SKODA Yeti

The 2011 ownership survey conducted by Which?, the consumer publication, has just reported that SKODA is the most satisfying car brand to own with a top-ranked satisfaction rating of 88.4 per cent. Four Skoda models also made it to the top ten cars (scoring in excess of 94 per cent) with the Yeti at 4th, Superb Estate at 6th and two generations of the Superb Hatch at 9th and 10th.

The Which? Car survey asks owners to rate out of five how satisfied they are with their cars, and how likely they are to recommend them to friends, to then score each car with marks out of 100. This year 52,653 people commented on the 63,727 cars they owned and the survey is the UK’s largest. 

Which? Car Editor, Richard Headland, said,”If you really want to know about cars, ask the experts-the people who drive them every day. Motorists have told Which? Car that they love practical, good value cars, exemplified by SKODA”. If you are interested we have the full range of SKODA car leasing on the site now.

All-new Ford Focus Estate

Ford has reported strong sales of the all-new Ford Focus Estate with 2,000 UK customer order already taken. The new Focus Estate shares the same appeal as the five-door model with a full range of low-CO2 engines and lots of smart technology on offer. The engine range includes the 1.6-litre TDCi 115PS engine which is equipped with Auto-Start-Stop and this is the most popular model to date, accounting for 43 per cent of all sales due to its low CO2 output of 109g/km.

The Focus Estate is practical too, offering a company driver the extra space and flexibililty that may be needed as it is 20cm longer than the five-door, is 10cm wider and has a maximum load capacity of 1,502 litres (in two-seat mode). The all-new Focus Estate comes with over £1,000 of additional standard equipment over the outgoing model including Bluetooth and voice control, USB connection, DAB, Thatcham Category 1 alarm, aluminium roof rails, tonneau cover, driver lumber adjustment and torque vectoring control. Ford car leasing on all models is on the site now.

New Hyundai i40 saloon

Hyundai is unveiling its new “fluidic design” creation, the Hyundai i40 saloon, at the forthcoming Barcelona Motor Show on the 12th May. This is the latest model to follow the new design language after the Hyundai i40 estate, ix35 and ix20.

The new i40 saloon has an attractive sculptured styling, high levels of interior comfort, has a wheelbase of 2.77 metres, best-in-class for front head (1025mm), shoulder( 1455mm), leg room (1170mm) and full vehicle specifications will be announced after launch.

New Ford Focus

The new Ford Focus looks set to continue with the success of this popular model range for Ford, entering the March 11-series plate change, as the UK’s best seller. Shipments of the new five-door Ford Focus are arriving in the UK at a rate of 500 a day, with 55% of these being Zetec models, 25% Titanium and the rest are Edge models. Estate deliveries should be starting next month as well.

Nigel Sharp, Ford of Britain managing director, said,”Our new Ford Focus delivers a level of refinement and comfort, combined with high-tech features and connectivity, not found on a medium volume car. Dealers are ready with enough new Focus stock to keep the car in pole position in the marketplace”. The new Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi diesel powered versions offer over 67mpg and the new EcoBoost turbo petrol engine offers 47mpg, both on the combined cycle. Ford Focus contract hire leasing is on the site now.

Mazda2 Takuya

Mazda is adding the special edition “Takuya” across their range of Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 cars. The Takuya 2011 special edition models are highly specified and have now gone on sale, with a total production run of 3,894 units.

Here is a summary of the standard equipment by range:

Mazda2 Takuya

This new model adds front fog lights, black sports trim, rear electric windows, automatic climate-control-air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, sports headlights, sports styling kit, “Parrot” Bluetooth hands free kit plus a new rear bumper sports trim. This model is powered by a 1.3-litre 84ps engine, accelerating from 0-62mph in 13.6 seconds, returning 55.4 combined mpg and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

Mazda3 Takuya

This larger hatchback boasts 17-inch alloy wheels, sports styling kit, front fog and LED rear lights, plus automatic dusk sensing lights and rain sensing wipers. Inside you get automatic dual-zone climate control air conditioning, black sports interior trim, heated front sports seats, integrated Bluetooth system, six-disc CD changer and leather covered steering wheel and knob. This models offers you 43.5 combined mpg and CO2 emissions from its 105ps 1.6-litre engine.

Mazda6 Takuya

This fleet favourite comes in three engines and derivatives, a 2.0-litre 155ps five-door, 2.2D 163ps five-door and 2.2D 163ps Estate. All three come with 18-inch alloy wheels, sports grille, front fog lights, privacy glass and dusk sensing headlights. Inside you get an alloy pedal set, half-leather heated seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control air-conditioning, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, integrated Bluetooth system and six-disc CD player. Four metallic, mica or pearlescent paint colours are also offered free of charge.

