Original subtitles

(orchestral music)

(upbeat rock music)

(upbeat rock music continues)

(audience applauding)

(audience applauding continues)

- Hello, welcome to "Top Gear."

We're back from our World Cup break.

And, to be honest,

we've found ourselves in a little bit of a pickle.

- See, the thing is,

we have to record this week's episode way in advance.

So we've got no idea who's won.

- Not a clue.

So we're gonna read you our bets.

First, let's go with the favourites.

Congratulations, Brazil.

Well done.

(audience applauding)

You've got it again.

You've got it again. (Freddie laughing)

Who else?

- Congratulations, Germany.

(audience booing and laughing)

- Ooh.

No, no, no, no, no, no. - Too soon?

Presume penalties?

(Freddie and Chris laughing)

- And I guess, everyone, there's always a chance.

It might have happened.

England!

(audience cheering)

- It's not, is it? - It's not, it's not.

- It's not, it's not. - It is not.

- Lads, don't forget Wales.

- What? - Don't forget Wales.

- Let's not go mad.

(audience laughing)

Right, what we do know is,

it's our last episode of the series and it's a belter.

Later on, we're gonna give you

some useful car buying advice,

but we kick off with the best noise in the world.

(gentle music)

(engine zooming)

(gentle music continues)

(engine zooming)

(engine roaring)

That is the sound of a Ferrari V12.

(exhales) That is the sound of Italy.

And what sound it is.

(engine roaring)

A sound that lives in the heart

of the Daytona SP3.

(engine roaring)

Oh, come on.

(rock music)

Born out of the Prancing Horse's special project stable,

Maranello's latest cost 1.8 million pounds.

And its only purpose in life

is to celebrate this glorious marque's glorious history.

The V12 is Ferrari.

The first ever road car they built some 75 years ago

was powered by a V12,

and they've been building them ever since.

This one is the most powerful of the lot.

829 horsepower.

Don't mind if I do.

(engine roaring) (intense orchestral music)

Whoa, whoa.

Listen to that.

As celebrations go, that is a good start.

(gentle music)

But where the real surprise comes

is in the way they've put this car together.

There are no turbos, batteries, or e-motors here.

No four-wheel drive, either.

Nor even the usual flappy bits of active aero.

No, the Daytona is unusually old school.

(engine zooming) (light orchestral music)

This is Ferrari getting a little bit nostalgic,

which, to be honest, isn't very Ferrari.

They're all about the future and advancement

and developing the next bit of tech.

But just this once,

they've took a little trip down memory lane.

Sure, 0 to 60 in less than three seconds,

and a 211-mile-an-hour top speed

are all very modern numbers.

Dear me.

But the attitude of the car

is much more old-fashioned.

The steering is a little bit weightier

than the usual Ferrari

and they've engineered a bit of a thump on the gear change,

that gives it a real old school feel.

And check this out for retro.

Pop-up headlights.

(Paddy chuckles)

I mean, it's close enough, isn't it?

Come on.

(engine zooming)

And as for the rest of the way the Daytona looks,

that all comes from Ferrari's deep dive

into the old family albums.

(sweeping orchestral music)

First, you've got that futuristic slatted tail,

borrowed from the 250 P5 concept of 1968.

The bulging wings with those side mirrors pushed on top,

a pure historic endurance racer.

In fact, the name, basic shape, even bits of the interior,

all lead back to the legendary P330 series cars

that, back in 1967, took a one, two, three finish

at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

And look at that view over the bonnet.

It makes you feel like a proper racing driver

from back in the day.

Pop on a crash helmet, a pair of overalls,

couple of laps of Italy,

then back home to England for tea and crumpets.

(engine roaring)

But while there's no denying the sense of occasion

the Daytona's stripped-back retro racer vibes deliver,

in a couple of places,

they might have taken it a bit too far.

For starters, take these seats.

Now when you buy a Daytona, Ferrari measure you up

and then glue some cushions to the chassis

in the exact right position.

But what happens if your partner or your mates

doesn't have the exact same size hips as you?

It's gonna be a very uncomfortable ride.

And then we've got the carbon fibre roof.

Once that's off, it's off.

So if the weather turns and it starts to rain,

you're gonna get wet,

unless you pop this on,

which isn't very Ferrari.

It's more like you're going on a camping trip.

Doesn't scream 1.8 million quid, does it?

If we're being honest, though,

none of that actually matters.

(light piano music)

The Daytona's not meant to be practical

in the same way it's not meant to be the fastest

or the most cutting-edge supercar going.

Really, the best way to think of it

is as a 1.8-million-pound work of art.

It's a portal to another time.

It makes people smile.

And it certainly makes me smile.

(Paddy laughs) (engine roaring)

But like so many works of art,

the real sadness is that most people

will never get to experience the Daytona.

The 600-odd that Ferrari's building

will all be locked away in climate-controlled garages,

doomed to be passed around the 0.1-percenters

as nothing more than investments.

And that is an absolute travesty.

So while I've still got the Daytona

for another couple of hours,

it's time to give a little bit back.

It's time to let the people enjoy it.

(folk music)

Oh, yes.

You can forget UberLUX.

It's time to say ciao to Pad's Cabs.

(sighs) Let's wait for a fare now.

Ciao, ciao.

Hello, yes, grazie.

Well, could be my first bit of business here.

- Ciao. - Ciao.

Taxi? - Grazie.

- In you come, there you go.

Ferrari Daytona.

- Wow.

(engine purrs)

Okay, you ready?

- Ready.

Wow, wow! (engine roaring)

- Ooh. (laughs)

(Paddy and passenger laughing)

- Ooh, a man of the cloth.

- Taxi? - Si, Father.

In, get in. - Grazie.

- Buongiorno. - Buongiorno.

- Here we go.

(engine roaring)

(Paddy laughs)

So that's two happy customers up and running.

- Wow.

- I love Ferrari.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

- Ah.

- The third, though...

Taxi?

(passenger speaking in Italian)

- [Paddy] Will take a bit more winning over.

It's a bit of a squeeze to get in.

Ah, way.

Whoa. (chuckles)

- Trolley?

- Si, si, si, si, si.

- Oh, god, that's not gonna...

That's not...

