BUSINESS NEWS, REVIEWS & ANALYSIS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
JUNE 2015 | VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 6 | £4.95
VA-VA-V-CLASS! Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long THINKING BIG:
First drive of the new Skoda Superb 01-ProDriver-JUN-2015.indd 1
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Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the new V-Class range: urban 38.7 (7.3), extra urban 49.6 will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non–technical factors. The new V-Class range starts from £41,845 on-the-road. *Model featured is a new V 220 BlueTEC Sport Extra Long at £46,520 on-the-road Please contact your local Retailer for availability. Prices correct at time of print (05/15).
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(5.7)-50.4 (5.6), combined 44.8 (6.3)- 45.6 (6.2). CO2 emissions 166-163g/km. Official EU–regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance
with optional metallic paint at £645 (on–the–road price includes VAT, delivery, 12 months’ Road Fund Licence, number plates, first registration fee and fuel). Some combinations of features/options may not be available.
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Regulation in London
Reality check for Mr Johnson…
O BORIS WANTS TO CAP PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES in London, because everyone wants to use Uber. Great. If forcing operators to buy cars that don’t exist wasn’t enough, now this. Just how is this going to be enforced? Surely as a Tory politician, Mayor Johnson must realise the market is the master—competition and choice are at the heart of Conservative policy. And that means if the market changes, those businesses with an “old-fashioned” approach will be the most vulnerable. Just as downloading and streaming has killed off most of the traditional record shops, taxi apps are hitting the traditional London black taxi. But the black cabbies are still a strong lobbying group, and clearly have twisted Boris’s arm with threats of more go-slow protests. Don’t say you weren’t warned—wise heads made it very clear that Uber was transgressing the rules. Yet the spineless, useless Transport for London meekly went ahead and licensed the “apperator”. No doubt fearful of battalions of American lawyers being sent to haul the issue through the courts. Yes, TfL could have stopped Uber in its current form, simply by defining what Uber can’t do. Every PHV in London is festooned with badges saying it must be “pre-booked only”. But you cannot prebook an Uber car. It is an on-demand service, just like a taxi, where you “hail” virtually by clicking on the nearest car. The journey is metered, not by a traditional wired-in meter but by GPS. TfL should have stood its ground, and deemed Uber to be anything but a private hire service. Hell, it could have licensed it as a hackney operator—and insisted its drivers did The Knowledge. And stood up to Goldman Sachs’ lawyers, just as the German and Italian courts have done over Uber’s car-sharing scheme, UberPop. So now thousands of wannabe drivers are renting a Prius and signing up with Uber. As a result, Prius residuals are going through
the roof and there are even grey imports of the cars from Japan. And TfL is handing out licenses like confetti, to all kinds of chancers, many of whom can’t even speak basic English. If Boris wants to limit the licenses, here’s where to start. Stop licensing drivers who can’t speak English, and who you can’t be 100% certain have no criminal record. Raise the bar, and just say no. Meanwhile, why the hell are private hire operators being lumped in with black cabs over ULEZ? PHVs are negligible contributors to NOx and particulate emissions compared to buses and taxis. If Euro 6 is acceptable for cars entering the proposed ULEZ zone, why the nonsensical requirement to have 50 miles of battery range being included. Apart from the handful of pure EVs on sale, there are no vehicles on sale that can comply with this. And in any case, the charging infrastructure in London could not cope if the PHV fleet switched. You’d end up with plug-in hybrids that never get plugged in. They’d be ZEV-capable, but would never get used as such. Ludicrous. Meanwhile Nobby the cabbie gets a whacking grant to buy a new taxi because he spent £40 grand on an old smoker he’d expected to last 15 years. Fair enough, but what about the chauffeur who has bought a £60,000 S-Class? Will he be subsidised in his quest to buy a Tesla? Get real. Do us all a favour before you clear off to the Commons, Mr Johnson. Listen to the industry, and don’t place unreasonable demands on operators. The private hire industry has a young and clean vehicle fleet. Focus on the real polluters first—taxis, buses, trucks and vans. And drop the “zero-emissions capable” ULEZ requirement for the private hire trade. MARK BURSA, Editor markbursa@aol.com
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contents COVER STORY » VA-VA-V-CLASS—Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI Sport Extra Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
NEWS » Mayor threatens London PHV licence limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EDITOR
» Boris Johnson wants London pedicab ban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mark Bursa markbursa@aol.com 01932 858575
» New Skoda Superb estate to set class benchmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ART DIRECTOR
» Addison Lee adds Climatecars to green portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Alan Booth alan.booth@calixa.biz 07817 671973
» Griffin slams London ULEZ minicab proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CONTRIBUTORS
Richard Yarrow, Kim Adams, Ian Robertson, Phil Rule, John Coombes, Gordon Donaldson, Gary Jacobs, David Wilkins, Craig Thomas, Kevin Willis, Peter Panayiotou, Steve Garelick
PHOTOGRAPHY
» New face and powertrains for revised Hyundai i40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 » Local rivals in two cities team up to combat Uber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 » Uber rolls out executive service in Newcastle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 » eConnect offers Paddington rail transfer first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mike Valente 07818 418211
WEBSITE
» Ford reveals pricing for all-new Galaxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Martin Coombes 01959 547000
» Phoenix plans tech-driven boost in jobs and turnover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PUBLISHER
Paul Webb paulwebb@prodrivermags.com Tel: 01959 547003 SALES James Derbyshire 01959 547000 JamesDerbyshire@prodrivermags.com or sales@prodrivermags.com
CIRCULATION/SUBSCRIBE
Curwood CMS Ltd, The Barn, Abbey Mews Robertsbridge, TN32 5AD 01580 883844 subs@prodrivermags.com ACCOUNTS Janine Derbyshire 01959 547000 janine@prodrivermags.com
EVENTS COORDINATOR
Stephanie Wooden 01959 547000 stephanie.wooden@prodrivermags.com
COMPANY
Managing Director Scott Derbyshire, 01959 547000 scott@prodrivermags.com Prodriver Media Ltd 1 The Courtyard, Market Square, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1AZ—Registered in England No.: 7086172 © 2015 All contents copyright of Pro Driver Media Ltd. BUSINESS NEWS, REVIEWS & ANALYSIS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
» Edinburgh gives green light to electric taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
JUNE 2015 | VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 6 | £4.95
» Little’s adds Lexus hybrids to Glasgow chauffeur fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 » Minicabit app partners with Heathrow and Barclays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
QSI AWARDS 2015 » Get your entry in for the only national awards for chauffeurs and private hire operators . . 16
ROAD TESTS » FIRST DRIVE—New Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI SE Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 » RUNNING REPORT –Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Ultra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
PRODRIVER LIVE 2015 » Find out which companies have already signed up to our exciting drive event and exhibition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
ANALYSIS » GOING GREEN—We analyse the London ULEZ proposals, look at electric choices and test key EVs to the maximum! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
PRODUCT TEST » BUG CLEANERS—Powerful sprays to get those baked-in bugs off your windscreen in the warm summer months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
PRE-LOVED » BUYER’S GUIDE—Choosing a secondhand Hyundai i40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
THE ADVISOR » Latest developments in the murky world of taxation, brought to you by expert Gary Jacobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
VA-VA-V-CLASS! Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long THINKING BIG:
First drive of the new Skoda Superb
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GREEN DREAM:
How to clean-up your business
www.prodriverlive.com
THE NEGOTIATOR » Issues of the day analysed by GMB Union man Steve Garelick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
USED CARS FOR SALE » Grab yourself a chauffeur bargain! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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Boris threatens PHV licence limit as Uber hits black cab numbers Mark Bursa
LONDON MAYOR BORIS JOHNSON IS threatening to limit the number of private hire licenses being issued—in order to protect black cabs from the rise of Uber. Applications for new black taxi licences and renewals are down by 20%, while there has been a huge surge in the number of minicab drivers in the capital, according to Transport for London. At the same time, Uber claims around 15,000 drivers have signed up to its app since its launch in 2012. Mayor Johnson told LBC Radio listeners: “I’d like to talk about the congestion threat caused by the massive increase in minicabs. In the last 18 months, they have gone up by 18%. They’ve leapt from 65,000 minicabs to 76,000 minicabs—and it’s growing at the rate of about 1,000 a month.” He added: “We need to consider that there are 25,000 black cabs and you’re starting to see a real threat to the movement of traffic on the roads. What we’re proposing is that you need to have some legislation and I’ll be looking to take that forward to restrict the number of minicabs that can come on the streets.” Transport for London (TfL) said there were 78,690 minicab drivers in London, and over the past year that number had risen by 12,268. Mayor Johnson’s motives were questioned by Justin Peters, CEO and Founder of one of Uber’s key rival “apperators”, Kabbee. In an open letter to the mayor, Peters wrote: “There is a real lack of data on congestion rising and the causes of it, which will raise doubts about the purpose behind the new proposal.” He said he was not completely opposed to a cap on numbers, but suggested it could be enforced by more rigorous application of standards: “We recommend considering an alternative solution which we would support by setting up higher barriers and regulations
for minicab licenses, such as the English-language test and enhanced topographical skills.” Prime Minister David Cameron has also had his say on the issue, after parts of London were brought to a standstill by a protest by black taxi drivers against Uber. A Downing Street spokesman said both black cabs and private hire vehicles booked via smartphones should be able to operate in London: “The prime minister takes a ‘pro-punter’ position. It is not a question of choosing between one or the other, we want people to enjoy the longstanding tradition of
LONDON MAYOR WANTS CAPITAL PEDICAB BAN IN ADDITION TO LIMITING PHV LICENSES, LONDON Mayor Boris Johnson has announced he wants to ban pedicabs in London to help ease traffic congestion. He does not have the authority to do that, but instead is seeking government legislation for a ban. Johnson has been making the argument to ban pedicabs since December 2012 because, he said: “Although there are a number of responsible pedicab companies, the fact is that these vehicles jam up the capital’s roads and consistently fail to ensure the safety of their passengers.” Pedicabs operate using a loophole in the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869. They are classed as stage
NEW SKODA SUPERB ESTATE TO SET CLASS BENCHMARK
SKODA HAS RELEASED THE FIRST IMAGES of its new Superb estate. Like its predecessor, the Superb estate has the largest interior space and luggage compartment in its class. Its wheelbase has been extended by 80mm to 2,841mm, and track width has increased to 1,584mm at the front and to 1,572mm at the rear. Driver and passenger have 39mm more elbow room than before. Headroom in the front is 995mm and
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high-quality black cab service and to make use of the emergence of new technology.” Meanwhile, Uber drivers could soon outnumber traditional taxi drivers in London, as has happened in New York. The number of prospective cab drivers taking “The Knowledge” has fallen by more than 66% at one of its main examination centres. Steve McNamara, head of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said: “I’ve never seen declines like this and I’ve been driving a taxi for 30 years.” Jo Betram, regional general manager for Uber, said: “A cap on the number of private hire licenses is effectively a limit on choice. It would mean higher prices, fewer jobs and would actually result in more congestion as people resort to using their own car again in the city.” She continued: “Regulation should reflect the needs and concerns of the city’s 8 million citizens and the millions more that visit us. It should protect people—their personal safety and their pockets—not hamper new things they value and that make their lives easier.”
1,001mm in the rear—more than in any other model in the segment. Rear knee-room is 157mm—around twice as much as the next-best competitor. Elbow room in the rear has been increased by 70mm. The boot volume also sets a new benchmark: 660
carriages rather than Hackney cabs, and so can ply for hire. To ban them, Johnson would need to change that legislation, which may prove difficult. In 2002, black cab operators tried and failed to get them banned.
litres, representing an increase of 27 litres over the previous model. When the back seats are folded down, the boot volume reaches an impressive 1,950 litres. Skoda has offered an estate version of Superb since 2009, and has delivered more than 200,000 to customers worldwide, representing 35% of all Superbs sold since then. The new Skoda Superb estate will make its motor show debut at Frankfurt in September and will go on sale shortly after that. UK dealers will be taking orders from June.
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Addison Lee adds Climatecars to growing green portfolio AddLee Eco was launched in February as a rebranding of WestOne Cars, another Toyota Prius-focused ADDISON LEE HAS operator that was acquired in continued its drive into 2011. AddLee Eco operates 350 the eco-chauffeuring Toyota hybrids and gives business sector with the acquisition of London customers the option of a “green” car rival Climatecars. service as an alternative to Addison The deal sees Climatecars’ fleet of Lee’s main fleet of Ford Galaxy 115 hybrid cars join Addison Lee’s existing portfolio of 4,800 vehicles. Climatecars founder MPVs. The Climatecars fleet will be Nicko Williamson: incorporated into AddLee Eco. Addison Lee chief executive Liam “AddLee Eco service Climatecars was established Griffin said: “This deal will boost our is in line with our in 2007 by entrepreneur Nicko AddLee Eco offering, providing more original goal for Williamson. The company deals variety for our passengers but with the Climate Cars” only with business customers, and runs an same best-in-class experience they expect.”
Mark Bursa
all-hybrid fleet. It won Professional Driver’s Environmental QSi Gold Award in 2013. Williamson said: “We are delighted with the deal with Addison Lee. Their AddLee Eco service is in line with our original goal for Climatecars, to push for mainstream adoption of hybrid and electric cars in the private hire sector.” Williamson stood down as CEO of Climatecars in 2014 to set up Bounce, a private hire app, but remained a shareholder in the business. Liam Griffin added: “This comes in addition to the upgrades we’ve made to our app, the 4G wi-fi we’ve implemented into our vehicles and the new customer loyalty scheme we’ve just launched.”
