This promotional offer is currently available on all new Doblò Cargos and Combis registered to business users until 31 March.  The enhanced warranty, which increases the mileage period to unlimited rather than 120,000 miles, adds to the existing 3 years’ AA Assurance cover which includes Roadside Assistance, Home Start, Relay, Relay Plus & European cover. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

“This unlimited mileage warranty offer on Doblò Cargo further underlines the confidence that Fiat Professional has in this award-winning vehicle,” says Sebastiano Fedrigo, Director, Fiat Professional UK.  “Since its launch, Fiat Professional’s Doblò Cargo has been very well received for its quality and reliability, both by the media and by customers. This enhancement to the warranty package provides customers with yet another reason to purchase this class-leading van.”

Sebastiano Fedrigo, Director, Fiat Professional

Available with a choice of five low emissions, Euro 4 and 5-specification engines, the new Doblò comes in eight different versions – Cargo, Cargo Maxi, Cargo SX, Cargo Maxi SX, Combi, Combi Maxi, Platform Cab and Work Up – offering something for a wide spectrum of van users.

The engine line-up comprises a 1.4-litre 16v 95bhp petrol unit and four MultiJet 16v diesels – 1.3 (90bhp), 1.6 (105bhp), 1.6 MTA (90bhp) and 2.0 (135bhp). Prices start at £11,695 (basic price) for the Doblò Cargo 1.4 16v Petrol Euro 4, or £12,515 for the Euro 5 version.

Start&Stop – which stops the engine automatically whenever traffic conditions bring the van to a complete halt, and restarts it when the driver wants to move off again – is fitted on all Euro 5 versions to give up to 15 per cent fuel savings, and the vehicles offer a low CO₂ figure from just 126g/km.

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The service is being co-ordinated and delivered by removals specialist House to Home UK, which commissioned the vehicles. The ten 3.5-tonne Mercedes Sprinter 313CDIs are fitted with streamlined ICON bodies with market-leading payloads of more than 1,200kg.

The chassis were supplied by Birmingham dealer Midlands Truck & Van while the bodies were fitted by Bevan Group, of Halesowen, West Midlands. Wearing eye-catching McCarthy & Stone liveries, and manned by uniformed staff, the vehicles are among the most distinctive on Britain’s roads.

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“The van market is growing all of the time. More and more people are recognising the versatility of owning a van, whether they want it to be their workhorse, their family runabout or their mobile holiday home” says Vanstyle General Manager Steve Giles.

Whilst they are predominantly an online business, a growing number of Vanstyle clients are buying on site at their Nottinghamshire base.

“Our premises not only allow us to hold a vast quantity of stock, but also incorporate a fitting bay. This means we can offer a fitting service for our customers and as part of our 10^th Anniversary celebrations we’ve made our fitting service free of charge for 2012”.

In what are tough economical times where companies are falling by the way side, Vanstyle have bucked the trend and are continuing to grow. “The company was purchased by new owners in April 2010 and with their input, investment into the infrastructure of the business and the knowledge and hard work of the existing workforce, we’ve been able to keep moving forward.”

As well as styling accessories which make your van look more exciting, Vanstyle also offer a range of more ‘practical’ products such as ply-lining kits, roof racks, sidebars and bumper protectors. “We have our retail customers and our van conversion trade customers, but we’re finding that our products have an appeal to fleet companies too.” said Giles.

 “Having vans off the road for repair work is costly and inefficient. A set of sidebars can prevent collision damage, a bumper protector will look after the paintwork when loading and unloading the van and a ply-lining kit will protect the interior trim and help to retain the re-sale value of the van.”

For more information on the products available from Vanstyle, head to their website www.vanstyle.co.uk or contact them on 01623 797358.

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The launch of New Iveco Daily sees the company improve upon the worldwide success story; which has seen in excess of two million Daily’s delivered to customers around the world since the first model was launched in 1978.

In the two months following its international launch in September, the New Daily has achieved European orders totalling 11,000 vehicles – an achievement which confirms New Daily as Europe’s favourite light commercial vehicle amongst transport professionals.

