Current satellite navigation systems will pinpoint your location to within yards and will effortlessly choose the best routes using their advanced algorithms and extensive map databases. You can find your nearest curry house with a touch of a button or calculate the distance from Wildboarclough to Abbotskerwell in seconds. However now they have an added string to their bow… They fight crime.
Police in London have been using one of the useful features of sat nav systems to implicate criminals in certain crimes. Car thieves, get away drivers, child groomers etc have all been caught with this technology. This is not an example of Orwellian style government, the Police are not monitoring where you are going rather, they are using a simple feature common to most sat navs.
When you select a location and create a journey the individual sat nav system will generally save the locations for future reference. All Police are doing is checking the sat nav and seeing if they have been to the scene of a crime. Incidents have occured where car thieves have stolen a car and programmed in their own house. When later found by the authorities all they needed to do was select ‘home’ and follow the simple directions back to the culprits.
Beverly Nutter, forensic IT analyst for the Metropolitan Police, has studied the hardware and the way it stores its data. “The persistence of the records for the TomTom, I think, is more to do with the way data is moved around when new records are added to the [mapping] file. The edited file is written to a new location and the older version remains until overwritten,” Nutter told reporters.
Unless you plan on committing a crime don’t panic! The Police will only ask for details of a sat nav with a court order and the contents are extremely well guarded by the manufactures who are continuously taking steps to improve privacy.
So not only will your sat nav comfortably guide you to your destination but like a real superhero it may also secretly be fighting crime. A sat nav system can be easily installed into any lease car from Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, for instance the Renault Laguna can be fitted with an integrated audio and bluetooth sat nav system for just £975.
With the cost of oil at $143.01 a barrel we are always striving to find cheaper fuels for the future that have the least effect on the environment. Currently there has been a major push towards bio-fuels with many subsidies being given to farmers growing these crops. This however backfired and land set aside for this purpose has made it less feasible to grow crops contributing to the global food crisis affecting many parts of the world. Since 1989 scientists in Toronto have been developing technologies to utilise algae as a model organism to produce ethanol.
Algae is easy and inexpensive to cultivate and represents a more environmentally friendly organism to use. Dr Coleman has metabolically enhanced this particular algae to be resistant to high temperatures, high salinity and high ethanol concentrations enabling it to be a commercially suitable strain. Critically it has also been selected for its rapid growth cycle, high photosynthetic ability and large sugar storage capabilities. The key ability of this is it has been genetically engineered using transformed DNA to convert glucose to ethanol in the same way bread, beer and wine are produced. These genetic changes do not represent a threat to humans or the environment and the algae is incapable of survival outside its incubators which are being built in the Mexican desert.
The beauty of this design is that the CO2 needed by the algae is recycled from a nearby power station and when deceased the algae can be used for nitrogenous fertiliser.
This system, still in its infancy, is said to be able to produce up to 40,000 gallons/acre/year and could provide an extremely cheap solution to the current fuel crisis.
Currently the UK is lagging in it use of ethanol as a bio-fuel because people are reluctant to change from petrol and diesel compared with drivers in Europe and in particular South American countries like Brazil and Argentina. With depleting stocks and political instability oil may well be on the way out and this could well be the future.
Its summer time, the kids will soon be off, Wimbledon’s on and in keeping with the Great British Summer its been raining all weekend. Whereas our continental friends over in France are experiencing temperatures of 34°C in glorious sunshine. Its officially time to take a leaf out of Cliff Richard’s book and pack up and go on a summer holiday.
The Association of British Travel Agents found that France is the second most popular holiday destination. Driving on holiday is also becoming more and more popular once again with a 36% increase in people driving to get away. If you’re going abroad this could be due to the much shorter check-in time at ferry ports, extra baggage capabilities and freedom of having your own car.
People are also staying in Britain more often, a spokesperson from a British holiday camp explained that families, young couples and large groups are finding holiday destinations like Torquay, Devon more and more popular.
Not many of us have old London buses like Sir Cliff but thankfully Nationwide Vehicle Contracts have complied a rundown of some of the best cars on the market. Our choice was whittled down to two SUV’s and two estates from which you decide what suits you best.
The Vauhall Antara is an extremely versatile and dynamic SUV which is extremely capable of taking the family away. This car has sports tuned suspension for extra comfort on the roads and a feisty engine to match. It has one of the most powerful engines in our selection and will do 0-62 mph in just 10.3 seconds. With the seats down this car will take a massive 1420 litres but not as impressive with all its seats up.
