Two Luxury cars worth almost £1.2m were clamped out side the prestigious Harrods Store.
The cars, a Koenigsegg CCXR and Murcielago LP670-$ Supervoice were clamped after being illegally parked outside the London store.
Clamped: illegally parked
The Koenigsegg CCXR and a £350,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce were both clamped on the afternoon of 22 July. Both cars are rare the Koengsegg is one of only six in existence.
In commenting the Kensington and Chelsea Council said:
“The vehicles were in serious contravention of parking rules. Our priority is our residents. T0o keep space available for the, we must deter visitors from taking up residents bays and our experience is that clamping is simply the most effective deterrent.”
A spokes men for Harrods said that the responsibility for parking enforcement in front of the store, rested with the council.
The cars were released after the owners paid a £70 fine.
Source: BBC
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When Jaguar first released the X-Type it was their attempt to propel the brand into the mainstream, previous models had out priced people by a long way but the X-Type was aimed at the premium Mondeo customer. The customer who would by a top spec Mondeo had the disposable income for the X-Type or so Jaguar thought.
Coming in a range of options including the estate model, which is the only estate in the Jaguar range. The X-Type was first developed and produced in 2001 using a modified version of the Ford CD132, which incidentally was the same basis of the Ford Mondeo.
The first incarnation was released to the UK in 2008 with a projected sales target of 100,000 per year and it already had the reputation having won AutoWeek’s Editors Choice Award as the Most Significant Car at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show.
The car suffered at the hands of critics when it was first released, Top Gear described it as:
Imagine if Paul Smith started supplying £25 suits to Tesco? The label wouldn’t be enough to make it cool. And nor is the Jaguar badge here.”
But Jaguar promises the 2012 version will be an improvement in its bid to serve as a main competitor for the BMW 3-Series.
It will include a three litre V6 turbo diesel engine or you can opt for a hybrid version which includes a V6 diesel and a 47 HP electric motor which in turn will be integrated with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.
Whatever the outcome the Jaguar X-Type has a lot of ground to make up with reviewers but on the other side the public found it appealing, some even describing it as “something unique and a “superb, effortless cruiser with an affordable price tag.”
Interested in having an X-Type of your own, this executive saloon is perfect for the businessman who wants to impress his clients with the Jaguar tag but not break the bank. Take look at Leasebam who can look through local dealers to find the best leasing price for an X-Type.
X-Type Saloon leasing
X-Type Estate leasing
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Many people who go on holiday either within the UK or abroad will look at leasing/hiring a car for the time they are on holiday, but a lot of people do not know the rules in other countries in regards to driving.
Rules are different throughout the European Union (EU) for example in France, Italy and Belgium the drink-drive limit is 50mg of alcohol per 100mg but in Norway it goes down to 20mg, In Germany it is illegal to drive with a sat nav that shows speed cameras, and interestingly in Spain you must always have a hi-vis reflective jacket within reach inside your vehicle at all times.
To help combat any mix-ups whilst abroad Skoda have teamed up with RAC to offer free EU travel advice. The guide is available from all Skoda dealers.
Interested in leasing a Skoda or any other vehicle, take a look at Leasebam who will search dealers nationwide to find the best deal for you.
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Nissan offer the most finance options of any manufacturer I have looked at, from hire purchases to lease purchases and finance leases you have plenty of options to explore. They even have a section for finance offers.
The site navigation is very easy to use and the graphics very user friendly, a criticism is that the default text size is quite hard to read as it is very small and not dark enough to stand out from the white background.
Looking through the options available on the finance site there will be something for everyone, the one major feature that Nissan seem to lack on their finance site is a calculator or a flash program which will calculate how much your payments will be, based on deposit, term and mileage.
Despite this Nissan do seem very flexible with payments, as they offer a credit limit option. This is advertised as allowing you to still save money rather than tying it all up in car finance.
The site also doesn’t seem to allow you to search through models or view the car you are wanting whilst still on the finance pages, until you expand the window and the footer of the page lets you cycle through the vehicles. A good idea but not prominent or easily viewable.
Nissan are currently one of the front runners amongst electric car manufacturers and it will be interesting to see how they adapt their finance pages and options to suit this. At the moment you can still view Nissan’s electric car ‘The Leaf’ as part of the Nissan site which is something different from others, on Mitsubishi’s website for example the iMiEV has its own webpage which will navigate you away from the official site. Frustrating if you’re just having a browse.