ADDISON LEE CEO SLAMS LONDON ULEZ PRIVATE HIRE PROPOSALS
ADDISON LEE CHIEF executive Liam Griffin has warned that the taxi and private hire trade is not ready for London Mayor Boris Johnson’s proposed Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) rules, which will force them to buy plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles from 2018. Griffin said Transport for London should go back to the drawing board with its proposal that all new taxis and private hire vehicles presented for licensing in the capital should be “zero-emissions capable” from January 2018. “We don’t believe the industry and London are ready for electric vehicles,” he told the Financial
Times. In particular, suitable vehicle types “do not exist for our trade” Even clean hybrids such as the Toyota Prius would not qualify as they do not have a zeroemissions rage of 50 miles or a CO2 emissions level below 50g/ km. Griffin instead advocates a phased approach to reducing emissions. There is also a shortage of charging points, he added. Source London, London’s biggest network, has about 1,400 points insufficient to service the city’s 78,000 minicabs, as well as private EV users. ■ London’s green dilemma— page 28
Edinburgh gives green light to electric taxis Mark Bursa
ELECTRIC CARS CAN NOW be used as taxis and private hire vehicles in Edinburgh after changes to licensing conditions were approved by city councillors. Since 2006 only cars powered by liquid fuel had been allowed to operate as taxis or private hire vehicles in the Scottish capital. The decision follows
NEW FACE AND POWERTRAINS FOR REVISED HYUNDAI I40
HYUNDAI MOTOR UK HAS ANNOUNCED THE official pricing and specification for the new Hyundai i40, available in Saloon and Tourer estate body styles, and boasting a bold new grille. Prices start at £19,600 for the entry-level S trim on the i40 Saloon, while a new SE Nav trim level, adds touch-screen satellite navigation with rear-view parking camera and parking guidance system. Priced from £21,600, the SE Nav also adds DAB radio, auto
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dimming rear view mirror, climate control, heated front seats, LED front fog lights and a seven-speaker sounds system. This trim level can be enhanced further in the SE Nav Business model, from £23,100, with keyless smart
a public consultation into the proposal. Edinburgh city councillor Gavin Barrie, convener of the regulatory committee, said: “This change will take into account advances in vehicle performance technology, and will give drivers the option of using cars that can be less damaging to the environment and will improve air quality, through reductions in harmful carbon emissions.”
entry with start/stop button and driver’s seat memory function. The range-topping Premium models start at £25,600. They feature 18in alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, luggage net, super vision instrument cluster with LCD colour display and lane departure warning. The new i40 has a choice of three 1.7-litre diesel powertrains: 115PS and 141PS with six speed manual transmission; and 141PS with new seven-speed DCT automatic box. The 115PS engine has CO2 emissions of just 110g/km. The revised i40 is now available to order at UK Hyundai showrooms.
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Merger mania as local rivals in two cities team up to combat Uber Mark Bursa
RIVAL TAXI FIRMS ARE joining forces in a bid to combat the rise of Uber. In two major cities, long-standing rivals have chosen to merge in order to present a stronger opposition to the controversial American app. In Hull, Six0 Cars and Hull Cars have joined forces to create the largest private hire company in west of the city. Meanwhile in Oxford, a similar story has emerged, with local firms Royal Cars and 001 Taxis, who have been competing for more than 20 years, teaming up. The merged Hull business is named Hull and East Riding Cars, and will be based at Hull Cars’ office in Anlaby Road. The merged business will have about 200 drivers on its books and aim to run services out into the East Riding, beyond the city limits. Hull Cars owner Chris Davidson and Six0 boss Shabir Hussain had been discussing the move for several
months. Davidson said: “We want to offer people a much faster and better professional service. The business will certainly get bigger, without a doubt.” Hull Cars was mostly focused on corporate customers, while Six0 had a bigger following from private customers. Uber has not yet launched in Hull, but it is in nearby Leeds, and Hussain believes smaller cab firms will struggle to compete. “Soon, there will only be a handful of taxi firms left in the city,” he said. “Small firms will just get bought and swallowed up.” Hull Cars has spent £350,000 on technology in the past few years to stay ahead of the competition. Six0’s staff will move in from their Walton Street office, creating an 18-strong support team working for a £1 million turnover business. No jobs are being lost. Meanwhile, down in Oxford, the merger of Royal Cars and 001 Taxis will create the largest taxi firm in the city. Both firms have about 700
members of staff each including drivers and telephonists, and collectively they take around 46,000 bookings a week. 001 Taxis director Mark Green said the firms had teamed up to survive. “We are working in partnership now, we have had to join forces.” Again, Uber has yet to target Oxford, but hackney carriage app Gett is planning to launch there. Green said: “If the local population do all start using these apps then we might have to look to lay off staff, particularly those who answer the telephones.” The 001 Taxis boss said his telephonists answered enough questions “to make your head spin” and offered a great local service that an app may not. Royal Cars manager Ozayr Khan said: “We strive to help Oxford have a taxi service that is safe and secure. Ultimately, if these apps are successful then in order for us to compete, jobs may be at risk.”
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UBER ROLLS OUT EXECUTIVE SERVICE IN NEWCASTLE
UBER IS LAUNCHING ITS EXECUTIVE
service, UberExec, in Newcastleupon-Tyne, just weeks after launching its basic UberX service in the city. UberX went live in April, and Uber Exec will go live this week, said Tom Elvidge, Uber Newcastle’s general manager. The service will promise “our highest rated drivers, the most luxurious cars and a chauffeur-driven service”, he claimed. The UberExec service will use MercedesBenz E-Class or equivalent cars, and will offer rates that are “about the same time as a daytime taxi”, Elvidge added. Cars will be bookable in exactly the same way as UberX. UberExec is an on-demand service using the Uber app, with Google Maps used to request cars and locate passengers. All Newcastle Uber drivers are licensed as private hire drivers by Newcastle City Council, Uber said. ■ Uber has been ordered by an Italian court to end its UperPop car-sharing scheme in the country. A judge in Milan ruled that the service was effectively an unlicensed taxi operation and was therefore illegal. Uber’s licensed operations are allowed to continue.
FORD REVEALS PRICING FOR ALL-NEW GALAXY
eConnect offers Paddington rail transfer first
PASSENGERS TAKING First Great Western trains from Paddington can now pre-book a zero-emissions transfer to and from the station in a Nissan Leaf or Tesla S through eConnect cars. “This is the first time a train operator has partnered with an electric vehicle operator in London to create a transport solution that truly represents smarter, greener travel for those coming
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to and from London,” said eConnect cars managing director Alistair Clarke [pictured, above]. The deal with eConnect forms part of First Great Western’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. The company has also brought fitted new engines to its high speed trains that it claims reduce CO2 emissions by 64% per cent and fuel use by 15% per cent.
FORD HAS ANNOUNCED
UK prices for the new Ford Galaxy, due to be unveiled at the Goodwood Moving Motor Show later this month. And in a surprise announcement, Ford says the range will include an all-wheel drive Galaxy. The all-new Galaxy offers Intelligent AWD with the 150PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine and six-speed manual transmission, and with the 180PS 2.0-litre TDCi engine and six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission. Galaxy can also be equipped with a 120PS version of the 2.0-litre TDCi engine, and Ford’s new 210PS 2.0-litre TDCi bi-turbo diesel engine, which offers 450Nm of torque from 2,000rpm. Petrol engine options include Ford’s new fuel-efficient 160PS 1.5-litre EcoBoost and 240PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost, and the entire Galaxy engine range meets Euro 6 emissions standards with CO2 emissions from 129g/km. Galaxy is now available to order in Zetec, Titanium and Titanium X trim levels, with prices starting at £26,445. A 150PS 2.0 TDCi Ttanium model with 6-speed manual transmission carries a list price of £29,995.
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Phoenix plans tech-driven boost in jobs and turnover Mark Bursa
NORTHUMBERLAND-BASED Phoenix Taxis is planning to spend £1 million over the next two years in new technology that will improve passenger safety and experience and grow the businesses. Phoenix Taxis has bought the Drivr system, an award-winning app-based technology that allows customers to order and pay for a cab online via a mobile device and track the vehicle throughout the entire journey. The move will see the company increase its turnover by 50% in the next two years and create 350 jobs in the next three. Phoenix Taxis, winner of a Professional Driver Gold QSi Award last year, runs a fleet of around 180
cars, including more than 20 electric Nissan Leafs and a large number of Toyota hybrids. Phoenix also runs a Lexus GS300h Hybrid and two Tesla Model S electric cars, with plans to add a further eight Teslas by the end of the year. Managing director Alex Hurst [pictured] said: “This is a very exciting time for us. Drivr has provided us with a huge vote of confidence by teaming up with us and our selected partners in an exclusive partnership agreement for the whole of the north-east of England. “We know that excellent service is fundamental to the success of our business. The private hire dispatch and app industry has been revolutionised in recent years; this significant investment with
Drivr makes perfect sense so we can continue to provide a superior and unique service to our growing customer base.” Phoenix Taxis currently employs 52 people directly at its headquarters in Blyth, and has more than 300 drivers on its books. It is expected that the investment will lead to creating jobs for a further 300 taxi drivers and 50 new office staff over the next three years. Nikolaj Køster, co-founder at Drivr, said: “Drivr is building a global network of the best taxi companies to help people get safe and convenient transport anywhere in the world. We carefully select each local partner and we’re thrilled to be working with Phoenix Taxis in the north-east. The world of transport is changing rapidly and we’re particularly passionate of Phoenix push for clean electric vehicle transport.”
LITTLE’S ADDS LEXUS GS300H HYBRIDS TO GLASGOW CHAUFFEUR FLEET
GLASGOW-BASED chauffeur company Little’s has introduced the first hybrid vehicles to its fleet, with the arrival of five Lexus GS300h petrol-electric executive saloons. The hybrids are designed to strengthen the company’s environmental profile, said managing director Heather Matthews: “More and more of our clients place an emphasis on environmental performance and sustainability, issues that we can address with the highly efficient GS300h. By running these vehicles we are also able to strengthen the ‘green’ qualities of our own operations.” Stuart Ferma, manager, Toyota
and Lexus fleet services, added: “Little’s decision to take the GS300h is an acknowledgement of how Lexus successfully combines its advanced, highly efficient hybrid technology with contemporary luxury and refinement.” The new cars were supplied through Lexus Glasgow. Little’s has chosen the SE version
of the GS300h, which comes as standard with dual-zone climate control, electrically adjustable seats, a 12-speaker audio system with DAB tuner, LED ambient cabin lighting and automatic headlights and windscreen wipers. The model’s full hybrid powertrain allows it to run in all-electric EV mode in city traffic,
reducing tailpipe emissions and fuel consumption to zero. Established almost 50 years ago, Little’s has an international reach, co-ordinating chauffeur services in worldwide locations. It specialises in corporate travel, including airport and rail transfers and event delegate transport for groups of all sizes.
Comparison app Minicabit partners with Heathrow and Barclays Mark Bursa
PRIVATE HIRE PRICE COMPARISON AND BOOKING service Minicabit, has launched partnerships with Heathrow Airport and Barclays Bank. Launched in 2012 by Amer Hasan [pictured], the website and app allows users to compare and book instant quotes from taxi providers for long distance and local trips in 40 UK cities. After a successful trial period at Heathrow, the 73 million passengers travelling through the airport every year can now compare and book fixed minicab quotes
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from nationwide network of 650 private hire operators. The Barclays partnership with will see the launch of a new mobile payments service using Barclays Pingit, allowing Minicabit customers to pay through the platform, enjoying fare discounts and promotional offers. The deals are the latest in a series of partnerships, including The O2, Blenheim Palace, London City Airport and Wembley Arena. Amer Hasan said: “The demand we have already
received highlights the need for minicab services both to and from Heathrow and we have witnessed a great response from travellers across the UK, from locations as far as Newcastle , Plymouth and Lancaster.” He added: “It is great to see companies like Heathrow embrace new digital services and collaborate with fast growth businesses like Minicabit and for the several hundred minicab firms in our UK-wide network there are strong opportunities to benefit from the partnership and enhance revenues.” JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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Professional Driver QSi AWARDS CATEGORIES The following 11 categories will comprise the Professional Driver QSI awards. Gold, silver and bronze awards will be made in each category: ■ PRIVATE HIRE COMPANY OF THE YEAR ■ PROFESSIONAL DRIVER OF THE YEAR — 1-80 vehicles — 81+ vehicles
■ NEW START OPERATOR Rewarding the year’s best new firm
■ CHAUFFEUR COMPANY OF THE YEAR — 1-10 vehicles — 11-30 vehicles — 31+ vehicles
Individual driver or chauffeur, to be nominated by the operator
■ MARKETING AWARD
Rewarding innovations in promoting and publicising a company’s services
■ COMMUNITY AWARD
Rewarding initiatives that have made the wining companies real ‘local heroes’
■ ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD
Rewarding green initiatives that have made the company
■ PRIVATE OR CORPORATE CHAUFFEUR
Rewarding personal chauffeuring for business or private clients
Over 50 ye
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WE ALL USE
testimonials to tell potential customers how good we are.
Well what could be better than an award that recognises your achievements on a national level. Now that’s something to shout about...
ENTER NOW @ www prodrivermags com si-awards CLOSING DATE: SEPTEMBER, 1ST, 2015
Over 50 years of excellent service
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test
Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long
Va-va-V-class
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Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long 18
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s o test JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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FINALLY, IT’S HERE. MORE than a year since our first drive of the successor to the Viano, Mercedes-Benz has started supplying UK customers with its new luxury MPV, the V-Class. Last month we took a spin in the V-Class’s more basic sibling, the Vito Pro Tourer. And while the Vito’s van roots are worn with pride, the V-Class does a very good job of disguising them, through judicious use of parts from a variety of Mercedes-Benz cars. First impressions are of a more up-market vehicle. V-Class takes a lot of styling cues from the current S-Class, the car that defines the latest phase of the Mercedes family style. The bolder grille, bigger headlamps and sculpted side panels create a vehicle with considerable presence, and which hides its basic boxy shape well. Height is 1.88m, 40mm lower than a Viano, which should allow V-Class into most standard-height multistorey car parks, garages or car washes. Our test car is an extra-long wheelbase model in Sport trim, though sporting ‘Elegance’ badges on the wings, even though this trim level is no longer offered in the UK. Baffling, as the racy alloys and bold grille really does
test
say “Sport” rather than “Elegance”! The biggest changes are inside the car. It’s such a significant upping of the stakes in terms of luxury, quality and finish that Mercedes launched the interior before they showed us the exterior last year! The dashboard is the most notable advance— compared to both the old Viano and the new Vito Pro Tourer. Mercedes has cleverly used parts from other models to create a sweeping, elegant dashboard. The instrument cluster is from the new C-Class, as is the flat screen sat-nav and central ‘Comand’ controller. Classy, circular metal vents are straight out of the S-Class—as is much of the electronic content. You even get a cut-down version of the S-Class’s lovely ambient LED lighting, with a choice of colours. A leather dashboard with a broad, sweeping carbon-effect insert highlights the width of the cabin. White stitching on the dash matches that of the leather seats. The interior is otherwise a sober charcoal grey, with shiny aluminium highlights on the vents, centre console and door handles. The front seat is a nice place to be—and so is the rear compartment, accessible through electric sliding doors. The ambient lighting extends into CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 the rear cabin too. The seating is configurable with reversible second-row leather seats, and finished to a high standard, with matching side cappings. Our car had a three-person third row bench seat, and was configured in conference mode for five. A three-person second-row bench is available as a no-cost option. The seats are mounted on rails and can be removed easily. The rail system allows flexibility— for example, the third row of seats can be moved forward to expand the luggage area. Our car also came with an optional central table, which also fits into the rails, and has folding leaves to give
VERDICT
a large surface, complete with cupholders and oddment trays. Very useful for passengers who need to get the laptop out en route. We also like the flexible tailgate system that allows the rear window to open independently of the tailgate—helpful in tight parking spaces. The rear parcel shelf is load bearing too, and can carry small cases. Fold-away storage boxes are built in to the parcel shelf to hold loose items securely. There’s still an ample luggage area below the parcel shelf, which extends forward into the space below the third row of seats to give maximum space. Total boot capacity is 1,410 litres—about three times the size of an average large chauffeur car.