That's not gonna work.

(passenger sighs)

All right.

Like all supercars, boot space in the Daytona is an issue.

But no nonna can resist the Ferrari V12.

(engine purrs)

Ooh.

- Exactly.

Hold on tight.

(engine roaring) - Ah!

(Paddy chuckling)

- But then, of course,

driving a cab through a town you don't know,

in a country whose language you don't speak,

does present a few more challenges.

Um, (speaks in Italian).

- Uh...

- The market.

- Market, si.

Directionie?

- Piazza Duomo.

- Piazza? - Duomo.

- Duomo. - Duomo.

- Duomo. - Duomo.

- Duomo. (chuckles)

- San Bernadino, okay.

Sono Paddy.

- Paddy? - Paddy.

Sono Paddy.

Name, my name. - Oh.

- Father, Paddy.

My Italian's coming on a treat.

This is kind of the point of it all,

because with the Daytona,

it really doesn't matter where you're going.

This car makes any journey properly special.

This car? - Si.

- [Paddy] 2 million euros.

- Woo. - Ooh.

- Oh.

very expense.

- Oh, very. (whistles)

- Too much for common people. - Too much, too much.

(Paddy and passenger laughing)

0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds.

- Wow. - Yeah.

(engine roaring)

- Wow.

Wow.

Ah! (giggling)

- Whoa. (laughing)

- It's so crazy. (laughing)

- [Paddy] It's quick.

- It's a crazy taxi.

- Yeah, it is a crazy taxi, yeah.

(jazzy music)

And this crazy taxi gets a five-star rating.

- To be in a Ferrari, it's a lovely dream.

- It is beautiful.

- Good to hear.

- I love so much this car.

I fall in love with this car.

- Yeah, I love this car as well.

And here we go.

Fantastic.

- Oh, oh. - Car seat, here we go.

That's the one.

Oh, watch your head, watch your head.

There we go.

You got everything?

Oh, uh, basket, shopping.

- Si, two minutes.

Okay, here we go.

(engine roaring)

(Paddy speaking in Italian)

(sweeping orchestral music)

There we go.

Thank you very much. - Thank you so much.

- Oh, lovely. - Bye-bye, thank you.

- Bye-bye, bye-bye.

(engine roaring)

- It's okay? - Grazie, grazie.

Thank you, Father, thank you.

So the good people of L'Aquila

have experienced the joy of the Daytona.

Here we go.

- Grazie, grazie, grazie.

Grazie.

(uplifting orchestral music)

And now, there's just one job left to do.

And that's to take this work of art

back to its climate-controlled garage

300 miles away.

Avanti.

(audience applauding)

- That's a lovely car. - It's nice, that one.

- Ooh.

- Come on, I'm jealous. - What a Ferrari.

- Jealous, jealous. - Beautiful car.

Beautiful car.

And honestly, the attention it got was unbelievable.

- But do you think the looks are enhanced

by the plastic taxi triangle that you slapped to the roof?

(audience laughing)

- That's just the cherry on top of the cake, Chris.

And let me tell you, Pads Cabs did a roaring trade.

You might not arrive with your luggage,

but you'll get there very, very quickly.

(audience laughing)

- Well, Paddy, 1.8 million quid.

I don't think cabbies are gonna be going out

ditching the Priuses just yet.

- No, no, it is bonkers money,

but, listen, everything's bonkers money these days.

Look at the price of a pint in London.

He knows, he'll tell you. (audience laughing)

You need a drink after you've paid for one, mate, don't you?

(audience laughing) You're right,

but there's still one vehicle that's doing a booming trade.

And that's the humble van.

Because thanks to the flourishing business

of online deliveries,

it's all happening in the world of vans right now.

You want a new one?

You spoiled for choice.

What have we got, lads?

- I love this, the ID. Buzz Cargo.

The van version of the new electric VW love bus.

I'll admit it.

Not the cheapest, not the biggest.

But look at it, it's far more interesting

than a boring diesel box.

- Lovely looking thing, yeah.

- Crystals, what about you?

- Mercedes eVito.

Again, all electric, 160 miles of range.

Much, much clever inside than your average white van.

- Yeah.

And we've got, everyone,

a Ford Transit Custom. - There she is.

- Come on, enjoy it.

(audience applauding)

Last year, this was the best-selling vehicle in the UK.

Not the best-selling van,

the best-selling vehicle.

It outsold Fiestas, Focuses, Corsairs, Golfs, the lot.

Amazing.

- But here's the issue,

because a shiny van like this doesn't come cheap.

Apparently, this one, 41 grand.

- [Audience] Ooh.

- I know, I know it is crazy,

but what if you want to get into the delivery game

on a budget?

- Well, to find out,

the producers gave us each three grand

and told us to buy ourselves a van,

give it a proper delivery company paint job,

and prepare for some challenges.

(suspenseful music)

At the risk of making this piece

of consumer testing rather brief,

getting into the delivery game on a budget is simple.

When it comes to vans, you can't beat the original.

The best, the Ford Transit.

Not only British-built, but pretty much built Britain.

(elegant orchestral music)

It's part of the fabric of our nation.

And I've got myself a minter here, just 230,000 miles.

It's barely run in.

If you're going to deliver stuff,

I don't know why you'd deliver in anything else.

- [Freddie] Unless, that is, you want it delivered faster.

(rock music)

- Yeah, I really don't why you'd choose anything...

A sprightly entry?

- Hello.

- First of all, Fred- - What?

- No notes on the name.

Absolutely superb, bang on.

- Smashed it, I know. - You have.

- Smashed it. - I can't complain.

That's superb.

One question.

The brief said, "Buy a van."

You bought a family estate car with no windows.

- This is an Astravan.

In the cities, you wanna be fast, get your parcels,

you wanna be nimble, you wanna park it easy.

This does all that and looks great.

- Okay, let's talk performance.

Engine?

- It's a 1.9. - Yep.

- Diesel. - Yeah, cool.

- [Freddie] I got some new rims.

I've got a spoiler on the back.

It looks the part, Chris.

- Scenario. - Yeah.

- Hi, FredEX, I want to deliver a sofa, please.

- Yes, I will sort that out.

Then I'll put the phone down.