The other SUV is the imposing Mitsubishi Shogun. This is one of the best looking SUV’s on the market and can back up its appearance. When it comes to transporting luggage this car is head and shoulders above the rest. It can take 771 litres with the seats up, an enormous 1691 with them down and can carry 710 kgs winning these categories hands down. It has only slightly less acceleration than the Vauxhall by a fraction of a second but will out pace it at top speed. It is the second most fuel economical but unfortuantely it is the most expensive in this selection.
The Volvo V50 SportWagon is an extremely sleek, sharp estate vehicle which combines functionality with style. The sophisticated, modern Volvo design is encapsulated perfectly in this design which achieves near perfect balance even when fully loaded. This car has been tuned to handle like a saloon with intelligent systems to compensate for the extra weight. Cost-wise it is incredibly cheap to lease and is in insurance band 7.
Last but no means least, the Renault Laguna Estate. Normally when saloon models are extended into estates they lose a lot of what makes them so special. This is not the case with the Renault Laguna and is why it is in our final cut of perfect holiday cars. One of our key criteria is miles per gallon and the Laguna wins with an efficient 46.3 mpg, so whilst driving you can be sure you’re not eating into your holiday funds. In addition, for the environmentally inclined this car has the lowest CO2 emissions of just 159 g/km. Conversely this is also the most powerful engine and will do a top speed of 131 mph, combining high efficiency with high performance.
In conclusion there are two available routes, the strong, versatile SUV’s or the dynamic, nimble estates. Each of these models have their pro’s and con’s but there is one all important factor, price. Surprisingly the fastest, most efficient car is the least expensive. Thanks to Nationwide’s fantastic offers on Renault Laguna’s this model is available to lease for just £179.95 per month. The Volvo V50 and Vauxhall Antara are both available at the low price of just £199.95 whereas the Misubishi is priced at £289.95.
Because of the fuel efficiency, powerful engine, large luggage space and incredible price I would recommend the Renault Laguna for the average family holiday however any of the models available on our website could be just as suitable. To read more information on the Renault Laguna please CLICK HERE
Over the last 15-20 years a dark cloud has formed over the motor industry and industry bosses have been hoping it would blow over. Now after reams of scientific proof and physical evidence it seems the dark cloud of climate change is happening and we are going to have to adapt to deal with it. Advanced technologies like hydrogen fuel cells and solar powered cars are years from mass production so BMW are doing what they can. They have called this new strategy EfficientDynamics and it is all about maximising fuel efficiency.
Auto Stop-Start
Whenever you stop whilst driving for instance at the lights or in a traffic jam and you take it out of gear the engine will automatically stop. When you’re ready to go again and you put your foot on the clutch to put it in first the engine automatically starts up again. In the old days this would have taken up more fuel but these advanced engines it has proven to be more efficient with no loss of responsiveness.
Brake Energy Regeneration
Whenever you take your foot off the accelerator or press the brake, the car will divert wasted kinetic energy towards the battery alternator to recharge. When you press back on the accelerator the alternator will be decoupled so all the energy is directed towards acceleration again increasing fuel efficiency.
Electric Power Steering
The conventional hydraulic power steering system was heavy and required constant power to maintain at equilibrium. BMW have engineered a lightweight electric motor system that only uses power when necessary and also increases the responsiveness of the mechanism as a double benefit.
Lightweight Engineering BMW have hired some of the worlds best material scientists to work on how they can change the way they build their cars to decrease the weight. Everything from the crankshafts to the cup holders has been evaluated to provide the best in strength, durability and weight. A lighter weight car not only improves fuel economy but also improves handling and responsiveness.
Optimum Shift Indicator
They have taken some technology from their top-draw automatic transmission gearboxes and incorporated it into the manual. A display will indicate the optimum gear to be in to maximise the fuel economy. This optional indicator lets you know when you are making the most of your fuel economy.
Reduced Resistance
BMW have looked at how to manufacture their tires so they maintain the same grip and traction but reduce their rolling resistance. Using anti distortion material in the side walls and heat resistant materials they have combined all these qualities maximising efficiency.
Low-Friction Fluids
Every aspect of the mechanisms in these cars that involves lubrication has been analysed and new low-viscosity, low-friction fluids have replaced the old ones. Transmission fluids, engine oil, final drive fluid all contribute to minimising wear and reducing resistance.