THE VIANO HAD FEW COMPETITORS—ONLY VOLKSWAGEN’S CARAVELLE, AND MORE recently, Ford’s Tourneo, have posed a challenge. And neither of those have the prestige that comes with the three-pointed star on the grille. While some had reservations about the build quality of the old Viano interior, there are no shortcomings with V-Class. Mercedes has made serious improvements inside the car—the interior is a massive upgrade, and compares extremely well with Mercedes’ car models. Powertrains are more familiar—V-Class basically uses E-Class mechanicals, tuned for a bigger vehicle. No surprises there. Your customers will appreciate the plusher rear cabin environment, and drivers will welcome the added flexibility of the luggage compartment, especially the neat through-the-window access. The central table is a worthwhile addition too. Best-seller is likely to be the V220 CDI, with slightly less power and slightly better fuel consumption than the V250 BlueTec we tested—a claimed 49.6mpg combined. There’s a £1,500 or so price premium for the extra-long, but it’s a worthwhile extra spend. The loss of the V6 engine won’t be missed—there’s plenty of power in the V250, and significantly better fuel economy. Don’t expect to deal right now—V-Class is in short supply, as demand on the Continent is apparently through the roof, which has caused delays in getting UK-spec models down the production line. You might have to be patient for a delivery, but it’s been worth the wait.
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V-Class comes in three lengths, though UK is only taking the standard and extra-long versions. And engine choices have been cut too—the 3.0-litre V6 has been axed and only 2.1-litre four-pot diesels remain, in two power outputs. We’re driving a more powerful 190PS V250 model, though the slightly more frugal 163PS V220 is likely to be the best seller. Engines are Euro 6, so you’ll not be forced off the road by London ULEZ rules if they come to fruition in 2018. There are two trim levels—SE and Sport, and these are available with either engine or wheelbase combination, giving a four-model range. No petrol versions are available, though a plug-in hybrid is in the pipeline—it was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier in the year. Don’t mourn the V6—the V250 has less power, 190bhp against 224bhp, but similar peak torque of 440Nm. It boasts a brisk 0-62 time of just 9.1sec. Our test car is an automatic, so CO2 emissions of 166g/km are higher than the 157g/ km you get with a manual. Both these results are much better than the Viano 3.0 V6’s 224g/km. And a claimed combined fuel economy of 44.8mpg is a significant improvement of 28% over the old V6. On test, we achieved 32.8mpg over 415 miles, averaging just below 30mph. On a motorway trip, the economy figure nudged up into the high 30s. This is impressive for such a hefty eight-seater with a footprint the size of an S-Class. By comparison, the Viano V6 extra-long we tested back in 2011 returned 24.8mpg. With the refined interior comes refined cabin comfort. Noise levels have been cut substantially over the Viano, and V-Class seems better suppressed than the Vito Tourer. The cabin is very quiet, with very little engine noise. A sevenJUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long Mercedes-Benz V250 CDI BlueTEC Sport 7G-Tronic Extra Long
PRICE AS TESTED £52,845 ENGINE 2,143cc four-cylinder turbodiesel TRANSMISSION 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic MAX POWER 190hp @ 3,800rpm MAX TORQUE 440Nm @ 1,400-2,400rpm 0-62MPH 9.1sec TOP SPEED 129mph FUEL ECONOMY 44.8mpg COMBINED CO2 166g/km LENGTH 5,370mm WHEELBASE 3,430mm WIDTH 1,928mm HEIGHT 1,880mm LOADSPACE 1,410 litres (with third row of seats) TURNING CIRCLE 11.8m FUEL TANK CAPACITY 70 litres WARRANTY 3 years /unlimited mileage VED BAND H OPTIONS FITTED: Metallic paint £645; Exterior 360° camera £335; Electric front seats £1,225; Driving Assistance Package £1,295; COMAND Online system £1,795
speed automatic gearbox certainly help keep the revs low—while the transmission is basically the same as that of the E-Class, the gearing is different, with more low-end torque to cope with higher payloads. It certainly responds well to being driven smoothly—heavy on the throttle and the engine growl makes itself known. There are four driving modes, switchable using a toggle switch on the centre console. These are Eco, Manual, Comfort and Sport. Eco promises optimised fuel economy, but at the expense of more sluggish throttle response, making for a heavy and uncomfortable drive. Sport is way too eager for this vehicle, leading to too many gear changes and harsh engine tone under acceleration. As you might expect, Comfort is where it’s at—ride is soft and smooth, while the 7G-Tronic gearbox is optimised for slick upshifts as soon as the revs can handle the longer ratio. The V-Class is pretty nimble for a big vehicle, with a decent 11.8m turning circle, while ride is extremely solid, with minimal body roll in corners, even on the softest suspension settings. V-Class hasn’t just gained interior benefits from the likes of E-Class and S-Class. It comes with a full suite of safety systems, including Distronic Plus adaptive cruise, blind spot warning and collision prevention. From the bigger Sprinter van comes an additional stability feature designed to minimise the effect of crosswinds—ideal if you’re using the Dartford Bridge in the Winter! These come bundled in a £1,295 package, which represents good value, especially for Distronic, which works very smoothly and takes a lot of strain out of long-distance driving. prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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e S o S e SE s ness 2 0 TDI 150
Bravissimo Mark Bursa
SKODA SET A BENCHMARK FOR the upper-medium sector with its previous Superb when it was launched in 2009. Cleverly adapting the China-market long-wheelbase VW Passat platform resulted in a car with class-leading rear seat space and luggage room. Now there’s a new Superb, and the formula hasn’t changed. The wheelbase has been stretched yet again, by 80mm compared to the old Superb, and 50mm longer than the new Passat. The resulting car is impressive— it looks like it belongs in a class above, competing with, say, the BMW 5-series. The dimensions are impressive. Driver and passenger can enjoy 39mm more elbow room and more headroom. Rear legroom has been increased to 157mm and Skoda claims rear headroom of 980mm is more than in any other model in the segment. Elbow room in the rear has increased by 69mm. It’s a little more conventional than the old Superb. Gone is the quirky Twindoor tailgate, which could be
opened either as a hatchback or a boot, depending on which button you pressed. But the Twindoor added complexity, bulk and weight, and this time the Skoda designers have opted for a straightforward hatch, bringing the Superb into line with its smaller stablemates, Octavia and Rapid. All three cars have a three-box saloon profile, but with hatchback bodies. The overall stance of the Superb is more conventional as a result. Indeed, it hides its stretch pretty well, with a more sharply raked C-pillar than before. But this is achieved without compromise to rear headroom—the rear window rake starts above the rear headrests. It also hides its Passat origins well, thanks to judicious use of signature Skoda creases and lines, together with a bolder-than-ever Skoda grille. The brand has come a long way, for sure. Externally, it looks every bit as up-market as the Passat. Inside, the dashboard design is a little more conventional than the Passat. In place of the distinctive full-width vents are more conventional air inlets, and the instrument cluster is analogue, with a central rectangular colour digital information panel.
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PRICES: 1.6 TDI 120PS £21,590 1.6 TDI 120PS DSG £22,990 2.0 TDI 150PS £22,090 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG £23,490 ENGINE 2.0-L, 16V, 4-CYL, TURBO DIESEL TRANSMISSION 6-SPEED DUAL-CLUTCH AUTO, FWD POWER 150PS @ 2,000 TO 3,500RPM TORQUE 340NM @ 1,750 TO 3,000RPM TOP SPEED 136MPH 0-62MPH 8.9SEC CO2 EMISSIONS 106G/KM COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 68.9MPG LUGGAGE VOLUME 625 LITRES WHEELBASE 2,841MM LENGTH 4,861MM WIDTH 1,864MM HEIGHT 1,468MM TURNING CIRCLE 11.1M FUEL TANK CAPACITY 66 LITRES VED BAND B
Switchgear will be familiar if you’ve driven the current Octavia—many of the knobs and stalks are exactly the same.
st e
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t e
So The 8in satnav screen is impressive on the more up-market trim cars we tested, centrally placed and with the latest graphics package. Smaller 6.5in and 5in options are available on more basic versions and the 5in screen lacks the hi-res clarity of the top-line screen, making the more detailed maps now available a little harder to read. It has some neat functionality too, including a popup menu that appears when your hand moves close to the touch screen, without actually touching it. The Superb is packed with clever details. Skoda has maintained the stowed umbrellas in the two front doors, and there’s an ice scraper inside the fuel filler cap—no more resorting to using your credit card to scrape away on a frosty morning! The boot capacity is the largest in the segment. At 625 litres, it is 30 litres bigger than in the secondgeneration Superb. More clever features are concealed inside, including a couple of angled pieces of plastic that attach via Velcro to the carpet and stop luggage from sliding around the floor. The interior boot light can detach and be used as a powerful LED torch—ideal for helping a customer to their door on a dark night. An electric tailgate is optional, along with a handsfree function that allows it to open by kicking a foot under the rear bumper. Under the bonnet are new Euro 6 engines. Diesels come in 1.6 and two flavours of 2.0. Top seller is likely to be SE Business model with the 150PS version of the 2.0 TDI engine. This emits just 106g/km of CO2, while offering a claimed 68.9mpg. List price of £22,090 is around £2,400 less than an equivalent SE Business spec Passat with the same powertrain. More is less, it seems. SE Business looks like a good specification, even with the £1,400 extra for DSG automatic transmission factored in. The trim level has adaptive cruise control, 17in alloys, plus Alcantara upholstery; front and rear parking sensors and tinted glass from the B-pillar back. The Amundsen satellite navigation system is included as standard, with a 6.5in colour touchscreen and Bluetooth telephone integration, as well as SmartLink (which integrates mobile phone functions via Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink and Google Android Auto). Also included is Drive mode selection, which enables drivers to choose between Eco, Sport or Normal driving profiles. From 2016, a wireless inductive phone charging device will be standard. On the road, the Superb certainly shows its Passat heritage. It shares Passat’s chassis with MacPherson front struts and multi-link rear axle, which offers maximum ride stability. Inevitably, we preferred the comfort setting, though it felt perhaps too soft in the corners. Our Italian test roads were in rather better shape than Surrey’s streets, so comfort is bound to be favoured closer to home. The 2.0-litre TDI engine is also joined by a lowerpowered 1.6-litre 120PS version, which felt a little more challenged on steep slopes. prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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S e
SE
s ness 2 0 TDI 150
st
e
VERDICT
IN A VERY CROWDED MARKETPLACE, WITH PLENTY OF NEW AND REVISED MODELS, Skoda has maintained its Supremacy. This new Superb is bigger than its predecessor in all the important dimensions—especially the rear passenger compartment and the luggage space. Indeed, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a car from a bigger sector. On the other hand, it’s lighter, with less front overhang, and a more conventional look. It’s a very clever piece of packaging, and with a well-thought-out SE Business trim package at an affordable price, it’s bound to go on any private hire operator’s shortlist. It’s great to drive too—naturally similar to the VW Passat, with which it shares much of its structure and all its powertrains. Like the Passat, it has that confident, easy drive—it’s not a sports model, but a very fine cruiser. Sadly, the Twindoor tailgate has gone, so you’re stuck with just a hatchback. It looks good too, with some tasty Laurin & Klement trim versions at the top of the range, including 4x4 versions, that could certainly allow the Superb to work as an executive chauffeur car. Only the prejudices of your most stubborn clients would get in the way.
The 150PS model has plenty of torque, and remains well below 2,000rpm on most driving conditions, with the DSG box shifting imperceptibly. If you need to overtake, there’s a reassuring surge as the revs climb above 2,000 on kick-down. We also sampled a 1.4TSI petrol version, which was surprisingly peppy. Maybe the need to bolt so many
filters on the back of a diesel these days, in order to meet Euro 6 emissions standards, means the pendulum is swinging back to petrol again? If the SE Business isn’t clean enough for you, a GreenLine model, which is expected to return 76.4mpg combined and emit just 95g/km of CO2, will join the line-up in 2016.
S oda Super SE Business 2 0 TDI 50
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Get the real
knowledge! WHEN? Monday, 14 September and Tuesday, 15 September, 2015 WHERE? Kempton Park racecourse in Sunbury, just off Junction 1 of the M3 motorway WHO? All UK-registered private hire, chauffeur or taxi operators qualify for a FREE ticket HOW? Register for your FREE ticket at WWW.PRODRIVERLIVE.COM or call Paul Webb on 01959 547003 for further details
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28/5/15 15:12:15
SepT. 14-15, 2015 KEMPTON PARK RACECOURSE
reGISTER NOW! Professional Driver is launching ProDriver Live, an exclusive and FREE business event exclusively tailored to the private hire and chauffeur industry. At this special two-day event to be held on September 14-15, 2015, you’ll be able to: ■ DRIVE the latest new cars with the right specification for the professional driver ■ COMPARE competing cars back-to-back— including all the latest, hottest new models ■ TALK to executives from the car manufacturers and tailor the best deal for your business
■ LEARN about how to run your business more efficiently in an exclusive free seminar programme ■ NETWORK with key suppliers and other operators drivers from all over the UK ■ SEE the latest products and services aimed at our industry
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ne s
o
i e Li e
SepT. 14-15, 2015 KEMPTON PARK RACECOURSE
Mark Bursa
LEADING AUTOMAKERS AND suppliers will be waiting to welcome you to our exciting ProDriver Live 2015 event in September. ProDriver Live 2015 is Professional Driver magazine’s exclusive business event exclusively tailored to the private hire and chauffeur industry. It’s a two-day event, on September 14-15, 2015. ProDriver Live is not open to the public— it’s exclusively aimed at professionals within the UK licensed Private Hire sector. Vehicle manufacturers will bring fleets of test vehicles for you to try, so you can get up close and personal with all the important new models. And ProDriver Live will feature an indoor hall full of exhibitors, ranging from specialist vehicle providers, finance companies, insurance companies, training firms and computer systems providers. We’re also putting together a programme of punchy business seminars, free to all event visitors, on both days of the event. These will offer practical advice and answering questions on a wide range of key issues, including technology, social media, legal matters, finance, and other topics.