- Yep.

- Hi, Chris.

I hear you've got a Transit van down at Purple Sector.

(Chris and Freddie laughing)

Could you deliver a couch for me?

I started speaking and then I saw the name. (laughing)

The Purple Sector.

- Let me talk you through Purple Sector Delivery, okay?

- Yeah.

- If you want fast, accurate deliveries,

Purple Sector is all about motorsport.

'Cause when you go quickest in a sector on a racetrack,

you go purple.

This is about speed.

This is about being the quickest.

- Speed?

It's a Transit van.

This is about speed.

- I reckon, in a straight line, that would toast that.

- Shut up.

- It would.

- A Transit van?

- It's a winner.

Come on, it's a winner.

- So are are you gonna be

the quintessential Transit van driver?

- I'm an aggressive little man in a Transit van.

- Wow.

(upbeat music)

- [Paddy] Come on.

Do you want those cowboys knocking at your door?

Would you prefer a more reliable service?

- [Chris] Oh my lord.

- I can't wait for this.

Come on then.

(Freddie chuckling)

- Good morning, gentlemen.

- Good morning. - How are we?

- Is it Postman Pat or Postman Pad?

- I'm going back to an era

when the postal service was respected.

(Freddie chuckling)

You two look like you've come off the set of "CBeebies."

- What? (laughs) - Coming from you? (laughs)

- Right, there's a lot to take in here, Pad.

First of all- - You start, Chris.

- The choice of van, VW Caddy.

Paddy in a Caddy.

- Based on the old Volkswagen Golf, handles fantastically.

700 kilos in the back.

Look at it.

It's a beauty.

Dunnit not make you smile, a bright red van like that?

- You got one thing missing, though.

- What?

- Where's Jess? - Please.

- Where's Jess? (chuckles) - Wait.

- He's not- - I don't wanna know.

- He's not got a cat in the back of there?

- [Paddy] There she is.

(Freddie laughing)

- [Chris] Okay, that's not acceptable.

- [Freddie] There's just nothing right about that. (laughs)

- I've gotta say, firstly-

- No, look at that! (laughs)

That's just staring at me.

Thats not

a real cat, is it? - I can't deal with this.

- Careful. - Is it a real cat?

- She's a bit funny with strangers.

- No, that was someone's pet!

- It still is, it's mine.

(Chris and Freddie laughing)

- [Chris] So this day had gone weird unusually quickly.

But nevertheless, we'd been told it was time

to put our delivery vans to the test

at a nearby mystery location.

A mystery location happily located somewhere beyond the end

of this runway.

- [Paddy] Go on, Purple Member, start us off.

- Purple Sector.

- Sorry.

- Three, two, one, go.

(brakes screeching)

(upbeat rock music)

- Oh, go on, the Astra man!

- Oh, look at this.

I'm being taken down by the Astra.

- Ooh.

- Go on, the Caddy!

And the bloody Caddy as well.

Oh.

(upbeat rock music)

I'm getting hammered here.

- Harris said he was gonna have me.

This is the future of deliveries.

- I was quietly confident that the rear-wheel drive,

very lightweight, empty Transit van would do quite well,

but I was absolutely thumped there.

(upbeat rock music)

- Exactly.

In the world of deliveries,

most of the time, it's not size that's important.

It's speed.

All these huge delivery vans tooling around town,

if you look at them, they're never full of stuff.

You know, people order socks, charging cables, small things.

This is all you need, one of these.

I won't be late in this, I'll be there early.

I'm bringing a bit of sportiness to the van world.

- Now this particular generation of Transit

was one of the last to be built in the UK.

And being a Ford,

it actually drives a lot better than it needs to.

The steering's good, the brakes are good,

the gearshift is fine.

And I tell you what, it is fun to drive.

(upbeat rock music)

And when you're spending

your whole working week behind the wheel,

that is frankly much more important

than where you put your stuffed cat.

- You cool enough, my love?

You know, there's something lovely

about seeing a bright red van coming down the road.

That little nod back to happy, innocent times.

There used to be a time when people would look forward

to seeing the postie.

Any odd jobs you need me to do while I'm here?

No?

Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning.

Lovely.

Now it's all parcels thrown into your bushes.

I'm bringing back the personal touch

in the bright red van.

Royal Male.

- [Chris] But it was time to decide who'd really solved

the great secondhand delivery van dilemma.

Pulling up to the state-of-the-art

"Top Gear" rapid parcel delivery

assault course test facility

centre.

(suspenseful music)

(Paddy clears throat)

(Freddie chuckling)

You will now tackle a challenging handling circuit,

delivering packages as you go.

Fastest to complete the round wins.

P.S. Beware of the dog.

- I didn't even listen to the challenge.

I was just looking at that cat.

(suspenseful music)

- [Chris] For Flintoff and everyone else's benefit, then,

this thorough test of our delivery vehicles

would now see us take turns driving a course

specifically designed to include all the challenges

a busy driver might encounter on a shift.

(dog barking)

- You all right, Jess?

(imitates cat meowing) Shut up.

(Freddie laughing)

Let's deliver.

- And as Postman Pad would now demonstrate by going first...

Three, two, one, go.

- Oh, oh, hurry.

- [Chris] Those challenges are varied.

- Whoa, hey, hey, hey. (chuckles)

- [Chris] With a handy sat nav directing us

to the full range of typical delivery locations.

- [Sat Nav] In 50 metres, turn left.

- [Chris] The course begins on tight urban streets.

- Ooh, my god.

Geez, these deliveries are everywhere.

- And, of course, for a delivery to count...

This is quite nice.

- He's going to do it properly, isn't he?

- [Chris] It must be left in the designated area.

- Thank you.

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery successful.

- I like that. - No, I do.

- No, no, I like that.

Next, the course throws up the dreaded first-floor test.

- Put the hat there.

- [Chris] A sweaty dash upstairs

to really get the blood pumping.

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery successful.

(engine roaring)

- Woohoo!

Go on! Are you all right down there, Jess?

- [Freddie] He's keen, Pad, isn't he?

- [Chris] As well he should be.

Because it's time for the multi drop zone.

Three addresses, just a few doors apart.

- [Sat Nav] Drop three.

