The Grand Tour Returns: The Verdict

Alex Herman

2 days ago

17 min read

Amazon's soft reboot of Top Gear's soft reboot is back, but a little bit different than before. This begs the question: is it any good? Or is this just another in a long list of false dawns?

Hello again. It’s been a while. There were definitely times when I never thought we’d get to this point again, but alas, here we are. For the first time in years, new episodes of The Grand Tour, Amazon’s spiritual successor to the BBC juggernaut that was Top Gear, has hit the airwaves. This time, though, it’s not the familiar faces of Clarkson, Hammond, and May, but instead a new trio of hosts running the show. So, the obvious question is: is it any good? Well, that’s a subjective question. What I think is good might not be what someone else thinks is good. So to properly answer that, I feel the need to give some context and rationale for my conclusion. And for that, we need to start at the beginning of this whole 25-year journey and look back at what I feel makes something “good” in the first place…

What do I consider "good" in this context?

For me, as I imagine is the case for many car enthusiasts currently in their 20s or 30s, Top Gear was one of—if not the—most formative pieces of media in my childhood and teenage years. It was an almost perfect blend of legitimate automotive journalism, cheeky British humor, and genuine entertainment that ballooned into an international sensation. The turbulent end of the show is well documented, including the numerous attempts to reboot it by the BBC in the years that followed, so I’m not going to waste everyone’s time going into depth with that. I want to take a more holistic view, aimed not just at the show itself, but the three hosts: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. In many ways, it can be hard to separate the three of them from the show(s) themselves, but the way I see it, there are four distinct eras of their prominence, each marked with distinctive characteristics and quirks that appeal to certain audiences. Obviously, not every era appeals to every person; myself included. But, I think it’s important to outline these eras so that I can properly contextualize my thoughts on the new Grand Tour.

The first era of “The Big Three” as we’ll call them, is the early seasons of Top Gear. Let’s call this “Phase 1.” Now, the Big Three had 21 seasons together on the show; those being Series 2 through 22—Series 1 didn’t have James May in it and, frankly, I’ve never seen these episodes of Top Gear, so there’s nothing I can really say on that snippet of time, anyways. I’d say “Phase 1” covers roughly series 2–5 of Top Gear. At this point, the show was fairly low-budget and was much more focused on car reviews and more legitimate automotive journalism. The reviews covered a wide variety of cars, from everyday family hatchbacks up to exotic supercars. If anything, these reviews were skewed a lot further toward the “everyday” vehicles than mid-engined exotica, but there was a good balance nonetheless. The hosts were cordial with each other, but still clearly a little rigid and distant at times. There were also somewhat random skits, stunts, or otherwise zany segments that were aimed more at a younger audience and intended to be purely funny rather than actually informative. Things like “can a nun drive a monster truck?” or “can a wedding limo jump an entire wedding party” were just some of the things featured during this era.

In an effort to better visualize what I mean, I’ve prepared a little pie chart to show roughly what percentage of the show was devoted to things like live studio segments (including the famous “star in a reasonably priced car” segments and “the news”), wacky segments, track test, road tests, and long-form films. Now, these aren’t necessarily based on hard minutes or detailed quantitative research, but more on the vibe of the show during that time. So take it with a grain of salt; this is just to help you visualize what I mean.

As you can see above, this so-called “Phase 1” has a pretty even split of studio segments, road tests, track tests, and a decent amount of “wacky” content. Of importance to note is that, at this time, there weren’t really any long-form films or “specials” being made for the show. That would change in Phase 2.

The second phase of “the Big Three” is what I would call the golden age of Top Gear. This ran from about Series 6–17 of the show’s run. The biggest change was that the so-called “wacky” segments more or less died out, there was a greater emphasis on higher-end cars compared to “everyday” cars, and most importantly there was the advent of the famous “specials” that saw the Big Three go on a cross-country or cross-continent adventure, often in some foreign land or with some specific challenge in mind. That being said, it wasn’t like everyday cars were abandoned completely, and there was still a healthy dosage of low-budget cars and challenges sprinkled throughout the show. Some of the show’s most famous episodes and moments came from this era—the amphibious cars, the preternding-to-be-17-year-olds challenge, the epic "car vs. X" races which often pitted a car against a train, plane, boat, etc., to see what was faster. And of course the onset of the “specials” that would become ever-more prominent in phase 3.

