We’ve recently added seven new Easirent.com van hire locations to vanrental.co.uk.
Easirent.com is an independent car and van hire company with a focus on airport car and van hire. We now list Easirent.com branches in the following locations:
Seriously, it must take these car companies about 10 minutes to come up with ‘special editions’, such as yesterday’s Isuzu D-Max Fury.
Come to think of it, it’s an ideal post-pub activity:
Tick a few boxes for desirable options
Add some bling — chrome, oversize alloys and dubious decals are obligatory
Make the inside a little more garish than usual
Give it a naff name and a restricted choice of colours
Knock a few hundred quid off the standard list price for the selected options
Whip together a Photoshopped image (just look at it!) — no need for a real photoshoot
Bingo.
Today’s contribution hails from Germany. I give you the Volkswagen Amarok Atacama.
Hot on the heels of the Canyon, Edition, Dark Label and Ultimate editions of the Amarok, the Atacama is “Named after the vast desert region of South America”, and “features an equally broad and impressive specification”. Seriously, did someone get paid to come up with that?
Having said that, the Amarok is a classy piece of kit and the Atacama is nicely loaded up for your next rumble in the urban jungle.
On sale now through Volkswagen’s UK Van Centre network with prices starting from £26,850 +VAT, the Atacama is powered by a 2.0-litre BiTDI 180 PS engine with a choice of two transmissions: a six-speed manual with selectable 4MOTION four-wheel drive or an eight-speed automatic with permanent 4MOTION four-wheel drive as standard.
Available in three colours – Candy White, Horizon Blue and Deep Black – the Amarok Atacama comes with bi-xenon headlights, black rear styling bars, black rear bumper with integrated step and 19-inch ‘Cantera’ alloy wheels. The load bed features a ‘Durabed’ protective coating, while distinctive black foil finish on the B-pillars and unique ‘Atacama’ side decals complete the design package.
Inside, the Amarok Atacama boasts luxurious Vienna leather upholstery, a newly designed leather multi-function steering wheel, Bluetooth phone connectivity and Climatronic 2-Zone air conditioning. There’s also a standard RNS310 sat nav system.
There’s lots to like, and it’s probably cheaper than specifying the same thing at list price.
Isuzu UK will expand its pick-up range during the second half of 2015 with the addition of the D-Max Fury, a UK-exclusive model.
The new Fury is not a vehicle for shy or retiring drivers. According to Isuzu, it boasts a number of unique style enhancements and technology upgrades.
Based on the Eiger double-cab model, prices for the Fury special edition start from just £19,999 (CVOTR), representing a saving of around £2000 compared to buying the accessories separately. Fury is available with either manual or auto transmission.
The attention-grabbing style of the D-Max Fury starts with its unique Magma Red metallic paint finish, while bold 17-inch, five-spoke grey alloy wheels shod with 255/65 R17 Pirelli Scorpion tyres emphasise the pick-up’s powerful road presence.
The exterior upgrades continue with a dark grey metallic finish to the front grille – complete with a fiery red Isuzu logo at its centre – and Cosmic black door and tailgate handles, and black rear bumper, as well as gun metal grey heavy-duty side steps.
Inside, the sporting nature of the Fury is made clear with unique red stitching to key contact points such as the steering wheel and gear knob and the provision of dedicated Fury carpet mats. Customers will also have the option to upgrade the interior upholstery to Limited Edition Black and Red Fury leather.
The, er, bold interior of the D-Max Fury may not suit all tastes…
Fury also features a rear camera to aid easier parking and manoeuvring out of tight spots. With the vehicle in ‘reverse’, the image behind is cleverly displayed in the rear view mirror inside the cabin.
At the heart of the Fury remains the powerful-yet-efficient 2.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 163 PS and 400 Nm of torque. Isuzu’s robust diesel will return a highly impressive fuel economy of 38.7 mpg on a combined cycle. Owners of the new Fury will also benefit from a heavyweight towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes (braked trailer) and 1,072 (manual) 1,067 (auto) tonne payload.
William Brown, General Manager at Isuzu UK, said:
“We are confident the Fury will further widen the appeal of the D-Max which already has one of the widest choices of model of any pickup in the UK. The Fury has been designed for those seeking an affordable pick-up with stand-out appeal. It’s certainly a head-turner and, alongside the Blade and rest of the D-Max range, will meet the growing demand for a stylish vehicle which can be used for both work and recreation.”
Fury will go on sale from September priced at £19,999 (CVOTR) for the six-speed manual and £20,999 (CVOTR) for the 5-speed auto. Like all new Isuzu models sold in the UK, the D-Max Fury will come with the company’s pioneering five-year / 125,000 mile warranty.
Vauxhall will update the Movano large van and the popular, Luton-built Vivaro with Euro 6 diesel engines for the 2016 model year, which is now available to order.
However, the updated engines will only be available for passenger-carrying models at this point, meaning that for the time being, the vans will only be available with Euro 5 engines.