One of the best options for getting a Nissan is to look at Leasbam for Nissan car lease can search all local dealers and find the best price without having your computer screen.
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The new Smart doesn’t look to different from the older version. In fact, you would hard pressed to tell the difference if you weren’t an expert. look closely though and you can see the difference.
Most of the difference are below the surface. The car itself is in fact a little larger. The length has grown to 195 mm and the width by 42mm meaning that the interior space is considerable improved. Don’t think that its ability to get into tight spaces has been compromise though, it can still do a u-turn in one go.
The handling has significantly improved on the latest release There is a new power steering system being roles out with this model. the new sharper responding direct system combined with the increased width leads to a greater response and feeling in handling.
Under the bonnet the car has a new punchier engine at all levels. Starting at a 61hp, then a 71hp unit and finishing of with a refined and turbo charged 84hp choice. All three variants come as a 999cc capacity. The latter engine choice leads to the car become more than just a city. It leads it credibility as a full road car, with the ability to perform over taking manoeuvres on the motorway and handle any inclines. Not only will it manage to do well in performance terms the car will do that and give almost 60 mpg.
There is still a remaining problem from the old car; The transmission. The older model had a seriously problem with gear changing; The shifts were jerky and unrefined. Although the manufacturer claims that its engineers have spent a great deal of time improving the smoothness of the shifts and there speed, the new cars up shifts are still the same and the semi automatic transmission is still a pain to use. Under hard acceleration the changes are almost ponderous and in full automatic the transmission is still to slow to react to the throttle. However it does not detract completely from the rest of the car.
The car has significantly improved on the older version. The slight increase in size has lent the car more cabin space and greater handling without losing the around town agility. With it being small and agile it plays dividends when coming to the fuel pump, but now its is a little easier on the motorways and longer journeys.
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he Aston Martin is what car owners dream about and imagine having a special edition Aston Martin surely must be beyond the stuff dreams are made of.
Usually with Special Edition cars you end up feeling a bit let down (See paint issues with the BMW M3) but James Bond drive special edition Aston Martins so we are playing a whole different game here.
You can make your version of the DBS as unique as you would like, as sticking to visual options there are around 31 billion possible customisations. Although as Top Gear have pointed out I’m yet to see one let alone two Magma Red vehicle with cream-on-purple seats
The most common colour scheme you’re going to see is the Carbon Black which in this reviewers opinion is the nicest, with its metallic twist and black gloss wheels. The obvious choice for the interior is black on black and given the UK’s record of summer you shouldn’t experience the ‘too hot to drive’ scenario, well anymore than an Aston Martin is.
Mechanically the special edition is no different to a standard DBS, although it feels wrong referring to a DBS as standard. The magnificent exterior houses a majestic V12 with 510 bhp which will give you an idea of what you are getting for your £180,000.
The usual criticisms of an Aston Martin are that “they all look the same” but with the amount of options available this seems to be blown out the water with the DBS. Personally I think that with any Aston Martin you’re getting the same but as Jeremy Clarkson says in the video below:
“You cannot buy a DB9 anymore, you know why? Because if you do do someone will pull up beside one day in the DBS and you will feel hopeless,inadequate and you will have to kill yourself.”
Also in the video below see The Stig give the DBS his customary once over around the test track.
Interested in the DBS? Well take a look at Leasebam who will search dealers to find you the best price for this £180,000 piece of engineering.
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In a mysterious place far away lies an underrated menace waiting for you attention. Unassuming, reliable and a good attempt to beat the Japanese at their own game – no I’m not talking about the Yeti monster vs Godzilla, I’m talking about the Skoda Yeti.
This Skoda offers levels of seating flexibility that will put its competitors to shame. Don’t think you will be going up the alps in it though as it doesn’t have huge off road capability. You will be able to quite happily negotiated that tricky kerb outside your Childs school though.
The Yeti is equipped with a funky 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine and a 2.0-litre diesel engine. However these versions only come with in 2 wheel drive mode. If you want to complete some moderate off-roading then you can go for the 4×4 version: a 1.8-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel. These both come with some clever technology to help get a little more out of your off road experience. They have an ‘off-road’ button which when pressed, remaps the throttle, does something fancy with the ABS and traction control system. The function allows you to creep down hills with your feet off the pedals in neutral and yet retain control of the throttle. In addition, you can still keep control of the car if it stalls.
