grand tour golf gti bmw i3

• Cast & crew

Past v Future

• Episode aired Feb 3, 2017

For the final show of the season, the Grand Tour tent arrives in Dubai from where Jeremy Clarkson and James May introduce a battle between their own, personal cars. Jeremy champions the past... Read all For the final show of the season, the Grand Tour tent arrives in Dubai from where Jeremy Clarkson and James May introduce a battle between their own, personal cars. Jeremy champions the past with his Volkswagen Golf GTI while James makes a case for the future with his electricall... Read all For the final show of the season, the Grand Tour tent arrives in Dubai from where Jeremy Clarkson and James May introduce a battle between their own, personal cars. Jeremy champions the past with his Volkswagen Golf GTI while James makes a case for the future with his electrically powered BMW i3. Meanwhile, Richard Hammond is in France learning how to drift a car like... Read all

• Phil Churchward
• Kit Lynch Robinson
• Gavin Whitehead
• Jeremy Clarkson
• Richard Hammond

Top cast 12

• Self - Presenter

• Self - The American
• (credit only)

• Self - Singer

• Self - Legendary Guitarist
• Self - Winching Driver

• Self - Special Guest
• Self - Drifting Instructor
• Self - Drifter
• Self - Drifting Competitor
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Michelin's top secret test track is located at Centre de Technologie de Ladoux, Rue Orange, 63118, Cébazat, France. But don't tell anyone.
• Connections References Monty Python's Flying Circus: Dennis Moore (1973)
• Soundtracks Memories (uncredited) Performed by Clinic

User reviews

• February 3, 2017 (United States)
• W. Chump & sons
• Amazon Studios
• Expectation Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 1 minute
• Dolby Digital

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Recently viewed.

• Richard Hammond
• The Grand Tour
• Series 1 Episodes (TGT)
• Closing Episodes (TGT)

Series 1, Episode 13 (TGT)

• 1.1 Segments
• 1.2 Track Test
• 1.3 Celebrity Brain Crash
• 1.4 In this show...
• 2 Tent Location

Synopsis [ ]

Segments [ ].

Clarkson pits his own petrol-powered Volkswagen Golf GTi against May 's own electricity-powered BMW i3.

Also, May is introduced to the sport of winching while Hammond is taught how to drift like a professional.

Hammond stages a drag race between the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Bugatti Veyron, and a rather unsuspecting Nissan Patrol.

Hammond learns how to drift.

Track Test [ ]

Celebrity brain crash [ ].

The guest this week is F1 Star Daniel Ricciardo who attempts to reach the tent in a hovercraft, however, he is killed as he loses control and crashes.

In this show... [ ]

• James falls over...
• James falls over again...
• And James falls over...

Tent Location [ ]

For this episode, the tent was pitched in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. More specifically, the tent was pitched at the base of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the word.

• This is the last episode to feature the rather unpopular Celebrity Brain Crash , which was replaced by Celebrity Face Off in Series 2 .

Trailer [ ]

Past v Future - 01x13 - Trailer

In the series finale, May goes winching, Hammond goes drifting, May and Clarkson put their own cars against each other, and the Porsche 918 is put to the test against the Bugatti Veyron.

• 2 Cheap Car Challenges
• 3 Hammond's Vampire Dragster Crash

James May’s BMW i3 featured on season finale of The Grand Tour

Home » James May’s BMW i3 featured on season finale of The Grand Tour

Nico DeMattia

February 3, 2017 / 3 minutes read

James May, famously from “Top Gear” and now “ The Grand Tour “, has been one of the biggest proponents of the BMW i3 , BMW’s small electric hatchback. He famously bought an i3 when it was still relatively new, being one of the first major car celebs to buy one. When BMW gave the i3 a larger battery, May opted to trade in his car for a new one, this time with the optional range extender as well. Despite May’s fondness for the BMW i3, his colleagues tend to give him a hard time for driving a tiny electric hatchback.

