Thank you to Enterprise (at Leigh, Greater Manchester) for allowing us to photograph another addition to their winter-fleet – the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV.
For those customers, personal or business, looking for short-term and flexible car (or van) requirements, speak with their team. To be clear, car hire is different to the contract hire products which we offer.
Car hire is based around rental days (28) and allows a customer to access a vehicle on a short-term and flexible basis. For an individual, if you are waiting for a car to arrive (factory order), need a car for the weekend or you are moving house, then a car hire product would be suitable.
In the same way, a business which is completing a specific project or who has a new start employee may consider a car hire product rather than a long-term contract.
Car hire is very much about ease and flexibility – there are no upfront costs, the car can be insured and there is no need to have positive credit. However, this flexibility attracts a premium price and for those customers needing more long-term solutions, car hire will not be the most financially safe route moving forwards. In these cases, a personal or company user will need to consider contract hire.
With the UK now seemingly in the depths of winter, one of the biggest issues pertain to a car’s reliability and its running practices. With contract hire, much of what we and other similar businesses offer is based on new vehicles. Why get a new vehicle? One of the main reasons is that you have the protection of a manufacturer warranty.
This is essentially an undertaking from the manufacturer that if a vehicle has a fault which is not caused due to the customer, they will fix/amend/repair this at no cost to the customer. A vehicle warranty will vary in term depending on the actual manufacturer.
While many leading companies offer 3 years (or a certain mileage) others will offer more long term warranties (5 and even 7 years).
For customers, this provides them with the comfort that so long as they are correctly servicing and maintaining the vehicle, there will be no additional costs to them. So a warranty covers everything? Absolutely not; this is not a cart blanche to have all your running-costs taking into account. A warranty serves no more than a protection and will not act to cover anything above.
When you lease or buy a new car, the manufacturer will outline the service intervals on the vehicle. This is set at every “x” months/year or every “x” thousand miles (whichever comes first). The importance of servicing a vehicle properly is that it a) preserves your warranty; and b) ensures your car is running correctly. With contract hire, you do need to check with your finance company or leasing broker as to the rules on servicing. Some finance companies will dictate that you use a franchised dealer whereas others will allow you to use 3rd party-agents who will use genuine manufacturer parts. In either case, you need to ensure that the service book is properly completed by the agents carrying out the servicing (some cars record this on their internal computer/key).
If you cannot properly demonstrate to the collection agent at the end of the contract that you have serviced the vehicle correctly, you may be charged for a “missed service”.
How do I know when to service the car – will the leasing company tell me? Almost all modern vehicles are intuitive enough to tell you when they need servicing; many actually provide you with a countdown. In addition, some companies will email and call you circa 12 months into the vehicle contract to discuss the vehicle’s maintenance and servicing. In truth, it is almost impossible for a customer to “not know” the vehicle needed a service!
In-between a service, you may need to carry out some basic maintenance on your vehicle. Quite commonly this will include screen-wash, coolant, oil or Ad Blue. These are basic additives in your vehicle which will help it to operate correctly. As noted above, most modern vehicles are intelligent enough to set out when some action is required. It is your responsibility to carry this out; do not wait for the service to do so. If any of the above become too low, you run the risk of the vehicle going into “limp mode” which will effectively stop it from operating properly or, in more severe cases, cause damage to the engine.
With modern diesel vehicles needing Ad Blue, this is something which has become quite topical.
In addition to the above, you do need to ensure that the tyres on the vehicle are properly maintained. Again, as a new car with leasing, the vehicle will be supplied with brand-new tyres. Depending upon the driving behaviour, conditions and annual mileage, these tyres will need to be changed (or repaired) as necessary. For lease customers, you need to ensure that you use equivalent premium tyres which match the size, speed and ratings of those on the vehicle. Can I use part-worn or budget tyres on a lease car? No; nearly every finance company prohibit this. Particularly in cold and poor weather, your tyres are crucial to the safe operation of the vehicle. This is not something which you should cut corners with. Additionally, when the vehicle is returned you must ensure that the tyres are legal (i.e. 1.6mm in tread or more).
If you do not do so you will be charged for the cost of a replacements tyres or the collection will be cancelled.
How can I include a full service arrangement with my lease car? Every finance company will offer you the ability to include a “funder-maintained” contract. While the exact rules of this provision will vary, most of the finance companies enable you to include the cost of all servicing, maintenance and tyres within the lease arrangement. This means that all costs except your fuel bill and insurance can be included for a fixed cost. Some of our leading contract hire funders offer a “one-call” number which you can use to arrange your vehicle to be serviced and maintained. They add benefits such as collection and delivery, so that you do not need to take the vehicle to the garage and some offer mobile tyre fitting services, so that if you get a puncture they will fix this for you (free of charge) at your home or business address. Should I get a funder-maintained contract? Ultimately, this depends on your needs/requirements and also your appetite to risk. Where customers go wrong, is that they think they can get the maintenance much cheaper or they believe that tyres won’t need changing. Just try to work on a balanced-attitude.
If your reason for not taking funder-maintenance is cost, maybe you need to consider a cheaper vehicle?
In terms of the car shown here, the Mitsubishi ECLIPSE CROSS HATCHBACK 1.5 3 5dr (Manual/Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:
· Amethyst black Pearlescent Paint
· Fabric – Black
· 18″ black/silver alloy wheels
As standard the car includes rain sensing wipers, rear window privacy glass, active city braking, active stability, emergency stop signal system, forward collision mitigation system, hill start assist, active yaw control, apple carplay/android auto, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, lane departure warning system, rear view camera, automatic stop/start system, head up display, touch pad controller for infotainment system, auto dimming rear view mirror, electric and heated door mirrors, DAB radio, dusk sensing headlights, LED daytime running lights, climate control, leather steering wheel, LED illuminated tray, heated front seats, 60/40 split folding seats, immobiliser and Thatcham cat 1 alarm, keyless entry and start and 18” alloy wheels. There are no additional factory options to add – you have to go up in the specification range to the “4”.
On the technical-side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £22,780.00 and CO2 at 159g/km. The 1499CC 6 speed manual petrol engine delivers 40.4 combined MPG (EC), 36.2 combined MPG (WLTP), 163ps and 0-62 times of 9.7 seconds. The service intervals on the petrol Eclipse Cross are every 12 months or 12,500 miles, whichever lands sooner.
Would you select the Mitsubishi as your next SUV leasing option? Or would the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, VW Tiguan or Vauxhall Grandland X be your preferred lease car?
Find the webs best deals on the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross @CarLease UK – or – check out more SUV lease car reviews below.