New Daily – the range

New Daily offers customers access to an extensive range of light commercial vehicles, including vans, semi-window vans, combis (MPVs), chassis cabs, chassis crew cabs and minibuses.  In addition, there is also a dedicated 4×4 model for arduous on/off-road applications.

The new range is available at six different gross vehicle weights from 3.5 to 7 tonnes and with a choice of seven wheelbase and body lengths from 3.0 to 6.2m, eight load capacities from 7.3 to 17.2 m³, competitive payloads of up to 4.7 tonnes, manual or automated gearboxes, nine engines from 106 to 205 hp, 18 exterior colours and the option of parabolic, semi-elliptical or air rear axle suspension systems.  Plus, with New Daily, there are different equipment versions, option packs and a new ‘DriveAway Options’ body programme.  The chassis options alone amount to more than 7,000 different product variations.

New Daily van versions feature a rear door opening height of almost 2m, readily allowing easy loading of large goods that, with a maximum internal height of 2.1m, allows even tall people to freely move about in the cargo area.  Also available are 270 degree wide-opening rear doors that can fold back to the van sides, while the sliding doors are available on the right, left or both sides to provide excellent loading access.

Chassis cab models include an optional crew cab, allowing the transportation of up to six crew members in addition to the driver.  All New Daily variants benefit from a truck style chassis frame which ensures structural rigidity, fatigue resistance and long-term durability, plus a total mass up to 7 tonnes.

Commenting on New Daily’s arrival in the UK, Martin Flach, Iveco’s Product Director, says: “Daily has always been a true commercial vehicle – renowned for its truck derived strength, sturdy chassis frame and proven ability to operate reliably, economically and with maximum respect for the environment.

“New Daily is no different.  It’s the product of an innovative truck manufacturer which is fully understanding of the needs to today’s commercial vehicle operator – not a car manufacturer which also happens to build vans.

“For more than thirty years Daily has been at the top of its league, with vehicles travelling the roads in more than 160 countries throughout the world.”

New Daily – the features

In its latest form, New Daily retains its core qualities of strength, reliability, efficiency and versatility, whilst adding new high efficiency engines which offer more power, combined with refinements both economically and ecologically.

New engines
Taking pride of place in the range is FPT Industrial’s new 3.0 litre Euro 5 diesel engine, which introduces a class leading power output of 205 hp and a massive 470 Nm of torque.  Key to providing high power and torque with low emissions and fuel consumption is the adoption of twin turbochargers – one compact turbo to provide rapid throttle response from a very low engine speed and a larger unit to deliver the engine’s maximum performance.

For New Daily models falling into the heavy duty category and all natural gas versions, the EEV (Enhanced Environmentally friendly Vehicle) certification remains, ensuring these models meet the most stringent European exhaust emission standard available.

For lighter models, the FPT Industrial 2.3 litre engine benefits from an increase in engine torque of 30 Nm and a new Multijet II multi-event fuel injection system that optimises the combustion process, bringing noteworthy benefits in terms of lower engine noise, fuel consumption and tail-pipe emissions.

All diesel engines will continue to use an enhanced EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system with improved control and a DPF (diesel particulate filter) as standard.  The exhaust system architecture and the EGR logic have been optimised with particular attention to urban duty cycles.

Fresh styling and enhanced safety
A striking new design makes New Daily instantly recognisable.  The redesigned front end features a new radiator grill, styled to accommodate the new optimised engine cooling system, new headlamp units incorporating DRL (daytime running lights) and new fog lights with a ‘cornering’ functionality, to ensure that drivers can see and be seen in even the worst driving conditions possible – even on bends.

Standard equipment will include the new ESP 9 safety system with active sensors and comprises ABS (anti-lock brakes), EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ASR (traction control), MSR (engine speed management to control engine over-run braking), ESP (stability control), HBA (hydraulic brake assist) to ensure emergency braking is as effective as possible, Hill Holder, LAC (load adaptive braking control), TSM (trailer sway mitigation), HRB (hydraulic rear wheel brake boost), HFC (hydraulic brake fade compensation), RMI (roll movement intervention) and ROM (roll over mitigation).

Enhanced cab comfort
On-board comfort levels have been boosted thanks to the addition of an adjustable steering column and an increased adjustment range for the driver and passenger seats.  Also new is the desmodromic door and ignition key that, thanks to the 10,000 key combinations, offers improved protection against unauthorised access to the vehicle.

Several configurable storage compartments have also been introduced.  In addition to the shelf located above the windshield, vehicles now feature a large six litre container under the passenger’s two-seater bench and a fold down desk housed in the passenger seat back which contains a clip-board that can be mounted onto the steering wheel to serve as a writing desk.  The compartment can also be used to house a notebook PC, or tablet, such as an iPad.

New environmental benefits
From March 2012, all New Daily’s built with a 2.3 litre engine and a new six-speed manual gearbox featuring, as standard, a GSI (gear shift indicator) system, which will help the driver to better manage his/her way of driving.  Furthermore, this new gearbox allows the optional addition of Stop & Start technology.  These two benefits, when combined, should allow a fuel consumption and CO₂ emission saving of up to 10 per cent.

Iveco has also reduced interior noise across the New Daily range, thanks to the meticulous work of its designers.  By focusing on the engine compartment they have achieved a noise reduction of 5 dB(A) under the most common operating conditions (between 1,600 and 2,000 rev/min).

Equipment versions and option packs

To assist customers in choosing the configuration best suited to their business needs, New Daily is offered in three equipment versions – Daily, Daily Plus and Daily Top – with increasing levels of standard equipment.

All New Daily models benefit from a diesel particulate filter, three-way adjustable driver’s seat, dual passenger seat, electric windows, Radio/CD player, adjustable steering wheel, power steering, tinted windows, adjustable headlights, remote central locking and a passenger seat with pull-out table.  However, the Daily Plus adds cruise control, provision for a TomTom navigation unit, heated electric mirrors and a storage shelf, whilst the top-spec (and aptly named) Daily Top adds air-conditioning with automatic climate control, air-suspended driver’s seat with armrest, storage under the passenger seat and cornering fog lights.

Each of these models can be combined with several optional packages including a ‘tipper pack’, specially designed for construction missions; ‘special van pack’, dedicated to the multi-drop parcel delivery sector; ‘winter pack’, which provides the necessary equipment for operation in cold climates and a ‘towing pack’, designed specifically for trailer towing.

Navigation, communication and telematics

New Daily can also be ordered with the latest Blue&Me communications system, which incorporates a hardware solution designed by Fiat and Microsoft, to ensure the best hands-free communication services for the driver.

A more advanced Blue&Me Fleet system can also be selected, which has been developed in collaboration with Qualcomm.  This adds the ability to monitor real-time information on fuel consumption, distance travelled, road speed and the vehicle identification data. 

Another in-cab option is the latest generation TomTom Go Live 1000 navigator, with a 4.7” fluid touch screen, with HD Traffic and IQ Routes technology which is able to constantly calculate and suggest better routes.

The full engine range

The choice of engines available (see penultimate page of this release) in New Daily reflects the wide variety of missions that Daily vehicles are used for around the world – everything from inner city multi-drop distribution to demanding ‘blue-light’ applications within emergency services fleets.

One of the key features of New Daily are its range of 2.3 and 3.0 litre engines, developed by sister company, FPT Industrial.

Euro 5 3.0 litre
The flagship engine in the New Daily range is the Euro 5, 3.0 litre twin turbo diesel unit, which develops a class leading power of 205 hp and a maximum torque of 470 Nm, earning itself the title of the most powerful engine in the light commercial vehicle sector.  Such impressive performance credentials are made possible through a new two stage turbocharger system.

Two further Euro 5, 3.0 litre diesel engines are also available – a 170 hp / 400 Nm version employing a new high efficiency variable geometry turbocharger and a 146 hp / 350 Nm option, with a fixed geometry turbocharger with waste-gate valve. 

EEV 3.0 litre
Iveco is also offering three FPT Industrial engines which meet the Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle (EEV) standard.  These comprise a 170 hp / 400 Nm engine with two stage turbocharger and, from March 2012, a new 146 hp / 370 Nm variant, which uses a variable geometry turbocharger.

Completing the line-up of 3.0 litre EEV-rated engines is a natural gas unit rated at 136 hp.  This engine uses a three-way catalytic converter, with a stoichiometric combustion regime that brings excellent reliability and durability characteristics, whilst guaranteeing that exhaust emissions are well below the limits required by the European EEV legislation.  This system is so advanced that it can detect the composition of the gas used and is able to adapt the air/fuel ratio accordingly, in order to maintain low emissions without sacrificing performance.

This results in engine noise significantly lower than that of a diesel equivalent, making this model particularly suitable for night-time use in urban centres, without requiring additional sound insulation measures.

The natural gas engine is designed to operate in the UK on CNG (compressed natural gas) or CBM (compressed biomethane).

Euro 5 2.3 litre
Completing the engine line-up is a range of new 2.3 litre Euro 5 diesel engines including a 146 hp / 350 Nm option which features the new Multijet II common rail multi event fuel injection system.  This innovative engine allows a class-leading injection rate to ensure very low engine noise, reduced emissions and outstanding fuel economy.

The engine is also available at ratings of 106 hp / 270 Nm and 126 hp / 320 Nm.  Both of these engines use a fixed geometry turbocharger with waste-gate valve.

All FPT Industrial diesel engines benefit from the new advanced exhaust gas recirculation with enhanced electrical EGR mixing.

All New Daily’s equipped with a 2.3 litre engine and six-speed manual transmission will, from March 2012, be optionally available with a Start & Stop system, which shuts off the engine when the vehicle stops with the transmission in neutral and restarts automatically when a gear is selected.  This system has been shown to reduce CO₂ emissions by 9 g/km on the combined cycle, rising to 23.0 g/km on the urban cycle.

Also new on these specific models will be a GSI (Gear Shift Indicator) system, which recommends the appropriate transmission gear to the driver – targeting the lowest fuel consumption and emissions of CO₂.

New Daily Electric
As with the previous ECODAILY model, New Daily is available with a pure electric traction engine, using a three-phase motor to provide effortless driving and range-extending regenerative braking, in a similar way to the Formula 1 KERS system.

This zero tailpipe-emissions model features sealed traction batteries using Na/NiCl2 technology (Sodium/Nickel-Chloride), which can be fully recharged in eight hours from any normal 32-amp 415-V three-phase socket.

New Daily Electric has an effective range of between 55 and 80 miles, depending on the number of batteries specified and the vehicle’s application.  It can be driven just like a conventional vehicle fitted with an automatic transmission, using a gear lever to select forward, neutral or reverse.  It offers a power output of 30kW continuous (60kW peak) for 3.5 tonne models and 40kW continuous (80kW peak) for 5.2 tonne models, which is sufficient to pull away on gradients of up to 16 per cent when fully laden.  Road speed is electronically limited to 45 mph, although this can be set to a lower level to further improve the range.

Transmissions

New Daily features two entirely new six-speed transmissions for the 2.3 litre version and a specific six-speed version for the new 3.0 litre engine rated at 205 hp.  Both are characterised by double ratio overdrives which help to ensure maximum fuel economy.

For urban missions, the AGile automated six-speed transmission is also available.  The AGile transmission selects the correct gear based on the engine speed and load, reducing driver fatigue and component wear.  It can be used in both fully automatic and sequential modes. 

Pricing

New Daily prices in the UK start from £24,390, with vehicles available to test drive at any of Iveco’s 17 main distributors and 47 satellites across the UK.

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Read more:
New Mercedes City Van Coming in 2012

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VW Transporter in black pimped up

We have just added a 2008 (58) Plate Volkswagen T30 Transporter Sportline Kombi van to the vanlocator database. 

Shiny black, with top alloy wheels and alloy side running board, this van can certainly turn heads.  Fitted with extra seats and well loved by the previous owner, the Transporter Sportline has covered 97,000 miles and is available with the peace of mind that comes with buying from one of the largest retailers of used vans in the South East – Wheels Van Centres.

For more information: VW Transporter Kombi Sportline

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In overall sales terms, however, Vauxhall is being caught by the chasing Volkswagen and may even be set to lose second place in the UK for light commercial vehicles to the German manufacturer in 2012.

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