If you choose to rent one of these cars, you’ll be driving a car that’s 85mm longer than the previous model. There is also a 30mm wider wheelbase (the overall width increases to 177mm), rear passengers have 21mm more leg room and there is 30 litres more luggage space taking this impressive model to 360 litres. But it’s not just the size which makes the BMW 1 series stand out; it’s also the electric windows, BMW business radio/CD player with 6 speakers, electric exterior mirrors, and the air conditioning that is standard amongst series 1. This BMW series is the first to give you personalisation options which include interior colour schemes, materials and the outer body. It is also the first to offer an optional eight speed automatic transmission. There is also a choice of navigation system, BMW iDrive system which allows you to favourite buttons, use centre control and a lone standing flat screen monitor. Now that is what they call travelling in style!

This series has not only received raving reviews but it has also been featured on the BBC1 Top Gear programme and I quote presenter Jeremy Clarkson  ‘’Rear-drive makes the 1-Series one of the most satisfying small cars to thrash about in. Great steering and a superbly controlled body are the key components.’’ He also gave the running costs of the BMW 1 series a respectable 14/20.

The next full version of the series isn’t available until next year, but is already boasting about the new 1.6 petrol, updated engines. The 3 door Coupé will soon be followed along with rumours of a special hatchback version with a front drive layout.

When you choose to have the BMW 1 series lease to you, you’ll be taking home a fine piece of manufacturing. With the option of driving home one of these cars, you’ll be making that dream of owning a BMW come true. And the best thing is, after 3 years you can choose a shiny brand new one to replace the car you have loved from the very start!

If you needed any more convincing on whether to have a BMW lease just look at the reviews for the BMW 1 series and you’ll see that each car has been well and truly road tested, so you will know 100% just what you will be getting when you choose to rent one of the options from the series.

Jeremy Clarkson, the presenter from BBC1s Top Gear gave an in depth analysis  of the series, and not only did he rate the running costs of the BMW 1 series as being incredibly good he was also, not surprisingly, Impressed with the appearance. ‘’ The saloon looks pretty darn good when optioned properly, and the convertible is clever and solid’’ Jeremy is well known for his honest opinions so you know what he says is genuine and can be trusted.

Are you finding it difficult to choose which one from the series?

The BMW 1 series has been about since 2004 when it took over from the top selling European BMW Compact which has been popular since 1995, it had a good 9 years of being the ultimate car until the series 1 took over and continued to be a best seller. You could be taking away any of the cars which make up the series such as the 3-door hatchback, Coupé, 5-door hatchback and the Cabriolet.

The facelift of 2011!

3/5 -door hatchback – Slight exterior changes to the model were made, the lights were updated, new front/rear bumpers and small variations to the interior. Even though many engines are same, the improved 1 Series fuel intake is slightly higher in some models (123d) and a touch lower in some models such as the 120i.

Coupé and cabriolet – Both bodies were given an update and again exterior changes to the model were only slight, front and rear lights but given small modifications, fresh front/rear bumpers and tiny revisions to the interior. The only new engine was the N55 which replaced the N54 twin-turbo, with power remaining consistent. Even though many engines are same, like with the hatchbacks, the 1 Series fuel usages is slightly higher in some models such as the 123d, and slightly lower in some models such as the 120i.

With a collection of cars to pick from and a wide range of reviews to tell you just how amazing these cars are, you’ll soon be making that dream of one day owning a BMW come true sooner than you think!

If your company is looking for ways to maintain its professionalism and its impression on the world leasing an Audi is a first step.  We have already mentioned the benefits of leasing when compared to outright purchase of company vehicles and therefore we can only rave here about the Audi concept and what that brings to businesses and more importantly to the impression customers, investors and clients are left with following business meetings.  For businesses trying to secure that once in a lifetime deal, the deal that will change the future – a leased luxury car and in particular an Audi will leave the desired impression – that of professionalism and commercial success.

There are some amazing Audi’s but greatly sensational is the Audi A6 – the vehicle is available for lease, but orders must be received by 30^th September 2011.  It is claimed that the new Audi A6 is a benchmark in terms of luxury and refinement and that is according to Audi themselves. We are however extremely impressed with range of equipment that comes as standard and doubt any customer that leases the Audi A6 will have any cause for complaint.  The interior has as standard a MMI radio, MMI navigation, luxurious leather upholstery and parking sensors.  As with all Audi’s there are of course the optional extra that can include Bang & Olufsen sound system (that incorporates 15 speakers), there are also options available regarding seating and a safety ‘head-up’ display for safer driving.  If you want to look professional and ooze that intention of commercial success leasing an Audi and particularly the new A6 could be the simple and cost effective way to achieve or maintain business accomplishments.  You company car says an awful lot about the company’s professionalism – and leasing is a great opportunity to have benchmark vehicles with all the cost effective benefits.

