Fifth Gear

World snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan asked Fifth Gear to help him choose a new car to spend his winnings on, so Vicki takes him out onto the track in a Mercedes C63 AMG and a BMW M3. Tiff and Jason put the Mitsubishi Evo X FQ300 and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi head-to-head on the track. Tom tests Ford’s new SUV, the Kuga, by driving it on snow, road and mud. Jonny investigates if cars are worth more as scrap than as a functioning car. Tiff tries out the world’s first underwater car, the Rinspeed Squba, which was inspired by James Bond’s white Lotus Esprit in “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

Tim investigates why it can cost up to £200 just to change a headlight bulb on a Renault Mégane. Vicki spends a day with Lewis Hamilton at the Brooklands Motoring Festival. Jonny sees what kinda car you can get if you swore off drinking alcohol for 3 years and saved the money instead. Jason goes powersliding in the new Porsche 911 GT2. Tom drives the new Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, crash tests a second-hand convertible in a rollover crash. Shootout: Tiff puts the latest Mazda RX-8 against the Nissan 350Z.

F1 driver Jarno Trulli tries to get the most out of the hybrid Toyota Prius. Jason Plato pits the Volkswagen Passat R36 against the Audi A4 3.0 TDi in a contest of petrol power and diesel torque. Tim Shaw tests the acceleration claims of a range of performance motors. Tiff Needell competes with world speedway champion Jason Crump in a race of car versus bike.

Tim shows some loopholes in the new 2009 UK car tax code. Jonny sees if the new Volkswagen Passat CC can match the Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 in terms of refinement. Tom drives the new seemingly-pointless BMW X6. Jonny examines the new Citroen Berlingo Multispace’s practicality by turning it an ice cream van at an amusement park. Vicki heads to the Goodwood Festival of Speed to race the electric Tesla Roadster and the Breckland Beira. Tiff in the crazy KTM X-Bow. Shootout: Jason pits the Honda Civic Mugen RR, imported from Japan, against the Honda S2000.

Tiff and Jason put the BMW M3 and the Lexus ISF head-to-head to see which is faster and more exciting with some help from some girls. Tom sees if the new Subaru Forester is as good as the Land Rover Freelander 2, the benchmark in small SUVs. Bruno Senna, nephew of F1 driver Ayrton Senna, is a special guest presenter this week and compares the Porsche 911 Turbo to the Nissan GT-R on the track. Vicki participates in the Subaru convoy in tribute to the late Colin McRae. Tom drives the Dodge Challenger SRT-8. Jason teaches John Prescott to drive a race spec Jaguar XKR. Shootout: Vicki in the Vauxhall Astra Nurburgring and the Ford Focus ST.

Tom drives the new Volkswagen Scirocco around Wales. Jonny compares the Hyundai i800 to the Chrysler Grand Voyager. Tim investigates people who call up car sellers offering to help sell their car for a fee. Jason teaches Moto GP star James Toseland to drift in the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Jonny finds out if new Jeep Wrangler is better or worse than a Willys Jeep from World War II. Tiff attempts to set an alternative-powered quarter mile record in a Lotus Exige 270E TriFuel. Shootout: Vicki in the brand new Porsche Boxster RS60 Spyder and a last-generation Porsche 911 Carrera 2.

Jonny updates a Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2 to more modern standards. Tim compares how different prices tires affect stopping distances. Tom drives the new Mk7 Ford Fiesta. Simon Pavey puts Tiff and Vicki through a series offroad motorcycle challenges. Jonny helps Light Welterweight boxer Ricky Hatton restore his Reliant Robin van used in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses.

Vicki tests the new Honda Jazz by using it as a support vehicle for The Tour of Britain, one of the United Kingdom’s biggest cycling events. Tim finds out if he can service a modern car instead of paying to have a dealership do it. Tom compares Renault’s new Laguna GT sporting four wheel steering to the Ford Mondeo. Tiff and Jason race head-to-head in seriously quick go-karts. Tom checks out the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth, a little hot hatch. Jonny with help from Dirk “Face” Benedict of the A-Team compare a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class to a second hand one. Jason sees if the top pilot of the Blue Eagles helicopter aerobatics squad is as good in a car as he is in his Lynx helicopter.