The Official Grand Tour Discussion Thread - SPOILER WARNING

[SlimKlim]

Just cause Cabell asked for it. If you ain't watched it yet don't be a dummy and ruin it for yourself.


Discuss.

[Apoc]

It was decent, but a good bit of dialogue felt forced. It's worth what I paid for it, which is $0 because we already had prime.

[SlimKlim]

I thought it was pretty good. I think I built it up to an impossible standard in my head over the last 18 months waiting for it. I'm also just not terribly interested in which $1million fuck-you-poor-person car is fastest so I think I'll be more enthusiastic when they start doing stupid shit with old vehicles again.

The celebrity bit was weird. Were they trying to say they aren't going to have a celeb segment at all in this series? I'm sort of hoping that's the case, Clarkson is a good interviewer and there were some funny moments from that segment on the old show, but it also just didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the show.

I like 'The American'. I like that we can see his face and know his name, I don't mind the occasional snarky comment but his constant berating of the M2 was already getting a little stale. Write better lines for him or have him say less, or both.

Oh and the Eboladrome is awesome.

[RawrImAMonster]

Don't like American stig at all. Otherwise it was great. Especially when JC said "Jesus fucking christ its all over the place" when the p1 got squirrelly. You didn't really ever get to see much actual panic like that in Top Gear. Probably because they had to censor most of it out.

[JPolen01]

I'm the complete opposite. The American bit was awful. I couldn't tell if it was a ironic dig in fat Americans or what. His jokes were awful. He also could slim down to lower his lap time. I couldn't understand his name when Clarkson introduced him - is a well known driver in the US? Other than that the cinematography was really good. It was very top gear-esque which is what I expected.

[SlimKlim]

I mean I agree with what you're saying about him, I just don't think we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, just tone down the lazy stereotypical jokes about every non-American car being shit and I think it'll work just fine. He was hustling the shit out of that M2.

[RawrImAMonster]

I think I'd prefer if he just didn't speak again.

Without looking up figures, I'm guessing they have a way higher budget than a typical episode of Top Gear. Cinematography and the CGI showing the car's internals were excellent. Also that mad max style intro was pretty kickass.

[V1GiLaNtE]

I got quite a few good laughs from it and that's what I missed most about old TG was the laughs. The VW mpg joke was good, "pooing" myself when Hammond drives the P1, what's his name crash landing onto the desert was pretty funny, and overall I'm really excited about the new test track. It just looks downright brutal on the cars. The Brain crash bit was kind of awkward and them fighting the audience about the ROF seemed off too.

I didn't have huge expectations other than that 3 funny guys who know a bunch about cars were going to get a chance to do it again. I was pleased and looking forward to the subsequent episodes.

As a side note, Prime released seasons 2-17 of Top Gear for your free viewing pleasure.. hock:

[SlimKlim]

Yeah the VW jab was good, especially because I seriously doubt that 918 can do 94mpg or whatever, maybe if you exclusively drove around in electric mode until it was out of charge and then used the gas motor to charge it back up.

Seeing Clarkson almost literally shit himself because he forgot to take his thumb off the DRS button in the P1 was pretty hysterical. Reminded me of the time he almost killed himself spinning out in a 135i at 150mph.

Old TGs on Amazon is awesome! I've worn whatever Netflix had up, like 18-22, completely threadbare over the past 18 mo.

I think I'd prefer if he just didn't speak again.

Without looking up figures, I'm guessing they have a way higher budget than a typical episode of Top Gear. Cinematography and the CGI showing the car's internals were excellent. Also that mad max style intro was pretty kickass.

Yeah the opening scene cost over $3m. http://www.autoblog.com/2016/10/04/grand...ing-scene/

[ScottyB]

it was pretty much what i expected, and proved again that the reason i generally watch TG/TGT is for the guys. i laughed the most when they were giving each other crap and generally acting like a bunch of halfwits.

the cars were cool, but for the hypercars i was a bit spoiled by the Chris Harris review which was on the same track, with the same cars, with similar camera work, about 6 months ago. if i'd seen it with fresh eyes it probably would have been more eye popping. the opening scene got super hyped up and i thought it was pretty well done with some nice editing, and the montage looked glorious. the new test track looks pretty weak from a turn-design standpoint but i see what they're going for with the different surfaces and track widths. at the very least its going to be a hell of a show when someone finally crashes.

for the other parts of the show...the new format of hosting in a new country every show is great and will keep the atmosphere fresh. i loved some of the old jokes coming back, like the royal air force, giving the test track a bunch of stupid names for each corner (Your Name Here, Sheep, Not Straight), their attempts to get celebs on the show, and homeless Ben Collins. classic TG.

i see why they need to do the New Stig the way they're trying to do it due to legal stuff, but it sucks. Stig was hilarious because he was a totally bizarre automaton and his own character. the "fat American" "can't turn because NASCAR" thing was just such low hanging fruit, done a million times, not funny. and him saying those one liners was so awkward. just stahp pllleeeaasseee.

for me the magic is when they're given shitty cars and have to go on adventures that are totally out of their element. it was great to see them back but i'm not totally feeling it yet. overall though, all the ingredients are there, and regardless of any problems, having The Boys back is way better than not having them at all.

and man...i feel super bad for Top Gear right now. i have no idea how they intend to compete with any of this from here on out. Matt Leblanc got left holding the bag on this one.

[Ken]

Overall really liked it. The celebrity bit went on too long, I think just have Renner fall would have been just funny enough to move on.

American, yeah, jokes were flat. I really could give a shit less about his weight though for extra .1 second it may gain when he's driving the other cars anyway. It's just for comparison sake, not like we really know what the times should be there anyway.