In my opinion, I call this the golden age of the show because it was an almost perfect blend of high-budget and more “grounded” segments. The “cheap car challenges” still felt like that. While it was more rare than it had been in the early days, there were still some everyday road tests that could be actually informative. The “specials” genuinely felt like a true challenge that put the cars and hosts to the tests, even if there were mechanics, medics, and anyone else you’d ever need just off screen as part of the crew. You got the sense that when the hosts would compete against each other they would each have a big hand in the outcome, whether it was true or not. In later eras, this was not necessarily the case.

The third phase is what I mentally label “late-stage Top Gear” and runs from about Series 18 through to the unceremonious end in Series 22. In the latter stage of Phase 2, the show became incredibly popular and financially successful. This lead to the production value and budget rising tremendously in the show’s later years. This also coincided with the passage of time which, as one might expect, was beginning to take a bit of a toll on three middle-aged British men. That’s not to say that they became a bunch of slow, old geezers, but let’s just say that someone who’s in their mid-to-late 50s is a lot less interested in going through the kind of crazy production schedule, driving challenges, and generally living quite as dangerously as someone in their 30s or even early 40s.

More than anything, though, I associate this era with one of excess. Road tests of everyday cars became more and more rare. And the so-called cheap car challenges that made Phase 2 so enjoyable became, in my opinion, significantly more over-produced, forced, and simply not authentic anymore. Whether they ever actually were in Phase 2 or not, it at least felt that way.

I always think of the hot hatchback challenge (in series 21 or 22, it’s been awhile), in which the hosts each buy and modify a cheap hot hatchback “from their youth” and compete against each other. During the episode, the hosts are tasked with driving though a grocery store which clearly has been built for purpose and is comically destroyed and rebuilt well beyond any semblance of believability. By the end of the episode, there is a chase involving a military tank with full “Top Gear Police Dept.” branding on it and a comical level of destruction and chaos to the point of oblivion.

Compare this to the British Leyland cheap car challenge in Series 10, where the hosts are each given a budget to buy a classic British Leyland car which is then put through a series of inventive but also cheap and simple tests in an effort to earn their money back from their initial purchase. The tests involve things like driving on a bumpy road with a colander full of eggs, where the bumpier the car’s ride is, the more eggs will break and leak out of the colander, and the more trim pieces will fall off the car. Or testing the handbrakes by just driving up an incline and parking with the handbrake. Even the “extreme” final test involves sealing the doors with tape and filling the cars with water through the sunroof. It’s brilliantly simple and while obviously played for laughs, it’s still informative and interesting to see how the cars perform.

During Phase 3, there was an increase emphasis on “special” episodes which saw the entire episode, or sometimes even two episodes, devoted to a single long film. This included the Africa Special, in which the hosts tried to find the source of the Nile, the Burma special, in which the three hosts each drove trucks across the Asian country. Of course, this includes the famous Patagonia special, which saw the cast and crew literally running for their lives in South America as they encountered some very hostile Argentinians. Even if they weren’t officially called “specials” at the time, this era also included a lot of long-form road trips, which often saw the hosts take contemporary cars on trips across various parts of the world. These were nothing new, but the playful competitive tone which was so evident in Phase 1 and 2 was diminished and the show became more about just three mates having fun in nice cars. Inherently, there’s nothing wrong with that, but when people get more chummy they lose a bit of authenticity that was previously so endearing.

It felt like a Grand Theft Auto parody of Top Gear at times.

