Driving Spirit

Fifth Gear Returns In June

After some uncertainty about its future Fifth Gear is set to return to our TV screens on June 3rd.

However, things aren’t quite the same in this new series. For a start the show has a new slot on Channel 5, moving from Monday evenings to 7.30pm on Thursdays. Most of the presenting lineup is the same with Jason Plato, Tiff Needell,Vicki Butler-Henderson and Johnny Smith, but Tom Ford and Tim Shaw have been dropped from the show. While I can’t say I’m sorry to see the back of Tim Shaw, Tom Ford had a down-to-earth approach that made him a bit more likeable than some of the other Clarkson-wannabes.

Check out the highlights for the first show:

Returning to Five this week for its 17th series is the fast-paced motoring magazine show hosted by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato and Jonny Smith. In this episode, Lewis Hamilton gives his verdict on an amazing new supercar, while Tiff and Vicki test out some of the latest super-speedy hatches. Elsewhere, Jason hits the Italian highways in a Ferrari 458 Italia, and Jonny takes a city car challenge.

Down at the track, Tiff and Vicki have been challenged to put four of the nippiest hatchbacks on the market to the test. The Ford Focus SR, the Mégane Renaultsport 250, the Mazda3 MPS and the Volkswagen Scirocco R are seriously hot property, but just how hot? To find out, Vicki and Tiff go head to head in a drag race and timed lap. For the ultimate test, the winning car then goes up against a powerful Porsche Boxster.

Meanwhile, Jonny examines a pair of city cars – the Smart ForTwo and the Toyota iQ. Both vehicles are small, sweet and just right for nipping about town. But are they any better than their iconic predecessor, the original Mini? Jonny completes a series of challenges that pit old against new to find out just how much difference 50 years can make.

Over in Italy, Jason gets behind the wheel of the supercar of the moment – the Ferrari 458 Italia. Valued at a cool £170,000, the Italia boasts stunning looks, breathtaking performance and a 560bhp engine.

Finally, Tiff talks to 2008 F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton about the British supercar threatening to take Ferrari’s crown. Lewis is one of the few people in the world to have driven the groundbreaking McLaren MP4-12C, and he tells Tiff first-hand what the soon-to-be iconic motor has to offer.

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