Vans, Cars and Leasing

Smart cars may just be the wave of the future. For potential buyers – or anyone concerned with the environment – smart car leasing and smart car contract hire is a perfect way to experience the smart car. Renters can get used to it, get accustomed to it, simply try it out – and, if they like it, they can continue driving it long term as a smart car contract hire. Total Fleet Services has a wide array of MMC Smart Fortwo smart cars in their fleet; taking advantage of smart car leasing or smart car contract hire with them could be much more affordable than buying one out right. After all, because smart cars are a relatively new trend, they can still be quite expensive – but leasing or contracting an MCC Smart Fortwo is well worth it, as is proven in the following.

The MCC Smart Fortwo is a small car – naturally, as small cars are well known for staying low to the ground, and thus providing smooth, easy handling and admirable fuel economy. There is no question, either, that the Smart Fortwo is quite cute – it is also the reason why one should never judge a car by its exterior.

The Fortwo’s interior is surprisingly roomy and spacious, not to mention very urban and artful. Colors, textures, and shapes are as unique as the Smart Fortwo itself, but in a more bohemian way than the exterior. The dashboard is broad and accommodating, and there is ample room for storage and luggage in the trunk. The passenger seat is now able to fold completely forward and completely backward, which allows even more room for storage – especially of long cargo.

The seats are safety seats, and the seat belts have been completely redesigned, made integral, and given an entirely new appearance. They are wonderfully contoured and so solid and stable that they guarantee total comfort during longer drives and trips. Moreover, the seats are upholstered in a matte fabric with a soft and silken feel, adding a touch of luxury amongst the bohemian design. This is even more true when buyers opt for the leather trim package.

The seats have been redesigned in more ways than one however. The designers of the MCC Smart Fortwo show a real economical use of space, with the passenger seat situated fifteen centimetres behind the driver’s seat: not only does this ensure the passenger has plenty of shoulder room, but the positioning guarantees that the driver’s movements will not be impeded whatsoever.

As for the way it drives, the MMC Smart Fortwo packs a lot of punch for such a small car, especially when the engine revs. Furthermore, the Fortwo will cruise smoothly and comfortably at fairly high speeds. The transmission has been greatly improved from the original, gears now change quickly and smoothly, thanks to an automated manual five speed transmission.

The MCC Smart Fortwo’s suspension has also gotten much better and the ride is a remarkably smooth one during both city and country driving. The Fortwo takes corners extremely well, especially for such a small car, and the steering wheel handling is truly amazing.

Driving an MCC Smart Fortwo helps to save the environment. Leasing an MCC Smart Fortwo can help save money, especially with smart car leasing and smart car contract hire through Total Fleet Services. The Smart Fortwo is relatively new, having been around for only ten years or so, and as with all new markets, buying it out right can be awfully expensive. Not only can smart car leasing allow a potential renter to get used to the car, he or she can also see how their budget holds up to renting a smart car and running it. Odds are likely that leasing will turn out to be more affordable.

Written on behalf of Total Fleet Services
Smart Car Leasing - Smart Fortwo Leasing

It’s the most stylish Subaru ever! And this striking Impreza coupé will go into production in 2010.

Joining the recently launched hatch-back model, it will allow the Japanese company to tackle the BMW 3-Series Coupé and Nissan 350Z head-on, as well as reach out to new customers.

The car has been developed as part of a joint venture with Subaru owner Toyota – the project will also spawn a long-awaited successor to the Nine-ties Celica. The Impreza coupé takes styling cues from the five-door model, but gets a rakish rear end. That gives it a chunky yet athletic appearance which stands out from the crowd.

Power will come from a choice of two engines, both employing the flat-four boxer layout for which Subaru is famous. There’s a normally aspirated 2.0-litre unit giving around 180bhp, or a high-performance 2.5-litre turbo powerplant borrowed from the range-topping five-door STi. The latter will deliver in the region of 300bhp.

For the entry-level machine, the Impreza’s four-wheel-drive system will be dropped in favour of a more lightweight and less expensive rear-drive set-up. That will put the emphasis on maximum driving thrills. But the more powerful car will send power to four tyres to harness all that punch.

The newcomer will go on sale first in Japan and the US, and could arrive here in the UK in 2011. In entry-level guise, it’s set to cost around £20,000, with the flagship priced at £25,000.

In a related story, Nissan is working on an affordable rear-wheel-drive coupé to sit below the 350Z. The Silvia replacement will go on sale in 2010.

