Heswall at high tide

Heswall van hire is now available on vanrental.co.uk

Leave a reply
Heswall at high tide

Heswall at high tide. Source: By simon Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8526382

The Wirral town of Heswall is the latest location to be added to our growing database of UK van and minibus hire locations . We now have more than 560 locations, many with multiple hire companies that you can compare through our independent price comparison system.

Heswall is a smallish town but it’s only around 20 minutes’ drive to Chester and Liverpool. It’s a popular place to live on Merseyside, with a population of more than 12,000, including nearby Gayton and Barnston.

At the time of writing (Jan 2018) we only have one van hire supplier in Heswall, which is Enterprise. This well-known hire group always offers a decent range of modern vans. Sizes range from small to extra long — and Enterprise also offers luton vans for DIY house removals or heavy objects requiring a tail lift.

We’re keen to add more van hire suppliers in Heswall, so if you run a rental company in the area and would like to add your firm to our van hire search system, then please check out our options for getting listed or get in touch with us directly.

Weightlifting van driver

Van drivers ditch pasties for salads and gym sessions

Leave a reply

Weightlifting van driver

White van man has long had the stereotyped reputation of being a gym-dodging pasty lover. But that’s all changing according to a new survey.

Research shows that the average van driver will work out once a week, with more than 10% heading to the gym a staggering five times a week. And when your body’s a temple, then you don’t fill it with junk.

One in seven of those questioned leaves home with a packed lunch each day, while one in 10 claims to eat “a very healthy diet of fruit, vegetables and salad” when they’re on the road. Four in 10 drivers have now swapped sugary and salty snacks for healthy nibbles as well.

A spokesman for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which commissioned the research, said:

“This research seems to show that nowadays, van drivers are leading a much healthier lifestyle than you might expect. Rather than grabbing whatever they can while out on the road, they are tucking into homemade lunches of salad and fruit – a far cry from the food you might expect them to be eating.”

It seems van drivers are sick of being stereotyped as overweight and impatient drivers. Six in 10 say they are “courteous drivers” while half claim to be “polite and understanding”.

Indeed, the whole idea of white van man is beginning to look outdated — of the 500 drivers questioned for this research, 43% were women!

Histon, Cambridgeshire

Histon & Impington van hire is now available on vanrental.co.uk

Leave a reply
Histon, Cambridgeshire

Histon village sign Source: By Cruccone – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3815702

The Cambridgeshire village of Histon is one of the latest locations to be added to vanrental.co.uk’s ever-expanding price comparison system. We now cover 569 locations in the UK and Ireland, many of which have a number of competing van hire suppliers for you to choose from.

Histon is actually paired up with the adjoining village of Impington. The two together form a large, rural residential area with a population of around 11,000. Histon is only about 5 miles from Cambridge, so is a popular place to live. But such a large population means that local van hire is also in demand.

At the time of writing (Jan 2018) we only have one van hire supplier in Histon, Enterprise. This well-known hire company offers some of the best coverage of the UK (here’s a list of Enterprise locations) and always offers a decent selection of standard van sizes.

Among the most popular are medium and long-wheelbase panel vans, which are favourites for tradesmen, couriers and even small house moves (although a luton is usually better for this). Extra-long vans are also ideal for larger items of furniture or DIY items such as flat pack kits and lengths of timber that simply won’t fit into a car.

We’re keen to add more van hire suppliers in Histon and Impington, so if you run a rental company in the area and would like to add your firm to our van and minibus hire search system, then please check out our options for getting listed or get in touch with us directly.

Dewbury Town Hall

Dewsbury van hire is now available on vanrental.co.uk

Leave a reply

Dewbury Town Hall

Dewsbury Town Hall. Source: David Ward [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Here at vanrental.co.uk we’re always trying to improve our coverage of van hire suppliers across the UK (and Ireland!).

One of the latest locations added to our van hire comparison system is the historic town of Dewsbury, midway between Wakefield and Brighouse in West Yorkshire. With a population of more than 60,000, there’s strong demand for van hire in this busy area of the UK.

At the time of writing (Jan 2018) we only have one branch here, courtesy of Enterprise. This well-known firm has one of the largest and most comprehensive network of hire locations in the UK (here’s a list).

