Video: Top Gear China pilot episode

To be honest, we’ve got no idea what they’re saying, but it looks as though the established BBC format is alive and well in the newest version of the franchise.

The three hosts are full of energy, with one taking on the leading ‘Clarkson’ role, and The Stig also chips in with a quick cameo appearance.

The production quality falls a long way short of the BBC team, but the lunacy of the challenges is high as ever, with the first sketch pitting a Cadillac SLS against a donkey in a corn-milling contest.

The reasonably priced car was always going to be a cracker from China, and the clumsy-looking silver sedan doesn’t disappoint.

Less clumsy-looking is the BMW M3 Tiger Edition, which is unique to the Chinese market. It gets a good blast around the China team’s test track, and appears to finish second on the leaderboard.

The crowd might only be two-deep, but we think it’s got some potential. It seems faster paced and more spontaneous than Top Gear Australia, and the hosts appear to have some pretty good banter.

Have a look and judge for yourself. If you don’t have 15 minutes to sit through the whole thing, the donkey challenge begins in earnest at 2:18 and the orange M3 Tiger gets going at 10:41.