect insurance? I mean, do you even have to declare mods, or would they not pay out, or what?