Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[<i>Fifth Gear</i> drives Europe's hottest hot hatch, the Renaultsport Megane 265 Trophy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/21/fifth-gear-drives-europes-hottest-hot-hatch-the-renault/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/21/fifth-gear-drives-europes-hottest-hot-hatch-the-renault/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/21/fifth-gear-drives-europes-hottest-hot-hatch-the-renault/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Fifth Gear with the Renaultsport Megane 265 Trophy

You know, we can live without the Laguna and the Scenic. We really can. But when it comes down to the hot hatches, well... we kinda wish we could get out driving gloves on some Renault models on this side of the Atlantic. Certain models in specific, like the Megane 265 Trophy.

Renaultsport's top-of-the-line model holds the record for the quickest lap time of any front-driver around the Nürburgring. But while the hardcore R26.R that preceded it was a little rough-and-tumble, the new 265 Trophy is a properly sorted an everyday driver as it is a blistering performer. That's what the crew over at Fifth Gear found when they took the bruiser out for a spin. Follow the jump to watch their review.

Continue reading Fifth Gear drives Europe's hottest hot hatch, the Renaultsport Megane 265 Trophy

Fifth Gear drives Europe's hottest hot hatch, the Renaultsport Megane 265 Trophy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vicki Butler-Henderson drives Ferrari 458 Spider

A hardtop convertible Ferrari? Yeah, you're gonna want a pretty blonde to cover that one. But this isn't the California. This is the 458 Spider. Right, better make it Vicki Butler-Henderson then.

VBH, you see, isn't some boulevard-cruising talk-show host. Sure, she's presented her share of reality television shows, like the UK version of The Biggest Loser, but she's also a certified racing driver and one of the hosts on Fifth Gear. Sounds to us like the perfect personality to test Maranello's latest follicle stimulator, and lucky for us, that's just what she's done.

Follow the jump to see Vicki channel her best Clarkson and quite nearly come to climax on camera as she drives her new favorite supercar around the Italian countryside.

Continue reading Vicki Butler-Henderson flogs Ferrari 458 Spider on Fifth Gear

Vicki Butler-Henderson flogs Ferrari 458 Spider on Fifth Gear originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fifth Gear hangs out with the Chevrolet Camaro SS - Click above to watch after the jump

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro has been in U.S. dealerships for over a year now, and demand for Chevy's newest pony car has been strong from the get-go. And though the Camaro is based off the Australian Zeta platform and built in Oshawa, Canada, it still rocks a Bowtie badge and carries a 6.2-liter small block V8 under the hood. That makes the Camaro an American pony car in our book; one that will (finally) officially go on sale in England early next year.

But before our allies to the east get a chance to pick up a Camaro of their own, Fifth Gear host Jason Plato took the reins of a Bumblebee-flavored Camaro out on the track. Hit the jump to watch Plato show no mercy to the 3,860-pound coupe. In typical UK-reviewer-on-American-car-ese, we definitely hear words like "lazy" and "heavy," but Plato still looks like a very happy man behind the wheel. If you like smoking tires, oversteer and burnouts you'll definitely like this video.


Gallery: 2010 Chevy Camaro SS


[Source: Fifth Gear via Camaro5]

Continue reading Video: Fifth Gear rips it up in Chevrolet Camaro SS

Video: Fifth Gear rips it up in Chevrolet Camaro SS originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fans of British car shows take heart. Nope, we're not talking about Top Gear, but it's cross-town rival Fifth Gear. The Channel 5 car show that picked up after the original Top Gear was canceled was itself the victim of cutbacks recently. In the face of reduced viewership (compared to the five million who watch Top Gear regularly) and reduced ad revenue from belt-tightening automakers, network executives canceled the show back in October. By December, however, sources indicated that there was still a heartbeat and a glimmer of hope.

Now reports suggest that, following an outpouring of support, the network has agreed to keep Fifth Gear alive, albeit with some changes. The new Fifth Gear will apparently leave the studio permanently to focus directly on the test drives in a bid to lure hard-core enthusiasts disgruntled with Top Gear's decided emphasis on shenanigans. Two of the six presenters - Tom Ford and Tim Shaw - have also been dropped, leaving Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jonny Smith, Tiff Needell and Jason Plato to present the show.

With the revised format, Fifth Gear has reportedly been approved for two more seasons, with the first starting only a month away in late April, beating Top Gear's late-summer return to the punch. Apparently the Discovery network has been contracted to broadcast the show in other European markets outside the UK, so here's hoping we'll get the shows Stateside as well.

[Source: The Times of London via rpmgo.com]

Five Alive! Fifth Gear reportedly set to return in April... with some changes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our heart goes out to the crew at Fifth Gear. It really does. Because it's got to be tough living in the shadow of the BBC show that spawned it. We're talking about Top Gear, of course, and by any other yardstick, Fifth Gear is a fantastic car show. But its popularity has never approached what Clarkson and company enjoy, which has reportedly led to UK's Channel 5 decision to cancel the show. Which is really a shame.

All hope may not be lost, however, as reports indicate that Channel 5's decision isn't final just yet. But if it is, the show's lead host Tiff Needell has hinted that it could very well get picked up by another network altogether. Alternatively, Needell could get a show of his own. If he does, we hope he takes some of his co-hosts with him. Because short of Jezza, Hampster, Captain Slow and the Stig, Fifth Gear's ensemble is one of the best - on the airwaves or off. Thanks for the tip, Paul T!

[Source: Tiff Needell on Twitter via iCars Singapore]

Fifth Gear: Hope yet for Britain's other car show? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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News coming out of the U.K. today suggests that everybody's second-favorite British motoring television show may be facing the axe. According to the Daily Mail, Fifth Gear, which has never quite mustered the following of rival Top Gear, has been put on ice. Or has it?

A quick check on FinalGear.com indicates that the report from DM may not be entirely accurate. Fifth Gear's own Jonny Smith has fired off a series of Tweets from his personal Twitter account, and he suggests that reports of the show's demise are somewhat exaggerated, saying that "nothing is official."

For what it's worth, while we do prefer to burn an hour watching the antics from the rival crew at Top Gear, we also find Fifth Gear's brand of vehicular commentary worth watching. Even if Clarkson and Co. are more entertaining, at least some Autoblog staffers find Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson's driving impressions to carry more authority. If nothing else, we find Fifth Gear vastly superior to U.S. motoring shows like PBS' MotorWeek, which appears to be perpetually stuck in 1985. Where's the justice in that? Thanks for the tips, Sylvester and Eddie!

[Source: Daily Mail]

Trouble in U.K. TelevisionLand: Has Fifth Gear been canceled? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above to watch video

The Smart fortwo is an adorable little transportation pod that can get two people wherever they care to go in style, but there are a lot of cheap, efficient four-seaters with more room for people and their stuff. The auto enthusiasts over at 5th Gear rectified the fortwo's apparent disadvantage by creating a smart double decker using four bolts to attach the roof of one car to the floor of another. The experiment is ridiculous enough on its own, but 5th Gear brought it over the top by putting the fortwo+two through a battery of tests versus a four-seat Mitsubishi i. Watching stacked Smart cars doing moose avoidance tests at 40 mph is hilarious, and at 50 mph, you can probably guess what happens. Hit the jump to watch the video.

[Source: CarScoop]

Continue reading VIDEO: Double-decker smart fortwo a little top-heavy

VIDEO: Double-decker smart fortwo a little top-heavy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The blokes over at Fifth Gear got their hands on the new MINI Cooper S and gave it the thorough once over. Contrary to other reports, Tom Ford maintains that the 'go-cart' handling characteristics that made the last model so popular among drivers are still alive and well.

Styling-wise, Ford agrees that upon first inspection the new Cooper looks much larger. That perception is, in fact true, but mainly due to the hood's height increase that meets stricter pedestrian impact laws. The newly revised front end causes the beltline to move northwards, giving the new MINI a taller stance.

The three models mentioned in the video are the Cooper, Cooper S and the 1.4-liter One model that has been available across the pond, but hasn't made its way to the States.

2007 MINI Cooper S review on Fifth Gear originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Oct 2006 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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