The Audi-Lancia bit was one of the very best bits of the show. It would be good if they could do more things like that. I think the problem the show has is it's free of the scrutiny it came under when on the BBC, so instead of pushing the limits, they try too hard sometimes.I almost gave up on this after the first few episodes of this series, but it's picked up in the most recent four.
Ep 7 had an execrable feature in which Hammond & May tried to develop a mobile refueling system, but ended with a brilliant piece on the Audi-Lancia rivalry in rallying. It was up there with Top Gear at its best.
Ep 8 centred on a decent roadtrip in France.
Ep 9 was patchily good, focusing on an attempt to break the amphibious speed record on Coniston Water.
Ep 10 ended with a genuinely funny SUV race in the wilds of Canada (though having Paris Hilton on as a guest suggests some scraping of the barrel this series).
The Mozambique roadtrip is coming up. Hope it's better than the Namibian roadtrip last year.
Are the BBC still trying to convince themselves the show will be a success regardless of who is presenting?