Is the latest BMW 3 series now the leading executive saloon? With stiff competition from the Audi A4, Mercedes C Class and Jaguar XE (which has also recently be updated), choosing a mid-size company car has never been more difficult.
These are very much for the customer looking to spend between £250-£300 per month on a low-mileage contract or circa £500 per month on a high-mileage contract with maintenance. While the SUV market has grown considerably, not every customer wants them; particularly if the ride experience is more crucial to them.
There is still very much a demand for these types of cars and we don’t think that any of the prestige manufacturers are giving up any time soon.
A big-thanks of course to BMW Williams at Liverpool for visiting the CarLease UK team in their new corporate demo.
For any local customers based in the Liverpool, or Merseyside, area, just visit the Williams dealership to look at the latest and newest BMW product which is launching.
A new BMW 1 series in on route, a new 3 series,5 series, 7 series, X3 and X5 have been launched and BMW have put together a raft of PHEV and electric lease car options, so there is plenty to look at and consider.
Whether you are a personal or business customer, just visit their team and start discovering what a BMW could offer you.
I am getting a new car, so servicing and maintenance is included right? A fairly common, but very bizarre, misnomer is that when you get a brand-new vehicle you don’t need to organise any maintenance on it because the warranty will cover it. Here we have customers confusing two very separate and different concepts – 1) a warranty; and 2) service, maintenance and tyres.
Whether you buy, contract hire or PCP your brand-new vehicle, this will be relevant to you, or the business.
A warranty is something which protects customers against any issues, defects or problems which arise through no fault of their own. This is essentially an assurance from the manufacturer that for a pre-determined length of time, anywhere between 3-7 years, one of their franchised dealerships will remediate any issues which arise. So a warranty doesn’t last forever? Each manufacturer will have a different approach to this, some like Mercedes and Audi will offer 3 years whereas others like Hyundai and Kia will offer 5 and 7 years respectively.
So the warranty starts from the moment I get the car? Not exactly. The warranty will start from the point at which the car is registered. In the leasing world we offer “pre-reg” deals, which means that some vehicles are registered up to 6 months’ before they are delivered to a customer.
There is nothing to be concerned about a pre-reg deals – no one is using the car, it is literally just sat there waiting to be delivered. However, at the point of registration the warranty and time for the MOT begins.
So if I am leasing car, is the servicing not just included within that? Again, this is not a true reflection of the process. Neither the warranty nor the fact you are leasing the car ensures that your servicing, maintenance and tyres is included. With our industry there are 2 very clear routes to pursue:
1. Driver-maintained; and
A driver-maintained is the “default” position and essentially means that the customer is taking on the responsibility of servicing, maintenance and tyres. When the car indicates it requires a service is require, you must arrange and pay for this. When the tyres incur a puncture or need replacement you must organise a pay for this. For some customers, particularity those utilising low-mileage contracts with long-life servicing vehicles, this is not something which is an immediate cause for concern. However, for higher-mileage customers, they do need to give due consideration to how this will be carried out and what costs will be incurred.
A funder-maintained contract, in contrast, will offer all servicing, maintenance, tyres and, in some cases, breakdown recovery to be included. As a credit broker, not a lender, we work with a select number of finance companies and their rules pertaining to maintenance programmes can vary. That being said, in most cases you can get to a position whereby the customer merely fuels and insurers the vehicles. This allows for complete certainty of cost and piece of mind.
While there is no right or wrong way to conduct the contract, customers do need to understand that a car (or van) needs to be maintained regardless of which direction they choose. Do not get a driver-maintained if affordability of maintenance is an issue!
In terms of the car shown here, the BMW 3 SERIES DIESEL SALOON 320d xDrive M Sport 4dr Step Auto, this is based on the following:
· Mineral white Metallic Paint
· Vernasca leather – Black with blue contrast stitching
· Aluminium tetragon interior trim
· M Sport plus pack (this adds sun protection glass, adaptive suspension, rear spoiler, M seat belts, M Sport braking system and 19” alloys)
· Technology pack (this adds head up display, wif-fi hot spot, Harmon/Kardon sound system, enhanced Bluetooth with wireless charging, gesture control and an M rear spoiler)
· 19″ BMW individual double spoke bicolour orbit grey light alloy wheels – Style 793 with mixed tyres and run flat tyres (part of the Plus Pack)
As standard the car includes adaptive LED headlights, Bluetooth, parking assistant pack, acoustic glazing, green tined heat protection glazing, rain sensors with automatic headlights ASC, brake energy regeneration, braking pre-tensioning, DSC+, hill start assist, front and rear velour mats, active guard plus, attentiveness assist, cruise control, front/rear parking sensors, start/stop button with comfort go, BMW cockpit professional, iDrive controller, exterior mirrors with anti-dazzle, DAB tuner, body colour coordination with Matt Black elements, M aerodynamic body styling, extended LED headlights, LED fog lights, 3-zone climate control, 3 spoke leather steering wheel, leather upholstery, ambient lighting, crash sensor, sports automatic transmission with gearshift paddles, vehicle key with M designation, sports seats, driver and passenger seats heated and Thatcham Cat 1 alarm system. If you want to add additional specification consider – sun protection glass, the electric glass sunroof or add one of the great packs above.
On the technical-side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £40,110.00 and CO2 at 120g/km (EC) or 158 (WLTP). The 1995CC 8 speed auto engine delivers 61.4 combined MPG (EC), 47.1 (WLTP), 190ps and 0-62 times of 6.9 seconds. Service intervals on the diesel BMW 3 series are every 24 months or 15,500 miles.
So would you select the 3 Series as your next car leasing option? Or would you go for one of the other offers available nationwide?
Find the webs best lease deals on the awesome diesel BMW 3 Series @CarLease UK – or – check out more prestige lease car ideas and reviews below…
