Was that the start of summer I spotted?
A hint of sun; a breath of warmer temperatures; and the ‘official’ start of summer at the beginning of June.
It all leads to one thing: me getting my top down and choosing my convertible favourites for summer sunshine fun.
Here’s my pick of soft-tops for Summer 2015 – some more sensible than others…
 | Audi A3 Elegant looks, quality build and a choice of engines that will please any fleet manager – the latest cabriolet version of the Audi A3 has the lot. Business-friendly versions of the svelte A3 drop top are the 1.4-litre petrol and 2.0-litre TDi diesel, with emissions of 114g/km and 110g/km respectively. |
 | BMW 2-Series New for summer 2015, is this stylish convertible version of what I think is BMW’s best-looking small convertible yet. Yes, rivals are more spacious, but the 2-Series is going to be great to drive and in 220d form, cost effective to run with 60+ mpg fuel consumption and low 124g/km emissions. |
 | Vauxhall Cascada Unfairly overlooked in the UK, the Cascada has in my view, a lot to offer convertible buyers with proper four-seat practicality and attractive looks as well. Diesel power doesn’t quite fit in with those sharp looks, but with 138g/km CO2 and 54.3mpg figures, the Cascada makes real sense as a convertible to run on your company. It’s well built too, and brilliantly specified. |
 | Ford Mustang The Mustang is back and finally available officially in the UK. Okay, to remain vaguely sensible, my pick of the convertible pony cars wouldn’t have the V8, but instead have the 312bhp 2.3-litre Ecoboost. CO2 emissions of 184g/km and 34.4mpg consumption mean with some rose-tinted maths, I’m sure you could make the figures work. |
 | Porsche Boxster Okay, this is likely to be the most expensive convertible on this list priced from around £37,000, even in entry 2.7-litre form. But in my opinion if you can cover the considerable cost, even with CO2 figures of 180g/km, this Porsche is one of the best looking and finest handling sports cars available. |
Was that the start of summer I spotted? A hint of sun; a breath of warmer temperatures; and the ‘official’ start of summer at the beginning of June. It all leads to one thing: me getting my top down and choosing my convertible favourites for summer sunshine fun. Here’s my pick of soft-tops for Summer … Continued
So you’re looking for your next fleet choice but what criteria do you use to help you choose? If you’ve been heeding our advice you would certainly take into account the MPG and CO2 of all the vehicles you’re looking at. You can then make the most cost-effective decision regarding Benefit in Kind tax, plus … Continued
We have been known to win the odd award (or two). But one gives me particular pleasure: it’s the Best Place to Work Award. Nothing else demonstrates more than this the commitment of our team and the fun they have while working. And we’ve done it again at the Great Place to Work Institute Awards, … Continued
You might have noticed this before, but we do tend to bang on about the green aspect of motoring here at Fleet Alliance and actively encourage the funding and fleet management of low emission and alternative fuel vehicles. Now, that might have been wasted hot air, but I’m glad to see it’s not: our fleet … Continued
I spluttered into my cornflakes when I first saw the cost of the new Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell. It’s just over £53k (and that’s with the help of a grant from the HyFive consortium, who are dedicated to promoting hydrogen technology). Will anyone want one of these terrific and innovative cars at this price (as … Continued
Should you worry about or just embrace the raft of new technologies that not only monitor you but your car too? Hmmm, sounds almost like in-car CCTV. Nevertheless, myself and all of us at Fleet Alliance, are always interested in new technologies on cars – even though my lack of ability with a smart phone … Continued
As you’re probably aware, we like to encourage alternative fuel vehicles here at Fleet Alliance. I’ve mentioned before that we’ve been running a couple of all-electric Nissan Leafs and the feedback from our staff has been very positive. So I read with interest in the news that the British Government has made the move to … Continued
I do like the Geneva Motor Show. It’s the first European show on the calendar year, the excitement and chatter is always heightened as a result, and so too are the great cars that go on show. It’s a brilliant way to bridge that dull grey gap between January and spring. So here are my … Continued
Yesssssssssssss! Sorry, I’ll calm down now. Apart from my natural exuberance at seeing my football club win (or beating my personal best over a 10km run, I reserve my special yeses for really big moments. And this is one such. We’ve just won the Fleetye CSI award – for the company providing the best service … Continued
Have you noticed the price of fuel recently? There was talk of it going to 99p a litre – although I didn’t see it quite that low. But it seems like we’ve never had it so good as far as fuel prices are concerned. I mean, with prices this low, how many of you have … Continued