- [Chris] Each one just begging the question,

do you drive between them?

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery successful.

- [Chris] Or attack them all on foot?

- [Sat Nav] Drop four.

- Oh, he's dropping them off-

Oh, there he is.

- Yes, he's gonna be tired after this.

- [Paddy] Lovely stuff.

(brakes screeching)

- This is like a really weird version of "Challenge Anneka."

- [Paddy] Last one.

Get on that.

- Delivery successful. - This is rigorous.

I think he's got them all so far.

With just two drops remaining,

the course heads out of town,

aiming to test our van's rural capabilities.

- Drop six. - Not good.

- Static caravan. - Ouch, wrong way.

(banana squeaks) What the (beep)?

- Whoa, whoa. - Oh, that could have done it.

That could have done it.

- A freaking banana.

- [Chris] Pulling up at the caravan,

no run would be complete

without the always awkward big screen TV.

- [Paddy] One plasma coming up.

- That's in the box.

That's neat and tidy.

And with this textbook run now drawing to a close,

all that remains is the final drop.

- Come on.

- [Chris] Complete with every delivery driver's

worst nightmare.

- [Sat Nav] Drop seven.

Warning: Untethered animal loose on premises.

(Paddy grunts)

- [Paddy] Where's that bloody dog?

Bloody hell, the weight of it.

- Here he goes, here he goes.

- Oh, you got it, Pad. - Hat's on, hat's on.

- [Freddie] Oh, he's having a go. (laughs)

- [Chris] He's got Jess the cat with him.

He's moving quite well there.

- [Chris] Now, it's worth mentioning

that any misdeliveries earn a 20-second time penalty.

(beep)

(Chris and Freddie laughing)

But that was of no concern to Postman Pad.

(dog barking) - God, there's the dog.

Save yourself, Jess!

(dog barks) (Paddy gasps)

(dog snarling) (Paddy grunting)

- Oh, he's dropped! - He's straight down.

(Chris and Freddie laughing)

- [Chris] With a clean sweep of drops,

McGuinness had posted a very respectable time

of five minutes, 51 seconds.

- [Paddy] Royal Male, son.

We always deliver.

(upbeat music)

- [Chris] A time that I would now aim to beat

in the Transit.

- Okay, Purple Member,

three, two, one, go.

(brakes screeching)

- Whoa. - Whoa.

- Whoa.

- [Paddy] Hope there's no glassware in there.

- [Sat Nav] Drop number one.

- [Paddy] Rear-wheel drive,

that's where he's got the advantage, you see.

- [Freddie] But where he didn't have the advantage...

- [Chris] In you go.

- [Sat Nav] Delivery successful.

- [Freddie] Was when the going got tight.

- Oh, that's two.

Three?

- The Transit is a bit bigger than theirs.

There we go.

- Ooh, is it the house? - That's four.

- It's the other way.

Feel your way into it, Chris.

- Why is it- (Paddy and Freddie laughing)

(brakes screeching)

- Six-point turn.

(suspenseful music)

- [Freddie] And as for the first floor test...

- [Chris] Two.

- [Freddie] That wasn't much to look at either.

(package crashes) - Oh!

- He's not got it on.

- He's not throwing it, yeah. - Oh, he's gone.

He's attempted it, though,

now I reckon you can place, huh.

- [Freddie] You reckon?

- I reckon you can just give it one of them.

(package crashes) - Oh.

- [Sat Nav] Delivery successful.

- How's he gonna get out?

He's gonna reverse it.

(brakes screeching)

- The Transit's good at going over curbs.

- Oh. - No, you can't do that.

That'd be a letter to the company, that.

(engine roaring)

Where the old Purple Sector Delivery

really dropped the ball, though,

was in the multi drop zone.

- Oh, he's missed.

It's in the next guy's drive.

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery unsuccessful.

20-second penalty.

- [Freddie] Oh, he's trying to lob it in.

- Bollocks. - Delivery unsuccessful.

- Hell of a mess.

- He's having an absolute nightmare.

- [Sat Nav] Drop five.

(beeps) Delivery unsuccessful.

- Oh, he's missed another.

(rock music)

With the clock ticking away,

Harris bounced out into the countryside,

hoping to redeem himself with the flat-screen telly drop.

- Now you don't want this dropping on the floor

by your delivery driver.

This is your plasma.

You've saved up for this.

4K, the lot.

(TV crashes)

Oh my God.

Look at that. - Oh, no.

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery successful.

- I'm blowing now.

(Chris sighs)

- [Freddie] To round off this delivery disaster,

it was just a case of waiting for our canine friend...

- Where's the dog?

- [Freddie] To put him...

- Where's the dog?

- [Freddie] Out of his misery.

- Where's the dog?

Where's the dog? - Look how he's running.

- [Freddie] He's got his shoelaces tied together.

- He's literally running like he's pooed himself.

- [Freddie] Don't think about the dog, Chris.

- [Sat Nav] (beeps) Delivery successful.

- Ooh, ooh.

Oh, he's terrified.

(dog barking)

Oh my god, we got it, Chris.

Come on, Harris. - Finish it.

- He's gonna pull you down. - Oh no, he got his-

- Ouch.

(dog snarling) (Chris whimpering)

- Oh. - Look at his face!

- Do you want a bone?

Would you like a Boneo?

Boneo?

- What we've got here from Chris Harris

is a second-class delivery.

(dog snarling)

- [Chris] How about a steak?

Okay, with three missed deliveries

resulting in a seven minute, 26 second run,

it'd be fair to say I hadn't gone purple in every sector.

(upbeat music)

So with Paddy in his Caddy still the team to beat,

could FredEx in his sporty Astra deliver the goods?

(suspenseful music)

- Now, remember, that is a plasma.

- The way it's ratchet-strapped to the roof,

it's now three plasmas.

- Are you ready? - Yeah.

- FredEx. (vehicle roaring)

Three, two, one, deliver.

- Go, Fred. - FredEx, hey.

Oh, oh.

(brakes screeching)

- Ooh, no, this is done. - Here we go.

- This is it. - Is he gonna give it some?

- Ooh, it's tight.

blooming hell, look at this street.

Some dodgy parking 'round here.