Active Aerodynamics
In addition to the new smoother body shapes the traditional BMW front grille that we all know and love has become a little more intelligent than before. During the start of the journey the vents are shut to the engine helping it warm up quicker and also reducing wind resistance. Once heated up it will open up allowing air to the engine and brake pads. Throughout the journey these key temperatures are monitored and the vents react accordingly.
High Precision Direct Injection
The new engines, in cars like the fantastic new BMW X6, use high pressure jets to spray the fuel into the engine so its a perfectly mist of air and fuel around the spark plugs. This reduces wasted fuel in the combustion chamber and means less can be used.
These new technological advances have been widely acclaimed having won three prestigious green car awards and other manufacturing prizes. Until the next generation of cars come along we are going to have to make the most of what we have and in true German engineering style they are making their already efficient cars even more efficient. EfficientDynamics will be a name you’ll be hearing more of.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts have a wide range of BMWs with this technology, for instance the new BMW X6, the worlds first Sports Active Coupe. To view our other fantastic leasing offers on BMW please CLICK HERE
The designers at Ford have paved the way for the future, not only of Ford, but for many of the car manufacturers. The new Ford Focus ECOcentric is a beacon shining light on the future of the car industry. With grand, prophetic statements like this you might expect the following report to be a dramatic description of sci-fi technology. Apologies if I dissapoint, however the following does hold implcations that spread far and wide.
This new Ford Focus is a fantastic family hatchback providing loads of the normal things you would expect to find in any car in this range. The roomy rear seats fold down and with the spacious boot space there is ample room to pack anything in. It has CD system, air con, front ‘comfort seats’, theatre style lighting and all the other things a car in this range would be expected to have. It has impecible safety features such as ABS, braking assistance, air bags and anti-theft immobilisers. In addition to all these it comes with a sporty satin aluminium trim, Ecrin upholstery and leather and aluminium steering wheel.
I admit, none of these features represent to the future of day to day car design and this may seem like any other Ford Focus in the range. However a few small changes have been made that represent a big change. They have modified the shell, reprofiled the front grille and added a spoiler making it more aerodynamic. The wheels run flush with the body kit and are thinner than normal reducing the rolling resistance. The suspension is also lowered a full 1 cm from the nearest in the range. The engine has only a few minor electrical modifications but is now running on low viscosity transmission oil for a smoother run.
These minor changes have a dramatic increase on the efficiency of the car and make this one of the ‘greenest’ cars around. Ford have changed the way they are designing their cars and are appealing to the climate concious buyer. There is no dramatic advence in technology just a remodelling of the old.
The standard Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi engine will now get a staggering 65.6 miles per gallon and only emits a miniscule 115 g/km CO2. Ford quoted that on one tank you could drive 765 miles, thats Plymouth to John o’ Groats with a bit left to spare. The beauty of this is that by keeping the engine, sporty chassis and dynamic suspension they have lost none of the exciting, fun qualities developed over years but gained an eco-warrior. What Green Car? voted this the Car of the Year 2008 beating the Toyota Prius with a score of 33 to 35.
What this represents is a shift, if only for the short-term, away from hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells, electric cars and the likes and move towards redesigning existing technologies to maximise their potential. For those fans of the old internal combustion engine there’s still life in the old girl yet. The motor industry have been burying their heads in the sand over climate change but now Ford are making real steps to tackle it with this the first in the ECOnetic range.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts have the Ford Focus ECOnetic available to lease for just £199.95, please CLICK HERE to see our fantastic offers.
Il cambiamento climatico, impronta ecologica and andando verde or in English, climate change, carbon footprint, going green.
These are the words that were being mentioned in the meetings at Ferrari’s head office. Ferrari have set themselves the challenging new goals of increasing their fuel economy by 40% and reducing emissions by 25%, whilst still maintaining their trademark high performance supercars.
A perplexing problem indeed! To overcome this the extraordinary designers at Ferrari are going with the theory of ‘less is more’ and are rumored to be designing an incredibly light supercar. This car is being tipped to weigh around 1,000 kgs making it nearly 300 kgs lighter than the Enzo, fantastically 90 kgs lighter than the Mazda MX-5 Miata and only just heavier than the super light Lotus Elise. The figure of 1,000 kgs is leading speculators to preempt its future name calling it the ‘Mille chili’ which is Italian for a thousand kilos, however Ferrari have denied this.
The less is more concept is only applying to the structure of the car, the engine is by no means less than one would expect from Ferrari. They have opted, unusually, to put a V10 engine opposed to the V8s or V12s they usually put in their road cars. This may be due to the recent years of Formula 1 success they have had with a V10 engine. Either way this will output around 600 bhp meaning the ‘Millechili’ will have one the highest power to weight ratios in the world.
