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Archive for the ‘TDI Owners’ Category
Not only are the highly efficient Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion and Golf BlueMotion models exempt from road tax but, as of this week, they are also exempt from the London Congestion Charge.
Under changes made to the rules governing the London Congestion Charge, vehicles emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 are no longer required to pay the £10 daily charge to enter the Congestion Charge Zone. The Polo BlueMotion (91 g/km) and Golf BlueMotion (99 g/km) both fit this criterion, allowing owners to save potentially over £2,500 a year based on a daily commute into the capital.
Beyond the confines of London the Polo and Golf BlueMotion are capable of demonstrating incredible efficiency and low running costs while retaining all the virtues of comfort, quality and refinement you would expect from a Volkswagen. The Golf BlueMotion, for example, can travel over 899 miles on a single tank of diesel yet is driven, maintained and serviced like any conventional Golf.
All BlueMotion variants feature a series of subtle yet effective modifications aimed at maximising efficiency. These take the form of optimised aerodynamics, low rolling resistance tyres, Start/Stop, battery regeneration and longer gearing. The result is less strain is put on the common rail diesel engine, which in turn leads to lower emissions and greater economy.
The effectiveness of these changes was proved last year when a BlueMotion vehicle broke the Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled on a single tank of fuel. A Passat BlueMotion travelled a total of 1,527 miles – the equivalent of London to Gibraltar – between fill-ups to set the record.
Despite the keen focus on economy, both the Polo and Golf BlueMotion models are equipped with alloy wheels, air conditioning, a CD/stereo system, electric windows, Hydraulic Brake Assist and ABS as well as driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags and, on the Golf, a knee airbag.
Tags: Bluemotion, exempt, free, Golf+, london congestion charge, polo, Volkswagen
Posted in Diesel News, TDI Owners
Spanish car maker SEAT is bringing some welcome Latin excitement to the post-Christmas gloom with news that it is extending and refreshing its successful VAT-free offer.
While the TV and papers may be full of ominous reports about the Government’s increase in VAT to 20%, SEAT is happy to share some good news with the nation’s car buyers: its VAT-free deals are continuing well into 2011.
With the consumption tax now running at its highest level since its introduction in the UK in 1973 (when it debuted at ten per cent) SEAT is happy to help insulate new car buyers from the latest increase.
Extending across much of the exciting and sporty SEAT line-up, the VAT-free offer is now complemented by a new ½ VAT deal that amounts to a ten per cent discount off a further tranche of sleek SEATs.
And with a third, tempting, offer in the shape of 0% finance deals on a selection of new SEATs there really has never been a better time to pop into your local SEAT showroom.
Customers keen to check full details of the deals are encouraged to log on to www.seat.co.uk however in summary, starting with SEAT’s biggest seller the svelte Ibiza SC and 5dr, the VAT-free offers apply to 1.4 Chill and 1.4 85 PS petrol models while all other versions (excluding the entry level cars) benefit from the new ½ VAT discount.
Meanwhile all versions of the third ‘silhouette’ in the Ibiza line-up, the shapely yet capacious Ibiza ST, enjoy the VAT-free deal.
Moving up the size range into the Leon family-sized five-seat hatch, VAT-free deals apply to S Emoción and all petrol models (excluding entry and Cupra R versions) while Cupra R and all diesel models (excluding entry and S Emoción versions) benefit from the new ½ VAT discount.
New car buyers in the market for roomy and flexible family transport should look no further than the Altea or even larger Altea XL, all of which are being offered with either VAT-free or ½ VAT deals. Likewise, the luxurious, elegant Exeo and Exeo ST get VAT-free, or ½ VAT offers.
Finally, all versions of the exceptional – and exceptionally popular – new Alhambra full-size seven-seat MPV get the ½ VAT discount which effectively brings the newly-increased Value Added Tax down to its original 1973 level of ten per cent.
The new suite of offers will run throughout the first quarter of 2011, ending 31 March this year, and applies to eligible retail customer cars registered before this date.
The retail campaign is also available to small fleet customers (sub-25 cars) who buy their vehicles outright.
Explaining the decision to extend and enhance the successful VAT offers, SEAT UK Head of Operations Richard Harrison said: ‘The exceptional success of our VAT offer towards the end of 2010 meant we were understandably keen to continue the momentum into 2011.
‘Our dealers up and down the country have been busier than ever and now, with the announcement of these great new retail offers, I’m sure they can look forward to a fantastic start to the New Year.’
He added: ‘The ongoing sales success of SEAT in the UK is built first and foremost on the sporty, dynamic, practical and luxurious nature of our cars but the move to make our models even more appealing with these great deals can only serve to support our growing success here.’
Tags: seat, VAT, VAT increase
Posted in Diesel News, TDI Owners
Some of SEAT’s increasingly popular E Ecomotive models are coming to the rescue of beleaguered London motorists who are today hit by not only an unwelcome VAT rise on fuel, but also an extra £2 on the Congestion Charge.
The Spanish brand’s sophisticated Ibiza E Ecomotive and Leon E Ecomotive models all boast official CO2 emissions of less than 100 g/km, meaning that not only do they offer stunning real-world fuel economy but also, under new rules effective from today, they are exempt from the charge levied on drivers entering the capital’s centre.
The daily Congestion Charge today rises from £8 to £10 but among the exemptions is the Greener Vehicle Discount (GVD), which allows a 100 % reduction for new cars that emit 100 g/km or less of CO2 and that meet the stringent Euro 5 standard for air quality. Of SEAT’s growing E Ecomotive line-up, the most popular – the Ibiza and Leon – meet both these criteria.
