The Grand Tour is a new television show presented by Amazon starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. The trio films inside their giant traveling tent instead of a studio in various places across the globe. They also take part in several tasks, like becoming special forces soldiers at a secret training base, taking a powerful car on a test track, and going on the traditional gentleman’s tour of Italy.

The show is a sort of successor of the trio’s original show, Top Gear, which aired on the BBC for 22 seasons. The shows are too similar in my eyes. The Grand Tour seems a bit washed up and looks to be a sort of replay of the previous series.

One thing that caught my eye was the shows increased focus on an American audience, compared to that of Top Gear. Instead of having characters like “The Stig,” they have “The American.” I saw this to be a lack of originality on the producers part. A new show should be new in most aspects. Not just the name.

The show also lacks a broad array of guest appearances. It seemed like every time they should have had a guest on set it was just a joke. For instance you’d see a person coming to the movable stage from behind in the African wild only to be killed by a lion.

The show did do a good job of staying current. The automobiles featured were all new and some were even everyday cars that common people drive. I think this is something that the shows predecessor lacked. It generally only showed sports cars that only the rich and famous have a means of affording. They also stayed true to the shows name and went on a grand tour throughout northern Italy, in cars such as a Dodge, Rolls Royce, and an Aston Martin.

I give The Grand Tour a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. It displayed too much essence of its predecessor. It would have also benefited from guest stars. However, it did do a good job of being modern and up to date with the types of cars that normal people drive. Needs more originality, I would recommend the show to car enthusiasts, as well as someone in need of a show to watch while taking some time on the couch. It’s also good for those looking for a small laugh here and there.