Most Reliable Vans

In a survey carried out last year to find the most reliable van, the Ford Transit came at the top of the list. It is no surprise that the Transit came out on top as it has been one of the most popular vans for quite some time. The Transit is used is many different trades and has been since it was first produced back in the 1960’s. There have been many different versions since then, but the Transit still remains the most popular van of choice.

Coming in at second place is another victory for Ford with the Ford Transit Connect, which is Ford’s smaller van.

Voted the third most reliable van is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Volkswagen took forth and fifth place with the Transporter and the Caddy. The vans were chosen for reliability based on breakdown and warranty claims.

The managing director for Ford has said, “Ford is extremely proud that the Ford Transit and Ford Transit Connect have taken the top two spots in this reliability survey which is based on hard facts.

“This is a tribute to the passion and dedication of our designers and engineers at Dunton who make quality the highest priority, and which has kept Ford at the top of the UK Commercial Vehicle market for over 46 years.”

Here is the top ten list of most reliable vans,

First - Ford Transit

Second - Ford Transit Connect

Third - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Fourth - Volkswagen Transporter

Fifth - Volkswagen Caddy

Sixth - Mercedes-Benz Vito

Seventh - Vauxhall Vivaro

Eighth - Renault Trafic

Ninth - Vauxhall Movano

Tenth - Citroen Berling

New Nissan Extrem Concept

Nissan have just released the first pictures of their bold new concept car, the Nissan Extrem. The new design is different to anything we have seen recently, but you can see elements of the Nissan Juke's design if you look closely.

Nissan have said that they want to make something that is feasible, but a bit more exciting than the rest. We have been told that the features in the Extrem’s design are something that we will likely be seeing in a lot of Nissan's Future cars.

Nissan wanted to achieve a design that was similar to a rally car, but was also more muscular and butch. Looking at Extrem concept I think they achieved what they set out for!

The Extrem is to make its debut at the Sao Paulo motor show this week, in Brazil. This is very fitting as elements of the Extrem’s design were based on Brazil; Nissan have said that they want the Extrem to capture Brazil’s colourful and flamboyant country.

Some people may be asking, why the Brazilian influence? Well a lot of the worlds focus will soon be on Brazil in the next few years with the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics being hosted there.

Inside the Extrem you get a 98bhp three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which is from the Micra, which Nissan thinks offers the perfect combination of sportiness and affordability.

Are we ready for electric cars?

In the world of vehicles electric cars have been a popular topic for some time now. Some people love them, and others hate them. But do you think the world is ready for the electric car? We see electric cars all the time, but because of the limitations they are still not a popular choice with a lot of motorists.

Car manufacturer Toyota has reviewed plans for their electric vehicles and has since scaled down plans for future electric cars. They believe that the market is not yet ready for electric cars as they still have many issues that do not fit in with our lifestyles.

For a start they still take way too long to charge, which is a pain for anyone. They are also limited by distance with the battery only being able to take you so far. It was thought that sales for electric cars would have picked up by now, especially with the government providing a £5,000 grant to but an electric car, and a £8,000 grant to purchase an electric van.

Toyota has said that they are ready to release more electric cars, but they do not feel that charging system is developed enough yet. Toyota is however expected to have a line-up of 21 petrol electric hybrid vehicles by 2015.

Toyota believes that hybrid technology is the way forward at this point in time, rather than purely electric vehicles. With Toyota releasing 3 new hybrid vehicles this year and the potential for more, it looks like this is Toyota’s main focus for the future.

It is still early days for the electric car, but will we ever be able the technology that will cater to all our vehicles needs? And if we do have to live with some limitations, how certain will the electric cars future be?