In addition Ferrari are improving other aspects of their design to increase fuel efficiency such as improved transmission and active suspension to adjust the ride height for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.
All in all they are leading the way in super cars that don’t cost the earth but at around £250,000 I’ll let you decide.
We’ve all felt that post lunch lull in concentration, our eyes feel heavy and we struggle to keep it together. This is by no means a sign of weakness, it is part of a genetically controlled intricate mechanism which keeps us at our optimum at the right times of day. Before we even think about waking our body begins to prepare us for the day so we are fighting fit from the start and by these same mechanisms we experience a dip during the day.
Some scientists believe its due to the crepuscular nature our ancestors on the hot African savanna. More simply, the first humans were more active when they could hunt during the cooler mornings and evenings. Many famous figures have been known to take power naps such as Bill Clinton, Winston Churchill and Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is proven by leading experts in road accidents that more road accidents occur during the hours of 13:00 - 15:00. This is simply due to our biological dip in concentration and awareness.
But there is hope! Taking a siesta for just 10-20 mins during your lunch can help increase your ability to focus, so why not pull over and have apower nap in your car. Be warned, in some areas it is illegal to sleep in your car however sometimes you may simply have to.
So why not think about this when choosing your next vehicle? A quick survey has shown that two cars offer both style and slumber more than the rest, the Volvo V70 Estate and the Peugeot 407 SW.
For more information about National Siesta Day go to the website. Unfortunately, so we can be here to answer your phone calls Nationwide Vehicle Contracts are unable to take part in the siestas. Sweet dreams!
The price of petrol is rising in England and looks to remain high for some time with oil prices at record levels. In addition with climate change we need to reduce the our dependance on oil for the environment and for our wallets. This can be done by just making a few small changes to the way we drive.
Tune In
Most engines these days are electronically controlled and by simply plugging in a laptop adjustments can be made to tune the engine. More and more these days people are not trying to tune them to increase the speed or acceleration but to increase fuel consumption. Your local dealer will have more information on how to tune or ‘chip’ your car. However be warned, that this may affect any warranty you have on the engine.
Chill Out
By simply slowing down you can save an incredible amount of fuel. Travelling on the motorway at 60 mph can save around 30% of the petrol you would use at 70 mph (or higher for those the other side of the law). Also, by reducing the amount of quick accelerations and decelerations and driving at a more constant speed not only reduces petrol but helps traffic flow.
Heat It Up
Using the air conditioning unit uses up engine power and hence increases fuel consumption. It is sometimes possible to see the effect in the rev counter as its switched on.
Pump It Up
Shockingly 36% of cars in England are currently running with tires below the recommended psi. This dramatically decreases the fuel efficiency and also decreases the handling of your car. It usually says the optimum pressure on the tire or in the handbook and a lot of garages graciously provide free air. In addition Michelin offer a type of tyre that will increase your fuel efficiency compared with other tyres on the market.
Shop Around
Before you go to the pumps check which ones are the cheapest. It may only be a matter of pennies per litre but the careful driver can save a lot over a period of months. Check out Petrol Prices website for the best deals in your area.
Downsize
It may be time to rethink whether your current gas guzzler is the right car for you. There may not be a need for that 4×4 around town or that sports car sat in traffic. There are however loads of cars around that could be a lot more suitable. Nowadays hybrid vehicles such as the Lexus can offer an competitive amount of power or you could completely downsize to the trendy Smart car. But you don’t always have to go this route, even within the 4×4 range there are some more economical cars than others for instance the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Nationwide offer a range of more economical cars and one of our sales team would be happy to recommend one.
At the end of the day we are going to have to change to adapt to the price and availablity of oil and these are just a few simple steps which may help.
The Renault Laguna has recently been adapted and upgraded both technically and asthetically to reach the peak of its evolution from the familiar favourite of the past. The classic lines and design have been enhanced to make this one of the most stylish and elegant mid-range cars on the market.
POWER
This newly designed V6 dCi engine is set to become the benchmark engine on the market providing great performance and all round satisfaction. Throughout the range all diesels provide a punch with the smallest engine doing 0-62 mph in just 12.1 sec through to the sporty GT which completes it in a formidable 7.2 sec. They provide torque in all gears and are also well suited to motorway cruising. The Renault engines are all solidly built and have smooth, subtle acoustics that are tranquil at speed but have an animalistic growl lower down.