Loved that VW gag and, to Joey's point, the completely honest looking freakout by JC after screwing up the drag race.

It was also absolutely fucking gorgeous. I have never felt happier about my decision to buy a 4K TV than when i was watching TGT, it was beautiful.

[SlimKlim]

I really could give a shit less about his weight though for extra .1 second it may gain when he's driving the other cars anyway. It's just for comparison sake, not like we really know what the times should be there anyway.

The only way it could possibly matter is if the dude is fluctuating 100lbs between tests.

[rherold9]

Overall it was fine. It had some funny moments, some awkward moments, and some dull moments. Top gear had the same. This is the first episode after all. It's hard to judge how it will go. I'm sure it will get better. I just think people were over-hyping it so it made it seem not as good as it was.

The new test track bit was fantastic. I'm not sure what the new American Stig was saying but it wasn't any good. Not sure if it was forced script reading but it did get old rather quickly.

The drag racing of super cars 8 times was just ridiculous. Talk about inconsistent. Not to mention Clarkson almost wrecking the P1 trying to brake at like 160mph without full rear downforce was gold. He actually looked like his life flashed before his life. When Hammond drove the P1 he looked maddened as well, as if he feared the car but was having a blast.

I mean the hooning super cars around track was pretty cool

The celebrity guest appearance was funny

I think the mobile tent and traveling cross the world will be awesome as well with the changing audiences and such.

[Maengelito]

It was decent, but a good bit of dialogue felt forced. It's worth what I paid for it, which is $0 because we already had prime.

This.
I was still entertained by it, but it just felt really really forced. And while I liked the old Top Gear format, this was essentially the same thing. It would be nice if they tweaked it enough so that it wasn't *exactly* like Top Gear seeing as how they have a new show under different management.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I really could give a shit less about his weight though for extra .1 second it may gain when he's driving the other cars anyway. It's just for comparison sake, not like we really know what the times should be there anyway.

The only way it could possibly matter is if the dude is fluctuating 100lbs between tests.

I dont think anyone is complaining about extra weight. A NASCAR roundy round champion (who struggled to find rides), is almost 60 years old and out of shape (anyone who actually races realizes how important physical well-being is to fast times). Consistency for a 60 year old? I bet he can't even consistently go to the bathroom when he wants to. I could see time out there just by watching, even my wife went WTF...when my wife can see it you know it's bad.

Pairing it with RAWR FAT AMERICAN STEREOTYPE, was lame, overdone and get me out of here.

"death-track". Dumbest idea ever, and the "track" is meh. Overhyped the dangerous (who cares when we are comparing cars), and is laid out for entertainment instead of balance. The track "balance" sucks and the leaderboard for fast cars should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.

Introduction at the beginning was kind of fun at first, and then just turned into "ZOMG WE ARE CELEBRITIES". Move on. I am not sure what the celebrity or Air Force thing was about. WTF?

Then came the most disappointment. Not because it was bad, but it is because that is what I wanted to watch. Cars doing their thing on track. NEVERMINDt, we would rather listen to "dramatic" soundtracks instead of car noises. I couldn't tell if the Ferrari/Mclaren/Porsche were vacuums or cars. Chris Harris' bits are blowing away what Grand Tour did. My wife didn't beleive my complaints at all till I turned on an old episode of Top Gear (Lamborghini Gallardo vs 997 Porsche GT2); and she went "wow". Lost the essence of the car show and spent more time on making up things...then doubling back on it. Give me back the long whaillls of exhaust notes, driftey outside camera work (still there but had to be very artistic), and a bit more time in the cars since we spend 1/2 the episode just talking in their other bits.


I hope they will find their stride and drop their history and move forward. Get away from cheesy bits and get back to Top Gear. Then again I lost my enthusiasm for Top Gear on the last couple seasons sooooo. Eagerly await the next one to see if they can fix it.

[SlimKlim]

So basically to recap, everyone liked it but thinks there's some room for improvement. Except DJ, who wants his hour back.

[D_Eclipse9916]

So basically to recap, everyone liked it but thinks there's some room for improvement. Except DJ, who wants his hour back.

Isn't this where we can bitch?

Still better than 99% of shit out there. If it wasn't for my wife watching Bravo I could finally get rid of cable.... At least with the Grand Tour if we are sitting down and watching TV during dinner we can watch that instead of renting a Redbox.

[SlimKlim]

Just teasing you for your dramatically different take on it.

Your point about fat-stig's driving is pretty interesting though. I wonder if his lines will tighten up through the season as he gets used to the track, therefore making the M2 and "benchmark car" times irrelevant.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Just teasing you for your dramatically different take on it.

Your point about fat-stig's driving is pretty interesting though. I wonder if his lines will tighten up through the season as he gets used to the track, therefore making the M2 and "benchmark car" times irrelevant.

So the guy who 5 years ago at the end of his career couldn't qualify because he wasn't fast enough in his specialty roundy round cars is now going to "tighten up" in a bunch of production cars? I don't want to keep hating, I am just annoyed when there are FARRRRRRRRRRRR more qualified people for the job in the US who have won Pro Championships in Production based cars who are dying for some spotlight.

[SlimKlim]

I didn't know what the details of the dude's career were, I don't follow Nascar, or any racing actually. Ultimately it's an entertainment show, I don't really give a shit about the lap times of new cars, so while I agree that a younger driver at the peak of his career would be ideal, its not a make or break issue.

As long as the boys spend a decent amount of time using old vehicles in ways their manufacturers never could've imagined in a million years, I'll be happy. That was why I always watched the old show.