(brakes screech)

- [Paddy] Ooh, he hit the house.

- He's just driven straight into a house.

- Where's my parcel?

Where's the numbers?

One.

(package crashing)

- Should he leave his name and number there?

- [Paddy] A nervy start from the boy racer,

but let's be honest, the next drop...

- [Freddie] Oh, I'm not going up there.

- Was right up his street.

Oh, he's on the roof.

(package crashing)

- Delivery successful. - Hey.

- He's got it in a box still, though.

What a swine.

(suspenseful music)

- [Paddy] Oh, yes,

at FredEx, speed is everything.

(engine roaring)

- Whoa, blooming heck.

There's something in the back didn't like that.

- [Paddy] And with two drops done already...

- Six.

- Next up was the multi drop masterclass.

Now he's got the arm.

- Ooh. - Look.

Oh, he's got that in as well.

- [Freddie] Delivery.

- That's in as well. - Delivery successful.

- Delivery.

That'll do.

- [Sat Nav] (beep) Delivery unsuccessful.

- He hasn't got that one in as well, has he?

- [Paddy] He hadn't.

But sprinting out of town...

- Ooh. - Like a rough ride.

- I gotta get the ratchet off.

- [Paddy] Flintoff was soon dispatching the big screen TV

with the now customary FredEx touch.

(TV crashes) - Oh my god.

- Delivery successful. - It's in the box.

(Paddy chuckling) - What was that?

- [Paddy] And pulling up to the final drop

with a couple of penalties against him...

- Loving those ratchet straps.

- [Paddy] Stealing the delivery driver top spot

would need every ounce of that trademark FredEx pace.

- [Sat Nav] Delivery successful.

(suspenseful music)

- Here we go. - Look at his face.

(dog barking) - I've got this.

I've got it.

(dog snarling) Oh no.

Oh, you win, you win.

(Chris laughing)

Look, you win.

Good boy.

Good boy.

(audience applauding)

- I'm not happy about this.

No, I'm not happy about this. - It's okay.

- No, I'm not.

- You gotta know. (Freddie laughing)

So I know the question on everyone's lips-

- Have we totally lost our minds?

- Not that, no. (audience laughing)

Who takes the delivery driver bragging rights?

Did FredEx manage to beat Postman Pad?

Well, I've got the results here, folks.

(audience applauding)

- Now, we can forget Purple Sector.

You are a nightmare.

You're out of the running.

We know that. (audience laughing)

It's down to me and you, Fred.

Right, I've got the times here.

I managed five minutes, 51 seconds with no missed drops.

- Ooh. - Ooh.

(audience applauding)

Fred, you managed four minutes, 47 seconds,

but two missed drops. - Ooh.

- What does that mean?

what does that mean?

- Resulting in a time of also five minutes,

27 seconds.

FredEx delivers.

(audience applauding)

- Thank you.

Thank you, Pad.

Thank you, Postman.

Thank you.

- I'm sorry, stop it. - It's fine, it's fine.

- This is absolutely outrageous.

Half your packages were destroyed.

- Exactly, only half.

Big delivery companies could learn a thing or two

from my care and attention.

- So what have we learned here?

- If you want a cheap van to deliver very small packages,

and you're not too fussed if they get there in one piece,

get yourself an Astra.

- And the most important lesson.

Taxidermy cats, utterly terrifying.

Stuff of nightmares. - Yes, horrendous.

- Whoa. - No, no, no, no, no, no.

- Don't you ever, ever speak about Jess like that.

- Oh. (laughs) (audience laughing)

Right, that is not right.

That is not right.

- She has got feelings.

(Freddie laughs)

Go on, Jess, run free.

(Paddy and Freddie laughing)

(audience applauding)

Anyhow, we've got to move on to something

a little less weird,

because to end this series,

we're taking on our biggest challenge to date.

We're gonna give you some advice

that's actually useful in the real world.

- Easy, Pad, don't scare the horses.

- Chris, take it away.

- Family cars.

There's hundreds out there to choose from.

But if you're in the market for a new one,

how do you even start to make a choice?

- Well, fear you not because "Top Gear" is here to help.

(wind rustling) (birds chirping)

(airy orchestral music)

Nowadays, when it comes to family cars,

the range of options out there is frankly baffling.

From your practical, battery-powered spaceships,

like the Kia EV6.

- Here we go.

- [Paddy] To seven-seat Dacia people-carriers

that cost less than your average supermini.

All this room for 16 grand.

I mean, crikey, there are even estate cars,

like this Alpina B3,

solely designed for families that prefer to arrive sideways.

(brakes screeching)

There she goes. (laughs)

It just brings out your inner child.

The point is,

there are now more to choose from than ever before.

So with the producers helping to gather

a 50-strong assortment

of the newest, most interesting,

and best-selling examples on the market.

- [Freddie] That's a lot of family cars.

- [Paddy] Our job is to find you

the best of the lot.

- [Chris] Suits you, sir.

- Oh, look at this.

Family cars for every taste, every occasion.

- [Chris] That's what it says.

A bit of a mixed bag, isn't there?

- It is a mixed bag. - I'm gonna go for a rootle.

- A rootle? - Ooh, I like that.

- Right, where we going here?

Where are we going?

- I've seen where I'm going straight away.

I've had a couple of these over the years.

They're not the cheapest of things.

But I tell you what,

Loads of space, loads of room in the back.

You can throw all the kids in.

They can kick the seats.

They can do what they want.

It's fine.

It's a Disco.

- Look at this little Peugeot thing here.

Look at that.

That's a great-looking car.

508 with three yellow lines,

which must denote some sportiness.

- [Freddie] This is bordering on midlife crisis.

- It is. - But you get your family in.

I like it. (laughs)

- So do I.

- How much is it? - It's 56 grand.

- Stop it. - 56 grand for a Peugeot.

- All right, let's have a look.

What else have we got here?

Here we go.

- Can we just stop and say how good Kias look at the moment?

- I've always been a fan of the Kia.

- [Chris] But these were a joke 15 years ago.

Now they look better than all the German stuff.

- Now I'm just speaking for the dads now.

Every dad wants to rock up at school,

knowing they can absolutely

blast the back doors off anything.

That sounds wrong, but you know what I mean.

