Here at Top Gear Magazine, we take customer service seriously. So seriously, in fact, that to celebrate our SUV of the Year, we decided to hand-deliver our latest issue to every single subscriber in… New Zealand. All of them.
From the misty peaks of the North Island to the windswept southern tip of the South, Rowan Horncastle and Ollie Marriage threw Hyundai’s Santa Fe at every sheep-strewn, pothole-laden, postcard-perfect road New Zealand had to offer. The result? A tale of adventure, exhaustion, and a small existential crisis about how far people will go for good content.
In this episode of the Top Gear Magazine Podcast, Rowan Horncastle and Ollie Marriage spill the tea on their utterly bonkers Kiwi road trip, including what happens when you test an SUV on roads seemingly designed for hobbits. Spoiler: it’s not all smooth sailing. Buckle up for tales of adventure, chaos, and quite possibly the longest test drive in history.
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40:36
Ferrari 12Cilindri vs Aston Martin Vanquish
You wait ages for an 800+ bhp super GT, then two turn up at once. It’s the Aston/Ferrari showdown we’ve all been waiting for: 12 Cilindri vs Vanquish. In this episode of the Top Gear Magazine Podcast, Jack Rix, Rowan Horncastle, and Ollie Marriage grill Ollie Kew about his latest adventure to Italy, where he and Jethro Bovingdon spent a day testing two of the finest front-engined, rear-wheel-drive machines on the planet. Tough day at the office, that. The Ferrari? A masterpiece of minimalism – no turbos, no hybrid, just a howling V12 and some clever active aero. The Aston? The most powerful production car it’s ever built. Let the battle commence.
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36:44
Jaguar Type 00: The Car, Rebrand, and Chaos
Jaguar, a 102-year-old British car company, has just revealed a new concept car: the Type 00. Nothing unusual there – car companies frequently create eccentric models to preview their future offerings. However, what Jaguar has done has sparked a massive, fiery online debate that has spilled over into politics, the evening news, and the culture wars.
In this episode of the Top Gear Magazine Podcast, Rowan Horncastle, Jason Barlow, Ollie Kew, and Ollie Marriage discuss the new car and the controversial rebrand that has caused the internet to erupt in a big way. What does it mean for Jaguar – and for British car culture? Buckle up as the team dives into the drama, debates the design, and has a few laughs along the way.
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42:43
The 2024 Top Gear Awards!
It’s back – the most important automotive event of the year : The Top Gear Awards. This is where we name the best cars in the world, slap shiny TG rosettes on them, and remind you why being a petrolhead is still worth it.
The votes are in, the arguments are down to a low simmer, and the winners? Oh, they’re spicy. This year, we’ve got hybrid hypercars leading the charge (literally), like the Lamborghini Temerario, alongside all-out combustion greatness like the McLaren 750S – think peak V8 madness, distilled and detonated on a track. Meanwhile, SUVs and crossovers are evolving faster than smartphone updates. Hyundai’s ludicrously handsome Santa Fe proves that practical doesn’t have to be boring, while the Dacia Duster answers every question you didn’t know you were asking.
For EV fans, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. The Renault 5 shows it’s possible to blend affordability, nostalgia, and actual personality in a segment that sometimes feels like a kitchen appliance showroom. And if you want a peek into the future? There’s the McMurtry Spéirling – a car so fast it’s basically a legalised warp drive.
So charge your glasses (or plug them in) and raise a toast to the cars, the chaos, and a car industry that refuses to back down. This year’s lineup is as thrilling as ever, and trust us – you’re going to want to hear all about it. So tune in as Jack, Rowan and the two Ollies discuss this year's winners.
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1:05:05
How To Do 282mph… With No Roof
There has never been an open-top version of the Chiron, as there was with the Veyron. But we’re not sad, because rather than merely cutting a hole in the roof to make one, Bugatti has instead given us this: the W16 Mistral.
The jaw-dropping exterior is bespoke, just 99 will be made, and the price for admission is £5m. Production starts right about now, and every single one was sold out before it was revealed to the public back in 2022.
It’s also the last-ever road-going Bugatti to use a W16 engine, before we move on to the V16-powered Tourbillon. And in this case, the quad-turbo, 8.0-litre, W16 engine goes out on a high, in the same 1600hp guise as used in the record-breaking 304mph Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Speaking of which… when the roofless Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse hit 254mph in 2013, it did it with a mere 1200hp. With over a decade of engineering advancements behind it, including an extra 400hp, how fast might the W16 Mistral go?
To find out, Top Gear joined Bugatti at the Papenburg proving ground in Germany, and snuck in a little go of our own. Over to Deputy Editor Ollie Kew, who, in this episode of the Top Gear Magazine Podcast tells Jack Rix, Rowan Horncastle and Ollie Marriage what it's like to be on set of a new World Record attempt.
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A peek behind the scenes at what it’s really like to drive other people’s cars for a living. Car chat, interviews, special guests and games – all brought to you from the team behind the world’s favourite car media brand
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