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WHEN? ■ Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15, 2015 WHERE? ■ Kempton Park racecourse in Sunbury, just off Junction 1 of the M3 motorway WHO? ■ All UK-registered private hire, chauffeur or taxi operators qualify for a ticket HOW? ■ Register online for your FREE ticket or call Paul Webb on 01959 547000 for further details http://www.prodriverlive.com/register
CONFIRMED PARTICIPATING COMPANIES ■ Manufacturers Audi — BMW — Jaguar — Land Rover Lexus — Maserati — Ssangyong — Toyota ■ Suppliers Cab Accounting London — Catalina Software Chauffeur Training — Dever Software Drivertax — Ethos Finance — EVM GMB Union — Licensed Carriage Hire Magenta Technology — SEIB — Softsol The Plan Group — Transcend — White 7
JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
28/5/15 17:46:26
TaxiShop June 15.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2015 17:02 Page 1 TaxiShop June 15.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2015 17:02 Page 1 TaxiShop June 15.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2015 17:02 Page 1
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Chrome Wind Deflectors Chrome Running Boards
Pictured top to bottom: Amid smoke and lights the Ford Custom Royale is unvealed. The chrome Pictured topretractable to bottom:champagne Amid front grille, smoke and lights the seats Ford Custom table, leather interior and a Royale is unvealed. Thecontrols. chrome happy customer at the Pictured topretractable to bottom: Amid front grille, champagne Photos courtesy of Joshua Tucker smokeleather and lights the seats Ford Custom table, interior and a Royalecustomer is unvealed. Thecontrols. chrome happy at the front grille, retractable champagne Photos courtesy of Joshua Tucker table, leather interior seats and a happy customer at the controls. Photos courtesy of Joshua Tucker
Ford has entered the corporate and taxi fleet market with the Custom About Custom Royale Royale the at an incredible £28,89 5 Ford has entered the corporate and which pitches it firmly against other taxi fleetinmarket with the Custom vehicles the corporate market but About Custom Royale Royale at an incredible £28,89 5 as it isthe a dual-purpose vehicle it Ford has entered the corporate and which pitches it firmly againstairport other caters for both standard taxi fleet market with the Custom vehicles in the corporate market but transfers and school runs while at Royale an itincredible £28,89 5 as is at a time dual-purpose vehicle it the itsame can be converted which pitches it firmly againstairport other caters forbus. both standard to a party vehicles inand the school corporate market transfers runs whilebut at as itsame is a time dual-purpose vehicle it the it can be converted caters forbus. both standard airport to a party transfers and school runs while at the same time it can be converted to a party bus.
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TaxiShop June 15.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2015 17:02 Page 1 TaxiShop June 15.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2015 17:02 Page 1
RECORD SALES FOR TAxI SHOP
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standards for diesels, or Euro 4 for petrol. So presumably, companies will have to organise some form of ownership transfer in order to license a useable non-EV car. And Euro 4 came into force in 2006, so in 2018 it’ll be OK to register a 12-year-old petrol-engined petrol S-Class, but not a brand new Skoda Octavia Greenline or Toyota Prius.
Mark Bursa
D
O YOU RUN A GREEN business? You might think you do, but the people who licence your vehicles may disagree. One of London Mayor Boris Johnson’s last acts before heading for the House of Commons is to propose new, draconian rules that will render illegal most of the private hire vehicles in London from 2018—even the hordes of hybrids that currently ply the streets. As part of Transport for London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) initiative, new Private Hire rules will force operators to buy vehicles that are “zero-emissions capable”. This may seem vague, but when you drill down into the proposed rules, it means that the only new cars that will be licensed from 2018 will be those that can travel for 30 miles on battery power alone. In other words—of the currently
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Only cars with 50 miles of EV range, such as these Nissan Leafs, will meet BoJo’s new ULEZ rules for private hire.
available cars, only pure electric cars such as the Tesla S or the Nissan Leaf can be licensed. Most current plug-in hybrids can’t manage 30 miles before the fossil fuel has to kick in. Toyota Prius Plug-in can only travel for around 12-15 miles before the batteries are exhausted; Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV struggles to about 25. So near, yet so far. The rules state, however, that “secondhand cars” can be registered as PHVs providing they meet Euro 6 emissions
This is TfL’s official wording: “The specific proposals relating to the private hire trade are: ■ “A requirement that all newly manufactured private hire vehicles presented for licensing in the capital from 1 January 2018 would need to be zero emission capable (minimum zero emissions range of 30 miles and maximum CO2 emissions of 50g/km). ■ “Secondhand vehicles presented for licensing at this time would need to meet the ULEZ standards, which are dependent on its vehicle type (Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6/VI diesel). JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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GREEN...’
■ “Regardless of licensing requirements, PHVs would still need to be ULEZ compliant if driving in central London—so meet Euro 6 emissions standards (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol). Noncompliant vehicles could still drive in the zone but they would be required to pay a daily charge of £12.50; all taxis would be exempt from this requirement.” In practice, this means the likes of Addison Lee and Greentomato Cars would have to have Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol-compliant fleets by 2018. Those with diesels have a bigger problem. Addison Lee’s older Ford Galaxys are Euro 5, though current models—and indeed, the next-generation Galaxy due later in the year—meet Euro 6. That shouldn’t be a problem for Addison Lee— its two-year replacement cycle means it should have disposed of all its Euro 5 cars before the January 1, 2018 deadline. But not everyone has the luxury of being able to do that. Addison Lee is a big customer, so gets good fleet discounts from Ford. Smaller operators, or indeed one-man bands, don’t have the same buying power. prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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And especially vulnerable are chauffeurs, who have invested heavily in expensive vehicles not that long ago, which only meet Euro 5 standards and thus won’t be deemed fit to license from 2018. You could be stuck with a four-year-old luxury saloon whose residual has plummeted because it can no longer be used as a PHV in London. This seems unfair, especially when set against the way TfL is prepared to go out of its way to help our friends the Black Taxi drivers. According to TfL’s proposals, taxi drivers will also have to meet the “zero-emissions capable” clause by 2018. Here’s TfL’s official wording again: “The specific proposals relating to the taxi trade are: ■ A requirement that all taxis presented for licensing in the capital from 1 January 2018 would need to be zero emission capable (minimum zero emissions range of 30 miles and maximum CO2 emissions of 50g/km).” In addition, the age limit for taxis will be reduced from 15 years to 10 years. An important step in the right direction, for sure, but it still doesn’t leave the playing field anywhere near level. And there are clearly some mayor issues here.
Firstly, taxi drivers currently cannot buy a vehicle that meets the 2018 requirement. LTI is working on an all-new taxi, and is building a plant in Coventry to assemble it. But it’s doubtful it’ll be ready by 2018. A new rival, Metrocab, is testing a range-extender model that would meet the rules, but it’s still at the demo-fleet stage. It might be widely available by 2018. But no matter—TfL recognises that none of the current fleet meets Euro 6, and thus most of the taxis on the roads on January 1, 2018 will be as dirty as the current fleet. And as a result, the taxis will be exempt from the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge. This is blatantly unfair. It means a 10-year-old TX4 will avoid the charge, while a three-year-old Euro 5 chauffeur saloon will have to pay. Which of the two has the lower CO2, NOx and particulate emissions? Not the black cab, that’s for sure. Reaction to the ULEZ proposals has been highly critical. Steve Wright, chairman of the Licensed Private Hire and Chauffeur Association, which represents 200 mainly London-based operators, said: “This proposal shows a grave lack of understanding of the PHV industry.” In particular, Wright complained that the >
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NISSAN e-NV200 Combi Tekna Rapid Plus Electric Flex
BY THE NUMBERS PRICE
A
£26,305
ENGINE LOT OF TAXI AND PRIVATE
hire operators have tried the Nissan Leaf—but many may opt for its bigger brother, the e-NV200, instead. Nissan has cleverly created an all-electric people-mover by combining the Combi version of its NV200 van with the running gear of the Leaf. The result is a practical, if rather basic five-seater with masses of luggage space and a comparable 90-mile range to the Leaf. A seven-seater Evalia version is on its way, and this will offer a
flexible layout that will help operators looking for a “green” wheelchairaccessible vehicle. We evaluated the Combi version over a week, again trying to emulate typical private hire work. As with the Leaf, the e-NV200 is ideally suited to urban work, though with careful driving it is perfectly capable of reasonable runs. A 53-mile round trip from Weybridge to Farnham was completed with 24 miles of range to spare—we started with 84 miles in the electric tank. Driving the e-NV200 at 50mph rather than 70mph
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 < private hire trade was being “lumped in” with taxis, despite the very different environmental credentials of the two sectors. TfL’s own figures back this up. Currently, there are in excess of 75,000 PHVs operating in London, yet TfL says they account for only 3% of London’s NOx emissions. By contrast, the 20,000 black taxis contribute a whopping 18%—in other words, each black cab chuffs out 18 times as much nasty stuff as every PHV. Furthermore, the private hire sector has been extremely responsible in lowering average ages of vehicles and adopting cleaner cars—often at the behest of their corporate customers. The average age of a PHV is London is 4.5 years; by contrast, the average age of black taxis is 8 years. Not that taxis are the worst polluters. TfL’s 2,700-strong bus fleet—including its much-vaunted “Borismaster” hybrid doubledeckers—are responsible for 28% of NOx pollution. HGVs and non-TfL buses and
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provided a noticeable increase in range too. The vehicle is extremely practical, with sliding side door giving excellent access to the second row of seats. The rear tailgate reveals a cavernous boot. The ride is a little less sophisticated than the Leaf, and the boxy body gives more cabin noise. But you get most of the Leaf’s features—same sat-nav and a similar range display. And like the Leaf, it can fast-charge using commercial charge points in around 40 minutes from nearly-empty to a 80% charge.
coaches are responsible for 25%, while cars and vans produce a similar amount. Why are PHVs even on the agenda? Surely TfL should be addressing the biggest polluters first? Buses and taxis are within its own control—they really ought to be addressed first. Urban delivery vehicles too could be easy to switch to electric power. Useable vehicles already exist from Nissan and Renault, and fixed-depot delivery operators with regular routes are ideal for electrification. It’s likely that a number of plug-ins with 50 miles of electric range will be on sale by 2018, including the next-generation Prius. But even if they do, there’s no guarantee they’ll be used to the optimum. The EV charging infrastructure is far from adequate to cope with a sudden spike in demand. Even if 10% of the PHV fleet went plug-in, that would mean up to 7,000 cars. They would all require regular charging, and that’s not easy to achieve. Many London-based PHVs are kept at the driver’s home. And few of them have offroad parking where a charge point could be
109HP ELECTRIC MOTOR
TRANSMISSION
FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE
COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY
N/A
CO2 EMISSIONS
0G/KM
ZERO-EMISSIONS RANGE LOADSPACE VOLUME
90 MILES 2,270 LITRES
LENGTH
4,560MM
HEIGHT
1,858MM
WIDTH
1,755MM
WHEELBASE
2,725MM
WARRANTY
3 YEARS/100,000 MILES
VED BAND
A
WIDTH MM
1755
HEIGHT MM
1858
WHEELBASE MM
2725
installed. As a result, most plug-ins would end up running on their petrol or diesel engine most of the time. For this reason, Greentomato Cars, whose 550-strong Prius fleet is London’s largest, has stuck with the non-plug-in version of the car. So, in effect, TfL is forcing operators to buy cars they can’t yet buy, and won’t be able to use to their full potential even if they could buy them. The “zero-emissions capable” requirement is a serious problem for the proposed new rules. TfL is promising incentives for taxi drivers who will have to replace their 15-year-old vehicles five years earlier than they thought. Let’s hope the same incentives are extended to chauffeurs who need to upgrade too. Those chauffeurs will have spent more than the cabbies, more recently, and on a car that is already cleaner than the cleanest black cab. London is acting now, but other cities are likely to follow. And that could make life difficult, and expensive, for private hire and chauffeur firms across the UK.
JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
28/5/15 17:44:17
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electric od yssey #1.
T
ESLA’S MODEL S IS A GENUINE GAME-
changer. Battery-powered, but a comfortable, luxurious car that’s eminently suitable for chauffeuring—it can go for significant distances without the need to recharge. We tested the car last year—you can read the full report in our October 2014 edition, or online at http://www.prodrivermags.com/road-tests/397-roadtest-tesla-s-85 On test, we tried to simulate typical use for a chauffeur operator over a couple of days. Firstly, we shuttled between Tesla’s West London showroom at West Drayton, about a mile from Heathrow airport, and Weybridge and Esher in Surrey. Then we took the Tesla from Weybridge to London, firstly to
Dalston, north of the City, then to Bayswater and finally back to Weybridge. This would constitute a decent eight-hour shift for a chauffeur. We started with an indicated rated range of 248 miles—Tesla’s on-board computer offers range in two formats—“Rated” or “Typical”. Rated is the theoretical maximum, and is thus a higher figure by about 15-20%. Typical factors in your driving style, and is a more realistic reading, though the lower numbers are more likely to induce range anxiety! The Tesla wasn’t fully charged—that would give
about 270 miles of range. And Tesla recommends that you don’t tank the battery to 100% - better to keep the car 80% charged to optimise battery life. After the 20-mile first round trip from Surrey to West Drayton, rated range was down to 216 miles. Another round trip and some local mileage, and 55 miles of motoring had cut the rated range by 83 miles to 165 miles. So if you use the rated range, note that the actual range is somewhat less. After the London round trip, we’d completed about 130 miles, but still had 80 miles of range left - enough for at least another airport run. Day two involved an epic journey to Warrington. Having charged the Tesla on a standard socket for about 12 hours, we started off with 232 miles of rated range. We planned to recharge at Tesla’s Supercharger at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Central Birmingham. The Supercharger is Tesla’s secret weapon, and it’s the reason why the car really works. The Supercharger can pump up to 60kW of electricity per hour into the battery pack, and that means a full charge takes well under an hour. Or as Tesla puts it, the car can charge at around 275 miles per hour—that’s 275 miles of range in an hour. Compare that to a standard 13 amp socket—which provides a recharge at 11kW of just 11 miles per hour. Tesla can provide a special 22kW home fast charger that boosts that to 68mph, ideal for overnight charging, as you could “fill up” in about four hours. We reached Birmingham with 54 miles of rated range left (or 37 miles of “typical” range). No anxiety there, though the 120 mile trip did see the range fall by 178 miles. A coffee break at the hotel and a chance to check on email (you can do that from the car, which has full internet connectivity)
plus a simple plug ‘n’ charge at the Supercharger meant that just 45 minutes later we were back on the road with 270 miles of range in the cells. You don’t even need to leave the coffee lounge to check on progress—you can connect to the Tesla via a special app that tells you how the recharge is going. Birmingham to Warrington is a 160-mile round trip. And although we had cards to use at commercial motorway service area charge points, we didn’t need an electric splash and dash, and made it back to Brum with a relatively comfortable 43 miles left. Another 45-minute coffee break and the Supercharger had us back up to 286 miles rated. A smooth run home and we still had 103 miles in the electric tank. Mission accomplished, and not even a hint of anxiety.