I’d expect this to change in the fairly near future, however, ahead of the September 2016 deadline for all light commercial vehicles to be supplied with Euro 6 engines.
In the meantime, here’s what buyers of the Vivaro Combi, Movano Combi and Movano minibus can look forward to:
Vivaro Combi: New 1.6CDTi 125PS Bi-Turbo engine offering 320Nm of torque, boasting combined cycle fuel consumption of 49.6mpg and164g/km of CO2.
Movano Combi & Minibus: New 2.3-litre BiTurbo diesel engines with a choice of 145PS/360Nm and 170PS/380Nm. Interestingly, Vauxhall says that both offer combined cycle fuel consumption of 42.8mpg and 173g/km of CO2 emissions.
All the new engines have been made Euro 6-compliant with the addition of Vauxhall’s BlueInjection SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system. This requires the vehicle to be fitted with an AdBlue tank and as such reduces payload slightly and adds a small extra running cost.
After storming ahead during the first half of the year, new van registrations stalled in July, falling by 0.9% compared to the same period in 2014.
According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), July’s flat results mean that van registrations have risen by 17% so far this year, compared to the first seven months of last year.
UK van and truck registrations: 2015 and % change on 2014
July
% change
Year-to-date
% change
Rolling year
% change
Vans
24,546
-0.9%
210,950
17.0%
352,340
17.5%
Trucks
4,434
39.7%
27,545
40.5%
49,404
-2.6%
Total
28,980
3.7%
238,495
19.3%
401,744
14.6%
Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)
According to Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, July’s slowdown may be the result of an exceptional surge in July last year, when several new van models hit the showrooms:
“The commercial vehicle market’s record performance in the first half of the year has been followed by a more sedate July, underpinned by a slight fall in van registrations. This is not surprising given a particularly big uplift in the same month last year on the back of the launch of several new key models.
Demand is still at a very high level, with year-to-date van registrations up 17% as confident businesses continue to invest in their fleets and capitalise on the ongoing trend for home deliveries.”
Mr Hawes singled out the home delivery market as a growth area and the statistics seem to back this up. Registrations of vans in the 2.5-3.5t sector, which are the size used by couriers, rose by 16.2% to 15,599 in July, while registrations of smaller vans fell by up to 34% (2.0-2.5t).
The 2.5-3.5t sector has seen the biggest gains in 2015, with registrations rising by 21% to 122,431 vans during the first seven months of the year.
To finish on a positive note, let’s have a look at this graph, which shows that total CV registrations so far this year are well ahead of the average levels seen before the financial crisis, between 2003 and 2008:
CV registrations for the 7 months to July for 2013-2015 and 2003-2008 (courtesy of SMMT)
This reassuring graph suggests to me that van buyers are both more confident and perhaps making up for deferred fleet renewals of previous years.
As the second half of the year unfolds, we should get an idea of how sustainable this increased level of demand is. Are businesses really expanding?
Fancy running a van for 2p per mile and saving an average of £300 per year on running costs?
That’s what Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is expecting to do as a result of swapping a standard diesel van for a new Nissan e-NV200 Combi electric van.
According to Nissan, total cost of ownership is expected to be £1,200 lower than a comparable diesel vehicle over a four year ownership period.
The Combi model was chosen to balance seating capacity with load capacity, and Solihull Council’s first electric vehicle will be used by its Neighbourhood Services team to co-ordinate community projects such as park improvements and sport facilities such as skate parks.
As with so many vans, this e-NV200 won’t stray that far from its base — ever — so the official 106 mile range should be more than adequate.
The council is happy so far and will consider more electric vehicles, according to Councillor Tony Dicicco, who is Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration:
“The e-NV200 has shown us just how electric vehicles can work for us.
“From our perspective, the technology has come so far that every time a department has a need for a new vehicle or a lease comes up for renewal we’ll be looking to see if there’s a viable electric option.”
Launched last year, the Nissan e-NV200 combines the NV200 – a former International Van of the Year – with the proven technology of the record breaking Nissan LEAF – the world’s bestselling electric car.
The e-NV200 is available in panel van form with a 700kg payload, or as a five or seven-seat Combi crew cab model. Prices start from £13,568 in panel van form (including the government plug-in grant).
Europcar has opened a new car and van hire branch in south Bristol, just five minutes’ walk from Bristol Temple Meads railway station.
The new Europcar Bristol South branch provides an ideal location for customers to get on the road quickly and cost-effectively, open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
The opening of the branch will initially create roles in customer service, fleet management and driver representatives, and will be the 6th Europcar rental location in Bristol.
“Bristol is a thriving business centre, as well as a great starting point for holidaymakers heading to Wales and the South West”, said Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group. “It therefore made sense for us to expand our branch network to include a location in the South of Bristol”.
“With free drop-off and collection, Europcar customers can step off the train at Bristol South and get straight into their hire vehicle, with the minimum of delays. This new branch is another example of our focus on keeping our customers on the move, with greater vehicle choice and more locations than ever.”
