Wallace and Gromit Anti-Pesto van is ‘on screen’ at Beaulieu

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Vans rarely appear in famous roles on screen, but there are a few exceptions, such as Del Boy’s Reliant Regal (it’s not a Reliant Robin!) and Wallace and Gromit’s Anti-Pesto van, an Austin A35 that the pair used to transport Wallace’s Bunvac 2000 invention!

Both of these vans, along with a number of notable cars, are currently on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, as part of Beaulieu’s On Screen Cars display.

Metal, not plasticine

A plasticine version of this Austin A35 van was created for the film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

wallace-grommit-austin-a35-sm

Nick Park, creator of the Wallace and Gromit animations, used to own an A35 and thought it was the ideal model to use in the film because “the van needed to be big enough to transport Wallace’s invention, the Bunvac 2000, while slick enough to go on high-speed chases.”

In the film, Tottington Hall’s Giant Vegetable Competition is fast approaching and Wallace and Gromit are running a vegetable security and humane pest control business, Anti-Pesto. In order to cope with the increasing amount of captured rabbits Wallace invents a brainwashing machine, but a mistake during the operation creates a ‘Were-Rabbit’, a giant rabbit which eats vegetables of any size. It’s down to Wallace and Gromit to capture the rampaging beast before the competition!

The Anti-Pesto Van, which has been loaned to Beaulieu following a call-out for new vehicles for the exhibition, joins a host of other star vehicles, including the ‘flying’ Ford Anglia used during the making of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Mr Bean’s lime green mini, a television favourite I remember well. This particular car was used in the character’s third series and made its first television appearance on 1st January 1991.

Could you do a day’s driving with £2 of fuel?

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Ergo Group Nissan e-NV200 electric vanThe latest installment in Nissan’s relentless and impressive campaign to promote its e-NV200 electric van is the ‘£2 Challenge’ — providing firms with the chance to see just how little an electric van costs to run on a daily basis.

The latest UK firm to take up the £2 challenge is The Ergro Group, a building and building services engineering group which operates a 35-strong fleet from its Dartford HQ.

Ergro engineer Charlie Morgan drove a fully loaded e-NV200 from the company’s Dartford base to central London (a round trip of about 40 miles) where he completed a full day’s worth of service calls (a few more miles) before heading back.

At the end of the day, he had used just £1.20’s worth of the vehicle’s full £2 charge, clearly demonstrating how the e-NV200 can help fleet operators and business van users significantly reduce running and whole-life costs. By way of contrast, a equivalent diesel-powered van of the same size would probably have used about £6-£7 of diesel for the same work.

Yes, but … you might say — what about the initial purchase cost of the e-NV200? Well, Nissan currently offers the e-NV200 from £13,393, including the benefit of the government’s Plug-In Van Grant. That compares very favourably with the cost of buying the diesel-powered NV200, which is priced from £13,890 on the road.

In addition to low running costs and emissions, electric van users will also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership: Nissan claims that the e-NV200 will cost £1,200 less than a conventional diesel van to run over four years – and an unbeatable proposition for businesses large and small.

A final benefit is that thanks to the unique driving experience of the e-NV200, drivers will feel less fatigued due to the lack of engine vibration in the cabin.

Builder backs Mercedes-Benz vans for nationwide work

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Simon Taylor Group Mercedes-Benz vansAccording to Simon Taylor, boss of the eponymous Ayrshire commercial building, refurbishment and maintenance contractor, Simon Taylor Group, his vans tend to be used fully loaded and for long journeys. 

After five years of solid use, Mr Taylor’s firm has just stood down its last batch of Mercedes-Benz vans and replaced them with a new fleet of five new Merc vans, including the company’s first two Citans, on in van spec and one Dualiner model.

The company’s Sprinters are the main workhorses, and have been specified to suit — Mr Taylor opted for one 3.5-tonne Sprinter 319CDI panel van and a 316 CDI chassis cab with Inigmex dropside body — while the fifth van is a 116CDI Vito.

All of the vans will be used across the UK, on a variety of commercial refurbishment and building maintenance contracts.

Commenting on his choice of vans, Mr Taylor said:

“These are tough vans and experience has proved they can be trusted to stand up to hard work. 

“I have been a guest of the dealer at the Mercedes-Benz VanExperience LIVE event twice, and seen for myself the standard safety systems fitted to these vehicles, in action alongside models from the competition. Those demonstrations have left me in no doubt that Mercedes-Benz vans are the safest on the road.”

Mercedes vans seem to inspire a loyalty in operators that few other marques can attain — there’s little doubt why. Unlike some brands, Merc’s image of quality and technical superiority isn’t just down to marketing success; it’s a reality.

