Need for Speed: Rivals customisation and pre-order bonus detailed, new class teased

Need for Speed: Rivals has lots of news to share today; a new police class is coming, there's a special pre-order bonus, police players will unlock increasingly flashy cars, and there are a couple of screens showing custom vehicles.

In a post on the Need for Speed website, lead designer James Mouat said cutomisation is vital to Need for Speed: Rivals' AllDrive mode - it helps you recognise friends on the open road of Redview County.

Racers can pretty their cars up with all sorts of logos and colours, but those who choose the cop faction have more limited choices - a selection if different versions of police vehicles, which unlock depending on which class you play. You can see examples from both factions in the screens below.

Of the already announced classes, Patrol cars are easiest to unlock, with RCPD livery and general performance stats. Enforcer vehicles have higher damage, and "a more elite styled RCPD livery to reflect their bad-ass status". In either case, your car stands out amongst rookie vehicles.

Ghost Games has promised to unveil a new police class in addition to Patrol and Enforcer; keep an eye on EA's gamescom briefing at 8:00AM PT August 20 to find out more; you'll be able to watch right here on VG247.

Finally, if you pre-order the racer anywhere you'll score the Ultimate Cop Pack, but various retailers are offering further bonuses including the Ultimate Racer Pack. This add-on grants you access to the SRT Viper Time Attack, the custom Colorful Dream livery and a bonus allotment of banked Speed Points.

A spiritual successor to Need for Speed: High Stakes the open-world Need for Speed: Rivals arrives on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November, with PS4 and Xbox One versions to follow.