Enterprise’s van fleet includes all the most common sizes of vans — from small vans (ideal for small deliveries, large dogs or band gear) right up to luton vans, which are ideal for small house moves and heavy items requiring a tail lift.

We’re keen to add more van hire suppliers in Dewsbury, so if you run a rental company in the area and would like to add your firm to our van hire search system, then please check out our options for getting listed or get in touch with us directly.

Volkswagen Amarok Dark Label 2018

Volkswagen launches new Amarok Dark Label special edition

Leave a reply
Volkswagen Amarok Dark Label 2018

The 2018 Volkswagen Amarok Dark Label,. Production will be limited to “around 200 units”.

Ever get a feeling of deja vu? Volkswagen is reprising the success of its 2014 Amarok Dark Label special edition by launching an updated model for 2018. Like all new Amaroks, this time the Dark Label comes with 3.0-litre V6 power, rather than the then-range topping 2.0-litre BiTurbo model.

The difference is not huge, but it’s likely to be very satisfying for the lucky drivers. Whereas the 2.0-litre engine put out 180 PS and 420Nm, the new V6-powered Amarok pumps out 204 PS and a stump-pulling 500 Nm of torque from 1,250-2,750rpm.

You won’t need to stir the ‘box to keep moving in this pickup. And seamless delivery of power is guaranteed as the new Dark Label comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard, coupled with permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

What else is new?

As you’d expect, the Dark Label is fully specced up. On the outside, this pickup will be fitted with 18″ Rawson alloy wheels, matt black mirror housings, black door handles and a black rear bumper. Standard paint is Carbon Steel grey metallic, although buyers can also choose between Deep Black pearlescent or matt Indium Grey.

Matt black side bars and rear styling bar complete the picture (of a truck you won’t want to get dirty).

Inside, the black theme continues with Alcantara seat covers, black headlining and “unique Dark Label floor mats”. Infotainment is VW’s upmarket Discover Media system, which comes with a 6.3″ touchscreen, together with Voice Enhancer and Guide & Inform.

Practical touches for drivers include rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic headlights with follow-me-home function and heated, adjustable and folding door mirrors.

Order books are open

It’s an attractive package and only “around 200 units” will be available. Order books close in April with prices starting from £33,650 + VAT&OTR charges. That’s a hefty £7,425 more than the previous Dark Label.

Mitsubishi L200 pickup

Updated Mitsubishi L200 gets 3.5-tonne towing capacity

Leave a reply
Mitsubishi L200 pickup

The Mitsubishi L200 pickup has been updated with 3.5t towing capacity and a new infotainment system.

Mitsubishi’s current L200 pickup was introduced in 2015. This model has remained popular despite an increasing number of competitors. To help broaden the appeal of the L200, Mitsubishi has made a number of changes which should help it compete against the slightly larger offerings elsewhere in the sector.

Top of the list is towing capacity, which has been increased to 3.5 tonnes, albeit only for three-axle braked trailers. Towing capacity for single or twin-axle trailers is 3.1 tonnes. To complement the pickups upgraded towing abilities, the L200 will now be fitted with the Trailer Stability Assist system as standard. This brakes individual wheels automatically to stablise truck and trailer if ‘snaking’ is detected.

The bed payload at maximum towing weight is a still-usable 590kg, which Mitsubishi say is “significantly greater” than some rivals.

Driver comfort and convenience hasn’t been forgotten in the upgrades. The updated L200 gets a touchscreen and voice-controlled Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) infotainment system that’s compatible with most popular smartphones. Drivers can make and receive calls, listen to music and use their phone’s sat nav system through the in-vehicle screen, which also doubles up as the screen for the reversing camera.

Mitsubishi L200 SDA infotainment system

An updated SDA infotainment system is available in the L200

Priced from £19,000 (CV List Price), the Mitsubishi L200 is available in single, club and double cab body styles. The pickup offers a payload of up to 1,060kg and a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes (braked).

Ford Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Connect

New Ford Tourneo models unveiled at Brussels Motor Show

Leave a reply
Ford Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Connect

The new Ford Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Connect

Ford’s new Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Connect people movers have made their first public appearance at the Brussels Motor Show.

Tourneo Custom

The new Tourneo Custom is available in 8/9 seater configurations and features updated styling plus some new in-cab tech, such as a voice-controlled assistance system. It’s also available with six rear seats, three of which can be swivelled to provide a conference-type seating arrangement.

