New Ford Focus

Euro NCAP, the independent car safety organisation, has just named the Ford Focus as Europe’s “Best in Class” small family car. EuroNCAP awarded the Focus’ a five-star Euro NCAP rating and four Euro NCAP Advanced rewards for its innovative safety features, which is a record for a mass market production car.

The new Ford Ranger also earned special praise highlighting its achievement as the only pickup to achieve a maximum five-star rating and is the safest pickup Euro NCAP has ever tested.

Ford Ranger

The Focus picked up one of only five best in class awards on the strength of its maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating as well as four Euro NCAP Advanced rewards last year, an achievement which is as yet, unmatched by any other high-volume car.

“This award has special meaning because designing and building the safest vehicles possible is a core value at Ford,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “The Focus exemplifies our approach to design cars that both help drivers avoid accidents and protect them when one is inevitable.”

The Ford Focus five-star rating was achieved through an adult occupant score of 92 per cent, child occupant rating of 82 per cent, pedestrian score of 72 per cent and a safety assist rating of 71 per cent.

The Focus also received their Euro NCAP Advanced rewards for these four technologies:

• Driver Alert- designed to detect driver fatigue.
• Forward Alert- uses radar technology to scan the road ahead and alerts the driver if a collision is likely.
• Active City Stop - helps to avoid or mitigate accidents at low speeds
• Lane Keeping Aid technologies- warn drivers and assists drivers who stray from their lane.

For further information see;

 www.euroncap.com/bestinclasscars2011.aspx

Toyota Hilux

The rugged Toyota Hilux has picked up top honours at the Total 4X4 Awards winning “4X4 Pick-up of the Year”. Editor of Total 4X4 magazine, Alan Kidd, said,”Hilux has always stood out in what is a very fiercely fought category. It’s incredibly capable in every area and comes at a very appealing price”.

The latest version of the Toyota Hilux comes in three bodystyles, single, extra and double cab plus a choice of a 2.5-litre or 3.0-litre D-4D turbodiesel engine. This sixth-generation model combines robustness and excellent load-carrying capacity with comfort, safety and Toyota Hilux contract hire prices are on the site now.

E.ON chooses Hilux

E.ON, one of the UK’s leading energy companies, has just taken delivery of 12 four-wheel drive Toyota Hilux Double Cab pick-ups to reach any remote customers who lose their heating and hot water this winter. 

The legendary Toyota Hilux can cope with anything the winter throws at it this year and is available in Single, Extra and Double Cab body styles. Power comes from a 2.5-litre or 3.0-litre D-4D turbo diesel engine and the pick-up has shown consistently it can cope in all weather and terrains, even reaching the South and magnetic North Poles.

John Neilson, E.ON’s Technician Manager, said,”Being left without heating if your bolier fails this winter can be distressing and potentially life threatening for our vulnerable customers. Being equipped with the right vehicles to reach these customers no matter what the winter throws at us is vitally important”.

The 4WD system fitted to the Hilux allows the driver to shift from four to two-wheel drive with no speed restriction and also from two to four wheel drive at speeds up to 50mph. The Toyota Hilux also features Toyota’s Automatic Disconnecting Differential (ADD) which automatically engages or disengages the front axle drivetrain (when shifting from four to two wheel drive) to help improve fuel consumption and reduce noise levels in 2WD mode. Toyota contract hire prices for the whole Hilux range is on the site now.

Mitsubishi L200

The legendary Mitsubishi L200 has just been voted “Pick-up of the Year” 2011 at the recent Fleet Van Awards seeing off stiff competition from the Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok.

The L200 has led the way in the pick-up sector for many years remaining the market leader with a 30.5% share of the UK pick-up market and offers a wide range of pick-ups to suit the requirements of every commercial vehicle (or private) operator.

The judges at Fleet Van said,”The L200 won this award thanks to its greater range of derivatives and load bed options and level of availability. Mitsubishi offers all the options for all fleet requirements. The L200 is also strong on residual values, comes with a big range of horsepower options and enjoys strong back-up from the Mitsubishi dealer network. Add in competitive pricing and the L200 justifies its place as Pick-up of the Year”. Mitsubishi contract hire prices on the L200 pick-up range are on the site now.

New Ford Focus

The new Ford Focus has just been recognised by Euro NCAP as the first car to receive four Euro NCAP Advanced safety awards, as its Driver Alert and Forward Alert technologies are also recognised. This follows on from recent news that the new Ford Ranger is the first pick-up to achieve a five star Euro NCAP safety rating.

The Euro NCAP Advanced awards recognise car manufacturers that make new safety technologies available and Ford is only one of two car manufacturers to hold four of these awards.

Ford’s Driver Alert system is designed to combat driver fatigue using advanced camera technology and on-board sensors to evaluate a driver’s control of the vehicle. It monitors the vehicle’s position relative to lane markings and if any deviation is found, it sends out a warning signal. This feature is available on the new Focus, C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy.

The Forward Alert accident management system scans the road ahead using radar technology and if it detects slower or stationary traffic ahead and determines a collision is likely, it alerts the driver by an audible chime and flashes a warning signal in the instrument cluster. If you take no action (i.e. you fail to brake immediately) the system triggers another function called brake support. The Forward Alert system has three sensitivity settings and can be switched on or off. This feature is available on the new Focus as well as the Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy ranges and if you are interested, we have the latest Ford contract hire on all models on the site now.

