BMW 1 Series

The new BMW 1-series has just been voted the “2012 Business Car of the Year”, after the readers of BusinessCar magazine and www.businesscar.co.uk chose it as the best product that meets the needs of a company and their drivers alike. 

BMW had a successful awards ceremony, with the German brand also collecting the Manufacturer of the Year prize, plus the Green Model of the Year for the ultra-efficient 320d ED model. There there were also sector wins for the BMW 3-series, BMW 7-series and BMW X5, as well as the BMW-owned Mini hatchback.

“BMW’s impressive and class-leading combination of desirability, efficiency and driving pleasure has again shown itself with this haul of awards, decided by the readers of BusinessCar, proving that the brand is at the forefront of the company car market,” said BusinessCar Editor Paul Barker. “Across the range there is a model for every level of employee, each one offering low tax bills, good running costs and the premium BMW badge. The people running these vehicles and giving them to their staff obviously appreciate the job BMW is doing.”

The BusinessCar Awards are awarded with votes entirely by the readers of the publication and their website, so therefore the BMW range was recognised by the very people that are likely to use the cars on a daily basis. We have the full range of BMW 1 Series models on BMW contract hire on the site now.

For the full list of winners see http://www.businesscar.co.uk/awards

New BMW 5 Series

BMW has announced some changes to its 5 Series executive model with an expansion of the range to eleven, plus the eagerly awaited BMW 520d EfficientDynamics model.  This is bound to be very popular with company car drivers as it offers similar performance to the 320d EfficientDynamics.

The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine offers a combined mpg 62.8, CO2 emissions of  just 119g/km, yet still accelerates the car from 0-62mph in just 8.2 seconds. The car also comes with BMW‘s new ECO-PRO Mode  which offers economical and comfortable driving at low speeds, Auto Start-Stop, Optimum Gearshift Indicator, Brake Energy Regeneration and Active Aerodynamics.

There are also new petrol engines in the rest of the new 5 Series 11-car range and the arrival of the BMW 520i and BMW 528i. Extensive modifications have also been made to the diesel engines in the BMW 530d and BMW 535d, increasing power and fuel efficiency. All the new BMW 5 Series range comes with Drive Performance Control as standard, which allows you to fine tune the ride by selecting Comfort, Sport or Sport+. The new range is detailed below and we should have BMW car leasing on the new models loaded shortly.

* Electronically limited    ** Automatic only

 Other changes to BMW models

In addition to the BMW 5 Series range changes, BMW has also announced the following information and enhancements about other models;

BMW 6 Series diesel

• There are new four-cylinder engines for the BMW Z4.
• The BMW X1 xDrive20d adds an Efficient Dynamics model with CO2 at 119g/km and combined mpg at 62.8.
• A new BMW 3 Series Coupe and Convertible Sport Plus Edition is being launched building on the M Sport trim.
• The new BMW 6 Series now gets a diesel added to the Coupe and Convertible range and an M Sport Specification.
• The 640d Coupe returns 51.4 combined mpg and has CO2 emissions of 144g/km.
• The 640d Convertible returns 50.4 combined mpg and emits 148g/km of CO2.
• There is new equipment to the BMW 7 Series which gets a new version of Night Vision. 

BMW availability

The following list will provide you an update on BMW car availability, courtesy of Inchcape Retail, one of the UK’s largest dealership groups. If you are looking for a new BMW then you may find you have to wait quite a few weeks before your new car arrives, unless you are flexible on your vehicle specification, so it is always best to order early and specify your future delivery date.

BMW stock availability and factory order lead times

BMW 1 Series Convertible and Coupe – low stock with 10 weeks factory order.

BMW 1 Series Hatchback, 3 Series Saloon, 3  Series Coupe, 3 Series Convertible , 3 Series Touring and all 5 Series – low stock availability with an 8 week factory order lead time.

BMW 6 Series- average stock and 8 weeks factory order.

BMW 7 Series- high stock and 10 weeks factory order.

BMW X1 – low stock and 12 weeks factory order.

BMW X3 - high stock and 8 weeks factory order.

BMW X5 – high stock and 12 weeks factory order.

BMW X6 and BMW Z4 – high stock and 10 weeks factory order.

The new BMW 7 Series has arrived reports Compare Contract Hire.com

The launch of the new BMW 7 Series has heralded the arrival of a host of world-first driver and passenger-focussed technologies.  BMW has raised the technological benchmark again with the new model.

New features include;

- Speed Limit Display comes as standard with the optional Lane Departure Warning system.  The system cross-references the GPS navigation system information and  real-world information to constantly monitor the legal speed limit, and relays this information to the driver in the dashboard or, if specified, into the Head-up Display.

- Night Vision is a familiar BMW technology that has been advanced and adapted for the new BMW 7 Series. 

- Pedestrian Recognition.   With Individual Pedestrian Recognition, the system uses video data and algorithms to predict if any pedestrians are behaving abnormally and are likely to move into the path of the car. 

- Side view cameras are a BMW first and are available as an option working alongside the standard Park Distance Control and optional Reversing Assist Camera to assist parking.

- Integral Active Steering (IAS) – is effectively four wheel steering.  IAS offers more direct steering responses and a smaller turning circle at slower speeds while, at higher speeds, delivers a more composed ride.

Contract Hire quotations should be available shortly @ www.comparecontracthire.com or indeed any other make or model of vehicle via our unique contract hire quote engines comparing prices from 12 finance companies.

Ends.