And then we come to Phase 4: The Grand Tour as a whole. After the abrupt departure of the Big Three from Top Gear, the trio found a new home with Amazon. At the time they left the BBC, TG was still one of the most-watched and beloved shows on television, and so it was not a surprise that Amazon was so eager to bankroll the trio’s next adventures. In a sense, Phase 4 could split itself into its own eras, but this article is already super long and so for simplicity’s sake, lets just lump the whole thing together. The Grand Tour was, at its outset, as smooth a continuation of “late-stage” Top Gear as you could get. There was a live studio, there was a range of short- and long-form films, and even a lap time board for comparing cars around a test track. Sounds promising...

The thing is, Amazon has more money than God—and so the things that I despised about the late-stage Top Gear era were only amplified on the new show. Things were now even more over-produced. More flamboyant than before. It felt like a Grand Theft Auto parody of Top Gear at times. In its heyday, it felt like the BBC show was limited by its budget, which forced the team and hosts to be more creative in some ways. It had a charm to it that made you care because most likely you, the viewer, also knows what it’s like to operate on a non-infinite budget and timeline in life.

For example, in the earlier years of Top Gear, you could tell (and sometimes it would even be shown) that the modifications the hosts would make during some of the challenges were genuinely made by the hosts themselves, or at least with direct help from the hosts along with a colloquial “bloke-in-a-shed” so to speak. But on Grand Tour it became more obvious that things were clearly pre-planned in advance, modifications were done at no expense spared, and by clearly a team of specialized professionals. On one hand, this quite literally gives the hosts and production an almost blank canvas, as they are only limited by the laws of physics and their own imagination. But at the end of the day, elaborate carefully-constructed set pieces and dramatization is not why I fell in love with cars, or the Big Three in the first place. In a bizarre way, it was almost a reversion to the nonsense that occasionally cropped up in Phase 1 with the wacky segments that felt like little more than manufactured entertainment or shock value.

While Grand Tour initially followed Top Gear quite closely in terms of format, eventually it reverted to being exclusively road-trip specials. While some of Top Gear’s best episodes are in fact the specials, the fact that every episode was a “special” meant that no episode was special anymore. Also, the decision to pare down from 6 or 8 episodes to only three or four per year allowed for over-production to creep in and yet again meant that, in some cases, authenticity was sacrificed at the altar of entertainment.

I want to say that there’s not necessarily anything wrong with someone preferring this to the more balanced lineup during Phase 2 or 3. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of personal taste. But for me, I found the perceived authenticity (be it legitimate or fabricated) of the early and middle years of the Big Three more entertaining than the extravagance of the later years.

All of this is just to set the stage before evaluating the “new” Grand Tour in its current form, and answer the question posed way back at the top of this page...

What I'm Looking for

What I’m looking for in a new Grand Tour is authenticity more than anything else. Some actual information and hint of automotive journalism would be great, but only if it’s natural and not rigidly forced. I want the focus to be as much on the cars as it is on the hosts themselves; perhaps maybe more, even. I don’t care about celebrities; the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was often something I skipped over in the original show. I don’t need to be impressed by elaborate contraptions, highly modified cars, and flashy production values. I just want good-hearted fun. Is that too much to ask for?

What I'm not Looking for

For me, there are two things that the new season absolutely cannot do in order for me to remotely care about it. First, where every single reboot, spin off, or spiritual successor to the original Top Gear has failed is by focusing too hard on trying to replicate the chemistry of the Big Three. You simply can’t; it will feel forced, rigid, and ultimately cringeworthy in most cases. The new show has to have a believable chemistry between both the hosts and the audience. It’s the show’s first season; I shouldn’t expect the hosts to be completely chummy with each other all the time. Early Top Gear was a little bit distant before everyone found their footing. It’s OK if this new era is the same.

Second, the new hosts have to actually care about cars. All of them. In many of the attempts (by the BBC or otherwise) to recapture the glory days, one or more of the hosts would have little to no automotive knowledge. Often, this could be played for comedic effect. The thing is, I don’t find it particularly funny. The Big Three were all automotive journalists before rising to TV superstardom; they all know about cars far more than the average person. I’m not saying that you have to limit the new hosts to being automotive journalists exclusively, but being a diehard car enthusiast (either professionally or personally) should be a bare minimum. Other than that, I'm open-minded.