All-new Ford Ranger

The all-new Ford Ranger has just been awarded five stars from Euro NCAP and is the first pick-up to receive this impressive safety rating. Euro NCAP is the largest and most respected independent authority on crash testing in Europe.

The new Ford Ranger pick-up scored 89 per cent overall, which is a pretty high score for any type of vehicle, and moreover the Ranger also scored the hughest rating ever, for any vehicle in the pedestrian protection category  scoring 81 per cent. The assessors at EuroNCAP described the Ranger’s results as “remarkable” with “impressive” scores in all areas.

The all-new Ford Ranger has a reinforced passenger cell that utilises high-strength steel throughout and this structure combined with the all-ladder frame, was optmised to manage the crash energy in a variety of simulated crashes and impacts. Side curtain airbags are standard on all Ranger cab styles and is designed to protect both rows of passengers in Double Cab or Super Cab models.

Other innovative safety features on the all-new Ford Ranger include Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Trailer Sway Control System, Hill Descent Control and Hill Launch Assist. The Ranger’s ESP system also includes “off-road” logic to recognise when the pick-up is being driven on rough roads, to ensure the best stability.

Loadhopper mini-vans

DFSK UK, the trading name of Vestatec Automotive Distribution Ltd, is a new company specifically set up to import and distribute mini-vans for the Chinese van manufacturer. There have been no vehicles in the mini-van sector in the UK for around five years and the last models were the Suzuki Carry, Bedford Rascal and Diahatsu HiJet. DFSK has plans to sell around 1,000 vehicles in their first year.

The range of new mini-vans will be called Loadhopper and there are four options namely Loadhopper Single Cab Pickup (930kg payload), Loadhopper Van (590kg), Loadhopper Double Cab Pickup (1,000kg -TBC) and Loadhopper Tipper (630kg). These models will all have the same platform and power train (1,310 cc petrol with 77hp) and will offer the following benefits to small traders such as gardeners, florists, bakers, sandwich and food companies;

• Short overall length with a small overhang
• Large load volume
• Good payload
• Small turning circle
• Two side loading doors on the Van model.

Loadhopper

DFSK expects to have around 40 dealers across the UK selling the new mini-van range and already has 26 set up. It has plans to sell 5,000 of these mini-vans annually, in five years time, with 60% expected to be the van model. They also have plans for a new model, called the V series, which will be launched during 2012 and in addition DFSK has a range of electric mini-buses and vans in the pipeline.

SsangYong SUT-1 concept pick-up

SsangYong is ready to take their SUT-1 concept pick-up truck into full production with a model on show at Frankfurt this week. The design of the production version remains true to the original concept that was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011.

This robust new 4×4 pick-up has a 155bhp 2.0-litre Active Diesel Engine fitted, which complies with Euro 5 CO2 emissions standards and emits 186g/km of CO2. Standard equipment includes a sunroof, RDS & Bluetooth audio, rear view camera, hinge sprung tailgate, ESP, Brake Assist System (ABS), Active Rollover Protection, ISOFIX child seat attachments, dual airbags and trip computer.

The spacious five seat cabin enables all passengers to travel in comfort and a large 2 metre square deck provides ample space for all types of equipment to be carried. You also have the option of either rear wheel drive or on demand four wheel drive, coupled to six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

New Toyota Avensis

Toyota is unveiling their new Avensis range at the 2011 Frankfurt International Motor Show next week, with improved styling, quality, powertrains and driving dynamics. In addition Toyota will also bring the new Prius hybrid family to the show plus the newly launched Yaris three-door and the 2012 Toyota Hilux pick-up.

The Avensis styling has been revised outside with a new frontal treatment that incorporates Toyota’s new design language. Inside the car’s interior has been improved with a quality look and feel. The Prius hybrid range has also been updated and will be joined by the production version of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the seven-seat Prius + now making the Prius hybrid a full model range in its own right. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid offers CO2 emissions of just 49g/km and the Prius seven-seat + will also deliver sub-100g/km CO2 emissions.

The Hilux is Europe’s best selling pick-up truck and gets a major restyling for 2012 with exterior changes complimented by a new-look interior that offers “car-like” comfort and convenience.

Land Rover Defender

The updated version of the iconic 4×4 Land Rover Defender now comes with a brand new EU5 2.2-litre-litre diesel engine for the 2012 model (out in November),which now replaces the outgoing EU4 2.4-litre diesel. This new engine, although smaller in capacity, produces the same power as the outgoing engine as well as reduced CO2 emissions.

The top speed has been raised from 82mph to 90mph (where permitted) and CO2 emissions are now 266g/km for the 90 and 295g/km for the 110 and 130 models. In addition, following customer feedback, Land Rover now offers a plain black Pick-Up hood as an option, while a plain beige hood will be introduced for the 110 Double Cab Pick Up, as well tinted glass on all 2012 models.

There are two new comfort option packs on offer as follows;

• Comfort pack - In this you get air conditioning, CD player with aux input, electric windows and remote central locking.
• Off-Road Pack - This pack adds ABS, heavy duty rim and MTR tyre, tow ball and under-ride protection bar.

The Defender’s off-road ability is legendary and inside seat trims include durable all-vinyl and cloth specifications with a half-leather option included in the XS specification model (available on Station Wagon and 110 Double Cab Pick-Up derivatives). The chassis frame is available in three different wheelbases with a total of 14 seperate body styles, from pick-ups and soft tops to crew cabs and stations wagons, all of which can be produced from the main production line.

All the new enhancements will only encourage loyal customers to opt for the new model and we should have Land Rover contract hire on the new models loaded shortly.