Although the Fiat Punto is rather small – a bit less than one hundred and sixty inches in length – the small, stylish details like head lamps which sweep back and chic, chunky door handles, the car does not seem small at all. Quite the contrary, with its flourishing front end, its sides which are rather sporty and cool, and the neat but solid and stolid rear end, the Fiat Punto is a car quite unlike any other of its kind.

Inside, the Fiat Punto’s interior is comprised of hard, sleek, and durable plastics, with a very handsome matte finish which not only keeps it from being too boring and austere and instead turns it into something stylish and really rather chic. This vision is continued with the exquisitely precise panels and the perfect way they line up; it is evocative of a decidedly Swiss sense of order and clean, concise design.

Furthermore, the Fiat Punto is a beautifully urbanised vehicle, designed for city streets in addition to country drives. Nevertheless, the seats are extraordinarily comfortable, to the point that they practically beg to be sat in during longer drives and road trips. The driver’s seat features a choice of manual adjustments. The designers of the Fiat Punto also know the value of spatial economy: there is ample space for both the driver and the passenger in the front; in the back, the rear seats can seat two full grown adults with plenty of room left over – and three full grown adults while still offering a wealth of shoulder room and leg room. Morever, the hatchback has plenty of room for cargo and storage.

The Fiat Punto’s driving capability has actually been referred to as a masterpiece. The engine is a peppy, revving little creature. Despite the fact that the engine features seventy seven horsepower and two valves per cylinder, the Fiat Punto has also been called a mini Ferrari and really, who can ask for a better experience than that?

There is the option for a Duo-drive semi automatic transmission with a five speed manual transmission that is controlled by a computer, and the clutch is under the hood. When left to its own devices in straight automatic mode, the driver need not do anything – the car takes care of it all.

As a matter of fact, both critics and drivers alike insist that the Fiat Punto is the closest that one can get to driving a manual transmission while actually driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission. The gears change practically instantaneously, and they shift quickly and smoothly. Reverse is excellent, neutral actually has a purchase, and when drivers accelerate while the car is standing still, they will even feel a thrilling little purr of vibrations.

The Fiat Punto was ideally designed for excellent driving in European cities, and while it can handle country roads and back roads just as beautifully, it is perfect for city driving, thanks to the light touch, electronic speed, sensitive steering system. The steering tightens itself up a bit when drivers reach higher and faster speeds, making for all the necessary control. The Fiat Punto also knows how to take a tight curve like an expert.

The Fiat Punto’s suspension system is extraordinarily comfortable. In the city, even the standard Fiat Punto takes the typical city abuses like they were nothing at all, thus continuing its whole fun factor. All in all, the Fiat Punto is a car that is extremely easy to manage, has a whopping, impressive engine, a rip roaringly excellent transmission, exquisite handling, and an enviable fuel economy, making it both environmentally friendly and a great time to drive, all at the same time.

Written on behalf of Total Fleet Services
Fiat Contract Hire - Fiat Punto Leasing

One of my mates have an Isuzu Rodeo and he absolutely loves it, he had the top of the range one with all the extras: big wheels, stainless bars the lot and it does look very impressive if your in the market for a pick-up.

As vehicles go, the Isuzu Rodeo is the perfect combination of SUV and pick-up truck. The Isuzu Rodeo features a 3.0 litre diesel engine, which provides an excellent, down and dirty road presence for both city driving and country driving – not to mention the way it performs on the back roads. It is such a refined pick-up truck, in fact, that other manufacturers are constantly striving to mimic its handling and its performance.

Isuzu has further refined the Rodeo’s engine, as now there is a choice between a 2.5 litre common rail diesel engine as well as a 5.0 litre engine. In all three forms, the Isuzu Rodeo starts up with a quite purr, making for an extremely quiet ride while idling and while cruising.

The Isuzu Rodeo further features a selectable 4×4 system, which illuminates any difficult, chunky gears which are often seen in the competition. Rather, the Rodeo provides a clean, concise switch which is mounted on the fascia. Once the driver reaches speeds of sixty or so, the transmission switches seamlessly and without a catch from rear wheel drive to four wheel drive. Even in two wheel drive, the traction is sublime, and the rear axle of the Isuzu Rodeo comes complete with an integrated snorkel, which allows the vehicle to easily navigate through deep water. Considering the fact that the Rodeo’s under body is completely protected, this is a pick up as ideal for off road driving as it is for city cruising and country riding.

