Will the new Mercedes CLA be one of the best cars to lease in 2019? The recent release of the CLA, which followed the A-Class, has certainly brought about considerable amounts of interest.
The A-Class is one of the staple sellers within the Merc brand and the CLA, has in some ways, been even more popular with the addition of the boot space and more executive styling; a CLA was previously very much built on the platform of an A-Class.
However, the new CLA is set to be a little bigger and spacious as it looks to take on the Audi A5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe in the manufacture v manufacturer battle (the A-Class saloon will have to satisfy the other customers).
The saloon/estate vehicles have come under fire more recently as customers are either choosing these couple/saloon hybrids or are going into an SUV option.
Manufacturers are therefore putting support and investment into them, as they each try to create a winning recipe.
Thank you to our personal lease customer, from Huddersfield (Yorkshire), for sending through pictures of their new car – the last of the current CLA!
When is the best to time to lease a vehicle? This is something we do get asked about by a customer; should they lease a car when it first gets launched? Does a good/bad economy make cars cheaper? Should you wait until the car is on “run-out”?
There are no hard and fast rules for when the best time to lease car actually is i.e. cabriolets are not necessarily cheaper/more expensive in summer and a car is not always launched with lots of discount.
What customers need to understand is that the monthly rental the finance company offers to them is based on variety of factors and isn’t just some figure which is plucked out of the air.
The select finance companies we work alongside will often offer a leasing solution for every make and model of car/van in the UK. What this doesn’t mean is that monthly price will be the same; each finance company will look at a car and its future value (or residual value) very differently.
Effectively when you are looking to the lease a car you will supply us with a term (2, 3 or 4 years), annual mileage (5,000 – 50,000 per annum) and a specification/build.
These factors influence what the car will be worth at the end of the contract. Bear in mind that contract hire and leasing is a usership-based product which means you will never own the vehicle; it is collected at the end of the contract and sold at auction.
The price the vehicle sells for at the auction will not only determine the profitability for the finance company but it will also demonstrate the demand the used car market has for certain vehicles/engine types/fuel types.
The information the finance company receives back is critical to what you pay for your lease, as the more attractive a vehicle is, the higher the residual value will be (and the less you will pay per month). As we have seen recently there has been a lot of anti-diesel propaganda in the press which stems out of the VW “dieselgate” scandal and also further research into diesel vehicles. While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with a diesel car, it is about a customer choosing this when it suits their needs and requirements – this message has not been properly communicated.
Unfortunately the knee-jerk reaction to a diesel car has seen the used car market prefer petrol over diesel and therefore these vehicles do not sell as popularly in the auction.
The result is that RVs for diesel are weaker and contract hire rentals have become worse. In contrast, the immediate interest in the electric (and hybrid/PHEV) propositions has seen an increasing demand at auction and therefore some enhanced contract hire and lease rentals.
What also influences the price you pay (and the quality of your deal) is the discount that we receive via the finance company or manufacturer. In the “fleet” market there are agreed terms between finance companies and manufacturers which get passed across to our personal and business customers which is why the prices you pay are often better than those you would pay in a dealer.
The volumes involved dwarf any type of purchase a customer could make. However, at certain junctures manufacturers will provide enhanced discounts to us in order provide a more competitive option to our customer.
This arises where a model may be undergoing a revamp or a new one is on route, like the CLA shown here. If you are not particularly badge or model conscious and value for money is important, this may suit you better. However, with any deal there will be some sort of limit. A lot of our leasing deals change on a weekly to month basis due to a changing stock situation (plus a number of economic, politically and regulatory factors).
If you do find a deal that works, don’t operate on presumption that it will become better.
To confirm, no one can predict when car prices will change or when it is the right time to buy/lease. Our advice is to research the products and services available, so you choose the right form of finance. When you have done this, consider the deals available to you by asking for three quotation from different companies.
Try not to ask every dealer/broker in the UK as this only leads to confusion.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz CLA CLASS COUPE CLA 200 AMG Line Edition 4dr [Manual] [Petrol], this is based on the following configuration:
· Cosmos Black Metallic Paint
· Artico man-made leather/Dinamica – Black with red stitching
· Light aluminium with longitudinal grain interior trim
· 18″ AMG 5 twin spoke alloy wheels
As standard the car includes 6 speakers, ambient lighting, automatic rain sensing wipers, heated rear window, adaptive brake system, ESP, front brake callipers with Mercedes lettering, hill start assist, cruise control, floor mats, reversing camera, 7” tablet style display, body coloured and electrically adjustable/hated door mirrors, AMG body styling, diamond grille with chrome pins, adaptive brake lights, automatic brake lights, halogen headlights, LED tail lamps and fog lights, door sill illumination, front sport seats, keyless go, 18” alloys, 1/3 to 2/3 split folding seats, immobiliser and anti-theft alarm.
In terms of additional factory options consider adding the Garmin navigation and audio pack or upgrade to Night Edition / Night Edition Plus vehicles.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £27,485.00 and CO2 at 152g/km. The 1595CC 6 speed manual petrol engine delivers 42.2 combined MPG (EC), 37.2 (WLTP), 122ps and 0-62 times of 9 seconds. Service intervals on a petrol CLA are set at every 12 months or 15,000 miles whichever lands sooner.
So will the new CLA be your next select car leasing option? Or are you sticking with the Audi or BMW?
