Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf has recently picked up another award winning the ACFO Fleet Car of the Year award from the Association of Car Fleet Operators for the fourth consecutive year.

ACFO chairman, Julie Jenner, said,”The awards may have been given a new-look in 2010 but they continue to represent the true face of fleet operations. More than 130 nominations were received across the seven categories underlining the breadth of competition there is in today’s fleet market”. Volkswagen also fared well on some of the other categories with the Golf BlueMotion named runner-up in the Green Car of the Year category and the Caddy van featuring as runner-up in the Small Van of the Year sector. Volkswagen business car leasing is also available now from our panel of the UK’s top vehicle leasing partners.

Golf blue-e-motion

A trio of Volkswagen cars will take part in the very first RAC Future Car Challenge on Saturday the 6th November. The cars follow a route from Madeira Drive in Brighton to Pall Mall in London during which they will be measured for how much energy they use over the 57 mile route.

Golf blue-e-motion

One of the Volkswagen Golfs making its debut in the UK is the new Golf blue-e-motion prototype which is an electric vehicle developing 115 PS and an acceleration of 11.8 seconds for the 0-62mph dash. Alongside this “green car” will be two production models, the Polo and Golf BlueMotion models which emit just 91g/km and 99g/km of CO2 respectively. The Polo BlueMotion offers a remarkable 80.7 combined mpg from its TDI diesel engine.

All vehicles will be on display in Regent Street after finishing the challenge from 12.45 to 16.00 and further details of the event can be found at the Futurecarchallenge website. Volkswagen business car leasing prices on the whole VW range are also on the site now.

CLICK to see all the Volkswagen offers

One of the top three favourite cars on the site is the Volkswagen Golf which comes in many models. However one Volkswagen contract hire offer that is clearly excellent value is the Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion 105bhp 5-door diesel hatchback. This car is available today at only £211.96+VAT per month and with CO2 emissions of 99g/km and a combined mpg of 74.3 it is easy to see why it is so popular.

Volkswagen business contract hire terms are based on the following;

- Non-maintained business contract hire over a four  year contract at 10,000 miles per year – total 40,000 miles.

- Only three month rentals in advance followed by 47 subsequent rentals.

-  This totals 50 equal payments

- “With maintenance”, metallic paint and all other accessory options can be added to your vehicle at an extra cost to the rental shown above.

-  Please note the image we have shown may not represent the exact model.

-  Pricing is subject to change at any time and must be verified directly with each vehicle leasing supplier.

- Three year rental is £226.82+VAT

Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen has done the double at the Auto Express New Car Awards 2010 picking up two awards. For the second year in a row they have won the “Best Compact Family Car” and Auto Express editor in chief, David Jones said: “With its classy looks, high-quality cabin and executive car refinement, the Volkswagen still sets the standard. Better still, it’s great to drive, excellent value and has a brilliant range of engines -including innovative turbocharged TSI petrol units”.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI retained the “Best Hot Hatch” award and David Johns commented: “There are rivals that are faster and more eye-catching, but few can match the Golf’s all-round ability and appeal. Its smooth 2.0-litre engine delivers perfectly judged performance,while its composed chassis mixes comfort and composure in equal measure. Plus it comes in three and five-door bodystyles, and with manual and twin-clutch DSG transmissions”.

These awards are now added to the Golf’s growing list of accolades, with other titles presented already presented this year by Fleet News, Top Gear, Diesel Car, BusinessCar and What Car?. Volkswagen Golf business contract hire is on the site now with prices on all new models available.

E&T magazine

An investigation by E&T magazine has raised serious questions about the viability in investing in the production of EV batteries using lithium-ion or any other current technology, plus the millions needed to support the building of the support infrastructure. They have suggested the Government would be better off encouraging the development of high efficiency diesel models and hybrids.

Basically the long-term limitations in battery technology could restrict electric cars to under a 100-mile range, while rapid charging is likely to limit battery life to just two years. The article in the latest edition of E&T gave an example of a standard model Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf being capable of driving 600km in mixed driving conditions, on one tank of fuel and maintaining 70mph.  For an electric car to offer a similar level of performance, E&T experts calculated that the batteries alone would weigh 1.5 tons, would be larger than a conventional car and would cost approximately £100,000.

