IN THE SHOWROOM . . .

Bentley Continental GT Speed

Prices £137,500

On sale in UK Bentley is taking orders now, with first deliveries by the end of the year

What’s different? For those who found the 552bhp Continental GT lacking power, an extra £17,000 now buys a 600bhp Speed version, whose 202mph top speed makes it the first Bentley to officially top the double ton. The 0-60mph time also improves, by 0.3sec to 4.3sec. Tauter suspension and weight reduced by 35kg improve cornering, and consumption and emissions are improved by around 3.5%

Why should I care? Because this is the first significant tweak to the Continental GT since its 2004 launch. Incidentally, the standard car continues in production

Consider also Aston Martin DB9 £109,750, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti £182,952, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG £103,552

JUST ANNOUNCED . . .

Mini Clubman

Prices £14,235-£17,210

On sale in UK November

What’s different? It is, for want of a better description, a Mini estate, although it looks more like a stretch Mini with its longer wheelbase, 8cm extra rear legroom and a much bigger boot accessed via a vertically split tailgate. It will be available in Cooper, Diesel and Cooper S guises for about £1,200 more than the standard Minis on which it is based

Why should I care? The name is inaccurate: the original Mini estates were the Traveller and Countryman, while the Clubman was an upmarket version of the standard car. The new Clubman is for motorists who passed up the Mini because they couldn’t get their children in the back or luggage in the boot. As such, it should prove popular

Consider also Nissan Note £9,990-£13,590, Volkswagen Golf Estate £14,347-£20,417, Mercedes-Benz A-class £13,892-£21,777