'Top Gear' Season 29 Episode 3: Hosts ruin their hire cars, say the moral is 'do be gentle, it is a rental'
Spoilers for 'Top Gear' Season 3 Episode 3
Chris Harris, Paddy McGuiness and Freddie Flintoff are back in another fun-filled episode where for once, all three of them are culprits as they trash their rental cars in Cyprus in their attempt to find the best hire car. With 30 euros to spend, Paddy picks up a Ford Focus, while a KIA Picanto for Harris and a Suzuki Jimny for Flintoff see them go through a series of challenges to determine the final outcome.
The Picanto is a delight in bustling traffic conditions. Add some extra heating in the car interior, it still relishes the challenge despite making it horribly uncomfortable for the driver. Harris finds out the hard way as the episode shows him struggle. The Focus does one better with some expert driving by Paddy and breaks the Picanto's record, while the Jimny takes the longest time.
Next up is the ski challenge where the cars are being used as water ski with two ropes to test speed. Harris wins the round and Flintoff finishes second while Paddy is unable to complete the task. The third is when they head up to the hills and race down a ski slope with an additional load attached to the cars to see how they fare. The Focus makes the cut better, but in the process, all three cars take quite the battering and the trio take their rides back to the airport with guilt on their faces.
While it is enough for even the audience to feel bad about the damage done to the cars, the rental store owner practically flips when he sees the cars in shambles. Harris does try to make the situation lighter, but it only helps to a certain degree. Episode 3 is an enjoyable watch and by the looks of the Focus just might be the one to prefer if a hire car is on your mind. And if there is one takeaway message, it's from Flintoff: "Do be gentle, it is a rental."
'Top Gear' Season 29 airs Sundays at 8 pm ET on BBC America.