BMW 320d

BMW has celebrated again by winning the What Car? Award’s 2010 ”Best Compact Executive” car for the fifth year in a row. The BMW 320d saw off tough competition from other members of the 3 Series range, the 316d ES, 320d SE and 330d Saloons, all winning their own price category, to win the overall title.

The EfficientDynamics package on the 3 Series range, makes this one of the most economical cars in its class, however it was the smoothness and refinement of the car that won over the judges at What Car?. Leo Wilkinson, road tester at What Car? said,” I love the driving position of the 3 Series – the controls and seat are spot-on. It’s one of the few cars I can get out of after driving a long journey without any aches and pains”.

The BMW Z4 was also praised for its all round abilities and took the title of What Car? Open-top car. Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? commented,”It’s not cheap but the Z4 looks more expensive than it actually is. I love the slick folding roof and the interior puts those of most supercars to shame. It’s a worthy winner”. BMW car leasing on every model is available now off the site.

Discovery 4

The Land Rover Discovery 4 has been named as the Best 4×4 at the What Car? Awards 2010. The Discovery 4 saw off tough competition from the BMW X5, Mercedes ML and the Lexus RX450h, with its new efficient LR-TDV6 3.0 twin-turbo diesel engine.

Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? said,” Thanks to a recent comprehensive update, the Discovery is shining brighter than ever….It is its ability to excel at so many different roles that makes it so appealing. As well as offering executive car comfort and MPV practicality, it’s still a real go-anywhere off roader”.

Parking bump

What Car? has conducted some market research and found that only 37% of motorists would definitely confess to damaging a parked car. 18% would drive away straight away with the remaining 45% in two minds, depending on how much damage has been caused.

Steve Fowler,editor of What Car? said,”We’re shocked by the lack of honesty among some drivers. Either way it’s a criminal offence not to stop and leave your details at the scene of an accident and you could end up with points on your licence, a large fine or a maximum penalty of six months in prison!”

Car leasing or buying - which is better?

This is always a question that causes a lot of debate and many people just say “I like to buy because you always own the vehicle at the end of three years”. This is true but the bigger question is how much will it be worth? When our finance partners calculate a contract hire rental (or car leasing as it is sometimes called) they set a future residual value. This is calculated by using a number of factors and there will always be variances between each FN50 vehicle leasing company. The depreciation of a particular vehicle is the biggest factor in what the contract hire rental will look like.

If you want to get an idea of the running costs of your future car where can you go to find this information? Well one of the answers would be What Car magazine, who publish running costs and future residual values at the back of their hard copy magazine. If you want to see the data on-line, on all manufacturers and makes, on different mileage parameters, then have a look at the Fleet News website under running costs.

You can drill down to an exact model or just look at a range of cars i.e. Ford Fiestas for example. It’s simple to use and you will get an idea of all running costs including the MRV figure (residual value) which is also shown as a monthly depreciation figure.

This is only a guide but you will see the sorts of residual value variances between different manufacturers and the different maintenance costs as well. The forecasted maintenance costs are displayed as a pence per mile figure under the SMR (Service Maintenance Repair) column. So for example if it shows 2.17p and you travel 10,000 miles a year, your annual servicing and maintenance costs will be approximately £217 per annum.

So before you buy, think about depreciation as none of the MRV (residual value) figures shown are higher than what the car cost at the outset - they will all lose money over time!

This is why it is best to choose your car, when contract hiring, by the monthly rental rather than by how much it costs. You will see some cars that actually cost more to buy, may have a lower rental on contract hire, due to a better residual value.

Fleet News is the UK’s leading motoring publication for the fleet industry and is part of the Bauer Media Group.

Number 5 in JD Power survey

Skoda must have happy drivers as they have finished in the top 5 in the JD Power & Associates Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Survey for the 14th successive year. The Skoda Octavia was also named as the Best Small Family Car for the third year in a row.

Skoda UK Director, Robert Hazelwood, said ” We are delighted to yet again be in the top five in this prestigious survey and to be the only brand consistently ranked so highly. This result is impartial confirmation that Skoda continues to offer great quality products and excellent value for money, and that our retailer partners continue to deliver outstanding levels of customer service”.

Mr Hazelwood went on to say ” With the arrival of the all-new Yeti in September, we are confident that we can introduce a whole new group of consumers to our exceptional customer experience”.

What Car? magazine said The Octavia is a likeable car as well as a reliable one. Owners give strong scores for the driving experience, the roomy cabin and the way the car looks. What’s more, the Skoda should be cheap to run”.  All of these factors should make Skoda car leasing an attractive option and prices can be compared now.