And this is what we've got with the old M5 Comp.

But when you get inside it, not very practical.

Cup holders are quite small.

Side bin's tiny.

- [Chris] Oldest family car maker, Vauxhall.

- What's the family, the Borrowers?

(Chris laughs)

Where do you put your family in that?

- Here we go.

I mean, just look at the storage in here.

Look at that.

- Come on, this is all you need.

It's massive, it's comfortable.

- It is.

And I know it's a Volvo, but it does nothing for me.

(Paddy sighs)

- That's what you want.

- We gotta do something about this.

There's too many cars here.

- Where'd you go with it? - I don't know.

Pad?

- There's something very reassuring

about the knobs on a Volvo.

- Just lovely action on them. - Don't do that. (chuckles)

- Everything's good in the world.

You get in a Volvo,

you get out and you go, "Actually, we're all right."

- Right, we got too many cars here.

We need to find a way of removing some.

We need to get some perspective, okay?

- [Paddy] Huh?

- [Chris] We need to get some height on it, over there.

- Height? - Straight to the point.

- Chris Harris, wanting height.

(crane whirring)

Chris, what are we doing up here?

- We're about to do some whittling.

Not woodwork, either.

Right, so the starting point here surely has to be

anything over 40 grand's gotta go

because that's not an affordable family car

that can be used most of the time, is it?

- 40 grand? - But for the price of cars,

that's gonna be a lot of cars. - Yeah.

- Also, 40 grand is when the posh car tax,

the premium car tax comes in.

- Cost of living crisis, gotta think practical.

Stand back. - Yeah.

- Right, get rid of the 40 grand-plus's.

Are you okay?

- Whoa! (beep)

(Freddie and Paddy laughing)

(upbeat music)

- Oh, the Taycan's gone. - Oh, wow, Exodus.

- Giulia's gone, one Rover. - Oh.

- There's the M5, Chris. - Oh.

- Wave a goodbye kiss. - Oh no.

- It's like a giant game of "Guess Who?" isn't it?

- It is.

It is like "Guess Who?" - Just drive off.

- In an important copyright sense,

it's quite unlike "Guess Who?"

you know what I mean? - Yeah, yeah, of course.

Yeah, it is, yeah. - Certainly.

Right, okay.

- Now, I gotta be honest,

I do love a whittle. - You do?

- (laughs) You're a whittler.

- I love a whittle. (Freddie laughs)

Can I have a go at it? - Yes.

- I'm getting into it now. - Yes.

- All right.

I love this.

Honda Jazz, that's gone.

- [Freddie] What?

- What criteria are you using to get rid of the Honda Jazz?

- I just hate it.

- You can't get rid of cars 'cause you hate them.

It's not how it works.

- Hatred's not a category, hatred?

- No, no it's not.

- Well, I'll tell you what, then.

Real-world running costs.

- Yes. - It's all about the MPG.

- Yep. - You're a family.

Petrol prices, diesel prices, they're through the roof.

Gotta keep them down.

So I'm looking minimum 50 miles per gallon.

- What about electric?

- Yeah, that's a good point.

- By definition,

it has to be more efficient. - Exactly, electric can stay.

- So anything over 50 MPG and electric can stay.

- Electric's staying? - Okay.

- Electric's staying, yeah. - Okay, got you.

- Right, okay. - Go on then.

- Anything under 50 miles to the gallon can go.

(upbeat music)

- Oh, oh, oh. - Whoa.

- The Dacia Jogger's gone. - The Jogger's gone?

- Goodbye, the Jogger. - Why's the jogger gone?

- 50 MPG. - Disco's gone.

Disco's a great family car.

- Ooh, ooh. - Another Honda gone.

- Aw. - That's a surprise.

- [Paddy] So the Jazz has stayed,

but that Honda, the CR-V's gone.

- [Freddie] You can't get rid of that Jazz, Pad. (laughs)

- Wrong Honda.

- Oh. - I want that Berlingo gone,

but I think it's staying. - Yeah.

- The Berlingo's gonna be here for the whole day.

- You reckon? - Yeah.

That is some very strong culling.

But now over to Fred.

What is your whittle?

- Now I need space, not just for myself.

Kids' cricket bags, I need boot space.

I'm gonna say anything under 500-liters boot space is off.

- [Chris] But that is a harsh cull.

- Anything under 500-liters boot space,

hit the road, Jack.

Come on, Jazz.

- Yes! (laughs) - It's gone.

- Get out of here. - Oh.

Where are they all going? - Wow.

- Ooh, dear me.

- [Paddy] You have decimated

the field there, Andrew. (whistles)

- When I whittle, Chris, it stays whittled.

- Complete carnage. - And, well,

science has spoken gentlemen.

We are not left with much.

(jazzy music)

- [Freddie] What we are left with, though,

are nine very tidy options.

From the ever-popular Nissan Qashqai,

to the clue's-in-the-title Skoda Superb,

or even the much-harder-to-love Citroen Berlingo.

These are all cars with a generous amount of boot space

that start at less than 40 grand,

and a spec that'll do north of 50 miles to the gallon.

But we're not done yet.

(suspenseful music)

Because to whittle it down some more,

I'd come up with a drag race with a difference.

- [Chris] Fred, why are you so much further forward than me?

- Because this, Christopher, is a price handicap.

The cheapest car at the front.

The more expensive the car, the further back you start.

- Did you choose the car you're in?

- [Freddie] No, this car chose me.

(Chris laughing)

- [Paddy] Yes, in a surprise to us all,

Flintoff had come up with a rather elegant way

of testing which of our nine remaining cars

represent the best balance of price and performance.

A half-mile drag race

where the most expensive contender is tested,

the Skoda Enyaq iV would start at the back.

The rest of the field then receiving a 10-meter headstart

for every thousand pounds cheaper they cost.

Last three to cross the line are eliminated.

(suspenseful music)

(engine roaring)

Three, two, one, go.

Whoa.

There we go.

The Arkana's off.

- Go on, the Hyundai.

Bye-bye, Superb.

- I'll be screaming past them.

- Go, go, nothing at me.

- Done the Skoda.

- So I'm going backwards here.

This is just a day out.

Paddy's gone.