BY THE NUMBERS TESLA MODEL S 85 PRICE £68,700 ENGINE 85KW ELECTRIC MOTOR TRANSMISSION SINGLE-SPEED DIRECT REAR-WHEEL DRIVE CO2 EMISSIONS 0G/KM ELECTRIC RANGE 312 MILES (NEDC) LUGGAGE VOLUME 1,795 LITRES LENGTH 4,978MM WIDTH 1,963MM HEIGHT 1,435MM WHEELBASE 2,959MM WARRANTY 4 YEARS/50,000MILES VED BAND A
TESLA Model S 85
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JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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electric od yssey #2.
U
NLIKE THE TESLA S, NISSAN’S
electric vehicles are designed as city vehicles, with a sub-100 mile range. Despite these limitations, they have proved popular with private hire operators, especially urban services. Leaf has a roomy cabin—every inch the match for the Toyota Prius in terms of rear legroom and headroom, though with less usable luggage space. Leaf has a nominal 100-mile range, and can be recharged to 80% of capacity in around 30-40 minutes, using commercial fast-charge points such as the Ecotricity points on many motorway service areas. We decided to take the Leaf from Weybridge in Surrey to an event in Daventry, Warwickshire, a
distance of 88 miles. This was around the limit of the Leaf’s range, and we weren’t expecting to be able to make the journey without a stop. Starting with a range of 89 miles, and in eco mode, the Leaf starts warning about needing a recharge before we hit the first available charge point, at Toddington services. By then, we have been travelling for 48 miles, with 40 miles to go and indicated range of 42 miles. The range readout is pretty accurate. However, the northbound Toddington charge point is broken, and a phone call to Ecotricity reveals that
the next one, at Newport Pagnell, was out of service too. So we’re forced to head for the southbound M1 charge point, adding time to the journey. It takes less than 30 minutes to get the Leaf back up to 84% charge, or a range of 78 miles. By now it’s getting dark, and raining heavily. So it’s a case of lights, wipers and heater on, which reduces our range. We reach our destination with 24 miles of range left—40 miles of driving has used 54 miles of range. Recharging at our destination is a case of improvisation. We’re staying at a hotel with no charge point, but it’s possible to feed a cable through the window to a regular socket. It’s slow, but six hours on a standard charge has added about 63% to the range. A range of 70 miles should get us back to the joy of Toddington services again. On arrival at the Toddington South, the charger was occupied by another Leaf—fortunately the contented owner, who commutes to London from Luton every day in his Leaf, was just finishing his charge. And before I had finished an eNV-200 van turned up. He had to wait until I was finished—only a few minutes, as it’s pretty quick. So that’s another concern. Not enough charge points to cope when it gets busy. At least the Ecotricity network is free—if you have access to a convenient Ecotricity charger it’s worth using it to keep running costs to a minimum. Installing a fast charger at your operating centre makes more sense, though. Charging to 83% gave sufficient range to make the 48 miles back to Weybridge with 24 miles of range to spare. Which means that airport runs are possible in the Leaf, providing you have access to a charge point somewhere close to your destination. However, the overall journey—a round trip of
178 miles—involved a lot more range anxiety than the Tesla trip of twice the length. To be fair, we were taking the Leaf out of its comfort zone, but even a small increase in range to say, 120 miles would make life easier. Travelling any distance involves planning to make sure you pass the charge points, and hoping they’re in service, which does seem to be something of a problem. To optimise the Leaf’s range, you need to run it in eco mode, and with the gear selector in B (brake regeneration) rather than D. Eco mode slows the throttle response, while B optimises brake regeneration. Unlike the Tesla, where cruise control seems to add miles, the Leaf performs better when driven without. Eco/B does make driving more difficult too, with less sprightly throttle response. If you’re not going far, and are recharging frequently, you can run in normal mode, which is a lot more fun.
BY THE NUMBERS NISSAN LEAF TEKNA 109PS PRICE £25,590 ENGINE 80KW ELECTRIC MOTOR TRANSMISSION CVT, FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE ELECTRIC RANGE 124 MILES CO2 EMISSIONS 0G/KM LUGGAGE VOLUME 355 LITRES LENGTH 4,445MM WIDTH 1,770MM HEIGHT 1,550MM WHEELBASE 2,700MM WARRANTY 3 YEARS/UNLIMITED MILEAGE VED BAND: A
NISSAN Leaf Tekna 109PS
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MITSUBISHI Outlander PHEV 2.0 GX3H Leather Auto
M
ITSUBISHI PERHAPS
doesn’t spring to mind as a provider of private hire vehicles, but it has quietly developed significant electric vehicle expertise, initially with the tiny i-MIEV electric car, and now with this adaptation of its Outlander SUV. This adds a plug-in hybrid powertrain, combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, one driving the front wheels and the other driving the rears. A lithium ion battery gives a pure electric range of around 25 miles—close to the 30 mile TfL
wants to see by 2018. Mitsubishi claimed the Outlander PHEV was the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV when it was launched last year. With claimed economy figures of 148mpg and 44g/km of CO2, it looks good on paper. It’s clever too, with several operating modes, including series hybrid mode, where the petrol engine acts as a generator to top up the battery, and parallel mode, where the petrol engine becomes coupled to the front wheels, providing additional drive. It’s a roomy vehicle too, with
reasonable rear legroom and a very decent 436-litre boot. The ride height has been lowered compared to the standard Outlander, making entry and exit easier. Thanks to the £5,000 Government plug-in car grant, the Outlander PHEV prices range from just over £28,000 for an Outlander GX3h to £40,000 for the top-spec GX5hs. On the downside, the feel of the interior is a little cheap, and some of the parts appeared flimsy—such as the door covering the electric charge socket. But it’s a go-anywhere vehicle, and it looks good.
BY THE NUMBERS PRICE £34,804 ENGINE 2.0-L, 4-CYL, PETROL-HYBRID W/ 2 ELECTRIC MOTORS TRANSMISSION AUTO, FWD [PETROL]; 4X4 [ELECTRIC] COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 148.7MPG CO2 EMISSIONS 44G/KM ZERO-EMISSIONS RANGE 25 MILES LOADSPACE VOLUME 463 LITRES LENGTH 4,655MM HEIGHT 1,680MM WIDTH 1,800MM WHEELBASE 2,670MM WARRANTY 5 YEARS/62,500 MILES VED BAND A
TOYOTA Prius 1.8 VVT-i Plug-in
T
HE GROWTH OF ECO-
You can choose when to use chauffeurs in the past this—for example you can save decade has seen the Prius the EV range for when you enter a become the default private hire car congestion charge. Or you can just for many fleets—even though the car run as a hybrid, using up the EV wasn’t really designed with the job range until the battery is depleted. in mind. When that happens, the Prius reverts The current third-generation to normal hybrid mode—just like model was launched in 2009, and the non-plug-in version, until you is now getting toward the end of its recharge the battery from the mains run—an all-new model comes out in or a charge point. 2016. We’ve recently tested the plug-in Inside, there’s still rather too version, which adds a larger lithium much hard plastic, with little attempt ion battery pack, giving an all-electric to highlight the greyness with detail range of approximately 12 miles. inserts. Rear seats are rather firmer
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than your customers might expect. Nevertheless there’s plenty of room in the back and decent luggage space. The plug-in version doesn’t offer much of an advantage unless you’re recharging the car regularly. And Toyota has announced it is to stop making the model this year, before returning to the concept next year with a plug-in version of the fourthgeneration model which, according to reports, will have at least 50 miles of EV range, thus meeting TfL’s post-2018 specification for private hire cars.
BY THE NUMBERS PRICE £33,395 ENGINE 1.8-L, 4-CYL, PETROL-HYBRID W/ 650V ELECTRIC MOTOR TRANSMISSION E-CVT, FWD COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 134.5MPG CO2 EMISSIONS 49G/KM ZERO-EMISSIONS RANGE 12 MILES LOADSPACE VOLUME 445 LITRES LENGTH 4,480MM HEIGHT 1,490MM WIDTH 1,745MM WHEELBASE 2,700MM WARRANTY 5 YEARS/100,000 MILES VED BAND A JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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o ct tests
ug leane
BYE-BYE BUGS
THE WARM WEATHER BRINGS WITH IT A welcome upturn in sports event business but also swarms of bugs that can make a car look uncared for after even the shortest of journeys. And bugs are not the only problem. Springtime sees the sap rising in trees, and dropping on to your car. And many birds and their messy deposits are back after winter in sunnier climes. The key to keeping your vehicles clean is to deal with any mess as quickly as possible as baked on deposits are much harder to deal with. A specialist cleaner is also a good investment. Kept in the car with a microfibre cloth, bugs can be removed from glass and paintwork during down time. If you don’t get a chance to deal with the mess during the day, a bug cleaner can be used prior to washing. Spray it on and leave to soak and it makes removing baked on insects with just a pressure washer that much easier and more likely. For really stubborn marks, soak with a bug cleaner, blast with a pressure washer or hose then use a mitt or sponge with a insect removing mesh. Our current mitt favourite, the Kent 2 in 1 Q2429 (www.carcare.co.uk) has a full size version. Like all bug mesh, it is designed to be abrasive without damaging paint. Paint damage is a real concern during the summer not so much from bugs but bird lime. As the birds feast on ripening fruit their droppings become acidic. This can etch the clearcoat finish on cars, wrecking any shine if left for any time. If this has happened a solution may be found in a scratch remover. If the etching is deep a professional valeter may be able to remove the mark by machine polishing. The www.pro-valets.co.uk website is a good place to start looking for a proven insured valeter. There’s no doubt a bug remover kept in the car and used promptly can save a lot of grief further down the road, but which one deserves that spot in the boot cubby? There’s a couple of types to choose from. The most popular are those that are similar to glass cleaners. These work well and are often the easiest to use with many requiring just spraying and wiping. The second type is much like liquid polishes or some waterless cleaners. These are effective but overspray from the white formula can be fiddly to remove. So which is the one to keep your fleet sparkling and earning this summer? We tried 10 to find out.
|>| THE TEST...
For a working car speed is of the essence for these cleaners if they are to be used between jobs. So we looked at how they were used preferring cleaners that could be just sprayed on and wiped. We also looked at the surfaces they can be used on plus the marks they can tackle. To assess cleaning power we sectioned off a bug splattered bumper and screen, brushing away loose debris, before using each contender to its maker’s instructions with limited wiping. We looked at how well each clung to vertical panels, the finish was assessed plus progress on the stubborn marks. Finally we took into account price.
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Simoniz Insect & Tar Remover Price: SIZE: Contact: Rating:
£4.49 500ml www.holtsauto.com best buy
E
ASE OF USE HELPS THIS BUG SHIFTER FROM SIMONIZ to the win here as you just spray on, leave to soak then wipe away with no need for buffing or rinsing. It works pretty well too removing all trace of bugs from the test screen. We also liked that it can be used for insects, tar and bird droppings. Livery may emulate the long-running Original Wax but this formula is bang up to date.
Autoglym Active Insect Remover Price: £7.99 SIZE: 500ML WEB: www.autoglym.com Rating: RECOMMENDED ■ SLENDER PACK AND ABILITY TO BE USED WITH NO more than a cloth help Autoglym’s long-running Active Insect Remover to runner up spot. Uniquely here the trigger spray delivers a loose foam which clings well extending dwell times on vertical panels. Others may have pipped it on the test bumper and glass, but it was close and its usability secures it second spot. Kenotek Pro Anti Insect Price: £7.49 HOSE LENGTH: 1000ML Rating: RECOMMENDED Contact: www.vertar.com ■ BELGIAN IMPORT IS PART OF THE EXTENSIVE RACE GLAZE RANGE AND NEW TO THE UK. It worked out the cheapest on test although some may find locating storage for the big litre trigger pack tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid letting it dry plus it also needs rinsing with a sponge or hose making it best for using at base. But it works very well proving a match for our winner on both bumper and screen.
|>| CORRECTION
OOPS! Production gremlins in our May issue resulted in the wrong text accompanying our test of the Bosch Professional GHP 5.75 X pressure washer. A corrected version appears right, with apologies to Bosch!
PRESSURE WASHERS: Bosch Professional GHP 5.75 X Price: £549 HOSE LENGTH: 10M Rating: RECOMMENDED www.bosch-professional.co.uk Contact: ■ YOU WANT FOR LITTLE WITH THIS NEW, WELL-DESIGNED MACHINE FROM BOSCH WHICH CAN BE tailored to your needs. Water supply can be taken from a water butt, soap delivery adjusted plus the lance pressure controlled. On its maximum it topped our tests delivering a strong but wide spray that covered a big area. If you can justify the price this is a great choice. JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
28/5/15 17:52:48
i
ug leane Gtechniq W8 Bug Remover Price: SIZE: Rating: Contact:
o ct tests
Angelwax Revenge Price: SIZE: Rating: Contact: www.angelwax.co.uk
£7.50 500ML www.gtechniq.com
■ W8 FROM DETAILING SPECIALIST GTECHNIQ TOPPED OUR CLEANING TESTS BY A NARROW MARGIN. The pH neutral and biodegradeable formula left just spots on the bumper and small traces on our screen. You have to work a bit for that as it needs five to 10 minutes to dwell and penetrate bug splatter before rinsing. Usefully it will not harm any wax coat or sealant on the bodywork.
