‘Top Gear’ Episode 3 recap | It’s hearse time

Episode 3 of “Top Gear“ season 27 just finished up, and this hour was one hell of a ride. Freddie rolled a hearse! Yes, it’s the scene we watched in this season’s trailer time and time again. Only, we got to see the aftermath of the accident with Chris, Freddie and Paddy this time.

There were plenty of hooligan-esque acts performed before the rolling, though. The whole premise of the show was to see if an old hearse was a good family car or not. Is that more than a bit ridiculous? Well yes, it is. But that’s “Top Gear” for you.

Chris reviewed the Dallara Stradale, which is Dallara’s first road car. It’s not exactly road-friendly, but the 395 horsepower from its Focus RS-derived 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder looks to be more than enough power. In a vehicle that weighs around 2,000 pounds, that much power gets lethal quick. Dallara is one of those nebulous companies you don’t hear much about outside of racing circles, though, so it was great to see the car featured for a full-length review.

We enjoyed the celebrity challenge with Mike and Zara Tindall more than the previous week. Having to slice through some rather dangerous-looking metal poles at high speeds looks fun, so long as you don’t mess up too terribly. Both of them did a bang-up job hustling the Toyobaru around the “Top Gear” test track, too.

Seeing the hearse transform into the “Overtaker” was a great move. Dropping a big Lexus V8 with a loud exhaust was just what that car needed. It’s still a hearse, but it’s a cool hearse now. The boys put it up against a Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon, which it promptly lost to in a race. Who would’ve thought that? Then Freddie absolutely destroyed it when rallying through Wales. Somehow, nobody got injured in that roll.

They half-fixed it for one final destruction-derby style oval track race, but Paddy ended up losing to Sabine Schmitz, who was in an old Volvo wagon. Yes! Sabine Schmitz finally made it into season 27 of “Top Gear.” Episode 4 is going to air next Sunday, which means the new season is already halfway over. Warming up to the new hosts yet?