Euro NCAP crash test

Although Geely will not enter the UK market until the end of 2012, the Chinese manufactured Geely Emgrand EC7 has just undergone its Euro NCAP safety testing and has been awarded four stars. The other car models picking up four stars at the same time, were the Jaguar XF, Renault Fluence ZE, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Fiat Panda and MG6 so the Emgrand EC7 is in good company.

When the Emgrand EC7 arrives in the UK it will come with the choice of two body styles, four door saloons and five-door hatchbacks, with a choice of 1.5- or 1.8-litre petrol engines, with an automatic version for the 1.8-litre versions. The car will be priced competitively from around £10,000 and all models will come with  a five-year, 100,000 miles warranty.

Geely Auto UK is in the process of  recruiting its dealer network in readiness for sales to begin by the end of next year and the Euro NCAP results are a major step forward for the brand.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP’s Secretary General said,”These results mark a milestone for the Chinese automotive industry. It is a clear sign that Chinese car makers are building on recent experiences and rapidly investing in better vehicle safety. Even with the upcoming increased demands, five stars are expected to be within reach soon”.

Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel

A Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel, driven by a British team of drivers, has just crossed 11 States in North America covering 2,884 miles, three time zones and returning an average 62.9mpg over the epic journey. This journey is the equivalent of driving from London to the Sahara desert and the Jaguar XF only required four stops for fuel.

The XF 2.2 Diesel was a right hand drive model and the car maintained an average speed of 53mph from coast to coast, visiting the busy roads exiting New York, encountered road works, high winds and a climb to 7,275 feet above sea level.  The car however has all the attributes of a luxury Jaguar car and seats five adults in comfort, is equipped with leather trim as standard, reaches 0-62mph in just 8 seconds and on to a top speed of 140mph where permitted.

Paul Alcock, XF Project Manager was on the trip throughout and commented,”This project was designed primarily to test the potential economy of the XF 2.2. The incredible figures achieved by the car were accomplished through making every element of the new XF as efficient as possible – from its aerodynamics to its four-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel engine linked to an eight-speed gearbox. The whole XF team is incredibly proud of what’s been achieved and it’s a graphic demonstration of the strength, engineering integrity and efficiency of the car”.

Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia

The Nissan Qashqai has just been awarded the title of “What Car? Used Car of the Year 2011” with the British built car being praised for its styling, price, family-friendly cabin, Euro NCAP 5-star safety rating, low running costs, comfortable ride and dependability.

In addition, the Jaguar XF won the award for the best used car in the Executive and Luxury class, beating off rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The winners in their respective sectors are listed below and the seven-strong What Car? judging panel was made up from all areas of the motor industry, including car dealerships, British Car Auctions, Warranty Direct, Lex Autolease and experts from What Car?

They looked at a number of factors when considering buying a used car including running costs, reliability, driveability, quality, longevity, safety features and desirability. Don’t forget if you are thinking of buying a used car to also consider the new MoT rules that come into effect on the 1st January 2012, as items like ESC (Electronic Stability Control) will now form part of the MoT test and repair costs for used cars may become more costly with these features.

What Car? Used Car Winners

• Supermini – Ford Fiesta 1.25i Style+ 5-door
• Small family car – Nissan Qasqhai 1.6 Visia
• Family car – Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Zetec 5-door
• Estate – Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI SE
• MPV – Ford S-Max 2.0 TDCi Zetec
• SUV – Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTD CDX 7-seater
• Executive and luxury – Jaguar 2.7D V6
• Sports car – Porsche Boxster 2.7
• Green car – Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI SE 5-door

Overall winner- Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia.

If you are a small business and may be looking at buying a used Nissan Qashqai, you might also be interested in leasing a brand new one? We have the Nissan Qashqai 1.5dCi Acenta 110bhp 5-door on the site now on Nissan Qashqai car leasing from only £185.59+VAT per month. This is based on a 2-year contract, 6 rentals in advance, 10,000 miles per annum and non-maintained car leasing.

Jaguar

Jaguar has announced that it is set to partner The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as the Official Vehicle Supplier for a four year deal. This will see England’s contracted cricketers drive Jaguar XJ, XK or XF models. Jaguar is also forming two additional partnerships with the Professional Cricketers Association and UK’s Test match venues ,to provide in stadia branding and exclusive opportunities to showcase its cars.

Geoff Cousins, Jaguar UK managing director, said: “Jaguar like English Cricket has been transformed in recent times so the timing and fit is perfect for this new partnership. Just as England has been winning on a world stage, Jaguar’s new range of XF, XK and the stunning new XJ are now regularly beating the best in the automotive world”.

Diesel Car Magazine has announced the winners of its annual car of the year awards 2010 with the Peugeot 5008 grabbing top spot as Car of the year 2010.

Experts at Diesel Car Magazine put over 275 different diesel cars through their paces to come up with the winners in ten classes. There were also three new awards this year- best crossover, best sports car and best eco car. The Awards issue of Diesel Car Magazine goes on sale in newsagents from the 12th May and the list of winners is below.

Diesel Car, Car of the Year Award Winners 2010 

• Best small car - Ford Fiesta
• Best medium car – Volkswagen Golf
• Best large car- Skoda Superb
• Best executive car – Jaguar XF
• Best estate car- Skoda Superb Estate
• Best MPV - Peugeot 5008
• Best crossover – Peugeot 3008
• Best 4×4- Land Rover Discovery 4
• Best sports car – Peugeot RCZ
• Best eco car – Toyota Prius
• Car of the year 2010 – Peugeot 5008

Business contract hire pricing on all models is available on the site now.