The aforementioned qualities make the Isuzu Rodeo an extraordinarily versatile vehicle. It comes complete with independent front suspension, an anti roll bar, and gas filled shock absorbers which are double acting so that they can be utilised all around. Thanks to a leaf sprung live rear axle, the ride is smooth and supremely comfortable, not to mention the possibilities for hauling capacity.

The beautiful of the Isuzu Rodeo is that, especially considering that it is a pick-up truck, it is just as conducive and perfect for business driving as it is for pleasure trips and the like on weekends, after the work week is through. It is perhaps one of the top dual usage vehicles in its class.

So far as the exterior goes, the Isuzu Rodeo features a high, impressive tower of a grille and large, illuminating head lamps. The fog lights are set into the bumper, which is quite deep, and there is a slim bonnet scoop used to feed the interior cooler. The silhouette is exotic and rather regal, and there are options for so much luxury it is almost hard to believe. All Isuzu Rodeo pick-up trucks come standard with air conditioning, power windows, sixteen inch alloy wheels, remote keyless entry, a navigational computer, and a stereo with both CD and iPod capabilities. When drivers get up to the Isuzu Rodeo LE, there are even more possibilities for comfort and luxury. LE models can have eighteen inch wheels featuring shadow chrome allow; the seats have leather trim; and the grille is made with a special mesh. Standard safety features include driver air bags, passenger air bags, side impact protection door beams, an anti lock brake system complete with EBD, and seatbelt pretensioners for the seats located in the front of the vehicle.

As far as standard comfort goes, in addition to producing a quiet, smooth ride devoid of road noise, thanks to its purring engine and suspension system, the Isuzu Rodeo provides extraordinary comfort inside as well. The seats are solid and very stabilising, perfect for long trips and drives. There is ample room in the cabin, which includes plenty of shoulder room and an admirable amount of leg room.

Written on behalf of Total Fleet Services
Isuzu Contract Hire - Isuzu Rodeo Leasing

Driving instructors do not have a particularly easy time of it. They get cursed – likely literally as well as figuratively – by frustrated teenagers who are doing well or not so well and getting frustrated with having not yet passed their driving test. They quite possibly get cursed at by people in their twenties, thirties, forties, and so on as well, because driving examinations are stressful for everyone involved. One thing driving instructors should not have to worry about, however, are their cars.

Total Fleet Services has been contracting and leasing vehicles for fourteen years. They have been building up an enviable reputation since 1994 and in that time, the business has evolved more and more. It has evolved so much that, now, they have a wide array of services including but not limited to driving instructor car hire, driving instructor car leasing, and contract hire.

Driving instructor car hire leasing and car hire are best suited for smaller driver’s education institutions, independent companies, or private instructors. With private driving instructors, for example, they may not want to put dual controls into their own cars, for whatever reason – it may be the family car, for instance, and not every family member may want to drive or ride in a car with extra parts and pedals. By taking advantage of Total Fleet Services’ driving instructor car hire, the instructor has a business car – perfectly suited to his or her business!

Actually, this option works well in certain other circumstances as well. For example, a person may need a driving instructor car, equipped with dual controls, for only a short time – a father might be teaching his child how to drive. It is certainly safer – and more practical – to do this in a car with the capabilities and safety features conducive to the situation than in one of the family cars. As well, not only has the father spared his own car from any potential damage, an accident is simply less likely to happen in a dual control car.

As being a private instructor is becoming more popularised, so too are small independently owned driver’s education businesses which employ more than one instructor. In these instances, driving instructor car leasing is ideal. More than one dual control car will be required, and if necessary, there are leasing and hire packages which allow drivers to swap for a new, different car every year.

For larger driving schools, contract hire is an excellent way to go about driving instructor car hire. Contract hire generally lasts from one to three years, which makes it perfect for businesses which need to provide vehicles for their employees over set terms with an easy renewal process. That is certainly the case with driving schools. Every driving instructor can be equipped with a dual control car. For that matter, this is not a bad idea for private driver’s education teachers either. Having the guarantee of the proper car for at least three years can be very advantageous.

Driving instructor car hires, leasing, and contract higher is also beneficial because within the cost per month of their leases, Total Fleet Services includes the cost of all automotive and mechanical repairs and maintenance. If a Total Fleet Services driving instructor car has to go into the shop for repairs, all that the renter must do is make sure to take the car to a main dealer which is local to him or her; and, once there, he or she must simply ask the dealer’s service department to call the Total Fleet Services company before any repairs take place. Excise duty is also included in the monthly leasing sum, as are breakdowns, home start, and recovery. Driving instructor cars are all equipped with He-man dual controls.