New car lines - Wheels Within Wales


With class-leading load capacity, enhanced practicality, greater fuel efficiency and low emissions from just 150 g/km the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate, on sale from 21 January 2010, has set a new benchmark for the premium estate sector. New innovations are designed to make life easy - even from across a busy car park. The Easy-Pack electronic tailgate can be activated at the press of a button on the key, opening the tailgate and automatically raising the load compartment cover making up to 695 litres available with the rear seats in place.
The rear seats can be folded down using just one finger thanks to the innovative Easy-Pack Quickfold system opening the cavernous load capacity up to a maximum of 1,950 litres. In addition to this a further 112 litres of load space can be found in the Easy-Pack folding load compartment under the load space floor. The largest cuboid that can fit in the car is now an impressive 172.5 cm x 100 cm x 62 cm and items up to 320 cm long can be accommodated as well.
These class-leading dimensions mean that a customer could easily load an office desk, a large gas barbecue, a fridge freezer, a 50” plasma television or a 5ft sideboard in with out any need to dismantle. From launch there will be a choice of seven engines: three diesel and four petrol; and as with the E-Class Saloon, 98 per cent of the E-Class Estate range will boast BlueEFFICIENCY measures. Weight reduction, efficient energy management systems as well as improved aerodynamics are standard – all of which have a positive effect on the fuel economy and emissions of the new car. Pricing for the new E-Class Estate is four per cent lower than the outgoing model resulting in the range starting from £29,785 OTR for the E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE through to £73,855 OTR for the range topping E 63 AMG Estate.

MB Swansea sales executives with the new E-Class Estate are (left to right) Martyn Dearden, Peter Coggins and Gareth Davies. MB North Wales is also holding a launch weekend over the next two days at Llandudno.

The Škoda Octavia family hatchback and estate range is now even more attractive thanks to the addition of two new engines. A new, downsized 1.2 TSI 105bhp petrol engine is now offered along with the very latest 1.6 TDI CR 105bhp diesel engine with DSG dual-clutch transmission. The state-of-the-art 1.2 TSI 105bhp is now available with both 6-speed manual and 7-speed DSG gearboxes, in either hatchback or estate bodystyles and in S and SE trim levels. This engine first saw service in the recently introduced Yeti crossover, where it instantly impressed with its punchy performance and frugality thanks to its combination of a small-capacity petrol engine with turbocharging and direct injection technology. It's a similar story in the Octavia, where the 1.2 TSI hatch combines low CO2 emissions of 134g/km* with a 0-62mph time of just 10.8 seconds; exceptional for its capacity of 1,197cc. Fuel economy is similarly impressive, with a combined figure of 49.6mpg*. This new engine is available with both 6-speed manual and 7-speed DSG transmissions. Meanwhile the recently introduced, latest-generation 1.6 TDI CR 105bhp diesel is now also available with 7-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox, combining smooth, effortless performance with CO2 emissions of just 123g/km. The 1.6 TDI CR 105bhp DSG is available with the same bodystyle and trim combinations as the 1.2 TSI as well as in Elegance guise.

Small cars don’t have to mean big depreciation, not if they take the right angle. Now that the Cube has gone on sale in the UK, Residual Value experts have made their assessments and delivered the good news – Nissan’s quirkiest city car is a Residual Value winner. Confirming the long lasting appeal of the Cube, the used car professionals at CAP have set the Nissan’s Residual Value (RV) prediction at 45%.
This means that after three years/30,000 miles the Cube will save a significantly higher proportion of its original value than similarly sized but very differently positioned alternatives. The Cube has a simple line-up with prices starting at £14,000 for the 1.6-litre manual model. The frugal 108bhp petrol engine offers as much as 42.8mpg with emissions as low as 151g/km. A 1.5-litre diesel model will join the range in May.