The new "Big Three"

When it was announced that a new series of Grand Tour was coming out with new hosts, I wont lie: I was not very enthused. There are many reasons for this. The first reason is that I’m just inherently cynical and downbeat, so naturally I was not expecting anything great to come of this. Second, and more importantly, is that I am well aware that every attempt to move on from or replace the Big Three has been more or less an unmitigated disaster. So, not only am I inherently pessimistic, but precedent unfortunately backs up my initial feelings of doubt. Yikes.

Then, I found out who the new hosts were. Again, there would be three. And again, there would be a heavy British slant. But of those three, two of them come from the excellent automotive YouTube channel Throttle House—England’s James Engelsman and Canada’s Thomas Holland. I actually have watched Throttle House for years, and, honestly, those two would have been the top two on my list of picks from the start. They have a well-established rapport, which might make things slightly less rigid and—crucially—authentically funny. They are also both quite capable of being legitimate automotive journalists when needed, so that alleviates another major fear.

But what about the third host? Well, that would be Francis Bourgeois, also British. Going into the new show, I was significantly less familiar with him. All I knew was that he was a famous YouTuber and social media star whose specialty was trains and trainspotting. I also learned, before watching the show, that he is also a mechanical engineer by trade and has a very strong engineering background. While I had the most concerns about him, since I was unfamiliar with him, I was at least hopeful that he would know was doing since he sounded like someone at least technically competent. Two journalists and an engineer? So far, neither of the cardinal rules have been breached...

In summary, one I learned who the hosts were I transitioned from complete skepticism and cynicism (when the reboot was first announced) to being cautiously optimistic as I sat down to watch the full series. But there was still a large part of me that knew that if this failed, then we may well be past the point of no return. No pressure, then…

Well? How is it?

If I could summarize the new series in one word, it would be this: simplicity. When the show was announced, there was no format, scope, or really expectations presented by Amazon, the hosts, or really anyone. Would there be a studio audience? Would it be all specials? Would it be a mix of short- and long-form road tests and films? Would Clarkson, Hammond, and May be mentioned? It was all a mystery. After watching all six episodes (a short season but understandable for a glorified pilot episode/introduction), I was pleasantly surprised. Whether it was because my expectations were low after being burned so many times or because it was genuinely great, it didn’t really matter to me. So if you’re looking for the short answer, it was good.

A Breath of Fresh Air

As I mentioned earlier, my biggest gripe with the Big Three’s later eras was what I felt was an unnecessary extravagance and over-production of everything. I’m extremely happy to say that the new season is so much more grounded and simple than what came before. Gone are the extravagant set pieces, unrealistic modifications, and blind devotion to “entertainment” at the cost of authenticity. Whether the production budget was slashed or there was just a lot of restraint, either way it resulted in a show that had elements much closer to Phase 2 than I could have ever hoped for.

Two things stood out to me in particular. The first is that the show seems to focus a lot more on the actual cars themselves, which is exactly what I had hoped for. I suppose when the hosts don’t have 20+ years of experience working with each other every day, you cannot simply lean into that dynamic as hard as the Big Three could. I appreciated that there was a greater focus on cheap car challenges using actually cheap cars that were barely modified, at least in comparison to things like Hammond’s tank-track-driven Ford Focus, or the clearly bespoke beach buggies from the original Grand Tour run. Once again, any modifications felt like something that one or two people could do given basic tools, a shed, and a weekend. We're off to a great start.

The other thing that stood out was how well Francis fits with the other two hosts. He clearly has his own brand of humor that is a little different than Thomas and James, who are somewhat similar, but it’s more of a constructive interference than a harsh clash. Plus, Francis has a seemingly endless supply of encyclopedic knowledge about so many things that he makes James May look like Jeremy Clarkson on that front. I could see the average person being a little too put-off by Francis suddenly reeling off a complete breakdown of every letter’s meaning in an engine code, but I appreciate so much that the show trusts the audience to just roll with it. It is played for laughs a bit, but with a sense of awe and not necessarily at Francis’ expense. In short, he worked with the other two very well—especially given Thomas and James already have established chemistry as a presenting duo—far better than I had ever hoped he would given my limited knowledge of his previous work. Bravo.

