German Car Zone

Like I always say, he is a comedian & he can't take this factor out of his personality!

And never judge anyone by nice super-cars in his garage, money is the word here!

Agreed

I've noticed that in many of his reviews and it didn't make me smile at all but disgusted,one of the main reasons i never take him seriously.

Actually, in standard English, when saying that you'd stress the important word (i.e. "That Scottish idiot" or "That Scottish idiot"). In that respect, the word order is not nearly as significant as it is in many other languages... Since the definition of "Scottish" is Of or belonging to Scotland or to the people of Scotland; esp. of persons: of Scotch nationality, birth, or descent (Oxford English Dictionary), there is no need to say "idiot from Scotland" instead of "Scottish idiot" unless the idiot in question happens to be from Scotland but not a Scot. [By the way, Clarkson later apologised by saying 'I'm sorry for calling Brown one-eyed and Scottish but not the idiot bit'.]

You're right about Clarkson being un-PC, and I applaud him for that. (I can't see anything racistic about his comments though.) We're being way too sensitive about what can and what cannot be said in public, even if there is no intention to insult anyone. As an example, Clarkson was once told that he cannot use the expression "taking the mickey" on Top Gear because it might offend the Irish - never mind that the expression actually comes from Cockney rhyming slang and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Irish. As for Clarkson himself, he's not what I'd call a racist. He's been quite happy to challenge his own prejudices and has not been afraid to face (and try to understand) the preconceptions and prejudices other people have against the English and himself in particular.

I prefer people to say what they think, that way there is a chance to discuss why they think like they do. All the misconceptions and prejudices people have will not go away if we just pretend they're not there.

Wow.. Interesting how people are saying his review does not mention the F01..

You do realize that it is a three PAGE review and that he DOES go into a discussion of the 7-series later on, right?

I guess the very sight of two stars blinded some of the more.. erm.. passionate people here.

Yes, Clarkson is opinionated. He is passionate. He is extremely un-PC, as MikeJ has already noted. But he is no fool. Every time I drive a car Clarkson comments on, I find myself laughing at how right he usually is. His time is not up. It will never be up. He relates to your average motoring enthusiasts, not to die-hard fans. (In fact, I'd like to think his mission is to upset those die-hard fans as regularly as possible.. and he seems to succeed in doing so.. from the Morris Marina fan club to the Porsche Owners Club )

It's not all about intent ... but also about perception.

And a person who does not anticipate reaction from the public is either very ignorant, or very naive. Which I guess Clarkson is not - neither ignorant nor naive.

But when anticipating the reaction (being aware of perception) - then your intent is clear: to manipulate, to cause controversy, to polarize, to seek attention, to create publicity. On purpose - with a very certain intent & goal.

I'm not saying Clarkson per se is a racist or nationalist - but he is using such (PInc / offensive) language with a clear intent described above. Just like many populistic politicians are doing it.

He is a pure manipulartor. A very systematic manipulator. And I don't find that funny at all.

Yes, I understand he "tries" to be socially-critical in some way ... spicing-up his automotive reviews / write-ups ... But his style of language is there to intentionaly polarize / stir controversy. It's the easiest way to do it ... Using form over content. It's much more evident & more easily recognized these days. But I still prefer strong content over strong form ... An emphasis on a strong form can take antention away from the content. Just like in Clarkson's case ... Not a clever way to express an opinion ...


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Btw, I disagree with him also on 7er review - saying the car has wrong characteristics for a segment it belongs: who want's a sporty car in luxury sedan segment. Why then people buy in this segment buy BMW, Audi, Jaguar etc? His view is very narrow: this segment is all about luxury & comfort, and all the other cars which do not offer superb comfort are pointless.

Again: not the narrowminded "journalists" are out there to talk what's pointles and it's not ... Customers are the one to decide. And they do. That's why also cars like 7er, A8, XJ etc. find quite some buyers in this segment. Actually ... Correct me if I'm wrong but in this particular segment the sales of 7er+A8+XJ (sports) are on par if not exceeding the sales of S-class+LS (comfort).

Come on guys - if you don't like his style, then don't read his reviews! Before we are starting here a general discussion about moral, ethic etc…!

We all know, that he is one of those "journalists", who loves to provoke! Discussing about his journalist future will not change a thing!

You're over-sensitive here EnI. There's nothing racist in his comments.

Clarkson has never made it a mystery that he is here to entertain people. He is not here to give you the exact size of the glovebox or to measure the diameter of the intercooler. He's not here to give you a scientific review with facts and to proove his points. You don't read his review expecting a very objective result.

He's here to amuse people while giving an opinion on a car. And, while his opinions are usually excessive (in order to entertain), they are often somehow justified. In that I fully agree with AYA or Mike. He's sometimes surprisingly right...

He's being excessive in its points rankings, in its phrasing, in its comparisons, in the examples he gives. What he says cannot be taken seriously. But if you back up a bit, take it with a pince of salt, he's often right on. He's not the first to say that this new 7er is too sporty for its own good. You may disagree with him, that is no problem. But don't take him seriously, please!

His show and reviews are like comedy or one-men-shows, he's criticizing things with a very excessive and unrealistic tone.


It's humor! British humor. I love that kind of humor. Top Gear is here to entertain people, and entertaining usually involved excess.

Why so serious, EnI? Just because he gave your beloved Beemer bad marks?

Actually raoul i don't think he said that clarkson was racist.

Well he spoke about nationalistic connotations and racism... On-purpose provokation or true racism, EnI says he plays with the fire in order to provoke and obtain recognition... A Manipulator...

While I disagree. He does that to entertain, and actually I find it entertaining. You clearly see that he's not serious about all these questions. He's saying Scotthish idiot like he says cock... Did you take what he said about left-handed people seriously?

All three of them, in TG, are playing with that. Accusing each other to look like a gay terrorist ot whatever. There's nothing serious about that. It's not about manipulation, it's about humor.


I don't think Clarkson wrote this review of the 7-Series in order to get worldwide attention, create a universe-scaled controversy and become the subject of the next NATO-meeting.

Actually, I think that he makes populistic politicians look ridiculous by stealing their lines and turning them into jokes.

Now don't take this the wrong way, but you used to do marketing and now work in PR, don't you?