CONFIDENT HANDLING
The nicely weighted steering system means the drive is confident and reliable, maintaining grip through corners in all conditions. The steering column gives the driver intimate feedback from the road so you’ll feel in control and at one with the road. The transmissions are smooth and intelligently designed with an automatic option available across the Renault Laguna range.
FRENCH QUALITY
Renault did not hold back with this car and the asthetics of the Laguna are second to none. The interior is impressively built to a high spec using good quality materials with a full range of upholstery available on each model. The electrical systems are intricate and like anything may fail after a few years, however the high availablity of french parts and excellent dealership service make a molehill of any problem which may occur on the horizon.
SUPERIOR INTERIOR
The French designers at Renault have made the seats exceptionally comfortable in both the front and back, with sports racing seats available in some models. All cars come with CD player and air con/climate control as standard plus the brilliant extras that come with each model i.e. Dynamique, Expression and Initiale. The Renault Laguna hatchback has extensive boot space and with 60/40 seat folding the boot can be extended to carry large loads. If necessary the Sports Tourer model combines the extra space of an estate with a sports drive and features.
SAFE
There is not much more one can say about the Renault Laguna’s safety other than it was the first car to get a 5 star NCAP rating. The main features of its safe design are the excellent air bag system and a fantastic structural integrity.
ELEGANT SAFETY
The Renault Laguna’s sophisticated, uncluttered design is a model of elegance whilst still having the engine capacity and engineering to thrill. The safety features alone stand this out from the pack and when a crash occurs you’ll be glad you’re driving a Renault Laguna. It could be an excellent family or company car because of its economic fuel consumption and CO2 emissions (Est. fuel @ 10,000 mile £1075 - £1975). When the new Laguna was released at the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix it looked a home in the glamour but will still produce day in day out reliabilty and performance.
The Renault Laguna is available to lease from Nationwide for business and personal contract hire. CLICK HERE for the full list of our great deals available.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a unique new online ordering system that is making the whole process of comparing vehicles and placing an order immensely simple and user-friendly.
Online ordering is nothing new. However there are many online vendors who still rely upon human interaction to complete a transaction. This can mean that prospective customers are often left on hold until an operator becomes available. This experience can be enough to dampen the interest of even the keenest prospect who may then choose to take their custom elsewhere.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts have acknowledged that their valued clients really want to be provided with accurate vehicle leasing and contract hire quotations immediately, online, with no fuss and no waiting. And if they like the quotation they want to go right ahead and place their order without necessarily speaking to an agent on the telephone. Nationwide still provide the option to speak with an agent, but their new online ordering system makes the whole process of selecting and ordering a new vehicle an absolute breeze.
If you pay a visit to the main Nationwide Vehicle Contracts website you will see how easy it really is to obtain a side by side comparison of vehicles, their rental prices, options and technical specifications. Then, obtain an accurate quotation for your selected vehicle, including your chosen options, and follow this by placing your order with minimal form-filling.
Generally, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts will then call back to confirm the availability of your car or van and arrange delivery to your specified address anywhere in the United Kingdom. Nothing could be simpler.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts are already receiving some extremely positive feedback from users of their system, which is one of the first online ordering systems to be implemented by a vehicle leasing and contract hire firm. Mr Naylor, a business customer from Yorkshire, has said:
“I’ve used the Nationwide online comparison tool before, just to compare prices and specifications of vans for my business. The new online ordering thing is so incredibly easy to use. Even an old technophobe like me can use it. Their system enhances their already outstanding customer service.”
And the following was received from a Mrs Cocking, a personal car leasing customer in Dorset:
“I’ve just used their system to order one of the new Fiat 500’s. The online procedure was so simple. It first provided a quote for my car, then my order details were confirmed, I was then given the option of applying for finance and finally it all concluded with a simple confirmation. I received an e-mail immediately with the full details of the car I’d selected and I received a call from a nice helpful person within a couple of hours. I’m now waiting for delivery and I can’t wait.”
This simple online system is set to be immensely popular and likely to be copied by other car leasing and contract hire websites. Nationwide can be justifiably proud of this excellent and unique system that takes their website to a new level of user-friendliness.
Current satellite navigation systems will pinpoint your location to within yards and will effortlessly choose the best routes using their advanced algorithms and extensive map databases. You can find your nearest curry house with a touch of a button or calculate the distance from Wildboarclough to Abbotskerwell in seconds. However now they have an added string to their bow… They fight crime.
