Autocar magazine 17 October preview

This week’s Autocar stars our first drive review of the McLaren MP4-12C Spider, the second production car from the Woking-based firm’s burgeoning road car department. Driving impressions are embargoed until Wednesday, but readers can get unrivalled insight into the firm’s latest Ferrari challenger from Steve Sutcliffe.

We also have a first test of the new Mercedes A-class against its premium hatch rivals, the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series. Competition in the class has never been closer, and the test throws up a surprise winner and a twist. Read Andrew Frankel’s story in the magazine to discover more.

The full eight-page road test is dedicated to the new Audi RS4, a car that delivers the extremes of compliant touring and near rally replica levels of performance with seeming ease. Other first drive verdicts include the new Renault Clio, Vauxhall Mokka and Bentley Continental GT Speed.

Our news section is led off by the first official pictures of a new Vauxhall, plus full details of the fastest ever Porsche Cayenne, Britain’s new cheapest car, and the lowdown on the next generation Skoda Octavia.

Highlights of our feature section include a four-page investigation in to Ford’s Caterham project car, which is fitted with the firm’s new 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine, and a look at supercar noise levels and how they contribute to the overall ownership experience. Hilton Holloway also takes a trip down memory lane to admire some of Citroen’s greatest past cars, and ponder how they could help shape the company’s future.

James Ruppert kick’s off our used buying section with a look at Mercedes C-class bargains, discovering solid examples can be had from as little as £495. At the other end of the scale, we whet appetites with the discovery that a used Ferrari 599GTB can be now had from £85,000.