The Lada Niva is a basic and lightweight 4×4, offering fantastic off-road credentials and bucket loads of charm. On UK roads, however, the Niva isn’t quite so impressive as Andrew Frankel finds out in our quick-fire video round-up. Read the review at http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Lada-Niva-1.7/259446/

The new Mini Coupe JCW is the firm’s latest offering to the Mini line-up. Thanks to improved torsional rigidity, the coupe handles better than the standard hatchback, allowing it to make the most of its turbocharged 211bhp engine. But is it worthy rival to the more established coupes on sale? Here, Matt Prior finds out.

Following on from our teaser video, here’s the full chase video we promised you. We’ve pitched the venerable Porsche GT3 RS against the dizzying McLaren MP4-12C on Rockingham’s tight and twisty track. So which one is the faster car? Here, Steve Sutcliffe finds out.

See the finest performance cars of 2011 in action on video, and find out which of the varied contenders impressed the Autocar judges most, and why.

Richard Bremner drives the Ferrari 458 Spider, the supercar for those who want an ever richer, noisier and more evocative everyday driving experience than the already rich, noisy and evocative 458 Italia berlinetta can provide.

Ginetta G40 raced on track

Can you guess what the 444bhp Porsche 911 GT3 RS is chasing on track? You’ll find out exactly what it is on Friday.

The all-new BMW M5 produces a mind-numbing 552bhp from its twin-turbocharged V8 engine. That’s enough to launch the 1870kg super-saloon to 62mph in just 4.5 sec. Read the full road test at http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/BMW-M5-4.4/260568/

The new BMW M5 F10M in a short bit of action. Taken at the launch of the 4.4 litre V8 bi-turbo in Spain. It’s not a review. That comes later.