In the latest episode of The Grand Tour, its first season finale, Jeremy Clarkson proposes that they have a comparison test between their own cars, as both are five-door German hatchbacks. May and his BMW i3, obviously, versus Clarkson and his Volkswagen GTI. It might be fun to knock Clarkson — a man known for his obsession with “Powerrrrr!” — for driving a little GTI, but it is a brilliant car and one of the best all-rounders in the business. So it’s going to be tough for the i3 to beat that, especially given its range issues.

In this comparison, they test things like how long it takes to open each car’s back door. Not the rear tailgate, but the back door. That may sound fairly simple and, in the case of the GTI, it is. However, the BMW i3’s rear doors can only be opened once the front doors are opened. So, obviously Jeremy and his GTI win that test.

Next, James May claims his car is faster than Clarkson’s. Despite the i3 only having about 170 hp and the GTI (with the Performance Package) makes 228 hp, May is actually onto something. The BMW i3’s electric torque actually allows it to be very quick immediately off the line. While 0-60 mph comes in 7.1 seconds, a spring the GTI will do in under 6 seconds, its 0-30 mph speed will beat most sports cars, thanks to its instantaneous electric torque. Which is why May tries to make the race as short as possible. However, Clarkson wasn’t having it and made it a decent length race. The little i3 actually creates a pretty big lead early on and holds it longer than I expected but eventually the GTI catches up and wins.

But that win is short lived, as Clarkson now makes them take a long trip of almost 200 miles, knowing full well that the i3 will struggle to do that. Plus, they started the trip right after the drag race, which took a lot out of May’s battery and the closest charging station wasn’t working. Their trip was from London to Devon to see Roger Daltrey  perform at a small pub but, thanks to charging stations not working and having to use ECO PRO mode, May didn’t get there until Daltrey was done playing, meanwhile Clarkson was there on time and saw the whole show.

So, in the end, Clarkson came to the conclusion that the electric car simply isn’t ready yet. And, in a way, he’s right, as the electric car isn’t yet ready for all aspects of driving life, it’s why BMW is pushing its iPerformance hybrids so much. But the BMW i3 does make a superb city car, one perfect for people who live in, say, London.

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The Grand Tour – Season 1, Episode 13

Past vs. future, where to watch, the grand tour — season 1, episode 13.

Watch The Grand Tour — Season 1, Episode 13 with a subscription on Prime Video.

More Like This

Cast & crew.

Jeremy Clarkson

Richard Hammond

Andy Wilman

Executive Producer

Phil Churchward

Episode Info

The Grand Tour: Series 1, Episode 13 – Past v Future

The Grand Tour Season 1 Episode Guide, Recaps & Fun Facts

The Grand Tour Season 1 began on November 18 2016 and was aired on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video . It consisted of 13 episodes, two of which were part 1 and 2 of a long special episode, and while official viewing figures haven’t been released, Episode 1 quickly became the most popular pilot episode of any series on Amazon.

The touring tent was a popular aspect of Season 1, with it being erected in 9 countries across the globe allowing people from different countries to watch the live recordings of the tent segments. This was however stopped for Season 2 as it was deemed to be too much of a hassle and expense to keep moving the tent which also had to be adapted for filming.

Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May reprised their roles as presenters after their leaving of Top Gear .

The Holy Trinity

Tent Location: Lucerne Valley, California, United States

The episode launches with a film of Jeremy Clarkson leaving London and flying to Los Angeles where he finds Richard Hammond and James May. They introduce the tent then review the Porsche 918, La Ferrari, and McLaren P1 in Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit.

The Eboladrome is introduced by Clarkson who drives a Ferrari 488 and BMW M2 around it. They then introduce the American.

Comprehensive History of the Eboladrome – Where is it?

