Posted on 21 November 2016 by CarTakeBack

We've been waiting with baited breath for The Grand Tour to reach our screens from Amazon (That's the company, not the place!), and as it finally arrived this weekend, it did not disappoint.

Image credit: BBC

As big fans of Top Gear, we were looking forward to seeing what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May would come up with for their new show. To our delight, the show was reminiscent of BBC's Top Gear in its prime. There were a few small deviations from the format we know and love, with The Stig no longer involved, and an American ex-NASCAR driver, Mike Skinner, taking the wheel instead. The track has changed, too. It seems bigger and rougher than the Top Gear track was.

The show opened with Clarkson walking out of a glass fronted building in the grey, wet British weather (we assume this was a nod to his old employer's building) and transporting him to sunny American soil. Driving the long, open road of a southern state in his red Mustang, May and Hammond approach Clarkson in white and blue versions of the car. A nod to national colours, and their new American base.

Image credit: BBC

Naturally, the road of that opening sequence leads to the stage of a rock concert! The trio get up in front of their fans and a formation of fighter planes pass by overhead. What a way to kick off the new series!

As well as the typically "Clarkson-esque" jokes we have come to know and love from the Grand Tour Trio, there were the usual road trips, news, reviews, explosions and car chases kept in the format, which are what always makes the show so great. You might have noticed that the cars seem a bit more fancy than they were with Top Gear, and that's because, without the restraint over product placement, advertising and budget that they had over at the BBC, their choices in vehicles are more extravagant than before.

Image credit: BBC

The Grand Tour is released every Friday on Amazon Prime, and we can't wait for episode 2. We're looking forward to seeing what they get up to in Johannesburg with their portable studio tent.

Subscribe to weekly blog updates