They also commented that UK electricity is likely to be from non-renewable sources for the next ten years and an electric vehicle could actually contribute more CO2 to the environment than a current high efficiency diesel model.

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.

Auto Windscreens factory

Automotive glazing companies are finding a shortage of windscreens, following the worst winter in the UK for nearly 30 years. Auto Windscreens has found that many vehicle owners are having to wait for replacement parts, particularly for the Vauxhall Zafira, Astra, Vectra, Volkswagen Passat, Golf and the Audi A4.

As a result Auto Windscreens has increased production by more than 40% at its own factory in Chesterfield, to cope with this demand and is now producing 600 windscreens a day. Nigel Davies, Auto Windscreens Sales and Marketing Director commented,”It’s unusual to have a national shortage of windscreens and we’ve certainly not come across this before. Auto Windscreens is in the fortunate and unique position, however, that we can simply add another shift at our factory and increase popular windscreen models to meet demand and manage the delays”.

New Mitsubishi ASX

Mitsubishi Motors (UK) has released pricing and specification details of their new urban crossover vehicle, the ASX. This model is designed to compete in the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai ix35 segment and is aimed at customers who would normally buy a C-segment car like the Volkswagen Golf or Ford Focus, or maybe looking at down-sizing from their family estate car.

Mitsubishi ASX

Most of the models available will be with 2WD with AWC electronicallycontrolled 4WD offered on the 1.8 DiD diesel only. There will be a choice of two engines at the launch in July, namely a 1.6-litre 115bhp petrol engine and a 1.8 DiD 147bhp turbodiesel with a 5-speed manual offered on the petrol model and a 6-speed manual on the diesel.

The ASX also offers excellent emissions and fuel economy with its Automatic Stop & Go, electric power steering, low rolling resistance tyres, regenerative brakes, low viscosity oil, LED lighting and weight reduction measures all contributing.

The performance and technical specifications are below.

Standard equipment is generous with alloy wheels, air conditioning, aux-in-jack, keyless entry, ABS with EBD brake assist, front and side airbags, driver’s knee airbag and tilt and telescopic steering column as standard on all models. Mitsubishi contract hire prices for the ASX should be loaded shortly. The ASX promo can also be viewed on You Tube.

New Cooper Tyre

Cooper Tire has launched a new tyre that promises to be quieter and longer lasting than its predecessor and is aiming it at small to medium sized family cars, such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Citroen C4 and BMW 3 Series.

The Cooper Zeon CS2 has the latest “pitch sequencing technology” which allows the tyre to cause less energy to be wasted through friction with the road, yet still providing a strong hold. The broader outer shoulder also gives greater handling in the dry and deep grooves helps stop aqua-planing. The new tyre will available from December and comes in fitments between 13 and 15-inch diameters.

Auto Windscreens

Auto Windscreens, the UK’s automotive glass repair company, has found that the introduction of tints, heating, solar reflection and GPS technology into the windscreens of modern cars, has led to windscreen replacement costs increasing. The research has shown that costs have increased as much as 68% in only 10 years and larger windscreens are more susceptible to stone chips as well.

For example the windscreen of a Citroen C4 Picasso has 20% more glass than the old model, a Volkswagen Golf has 68% more glass, a Ford Mondeo 59% and a BMW 5 Series by 50%.

Glass replacement is not usually covered under a maintained vehicle leasing contract and therefore this cost has got to be borne by you, the Company. Many insurance policies cover glass replacement  but the knock-on effect is that car insurance premiums may increase as a result. In fact the findings have shown that the price of car insurance has risen by 4.3% during the first quarter of 2010.

Auto Windscreens recommends that drivers should look after their windscreens by following a few simple action points:

1. Make sure you get any chips repaired as soon as possible before they crack.
2. It is best to replace wiper blades every six months, to avoid the blades scratching the windscreen. If you lease your car on a maintenance contract however, you have to get the leasing company to approve this, otherwise you will have to pay yourself.
3. Top up your liquid windscreen washer bottle using screen wash (and not washing up liquid). Washing up liquid could damage your windscreen and leave a film across the glass.
4. Always use a proper ice scraper and not anything else i.e. a credit card, as you can damage your windscreen.
5. Finally, never pour boiling water onto an icy screen as it could crack.