Alfa Romeo "Test Me" campaign

Alfa Romeo’s latest television commercial, entitled ‘Test Me’, will be launched this month in a year-long marketing campaign focused on highlighting the reasons why people should buy or lease an Alfa Romeo car. Alfa Romeo recorded impressive UK sales figures in 2011 and wants to  build on this success with the new advertising campaign.

The marketing initiative  compares the MiTo and Giulietta against their closest competitors to emphasise why you could choose an Alfa Romeo instead of a BMW for example. There is also a dedicated website where you can find further information on the campaign at www.alfaromeo.co.uk/testme. 

Some of the comparisons where Alfa Romeo is offering head-to-head examples against BMW and Volkswagen are as follows:

• The Alfa Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp ALFA TCT (semi-automatic transmission) is currently the best-in-class for CO₂ emissions at just 121 g/km against the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 160 DSG at 139 g/km for example.
• The Alfa MiTo 1.3 JTDM-2 85 bhp Sprint possesses fuel efficiency of up to 80.7 mpg on a combined cycle. The Mini One D achieves 74.3 mpg as a direct comparison model.
• The Alfa Giulietta, with a class leading Euro NCAP crash safety score of 106, is higher than the new  BMW 1 Series score of 103.
• All MiTo and Giulietta models offer 3 years complimentary servicing. This is available at an additional cost on VW Polo and Golf models.

Damien Dally, Head of Brand for Alfa Romeo UK comments: “Customers appreciate the stylish lines and sleek design of an Alfa Romeo, but due to preconceived misconceptions, some turn to our competitors, wrongly believing they offer a better proposition”.

He went on to say, “With the new ‘Test Me’ campaign, we can prove that Alfa Romeo offers customers significantly more than the likes of our key German competitors, together with Alfa’s passion, heritage and design flair inherent in every model.  We also boast class-leading economic credentials such as fuel efficiency and environmental considerations. Our customers are able to drive away in something extra special which possesses the perfect combination of style and substance”.

If you want to compare contract hire prices for Alfa Romeo, against the likes of Audi, BMW or Volkswagen, try our Vehicle Type Shopper and select those manufacturers. This quote engine will then display the monthly lease prices and you can see which models offer the best value for money, as well as CO2 and combined mpg.

Some of the unusual vehicle registrations at the forthcoming DVLA Personalised Registrations sale includes that old British favourite of “fish and chips”– CH11 PPY.

CH11 PPY, along with MA11 ORY, is just one of the unique 11-series registrations being listed among the 1,500 registration plates which will go under the hammer during the DVLA‘s first three-day sale of 2012 at Stratford Manor Hotel near Stratford-upon-Avon, commencing on Wednesday, February 1.

Or is you fancy something to remind you of the hit TV show The Only Way Is Essex – or TOWIE as it has become known – TOW 111E is another example of some of the fun-plates that motorists can purchase. Or with Mother’s and Father’s Days coming up soon, how about H15 MUM and H15 DAD, both with reserves of £900?

Jody Davies, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Events Manager, said: “We always manage to come up with an incredible array of personalised registrations to suit all tastes and, with reserves starting from as little as £250, this auction is no exception.”

You can fit a personalised plate if you lease a vehicle however you will need to get permission from your relevant leasing company, as they own the vehicle.

Here are some of the plates on sale with reserve prices in brackets;

• AL51 NGH (reserve -  £900)
• ALF 4W (£450)
• APE 80Y (£400)
• CAR 70Y (£400)
• CH11 PPY (£1,500)
• COP 80Y (£400)
• DRU 111D (£400)
• EL11 NOR (£1,000)
• FE11 OWS (£1,500)
• FUN 80B (£450)
• H15 DAD (£900)
• H15 MUM (£900)
• JAB 80Y (£400)
• MA11 ORY (£1,000)
• 55 O (£8,000)
• OBT 41N (£400)
• 12 OOO (£4,000)
• SA11 MON (£3,000)
• TOW 111E (£400)
• USA 848E (£400)
• VO11 LVO (£1,500)
• YE11 OUT (£900)
• YES 848Y (450)
• YOU 105T (£400).

Kia Rio diesel returns 88.3 combined mpg

The driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive is offering weekly motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow. This week, Simon is advising on saving fuel and money and how green driving will save you up to 15% on your fuel bills:

• Keep your vehicle moving for as long as possible, even in traffic queues. This is far more fuel efficient than stopping and starting your vehicle, so slow down earlier, to avoid braking harshly and too often.
• Your cruising speed has a major impact on the fuel economy of your car or van so stick to the speed limit. This offers a good compromise between economy and getting somewhere on time. There’s a significant saving made by doing 70 instead of 80 – and you also avoid any risk of speeding fines.
• Reverse into parking bays when parking. If you do all the manoeuvring with a hot engine you can drive straight off when you come back and warm the engine up more quickly, thereby saving fuel.
• Check your vehicle regularly to ensure it operates efficiently and in particular check the condition of your tyres, and measure tyre pressures when they’re cold.
• Remove all unnecessary weight from your vehicle, including roof racks, car clutter and heavy items in the boot. The more weight you carry in the car, the more fuel your vehicle will burn.
• Keep the inside of the front and rear windscreens squeaky clean. Traffic fumes form a film on the glass which attracts moisture and makes them mist up easily – a clean screen will rarely mist up, so you won’t be using the heater and air-conditioning to clear them.