Wonder Wheels Bug & Sap Remover Price: SIZE: Rating: Contact:
da
£4.99 500ML www.tetrosyl.com
■ A TOUCH BEHIND OUR TOP FOUR IN THE CLEANING TESTS, BUG & SAP REMOVER NEEDED A LITTLE more wiping to remove all the bugs on our test panels. Handily it can be used on not just sap and bugs but also tar deposits plus a range of surfaces including chrome and plastic. Slim pack will be easy to store and price will appeal, but requirement to rinse will restrict use away from base.
Autobrite Direct Citrus Wash Price: £8 SIZE: 500ML Rating: Contact: www.autobritedirect.co.uk ■ IF YOU HAVE ONLY ROOM FOR ONE CLEANER IN YOUR CAR THIS VERSATILE WASH FROM AUTOBRITE Direct could be the one. It can be used as a pre-wash, degreaser plus bug shifter. It can also be diluted up to 400:1 to suit the job. Care needs to be taken not to let it dry as pack warns permanent damage could be caused but it works well making good progress on our panels if not quite match for the best.
■ ANGELWAX CLAIMS JUST a hose or pressure washer is sufficient after spraying on Revenge and leaving it to dwell for three to four minutes. Using a microfibre cloth on our stubborn stains Revenge was the best of the rest in the cleaning test after our top four. Like others here it is safe to use on waxes but use on the road is limited as it needs rinsing and you need to ensure it doesn’t dry on bodywork.
Meguiar’s Gold Class Bug and Tar Remover Price: SIZE: Rating: Contact: www.meguiars.co.uk
■ USEFULLY THE INSTRUCTIONS CALL FOR GRIT TO BE RINSED AWAY BEFORE THIS CLEANER IS USED.
■ US GIANT IS ONE OF THE few to stick with a formula similar to that of a liquid polish. The white spray goes on thickly compared to rivals and clings superbly allowing good dwell times with precious little run off. It cleans well too as a result but then the difficulties start as it takes a fair few wipes to remove it and the white residue is fiddly to remove from intricate parts such as grilles.
It needs a minute to soak after applying then rubbing with a cloth or sponge. After this it needs to be dried and buffed. Not the easiest to use then, but it cleans well and claims to protect wax finishes. Despite the name, it also claims to be good for shifting bird droppings too.
| >| THE VERDICT...
Turtle Wax Power Clean Insect Remover Price: £5.99 SIZE: 500ML Rating: www.turtlewaxeurope.com Contact:
Poorboy’s World Bug Squash Price: £9.95 SIZE: 473ML Rating: Contact: www.poorboys.co.uk ■ US FAVOURITE IS MUCH LIKE AUTOBRITE DIRECT’S CITRUS WASH AS IT CAN BE DILUTED AND USED AS a prewash. It’s also designed to be used on not just bugs but also tar and road grime. For dealing with bugs it can be diluted 3:1 taking the sting out of that otherwise hefty price. Used neat on our long neglected bugs it made some progress but there was still some traces left. prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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£6.99 500ML
£10 473ML
IT WAS TIGHT THROUGHOUT THE results but Simoniz emerged on top with its new Insect & Tar Remover thanks to its combination of great cleaning and keen price. Keen price also helps the Belgian Kenotek to third spot although you do have to find space for a litre bottle. Taking the runner up spot is Autoglym’s veteran Active Insect Remover which, like our winner, can be used with no more than a cloth. 3
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se c s
undai i
by Ian Robertson
Background Compared to the relatively unloved Sonata, the i40 was a significant leap forward in every way. Designed at Hyundai’s European research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the large saloon and estate car was fine-tuned specifically for Euro tastes. Unusually it was the five-door estate that was unveiled first, and this arrived onto the British market in the summer of 2011. Named i40 Tourer, it quickly gained a reputation for affordability and spaciousness, with the range initially offered with a choice of Active, Style and Premium trim levels. A pair of 1.7-litre CRDi engines power the i40, with the more frugal Blue Drive versions benefitting from fuel saving technology, including the fitment of ISG stop-start. Performance from the 114bhp version of the engine is best described as pedestrian, so opt for the more powerful 134bhp edition if you desire extra pzazz. Saloon editions joined the range in January 2012, mirroring the Tourer’s line-up, while plusher, flagship Premium SE versions arrived in March 2013, though these were relatively shortlived, as they were discontinued in July 2014 due to a rationalisation of the model range. A facelifted edition of the i40 was revealed at the Geneva motor show in March, with the first updated cars arriving in showrooms about now.
Buying one
When Hyundai set about replacing the long-running Sonata, it broke the mould, and instead designed a large saloon and estate car that is truly desirable. There’s just word that describes the amount of cabin space in the i40, and that’s huge. Rear seat passengers in particular get limousine-like rear legroom, while boot space is pretty cavernous on Tourer editions, and generous proportioned on saloon versions, with all models featuring split-folding seats boosting practicality. But it’s the five-year unlimited mileage warranty that makes the most sense, ensuring that any little problem that crops up in the first halfdecade of ownership is covered. The interior is interestingly styled using decent quality materials, and while they aren’t up to the kind of standard that you’ll find in a Volkswagen Passat, it’s a really good effort. Equipment levels are generous, with all models coming with alloy wheels, front fog lights, automatic headlights, electric windows
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all round, air conditioning, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and seven airbags. Move up to the mid-range Style model and you’ll gain equipment like dual-zone climate control, rear privacy glass, a rain sensor, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, touchscreen satellite navigation and a rear reversing camera, while moving up to Premium specification means a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, heated front seats, keyless entry and uprated instruments. The flagship Premium SE edition, sold for a limited time, featured a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, heated rear seats, Xenon headlights, a lane departure warning system and electric tailgate on Tourer editions. If you’re looking for entertainment behind the wheel, then you’re probably better off looking at the Ford Mondeo, as the i40 isn’t exactly thrilling to drive. It does, however, deliver a safe, predictable driving experience with a decent ride, providing you stick to Active, Style or Blue Drive Premium models that run on either 16- or 17-inch wheels. Non Blue Drive Premium and Premium SE editions feature 18-inch alloy wheels which harm the ride quality somewhat. The 1.7-litre CRDi engines are nicely refined and smooth, and deliver hushed tones both around town and at motorway speeds. That combined with low levels of road and wind noise means that this Hyundai is a relaxed motorway cruiser.
What will it cost to run?
All manual gearbox Blue Drive editions will cost just £30 a year for vehicle excise duty and owners report fuel economy figures in the 50s. In contrast, non-Blue Drive manual cars cost £130 per annum to tax, with fuel economy in the mid-to-late 40s, while automatic editions cost a heftier £180 each year, with fuel consumption in mixed motoring of around 40mpg, if you’re careful. Our pick of the range would be the more powerful 134bhp Blue Drive model with six-speed manual transmission, though if your driving is mainly in town, you may want the extra convenience of two-pedal motoring. With every i40 still within the manufacturer’s initial warranty period, any issues and out of the
Hyundai i40 [Tourer values in brackets] > FROM: 2011-2015 > USED PRICES: From £6,100 > BUILT: Ulsan, South Korea > LAYOUT: 4-door saloon, 5-seats, FWD, 5-door estate, 5-seats, FWD > SIZE: 4,740/1,815mm (4,770/1,815mm) > BOOT SPACE: 525 litres (553 litres) > EURO NCAP RATING: 5 stars ordinary repair costs should be covered by Hyundai, and even when you do need to put your hand in your pocket, parts costs are reasonable compared to other mainstream marques. Servicing is required every 20,000 miles and breakdown cover is provided for all five years of the warranty cover. Insurance costs, in particular, are pretty cheap, with the base Active 1.7 CRDi Blue Drive falling into group 12, while the plushest Premium SE model is rated as a very reasonable group 18.
How reliable is it?
With all cars covered by the five-year, 100,000 mile warranty for taxi use, if there are any issues with the i40, it’ll be put right by a Hyundai dealer, providing it has been serviced according to the manufacturer’s requirements. Owners have reported issues with the rear reversing camera, as well as parking sensors and these have been sorted under warranty with replacement parts. Other reported problems concern a notchy gear change and heavy clutch on manual editions, with Hyundai dealers fitting a modified clutch plate and master cylinder design if owners complain loudly enough. When selecting a used i40, it’s important that you check these potential problems and ask them to be resolved prior to taking delivery. In the past there have been incidents where it has taken a long time to obtain replacement parts, but we understand that supply issues have largely been resolved.
undai i 0
JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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undai i
act le E1.7 CRDI 114 BLUE DRIVE. ENGINE: 1685cc, 4-cyl, 16-valve turbodiesel (with stop-start on Blue Drive versions) TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual POWER OUTPUT: 114bhp at 4,000rpm MAXIMUM TORQUE: 260Nm at 1,250 to 2,750rpm TOP SPEED: 119mph 0-62MPH: 12.3sec CO2 EMISSIONS: 113g/km ECONOMY (urban/extra urban/combined): 53.3/76.3/65.7mpg FUEL TANK SIZE: 70 litres 1.7 CRDI 134. ENGINE:
1,685cc, 4-cyl, 16-valve turbodiesel (with stop-start on Blue Drive versions) TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual (6-speed auto option) POWER OUTPUT: 134bhp at 4,000rpm MAXIMUM TORQUE: 325Nm at 2,000 to 2,500rpm TOP SPEED: 125mph 0-62MPH: 10.3sec CO2 EMISSIONS: 134g/km ECONOMY (urban/extra urban/combined): 47.9/61.4/55.4mpg Fuel tank size: 70 litres
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Parts prices AIR FILTER .............................................................£20.54 BATTERY ..............................................................£117.78 BRAKE DISC – FRONT (EACH) ...............................£73.62 BRAKE DISC – REAR (EACH) .................................£58.38 BRAKE PADS - FRONT ...........................................£84.12 BRAKE PADS - REAR..............................................£64.80 FUEL FILTER ..........................................................£25.55 HEADLIGHT ..........................................................£451.56 OIL FILTER .............................................................£10.22
PRICE:..................................................................£14,214 CONTACT:....... Car Shop, Northampton. (0800 458 2732) ...........................................................www.carshop.co.uk WHERE: ........................................ Used car supermarket MODEL:.........i40 Saloon Style 1.7 CRDi (134) Automatic YEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2013/13 MILEAGE: .....................................................30,000 miles COLOUR: .................................................... Metallic Black
All prices quoted are for manufacturer approved parts and include VAT. Savings can be made by buying parts from other aftermarket suppliers, but using them will in most circumstances invalidate any remaining warranty that you may have.
PRICE:..................................................................£12,500 CONTACT:..... Eddie Wright, Scunthorpe. (01724 245571) .....................................................www.eddiewright.co.uk WHERE: .................................Franchised Hyundai dealer
Cars we found online WHERE: ........................................ Used car supermarket MODEL:.................... i40 Tourer Premium 1.7 CRDi (134) YEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2012/12 MILEAGE: .....................................................18,771 miles COLOUR: ......................................................Metallic grey
MODEL:........i40 Tourer Active 1.7 CRDi (114) Blue Drive YEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2012/12 MILEAGE: .....................................................56,294 miles COLOUR: ......................................................Metallic grey PRICE:....................................................................£8,751 CONTACT:.........Motorfair, Birmingham. (0121 788 2000) ..................................... www.motorfairbirmingham.co.uk
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on te
udi
PRICE AS TESTED £48,745 ENGINE 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic, all-wheel drive MAX POWER 272PS at 3,500rpm MAX TORQUE 580Nm at 1,500rpm MAX SPEED 155mph 0-62MPH 5.7sec CO2 EMISSIONS 144g/km COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 53.3mpg BOOT SPACE 565 litres FUEL TANK 73litres LENGTH 4,943mm WIDTH 1,874mm HEIGHT 1,468mm WHEELBASE 2,912mm VED BAND F WARRANTY 36 months/60,000 miles
on -te test udi ant Blac Edition 0TDI uattro 2 S S-tronic 42
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ant Blac Edition
0TDI uattro 2
S S-tronic
Fond farewell Paul Webb
My time with the deep blue A6 Avant has come to an end. I’ve had a busy few weeks, and after 4,000 miles, she became a good friend and forgiving partner. The test is always to see if the car is suitable for the Private Hire and Chauffeur sector. And the A6 Avant certainly is. It’s what you might call a “crossover car”, somewhere between top-end private hire and executive chauffeuring. Your private hire clients will feel very special when being ferried to the airport or sinking into the very comfortable rear seats after a good night out. As a chauffeur car, it looks fantastic, especially in deep blue with the special edition pack of tinted windows and the smart alloy wheels. Some way short of the supreme comfort of the A8, but for a premium business car service, it really fits the bill. I came across a company this month offering a five-tier service of taxi (Ford Mondeo), minicab (Skoda Superb) executive chauffeur (Audi A6) chauffeur (Audi A8) and executive office (Mercedes Viano). They also ran two Mercedes Sprinters for growing events work. I like this approach. They were using all the services to advertise each other and as a result were giving no jobs away to anyone else. Instead every client’s needs are serviced by the same operator. I’ve been to a few events in the past month as well, including a day at the BMW PGA Golf tournament at Wentworth. And the A6 didn’t look out of place,
even parked in the car park reserved for the golfers, or alongside the ranks of BMW corporate shuttles. Image is not a problem. This car had a fully-loaded demonstrator specification, and it’s important to be careful when specifying the options. It’s very easy to rack up £5,000 without realising! However, you really must specify the £220 Audi Drive Select option and keep it in comfort mode when you have passengers on board. In the efficiency mode the stop/start becomes annoying (as it does on most cars) especially at those busy junctions but at least with a flick of a switch it can be turned off. The other options of adaptive lights £330, mobile phone preparation £350, and adaptive lights £330 are all good useable options making driving the car safer and more enjoyable. If your budget could stretch to the matrix LED headlights at £950 these are truly amazing and should be experienced. Our final image shows the car parked outside the entrance of Kempton Park racecourse in Surrey. And this car will be back there again on September 14-15, as that’s where we’ll be holding our exciting new ProDriver Live event. The A6 Avant will be one of the Audis you’ll be able to drive at Kempton Park at the event, as well as the new Q7 SUV. So farewell, A6 Avant. One of the most versatile cars I’ve tested, and really worthy of consideration alongside the saloon version. Overall economy of 47mpg at an average 37mph, helped by a whole load of motorway miles over the period of the test, is every bit as good as key rivals too. JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
28/5/15 17:49:11
c ss e s ACCOUNTANTS
EVENTS
INSURANCE SERVICES
Drivertax
Specialist accountants to the professional driver. Account tax returns, book-keepers, easy payment terms. Tel: 0208 529 2600 www.drivertax.co.uk
CHAUFFEUR TRAINING
Pro Driver Live 2015 ■ Professional Driver magazine is delighted to bring you PRO DRIVER LIVE, a new event where the private hire and chauffeur industry will come together to meet, compare and drive cars, learn about new products and network with key clients and suppliers on the 14th and 15th of September and Kempton Park Racecourse. If you are interested in visiting
Chauffeur Training Ltd. Chauffeur Training Ltd. is a London-based company that specialises in the UK’s only nationally-recognised qualification. Contact us: info@chauffeur-training.co.uk Or call 0333 444 1123 www.chauffeur-training.co.uk
PRO DRIVER LIVE please register on our website at www.prodriverlive.com/ register.