Operation Desert Stumble

Tent Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Clarkson tests the Aston Martin Vulcan which is later driven by the American. Wilman then sends the trio to the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre where they review an Audi S8 and evade being shot at. Car-builder Johan Ackermann introduces his self-made Sauber C9 replica, and Ma goes to South Africa to take part in ‘spinning’.

Opera, Arts, And Donuts

Tent Location: Whitby, England, United Kingdom

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May go on a grand tour around Italy. May drives a Rolls Royce Dawn, Clarkson an Aston Martin DB11, and Hammond a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. They argue over the colour of the Aston and finally, Hammond and May demolish Clarkson’s house.

Enviro-mental

Tent Location: Whitby, England, United Kingdom

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the BMW M4 GTS. Then the presenters head to Wales with Land Rover Discovery chassis to make an environmentally friendly car. Finally, they discuss the best ways of hiding illegal immigrants in cars.

Moroccan Roll

Tent Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands

The trio goes to Morocco to compare the Mazda MX5, Alfa Romeo 4C, and Zenos E10S. They go to Atlas Corporation Studios in Ouarzazate to race their cars where Hammond wins but also crashes his MX5. Later on, Hammond and May play Battleships with cars and explosives. Finally, Clarkson uses a V8 to inflate a blow-up doll.

Happy Finnish Christmas

Tent Location: Saariselkä, Lapland, Finland

Richard Hammond drives the new Ford Mustang in England and is met by Clarkson driving a Ford Focus RS. The presenters introduce their Christmas merchandise and play with toys, resulting in them hurting themselves hilariously. James May then discusses the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he pits Ferrari against Ford with their P3 and GT respectively.

The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 1

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are sent to Namibia to drive 1000 miles in beach buggies of their own design. They waste 36 hours and end up in the same place before camping there overnight. The next day, they start traversing the sand dunes where Clarkson breaks down. Hammond and May abandon him and move on.

The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 2

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May reunite at Windhoek and make their way to the Namibia-Angola border. The terrain is harsh and May sets fire to his own buggy accidentally while trying to sabotage Clarkson’s. Finally, to traverse a river, the trio produces a cable car. Hammond gets stuck which proves Wilman right.

Berks To The Future

Tent Location: Ludwigsburg, Stuttgart, Germany

James May reviews the new Honda NSX and Clarkson welds an MGB Roadster to a Land Rover Discovery . He later swaps the MG for a Mercedes-Benz SL, before naming his creation ‘ The Excellent’ . It’s sold at the Coys of Kensington car auction for £4,000, £10,000 less than what Clarkson paid to make it.

Dumb Fight At The O.K Coral

Tent Location: Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio before the presenters travel to Barbados to solve the issue of dying coral reefs. They plan on sinking cars into the area for coral to grow over them and thrive.

Italian Lessons

Tent Location: Loch Ness, Scotland, United Kingdom

Richard Hammond test drives the Fiat Abarth 124 Spider before they each buy a Maserati for under £8,000 to prove that it’s better than a second-hand Ford Focus. They travel to France where they test the cars on track. Jeremy Clarkson in his Biturbo S Coupe, Richard Hammond in his 430 Saloon, and James May in a Zagato Spider. May had broken his arm for this episode, but thankfully his car is an automatic. Only Hammond’s car survives.

[Censored] To [Censored]

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Lexus GS-F, then the presenters travel to aptly named locations in SUVs. Clarkson drives a Range Rover, Richard Hammond a Jaguar F-Pace, and James May a Bentley Bentayga. They head to the Nurburgring but instead arrive at a disused quarry where they perform times laps.

Past VS Future

Tent Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Jeremy Clarkson compares a Volkswagen Golf GTI to the BMW i3 that’s driven and owned by James May. Then, May tries his luck at off-roading. Hammond beats a Bugatti Veyron in a drag race with a Porsche 918 Spyder but then loses to a highly modified Nissan Patrol. Later on, he takes lessons on how to drift.

• Jeremy Clarkson
• Presenters Cars
• Season 2 Cars