Fastest Selling Cars - Hybrid popularity grows

The growing appeal of hybrid power is reflected by the presence of three hybrids in the top 10 of Glass’s league of fastest selling used cars for September. They are led by Toyota’s Prius, which holds the top spot for the second month in a row. In third place is the Honda Insight, while Glass’s believes that the Lexus RX has reached its position at number eight largely through sales of the hybrid version.

Glass’s league of fastest selling used cars – best performing

Manufacturer	Model	Average selling time (days)
Toyota	Prius	24.6
Land Rover	Evoque	26.3
Honda	Insight	26.8
Vauxhall	Meriva	27.1
Hyundai	i10	28.8
Audi	A1	30.2
Vauxhall	Zafira	31.1
Lexus	RX	31.2
Volkswagen	Sharan	31.3
Mazda	CX-5	31.3

Glass’s Head of Valuations, Rupert Pontin, says: “It will be interesting to see whether this situation continues over the coming months. The success of the Prius certainly highlights the value-for-money status of this model and reiterates the importance of low running costs to second-hand car buyers.”

Rupert notes that the buying patterns of cost-conscious families, out in force this September, has placed two family-friendly Vauxhall MPVs in the top 10. He feels that the Zafira and Meriva now represent excellent value for money. He is also pleased to see the Mazda CX-5, which he describes as “competent and often underrated”, in 10^th place. “Retail buyers have at last seen the appeal of this crossover SUV but generally speaking these are in short supply.”

Buyers spent an average of £16,511 on this month’s top 10 fastest selling used cars, and just £10,717 on the 10 slowest sellers.

For the first time in many months, Merdedes-Benz had no products in the bottom 10 sellers, and in fact none in the bottom 20. Rupert Pontin wonders if that could be indicative of the current feel-good factor for this brand.

Glass’s league of fastest selling used cars – worst performing

Manufacturer	Model	Average selling time (days)
Renault	Kangoo	61.6
Rover	45	65.2
Mitsubishi	Mirage	65.6
Nissan	Leaf	65.9
Skoda	Rapid Spaceback	67.3
MINI	Mini Paceman	68.1
Subaru	Outback	68.3
Seat	Toledo	71.3
Subaru	Legacy	72.0
Renault	Scenic	83.8

Three upper medium models languish in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th places from bottom, namely the Subaru Legacy, Seat Toledo and Subaru Outback. “This perhaps signifies the apathy from the retail buyer for this sector of the market,” Rupert suggests. One big surprise among the slowest sellers is Renault’s Kangoo, which has historically proven to be desirable due to its spacious design and individual appearance coupled with a competitive price.

The slowest seller of all is the Renault Scenic, which has been gradually moving towards this position. Rupert concludes: “Despite great interior space, a high driving position and potentially economical engines, poor reliability and build quality have driven this model to the bottom spot.”

By: Unknown On 16:59

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Five Secrets You Didn’t Know about the Audi A6 Saloon

For a car to reveal all it has to offer requires some long-term testing. But sometimes drivers never find out a car’s “little secrets” simply because the opportunity never comes up. Discovering a car’s hidden gems earlier on can lead to better vehicle performance and smarter ownership. So today, We’re going to dig deeper into the little tricks that the Audi A6 3-litre TDI S-Line S-tronic with Quattro four-wheel drive has to offer.

Some tricks make full use of the car’s in-built technology and others simply make your life easier.

Secret 1:  The Virtual Dipstick

Today’s modern engines have done away with some of the mundane weekly checks that our parents used to carry out. Checking the oil being one of them – essential to ensure the engine isn’t going to seize due to a lack of lubrication.

The A6 is quite capable of advising you that it needs a top-up and that you should get it sorted pronto. No sudden stops at the roadside in a panic, just a detour to the garage to get some of that black gold.

Once topped-up the central display will tell you all is well, so you can lose the oily rag and avoid dirty fingers that every dipstick check delivers.

More secrets are revealed when you gain access to the car’s computer such as service intervals information and what pressure the tyres are at and, if you really need to know, the car’s Vehicle Identification Number.

Secret 2: The Self-Suspending Boot Floor

Everyone dreads a flat. Especially when it’s raining and especially when the entire family (including restless kids) are in the car. On this Quattro car, during the test, it was necessary to put the Audi toolkit into use and as usual it was under the boot floor.

Normally, holding the floor up while accessing the kit requires three hands, or at least a shoulder to prop it open. In this case however, the flush fitting handle that lifts the floor up has a little hook on the end of it, which once engaged secures the floor panel to the top boot seal. Simple yet ingenious.

More obvious but worth mentioning are the two gas-struts that keep the bonnet open – no other strut required. It’s the little things that please most owners, right?

Secret 3: Locking Rear Seats Deter Felons

One advantage of the saloon over the estate version is better security. Any miscreant breaking into your estate car can easily access the storage area simply by clambering over the back seat.

In some saloons, the thief can still get in the boot by dropping the seatbacks. Not so in the A6! That’s because the backrests are lockable so you can prevent access to the boot. That’s clever thinking to protect your valuables.

Secret 4: The Car That Parks Itself.

Self-parking cars are not uncommon. For an experienced driver though, the challenge is trusting the tech to achieve the delicate art of parallel parking. The idea of technology is to make life easier for the user. But to achieve car parking nirvana, you have to learn to trust the tech.

The thing is, this A6 can effectively park itself. It takes an act of will to relinquish the steering wheel but you still need to control the brake and throttle. On the road test, the A6 demonstrated that it was entirely capable of assessing the space available and manoeuvring itself into the gap accordingly.