Owners of these cars will need to register their vehicle with Transport for London and pay a nominal £10 fee per year, but other than that they can venture into the city centre knowing that not only are they escaping the charge, but that their tailpipe emissions are among the lowest of any car on the road.
The Ibiza E Ecomotive is the greenest of the green in SEAT’s range, with a CO2 rating of just 92 g/km. Its eye-catching combined fuel economy of 80.7 mpg, meanwhile, means that even with diesel set to rise to around £1.32 per litre at the pumps – an eye-watering £5.99 a gallon in ‘old money’ – a range of almost 800 miles will still cost only around £60. This impressive display of parsimony applies to the Ibiza E Ecomotive, whether it’s the slick SC (three-door), practical 5dr or roomy new ST (estate) model.
Considering it is a family-sized car, the Leon E Ecomotive’s 99 g/km CO2 emissions are particularly impressive – as is its 74.3 mpg frugality. The Ibiza and Leon models achieve their impressive efficiency through careful optimisation of the latest technology, including common-rail TDI diesel engines (1.2 for the Ibiza, 1.6 for the Leon), Stop/Start system, gearshift indicator and Brake Energy Recovery technology. Furthermore, the Leon is equipped with low friction tyres and enhanced aerodynamics to reach its sub-100 g/km figure.
Aside from the low running cost and Congestion Charge exemption, these frugal E Ecomotive models also help keep a lid on spiralling running costs by qualifying for a £0 Road Fund Licence each year, further underlining their low-cost motoring credentials.
Director of SEAT UK Peter Wyhinny said of the revised Congestion Charge rules: ‘Obviously we’re very pleased that the Mayor of London has modified the Congestion Charge exemption to become a technology-neutral,CO2-based system.
‘With a total of four models from the Ibiza and Leon ranges now able to enter the Congestion Zone for just £10 a year the cost of owning one of these SEATs in London is now even lower. And the fact that they are reducing the burden on both the planet and their owner’s wallet in a stylish, dynamically-focused package is very much the icing on the cake!’
Tags: ecomotive, seat
Posted in Diesel News, TDI Owners
Audi four-wheel-drive system already aids over 235,000 UK motorists
Over 120 model variants in the Audi range from A3 to R8 now offer the proven traction advantages of quattro all-wheel-drive
quattro benefits available from £22,730 (A3 2.0 TDI quattro)
Over 3.3 million quattro-equipped cars produced so far, 235,000 of which have been delivered in the UK since 2000
quattro now a feature of around 30 per cent of total production
As the UK battles to keep its circulation going in freezing conditions, drivers of four-wheel-driven Audi quattro models are valuing the traction advantage they hold over other road users reliant on single axle propulsion more acutely than ever. The Vorsprung durch Technik brand offers UK motorists the widest and most diverse range of all-wheel-drive options currently available, with over 120 permutations taking in not just the rugged Q5, Q7 and allroad SUVs, but also compact hatchbacks, saloons, coupes and super cars.
In this, its 30th Anniversary year, the quattro system has been confirmed as the most successful all-wheel-drive system in the world, with well over 3.3 million cars featuring this key safety feature produced so far. Over 235,000 of these have found homes in the UK since the year 2000 alone, and quattro-equipped cars continue to account for around 30 per cent of total orders placed with Audi Centres annually.
By using propulsion from two driving axles rather than the usual one, the quattro system is able to constantly vary torque distribution in favour of the wheels offering most grip, ensuring a more progressive transfer to the road and far greater control.
Jeremy Hicks, Director of Audi UK, emphasised the accessibility and value of all-wheel-drive within the Audi range: “Audi offers quattro right from the A3 upwards, so it isn’t necessary to make the jump to an SUV to enjoy the feeling of reassurance in tricky conditions that only four-wheel-drive can truly bring. In the UK some form of precipitation falls on at least half of the days in each year on average, so although our trademark technology really comes into its own in the current extreme conditions, its benefits are considerably longer lasting.”
Audi has been an advocate of the many benefits of four-wheel-drive since the first coupe to reap its benefits made the transition from rally stage to road back in 1980. Next spring the new 155mph RS 3 Sportback compact hatchback will continue the tradition established all those years ago. Under the watchful eye of quattro this extreme performance car will make a remarkable 340PS available with typically fuss-free composure even when the going gets tough.
Tags: 4wd, audi, four wheel drive, quattro, tdi audi diesel, tdi quattro
Posted in Diesel News, TDI Owners
Following its debut last week at the Los Angeles Motor Show, the revised Eos has opened for ordering in the UK with a starting price of £22,895 (RRP, on the road) ahead of the first examples arriving in Volkswagen Retailers in early 2011.
Featuring a new look and offering a fresh range of comfort and convenience technologies the Eos remains the only vehicle of its kind to feature a five piece metal folding hard top complete with an integrated glass sunroof. For the first time, remote roof opening and closing is also available on the Eos.
The new model has now been brought into line with the styling direction adopted by the Polo, Golf and Passat, with a new bumper, a horizontal grille, a set of new headlights similar to those found on the Golf as well as a new bonnet and front wings. At the rear new light units and a bumper are joined by fresh interior trims and even the option of a new leather finish that reflects the sun’s rays to prevent it heating up as normal leather would.
Powering the Eos is a range of powerful yet efficient TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines ranging from 122 PS to 210 PS, each equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox or, on selected models, the option of a six-speed DSG gearbox.
Tags: eos diesel, new eos, tdi eos, vw eos
Posted in Diesel News, TDI Owners
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