Nissan Juke-R

Nissan has released some more images of their Nissan Juke-R which is being dubbed as the world’s fastest crossover, taking its lead from the flagship GT-R sports car with its bold styling, power and speed. The Nissan Juke-R packs 480hp from its twin-turbo V6 3.8-litre engine and full testing of the car should happen later this month.

Nissan Juke-R crossover

The Juke-R has large vents at the front in the bumper to provide cooling for the powerful engine with flared wheel arches covering the 20-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels, merging with the sculpted skirting. A dynamic split rear wing adorns the back of the car providing impressive down-force, while twin pentagonal exhausts emit the powerful engine note.

The Juke-R’s cabin is kitted out with twin race seats, full race harness and a race-spec roll cage, GT-R steering wheel,  pedals, dials and a 7-inch touch screen display fitted into the dashboard. The Juke-R is not a production car, but a road-legal concept, with a right-hand and left-hand drive model being made.

If you want to find our more about the Nissan Juke-R then visit the Facebook or YouTube site.

You can’t order the Nissan Juke-R on contract hire but we do have the Nissan Juke 1.6 Acenta on the site on offer from only £146.14+VAT on a two-year contract hire deal, 10,000 miles per annum, non-maintained on a 6+23 rental profile.

Korando crossover

SsangYong is all geared up for its UK re-launch with the new Korando crossover which goes on sale on Monday the 3rd October. The new Korando was designed in Europe by Giugaro for Europe and is available in three trim levels- S, ES and EX. The Korando range also has a choice of two wheel and four wheel drive, with manual and automatic transmission also available.

In addition to the Korando, the Rexton seven-seat off-roader goes on sale as the 270 S with manual or automatic transmission, or the 270 EX with automatic transmission as standard. There is also a commercial variant of the Rexton (the Rexton CS) available with two seats, 2.2 cubic metre load area and either manual or automatic transmission.

Or there is the Rodius MPV available with the 270 S manual, 270 ES in manual or automatic, or the top-of-the-range 270 EX with all-wheel drive and automatic transmission. SsangYong contract hire on all models is on the site now.

Nissan Juke

The Nissan Juke crossover has had revised gear ratio improvements for its best-selling models and will now offer improved fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. The Nissan Juke is another success story for Nissan with over 22,000 Jukes sold in the UK since it was launched back in September 2010 and follows on from the success of the Nissan Qashqai.

Both the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5 dCi diesel drivetrains, with manual transmission, have undergone the optimisation programme with revised gear ratios offering cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars at no extra cost.

The 1.6-litre petrol now returns 47.1mpg on the combined fuel cycle (an improvement of 2.3mpg) and emits just 139g/km of CO2 (a reduction of 8g/km). The 1.5 dCi diesel returns 57.6mpg (up from 55.4mpg) and emits 129g/km of CO2 (a drop from 134g/km). Nissan Juke car leasing is on the site for all models with some great prices on two years contracts as well.

All-new Kia Rio

Kia is planning to show off its all-new Kia Rio at the forthcoming EcoVelocity Low Carbon Motor Festival which is being held at Battersea Power Station, in London, from the 8th to the 11th September.

The new Kia EcoDynamics models will be available to test drive and the Kia Rio 1.1 CDRi “1″ model offers a remarkable 85g/km of CO2 and 88.3mpg, so if you are looking for a low CO2 and fuel efficient car this is definitely one to consider. It has an extremely efficient three-cylinder diesel engine with longer gearing, a stop-start system, low rolling resistance tyres and various aerodynamic tweaks to reduce drag.

In addition to the all-new Kia Rio, Kia will also have the new Picanto city-car on show plus other low-emission versions of the c’eed family hatchback and the Sportage crossover for test drives as well. The newly launched Picanto is now available in three-door as well as five-door for the first time and with its 1.0-litre engine it emits only 99g/km of CO2. If you opt for the 1.25-litre engine combined with Kia’s “Intelligent Stop and Go” stop-start system the CO2 emissions are 100g/km.

The Kia Sportage crossover low-emission model is the 1.7-litre CRDi EcoDynamics turbodiesel which emits 135g/km of CO2 and the c’eed hatchback is the 1.6-litre CRDi turbodiesel (103g/km of CO2) which is also on display. Kia contract hire is available on the site for current models.

New Korando crossover

SsangYong, the Korean manufacturer, is ready to return to the UK with the launch of their new Korando crossover which should be available in September. The brand’s relaunch into the UK follows a recent change to the importer and in addition, SsangYong will also be re-launching the updated versions of the Rexton (rugged 4×4), Rodius (seven-seat MPV) plus the Rexton CV (commercial version) as well.

The new Korando has been designed and styled in Europe by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design, has front-wheel and four-wheel drive models, plus it has a two-tonne towing capacity. It is being pitched against the Hyundai ix35, Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Qashqai and is keenly priced from only £16,995 on-the-road, making it highly competitive.

All models are powered by an advanced 173bhp 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo diesel engine with CO2 emissions from only 157g/km. The car has an “on demand” four wheel drive system and has a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The car trim levels are S or ES in their front wheel drive Korando, or the top of the range EX specification in four wheel drive.

