Autocar magazine 9 January preview

This week's Autocar gives the exclusive inside line on a new front-drive, £15,000 roadster from BMW. Tentatively called the Z2, it is part of a 23-strong line-up of BMW and Mini cars that could be run off the firm's new front-drive UKL platform, and Autocar has the first details on them all.

Other news includes the first images of the new Mercedes CLA, which have leaked out in a sales brochure ahead of its unveil at the Detroit motor show, the latest news on Caterham's sports car ambitions and analysis of the UK's rising car sales in 2012. Taking the new Vauxhall Adam as inspiration, we also investigate what difference a car's name can make to its sales success.

Our drives are led off by Steve Sutcliffe's comparison of the new Maserati Quattroporte and the Jaguar XJ, with the British car's credentials as the best driver's car in the class put under serious threat. The first drive review section is led by the Caterham R600, plus a first UK drive of the Bentley Continental GT Speed, the UK verdict of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4, a UK drive of the new Kia Sorento and a first test of the facelifted Mitsubishi ASX.

The full eight-page road test puts the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake under the microscope, delivering the verdict on whether the style-led estate measures up against the opposition.

In our bumper features section, Andrew Frankel takes a look at the brilliant-to-drive cars that could make you money in the long-term, taking a trip down memory lane in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and then making predictions for potential future classics. Matt Prior visits Radical to get the lowdown on its new Le Mans-inspired RXC road car, while Steve Cropley names the alternative must-do events in the motorsport calendar, in an amusing and informative feature entitled 'Not the British Grand Prix'.

Cars on our fleet reviewed this week include the Caterham Seven Supersport, Ginetta G40R, Seat Mii, Range Rover Evoque and Mazda CX-5, while bargain hunters can find out how to pick up a Citroën C5 family runaround from as little as £350.