If there’s one amazing thing about Top Gear, it’s that, like the most loyal of dogs, it always manages to come back. Mr. Richard Hammond starts off the show this year by choosing a vehicle a bit more out of the ordinary for the show. It’s an armored vehicle called the Marauder, and it’s the South African equivalent to a legal tank. Weighing in at almost 11 tons and costing the same as a Rolls Royce Phantom, the Marauder is an absolute giant used mainly in peacekeeping missions for NATO. Underscoring the visuals beautifully with some of the TRON: Legacy soundtrack, Richard demonstrates the pure strength of the vehicle by effortlessly driving through brick walls and then blowing the car up with 7 pounds of plastic explosive. And who doesn’t love a good old fashioned explosion? The Marauder survived all tests with flying colors, but let’s just say that the H3 they were comparing it against didn’t handle the explosion so well.

Yet Jeremy is always looking for the faster and more nimble side of things, so what we get out of him is a classic style review of a sports car. The ride in question is the new BMW M1, based on the new 2-door 1 series vehicles. The BMW M class is a time tested formula that’s only getting better with age, so not only is it absolutely stunning looking it’s amazing to see how impressed with the car Jeremy is. He actually says, “I haven’t driven something this perfect since the original (Golf) GTI.” Which, if you know his fondness for the GTI, is an incredibly huge statement. And if that’s not enough for you, the M1 is the same lap time around the test track as the M3.

Now over here in America, I’m usually forced to skip over the “Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car” segment, usually due to the fact that I am unfamiliar with about 90% of famous Britons. This episode luckily presented a man with an international fame, Mr. Alice Cooper himself. Alice is known for being incredibly humble, smart, and kind and his interview comes off as equally warm. The interview is spent most of the time telling stories of the glorious pasts of the ’70s and Motor City-era Detroit, which are extremely entertaining topics of conversation. While Alice’s lap time is not great at all, he still proves he’s not only fascinating, but a gentleman.

Wrapping up an already solid episode is a split segment, started by James and ending with Jeremy. While I love all of the outrageous tests they do for the sake of entertainment, Top Gear is has also recently being doing mini-documentaries. Segments like these are done so elegantly, evoking a grand sense of history and tradition, they are easily becoming my new favorites. James got the short end of the stick on his segment this episode, doing a short retrospect on the history of the Mini Cooper in Rally. Tame compared to Jeremy’s segment, which had him throwing one of the grandest celebrations in the show’s history in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type. The E-Type has been known through history as a staple of British motoring, and as such was rewarded with an epic celebration of heritage and country. A grand ending for a grand first episode, but it really makes you wonder how they’re going to match it.