There are currently some great leasing deals available if you are considering leasing a new Audi. The main benefits of leasing an Audi for your business is that costs for the company vehicles can be considerably lower and therefore in the long term can conserve valuable capital. Leasing an Audi also covers the company transport against expensive maintenance costs as most repairs and servicing will be covered in the terms of the lease. One of the main benefits however when times are tough is that at the end of a lease the car is returned and this reduces the necessity for the company to dispose of the vehicle – usually a complicated process and always at a loss compared with the initial cost of vehicles that have been purchased outright.

Remember leasing also requires no down payments – the costs of a new Audi will be the same each month allowing for easy budgeting and it is worth remembering too that you will only pay for the use and do not incur the depreciation costs of the vehicle over the terms of the lease. More importantly for businesses, should you decide to lease an Audi (for instance) the terms of leasing company vehicles can lead to tax breaks if the vehicle will be used for company business. Up to 100% tax relief can be available on the rental payments and up to 50% VAT can be claimed back on company vehicles. Another benefit that some companies may not know if company vehicles have not been leased in the past is the fact that company balance sheets do not have to include leased vehicles costs – so it is a win, win situation. No initial down payments, no hassle and the opportunity for your company to lease the latest Audi and/or other vehicle even in difficult economic times.

There does however look as if there will be some surprises for F1 enthusiasts including the spectators, the teams and particularly the drivers with Bernie Ecclestone’s recent suggestion of incorporating artificial rain into the races to make them more exciting. Those poor guys in the ‘pits’ will have to be ready for any eventuality even if the weather forecast claims dry conditions – Ecclestone wants the artificial rain produced by a complex sprinkler system to randomly come on during races without the teams knowing when it is likely to happen. This will slow the race down – is that the idea. The suggestion remains under discussion at present. It could however be interesting to see it pouring with rain on the track in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

There are always attempts to make events like this more exciting – but to be honest we all love the F1 season anyway – and enjoy it even more when Mercedes are competing successfully. McLaren –Mercedes at the start of the 2011 Grand Prix season sits in second place following Lewis Hamilton’s second place finish – but it is early days. Sabastian Vettel once again got off to a flying start for Red Bull Renault – and this must be playing on the minds of the other teams after Vettel’s outstanding display in 2010 – with Red Bull taking both the driver’s championship and the constructor’s championship. McLaren Mercedes will be attempting to clip those Red Bull Wings this year.

There is plenty of time for the constructor teams and the drivers to settle into the 2011 F1 season. We are routing for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to come through of course, both being UK drivers – it would be great to see one of them win for the McLaren Mercedes Team. We await the next Grand Prix on 10th April from Malaysia – hope it is not another early morning though – we have a feeling it might be.

Mercedes-Benz USA has designed a course specifically to teach teenagers about the underpinnings of driving safely – right from the basics to the more advanced driving skills that are required. The course sounds a very interactive and practical way for young drivers to appreciate the necessity of safe road sense and behaviour. The course is designed to encourage classroom work, e-learning, practical driving skills combined with a considerable amount of parental participation.

It is believed that Mercedes-Benz is perfectly placed to deliver such training, having a reputation for high safety standards in the car industry and the know-how, with a little collaboration, to increase the safety of the US High School drivers. The vision of Mercedes should be recognised as an important step to bring the existing driver education programme up to date – the existing education programme was established in 1949 – well you can imagine there have been a lot of changes in the auto industry since. With the investigative nature of the auto industry to be more and more innovative there is a challenge for driver’s education programmes to be fit for purpose. It is however expected that the High School Drives education programme facilitated by Mercedes-Benz will come at a cost and quite how much that will be is not as yet published.

The cost however will not outweigh the benefits of excellent driver education programmes – there is unrest within the Highway Safety Association as the public purse closes on funded driver courses. There is realisation that driver programmes will no longer be a part of the schooling process and Mercedes-Benz has moved quickly to fill the gap – a gap partially filled by Ford motor company back in 2003. The difference in the Mercedes-Benz programme is that standards will rise and there is already comment that the Mercedes course looks to be very promising- in terms of raising safety standards for young, teenage drivers.

