Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Matt LeBlanc isn’t just doing a Friends reunion, he’s also … hosting Top Gear?

By

Top Gear hosts Matt LeBlanc, Chris Evans, The Stig
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Despite reports of some issues behind the scenes, the BBC is still working to launch a new version of Top Gear this May. The network announced radio host and Ferrari enthusiast Chris Evans as the main presenter last year, but now there’s an even more high profile name attached to the rejiggered car show.

Matt LeBlanc will join Evans, “tame racing driver” The Stig, and possibly additional presenters when the show relaunches, Top Gear announced on its website. While he’s best known for playing Joey Tribbiani on Friends, LeBlanc is also a consummate car guy who has appeared on Top Gear before. In those previous appearances, LeBlanc showed that he’s not exactly a slouch behind the wheel.

Recommended Videos

He set the fastest-ever lap for the show’s “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment,” in which celebrity guests lapped the Top Gear track in small economy cars. LeBlanc’s 1:42.1 lap in a Kia Cee’d was never beaten, so when a new version of the Cee’d appeared, then-host Jeremy Clarkson flew him back to compare the two cars back to back. LeBlanc is also hosting a clip show of Top Gear races that will tide fans over until the Evans-led series premieres, and his show Episodes previously aired on BBC Two, the same channel as Top Gear.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Casting LeBlanc definitely changes things up. The previous trio of Top Gear hosts were all automotive journalists who just happened to be good at being on television, but for this version, the BBC is leaning toward entertainers, who just happen to be car fans. That makes sense, as the show didn’t attain its popularity just by focusing on the cars.

And there may be a few automotive celebrities in the mix as well. Top Gear says there will be more news on “additional cast members” shortly, and there have already been reports that Nürburging expert Sabine Schmitz and British automotive journalist Chris Harris will appear on the show. Former Formula One driver David Coulthard is also rumored to have some, unspecified role.

Meanwhile, the previous Top Gear contingent of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May continues to work on a new car show for Amazon. They’ve apparently already wrangled a Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder for one episode, so the Amazon show could give Top Gear a run for its money.

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work
Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Read more
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more
EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says
ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Read more