The Secret to Success?

If I had to give whichever creative minds are responsible for this new season one compliment, it would be that the new presenting team as whole has enough charisma to stand apart from—but not just in the shadow of—Clarkson, Hammond, and May. They are informative, funny, and have the right amount of rigidity without the cringe found in many other shows. This lack of balance has been the failure point for every single other mainstream clone/reboot/sequel to Top Gear up until now. The fact that, for now at least, this pitfall may have been avoided can only be seen as a masterstroke. I hope in the future, assuming the show gets renewed for additional seasons, that the producers, directors, and everyone else involved lets the hosts’ chemistry develop organically.

Still Room for Improvement

While overall I was pretty satisfied with this run of episodes, I would be remiss to leave out my few small criticisms. While I want to reiterate that I have good confidence in this new trio of presenters, they do lack two things the Big Three have in spades. The first is that the lack a little bit of storytelling ability. This was evident on Throttle House when Thomas and James tried to do a Grand Tour-style road trip special; things felt a bit disconnected or disjointed at times.

This new season has hints of the same issues, albeit not to the same extent. In my opinion (and again, I’m not a film producer, so what do I know?), this could easily be solved with a bit of a framing device for each film or segment. Just literally providing more context or explanation before and after a film goes a long way. Think of Top Gear, where each episode would end with Clarkson, Hammond, and May together, followed by the famous “and on that bombshell…” before the show ends. That goes a long way.

In the current season, there is little to no framing device present for most films, to the point where the show almost feels unfinished at times. Not like in a glaring, technical way, but narratively. For example, episode 5 is devoted mostly to a cross-continent car vs. train race reminiscent of old Top Gear in many ways. But it just starts with the group ready to go in media res, so to speak. You have no idea what’s happening or why. It becomes clear, but that 60-to-90 seconds of Clarkson, Hammond, and/or May explaining the race before the actual film starts goes a long way.

Then, the last third of the episode is just a completely unrelated short film/story about the BMW Isetta. There is no transition or anything between the segments; the race ends, fades to black, and then the Isetta story begins. It was a fine short film about a very interesting car, but its positioning within the episode and the season as a whole felt very odd. I’m hopeful that, with time, the hosts and the producers will get more comfortable providing a little more context than what is currently offered, albeit without talking down to the audience. That's not the easiest thing to do, but it would go a long way if done properly.

The other thing about the hosts, and it is very minor, is that sometimes the hosts are almost too nice to each other. Maybe (and it would be understandable) they didn’t want to seem too similar to Clarkson and Co. by adopting the signature “we do leave a man behind” motto of Top Gear fame. But I feel like most people have a healthy and good-natured competition with their mates at times, and in the newest season it sometimes felt almost a little bit too collaborative at times. There's a lack of needle between the hosts that you got with the Big Three in spades, whether it was genuine or an act. Mind you, in the new series it’s far from some kind of toxic positivity, so to speak. This gripe I have is very small and may well just be a personal taste thing. I still felt that the hosts generally have a good balance of healthy animosity towards each other, but perhaps that can only deepen with time. Or maybe I’m just unusually aggressive towards my friends and this says more about me than it does about the show; who knows?

The Final Verdict

Overall, if I had to grade the newest season of The Grand Tour on the same scale as all of TG/GT before it, I’d probably still give it a 7 out of 10. There are series of the old Top Gear that I would rather watch more than this, but there are others that I find worse as well. To me, that’s mighty impressive. My expectations were probably a 2 out of 10 heading into this, if we’re honest. So, in that sense, I would say it’s a massive success. I hope that there are more seasons of this new trio, and even though the grass may not necessarily be greener on the other side from the Big Three, it’s looking a hell of a lot more lush than before. And I think that’s great.