Chinese Food for Thought

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are in the vast Chinese megacity of Chongqing with some valuable consumer advice for business people across all of China; don’t spend huge sums on a brand new luxury car when you could pop over to Europe, buy a secondhand executive limo and ship it home for a fraction of the cost. To prove their point, the three hosts tour the city and beyond in an old Mercedes S600, an ageing BMW 750iL and a 20-year old Cadillac STS, encountering a door empire, a sinister camera network, a flame spitting drone and a range of in car entertainment features along the way. Chongqing is regarded by many as the Detroit of China, and sources suggest that the boys will be filming a piece investigating the industrial development of the city’s car industry. Clarkson will also be testing the Hongqi L5 Limousine, something he was very much looking forward to. Also in this show, The Grand Tour discovers an ultra fast electric supercar called the NIO EP9 and foolishly gives the job of testing it to Richard Hammond.

Our Take

A middling road trip episode that leans on the usual formula: three old barges, some predictable breakdowns, and a lot of familiar banter. The Chinese setting gives it fresh material, and the surveillance camera gag is genuinely funny, but the middle section drags. Fine background viewing, just don’t expect anything new.