“It looks like a Golf, drives like a Golf, sounds like a Golf …” – the advert from Volkswagen wasn’t far wrong to be fair, as the VW Golf has almost certainly become the benchmark between the good cars and great cars.
VW’s leading product for many years, this is where many customers, personal or business, begin their car buying or leasing journey when it comes to a hatchback.
With the diesel Match/GT satisfying the £200 per month benchmark and the GTD/GTI satisfying the performance car users with the £300 budgets, this is a car which fits many niches in the UK automotive market.
For most this will be the ideal car and they will not look further, particularly when current contract hire rates place this in the same price category as a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra. For many, the additional cost for a Mercedes A Class or Audi A3 just isn’t justifiable.
With the new Golf due sometime between late 2019 and early 2020, Volkswagen need to have the 8th generation product absolutely spot-on if they are to continue to succeed in a time where car habits and behaviours and changing at a dramatic rate.
A thank you of course to the customer who allowed us to photograph their brand-new car – the VW Golf Match shown here. A lovely local customer from Westhoughton (Lancashire), with the help of our corporate partners at VW Warrington Sytner, we delivered a vehicle in just over two weeks. For anyone in the Manchester/Liverpool areas who need a new contact hire car quickly and who still value the benefits of a face-to-face personal service, just head over to the CarLease UK premises and speak to our team.
Based just off the A580 right near Bents Garden centre, we are easily accessible to anyone in the area. Where possible, we use local dealerships to supply the vehicles, as this gives additional comfort in case issues do arise with the vehicle.
My lease car has an issue – who do I speak to? Can I return it? Our first point to all customers, personal or business, is that cars do break and they have issues. As a complicated make-up of parts, there are plenty of things which can unfortunately break or deteriorate with a vehicle. As all of our vehicles are brand-new, they will include a manufacturer warranty, which means that the customer has the comfort of three years (or more), than any defects or issues not caused by them will be rectified by a representative of the manufacturer.
As some vehicles are “pre-registered”, do note that the warranty runs from the point of registration and so this may be up to 6 months less than what you expect.
All leasing brokers/finance companies will make it very clear to you when there is a pre-registered vehicle being supplied, as it also affects the timing of the MOT. For the risk-averse customers out there, make sure you keep the contract length the same as the warranty period i.e. 24 or 36 months.
With a contract hire vehicle, you never own it and this will always be in the name of the finance company. At the end of the contract, the vehicle is returned to them. Therefore, if you are experiencing issues with the vehicle, do note that it will ultimately be returned to them and you will not be under any obligation to retain it at the contract cessation. Where a car is delivered to a customer under a personal contract hire or personal contract purchase situation, they will have the benefit of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
This is for those operating outside of a trade, business or craft so it doesn’t apply to the sole trader, partnership or limited company.
This is an additional protection to ensure that any issues are rectified otherwise there may be a right to return the goods.
While not compulsory, the ability to include a maintenance arrangement, known as “funder-maintained”, provides a clear protection for the customer.
When you have this, the finance company absorbs the cost/risks associated with maintaining a vehicle.
Most of the finance companies we operate with state that this is as good as a warranty, so provides comfort that if there are vehicle issues they will assist in the rectification. Where a vehicle is particularly troublesome, having the maintenance arrangement in place allows the customer to not only benefit from the vehicle warranty but also the protection and support of the finance company.
So can I return a lease vehicle if it has issues? Ultimately there is no immediate right to simply return the vehicle if there are issues with it and it will very much depend on the nature and volume of issues being experienced.
Some customers react with the “it is not fit for purpose” on the initial issues but this is far too early into the process to make those judgements.
Where a car has a number of issues, by which we mean 3 or more, there is a case to challenge the quality of the vehicle along with the finance company. Where a customer is particularly unhappy, they may discuss the matter with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
In terms of the car shown here, the Volkswagen GOLF DIESEL HATCHBACK 1.6 TDI Match 5dr DSG (Auto), this is based on the following configuration:
· Atlantic Blue Metallic Paint
· Zoom cloth – Titan Black
· 16″ Woodstock alloy wheels with anti-theft wheel bolts
As standard the car includes car net with Apple CarPlay, LED rear lights, comfort seats with lumbar adjustment, discover navigation, air conditioning, 16” alloys, multifunction steering wheel, halogen headlights, 8 speakers, heated rear windows, rear tinted class 65%, automatic windscreen wipers, post collision braking, ESC with differential lock, Bluetooth, adaptive cruise control, front/rear parking sensors, stop/start system, body coloured externals, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, DAB radio, premium USB cable for Apple or Android, dusk sensor, LED daytime running lights, convenience pack, light and sight pack, mirror pack, 60/40 split folding rear seats, alarm with interior protection/immobiliser and central locking.
In terms of additional specification, consider upgrading to the GTi or the GTD. Alternatively add the winter pack and front/rear carpet mats for the perfect car.
On the technical side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £25,085.00 and CO2 at 104g/km. The 1598CC 7 speed auto delivers 70.6 combined MPG (EC), 115ps and 0-62 times of 10.5 seconds. Service intervals are every 24 months or 10,000 miles whichever lands sooner?
So would you select the Golf as your next car leasing option? Or would the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes A Class be your preference?
Maybe one of the lease car options mentioned here is more to your liking…
Check out the web best VW Golf lease cars available @CarLease UK – or – read reviews about more hatchback style lease cars below…