China is driven towards the high end manufacturers of vehicles more so than ever. More female drivers have boosted the industry and as with all wealth, people are finding they have more leisure time. With more recreational time the car industry has had to move up a gear in terms of the models available to Chinese consumers. There is a trend emerging towards the ‘sporty’ vehicle market too.

The Land Rover Discovery and Freelander ranges are increasingly becoming the family vehicle of choice. Land Rover with its great reputation for safety is influencing people’s decisions about the ‘family car’. Lexus vehicles are the executive choice for business – with more sporty models popular for that all important leisure image. The auto industry in China however is also underpinned by its people’s savvy values in terms of consumer confidence and critical to success has been the increasing requirement to establish superior aftersales policies. Customer service is paramount to our business it always has been – customer service forms the underpinning of our success and there is no doubt that this has assisted with motoring on in China.

From an original four dealerships in Shanghai and Shaoxing it is expected that a further 20 sites will begin retailing Land Rover, Lexus, Toyota and Jaguar vehicles over the next five years. The interest in the Chinese market continues – rapid growth is continuing but there is some uncertainty as to how long this will last – however over the next five years the driving on in China will continue – we are going along for the ride.

There is another increasing reason why businesses are turning to the estate vehicle. There is a huge push for companies to reduce their carbon footprint and the company car fleet can really reflect an organisation’s commitment to greener operating procedures. The move towards estate vehicles appears to be a trend that is increasing for companies that want to adhere to the reducing carbon emissions policies for the 21st Century.

Volvo has always maintained its safety standards and remains the manufacturer of vehicles that have one of the safest on road testaments to back up the reputation. The new Volvo V70 is designed to look extremely good with an exterior that conceals some of the industries most advanced safety innovations. For business this should always be a consideration – protection of employees should they be involved in an accident, the V70 protects from the outside in and the inside out.

There are so many benefits for selecting Volvo for your business. The V70 is one vehicle in a range of Volvo’s that will make your company car fleet stand apart. As one famous car magazine programme put it “the V70 is a guilty pleasure” – we think that sums it up very well. Visually the exterior emanates the closest thing to perfection and the interior is the ultimate in comfort and aesthetic brilliance. Gone are the days that the Volvo ranges are categorised as an over 45 years of age drive – Volvo have re-invented their trademark by creating a range of vehicles that appeal in every sense of the word to all – in particular business.

The all new Volkswagen Caddy range has proven to be something of a hit in both commercial and private circles and in a (seemingly successful, thus far) bid to ensure that this year doesn’t bring with it a dip in the popularity of this product, Volkswagen have improved the quality of the Caddy once again, adding a well refined diesel engine which emits only 149g/km of CO2, making for a very economical little number all round as well as better for the environment in general. The Caddy Life model comes with RCD 310 radio/ CD player to boot and also boasts stylish body-coloured bumpers as well as roof rails. Yes, 2011 is looking rather exciting for anyone who is thinking of leasing.

Of course, the perks of hiring a car for the year as opposed to buying have been well documented, and few of you will be unfamiliar with the concept on the whole, but even if it seems a little alien to you at the minute, once you have sampled the hugely impressive range of cars and vehicles which can be hired, safe to say that you will be happy you made the jump.

One of the biggest perquisites of choosing a Mercedes contract hire is the sheer number of options this gives you as far as model is concerned. There is without doubt a format of Mercedes to meet every particular preference and whether style, size, speed or all of the above are on your agenda, there will surely be a choice for you. For starters, the popular and highly respected Mercedes E-Class Saloon has recently landed and, as many of you will already know, even by Mercedes standards, this is a vehicle which instantly demands respect. Not only is this car impressive on the eye, it also comes with all the features which help to define a Mercedes driving experience such as leather upholstery, blue-tooth, heated front seats and alloy wheels.

Of course, should your needs be somewhat less motivated be the physical appearance and a little more commercial, then there are also plenty of Mercedes options for you. Van hire, for example, is not likely to be a problem especially with vehicles such as the Sprinter Vito which is not only sizeable, but reliable and surprisingly stylish for a commercial vehicle. So, having considered these perks, does the idea of hiring a Mercedes appeal to you? From spacey commercial vehicles, which are well respected in the field and designed with getting the job done in mind, to comfortable and stylish sports, Mercedes is a big name on the hire scene at the minute, and with good reason to boot.