Top Gear/Season 3 Episode 9

Season 3 Episode 9
Season 3, Episode 9
Airdate	December 28, 2003
Written by
Directed by
← 3x08 Season 3 Episode 8	4x01 → Season 4 Episode 1
Top Gear — Season Three

Episode Nine of the third season of Top Gear, and is episode twenty-nine overall.

Guest Stars: Carol Vorderman

Information

Chrysler Crossfire

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Chrysler Crossfire. Built in Germany and based on the Mercedes-Benz SLK, it also has the same 3.2 liter V6 engine as the SLK. It's a 2-seat sports car costing 27,260 GBP (about 50,400 USD). Clarkson says the back-end of the Crossfire looks like a dog with its back arched and taking a poo. Unfortunately, the Crossfire's power doesn't overcome its styling — 0-60 takes 7.2 seconds. It does have a front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout, but Clarkson says it had a detached feeling when you drive it and gives you no real confidence in putting your foot down. The interior is all wrong, too, with a sense of cheapness throughout. Clarkson summarizes that it looks like a dog doing a poo, it's slow, uncomfortable, expensive, cramped, badly trimmed interior, an awful gearbox, no back seats, the engine doesn't sound sporty, the ride is terrible, and it isn't very economical. For 5,000 GBP (about 9,200 USD) less you could get a Mazda RX-8.

Brabus Smart Roadster

Richard Hammond reviews the Brabus Smart Roadster. Brabus merged two 3-cylinder engines together creating a V6 bi-turbo that produces 218 bhp per ton — the same as a Porsche 911 Carerra 4. 0-60 in less than 6 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph. The interior features leather seating, chrome, bucket racing seats and racing harnesses, and a fire extinguisher. However, the airconditioning and radio have been removed. In addition, the trunk space is taken up by Formula One styled fuel tanks. It has a paddle shift gearbox which isn't too bad, and no traction control. However, the Brabus Smart Roadster costs 330,000 GBP (about 610,000 USD).

Top Gear Awards 2003

Car of the Year:
Nominees: Rolls-Royce Phantom, Volvo XC90, Mazda RX-8
Winner: Rolls-Royce Phantom

Dumbest Grand Prix Driver of the Year:
Nominees: Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard
Winner: Kimi Raikkonen

Ugliest Car of the Year:
Nominees: Daewoo Tacuma, Hyundai Matrix, Mercedes-Benz Valeo
Winner: BMW X3

Most Fun Car of the Year:
Nominees: Porsche 911 GT3, Renault Clio V6, Vauxhall VX220 Turbo
Winner: Vauxhall VX220 Turbo

Jaguar XJ6

James May reviews the Jaguar XJ6. Normally, the XJ has a 4.2 liter V8 engine, but the XJ6 has a 3 liter V6. Aside from the V6, May claims the XJ6 is exactly the same as any other XJ, except that it's 39,000 GBP (about 72,000 USD) — 12,000 GBP (about 22,000 USD) less than the cheapest V8 model.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

This week's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is Carol Vorderman, a British television personality. Carol Vorderman takes the Suzuki Liana around the test track in 1.51.2 in mildly moist conditions.

Honda Civic Type R, Honda NSX Type R

Richard Hammond reviews the Honda Civic Type R and the Honda NSX Type R. The Honda Civic Type R features a 197 bhp engine and costs 16,000 GBP (about 29,600 USD). Its steering and handling is superb. The Honda NSX Type R has about 300 bhp and has been fervently stripped of anything and everything to reduce its weight. The NSX Type R costs about 70,000 GBP (about 130,000 USD), and Hammond claims no one is going to pay that much for a Honda. He says Honda should move on and build something else.

The Stig takes the Honda NSX Type R around the test track in 1.31.6 in the wet.

Reviews

• Overall Grade: N/A with 0 reviews
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