Anyone see the new UK top gear?
They're basically using a Chevy Sonic as their new reasonably priced car.
Its a Vauxhall Astra, which uses the same platform, and from what I can tell the same transmission and similar engine options. Also in the episode they show the Astra's interior and it uses the exact same shifter, steering wheel radio/cruise control controls, turn signal stalk, door handles, power window switches, etc, as the Sonic. Only real difference is that the Astra they use has a 1.6L turbo instead of the 1.4L turbo offered in the Sonic, which is good for somewhere around 40-50 more hp than the 1.4L? Otherwise its basically a Chevy Sonic.
That must mean they like the Sonic
I also found this:
Transmission ? BBC Top Gear We?ve got a new Reasonably Priced Car! «
"Finding a car to fit that remit isn’t hard. The trickier bit is defining ‘reasonably priced’. Back when Top Gear started there seemed to be loads of bargain basement bits of metal kicking about. Now all the companies that made such bog-standard cars are doing their best to move upmarket. But ‘reasonably priced’ doesn’t simply mean ‘cheap’. It means good value, impressive equipment levels, walking into the showroom and adopting a quietly delighted expression upon being told what you can get for your money.
With that in mind, earlier this year Top Gear assembled a range of likely candidates at our top secret Reasonably Priced Car testing facility in Surrey (at the end of Stovolds Hill, just off the B2130 near Cranleigh) and got The Stig down to give them a good thrashing. We also had some of our production team there to poke around the interiors, rigorously making sure they were big enough to accommodate a roll cage and all the minicams we rig up to capture our celeb guests’ reactions. Slowly but surely we rooted out the cars that were too slow, the cars that were too twitchy, the cars that wilted under pressure and eventually we found what we believe is a car that’s just right."
They tested the Astra against a bunch of other cars and it came out on top. And since the Astra is basically a rebadged Sonic....
:banana:
