VAN LEASING LIVE!

At Van Leasing Quotes we're excited to announce the Top 5 vans for 2012. Chosen from our panel of 10 van leasing experts; the list includes the top commercial vehicle from each major category and is designed to help you easily identify the best new van that suits your commercial needs. If you like the look of one of these vans why not explore the range and get a customised quote?!

Announcing the the Top 5 vans for 2012 - drum roll please...

Category: Micro
Winner: Peugeot Bipper Professional

Since its original release the Peugeot Bipper Professional has proven itself to be a popular choice amongst the van community. Both its quirky design and unique ‘in-between’ size have been a hit with drivers and small business owners alike. At 3.9m in length it’s the perfect size for those urban deliveries and still has a rather surprising 70kg payload with both sliding rearside door and twin asymmetric rear doors. It’s a great van that handles well, is extremely fuel-efficient and comes with brilliant added gadgets and extra features.

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Category: Small
Winner: Citroen Berlingo

The Citroen Berlingo’s refined engines produce excellent fuel economy and pricing is extremely competitive. It’s also impressively comfortable with the interior offering a good variety of storage options and good standards of finish throughout. There are some capable alternative options going head to head with Citroen’s Berlingo van but it’s good enough to give any one of them a run for its money.

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Category: Mid
Winner: Renault Trafic Sport

The Renault Trafic Sport has fantastic specification, drives well, is extremely comfortable and comes with great-added features as standard (including satellite navigation). There’s nothing more than tiny niggles we could find wrong with this van and you’ll really struggle to find a better panel van on the market today. Overall it really is a great van lease deal.

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Category: Large
Winner: Ford Transit (Long Wheelbase)

If you don’t know what a Ford Transit is then you must have been living on another planet for the past 4 decades! The Ford Transit has long been the most popular van on the UK market selling millions of units since it’s introduction here over 40 years ago. With the new model range Ford were keen to smooth some of the rough edges, provide a more refined feel but still retain the durability that the Transit is renowned for – and boy did they succeed!

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Category: Pickup
Winner: Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian

If it’s a pickup you’re looking for then you’ll struggle to find something better than the Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian. It offers great performance, plenty of added features, fantastic commercial ability and even a little bit of luxury in the cab. Ok so the Barbarian isn’t the most refined driving experience you’ll ever have but I’ve still to meet a pickup driver who’s looking for refinement rather than raw ability!

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Debbie from Van Leasing Quotes takes a look at the Ford Transit to see if it’s still worthy of the ‘Backbone of Britain’ title:

If you don’t know what a Ford Transit is then you must have been living on another planet for the past 4 decades! The Ford Transit has long been the most popular van on the UK market selling millions of units since it’s introduction here over 40 years ago. The Transit may be a product of an American motor giant but the Transit is to this day an extremely British phenomenon. Today it is both designed and assembled in the UK with many of its components also coming from British manufacturers.

With the new model range Ford were keen to smooth some of the rough edges, provide a more refined feel but still retain the durability that the Transit is renowned for. The question is have the achieved this and could a Ford Transit be the perfect van lease for you?

Size Matters

The Ford Transit has by far the most size flexibility you’ll find in any model range today. With over 60 body configurations alone I really don’t have the time to go through every single one of them! All you need to know is that the Transit comes with pretty much every variation of wheelbase, length, roof height, bulkhead and engine configuration you can think of. If you want a steer towards the best models in the range then our favourites are the Trend and Limited models, which come with a great spec and fantastic standard equipment. Loading is a breeze in the Transit with most models benefitting from both side and rear loading options.

Creature Comforts

In line with Ford’s objective to make the Transit more refined, the cab area has seen some vast improvements and is now much more ‘car like’ than its predecessor in terms of design and comfort. There’s plenty of space and seating for both the driver and passengers offers real comfort – even on longer journeys. There’s also load of neat and innovative storage solutions such as a flip up table for completing that dreaded paperwork. Oh and Ford must think van drivers are extremely thirsty as there’s more cup holders than you’ll know what to do with!

Safety and Security have also been given serious consideration by Ford who have included ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Traction Control, Electronic Stability Programme, Thatcham Alarm System, Passive Anti-Theft System and Deadlocks on the new Transit model.

On the Road

This is where the Transit has really made a huge step forward and Ford really has managed to create a more refined drive. When on the road noise, vibration and general ‘harshness’ has been greatly reduced and this makes a significant improvement on comfort in the cab. The Transit might be a bit late to the game on this one but the new dash mounted gear lever also reduces vibration and gives a smoother feel when on going through the gears.

Once again the engine range is wide in the Transit – with a great range of options to suit any commercial requirement. This includes 2.2, 2.4 & 3.2 Litre TDCi common rail diesel engines with both front and rear wheel configuration options. If it’s heavy duty work you’re doing then opt for the rear-wheel 2.4 or 3.2 Litre options. Efficiency varies greatly across the range but if you want a van that offers good fuel consumption then the 2.2 ECOnetic engine is a standout option – achieving a combined 39.2mpg.

The Verdict

So, is the Ford Transit the perfect van lease or van contract hire deal for you? The answer to this has to be a very resounding YES! The Transit was already a fantastic van and the new model has added nothing but improvements – making an already great van even greater! Overall it really is a great van leasing deal.

Click here to find out more about the great van leasing deals available on the new Ford Transit