Our personal lease customer, from Reigate (Surrey), sent some great images of their brand-new car to the CarLease UK team here – say hello to the VW Tiguan SUV.
A firm favourite in the UK, the Tiguan has been one of the more popular SUV options to lease as it offers some of the value which you get with “lesser” brands coupled with the driving experience and finish of the premium product.
The shift towards crossover and 4×4 vehicles is something which has astounded many vehicle manufacturers but there is no denying that consumer habits in the UK’s automotive have substantially changed. Particularly for those with a family, these offer the practicality and specification needed to run an efficient household yet deliver competent aesthetics and design which allow you to enjoy the car.
This shift has not gone unnoticed; the MPVs and larger estates have fallen victim to the new trend.
What was historically termed as a “mum mobile” by which mean the VW Touran, the Ford Galaxy and Seat Alhambra, no longer attract customers. Given that many of these are actually more expensive means that it is a difficult proposition to plug. Added to the mix has been the immediate, but perhaps short-term, shift to petrol versions.
Within 18 months, poor information via newspapers and political press resulted in customers believing that diesel was effectively deceased and that all vehicles should be procured on a petrol basis.
This is not true and now that good information is being released, customers are slowly waking up to the fact that it is about choosing the right engine for you – petrol/ diesel/ hybrid/ PHEV/ electric and so forth.
As a new customer to the world of leasing, like many others beforehand, one of the leading questions was “is it better to lease a vehicle”? We are commonly asked this by customers as there is a great misunderstanding of what finance products are available and what each finance product offers the customer.
To be clear, when you ask us to lease a vehicle, what you are asking to do is to contract hire it.
This is a product which is based on you using a car for a fixed period of time (2, 3 or 4 years). This is not a short-term solution; for this you would consider car hire or “flexi-lease”. The great thing about contract hire is that you have the certainty of a price for a fixed period of time – whether or not the car appreciates or depreciates, you pay exactly the same amount of money to the finance company. However, as fixed term contract, what you need to understand is that it is not possible to simply return the car if you don’t like it any more or if you wish to change it for a new one.
With contract hire, you must enter into early termination arrangements which will mean you paying an amount equivalent to half of the remaining rentals. If you are one year into a four year contract, this would be an excessive amount to pay.
The key thing to note with contract hire is that it is not flexible. If you need something more flexible, again car hire and flexi-lease may be better for you (or the business).
In terms of the car shown here, the Volkswagen TIGUAN DIESEL ESTATE 2.0 TDi BMT 150 SEL 5door DSG (2WD), this is based on the following configuration:
· Indium Grey Metallic Paint
· Art Velours microfleece cloth – Titan black
· Piano black interior trim
· 19″ Victoria alloy wheels + anti theft wheel bolts
Which Tiguan option should I choose? There are a number of models available including:
· S – the based model offers 17” alloys, air conditioning, front assist, lane assist, leather trimmed steering wheel and the composition media infotainment system;
· Match – the “middle” model replaces the previous SE Nav version. This includes 19” alloys, climate control, high beam assist, discover navigation, rear view camera and the car-net guide;
· SEL – as per below; and
· R Line Tech – as per the Match, this is a new trim range. This includes 20” alloys, panoramic roof, R Line styling, LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, 12.3” info display and area view.
For our customer, they selected the SEL. This offers some great specification including – front/rear parking sensors, remote tailgate release, 19” alloys, leather multifunction steering wheel, trailer stability, 14-way electrically adjustable driver seat with massage function, disorder navigation with 8” touch screen, heated windscreen washer jets, rain sensing windscreen wipers, tinted windows, DTC,ESP, front assist with emergency braking, hill hold control, front and rear carpet mats, adaptive cruise control, distance control assist, car-net, lane assist, fatigue detection system, auto dimming interior mirror, body coloured externals, electric folding mirrors, 4 x 20W music system, DAB radio, simultaneous pairing of 2 mobile devices, 3D effect rear lights, dusk senor and auto lights, halogen clear lights, climate control, LED headlights with dynamic light assist, steel space saver spare wheel, panoramic glass sunroof, XDS differential lock, start top function, alarm with interior protection/immobiliser, heated front seats and a pre-crash system. In terms of additional specification, consider – park assist with rear view camera/power tailgate for the perfect option.
On the technical-side company car and business users can note the P11d at £33,205.00 and CO2 at 131g/km. The 1968CC 7 speed auto diesel engine delivers 56.5 combined MPG (EC), 44.8 combined MPG (WLTP), 150ps and 0-62 times of 9.3 seconds. Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the VW Tiguan as your next SUV leasing option? Or would the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Seat Ateca or Mercedes GLC get your vote?
Is contract hire/leasing cheaper? Again, this very much depends on the situation. For most of our deals, they are available on a contract hire basis only. While a small selection of our finance companies will offer purchase-style product, in the form of PCP, this is not always possible.
As such, some of the more competitive deals are contract hire only. Whether or not this is cheaper to the customer will depend on their needs and requirements.
For those customers looking to operate a brand-new vehicle for 2-4 years, contract hire is often the cheapest solution.
Due to the competitive cost of funding and our enhanced discount, the monthly rentals are often cheaper than equivalent PCP or HP figures. Where it might not be cheaper is for those customers looking for a longer term solution.
Using contract hire for 5 years or more is a less savvy way to run a vehicle.
In this situation, a long term purchase product like a PCP or HP would be better.
Where we have to be clear is that contract hire is not a purchase-style product; the customer cannot often purchase the vehicle at contract cessation. Even if you can buy the vehicle, with contract hire the price you pay is a market valuation and does not take into account the rentals you have made, unlike a PCP.
If you are using contract hire to buy a vehicle, you would be making an ill-informed decision.
Leasing vs buying a car is not a simple answer. Customers need to consider their short to medium term plans and make a decision based on their needs and requirements. Do not be influenced purely on the specification of a car or the monthly rental. Make sure you choose a product which best fits your situation.
Find the webs best lease deals for the VW Tiguan @CarLease UK – or – check out more SUV reviews below.