Mazda contract hire leasing on all the new models will be loaded shortly.

Ford Mondeo

The updated Ford Mondeo was awarded Best Family and Estate Car 2011 at the recent What Car? Awards. The model has only been out for a few months and this accolade is a welcome addition to the Ford trophy cabinet. The Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 140PS Zetec picked up the Best Family Car Award and Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of What Car?, said,”The latest Mondeo is a simply a brilliant car-and now even better value. It does everything brilliantly and nothing badly-whether you choose the hatch or estate you’ll be getting a spacious, high quality, affordable car that’s more fun to drive than you’d expect for a family car to be”.

The new Ford Mondeo comes with LED lights, a revised bonnet profile and full chrome window surround, with LED lighting continuing on the inside of the car as well. There is a multi-media DVD system and 265-watt sound system to a lane departure warning and speed limiter also on offer. The new powertrains are extremely efficient with the 1.6-litre TDCi engine, fitted with start-stop, returning as much as 65mpg and with CO2 emissions at just 114g/km it is a low CO2 tax car efficient too.

Prius v hybrid MPV

Toyota has unveiled a new Prius v hybrid five-seater MPV at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which is a full hybrid model powered by Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive. This new hybrid MPV boasts 50% more interior space than a normal Prius hatchback and has 970 litres of loadspace behind the rear seats.

Prius v

The exterior styling has a sleek look with an enlarged lower air intake for improved aerodynamics and cooling. To the rear, the Prius v has a smart tailgate and a roof spoiler to facilitate the flow of air away from the back of the vehicle. The new Prius v is expected to offer some of the best fuel economy ratings of any SUV, crossover or estate but at present is only destined for the US market with no European model planned yet.

New Hyundai i40

Hyundai has announced that their new flagship D-segment car is going to called the i40 and will be launched initially in estate form, with a saloon version following later in 2011. The new i40 looks set to be Hyundai’s most innovative model on sale in Europe using the company’s Blue Drive eco-program and a powertrain line-up which boast “best-in-class” performance, fuel economy and very low CO2 emissions.

The new i40 has been designed at Hyundai’s R&D centre at Russelsheim in Germany and is the company’s first D-segment car to be developed entirely for Europe. Allan Rushforth, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented,”We have bold ambitions for Hyundai in Europe, and the new i40 will provide the momentum we need to achieve our goals in 2011 and beyond. We expect the quality of the new i40 to continue the development of our image in Europe and attract new customers to the Hyundai brand”.

The new Hyundai i40 will benefit from Hyundai’s Five Year Triple Care package that includes a five-year unlimited warranty, five-year roadside assistance and five years of annual health checks. Further details on the new Hyundai i40 will be available after its launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011, with Hyundai business car leasing prices on the site shortly after.

Skoda

Skoda has just been voted as the Best Car Manufacturer by the readers of What Car? magazine. The award-winning manufacturer also fared well in the individual categories with the Octavia placed first in the Small Family car group, the Octavia also came second in the Estates category and the Roomster came fourth in the highly contested MPV class. Finally the innovative Yeti came an impressive fifth in the SUV category and the Fabia had a top ten ranking in the Supermini class.

Skoda has won a variety of awards for its model range this year, including Which? Best car manufacturer of the year 2010 and Best Manufacturer in the 2010 Auto Express Driver Power survey. So before you think about leasing your next car why not have a look at Skoda business car leasing prices too?

New Volkswagen Passat

Following the successful launch at the Paris Motor Show, prices for the new seventh generation Volkswagen Passat have been released. Every Passat car is now badged as a BlueMotion model and comes equipped with battery regeneration and Stop/Start system as standard.

New Passat

The entry level 1.6-litre TDI 105 PS now offers a combined mpg of 65.7 and CO2 emissions of just 114g/km, plus a six-speed manual transmission is fitted for the first time on this model. Three new trim levels are available – S, SE and Sport and an iPod interface and leather multifunction steering wheel is standard on the entry level S model.

All new Passats now have six airbags, ABS, ESP and WOKS (whiplash-optimised head restraints) as standard and the car is available in saloon or estate version, as before. It also promises to be the quietest and most refined version to date with new thicker glass and extra sound deadening. The most popular model is likely to be the SE 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS model and Volkswagen car leasing on the new models will be loaded shortly.

*BMT denotes BlueMotion Technology