Electronic Multi Purpose Gauge Rampage 791005 on 2040-parts.com

Autoweek's 2014 Best of the Best Finalists -- sneak peek

Every year, as hundreds of new cars and trucks pass through our fleet for evaluation, we are always on the lookout for those dazzling few deserving more careful scrutiny for our top honors, the Autoweek Best of the Best. It's down to three cars and three trucks that our regular readers quickly will recognize in the video above, designed to whet your appetite as we get further along in the judging. We'll be bringing you full details on our Best of the Best/Car and Best of the Best/Truck finalists in the coming days, along with updates as we get closer to announcing our winners in the December 23 issue of Autoweek.

New VW Golf R Mk 7 costs from £29,900 in the UK

The new VW Golf R (pictured) costs from £29,900 The best of the MK 7 Golfs – the new Golf R – arrived back in August ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with Volkswagen telling us it would go on sale in early 2014. But it’s actually on sale now, a few weeks early. At £29,900 (for the 3-door with 6-speed manual), the Golf R is a sensible price ( at least in comparison to VW’s truly silly price for the MK 6 Golf R Cabrio – which they subsequently dropped by more than £5k) and undercuts the similar Audi S3.

Citroen C4 Picasso five-seat

This is the new five-seat version of the C4 Picasso following the seven-seat model shown at the Paris Motor Show, which will now to be known as the Grand C4 Picasso. Naturally enough then, the two cars will compete with the standard and Grand Renault Scenics, the new Citroen C4 Picasso also tackling the handsome Volkswagen Golf Plus. The C4 Picasso shares its front half with its bigger stablemate while the rear has become more fastback in style, blackened pillars and dipping beltline also reminding of the Citroen C-Sportlounge concept.