Jaguar XF

Jaguar has announced that the first ever Police-spec XF is about to go on patrol across the West Midlands with the Central Motorway Police Group, which covers Staffordshire, Mercia and the West Midlands. Seven high performance Jaguar XF diesel S models have been bought and feature the 275PS 3.0-litre Diesel S engine.

Jaguar XF

Police specification includes a roof mounted light bar with 360 degrees blue flashing lights and integrated side alley lights, blue and white flashing LED lights inside the front grille, side mounted blue flashing LED lights, blue and red flashing LED lights integrated in the rear light clusters and a Home office-specification electronics “Police Pack”.

The Jaguar XF offers 42mpg and has a CO2 figure of 179g/km and because of its strong residual value  should retain 80% of its purchase price after 12 months, or 14,000 miles (source EurotaxGlass’s). Having a strong residual value also means that the contract hire rental for the Jaguar XF will also be attractive.

Geoff Cousins, Managing Director for Jaguar Cars UK said,”Police drivers demand the very best from their vehicles- power, performance, safety and comfort are all very important, while their fleet managers are looking at good environmental credentials and strong residual values to ensure value for money”.

Driver Power 2010

Auto Express has released the initial results from their Driver Power 2010 results with over 23,000 drivers taking part to vote for the most reliable cars. The Hyundai i30 was voted the top vehicle for customer satisfaction and reliability and Skoda was voted best overall manufacturer.

The Driver Power Top 10 results are as follows

1. Hyundai i30
2. Jaguar XF
3. Skoda Octavia
4. Volkswagen Golf MkVI
5. Renault Megane MkIII
6. Land Rover Discovery 3
7. Rover 75
8. Mercedes E-Class (2002-2009)
9. Toyota Prius (2003-2009)
10. Jaguar S-Type

Full results and further details are available at the Auto Express website. Hyundai business contract hire on the i30 starts from £182+VAT per month.

Audi A3 diesel Sportback

The visitors to Comparecontracthire.com complete Contact Forms which are then forwarded to our car leasing partners ,who then follow these up directly. There are many makes and models that are popular on the site but the top 20 models are listed below.

Interestingly out of the top twenty, seventeen are diesel models, showing that diesel engine cars are still the popular choice for small to medium sized business owners and Company Directors. German cars are also popular, featuring in nine out of the top ten choices.

1. Audi A3 diesel Sportback
2. Audi A4 diesel saloon
3. Volkswagen Golf diesel hatchback
4. Volkswagen Scirocco coupe
5. Volkswagen Scirocco diesel coupe
6. BMW 1 Series diesel hatchback
7. BMW 3 Series diesel saloon
8. Volkswagen Golf petrol hatchback
9. Audi A3 diesel hatchback
10. Mazda6 diesel hatchback
11. Mercedes-Benz C Class diesel saloon
12. Honda Civic diesel hatchback
13. Honda Civic hatchback
14. BMW 5 Series diesel saloon
15. Audi A5 diesel coupe
16. Jaguar XF diesel saloon
17. Audi Q5 diesel
18. Fiat 500 hatchback
19. BMW 3 Series diesel tourer
20. Nissan Navara diesel/Audi TT diesel coupe   

Jaguar XJ goes public

Further to the launch of the all-new XJ, Jaguar has announced that it will unveil their new flagship at the Salon Prive. Held at the Hurlingham Club in London, the Salon Prive (22-24 July) will transform the gardens of this prestigious venue, with 50 of the most exclusive supercars and 60 classic cars.

“Salon Prive is the right choice for us to debut the new XJ,” said Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director of Jaguar Cars. ” The quintessentially British setting of the Hurlingham Club is the ideal venue to debut the latest in a long line of iconic British luxury cars and the event offers an excellent opportunity to put the new XJ in front of an audience of potential customers”. Jaguar will also show the new XF and XK series on the nearby Super car Lawns.

Although the Jaguar all-new XJ will not go on sale until the end of 2009, Jaguar will be taking orders, with first customers due to receive their cars in early 2010. For more information on attending the event visit www.salonprivelondon.com

Jay Leno hosting

Jaguar offically launched the all-new Jaguar XJ at the Saatch Gallery in Chelsea with the US chat show celebrity, Jay Leno, hosting the event. The new XJ is ready to order now with the first cars expected in early 2010. This sleek, sporting, sophisticated all-new Jaguar builds on the success of the new XK and XF models and becomes the flagship of the Jaguar range.

All-new Jaguar XJ

The car will be available in standard-and-long wheelbase options and offers three specification levels namely; Luxury, Premium Luxury and Portfolio, allowing you to tailor the right car for you. At the top end there will also be a Supercharged and Supersport model providing the ultimate in luxury and performance.

All cars will come with the ultra-efficient Gen 111 petrol and diesel engines, with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel, 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 and 5.0-litre supercharged V8. They will be joined by a 470hp version of the supercharged engine as well. The diesel model offers a combined fuel consumption of 40.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 184g/km.

As you would expect the cars have a high specification with stunning 12.3 inch high-definition Virtual Instruments, Dual-View 8 inch Touch-screen and top of the range premium sound systems to name just a few of the new technical innovations. Car leasing rentals on the all-new Jaguar XJ will be available soon however prices can be obtained on the rest of the range now.