DVD Corner

Top Gear Season 17 Blu-ray Review

The seventeenth season of “Top Gear” proves the show has not lost any of its charms.

As per usual with “Top Gear,” the 6 episodes in the 17^th season contain sections of categories. First of all, there are reviews of vehicles such as the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, an Aston Martin Virage, the McLaren MP4-12C, the Jaguar XKR-S, a 2012 Nissan GT-R, a T125, and the Lamborghini Aventador.

Following along those lines, there are also test drives of cars like the Jaguar E-Type and the Jensen Interceptor.

Next up, one can expect news briefs and or chats about the MG 6, a comparison between a Marauder and a Hummer, the Citroen DS5, the London Olympics, follow ups on the bargain cars, a Range Rover Sport, the Mercedes-Benz C63, and an amuptee rally team.

The most eventful part of the show are the various challenges like a race against a bobsled, Jeremy, Richard and James driving hatchbacks on a challenge course across the Italian Riviera, James driving the Range Rover Evoque through Death Valley, bargain second hand car shopping, building a train car, a house demolition challenge, and driving electric cars on a trip.

Lastly, there are celebrity races (with affordably priced cars) involving Alice Cooper, Ross Noble, Sebastian Vettel, Rowan Atkinson, Bob Geldof and Louis Walsh.

For car junkies, “Top Gear” really is THE car show to end all car shows because you get everything under the sun involving cars such as reviews, races, in-depth conversations and test drives. Basically, it’s heaven for car enthusiasts.

However, even if you aren’t a motorvehicle fan like myself, the show can still be accessible. While the reviews and discussions about cars may be of little interest, the races, experiments, challenges and chemistry between the 3 hosts is appealing. This is especially evident in episode 4. Not only do the trio of hosts try out an experiment by creating train RV carriages for the railway, but there is also a great sit-down chat with legendary British comedian Rowan Atkinson.

Equally engaging is a touching and inspiring segment involving an amputee rally team in the sixth episode. This is truly one of the highlights of the season and is not to be missed.

Summary: “Top Gear” fans will know what to expect with this seventeenth season, but if you are looking to give the show a shot, this season is absolutely worth diving into since there is no real continuity.

Video/Audio:

As far as I’m concerned, the only way to watch “Top Gear” is in widescreen 1080i. The sleek cars, the cinematography, and the location shooting really shine in hi-def (and it’s not even 1080p!).

The Dolby Digital Stereo track is a bit lacking. The audio is a bit soft at times, but it also comes to life during some of the races or test drives.

Extras:

* “Doctor Who,” “Being Human,” and “Zen” trailers.

* “Top Gear” season 1 episode 6. Feel free to give this episode of the U.S. version a shot. Some people dig the show, others (like myself) find it inferior to the U.K. version.

* New series intro by Clarkson and May.

* Full Alice Cooper, Ross Noble, Rowan Atkinson, Bob Geldof and Louis Walsh laps. Also included is Jake Humphrey’s intro to Sebastian Vettel’s lap.

* ‘Behind The Scenes Chat With Amy Williams” and a “Behind The Scenes Chat With Ross Noble.” Williams (a bobsledder) chats about her experience on “Top Gear” and Noble chats about his lap.

* “James Tests The Nissan GT-R Launch Control”- Speaks for itself.

* “End Of Series Chat With Clarkson And May”- The two chat about the highlights of the season.

February 13, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Top Gear Season 17 Blu-ray Review