It’s always nice to start your Monday with some great pictures of a customer’s new car – thank you to our new personal leasing customer for sending these through! The BMW 2 series has been an incredibly popular deal which we have been running in conjunction with one of our much loved panel of lenders, Lex Autolease, and which has included the BMW 2 Series Coupe (petrol and diesel) plus the convertible.
What has been quite interesting in this deal, is the mix of petrol and diesel derivatives and the queries from our customer base.
The new trepidation with the diesel engine has stemmed from the new “demonising” approach from the press against this type of fuel. Even on the weekend, the Government confirmed that new regulations are coming into force for MOT’s, in particular the tougher approach to a diesel engine.
The new MOT regulations are going to review diesel particulate filters (DPFs) in more depth, so to ensure that the car does not emit harmful or polluting gases from the exhaust or to find out if the DPF has been tampered with. In cases where a DPF does not meet the criteria, the car will receive a “Major” which essentially means that the fault will affect the vehicle’s safety, the safety of other users or will impact the environment. As such, the car must be repaired immediately.
The issue with diesel engines is that we have jumped from one position of most users being encouraged to utilise this fuel in order to reduce CO2 (which is relevant for company car/business drivers), reduce MPG (with growing fuel costs individuals and fleets are looking to minimise fuel spend) and operate a more well-rounded vehicle (particularly as manufacturers have invested more into their diesel options) to a “no-go” zone.
The issue with a diesel is very much a lack of understanding and education.
For drivers covering low-mileages and stop/start journeys in busy urban centres, a petrol, PHEV or electric vehicle is far more suitable. For longer motorway journeys and high-mileage users, the diesel engine still presents a practical option.
Before making a firm decision, do make sure you consider your individual driving circumstances.
In terms of the car shown here for the low-mileage customer, the BMW 2 Series Coupe 218i Petrol M Sport 2 door Nav Manual, the configuration was as follows:
· Estoril Blue Metallic Paint
· Aluminium hexagon interior trim with estoril blue finish
· Hexagon cloth/Alcantara – Anthracite/Blue
· 18″ light alloy wheels – M Double spoke style 461M in ferric grey
As standard the car includes navigation, Bluetooth, air conditioning, front sport seats, ambient lighting, LED headlights, 18” alloys, rear parking distance controls, sport suspension, heat insulating glass, rain sensing wipers, stability control, dynamic brake control, hill start assist, drive performance control, stop/start button, real time traffic information, body coloured mirrors mad externals, DAB radio, electric adjustable and heated door mirrors, chrome exhaust tailpipes, shark fin aerial, LED front fog lights, m sport multifunction steering wheel, crash sensors, immobiliser, Thatcham cat 1 alarm and run flat tyres. In terms of additional factory options, consider adding sun protection glass, front parking sensors and heated front seats for the perfect motor.
On the technical-side, company car and business drivers can note the 130g of CO2/km and P11d at £27,960.00. The 1499CC 6 speed manual engine delivers 136ps, 50.4 combined MPG and 0-62 times of 8.8 seconds. Service intervals are set at every 24 months or 18,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the BMW 2 Series as your preferred leasing option? Or would you go for the Audi TT, Mercedes CLA coupe or the cheaper Nissan 370z or a Toyota GT86?
Which car would you like to lease? Comment below…