Subsequent tests revealed so long as the space was of adequate size, the Audi parked itself successfully – no drama or fuss. Although, on one occasion, it wasn’t perfectly straight. Then again, how often do we get it exactly right?

Secret 5: The Digital Handbook

In the glove box of any new car you’ll find the handbook, which these days are about the size of a hardback version of War and Peace. To get the best out of your car this needs to be read from cover to cover but, in all honesty, how many owners actually do that?

The A6 almost dispenses with this antiquated method of information and instead allows the driver to access a digital handbook on screen. To do this it is first necessary to get to grips with the Audi’s systems before you can get to the guide that takes you through the car’s main controls and systems.

It isn’t meant to replace the handbook (the A6 comes with a printed version), but when those occasions arise the handbook isn’t where it should be, i.e. in the car as opposed to a mouldering drawer in the garage, you can still find out what you need to know, especially in an emergency.

These days we are becoming much more accustomed to in-car technology and 21st Century automotive marvels. It has become much easier to connect your mobile device to stream music and access contacts, it’s just the Audi A6 still has some tricks up its very smart sleeve and it is willing to let you in on the secret.

By: Unknown On 15:30

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BMW Vs Audi & Mercedes-Benz

Carbuyer takes the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class for a little drive and give you their review! 

The new F30 3 Series Series was marketted to rival the Audi A4 (mainly for the quality of the interior)  Usually, BMW claims victory when it comes to the best driver experience & driver enjoyment so it will be interesteing to see if it comes out in top again! 

Mercedes has based the new C-Class very much on the higher-end S-Class. The new C-lass is meant to be thought of as a mini S-Class with it's luxurious interior, smart equipment and the option to purchase even more equipment! 

Take a look at the video below to see who comes out on top and let us know what you think too! 

By: Unknown On 17:59

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The great return of Porsche – Le Mans.

After many years of being away, all of you race fans will be excited to know that Porsche is due to return to Le Mans this years. 

Although they have been away for quite some time we’re pretty sure that they’re going to have something pretty amazing up their sleeves to surprise us all on the 14th & 15th June. Audi may just get a good run for their money this year!

The first ever 22 Hours of Le Mans (or 24 Heurs du Mans, in French) was held in 1923 near the town of Le Mans and is now the most prestigious car race in the world.

The race is organised by the Automobile Club de L'Quest (ACO) and runs on the Circuit de la Sarthe, a circuit that has a mix of closed public roads and a specialist motor racing circuits, meant not only to test a car and driver's ability to be quick, but also to last over a 24 hour period.

The teams will race in groups called classes, for cars of similar specification while at the same time competing for outright placing amongst all of the classes. The race was originally held for cars sold to the general public as sport cars compared to the specialist racing cars used in the Grand Prix.

Over time, the competing vehicles evolved away from their publicly available road car roots and today, the race is split into two classes of specialized enclosed-bodywork two-seat Prototype sports cars and two classes of Grand Touring cars which bear much closer resemblance to high performance sports cars as sold to the public today.

Are you going to watch? Let us know by leaving a comment below, tweeting us @BigMotoring or posting on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BigMotoringWorld

And from all of us at Big Motoring World, Porsche, good luck! 

By: Unknown On 11:31

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How do I know when my car needs to be serviced?

Have you just bought yourself a BMW or Mercedes? Nice cars aren’t they?

If you’re new to these cars you probably won’t know if your car needs a service or when its next service is due. Well, you’re in luck, this blog will explain when you should service your car.

The average miles covered between each service should roughly be between 12,000 to 16,000 miles. However, depending on your driving style and how may miles you cover per journey, your cars on-board computer will tell you when.

CBS

BMW, Mercedes (and most prestige cars) have what is known as a CBS system or Condition Based Servicing. This means that when they car needs to be serviced it will tell you!

The CBS system monitors the usage and lifespan of all the functioning parts of the car. When a functional part becomes worn, fractured, broken or is nearing the end of its lifespan the service light will appear on your dashboard letting you know the car needs to be serviced.

On average, the vehicle will give you around a month’s warning (before the worn parts life expires). This givens you ample opportunity to get the car booked in with your dealer.

So through the long and short of it, your car will tell you when it needs to be serviced so until then, sit back and enjoy the ride!

If your car is due for a check or service give us a call on: 01634 244 211 or visit our servicing page on our website here: http://www.bigmotoringworld.co.uk/mot-service

By: Unknown On 12:41

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Audi, BMW and Mercedes at Big Motoring World!

Audi, BMW and Mercedes. The three most recognised names in the prestige car world, continuously battling it out to be the best in the business.

If nothing else has come out of the three manufacture's "one-up-manship" we can be sure that some amazing enginuity and therefore some great cars have come out of it. All 3 manufactures have a great range of cars that perform like a dream and last almost a lifetime!

Audi's most recent release; the Audi A1, has some excellent reviews and starting from £15,000 you can't go wrong! 

BMW have released their 2 series coupé, soon to be followed by the 2 Series Active Tourer and Mercedes are soon to release their ML Coupé, it's all full steam ahead! 

We thought we'd put the three brands head-to-head and posted this image over the weekend asking for your opinions: 

It turns out that the majority of our Facebook followers would opt for an Audi over a BMW or Mercedes and we’d like to ask why this is?

Do they have a better range of designs, do the cars last longer? Or is it just the brands reputation that makes their cars so desirable?

Out of the three cars above what car would you go for and why? Let us know by leaving a comment below, tweet us  @BigMotoring or post on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BigMotoringWorld

By: Unknown On 17:37

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