5th Gear - S15 EP1 - 5th January, 2009 - Discussion

[vexor]

In the first edition, Joe Calzaghe gets a lesson in off-road driving from Tiff; Jonny checks out the new and improved Volkswagen Golf; Vicki puts the top down on the new Ferrari California; Tom reviews the safety of a popular family car; Tim puts the country’s automated car washes to the test; and Tiff and Jason head to the track. This week, Tiff meets undefeated lightheavyweight champion of the world Joe Calzaghe and his glamour model girlfriend Jo-Emma Larvin as the pair agree to an off-road challenge. After training the couple in a gritty Bowler Nemesis racer, Tiff pits them against each other in a feisty battle of the sexes. Who will come out on top in this no-holds-barred competition? Elsewhere, Jonny gets to work examining the latest Volkswagen Golf – the Mk6. While much of the chassis is based on the last generation Golf, sophisticated features, such as chrome detailing, have been added to the interior. After taking the car for a spin in a wind tunnel, Jonny is ready to give his verdict on how its performance stacks up against the Mk5. Vicki is in southern Italy this week to take the sexy new Ferrari California for a test-drive. The Maranello factory claims that the California melds the best features of a supercar, a convertible and a grand-tourer, making it suitable for everyday driving. On a mission to prove this, Vicki hops into the driver’s seat for a whirlwind ride around the twists and turns of the Sicilian highways. Safety is at the front of Tom’s mind as he conducts a crash-test with a popular type of family vehicle – the seven-seater people carrier. With the back of the van offering little protection from rear-end impact, small children who often occupy these seats could be at risk. Tom simulates an accident and assesses the extent of the damage. Tim embarks on an investigation of his own as he puts the UK’s car washes through the wringer. As winter approaches and grime begins to build up on cars, there has never been a more important time to keep vehicles in good condition. But some car washes can do more harm than good, damaging paintwork and failing to give a thorough clean. How will the nation’s car washes scrub up? Finally, Tiff and Jason face off against each other in two of the most stripped down and raw sets of wheels on the track – the KTM X-Bow and the Lotus 2-Eleven. The first four-wheel offering from Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM, the XBow offers a lightweight design that makes it a formidable opponent. The 2-Eleven, an offshoot of the Lotus Elise, can be produced as a road racer as well as a track car. Who will triumph in this gutsy test of speed?

....

[5vz-fe]

The offroad competition sounds awfully familiar isn't it??

Tiff / Jason should drive the Ferrari instead of Vicki
Tim is always the weird guy with second hand car.

[yg60m]

Cool, another season not far from the previous

[vexor]

date change, the new series starts one week earlier on the 5th of January