- There's Flintoff. (laughs)

Wowzers, this thing flies.

- Oh, the Berlingo, that is embarrassing.

I've been passed by a Berlingo and Harris

on the outside in the Skoda.

- We've got the Renault.

- Come on, we're over the line.

Done the Qashi.

(cars zooming)

Done the Qashi.

Go on.

- [Chris] Third, we'll take third.

- [Freddie] Not last.

I started at the front, I'm last.

- A nice victory there for the Tucson.

- This thing's got some heart, I'm telling you.

- I've gotta say, the Arkana just doesn't go.

By the time I get the lads to cricket in this,

They'll have played ten overs.

(Chris laughing)

(upbeat music)

So the bang-for-your-buck drag race

had eliminated the electric Skoda Enyaq,

the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace,

and the Renault Arkana.

Now we needed to get six down to three.

And with the pack so tightly matched,

the only way to do that was by unleashing

the motoring journalist - Hi, lads.

- Oh, god, he's got clipboards.

- [Freddie] He's got three of them.

- Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of car testing.

This is the real stuff.

- All right. - Okay.

- Clipboard each. - Thank you.

- Always leave the pen under there

with the nib at the bottom.

- Oh god. - Better access.

- Okay. - Right, here we go.

Legroom.

- Ooh. - Ooh.

- Oh. I'd say the- - I need legroom.

- Exactly, we've got the perfect dummy for this.

- Yes. - Okay?

- So I'm a dummy? - I'd say standard

legroom test should be a Flintoff sitting behind a Flintoff.

Would you agree? - I like that.

I like that. - Okay.

Okay, the Skoda Superb is known to be a leader

in this field. - Ooh.

- I don't like the way you're holding that.

That is too low.

I want it here and I want it here.

- That's where I go. - Right.

Now, out you come, Mr. Flintoff, please.

In the back now.

Okay, not every family comes from

the Flintoff end of the gene pool.

- Kids 6'4", 6'3".

- [Chris] But we all know legroom is key

to a happy backseat.

- [Paddy] Are you comfortable?

- [Freddie] Tell you what, that's not bad, that.

That's all right, that.

- That is dead impressive, Andrew.

- Do you know what?

Even head room's fine. - That is four.

- I'll give them that. - Four points.

And you'd be surprised how often the posher badges

trade this crucial detail for sleeker styling.

- I'm just...

I can't...

No, I can't get in it. - Come on, get in.

- No, I can't, look.

- In we go, right. - Yeah.

- How far could you travel like that?

- [Freddie] I don't wanna travel anywhere like this.

- Yeah. - Okay.

- There's headroom, no legroom.

- That's not really working, is it?

- Not a chance.

- [Freddie] Not a chance.

Next on Harris's clipboard of truth

was that great leveller, Isofix child seats.

- Let's choose this little Skoda here, the Octavia.

- [Freddie] I'm on my fourth kid with these.

- It's great, you're in. - I'm in?

- You know, that's the easiest one I've ever put in.

- Is it? - Oh, let's get a five

on that. - Seriously, bar none.

- Get a five on that.

Now do you want us to pop one of them in the driving seat

for future challenges?

- There's no need for that at all.

Right, next car.

- [Freddie] With the Octavia taking the Isofix top spot,

second place went to the mercurial Audi Q3 Sportback.

- I'm straight in there.

I'm already at the McDonald's drive-thru

buying a kid's meal right now.

My children are so happy.

- [Freddie] And rounding out the top three,

our drag race winner, the Hyundai Tucson.

- Here it is. - Go on, then.

- [Paddy] There she goes.

- [Freddie] Closing in on the big decision,

Harris had one more trick up his clipboard

to get us over the line.

- This is arguably the most important test of the lot,

starting with the Qashqai.

Okay, you're in a car park.

You try and get your mobile phone out of your pocket

and you drop it between the seat

and centre console. - Oh, no, you don't.

- You now have to show us how easy or difficult it is

to retrieve that phone.

This is critical to all car purchases.

Ready?

Three, two, one, and go, Andrew.

Show us what you can do.

- Retrieved.

- That's incredible.

For a hand that size in a car like this,

I think that's superb.

- Oh, look at this. - Are you ready, Chris?

- [Chris] Yep, let's go.

- [Freddie] This isn't too easy.

- [Paddy] I've gotta say the Berlingo's a five.

- It's a five. - On the strength of that,

would you buy a Berlingo?

- Yes.

Here we go.

Ready?

- Are you ready? - Are you ready?

- Yeah.

- Uh-oh. - Oh.

You've done me there.

- I'm known to be fingers.

- Oh my god. - It's gone now.

- No. - Oh, it's a nightmare.

It's a nightmare. - That's a one.

- Oh, no. - That's a one.

- Zero. - Zero, mark it down.

- Zero. - No, no, no, no.

- Paddy, you can keep the form.

- Geez, I can't even get my hand back.

Is that in there?

- Chaps? - Yeah.

- Science is over. - Mm.

- Okay, we've now gotta whittle down to the final three.

Are we in agreement

that the Hyundai is in the top three for all of us?

- Yes. - Yes.

- So that goes through. - Done.

- The Skoda Octavia is in my top three.

Is it in yours?

- Yes.

- [Chris] Is it in yours?

- Yes.

- Ooh, this is fantastic.

This is what happens- - It's good.

- I think we're gonna struggle now.

We've got a Skoda in already, so we don't need two.

- [Paddy] Can I throw a curve ball in?

- Yeah. - Go on.

- Berlingo.

- Why? - Get in the-

- Hear me out, hear me out. - Okay, go on.

- It's the only car we've got that's full EV.

- Yeah. - That's important.

That's important.

- The phone test, five out of five.

These are the ones where when you're in a car with the kids,

them are the problems you have.

- That is a strong argument.

- Loads of boot space. - I'll give you the

practicality. - Yep.

- All over it. - Yep.

Also, we've not mentioned this.

- Sliding door. - Wonderful, practical.

- I know.

Okay, I'm gonna go with McGuinness.

The Berlingo stays in.

It's the quirky choice. - Right.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

- So we've got them.

We've got our three.

- Science, science.