The best seller will probably be the 2 wheel drive, 110hp petrol version. The higher range version offer so much more though. This is a great car and shows some real ability. Even as a 4×4, the top range models offer a dash to 60 in under ten seconds and a top speed of nearly 120mph. Ride and handling are what you would expect of something which looks like a wardrobe with wheels.
The unfortunate problem with this car is that really, there isn’t one –well it isn’t the prettiest thing, i admit. As I said earlier the car is underrated. There are a plethora of features I could write about but unfortunate no-ones ever going to know about them except a very small number of customers. Maybe its my duty tto inform you on the subject, who knows. The only thing I can say, is check the car out yourself. It’s well worth your attention.
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Jaguars XF, wins the prestigious executive car of the year award.
In the recent what car awards the Jaguar beat off stern competition from rivals BMW with their 5 series and Mercedes E-class. With the jaguar taking this award and being Whatcar? magazine car of the year for 2008, it seems to never stop winning awards.
Steve Fowler, Group editor at whatcar? magazine said:
“What we love about the jaguar is the way it drives…the interior is really dramatic and you will never get tired of it.”
This make or break car has really shown its worth. Jaguar took a real gamble with this car and it appears to have paid off. The XF has recently had an upgraded diesel option with improved performance and economy.
Prices start from £30,00 and rise with option to £50,000.; The model winner was the 3.0d luxury option which costs at list price "£34,636.
Down under: Australia’s Top Gear put the Jaguar through its paces.
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Lexus set out their finance page in a similar way to their rivals BMW (except Lexus fit theirs correctly to the page), they let images do the talking.If you’re coming onto the finance page for Lexus chances are you looking at a luxury sports saloon in the styles of Lexus, BMW and Audi.
The navigation of the site is pleasant as it allows you to change the vehicle you are interested in at anytime thanks to a set of controls at the top, you can also get an instant finance quote which is useful. Although it does seem to ignore any amount you put it regarding monthly payments and revert to the standard package, even if you put in a higher deposit.
Lexus give you a solid selection of finance deals and there should definitely be one for everyone from the contract hire option to traditional finance which gives you flexibility on deposit and monthly payment. Lexus operate their finance options a lot like their cars, they are luxurious and aim a lot of their options as business users.
An interesting option that is also available is the three year complimentary service plan which is free on all models ordered and registered between July and September 2010. The scheme allows owners to have the first three services free, which is usually one a year or 10,000 miles whichever occurs first. This is sometimes offered on lower spec cars but very rarely on a luxury sports saloon such as the Lexus, and even if it is it is almost never thrown in for free.
Although flexible on their options it seems that a lot of them are fixed to certain cars for example you can only get the best hire deal on IS250 SE-I and they only offer a finance contribution on the IS. But again I would have thought you would not change your mind on a vehicle due to the official finance especially when so many other finance options are available.
If you are interested in a Lexus why not get a quote for Lexus car lease who will search dealers local to you and find the best possible price.
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Lexus have cemented themselves recently as a solid luxury saloon maker and are now going after the big boys With the most recent version of the IS250 Lexus are aiming for a vehicle that can match and hopefully outperform the BMW 3 series, Audi A4 and the Mercedes C-class.
The original IS model relied highly on its styling and extras whereas the newer versions seem to have concentrated more on performance and durability in a bid to force their way into the high end saloon market. The audience which Lexus are aiming to capture are a difficult lure and the price of the Lexus could get you a BMW which already have themselves a reputation and a certain prestige is given to owners.
But what do you get with Lexus that could tempt people to take the plunge? Well the 204bhp 2.5 V6 engine gives the car a solid running and it is a joy over long distances. It can make the sprint from 0-60 in little over 8 seconds which for a sporty saloon car is not bad going.
Extras on the IS250 include the usual mobile phone and iPod integration but an interesting extra is the HOMELINK system which gives you three programmable button that can be synced with garage doors, lights etc so you don’t have to leave the car if you forget to turn the light off.
The petrol model gets a decent 28.8mpg with the diesel the usual 10mpg more, Insurance on the IS250 is very reasonable as it slots into group 13. Price wise you’re looking at around £24,350 undercutting the BMW or Mercedes by around £1000.
The video below gives a good look at the Lexus in action and CarMD give their own views and ratings for the latest Lexus model.
If you are interested in a Lexus IS250 then leasing may be a good option as it gives you a good amount of flexibility, take a look at Leasebam who can search dealers for you and get you the best price on a Lexus IS250.
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