Top Gear Series 6

Top Gear: Series 6, Episode 9

  • Jeremy tests the Vauxhall Astra VX-R, Renault Mégane Sport & Volkswagen Golf GTI.
  • Richard and James play “Road Test Russian Roulette”.
  • Richard shows us an attempt to set world record for the number of times a car has rolled at high speed.
  • Jeremy road tests the BMW M5.
  • Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Chris Evans.

Episode Guide

Watch this episode on Amazon Instant Video

Main review: The new BMW M5, priced identically with the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Jeremy admits disappointment, and points out the list of failures in great detail: confusing electronic settings for everything, annoying sat-nav, jerky gearbox, uncomfortable ride, ugly exterior, non-cancelling indicator, and disappointing appreciation of speed with the 400 horsepower (300 kW) standard setting. Though the review then appears to be over, Jeremy presses the M button and the engine delivers 507 metric horsepower (373 kW; 500 bhp), the suspension stiffens, and the gearbox goes to a default race setting. In this form, it is spectacular to drive, but very fragile- it had to be mended before a lap could be done. In the hands of the Stig, it does a lap time of 1:26.2, putting it slightly faster than the CLS, but worse as an all-rounder.

Review: Clarkson drives three hot hatchbacks, the VW Golf GTI, RenaultSport Mégane, and the Vauxhall Astra VXR. Clarkson thinks the Astra is too powerful for a front-wheel drive car, resulting in disastrous understeer. Torque-steer always yanks the front wheels to the left, and the extra power is useless as it is slower than the Renault. Clarkson likes the Mégane, but would still buy a Golf instead, reiterating his decision in Series 5, Episode 6.

Challenge: Hammond and May play a game called “Road Test Russian Roulette”, which involved them having to test cars while driving the cars’ owners (which are supposed to be drunk) back to their homes. Hammond tries to be polite and avoid telling people that some parts of the car are rubbish, instead talking about spices and that part of the car. Clarkson tells him that he has cocked it up because of this approach.

Challenge: A new world record was set for the number of complete sideways rolls in a car. A stuntman managed to make a Ford Sierra estate complete 6 rolls – and survived.

Star in a reasonably priced car: Chris Evans who tells Jeremy about trying (and failing) to take old people to the shops during his five-year hiatus, Lap of 1:47.9

Greatest Driving Song of All Time: Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Some say…

“Some say that his voice can only be heard by cats, and that he has two sets of knees. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

Stig Power Laps

Vauxhall Astra VXR
1:33.00
BMW M5
1:26.20

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

Chris Evans
1:47.90

Music

00:43 – 01:12 – Hybrid – Blackout
01:25 Р01:54 РSe̱or Coconut РSmoke on the Water
01:55 – 02:42 – Alex Gopher – Gordini Mix (Brakes On Mix by Air)
02:45 – 03:18 – Prodigy – Serial Killer
04:03 – 04:25 – David Holmes – Out of Sight OST
04:42 – 05:15 – Alan Silvestri – Transylvanian Horses
05:16 – 06:16 – Laurent Garnier – The Man With The Red Face
09:12 – 09:18 – Camel – Rhayader
09:40 – 09:45 – Camel – Rhayader
17:36 – 18:25 – Amon Tobin – Hey Blondie
18:26 – 19:00 – Steppenwolf – Born to Be Wild
19:27 – 21:03 – Four Tet – Everything is Alright
22:16 – 22:48 – Four Tet – As Serious as Your Life
23:33 – 23:58 – Amon Tobin – Rosies
23:57 – 24:43 – Four Tet – You Could Ruin My Day
25:00 – 25:23 – The Prodigy – Diesel Power
42:49 – 43:20 – Adagio – Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 8 in G Minor
45:00 – 45:18 – Master & Commander OST – The Battle
45:20 – 46:29 – Back to the Future Soundtrack
47:20 – 48:34 – Faultline – We Came from Lego Blocks
48:53 – 49:07 – Nav Katze – Change (Aphex Twin Mix #2)
49:19 – 49:44 – Craig Armstrong – Weather Storm
49:47 – 50:12 – Nine Inch Nails – At The Heart Of It All
50:10 – 50:23 – The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes
50:55 – 51:08 – Nine Inch Nails – At The Heart Of It All
52:06 – 53:06 – Amon Tobin – Easy Muffin
53:12 – 54:19 – Craig Armstrong – Escape
54:20 – 55:36 – Sean Callery – Jack’s Revenge at the Docks

Screenshots

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3 comments

Kate January 15, 2015 at 8:57 pm

Hello! That’s the wrong episode. Is there any chance to get that fixed? That would be great!

Reply
Sean McKellar January 15, 2015 at 9:40 pm

Sorry about that! Try now…

Reply
Kate January 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm

Thank you so much!

Reply

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