Volvo XC60

1. Volvo XC60 Diesel D3 163bhp DRIVe ES 5-door with Start Stop – List Price £26915
2. Vauxhall Antara Diesel Estate 2.2 CDTi Exclusiv 5-door 2WD – List Price £18975

If you have spare cash you could probably walk into any dealership and negotiate a discount off the recommended manufacturer list price but this will not help you when you look at how much money your brand new vehicle will lose over time, or how much money you can save by looking at contract hire.

The difference in List Price for the two vehicles is nearly £8,000 and you might not believe it but the contract hire monthly rental on the same terms is near enough the same at £287.68 excluding VAT for the Vauxhall Antara and £287.40 excluding VAT  for the Volvo XC60.

The two prices above are based on a two year contract, 6 rentals in advance, non-maintenance contract hire at 10,000 miles per annum. Please note these rentals may change at any time.

Why is the rental nearly the same when the cost difference is nearly £8,000 if you buy outright?

There are a number of factors but the main two are as follows.

1. The Volvo XC60 has a better resale value in 2 years with 20,000 miles on the clock, than the Vauxhall Antara.
2. The leasing company may have negotiated a better fleet discount for the Volvo XC60.

So before you buy a car, see what the contract hire rental is for your final vehicle choices, as you can protect yourself from vehicle depreciation and also drive a better car than you think.

CLICK for business car leasing offer

The Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi Exclusiv diesel 5-door hatchback is currently on offer on the site from only £216.98+VAT on business car leasing. This great fleet car returns 60.1 combined mpg and emits only 124g/km of CO2 emissions so is an ideal company car for any fleet driver.

The Vauxhall Insignia business car leasing offer is based a on 4-year term, 6+47 rental profile, non-maintained lease at 10,000 miles per annum with other contract terms available from our car finance partner. Metallic paint colours available at an extra cost.

Whole Life Cost Calculator

Vauxhall has just launched a new Whole Life Cost Calculator for fleet decision-makers and company car drivers, to help them make informed decisions on choosing new vehicles.

The new Whole Life Cost Calculator allows you to create a fleet of vehicles online and calculate the whole life costs of running them, plus it provides tools to help company car drivers choose which model is best for them from a financial and personal preference basis.

The system provides access to all Vauxhall models as well as other manufacturer data with information provided by CAP, the UK’s largest vehicle data information provider. All the comparisons can be saved and downloaded as a PDF.

Mini E

BMW and Mini will both participate in the forthcoming 2011 RAC Future Car Challenge which will take place on Saturday the 5th November, the day before the RAC’s famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The RAC Future Car Challenge starts at Madeira Drive in Brighton and the challenge is to drive to London using the least energy possible, within the 2hrs 45 minimum and 3hrs 30min maximum time permitted.

A BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics saloon car will be joined by two all-electric, emission free concept vehicles, the BMW ActiveE and Mini E. The BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics is the greenest production car that BMW has ever built and is capable of CO2 emissions of 110g/km and a remarkable 68.9 combined mpg. This car is no slouch however and still manages a 0-62mph time of eight seconds and on to a top speed of 142mph. 

The Mini E has already been proving its capabilities with a six months trial with 40 volunteers and this all-electric car has a 150kW (200bhp) electric motor powering the front wheels and offers a range of around 156 miles. The Mini E is just one phase in the BMW Project i scheme, that will see the launch of a mass-produced electric vehicle, the BMW i3 in 2013.

The BMW ActiveE will also undertake a series of six-month trials with over 1,000 volunteers worldwide and is another evolution in BMW’s Project i scheme. The ActiveE has a 168hp electric synchronous motor which propels the car from 0-60mph in in nine seconds and on to a limited top speed of 90mph. Recharging can be performed via a 13A or 32A power supply and takes around eight or five hours respectively. The car also has regenerative braking which helps extend the range to 100 miles between charges.

In addition to these BMW and Mini models, other car manufacturers will be bringing a range of their hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission internal combustion cars and light-commercial vans to the event. Last year car manufacturers such as Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan, Vauxhall, Skoda and Volkswagen attended. This year the total number of entries has been increased to 90, with a range of awards in up to 22 different categories, as well as by their power source.

All-new Zafira Tourer

Vauxhall is setting a keen entry price of £21,000 for its all-new Zafira Tourer which they recently unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Zafira Tourer ES entry model has plenty of standard options included as it comes equipped with air conditioning, DAB radio, cruise control, MP3/Aux In connections, 6 airbags, 7-speaker sound system, active headrests and Vauxhall’s Flex7 seating.

The new Zafira Tourer will be positioned above the current Zafira range and the other models on offer are Exclusiv, SE and Elite trims. In terms of length the Zafira Tourer is 190mm longer than the standard Zafira, has a new chassis using key components from the Insignia range, wider tracks and has Vauxhall’s FlexRide adaptive damping system for an outstanding ride.

