Thank you to our car rental partners, Enterprise of Leigh (nr Manchester), for allowing us to photograph one of their latest additions to the fleet – the Nissan X-Trail.
Car rental is very much a short-term option, in contrast to the long-term option which contract hire offers. For businesses, car hire can offer a practical solution for those employees who are currently operating a probationary period. With contract hire, as the minimum period is 2 years, you can only exit the agreement through “early termination” which essentially means payment of half of the amount remaining on the contract (or more), which can be an expensive exercise.
For employees’ who have just begun with the business, it may be worth utilising a 3 or 6 month style short-term rental agreement before committing to a longer term solution. You can also, with car hire, add the insurance into the agreement so that the company is literally paying for the fuel only – the insurance, car and maintenance are all included.
Again, this can really benefit in the monitoring of your fleet. For an individual, car hire can present a great solution for those who need a specific type of vehicle for a short period only i.e. if you need an SUV/4×4 vehicle for a weekend. It can also be a great option if you have a vehicle on factory order and need a vehicle in the interim.
What is quite interesting about this type of the car, the SUV, is the extent to which this has become the most popular vehicle within the UK. Traditionally, families would have the scope to operate a number of vehicles and, for the bigger families, a 7 seat MPV style car would have sufficed. However, with rising pressure on the “family budget” the requirement to have a car which essentially does everything is perhaps more pertinent i.e. great specification, good driving position, aesthetically pleasing and boot-space. The MPV is, in truth, a less appealing car aesthetically and customers are now longer jumping up and down for this type of car. The SUV, in contrast, is incredibly popular and seems to meet all the needs and requirements of most customers.
The SUV class has in itself become more distinct as new small, medium and large options have developed within the class.
Take for example Nissan with the Juke, Qashqai and X-Trail! The choice is endless.
In terms of the car shown here, the Nissan X-TRAIL DIESEL STATION WAGON 1.6 dCi N-Connecta 5dr [7 Seat] Manual, this is based on the following configuration:
· Chilli pepper – Solid Paint
· Cloth – Graphite
· 18″ alloy wheels
As standard the car includes rain sensing wipers, privacy glass, brake assist, intelligent braking with pedestrian recognition, Bluetooth, around view monitor, attention assist, cruise control, engine start button, front/rear parking sensors, hill hold assist, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning system, automatic tailgate, 5” driver information display, electric folding and heated door mirrors, panoramic sunroof, automatic headlights, cloth upholstery, first aid kit, lumbar support, alarm, immobiliser, spare wheel and a n intelligent key. There are no additional factor options you can add, you merely increase within the specification range i.e. the Tekna. However, we find the N-Connecta does offers many of the key features for many customers.
On the technical-side the company car and business users can note the P11d at £31,130.00 and CO2 at 133 g/km. The 1598CC 6 speed manual engine delivers 55.4 combined MPG and 130ps.
So would the X-Trail be your preferred leasing option? Or would you select one of the other great alternatives such as the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe or Skoda Kodiaq?
Let us know your thoughts on which car you think is the best SUV option!!
Click Here for the best lease deals on the fabulous Nissan X-Trail which is available now on personal or business lease deals here @CarLease UK