Elstow said: “We’ve all got better things to spend our money on than petrol. This will help you save cash and reduce your carbon emissions.”

Great advice from the IAM’s Drive & Survive, however choosing a fuel efficient car can also save you hundreds of pounds in fuel bills annually.

For example the new Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi 1 EcoDynamics 5-door hatchback returns a staggering 88.3 combined mpg and only emits 85g/km of CO2. The combined mpg of 88.3 is a remarkable performance and you can search for the most fuel efficient new cars using our Vehicle Type Shopper and see the vehicle lease rentals too.

Honda Civic

There are many car leasing deals available at the moment with “low monthly rentals” which curiously seem to end in a “nine” i.e. £109 , £199, £299 per month, etc.

However don’t get fooled by these offers as the initial rental (first payment) will dictate how much the regular monthly car lease rental will be. The simple “rule of thumb” is the higher the initial rental, the lower the ongoing monthly, so always check how much the first initial payment will be.

Looking at the total rentals payable over the car lease term (i.e. the initial rental + all subsequent rentals) is the best way to see if the deal you are looking at offers value for money. That is why we recently introduced quotes on the site with 3, 6 and 12 rentals in advance, as these are the most common amounts required as the initial rental. You can instantly change the payment terms on our quote engines to make sure you are comparing car lease rentals on a like-for-like basis.

Swapping a car lease agreement?

When you enter into a car lease agreement you have to opt for a contract term i.e. 2 years, 3 years, etc. However sometimes circumstances dictate that you may have to early terminate your vehicle and this can prove costly. All leasing companies will usually charge an early termination fee  to cover their losses for you returning the car early and this can be very expensive.

However you always have the option of swapping the lease with another company. If you have thought about swapping your lease then there are a few things to consider which we have detailed on the link below.

http://www.comparecontracthire.com/swap-a-car-lease-or-van%20leasing.html

CLICK for the Volvo lease offer

One of our Partners has just updated their pricing and one of their two-year car leasing deals that caught our eye was the Volvo XC60 D3 (163ps) DRIVe ES diesel SUV 5-door with Start Stop, which is currently on special offer on Volvo car leasing from only £282.02+VAT.

This great looking family SUV returns 49.6mpg on the combined cycle and emits just 149g/km of CO2. which is also well under the 160g/km tax threshold for company car drivers.

Strong performance from the turbo-powered diesel ensures this Volvo reaches 0-62mph in 10.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 124mph where permitted. The two year deal may not on the site long, so if this great Volvo XC60 offer appeals just fill out the Contact Form today. The contract terms are two-year vehicle leasing, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum, 6 rentals in advance followed by 23 subsequent rentals. Other terms are available on request.

CLICK for the BMW lease offer

If you thinking of leasing a new BMW 320d EfficientDynamics 4-door diesel saloon then one of our Partners has just loaded a 2-year BMW lease deal from only £292.13+VAT per month. This is based on a two-year non-maintained vehicle lease, 10,000 miles per annum, payment profile is 6 rentals in advance followed by 23 subsequent payments.

The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics is an ideal company car for any senior executive at it returns 69.9 combined mpg, emits only 109g/km of CO2 yet still manages to reach 0-62mph in just 8 seconds. Other terms are available from our car finance partner so fill out a Contact Form today.

Mitsubishi ASX

Personal car leasing (or personal contract hire as it is sometimes called) is a really great way for a private individual to drive a new car. All you do is pay the monthly rental, stick to the mileage on the contract, the road fund licence is paid by the lease company for the contract term and then just hand your car back at the end date. Fuel and insurance is down to you but you can also build full maintenance and routine servicing into your contract as well.

Don’t be fooled however by the many companies who still advertise their personal car leasing prices exclusive of VAT as with a personal car lease, you will pay the rental including the VAT. That’s why all personal car leasing rentals on Comparecontracthire.com are advertised with the VAT inclusive rental.

CLICK for more details

The Honda CR-V 2.2 i-DTEC SE+ 5-door diesel SUV is on special offer on the site from Honda Contract Hire at only £256.35+VAT per month. This superb family vehicle returns 43.5 combined mpg and emits CO2 emissions of 171g/km of CO2.

Terms of the lease offer are based on a 4-year contract, 6+47 payment rentals, 10,000 miles per annum on non-maintained contract hire. Other terms are available from Honda Contract Hire and also if you want to add any accessories just fill out the Contact Form today.

CLICK here for the full details of the offer

Ford Retail Online has a great Ford Kuga contract hire offer on the Kuga 2.0-litre TDI 140 bhp 2WD 5-door from only £245.57+VAT per month. This great, family, diesel SUV from Ford returns 47.9 combined mpg, has CO2 emissions of 154g/km of CO2 and looks great on the road.

The terms of the lease deal are 6 rentals in advance, followed by 47 subsequent payments, non-maintained contract hire, 10,000 miles per annum, plus free metallic paint. Other contract terms are available if required, so fill out a Contact Form today.