[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/clarksons-5-best-worst\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/clarksons-5-best-worst\/","headline":"Clarkson\u2019s 5 of the best (and worst)","name":"Clarkson\u2019s 5 of the best (and worst)","description":"Hey, remember that guy who used to present Top Gear? What was his name? Lanky fella, curly hair, generally offensive with a tendency to punch producers when presented with cooked meats? Jeremy Clarkson, that\u2019s it! Yes, well, turns out he writes a column for the Sunday Times and over two of his more recent submissions, he laid out the finest and most hateful cars he\u2019s driven in the last 12 months. Here, we\u2019re looking at five from each end of […]","datePublished":"2016-09-15","dateModified":"2016-09-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/feature-19.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/feature-19.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/clarksons-5-best-worst\/","about":["BLOG"],"wordCount":895,"keywords":["BMW M2","BMW M5","BMW X1","Ferrari 488 GTB","Ford Escort RS Cosworth","Ford Focus RS","Golf GTI","Hyundai i800","jeremy clarkson","lamborghini aventador","Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Recaro","Nissan GT-R Track","The Grand Tour","top gear","Volkswagen Scirocco","volvo xc90","Zenos E10"],"articleBody":"Hey, remember that guy who used to present Top Gear? What was his name? Lanky fella, curly hair, generally offensive with a tendency to punch producers when presented with cooked meats? Jeremy Clarkson, that\u2019s it!Yes, well, turns out he writes a column for the Sunday Times and over two of his more recent submissions, he laid out the finest and most hateful cars he\u2019s driven in the last 12 months. Here, we\u2019re looking at five from each end of the quality spectrum.Star car #1 – Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport RecaroIt\u2019s nigh impossible not to love the fourth-generation MX-5, a model which didn\u2019t become the world\u2019s best-selling sports car by accident.Forget the \u2018hairdresser\u2019s car\u2019 label, Mazda\u2019s cheeky roadster lands right on the X when it comes to affordable thrills, wrapped up in a neat, pretty package.In his write-up, Clarkson said it felt \u201chow a sports car should\u201d and praised its rawness and simplicity, before hailing it \u201ca cure for depression\u201d.\u201cYou just can\u2019t be in a bad mood when you\u2019re driving it,\u201d he concluded. We wholeheartedly agree, it\u2019s just perfect.Stinker #1 – Nissan GT-R Track EditionJC slammed this track-day take on the GT-R as \u2018pretty much useless\u2019 in December 2015. The main reason for that was its rock-hard ride, which transformed the standard GT-R – a five-star car in JC\u2019s view – into a no-star car.\u201cYou actually feel the top of your spine bouncing off the inside of your skull,\u201d he claimed.Star car #2 – BMW M2The performance-honed 2 Series is so good that it had Clarkson \u201cactually dribbling with joy\u201d.This 365bhp hot hatch looks the part, sounds the part and drives the part, with Jeremy raving that it was \u201cnot just fast, but a complete delight\u201d. He even went as far to suggest that it had dethroned the original 286bhp M5 as his favourite M car.Stinker #2 – Volkswagen SciroccoWe\u2019re with Jez on this one. That wild green shade and boy-racer silhouette hints at great things, but the truth is the Scirocco is just a Golf pretending to be hard – and not even the current seventh-gen Golf, but the less refined Mk6.There was added heartache for JC this time, because the Scirocco was his first car, and after driving the current Scirocco, he wished he\u2019d \u201c[kept] love from the past as a memory\u201d.He bemoaned its lack of oomph and the car only served to remind him how much he wanted a Golf GTI.Star car #3 – Volvo XC90Has Clarkson really reached an age where he has nice things to say about a big Volvo? Age has nothing to do with it because this Q7-sized SUV is straight-up brilliant.\u201cOoh, it\u2019s a nice place to sit,\u201d said the former Top Gear leader, before complimenting its size and spacious as well as its relaxed drive.\u201cThis car is so good, in fact, that it\u2019d be ideal for those who find the offerings from Land Rover a bit pratty,\u201d he added.Stinker #3 – BMW X1No-one at BMW wanted to build this soft-roader, claims Clarkson, who hints that its sales success was an unfortunate accident that demanded a new version.Even though Clarkson\u2019s test model came with four-wheel drive, it only took a mild grassy patch to send him skidding about all over the place.\u201cBecause you know just how good BMWs can be, you expect something better,\u201d he concluded.Star car #4 – Ford Focus RSAnother car which presses plenty of sentimental buttons for Clarkson, who had an Escort RS Cosworth in the early 90s. Thankfully, Jeremy knew the Focus RS was \u201csomething very special\u201d within yards of driving it.He reckons this 345bhp hot hatch could keep up with, and then overtake, supercars five or six times more expensive.Stinker car #4 – Zenos E10You\u2019d expect a bonkers sports car with no doors, no windows, no radio, or even a roof to be right up Jezza\u2019s street. But no.The problem is mostly down to Jeremy himself though. The E10 is blatantly a track car but most of his testing was on public roads. Silly boy.Star car #5 – Ferrari 488 GTBIt wouldn\u2019t be a proper Clarkson list without a brash supercar in there somewhere, and we\u2019ve gone for this 661bhp turbocharged Ferrari over the Lamborghini Aventador because, as JC puts it, \u201cthis new car puts the prancing horse back on top\u201d.He borrows and bends BMW\u2019s slogan by saying that \u201cas a driving machine, it\u2019s perfect\u201d.Stinker car #5 – Hyundai i800We had to end on this one because it had us tittering more than any other entry. Jeremy \u201cwould rather apply sun cream to James May\u2019s back\u201d than have to get into a Hyundai i800 again.\u201cEven if it\u2019s three in the morning and it\u2019s raining and I just want to get home and it\u2019s what the taxi driver happens to be driving, I\u2019d rather sleep on a bench and catch flu,\u201d he rants.He acknowledges that Hyundai know how to churn out a good car (see the i30 and ix35\/Tucson), but a car this boring, slow, ugly and awful only exists to serve European Catholics who have \u201chad too many children and are consequently too exhausted to notice that they were going at just six mph\u201d. Ouch."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Clarkson\u2019s 5 of the best (and worst)","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/clarksons-5-best-worst\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]