Powered by the Ford’s EcoBlue diesel engine, the model will be available with a choice of 105 PS, 130 PS and 170 PS power ratings, plus a 17-inch alloy wheel option for “enhanced handling and braking performance”.

Passengers benefit from convenient features such as multiple USB sockets and an optional 10-speaker sound system.

Aimed firmly at the executive transfer and minicab markets, the Tourneo Customer looks likely to be popular with minibus hire firms too, in my view.

Tourneo Connect

This smaller model is more likely to be of interest to large families and minicab drivers. Available in five or seven-seat versions, the Tourneo Connect also gets two new powertrains. Buyers can choose from Ford’s all-new 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel or the excellent and very popular 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.

Both are likely to offer good performance and economy and are specified with six-speed manual transmission as standard. The diesel is also available with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

As with its larger sibling, the Tourneo Connect gets updated interior and exterior styling.

Volkswagen Transporter Highline

Volkswagen van scrappage scheme extended into 2018

Leave a reply
Volkswagen Transporter Highline

Buyers can save up to £2,000 on a new Volksagen Transporter van with the scrappage scheme.

If you’re struggling to choose between long-term van hire and buying a new van, then news that Volkswagen has extended its van scrappage scheme for 2018 may help you to decide.

VW Commercial Vehicles has extended the scrappage scheme introduced in September 2017. This enabled buyers to receive a scrappage incentive of up to £2,000 on a new Euro 6 van when they traded in a pre-Euro 5 diesel registered before 2010.

These offers have now been extended so they’re available to buyers ordering a new Euro 6 van by 31 March 2018 and registering the new vehicle by 30 June 2018. The trade-in vehicle must also have been owned by the customer for at least six months and the customer must be a retail buyer.

The offer is available alongside other current retail offers. The company says that — for example — this means a discount of up to £3,500 is available on a new Caddy van. Here’s a summary of the scrappage offers available on VW’s new Euro 6 petrol and diesel vans:

Model Scrappage Scheme saving
Caddy Panel Van & Caddy Life (SWB & LWB) £1,000
Transporter Panel Van and Kombi £2,000
Crafter £2,000

For more information on the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles scrappage scheme, click here.

SMMT UK van registrations Dec 2011 - Dec 2017

New van registrations down 3.6% in 2017

1 Reply

 

Registrations of new light commercial vehicles fell by 3.6% to 362,149 units in 2017, according to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The decline is the first such fall since 2012.

SMMT UK van registrations Dec 2011 - Dec 2017

UK van registrations Dec 2011 – Dec 2017 (source: SMMT)

The markets for vans under 2.0 tonnes and heavy vans weighing 2.5-3.5t drove the overall annual decline, falling -20.3% and -3.1% respectively. However, demand for pick-ups and smaller vans weighing 2.0-2.5 tonnes saw uplifts of 7.8% and 2.3% respectively, compared with 2016.

As I remarked at the start of 2017, it was clear one year ago that the rush to buy new vans was slowing. That being so, I don’t think last year’s decline is necessarily a sign of problems to come. After such strong demand growth, a period of consolidation always seemed likely.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes is keen to encourage government stimulus in 2018,:

“While the market has slowed in 2017, this was in line with expectations and demand remains at a high level. In fact, LCV registrations have increased 62.5% since 20101. For 2018, however, we expect the economic and political uncertainty to continue to affect the market so government must rebuild business confidence and encourage operators to invest in new vehicles given fleet renewal is fastest way to reduce overall emissions.”

New van registrations have indeed risen strongly since 2010. But it’s probably worth putting this in context — in 2010, the UK and western Europe was still emerging from the worst recession since the 1920s. So you’d expect to have seen strong growth since then.

Top-selling vans in 2017

I’ve written about Ford’s iron grip on the new van market before. The latest figures from the SMMT make it clear just how total the blue oval’s dominance was in 2017:

Best selling vans of 2017

The best selling vans of 2017 (source: SMMT)

Crunching the numbers, we can see that Ford’s four top-selling vans accounted for 30.7% of all new LCVs registered last year. That’s a pretty strong endorsement of the group’s decision a few years ago to replace its entire range of LCVs.