Bought this for my kid as nice pull-back racer. I have not seen the new Volvo digger yet, but for now it is the best 2014 set.

Box/Instructions
Simple small scale box with instruction booklet for the main racer. You can download a second model: you need to have the 42027 Desert Racer set as well to build it.

Parts
This set has a nice collection of parts. New ones are the tiny 2x5 orange wings (2 sets), the orange cross/round connectors (4x), and a weird new mini-worm wheel (#6055555), not used in the main set. It probably is needed for the combined big second model although 42027 also contains one.
Next to the new parts, you get a good amount of orange beams and black wings (2 3x5 sets and 2 3x7 sets).

Aesthetics
The champion racer looks awesome. Leave it without stickers, it is super cool without them already. The black with orange is spot on, the black rims finish it.

The Build
The building experience is good fun. I even think Lego Technic is more inviting for young builders than normal Lego City stuff. My nearly 4 year old boy builds it completely himself now after 2 times with little assistance. Try that with a big Lego City truck like the Cement Mixer. And once finished it is a lot less frustrating when the 2 year old wants to play with it. This racer won't brake, the Lego City cars are falling apart all the time.

The Completed Model
The car is very fun to drive around. The pull back motor works great, and you can even get it to do wheelies. It can do around 10m on a pull and is accurate on straight lines. It can hit the wall often without breaking. Only flimsy part is the rear wing. It never bumps into something first though. One slight flaw: the tires are too thin. This means on a hard floor, the bottom gets scratched, and on a carpet or stone floor the grip is too little. I suggest to replace the rear tires with the slightly bigger ones (part# 4184286).

Summary
The Champion Racer is a must buy for the 2014 line up. Great looks, nice entry to Technic and great fun to play with.