Episode
Top Gear: Episode 18
Overview
Despite his aversion to driving diesels, Jeremy Clarkson tries out the Mercedes E-Class Elegance Estate and the BMW touring version of the successful 5-series.
Details
- Series
- Top Gear
- Season
- Season 37
- Episode
- Episode 18
- Air date
- 1997-05-01
Episode context
Episode 18 is Episode 18 in Season 37 of Top Gear. It aired on 1997-05-01.
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Episode 17
There’s a new star in Hollywood — the Spectre EV1, which is the first electric car to make it to the showrooms. Although the vehicle is in great demand. General Motors provide a spare for Quentin Willson to test-drive through downtown Burbank. Plus Steve Berry takes a ride on a monkey bike — the diminutive Honda from the sixties that is still thriving.
Episode 19
As Ferrari celebrates its 50th anniversary, Jeremy Clarkson joins the party by driving the Maranello, the motor giant’s new front-engined supercar. Tiff Needell tempers his racing technique when he takes a masterclass in urban driving, and Steve Berry travels to Korea for the Seoul Motor Show.
More episodes from this season
Episode 16
In the Swinging Sixties Roger Moore cruised the streets of London as The Saint in his white Volvo P1800. Will the new C70 coupé turn heads in the nineties in the same way? Quentin Wilson visits America to find out. Plus, Jeremy Clarkson drives a limited edition Vauxhall Vectra, a £27,000 road-going version of the British Touring Car Championship model.
Episode 20
In the last programme of the series, Steve Berry assesses the market potential of three new models from Daewoo. Jon Bentley looks at the best entries in the competition to design a Rolls-Royce for the next century. And Jeremy Clarkson tries out the cars that have fallen through his road-testing net.
Episode 15
Eighty-seven different cars come under scrutiny in the fourth annual survey into customer satisfaction. Quentin Willson reports on the M-registration cars that did well and badly when the public were asked to rate performance, reliability, economy and customer care. Plus Steve Berry nips neatly around the big city in a Japanese people mover — the Daihatsu Move.
Episode 14
Michele Newman checks out the latest in a tradition of cars bent on stealing tiny parking spaces — the Seat Arosa and weighs up how it competes with the likes of the Fiat Cinquecento. Steve Berry rides with the veterans from Epsom to Brighton on the 60th annual Pioneer Run for motorbikes built before 1915.
Episode 13
Jeremy Clarkson asks whether the new A6 will be another overnight success for Audi. Will the combination of cutting edge design and class-leading performance eclipse their greatest rival, BMW? Plus six cars that fall into Quentin Willson’s no-hoper category.
Episode 12
Quentin Willson takes a chauffeur-driven ride in a Mercedes 600 stretch limousine once owned by John Lennon, and discovers that the car still has the touch of class which made it an essential item for the rich and famous. Tony Mason goes to the country to test the new Subaru Legacy, and asks whether the countryman appeal which made it popular with farmers has been lost in the pursuit of urban style.
Episode 11
Jeremy Clarkson and Michele Newman report from Geneva on the highlights of this year’s International Show, including new coupés from Mercedes and Ford, and they try out the Seat Arosa. Tiff Needell tests the Italian-sounding Ascari, in fact a high performance kit car manufactured in Wiltshire.
Episode 10
Jeremy Clarkson gets behind the wheel of the latest juggernauts. One of the vehicles he tries out is the 1997 Truck of the Year the Mercedes Actros, which is reputed to make trucking up and down the motorways feel as relaxing as a jaunt in the country. Plus Chris Goffey drives the vintage car Ace of Spades, manufactured by Lea Francis. One of the great names of British motoring, it is now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Episode 9
For thousands of sales reps travelling up and down the country a company car can often feel like a second home. Tiff Needell tests the comfort of the Mondeo and the Vectra and discovers how it feels to spend hours in a fleet car every day. Quentin Willson reports on the startling statistic that over a million people are driving without insurance.
Episode 8
Jeremy Clarkson assesses the flood of sports cars that have recently appeared on the market and decides which one should be top of an enthusiast’s shopping list. Quentin Willson provides a guide to the second-hand BMW market for those wanting to get the most value from the 3-series.