CV manufacturing down 31.1% in September — SMMT

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September’s commercial vehicle manufacturing update from the SMMT was short but not sweet. Production fell by 31.1% compared to the same period last year, leaving CV manufacturing output down by 25.2% on the year to date:

CV manufacturing Sep-13 Sep-14 % Change YTD-13 YTD-14 % Change
Total 6,997 4,818 -31.1% 67,887 50,746 -25.2%
Home 3,817 2,522 -33.9% 31,600 24,474 -22.6%
Export 3,180 2,296 -27.8% 36,287 26,272 -27.6%
% export 45.4% 47.7% 53.5% 51.8%

Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, stuck to well-worn script, blaming the impact of plant restructuring over the last year and the introduction of new models:

“UK commercial vehicle production remained negative in September, while key manufacturing facilities adjusted to new models,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “We expect monthly output to level off in the coming months, with the restructuring of operations last year now only affecting the year-to-date figures.”

If the last of last year’s restructuring has now fallen out of the figures, then that’s good news. In theory, monthly production should now be broadly flat — it will be interesting to see whether this actually happens, and whether the remaining manufacturers manage to generate any growth.

It is important to stress that the scale of the reduction in UK CV manufacturing over the last few years is huge, as these SMMT graphs show:

CV output rolling year & YTD totals

CV output rolling year & YTD totals (courtesy of SMMT)

Not a pretty picture, I’m afraid.

South West Water’s crack new ‘L-team’ is powered by Peugeot

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South West Water L-Team vans

South West Water’s elite L-Team gather at a top secret military location, before being unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

The A-Team were a group of ex-Special Forces soldiers who became an unstoppable force for good when they were unleashed on society.

Their former masters may well have wished they could recapture the A-Team and bring them back ‘in house’, but the team’s televisual success rapidly made that impossible.

A similar fate has befallen South West Water’s ‘L-Team’.

Previously outsourced to a company whose name has been erased from the history books, the L-Team has now been reclaimed by South West Water to become a highly-specialised, in-house Leak Detection Team, or L-Team.

Staff for the L-Team have been transferred from the “previous outsourced supplier” and start “operational deployment” with their new vans in October.

Wisely, given the probability that the L-Team will emulate their alphabetical predecessors and be a big hit with the laydeez (and gents), South West Water has opted for vans from Europe’s most romantic van manufacturer, Peugeot, whose rampant lion logo has clear synergies with the passionate, highly-committed rapid response service provided by the L-Team’s personnel.

The L-Team is a little larger than the A-Team and requires not one, but 54, specially-equipped Peugeot Partner vans to ensure it remains mobile, 24/7. Supplied by local dealership Hawkins Motors Ltd, in St Austell, the L-Team’s 54 Partner SE L2 HDi 92 vans have been converted and equipped with specialist leak-detection equipment and traffic management signs and bollards to cater for roadside incidents and other unforeseen emergencies…

The man behind the L-Team’s vans is Mark Karkeek, South West Water Transport Manager, who said:

“Faced with the opportunity to specify a whole new bespoke range of vans for this purpose provided us with a chance to do things quickly and utilised the expertise of our suppliers, helped by having first-hand experience of the durable Peugeot Partner van. Getting them modified for purpose by Hawkins, our local Peugeot Dealer, who converted the vehicle with our specific and exacting conversion requirements, was greatly appreciated.”

Threats of violence played no part in Hawkins’ prompt delivery and effective service, although South West Water’s existing relationship with Peugeot, which is the company’s primary LCV supplier, probably did help.

College stays mobile in all weathers with 4×4 Sprinter

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Treloar College Sprinter 4x4 minibusIt’s not often that you see a 4×4 minibus, let alone a 4×4 minibus adapted to carry wheelchair-bound passengers.

However, that’s exactly what Hampshire’s Treloar College has just bought, to ensure that its students and staff are never left stranded, whatever the weather conditions.

Naturally, the vehicle concerned is a Mercedes-Benz 4×4 Sprinter, and as it’s specified as a 17-seater minibus, it’s a 516CDI model to ensure adequate payload.

The college’s 4×4 Sprinter 516CDI was equipped as an accessible minibus by specialist convertor Stanford Coachworks, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, and joins another Sprinter 516 CDI, a standard rear-wheel drive model, delivered just two weeks earlier.

Both of the college’s new Sprinters have flexible interiors, each with up to 16 seats which can be moved, or removed entirely. The vehicles are used most often in a configuration with seating for five passengers and space for four students with wheelchairs, which can be safely secured to tracking in the floor. It is also equipped with no fewer than 10 electric power sockets inside, as well as wi-fi internet connectivity allowing students and staff to work on their laptops and tablets.