South Essex Insurance Brokers
SEIB have been Chauffeur and private hire insurance specialists for over 30 years. The insurance cover available ranges from comprehensive to a special limited mileage option for older vehicles used for Weddings only. The wide range of Chauffeur and Private Hire Insurance covers offered by SEIB include: single vehicle operator insurance for executive hire, cover for fleets, gap and airside cover, breakdown and loss assistance. [T]: 0845 450 0647 [E]: enquiries@seib.co.uk [W]: www.seib.co.uk SEIB Insurance Brokers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
OSBORNE & SONS INSURANCE CONSULTANTS LTD • Established in 1963 • Experts in arranging insurance for Chauffeurs, Executives & Private Hire Drivers • Single- & Multi-vehicle policies • Fleets & businesses • Booking offices • Public & Employers liability • Discounts for Professional Driver Award Winners Telephone 020 8388 6000 (Private Hire Team) info@os-ins.co.uk www.osborneandsons.co.uk
Alternatively if you are interested in Exhibiting please contact either Paul or James on 01959 547 000 or email either paulwebb@prodrivermags.com or jamesderbyshire@prodrivermags.com who will be happy to go through stand and sponsorship availabilities with you
FINANCE
British Chauffeurs Guild Established 1983
Improve your Corporate Status and image by becoming a member of the British Chauffeurs Guild Ltd Apply today for Indefinite membership which includes:■ Comprehensive ‘Chauffeur training programme’ designed on a ‘HOME STUDY’ basis; & ■ Issue of our Chauffeur training manual ■ Free Employment selection service— Temp & Perm positions driving our Clients own cars ■ Issue of BCG’s Chauffeurs Permit ■ Industry recognised Diploma of Merit ■ Unique and patented Silver Cockade 50% discount If you hold a valid Private Hire (PCO) Licence Only £147 (rrp & NON PCO £294.00) All inclusive No Hidden Extras Call today Tel: 020 8641 1740 Email : bcg.london@btconnect.com www.britishchauffeursguild.co.uk
prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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Ethos finance Call Chris brown on +44 (0) 7973 311 842 www.ethosfinance.co.uk
Direct Chauffeur Line
The specialists in Chauffeur and Executive Driver insurance. ■ Established in 1999. ■ The only broker in the UK specialising in private hire insurance to be awarded Chartered status. ■ The best cover at extremely competitive prices. ■ Single & multi vehicle policies. ■ Fleet policies. ■ Fault hire cover. ■ Public & Employers’ Liability. ■ Dedicated claims management team. ■ First class service. Tel: 020 8669 4466 www.dclinsurance.com
Insure Taxi UK Leading Private Hire & Chauffeur Insurance Specialist ■ Wide Panel of Insurers ■ Access to VERY Competitive Rates ■ Chauffer’s, Executives and Private Hire Drivers ■ Single and Multivehicle Insurance Policies ■ Fleets, Businesses and Booking Offices ■ Wedding Cars and Limited Mileage Polices ■ Airport Transfers & Business Contracts ■ 1st Class Customer Service Call 0333 2000 741 sales@insuretaxi.com www.insuretaxi.com
WANT TO ADVERTISE HERE? TURN OVER FOR MORE DETAILS...
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c ss e s INSURANCE SERVICES
PCO LICENSED SELF-DRIVE HIRE
SOFTWARE
KEY TRACKING
Chauffeur Rentals Quoteline Direct
Specialists in Chauffeur, Executive, Public and Private Hire ■ Established 1969 ■ All chauffeur work from celebrities to weddings ■ Like for like vehicle replacement following accident even if fault ■ All vehicles: classic, executive and luxury marques ■ Overseas cover ■ Self employed chauffeurs and fleet operators ■ All types of chauffeur irrespective of age or driving history ■ Public Liability, Employers’ Liability, Legal Expenses ■ Discounts for new chauffeurs with ‘no claims’ on private car ■ Monthly Direct Debit (details on request) ■ 24 hour claims service Tel: 0151 480 6000 www.quotelinedirect.com/chauffeur
North London 01707 649090 www.chauffeurrentals.com For all your PCO self drive hire requirements.We are here to help fill the gap. Hires form 1 to 90 days
Licenced Carriage Hire (LCH)
PCO Car Hire: Licensed Carriage Hire Are the Preeminent Suppliers of High Specification, Luxury PCO Licensed Vehicles to the Chauffeur Industry. We offer bespoke tailored PCO car rental services to chauffeur companies, motor manufacturers, claims management companies, and insurance companies. T: +44 (0) 845 890 1000 E: enquiries@lchltd.com
Key Tracker
Catalina Software Ltd Catalina Software has been delivering flexible and feature-rich logistic solutions to chauffeur, executive car, courier and specialist logistics businesses since 1997. Our success is built on our attention to detail, innovative solutions and most importantly putting the needs of our customers first. Our logistics software Freedom is the most reliable, cost-effective and complete software solution on the market delivering brilliantly usable dayto-day benefits enabling you to efficiently plan, manage and carry out the entire logistics process. www.catalina-software.co.uk
Established in 1996 and based in the West Midlands, Keytracker provide cost effective mechanical and electronic key control systems, ensuring improved key security and asset management. Whether you have keys for vehicles and machinery that need enhanced security, or equipment and tools that need to be monitored effectively, Keytracker can provide you with a secure, organised approach to key and asset management. www.keytracker.co.uk www.ilockerz.com Info@keytracker.co.uk or Sales@ keytracker.co.uk Tel.: 0121 559 9000 Station Road, Rowley-Regis, West Midlands, B65 0JY
TOYOTA DEALERS
PUBLISHERS
DNA Insurance Services Ltd The Insurance Specialist WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY DNA Insurance search the UK’s top Insurers to get you the BEST POLICY at the LOWEST PRICE, saving you TIME and Money! ■ Private/Public Hire ■ Minibus ■ Chauffeur ■ Fleet ■ Free Legal Cover ■ 24 Hr Claims Helpline ■ Replacement Vehicle ■ Flexible Payments ■ Liability Cover ■ Excess Buy Back ■ Knowledgeable Handlers Telephone: 01708 606485 www.dna-insurance.com Authorised and Regulated by the FCA
JAGUAR DEALERS
Watford Jaguar
The largest Jaguar Chauffeur specialist in the UK. Call or email Matthew Howard for individual quotation & advice: [T] 01923 992 682 [M] 07909 992 682 Matthew.howard@spireautomotive.com www.watfordjaguar.co.uk/ chauffeur-programme
prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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Currie Motors Twickenham Professional Driver magazine
■ Professional Driver is the only magazine dedicated to the executive chauffeuring and private hire sector. Published 12 times a year, our mix of news, features, reader profiles road tests and business advice makes Professional Driver an essential read for anybody in this vibrant and growing industry.
SoftSol Ltd Established since 1995, SoftSol Limited is a UK company providing back office management software solutions to operators in the chauffeur/limo/airport transfer and private hire industry. Tel: 0845 074 0545 www.softsol.ltd.uk
YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE SAME SECTION AS THE READERS List your company here, prices start from £450+VAT for 12 issues— Call 01959 547000 and ask for James Derbyshire, who will make sure you’re listed in the next issue
Nice people to do business with Toyota Fleet Business Centre ■ 40 years In London ■ Business To Business/Fleet Sales ■ Specialists In PCO ■ Finance/Leasing ■ 4 Toyota London Centres ■ We will respond to a request for quotation within 24 hours ■ Delivery to your business with first PCO test completed Contact Neil Glasson on 020 8607 8567 or 0777 151 7609 E: neil.glasson@curriemotors.co.uk W: www.curriemotors.toyota.co.uk/ business-fleet-car-leasing
VOLVO DEALERS
Hildenborough and Squire Furneaux Group > Covering 9 Volvo dealerships across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire Contact Mark Wilson; Tel: 01732 832424; Mob: 07710 614234 Email: corporate@hildenborough.co.uk Web: www.hildenborough.co.uk
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Post-election blues?
T
HE ELECTION HAS BEEN AND GONE, AND WHERE ARE WE NOW? NO DOUBT WE WILL have to deal with ongoing austerity as Chancellor George Osborne and his team attempt to reduce our negative balance of trade with the world and our mountain of national debt. The Summer Budget date has been announced: July 8, 2015. It remains to be seen if the Chancellor will make any positive tax changes for the current year, or will merely indicate his future intentions. Needless to say, he will likely be giving HMRC more powers to reduce tax evasion and tackle complex tax avoidance strategies. Watch this space.
Guide to auto-enrolment for small firms
A GARY JACOBS RUNS DRIVERTAX, AN ACCOUNTANCY FIRM SPECIALISING IN THE TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE BUSINESS GARY@DRIVERTAX.CO.UK
HELP TO BUY ISAS A reminder to first time buyers about the new Help to Buy ISAs launched earlier this year. If you are a first time buyer and save up to £200 a month towards your first home with a Help to Buy ISA, the Government will boost your savings by 25%. That’s a £50 bonus for every £200 you save. You can receive a bonus of up to £3,000. ■ New accounts will be available for 4 years, but once you have opened an account there’s no limit on how you long you can save for, accounts will be available through banks and building societies from Autumn 2015. ■ Accounts are limited to one per person rather than one per home, so those buying together can both receive a bonus. • The bonus is available to first time buyers purchasing UK properties. ■ Minimum bonus size of £400 per person, maximum bonus size of £3,000 per person. The bonus will be available on home purchases of up to £450,000 in London and up to £250,000 outside London. ■ The bonus will be paid when you buy your first home.
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new step-by-step guide to help small businesses get ready for their automatic enrolment duties has been launched by the Pensions Regulator. The online guide has been written specifically for employers with between one and 50 staff, and explains how to complete key tasks such as knowing when to be ready, providing a point of contact for the Regulator, checking who needs to be enrolled and creating a plan of action. New research published by the Pensions Regulator shows that while levels of awareness of automatic enrolment remain high among all employers, more than 20% of those due to stage between June and November this year had not yet drawn up plans to meet their duties.
Tax changes from April 1, 2015
The following tax changes came into effect from Wednesday April 1, 2015: ■ The Corporation Tax rate has been reduced to 20%. ■ The bank levy has increased from 0.156% to 0.21%. ■ Blood Bikes will be eligible for VAT refunds. ■ Business rates changes (England only): The business rates multiplier has increased from 48.2p to 49.3p (47.1p to 48.0p for small business multiplier). This includes the 2% inflation cap. ■ The Small Business Rate Relief scheme has doubled for a further year - providing 100% relief for businesses with a single property with a rateable value of less than £6,000, and tapered relief with a rateable value of £6,000 -£12,000. ■ A reduced rate of fuel duty to methanol will apply - the rate is 9.32 pence per litre. ■ Fuels used to generate good quality electricity by CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plants for onsite purposes are exempt from the Carbon Price Floor. ■ Climate Change Levy main rates have increased in line with RPI. ■ The VAT registration threshold has increased from £81,000 to £82,000 and the deregistration threshold from £79,000 to £80,000.
Is your car taxed?
Now that tax discs are no longer issued and displayed on vehicles, how do we know if a vehicle we are buying or own is taxed? There is a simple online facility where you just enter the registration number and make of the vehicle, and details of the tax and MOT position (if applicable) are displayed on screen. The website address is: www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/
Tax advice to people on low incomes
A new campaign has been launched to raise an extra £250,000 a year for charities that provide tax advice for those in need who cannot afford to pay for it. The new ‘Bridge the Gap’ campaign is intended to help charities including TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People that provide tax advice to vulnerable people and were founded by members of the taxation profession. TaxAid helps resolve tax problems for people on low incomes irrespective of their background and circumstances. The advice provided is free, independent and confidential. The initiative is being supported by a number of bodies including the CIOT, ATT, ICAEW and ACCA. The Bridge the Gap campaign hopes to raise enough money to enable the charities to help an extra 6,000 vulnerable people who critically need tax advice but can’t afford to pay for it.
