Is It Just Me, Or Was The Grand Tour A Bit Boring?
After wrapping up at the LA Auto Show today, I went straight back to my hotel room, whipped out my laptop and headed straight for Amazon Prime. Yep, there was no way I was going to wait to watch the Grand Tour - wherever I was, I was going to get stuck into Clarkson, Hammond and May’s hugely anticipated car show.
However, from the drawn out, rather self-congratulatory and apparently very expensive opening scene onwards, it just didn’t excite me all that much.
Perhaps the problem was the Holy Trinity test that made up much of the episode. Sure, in the final days of Clarkson-era Top Gear we were all desperate to see the LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder have a massive showdown, but that was rather a long time ago. And anyway, Chris Harris did that same test with the same cars and on the same track over a year ago, and I’d argue he did a better, more entertaining job of it.
Elsewhere, the celebrity segment trod a fine line between being amusing and downright stupid, and ‘The American’ was thoroughly unfunny. Suddenly I get why the Stig never utters a word…
There was plenty to like, though. The cinematography is stunning, for a kick off. It was cool seeing ‘our’ BMW M2 longtermer get damn good thrashing in the road test which apparently wasn’t a road test even though it was kind of a road test around the new, brilliantly gnarly ‘Eboladrome’ track too. But overall it just didn’t quite live up to the massive hype.
It’s far too soon to judge, of course: we have a 12 episode run to enjoy in this series alone, and perhaps after a few installments the trio will settle into their new environment a little better. As it stands, everything just feels a tad forced.
What did you think of the episode?
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
This might be true, but that is a lesser deficit than compared to the p zero corsas the p1 runs as standard.
I have to say i dont care what this guys do i watch them anyway they are soo f*ing awsome. i got goosbumps watching this show i have been waiting sence Jeremy (didnt get fired) cuse he never have been fired. Loved it don’t care what other peaple think you can hate it or love it and you can sitll be my bud but if you hate it dont say it to my face stickit to your self!
The premiere episode was fantastic. I liked the part of the actors coming in and the impending death of Clarkson’s house.
Totally boring. Tedious in fact. How many times to check the track times? Unfunny gags like guests dying before they get there, deeply unfunny American driver. And yet more of the same boringness from 3 people, a huge budget with a total lack of creativity. Amazon prime? One cancelled subscription
Nothing ever lives up to its hype when the hype its crazier than ever…I personally really enjoyed TGT bc I was expecting the trio to basically do the same as their TG show just with less restrictions so figured it’d be a little bit better, which it was! I have no problems with the show so far, yeah a few things seemed a little forced/cheesy but once they get back into their groove and listen to feedback from their fans they’ll get rid of the ‘forced’ stuff….bottom line is, I can’t wait for the rest of the season!! 🤗
I think since it was a new start and not in the UK maybe they were nervous on how they would be recieved
Yes it was boring, not that i hate clarkson or something like that but surprisingly because i love those guys and i miss the days when they were more lively, enthusiastic, creative and had more “Freedom”
They act like they’ve been castrated, the stingy and yet brilliant humor is gone, they’re like utterly positive and gay and “let’s just love everyone and everything …”, lets’ all be green and hug trees and kiss the polar bear, electric is the future and all that crap,
the magic is dead
and the car tests are sh** as well, they are like a bunch of video-gamer geek boys nerdgasming over car gadgets and technologies and number crunching, things that us true car people never really cared about but instead the spirit of this sport, its soul its psychological aspects …
and yes the so called “Holy Trinity” bit was also boring, and i really don’t like any of the so called holy trinity “Mega Hybrids” i don’t like Hybrids, to hell with them and the people who support them
and they are nothing but hyped-up, over-priced and poorly styled Nerdmobiles with a dose of “Tree-huggery” on top !
The Ferrari 488 is rubbish, the M2 is a joke, the new Mustang looks like a ricer car rather than a true muscle car, (i’m not a fan of american cars but i’ve always understood them, now i feel sorry for them !)
Throughout the whole program and the way they review things it’s apparent that they have become another advertising machine for the auto makers to up their sales numbers ! sugar coating and unrealistically praising everything about everything in them while in reality those cars suck obvious as day, they’re not the honest, brave, no-bullsh** and funny as hell critiques they used to be up to around 2010 anymore, and this problem started not only in this program but also in the final years of Top gear as well
I don’t know whether to blame their producers and bosses for that or themselves .
I’ve actually found myself quite disappointed in The Grand Tour. The comedy seems much more calculated and forced, versus this natural humor they had prior. It makes me think the writers of Top Gear have an edge on whatever behind the scenes folks they have now. I find the “films” they do to be too drawn out and overly exaggerated. It feels like less of a car show and more of an entertainment show with cars woven in. The “American driver” they chose is in highly bad taste. The killed off celebrity thing…we get it…Top Gear legal left you celebrity-less…how about, move on. Chris Harris formerly of Drive and now hired by Top Gear has the ability to make Clarkson yesterdays news…which in many ways he already is, with those teeth and that stomach.
I’m just waiting to see who’s going to replace the American