Meanwhile, the 4×4 model’s raised ride height, and all-wheel-drive chassis with advanced 4ETS automatic electronic traction control, mean it can take winter snow and ice, as well as the occasional off-road venture, in its stride.

College Transport Manager Mark Copping said:

“We had some problems during a bad winter a few years ago and since then have been discussing the best way to equip ourselves to deal with spells of adverse weather in the future. This vehicle is the outcome of that process.”

“We have students here for 50 weeks of the year and the college is in quite a remote location. We have to be able to get our staff to work in all conditions, as well as needing a vehicle that’s capable of getting students to the local hospital 15 miles away. It’s a demanding requirement but the Sprinter 4×4 gives us everything we need.”

Mr Copping ordered the 5.0-tonne gvw Sprinters after testing similar models at this summer’s Mercedes-Benz VanExperience LIVE, the manufacturer’s annual showcase of its full range of LCV products and services.

Is this the new face of the Vauxhall Corsavan? We drive the new Corsa

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A Corsavan version of the new Corsa will follow shortly

The new 2014 Vauxhall Corsa — a new Corsavan model could up the stakes in the car-derived van market

Disclosure: I received no payment for this review but I did receive one night’s accommodation and hospitality paid for by Vauxhall.

Genuine car-derived vans are thin on the ground these days. Peugeot opted not to replace the 207 Van and MINI abandoned the Clubvan after a short flirtation with the UK van market.

As a result, there are only two real players — the Ford Fiesta Van and the Vauxhall Corsavan. Both models are popular and well-respected, but there’s no denying that the current Corsa is getting a bit long in the tooth, compared to its Dagenham competition.

Luckily, Vauxhall has just launched a new version of the Corsa, and I suspect that a new Corsavan model will break cover in the near future.

This could be good news for Corsavan drivers, as having driven the the new Corsa car at its UK launch, I can report that it’s by far the best Corsa yet — and a big step up from the outgoing model.

You can read my full review of the new Corsa here, on SimpleMotoring.co.uk, but here are some of the main highlights:

  • New engines: the reworked 1.3CDTi diesel engine likely to be popular with mile-munching van drivers promises in excess of 80mpg. However, there’s also an all-new 1.0-litre turbo-charged petrol engine that could be a much better choice for urban van operators.
  • Improved interior: the cabin of the new Corsa is significantly improved — comfort, quality and specification are all better than in the old model.
  • Driving: The new Corsa has a smooth, six-speed gearbox that’s far superior to the old Corsa’s rather notchy effort. If you’re behind the wheel all day, you will really notice and appreciate the improvement. Handling and ride are also much better, although they continue to lag the market-leading Fiesta.

Watch this space for more details.

Hertz Van Rental now from just £13 per day

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Hertz Van Rental from £13 per dayIf you’ve missed out  on our recent exclusive 10% offers for Hertz Van Rental, but still need to hire a van during October, then you’re in luck — it’s not too late to SAVE with Hertz.

Hertz Van Rental is currently offering UK van hire from just £13 per day.

With locations all over the UK (see here for a list), you’re sure to find a Hertz branch near you.

The offer is valid until 31 October 2014, using the discount code 778636.

UPDATE 03/11/2014: This offer has now been extended until 9th November:

Click here now to visit the Hertz website

 

Terms and conditions may apply, see Hertz website for details.

New Renault Trafic takes Best MPG crown at 2014 MPG Marathon

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New Renault Trafic wins 2014 MPG Marathon

All-New Trafic crowned best performing LCV at the 2014 MPG Marathon

Renault’s all-new Trafic van has triumphed as the best-performing Light Commercial Vehicle at the 2014 MPG Marathon winning the titles of “Best MPG”, as well as “Best percentage improvement” compared to manufacturer claimed economy figures, in the LCV category.

Held on the 8th – 9th October, the MPG Marathon is a grueling two-day economy challenge designed to put fuel economy performance claims and eco driving techniques under the spotlight.

Behind the wheel of Renault’s All-New Trafic SL27 ENERGY dCi 120 Business+, Dan Gilkes, Editor of Van Fleet World, and co-driver, Ray Penford drove the 330-mile varied road route through the Cotswolds and South Wales achieving an overall economy figure of 55.55mpg to take the “Best MPG” title for an LCV.

That figure is some 15.98 per cent higher than the Trafic’s official EU combined cycle figure of 47.9mpg which was enough for All-New Trafic to also scoop the award for “Best percentage improvement” in the LCV category.

It’s also significantly more than the 42mpg which is the best I’ve ever achieved in my 12-year old Transit — highlighting just how much the technology has improved over the last decade.