National Insurance Numbers
HMRC is reminding people how to find a lost National Insurance number. Anyone who has lost or forgotten their National Insurance number should first try and locate the number on paperwork such as their tax return, payslip or P60. If the National Insurance number still cannot be located a request can be submitted to HMRC using form CA5403. The completed form needs to be mailed to HMRC. Alternatively, it is also possible to phone the National Insurance numbers’ helpline to request details of the number. However, HMRC will not disclose the number over the telephone and will instead send the details by post. New National Insurance numbers which should be requested from the JobCentre Plus National Insurance number allocation service. JUNE 2015 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
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B Ste e Garelic
RISE OF THE MACHINES
Evolving technology will help you stay safe
W
E ARE NATURAL CREATURES OF HABIT. BEFORE 1983, MANY of us never bothered to fasten our seat belts. But once it became mandatory, we all happily started to belt up, and this Swedish invention has subsequently saved countless thousands of lives. Back in the 1970s, safety features such as airbags and ABS existed only in the STEVE GARELICK IS imaginations of car company boffins. The general public had little idea what the BRANCH SECRETARY OF THE future would bring. Today we would not dream of driving without a seat belt, nor would we buy or lease PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS BRANCH a car without knowing how many airbags are installed. And the future looks even OF THE GMB TRADE UNION safer. But do we as professional drivers think hard enough about safety with regard to the passengers we carry, or the physical and sometimes violent hazards we often face from other road users? Executive and chauffeur drivers tend not to have a problem with clients, but there’s always that one who has had a drink or several over a long lunch, or received divorce papers that morning, or thinks they know a more practical route. The customer who is looking for a fight or a row—and they don’t care who it’s with. In-car video camera systems, or dash-cams may be the guardian angel that might just stop this from becoming a problem. These devices will be your silent witness in an event of an accident. Many now come with ‘black boxes’ that measure your speed and direction, which will act as extra security should there be a need to confirm how fast you were going following an incident. Dash cams can also help identify a cyclist who might have caused damage to your expensive vehicle. Obviously the rider ■ LONDON MAYOR will not hang around to pay for that damage. Nor are you able to Boris Johnson has caused take down a registration number. But putting the culprit on social substantial controversy with media may get them recognised and ultimately prosecuted. his Ultra Low Emissions After all, many riders wear helmet cams for protection, so why Zone proposals for private should we not have a similar device? hire vehicles, but we are Dash-cam prices can range from under £60 to £1,000, and some hopeful of some good news. insurance companies will give you a healthy discount if you fit At GMB we believe that one. Some now even insist on you having one. the MPV sector will now Many systems stay active when a vehicle is parked so if be left out of the proposal someone shunts your car in a car park, the culprit could be until viable alternatives are identifi ed. We think in the future dash cams will become the norm found. At present finding for all and hope manufacturers will start to fit them as standard. a practical range of low A forward-facing camera can prove innocence or guilt in an emission vehicles is almost accident, while a discreet rear-seat monitoring system can keep impossible. an eye on the troublesome customer in the back. Drivers need a choice, Taxi drivers are also beginning to install in car CCTV to monitor and not all can afford the customers. But you have to be careful in what you install. substantial cost of putting a Systems with voice are a no-no, and a disclaimer has to be in new Galaxy or V-Class on the view for the customer to make sure that they are aware that the road. Many drivers do have device is in place. Regular customers might resent the camera, so to look to the secondhand be prepared to turn it off. market to be able to remain Camera systems can reduce accident rates, fraud and cost effective and make a ultimately the huge cost of even minor accidents. Prevention living. We will update you as and proof may make the difference and more chauffeur fleets are this evolves. choosing to add these devices.
MPVS TO BE EXCLUDED FROM ULEZ PROPOSALS?
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TO PLACE O R REE AD ERTISEMENT CONTACT PA L OR IAN ON 01 5 5 ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE 6.0 4DR ■ 2011,Petrol, Saloon,
Semi-Automatic, 25000 miles
Metallic quauntum silver with cream truffle hide, rear seat entertainment, bang & olufsen hi-fi, 20” alloys, ivory alcantara headlining, obsidian carpets, warm charoal seat belts, grey brake calipers, 4 seats, electric memory heated & cooled sports seats with lumbar function, bi-xenon headlights, f&r parking sensors, piano black interior veneers, cruise control, aluminium bright finish grilles, built-in navigation system, multiple air-bags, gear change paddles, sport setting, adjustable suspension, £69,990 p/x considered
TEL.: (01932) 336898 AUDI Q7 3.0 TDI QUATTRO
en
000 NOW
AUDI A6 2.0 TDI
AUDI A8 3.0 TDI SE
■ 2012, Diesel, Saloon,
■ 2012, Diesel, Saloon,
Aviator Blue Metallic, Anti-lock Brake System and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, HDD touch sat nav system with MMI high and DVD player, Electronic Stability Programme, Anti-slip regulation traction control, Cruise control, Anti theft alarm, 18 inch 5 twin spoke alloy wheels, Dual zone electronic climate control, Hill hold assist, Driver/front passenger side airbags, Power assisted steering, Remote central locking, Curtain airbags, Electric front/rear windows, Audi music interface, Keyless Start, £19,400
GREY, 1 OWNER FROM NEW, FULL AUDI SERVICE HISTORY, Front and Rear View Cameras, Automatic Rear Blinds,, HDD—Based Satellite Navigation System, Audi Parking System Plus, Cruise Control, DAB Digital Radio, Deluxe 4—Zone Automatic Air Conditioning, 20in 5-Parallel Spoke Design, Anti—Theft Alarm (Thatcham Category 1 Approved), Audi Music Interface, Bluetooth Interface, Colour Drivers Information System (DIS) with 7in Colour Display, Comfort Front Seats with Memory Function (22—Way Adjustable), Electric Front and Rear Windows, £19,995 inc VAT
Automatic, 28329 miles
Automatic, 93450 miles
TEL.: (028) 3811 0944
TEL.: (07831) 057185
BMW 7 SERIES 3.0TD
BENTLEY MULSANNE
■ 2014, Diesel, Saloon,
■ 2014, Petrol, Saloon,
Orca Black Metallic, Four wheel-drive, 21 inch 5 arm rotor design alloy wheels with titanium finish, 3 spoke leather multifunction S Line steering wheel including paddle shift controls and aluminium detailing, 8 speakers, Ambient lighting of centre console using LED technology, Anti lock brake system + Electronic Brake force Distribution, Audi music interface, Audi parking system advanced, Bluetooth phone prep—High with Audi connect, BOSE sound system, Cruise control, DAB digital radio module, Daytime running lights, £44,995 Non VAT Qualifying
Black Sapphire Metallic, Automatic air conditioning with 4-zone control, BMW Professional navigation system, Heated steering wheel, £70, 960 Cost New, 19 inch BMW Individual V-spoke style 228 alloy wheels, Active Aerodynamics, Adaptive headlights, Alarm system (Thatcham 1), Ambient lighting, Auto dimming and folding exterior mirrors, Auto Start-Stop, BMW Professional rear seat entertainment, Brake Energy Regeneration, Comfort Access, DAB digital radio, Driver and front passenger lumbar support, ECO PRO mode, Electric Power Steering, £36,995
Metallic Titan Grey, Full dealership history, Excellent bodywork, Full leather interior—Excellent Condition, Tyre condition Excellent, Satellite Navigation, Air-Conditioning, Cruise Control, Vehicle Distance Control, Alloy Wheels, Computer, In Car Entertainment, Rain Sensor, Telephone Equipment, Tyre Pressure Control. 4 seats, iPad Compatible Picnic Tables Power Folding Picnic Tables, Mulliner Driving Specification, 21” Two Piece Mulliner Alloy Wheels, Bentley Flying B, Diamond Quilting to Seating, £172,850
TEL.: (01202) 060519
TEL.: (028) 9521 4000
■ 2014, Diesel, SUV,
Automatic, 4634 miles
Automatic, 13466 miles
BENTLEY FLYING SPUR SALOON V8 MULLINER
FORD GALAXY TITANIUM 1.6TDCI
■ 2015, Petrol, Saloon,
■ 2014, Diesel, Estate,
Onyx, Service History, Mulliner driving specification, Rear view camera, 21” 10 spoke propeller alloy wheel—Painted, Rear seat entertainment, Massage and ventilation function for front seats, Electric glass tilt and slide sunroof, 3 spoke dual tone hide trimmed steering wheel, Contrast stitching on steering wheel, Embroidered Bentley emblem in headrest, Piano black veneer, Space saver spare wheel, Contrast stitching, Electric rear window sunblinds, Power boot opening and closing, VAT Qualifying Vehicle, Navtrak ADR. £144,500
Moondust silver, 17 Alloys, 7 Seats, ABS Brakes, Air Conditioning, Auto Lights, Auto Wipers, Bluetooth, CD Player, Cruise Control, Curtain & Side Airbags, Digital Audio Broadcasting(DAB), Driver & Passenger Airbags, Dual Climate Control, Electric Door Mirrors, Electric Windows, Folding Door Mirrors, Front arm rest, Front Fog Lamps, Front Parking Sensors, Heated Front Windscreen, Keyless Start, Magic Seating System, Metallic Paint, mp3 Connection, Power Steering, Privacy Glass, Puncture Repair Kit, £19,495
Automatic, 1500 miles
TEL.: (01565) 220305 FORD MONDEO 1.6 TDCI ECO ZETEC ■ 2014, Diesel, Hatchback, Manual, 19000 miles
Metallic, Full service history, Excellent bodywork, Black Cloth interior—Excellent Condition, 3x3 point rear seat belts, Air conditioning, Airbags, Alarm, Alloy wheels, CD Player, Central locking, Child locks & Isofix system, Cruise control, Electric door mirrors, Electric windows, Folding rear seats, Immobiliser, Lumbar support, Parking aid, Power steering, Radio, Remote central locking, Satellite navigation, Traction control, Bluetooth, Parking sensors. Edge , Zetec , Ghia , Titanium , Titanium X and Business edition also available. £11,895 inc VAT
TEL.: (01869) 346745
Manual, 11271 miles
Automatic, 5600 miles
TEL.: (0844) 8227915 HYUNDAI I800 2.5 CRDI ■ 2015, Diesel, Manual, 10 miles Phantom black, power steering, central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, alarm fitted, 6 airbags. 16? Alloy wheels, air conditioning, automatic dimming rear view mirror, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, electronic stability programme, front fog lights, leather gear knob, leather steering wheel, privacy glass, remote central locking, this car is in our randalstown branch, £22,985
TEL.: (028) 94473903
TEL.: (0844) 4775325 JAGUAR XJ 3.0D V6 PORTFOLIO
MASERATI QUATTROPORTE DIESEL
■ 2014, Diesel, Saloon,
■ 2014, Diesel, Saloon,
Black Amethyst, Call 01908 350828, 1 Owner, Full Manufacturer Service History, Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Side Window Blinds, Electric Rear Sunblind, Heated & Cooled Front Seats, Heated/Cooled Fixed Rear Seat, Electric Memory Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Heated Front Screen, Privacy Glass, Meridian Sound, DAB Digital Radio, CD Player, Hard Disk Drive, DVD Player, iPod/MP3 Connectivity, Voice Activation, Panoramic Glass Sunroof, Automatic Headlamps, Adaptive BiXenon Headlights, Intelligent High Beam, Rain Sensing Wipers, £40,846
Grigio metallo, 1 owner, Grigio Metallo Metallic Paint, Nero Leather Interior, Nero Carpets, High Gloss Carbon Fibre Trim, Heated Rear Seats, Power Rear Sunshade, Active Shifting Paddles, Alcantara Headlining in Grigio, Front Seat Ventilation, Poltrona Frau Fine Grain Perforated Leather, 18” Space Saver Spare Wheel, VAT Qualifying. 5 seats, Under the bonnet of the Quattroporte Diesel throbs a 3 litre V6 Diesel engine that delivers the sporty temperament of petrol-fuelled units with the benefits typical of Diesel. £54,950
Automatic, 6809 miles
Automatic, 10500 miles
TEL.: (01908) 350828
TEL.: (020) 79078705
MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS 2.1 E250 CDI
MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS S500 L AMG
NISSAN LEAF 5 DR HATCHBACK E
■ 2014, Diesel, Saloon,
■ 2014, Petrol, Saloon,
■ 2014, Electric, Hatchback,
Metallic Tenorite Grey, 5 seats, One Owner From New, Full Mercedes Benz Service History, AMG Body Styling, AMG Sports Package, Sport Suspension, COMAND SAT NAV, LED Day time Running Lights, Parktronic, Park Assist, 18” AMG Double Spoke Alloy Wheels, Black Leather/Suede Seats, Sports Seats, Heated Seats, Lumber Support Seats, Electric Seats, DAB Radio, Bluetooth, ECO Start/Stop Function, 7 Speed Automatic, Paddle Shift, Sport Multifunction Steering Wheel, Cruise Control, Auto Headlights, £24,750 p/x welcome
Diamond Silver, Bluetooth, Dual Climate Zones, Full Leather, iPod Connectivity, Memory Seats, Panoramic Sunroof, Powered Folding Mirrors, Xenon Headlamps, Satellite Navigation, Adjustable Steering Column, Cruise Control, Multi-function Steering Wheel, Parking Camera, Parking Sensors, Push Button Start, Comfort Ventilated Seats, Fridge Compartment, LED Daytime Running Lights, Rear Entertainment, VAT QUALIFYING. 5 seats, Diamond Silver Metallic / Black Nappa Leather—Optional Extras: Magic Body Control, £86,200
Black, Service History, 6.6kW on-board charger, Alarm, Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Automatic air conditioning, Bluetooth integration, Curtain airbags, Driver’s and passengers airbag, Electric windows, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Engine immobiliser, Front fog lamps, Front side airbags, Hill Start Assist, Intelligent key, matching interior, Push start button, Remote audio controls, Single CD player, USB input adapter, VSP (approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians). 5 seats, £13,000 Non VAT Qualifying
TEL.: (07908) 777321
TEL.: (020) 84620077
Automatic, 19000 miles
SKODA SUPERB HATCHBACK 5-DR 2.0 TDI ■ 2014, Diesel, Hatchback, Automatic, 7000 miles
Brilliant Silver Metallic, 18In Alloy Wheels, Adjustable Steering Wheel, Alarm, Anti-Lock Brakes, Automatic Dimming Rear View Mirrors Internal, BiXenon Headlights Exterior Lighting, Bluetooth Interface Telephone Equipment, Body Coloured Bumpers, Climate Control, Cruise Control, Cup Holder, Driver Air Bag Knee, Driver Passenger And Front Side Air Bags, Driver/Passenger— Driver Memory Electric Seats, Driver/Passenger Electric Seat Lumbar Support, Driver/Passenger Heated Seats, £19,980 Gross VAT Qualifying
TEL.: (020) 3551 4519 prodrivermags.com | JUNE 2015
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Automatic, 6800 miles
MERCEDES S CLASS 350 ■ 2013, Diesel Bluetech Saloon Auto, 11,000
Silver. This car is a private sale. Registered April 23rd 2013 it is just 2 years old. It has done only 11000 miles and has a fantastic spec sheet. This car, being sold for a genuine reason, has a black leather interior and has AMG body and spec features. The car has a split panoramic sunroof, ambient and intelligent lighting , soft close doors and boot, keyless entry, Harman Kardon sound system with split screen, electric blind, front AND rear seats electric heating AND adjustment, paddle gear shifts, cruise/speed limit assist. £39,950 OVNO. NW London. Email: theopps@gmail.com
Automatic, 26 miles
TEL.: (01293) 976735 BMW 730LD ■ 2012 38,000 MILES Silver/black leather, black ash wood, pco chauffeur car, comfort seats all round, rear entertainment package, auto boot, soft touch doors, t.V, heads up display, rear reversing camera, parking sensors, sat nav, bluetooth. Contact: peterkennedy18@me.com. £29,995.
TEL.: 07903 903 872
TEL: 07785325052
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