All models comes equipped with cruise control, ESP with Hill Start Assist and reverse parking sensors as standard, which will be a great help when towing. The ES and EX come with the addition of a sunroof, climate control, leather upholstery and heated front and rear seats. SsangYong car leasing prices on all models are on the site.

Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUV

Mazda is unveiling their all-new Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUV at the forthcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. This “new generation” Mazda car is built around SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and has a new chassis, body, engine and transmission and is targeting CO2 emissions from around 120g/km.

The engine line-up for the all-new CX-5 will include Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0 gasoline engine and SKYACTIV-D 2.2 diesel engine, which will be available in both Standard Power and High Power versions. The new Mazda CX-5 is also the first Mazda car to showcase the new “KODO-Soul of Motion” design theme which includes a new frontal treatment with a bolder Mazda family face.

Mazda will also show the upgraded Mazda3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show as well as the latest models in their car range, namely Mazda2, Mazda5, Mazda6, Mazda MX-5 and Mazda CX-7, all of which are on the site now on Mazda contract hire.

New Citroen DS4

The new Citroen DS4 has already been voted “Most Beautiful Car of the Year” by more than 60,000 web users in 62 countries and it is now officially going on sale on the 4th July. There are three trim levels available - DSign, DStyle and DSport with a range of five Euro 5 compliant engines.

This is second model in the DS line (after the DS3) and Citroen is targeting the sector between coupes, hatchbacks and crossovers. Cars such as the Volkswagen Scirocco, Renault Megane Coupe, Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic Hatch, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 Sportback and crossovers such as the Nissan Qashqai and MINI Countryman are in the DS4′s sights.

Rear-view Citroen DS4

The car looks like a sleek coupe but it has 5-door flexibility and a raised stance. Eye-catching lines are enhanced by a chrome finished waistline, dark tinted windows, rear spoiler and stylish 19-inch alloys in scupltured wheel arches. Three full-size rear seats are on offer and the boot has a large 359 litre capacity, which increases to 385 litres using the under floor storage.

The cabin oozes comfort in a premium environment with high-quality cabin materials, drilled aluminium pedals, embossed door handles and a choice of five leather combinations. There is also a large panoramic windscreen offering enhanced occupant visibility and a bright and welcoming environment. The colour of the instrument dials and cluster can also be changed to further refine the driving experience.

Engine options are two diesels- HDi 110 and HDi 160 and three BMW co-developed petrol engines- VTi 120, THP 155 and a new THP 200. The THP 200 offers a top speed of 146 mph (where permitted), a 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds, CO2 emissions of 149g/km and a combined mpg of 44.1. The HDi 110 is also available in an e-HDi option which uses Stop & Start (plus micro-hybrid techology) to boost fuel economy by 15% in city driving conditions, with CO2 emissions at just 110g/km.

The Ds4 has lots of safety features including ESP with Intelligent Traction Control, ABS with EBD and EBA, six airbags and two Isofix mountings on the rear seats. Other safety offerings include Citroen’s new blind-spot monitoring system, programmable cruise control and a speed limiter. Citroen business car leasing is on the site now on all models.

Infiniti ETHEREA

Infiniti, the luxury Japanese car manufacturer, has released the first images of their ETHEREA concept car which makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The ETHEREA is 4.4m long and is compact, space efficient and practical thanks to an innovative access arrangement and mechanical layout. The new ETHEREA is being targeted at younger buyers who are looking for a luxury car that combines the blend elements of a coupe, saloon, hatchback and crossover in one near-mono volume form.

Infiniti ETHEREA

New Vauxhall Antara

Vauxhall has updated the Antara for 2011 with a fresh exterior look and new powertrain line-up with high efficiency engines. The new engine line-up comprises two Euro V diesel units powered by a 2.2 CDTi unit with two output levels. The 163PS is the entry unit offering you front or all-wheel drive, manual or automatic transmission, CO2 emissions  of 167g/km and fuel consumption of 44.8 mpg. This model reaches 0-60mph in 9.9 seconds and has a top speed of 117mph.

The 184PS model is standard with all-wheel-drive and has a 0-60 time of 9.6 seconds, top speed of 124mph, CO2 emissions of 175g/km and a combined mpg of 42.8. Both models have a new chassis set up that combines driving involvement and agility to provide a more supple ride, plus the cars now have speed-sensitive power steering as well.

Rear load space

Safety refinements include improvements to the ABS system and the standard fitting of Hill-Start-Assist (HSA) which prevents you rolling back on an incline. The new models also get 17-,18- or 19-inch alloy wheels (depending on the model) plus the refreshed interior offers new instrument graphics, electric parking brake, and a new leather trim option called Light Titanium. We hope to load Vauxhall contract hire leasing prices on the 2011 model shortly.

Peugeot 3008

The Peugeot 3008 has been awarded the title of Crossover of the Year at the What Car? Awards last night. This practical crossover has a host of useful driving aids, including Grip Control, Dynamic Roll Control, Head-up Display, Distance Alert and automatic electric parking brake with Hill Assist.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief, of What Car? said,”So, last year’s “Car of the Year” rules the roost again in the increasingly competitive Crossover category. The 3008 offers levels of class and comfort that rivals can’t match and,with the 1.6 THP engine under the bonnet, it’s great fun to drive too”.