Top Gear USA->ke3704 is back for its second season and, after watching the first two episodes of The Car Show->ke3905, we were hoping it would start off with a bang. Unfortunately, it was more like a muffled beep.

The only segment in the first episode of the season was a series of challenges trying to convince viewers that pick-up trucks could be replaced by two-door models. The guys ended up choosing a Ford Maverick, a BMW 335E, and a Mazda Miata as their specimens. The challenges were a bit eventful and a little humorous, but overall a bit disappointing.

Maybe Top Gear USA was trying to move away from the mirror image segments from the original Top Gear->ke1860, but this path was not the right one. We just hope that the next episode adds a bit more oomph because, for the first episode of the season, we thought more could have been done to convince viewers that this was the car show to watch.

Hit the jump for all the details on Top Gear USA Season 2->ke3894 Episode 1

Finding a Replacement for Pick-Up Trucks

With gas prices continually on the rise, the trio from Top Gear USA were dead set on finding a replacement vehicle for the good ol' fashioned pick-up truck. Since 14% of pick-up sales occur in Texas, the boys headed down south to prove that regular vehicles could pull the weight.

The First Challenge: 250 Miles

The guys had $2,000 apiece to purchase two-door vehicles for the competition. Adam Ferrara arrived with a Ford Maverick, Tanner Foust chose a BMW 335E, and Ruttledge Wood went sporty with a Mazda Miata->ke1185. The first leg of the competition had them driving 250 miles to Running R Ranch. We wouldn't expect these oldies to make the drive perfectly, so we weren't surprised when Ferrara's Ford broke down.

After fixing the Ford->ke31 with a couple of shoelaces, the guys finished the trip and arrived at the ranch. Their job there was to herd 100 cattle a distance of 20 miles. Tanner inevitably got bored and started drifting and Ruttledge got his girly Mazda->ke53 stuck in the mud. Surprisingly, Foust was able to use his BMW to pull Ruttledge out of the mud. Of course, he suffered and ended up cutting a fuel line which he then taped up and moved on.

The Second Challenge: Hauling Manure

After completely the herding duty, the boys had to transport crop food - aka manure. The boys had to modify their vehicles for this shitty job and the most entertaining modification came from Tanner Foust. He decided that there was no way he was going to ride along with a big pile of shit so he attached big plastic buckets to the exterior of the vehicle so the manure could be transported on the outside of the car. The BMW->ke178 looked like a limping pack mule and the concept was a fail. Of course, his concern was not in the amount of manure being transported, but in how much he could torture the other two during the challenge.

Ferrara and his Ford Maverick ended up winning the manure challenge, but at that point, we really didn't care.

The Third Challenge: Monster Trucks

The last challenge had the guys heavily modifying their vehicles to take part in a Monster Truck race. The final products looked pretty badass, but we're not sure it made up for the previous lackluster challenges. The highlight of this segment was when Adam Ferrara's Maverick caught on fire. Tanner and Ruttledge ended up racing each other, but Ruttledge lost a tire and Tanner ended up winning the solo race.

Wrapping It Up

The first episode of the second season of Top Gear USA was rather disappointing. Let's face it, the manure challenge fit this episode perfectly because the episode was pure crap.

Make sure you check in with us next week as we move on to Season 2 Episode 2 of Top Gear USA, while praying that this season gets better. In the meantime, let us know what you think of this episode in the comments section below.