Opinion

Episode 7 of BBC Top Gear ends the season on a high note

Apr 24th 2017 at 11:16AM

Bad news: Episode 7 of BBC Top Gear is the last of the season. Good news: It's one of the season's high points. And not in a glad-it's-finally-over way, as it's been a super-solid season with nary a clanger.

To begin with, there's a Chris Harris review of the revamped Porsche 718 Cayman S, or Cayman, as he calls it, finding the 718 nomenclature a bit thick on the forced nostalgia front. The Cayman does strongly in the review, but the elephant in the room is the four-cylinder engine, which Harris addresses as "sounding like a Subaru."

If there's ever a celebrity guest who absolutely belongs on Top Gear, it's Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay. There's a new album out, but it's not like Kay's there to puff it; no, he's there to reminisce of 1990s Lamborghinis and to beat Chris Hoy's lap time. Kay puts in his best effort, without sparing the car – but scaring Harris.

One of the best uses for Eddie Jordan is the episode's Bernie Ecclestone interview, an interesting stray from the show's belligerent efforts, as Ecclestone, speaking in a gentle tone, discusses his years with F1 and what the sport holds for the future.

But the most Top Gear-like segments in the show are an Avtoros Shaman review by Matt LeBlanc, itself a logical finish to the machinery-brandishing build-up through the entire season, and a frankly classic Crazy Top Gear Build piece where the guys turn a horrendously ugly Korean minivan into something that floats. Use your imagination, there's something in the review that should be as pixelated as the nudist hikers in the Avtoros piece. In any case, the Ssangyacht is a good follow-up to the Toybota and Nissunk builds of old seasons.


The season leaves one wishing for a similarly good run to follow it. There might even be a Dodge Demon review in the pipeline, as hinted by LeBlanc. Here's to it!

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