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Weekly Wheelspin: 8 Series goes topless, motorway misdemeanour, Budget busted and solar sunroofs

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Author: | Updated: 02 Nov 2018 15:44

This week saw two perennial events pass: Halloween and of course that other annual trick or treat… the Budget. Luckily for you, we’ve got both covered, along with a host of other stuff besides. Here’s our weekly wheelspin of news…

Weekly Wheelspin 02 November 2018 (1)

In the news

We’ll kick things off with politics, which for once doesn’t revolve around Brexit. Yes, this week chancellor Philip Hammond announced the 2019’s Budget. So what does it mean for motorists?

There’ll be a £30 billion fund for motorways and major route upgrades, £420 million to tackle potholes, and fuel duty has been frozen for an unprecedented ninth year. All in all, it was probably more treat than trick for motorists this year.

£420m has been set aside to sort out UK's pothole problem.

Next up we’ve got news on BMW’s new flagship 8 Series, that was revealed in Convertible form this week ahead of a full reveal at the LA Motor Show. It gets the same striking looks as the Coupe from the front, and offers similar levels of practicality in terms of passenger space.

BMW 8 Series convertible lead

This superfast soft-top joins the 8 Series Coupe – which is available to lease now – and is aimed at rivalling a range of other luxury convertibles including the S-Class Cabriolet and Bentley Continental GTC.

BMW 8 Series convertible rear

In slightly less exotic but still rather intriguing news, Hyundai and Kia confirmed they’re set to introduce a solar roof charging systems – including one for use on internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Previously it’s only been the reserve of plug-in and fully electric vehicles, but applying the system to ICE vehicles will “help them comply with more stringent global environmental laws regulating CO2”, per Hyundai.

Kia and Hyundai reveal solar charging system technology to power future eco-friendly vehicles_2

Mercedes also revealed prices for its GLE this week, with the X5 alternative costing from £55,685 in 300d 4MATIC form. Something a bit sportier the order of the day? Cupra is now officially the standalone sports sub-brand of Seat, and its first model is set to be the Ateca. It’ll cost from around £35,000 when it arrives next year, although we’ll have to wait and see if lease rates are as appealing as they are on other Seat models.

Halloween happenings

Halloween has been and gone, but if you’re after some great creepy content, we’ve got you covered. But what’s the link to cars, we hear you say? Well, we’re quite good at the links actually, despite some of them being rather tenuous.

How about the top five creepiest clips caught on dashcam, or perhaps the most haunted roads of the UK? If that doesn’t suit, how about watching a film featuring one of these monstrous motors over the weekend?

Top left clockwise: Death Proof, Christine, Jeepers Creepers, Death Race 2000

On social

We all know that using the hard shoulder unless it’s an emergency is a bad idea, but one guy took things to a whole different level this week. The Manchester Evening News reported that a 32-year-old man was issued with a traffic offence report by police for illegal use of the hard shoulder just a few miles down the road from ContractHireAndLeasing.com HQ ...

“Police officers spotted a car had pulled over on a section of the motorway between junction 24, for Denton, and junction 25, for Bredbury, but when they spoke with the man they realised he had not stopped for an emergency, but was actually watching an x-rated film.”

We’ll let you think of your own pun on this one.

Leasing dealhunters

Back to the serious business. We’re always keen to keep you in the loop when it comes to the best lease cars at the best prices, and we’ve updated a number of our price-busting content pieces this week. Did you know the Skoda Octavia is available for around £100 per month?

Skoda Octavia, currently available for under £125 per month

If you’ve got a higher budget of up to £400 per month, how about an Audi A5 or a Volvo XC60? Need a high-mileage allowance and a low initial payment? Then check out these deals.

Latest features

We’ve been rather swept up with EVs and hybrids recently, what with the government rejigging its plug-in grant. We know they are ultimately the future, but for those of you that want to live in the moment and want a thunderous petrol-powered soundtrack to accompany you, what’s on offer? We checked out five of the LOUDEST cars you can lease.

Top five loudest lease cars

Surprise surprise… Ford’s Mustang GT features on our list of loudness. But it’s recently been in trouble with the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). Not because of the noise it makes, but more because of a recent ad that was deemed to encourage dangerous driving. But is that really the case? Al Suttie checks it out

And on that note…

Halloween has been and gone, the clocks have gone back and the temperature is receding. If you’re anything like us, you’ll have had to crack out the de-icer and scraper for the first time this week.

QuickClear windscreen Ford

But did you know there are better ways than others to rid your windscreen of the dreaded frost? In fact, some things can damage your glass. Here’s five top tips to keep in mind when de-icing.

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