Europcar’s new Bristol South branch is located at:
Address: Unit 1A & 2B Temple Gate Park, Bristol, BS3 4RP
The RAC has just taken delivery of the first right-hand drive Mercedes-Benz New Vito to roll off the German marque’s production line.
The van, which bears the private registration plate P1 RAC, will be used by RAC Patrol Ben Wilson, who has just been crowned as the RAC’s Patrol Ambassador of the Year.
Vitos have been a fixture in the RAC fleet since 2005, and the organisation remains a fan of the model. One reason for this is that it is available with rear-wheel drive, which is unusual in this size of van.
The RAC prefers rear-wheel drive as it provides superior traction for towing, using the fold-down towing trailer fitted as standard to RAC patrol vans. The Vito’s compact size makes it well suited to urban use, where the van can safely access multi-storey car parks when the light bar is folded down.
Interestingly, although AA vans use a similar fold-down towing frame, the AA doesn’t seem to have the same preference for rear-wheel drive: it has just taken delivery of 500 new front-wheel drive VW Transporter vans for its fleet.
Rear-wheel drive provides superior traction when towing, especially in the wet or when going uphill
Getting back to the RAC’s new Vito, a fairly high level of specification has been chosen. The van is a 116 CDi long wheelbase, 3.2t model, powered by a 163 hp Euro 6 BlueTEC engine. Power is transmitted to the wheels via Mercedes’ optional 7G-Tronic Plus automatic gearbox. This is unique in the van sector for being a (traditional) torque converter automatic with seven gears and is an interesting choice, for the RAC.
The vehicle carries the RAC’s distinctive orange livery, and has been racked out by Bri-Stor systems to carry a full inventory of 500 tools and parts that each RAC patrol carries, as well as fuel and a special folding trailer for cars that require towing.
The RAC is currently in talks to acquire a further 42 New Vitos, all of which will be equipped with automatic transmissions.
I’m a huge fan of all-season tyres. For the majority of UK motorists, switching between summer and winter tyres twice a year just isn’t worthwhile.
Despite this, the traffic chaos that results from even the tiniest amount of snow proves that as a nation, we do have a traction problem when frozen water is involved.
I have all-season tyres fitted to both the vehicles in my household (one van and one car) and they’ve proved their worth more than once in winter conditions, providing grip while cars with summer tyres were visibly sliding around.
However, for reasons I cannot understand, all-season tyres are not widely available in the UK. Mainstream tyre retailers like Kwik-Fit only seem to offer summer and winter tyres. I think it’s a marketing thing — I was once told by a Goodyear PR person that they were not interested in selling their all-season tyres in the UK. (I buy mine through mytyres.co.uk, which is a German company shipping to fitting centres in the UK. All-season tyres are widely sold in Europe.)
Luckily, this short-sighted approach is starting to change. Earlier this year, Michelin launched the CrossClimate, a new type of all-season tyre that has received rave reviews and proved to be the equal of both winter and summer tyres in the highly-regarded German TUV and DEKRA tests.
The main difference between the CrossClimate and other all-season tyres is said to be that the CrossClimate is a summer tyre adapated to work in winter, whereas most all-season tyres are winter tyres adapted to work in summer. This means they often work less well in summer than in winter. My experience chimes with this, although the difference is slight, in my view.
However, perhaps the biggest difference is that Michelin has got its act together and is actively marketing the CrossClimate in the UK, to both fleet and retailer buyers.
Michelin’s latest big win is a deal to fit the CrossClimate to 13,000 British Gas vans. The tyres will be fitted as original equipment where possible and aftermarket needs will be taken care of by ATS Euromaster, which has previously described the CrossClimate as a “true game-changer” for the UK fleet sector.
The CrossClimate tyre is currently available in 23 dimensions, covering 76% of all car and car-derived van tyres in sizes from 15 to 17 inches, with Michelin to launch additional sizes next year.
I assume this means that the CrossClimate will be fitted to British Gas’s VW Caddy and similar vans, but not to larger models like the Transit and VW Transporter, as these would require larger, commercial-rated tyres.
Like all good all-season tyres and winter tyres, the CrossClimate carries the Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake (3PMSF) approval symbol, which means it is approved for use in countries where winter tyre use is a legal requirement at certain times of year.
Michelin appears to have raised the bar in the all-season tyre market and almost single-handedly introduced this type of tyre to the UK market. This is good news for motorists, and it will be interesting now to see how other manufacturers respond.
We’ve recently added seven new Easirent.com van hire locations to vanrental.co.uk.
Isuzu UK will expand its pick-up range during the second half of 2015 with the addition of the D-Max Fury, a UK-exclusive model.
Fancy running a van for 2p per mile and saving an average of £300 per year on running costs?
Europcar has opened a new car and van hire branch in south 
The RAC has just taken delivery of the first right-hand drive 
I’m a huge fan of all-season tyres. For the majority of UK motorists, switching between summer and winter tyres twice a year just isn’t worthwhile.