It’s nearest competitor would the Ford’s S-Max and Vauxhall is clearly undercutting its main rival by over £1,200, with the Zafira ES Tourer entry price. In addition the Zafira Tourer has a range of other safety features (cost options) including Traffic Sign Recognition, Side Blind Spot Alert and Advance Park Assist (which helps you find an adequate parking space and park in it). 

Two new engines are on offer – a 1.4 Turbo petrol and a 2.0 CDTi (with three outputs including a 119g/km ecoFLEX version), which join a 1.8-litre petrol unit, all of which offer a power option range from 110PS to 165PS. Now that pricing has been announced we hope to be loading Vauxhall car leasing prices shortly.

Electric car concept

Vauxhall/Opel is set to unveil a radical electric car concept at the 2011 Frankfurt International Motor Show this month and is targeting younger/teenage drivers with a low-cost budget. The car “has production potential” and Vauxhall thinks the concept could revolutionise urban transport, with inspiration coming from the Vauxhall Ampera. 

The battery-powered electric vehicle has a low, rakish style and should have a range of around 60 miles with a top speed of 75mph. Inside it has two seats in a tandem layout and because it is so light at around one third of a small modern car, it should be great fun to drive.

Windsor Vehicle Leasing, a recognised FN50 leasing company, has joined the site and they have just loaded some great business car leasing offers on sub 100g/km CO2 cars. All contracts are based on the three years, 3+35 rental profile, 10,000 miles per annum and non-maintained contract hire. Other terms are available on request.

Just click on the monthly rental below for further details.

New models just loaded

Vauxhall Corsavan ecoFLEX

The new Vauxhall Corsavan 1.3 CDTi 16v (95PS) ecoFLEX Start/Stop is one of the lowest CO2 emission commercial vehicles, as it emits only 95g/km of CO2. This new model has a host of efficiency improvements including a variable geometry turbocharger, lowered chassis, aerodynamic wheel covers plus optimised gear ratios with a “shift up” indicator.

All of the changes to the new model help the Corsavan ecoFLEX return an impressive 78.3mpg on the combined fuel cycle and 65.6mpg in urban driving, so it is ideal for any small business looking to keep fuel costs down. Steve Bryant, Vauxhall’s Commercial Vehicle Brand Manager, said,”It’s great news that the Corsavan ecoFLEX is top of its class for CO2 emissions. Griffin-badged vans are well known for their low running costs and Vauxhall’s most economical commercial ever is further proof of this”. Vauxhall Corsavan ecoFLEX contract hire is on the site now.

The RAC Future Challenge

This year the RAC Future Challenge 2011 is taking place on Saturday the 5th November 2011 and is open to electric, hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission internal combustion engine cars and light-commercial vehicles. The challenge invites contenders to drive a 60-mile route from Brighton to London with the aim to use the least amount of energy.

This year the event organisers are using experts from Imperial College London to provide the expertise and neutral input to the event’s regulations, measurements and the results analysis. All vehicle entrants will be supplied with the necessary FCC data-loggers and sensors to ensure everyone has a fair chance to overcome any fitting problems and also to ensure all data recorded is accurate.

Last year’s car manufacturer entry list included prototypes, pre-production vehicles and current production cars from the likes of BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Skoda, Vauxhall and Nissan. For 2011 the total number of entries has been increased to 90 and because of the diversity of the vehicles involved, there are a range of awards in 20 different categories. The vehicle type energy categories have been revised to the following:

1. Pure Electric (EV)
2. Extended-Range/Plug-in Electric (E-REV, PHEV)
3. Hybrid (HV, HEV)
4. Hydrogen (HFEV)
5. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) – up to 110g/km CO2 emission fuelled by any legal means

Titan the Robot

The 2011 Motorexpo, which was held at London’s Canary Wharf, was a resounding success with more than 410,000 visitors attending the event. Motorexpo is the UK’s largest, free-to-visit gathering of car manufacturers and there were just over 250 new cars on show. Manufacturers who were showcasing their vehicles included Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Skoda, Tesla, Vauxhall and Volvo to name just a few.

New models such as the BMW 6 Series Coupe, 2012 Jaguar XF, Lexus CT 200h, Mercedes-Benz SLK and CLS 63 AMG, Saab 9-5 SportWagon and the Bentley Continental GT all made their UK public debuts. Popular attractions at the event were the characters from the Disney.Pixar blockbuster “Cars 2″, Lightning McQueen and Finn McMissile and of course Titan the Robot.

The “Drive the Future” green zone was also popular with showgoers able to see electric cars such as the Vauxhall Ampera, Mitsubishi i-MIEV and Tesla Roadster. If you want to put the date in your calendar for next year the event will be held from Monday the 11th through to the 17th June. Full details and information on how to get there can be found at www.motorexpo.com