Commenting on the Trafic’s performance in the MPG Marathon, Dan Gilkes said:

“With a combined fuel figure of 47.9mpg, the Energy dCi 120 Twin Turbo Trafic is already one of the most economical vans in its class, making it tough to improve upon. But, as a number of vehicles struggled to even reach their advertised combined figure, we were more than happy with a final result of 55.5mpg – the most economical van in the MPG Marathon.

“The Trafic never missed a beat and was a pleasure to drive, with a quiet comfortable cab and effortless controls. Though maintaining low rpm throughout for maximum economy, the new 1.6-litre twin turbo engine delivers plenty of torque, even at lower engine speeds, allowing higher gears to be used. Even in normal driving conditions, customers should find Trafic an economical yet rapid van.

“Having covered 311 miles over the two days, the van was still showing more than 900 miles of available range when we finished! Now that’s a marathon.” added Gilkes.

The all-new Renault Trafic went on sale in the UK in September available in a choice of three bodystyles – Panel Van, Crew Van – to carry up to six people and equipment – and Passenger, which seats up to nine people in comfort.  All-New Trafic is available with a choice of four efficient turbodiesel engines.

The new Trafic boasts the best load capacities on the market with clever solutions to make the loading area more practical. Innovative features such as keyless entry, touch-screen infotainment, mobile office storage and functionality and sophisticated stability control are available.

Northumberland Fire & Rescue takes delivery of custom 4×4 Sprinter conversion

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Northumberland Fire & Rescue 4x4 Sprinter

Northumberland Fire & Rescue’s latest 4×4 Sprinter has been configured as an Incident Support Unit, with full IT and communications facilities.

Northumberland is home to some of the UK’s most rural and rugged scenery, prompting the county’s Fire & Rescue Service to acquire a new Incident Support Unit, based on a 5.0-tonne Sprinter 519 CDI, which arrived via North-East Dealer Bell Truck and Van.

The long-bodied, V6-engined van was converted for command and control operations by West Midlands specialist Macneillie (see here, here and here for some more of this company’s specialist conversions), and is fitted with cutting-edge communications technology that can be used by up to five personnel.

Chief Fire Officer Alex Bennett said:

“This custom-built vehicle will allow us to deliver our services in a more co-ordinated and professional manner and mean we are better able to protect our communities across the county at a time of increased risk from floods and other natural events.

The Incident Support Unit represents a significant financial investment but given that we expect to run it for at least 10 years, I have no doubt that it will prove to be money very well spent.

Past experience has given us complete confidence in the Mercedes-Benz 4×4 chassis, which means we can operate anywhere across a county that includes some very challenging terrain.”

Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service also operates four other all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz vans – three are assigned to its Swift Water Rescue teams and carry inflatable boats, while the fourth is a Specialist Rescue Unit and equipped with heavy-duty cutting gear, including shears and saws, as well as stabilisation tools.

Prior to entering service the new vehicle was presented at this year’s Ambition show at Olympia – where it was seen by Home Secretary Theresa May – and at the Emergency Fleet Exhibition in Telford.

Factory 4×4

The Sprinter 4×4 is a genuine, factory-built option, rather than an aftermarket conversion, and rides higher than its standard counterpart. It employs rear-wheel drive for road use, but all-wheel drive can be selected when venturing off road.

Conventional 4×4 vehicles rely on mechanically operated differential locks to prevent spinning wheels and guarantee equal speed on all four wheels. The Sprinter 4×4, by contrast, uses a development of the Mercedes-Benz 4-ETS (Electronic Traction System), which is integrated with the Adaptive ESP® anti-skid technology to provide unrivalled traction management.

ICT equipment supplied by Excelerate Technology for installation in the air-conditioned Northumberland vehicle includes a roof-mounted, foldable satellite dish and a camera mounted on a retractable six-metre mast. Macneillie also fitted M1-compliant swivelling seats, a 10kVA generator which is accessed via the rear doors and housed behind a sound-proofed bulkhead, and stabiliser legs to ensure continuity of satellite signal during operations. An awning and external hatch through which a 40in screen can be viewed, means the area beside the vehicle can be used for meetings and briefings.

Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service Technical Officer Steve Kennedy said:

“We considered a few chassis options but the 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter ticked all the boxes in terms of its size, off-road capability, and proven reliability and durability.

“The communications systems on this vehicle allow us to pass messages and stream live, real time data back to HQ without having to rely on the public network. We can also conduct video conferences, for example, which will assist in managing incidents efficiently and safely, and undertake comprehensive incident debriefs based on the passage of information and audits of all decisions made, which can only improve future performance.”