Top Gear Box Set (Box Set) (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Educational Value	Average
How good are the presenters?	Outstanding
How good is the content?	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Three DVDs full of motoring mayhem !
Disadvantages:	Some sequences are shortened

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This top gear boxset contains three seperate DVDs, Back in the fast lane (best of series 1 and 2), revved up (best of series 3 and 4), and The winter olympic special.

I am a big fan of top gear and watch it every week, enjoying the humour and excitement that Clarkson, Hammond and May, bring to the world of cars. I have to say I prefer watching the more miscellaneos sequences (the races, challenges etc), to just watching one of the presenters thrash a supercar around the test track. This makes this DVD great for me, but not so much for those who are looking for a more serious motoring show.

Back in the Fast Lane (best of series 1 and 2)

This DVD contains some of the best sequences from the first two series's of Top Gear. It is the most serious of the three DVDs, and puts such cars as the Pagani Zonda, Mcclaren F1, and the Rolls-Royce phantom to test. These mini reviews tend to be short and quite boring, as each is pretty much the same, with each car being driven round the test track as fast as it will go, whilst being dragged around corners in vast amounts of tyre smoke.

Some of the highlights of the first disc include Jeremy Clarksons very funny review of a new Mercedes, whose voice activation system he cannot control. Also a rocket car being put to the Test against a plane. This disc also contains some of the 'stars in a reasonably priced car' features, which are funny and enjoyable to watch.

Revved up (best of series 3 and 4)

On this DVD is the legendary and truly brilliant feature, where Jeremy ,in an Aston Martin DB9, races his collegues, who are travelling by train, to Monte Carlo. This is a great sequence, very funny and interesting, which reaches a tense climax. Another great sequence is the £1500 Porsche feature, where each presenter has to buy a cheap Porsche, and take it through a number of amusing challenges. Unfortunately, the end is cut off, and we do not get to see which presenter triumphs.

This DVD is not for the serious motoring fan , as it contains no straight car tests, unlike the first DVD. It is however, wonderful for those who want to watch an entertainig car based programme, and it is very, very funny.

Winter Olympic Special

This DVD contains an entire special episode, that aired in February 2006. It contains five features:

The biathlon, where Jeremy and James race 4 wheel drive cars round a snowy course, stopping twice to shoot at targets, although with slightly different rules than a traditional biathlon!.

The mini ski jump, in which a rocket powered min races a speed skier down a ski jump slope.

Suzuki Ice hockey, a very funny game, where traditional ice hockey players are replaced by small hatchbacks.

Jaguar vs speed skater, a race around an ice rink, against an olympic skater.

Stig ski jump, in which the masked stig attempts a leap from a ski slope on a snowmobile.

These features are all very funny, and entertaining to watch, but again they are only loosely motoring based, and there are no sequences where a car is reviewed, and driven round a test track.

Overall this DVD boxset is a great buy, if you are looking for an entertaining, humurous show, with many great and original ideas to test cars. However, it is not for the serious motoring fan, and is definately not worth buying if you want a programme where realistic, everyday cars are put to the test.

A thouroughly enjoyable DVD set, but i still wish they would release entire series's on DVD disc.