(upbeat music)

- [Chris] Now that, ladies and gentlemen,

is how you use a clipboard.

Because whether it's the perfectly practical

diesel Skoda Octavia estate,

the really rather handsome hybrid Hyundai Tucson,

or the staggeringly spacious Citroen e-Berlingo,

pick one of these for your next family car

and you won't be disappointed.

But we tasked ourselves with picking a winner.

And to do that,

McGuinness reckoned he'd come up with the ideal test.

- So the last one, real-world experience.

Life on the road with your family in the car.

That's the next test.

- What's that test?

- Glad you asked.

It's a classic seat-switch race.

We're gonna set up from here.

You've got a stopwatch, start that.

I'm gonna go around to the little box over there,

I'm gonna stop in the box,

then we're gonna swap round, in the car, anti-clockwise.

Me, you, you here.

Then you set off driving

all the way back around over the finish line,

stop the watch.

- How often does the child

come from the back and drive the car?

- Well, every time when Pad's driving.

- Correct.

It's the easiest way.

You can have a beer then, can't you?

(Freddie laughing)

Right, come on, kids.

Great. - Ready?

- Three, two, one, go. - Let's go.

(upbeat music)

- [Paddy] Let's face it,

the very best family journeys

are the ones that are over and done with

as fast as possible.

- Could go to this thing,

doesn't it? - Oh, wow, yes.

That's all right, that.

- [Paddy] And to keep the peace along the way,

you really need as much room for everyone as you can get.

- Paddy. - Switch it.

- Swap, go. - I don't like this at all.

- You come back here.

You come back here. (Chris laughing)

You're too big and you tickle people.

- Don't do that. - Let's do that.

- Don't do that. - Grab my foot. (laughs)

Grab my foot. - Ow. (laughs)

Ow. - Okay, come on. (laughs)

What, you've got my foot. - Ah.

- Actually got my other one. - Hang on, the seatbelt.

- Oh. - Whoa, that's quick.

- [Chris] There she goes.

- [Paddy] And that's why when it comes to finding

the ultimate family car...

She's lively.

She really is the quickest of the lot.

You want to be looking out for that magic place

where space meets pace.

- You better get in that. - Oh no.

- Oh my god, here we go. - Oh, stop.

- I'm a child, I'm a child. - Oh. (laughing)

- Stop it, stop it. - I like you down there.

- [Chris] Here we go.

Quick.

Stop.

(stopwatch beeps)

What's the time?

- 1:34:16. - Ooh.

- Tell you what, I am mighty impressed by this thing.

At just over a minute 1/2 to get round,

the hybrid Tucson had laid down a serious benchmark.

The only question now was,

could it be beaten by the e-Berlingo?

- Three, two, one.

(stopwatch beeps)

- Ooh. - Oh, it's flat on then.

- What's going, Fred?

- Flat on. - Let it go.

Or the Octavia.

- Go. (stopwatch beeps)

- Stalled at the line. - Oh, you think so?

(rock music)

- [Freddie] Oh, it's a roller, isn't it?

Oh.

- It's anything but a roller.

- Oh, oh. - Oh.

- Use all the track,

get her out there. - All right,

well, we're gonna get a little nibble there.

- Get her out there.

Get her out there.

(suspenseful music)

- Right, now can you stop in the box.

- I like it. - Ah.

- We can walk around this car.

- I'm not sure about this.

We're about to get into it.

- Whoa. - Ooh.

- Oh, I missed it. - Oh, you missed the box,

you idiot. - You missed it.

(elegant orchestral music)

- I'm gonna gonna come back to you.

I'm gonna come back to you. - That's not a problem.

- Come on, get in there. - Look at that.

- I'll just move over. - There we go, Pad.

- That is just quality. - There we go.

- That is lovely stuff. - May we, may we.

- That is.

That's a demonstration of the Berlingo's real talent.

- Move over. - You go first, you go first.

- I'll move over. (Paddy laughing)

- Get off. - Come on, son.

(Freddie and Paddy laughing)

(upbeat music)

No, no. (laughs) - Ah, no. (laughs)

- Oh, my undies have gone.

Oh, my undies have gone. (laughs)

(car horn blaring)

No, look.

Look at my undies. (Paddy laughing)

You don't do that to your kids.

We're off.

(upbeat music)

- [Paddy] After a very revealing seat swap...

- I'm not even bothered now.

I've got my pants around my ankles.

Look where my pants are.

- [Paddy] It was now just a short sprint to the line.

- Come on.

- Berlingo, go, go.

- [Paddy] To discover which of our finalists

would take family car glory.

(stopwatch beeps)

(Chris sighs) (Paddy groans)

- He has flesh on that seat.

(orchestral music)

And with a time of one minute 41,

and just over two minutes respectively,

neither the palatial but ponderous e-Berlingo,

nor the speedy but snug Octavia estate

had quite done enough

to knock the perfectly-pitched Tucson hybrid

off the top spot.

Which meant, after what can only be described

as a pretty rigorous day's testing...

- Look at his. (Paddy laughing)

Look. (laughs)

- No, it's not funny. - Oh.

- [Paddy] In the end, there could be only one conclusion.

- That Hyundai is the best car.

- Yeah, that's what science says.

- You wouldn't have anything else.

- Yep, exactly. - For that money,

with those criteria. - Yeah.

Is that how you did it on Auto Car?

- Not quite, no.

(grand orchestral music)

(audience applauding)

- That was a very good car. - Very, very good.

- Love it, love it.

- No complaints.

No complaints.

- I'll admit, a wrestling match in the back of a Hyundai,

it's not the most conventional way

to decide between a bunch of family cars.

(audience laughing)

But I think we all agree on this one.

We actually came up with the right answer.

The car we'd recommend is the Hyundai Tucson.

(audience applauding)

- So I tell you what,

we may be mavericks, but we get results.

- Correct.

It's a very good car.

And it's further evidence

that Hyundai is smashing it at the moment,

making proper hot hatches, interesting electric cars,

worthy family cars.

They're on a roll.

- Well, what a way to sign off.

Because that's the end of the show, and the series.

- [Audience] Aw.

- But we'll see you all next year.

- [Audience] Yay.

- Thanks so much for watching.

Goodnight. (audience applauding)

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