The Grand Tour Returns September 4 With Three New Hosts

The Grand Tour returns September 4 with six episodes and a new trio: James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois.

The Grand Tour will begin a new chapter on September 4 with six episodes, three replacement hosts and the same travel-heavy automotive format that made the program a global attraction. James Engelsman and Thomas Holland, the Canadian pair behind Throttle House, will share the screen with British creator Francis Bourgeois. The change matters to vehicle enthusiasts because the show is not simply adding a guest: it is rebuilding its on-camera identity after the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

A complete handoff, not a reunion special

Engelsman, Holland and Bourgeois are the permanent presenting team for this run. Engelsman and Holland already work as a duo reviewing cars and mixing road tests with comedy. Bourgeois arrives from a different corner of transportation culture. He built a large following through his enthusiasm for trains, and he has described himself publicly as both a railway enthusiast and a mechanical engineer.

That combination gives the production three distinct viewpoints: two presenters accustomed to explaining vehicle behavior and one personality associated with mechanical curiosity beyond automobiles. It also creates the central question surrounding the return: can a new group establish its own rhythm without imitating the chemistry of the previous trio?

The transition has been developing for months. The three incoming hosts were identified in February, when a promotional video showed Clarkson reviewing potential replacements and giving the selected team his approval. The September launch is therefore the first full test of a handoff that has already been publicly framed as a continuation rather than a remake with the former cast.

Six episodes will arrive on the same day

All six episodes are scheduled to become available on September 4, allowing viewers to watch the season at their own pace. The announced itinerary keeps the program's familiar mix of road travel, unusual assignments and performance machinery. Planned segments include crossing the Angola desert in dedicated track cars, exploring car culture in Malaysia, testing current performance vehicles in California and taking on a challenge built around one country's legal system.

Those settings are more than scenery. Desert travel tests cooling, tires, dust protection and vehicle preparation. A look at Malaysian car culture can show how local rules, tastes and available machinery shape what drivers build and use. California provides a natural stage for new performance technology, but it also places vehicles inside one of the most tightly regulated automotive markets in the United States. The legal-system challenge suggests that local rules will again become part of the story rather than remaining in the background.

What this means for truck and pickup enthusiasts

This is an entertainment launch, not a recall, a regulation change or a freight-rate report. Operators should not make a purchase or maintenance decision from a television test alone. Still, automotive programs can introduce audiences to engineering ideas, accessories, terrain strategies and vehicle platforms that later appear in everyday pickups and work vehicles.

The useful approach is to separate the spectacle from the specification. A vehicle that performs well in a filmed challenge may have been modified, supported by a production crew or driven under conditions that do not match a working route. Before copying a setup, verify payload, towing capacity, axle ratings, tire load index, cooling requirements, warranty limits and whether the modification is legal where the truck is registered and operated.

What road professionals should check

• Release access: Check the local Prime Video listing before September 4 because availability and launch time can differ by territory.
• Vehicle details: When a model or modification catches your attention, confirm the exact trim, powertrain and equipment used on screen.
• Tires and terrain: Desert or off-road performance does not replace checking pressure, load rating, tread condition and heat limits for a real route.
• Legal fit: Verify emissions, lighting, suspension, bumper and equipment rules before applying an idea shown in another state or country.
• Work suitability: Compare any featured pickup with the payload, towing and uptime demands of the job rather than judging it only by speed or appearance.

A demanding reset for a familiar name

The new season carries a difficult assignment. Longtime viewers associate the name with the timing and personalities of Clarkson, Hammond and May, while the replacement team needs room to create something recognizable as its own. The six-episode, all-at-once release will let audiences judge that balance quickly.

For trokeros, shop owners and pickup fans, the best reason to watch is curiosity: new machines, different transportation cultures and the practical details hidden beneath large-scale challenges. Treat the program as a starting point for questions, not as a service manual. Readers looking for real-world truck care, parts and repair support can visit The Truck Savers. Entertainment can spark an idea; specifications and preventive maintenance determine whether that idea belongs on the road.

Original source(s)

Car and Driver Trucks: The Grand Tour return details
Prime Video UK & IE: official September 4 announcement