4X4 SALES IN THE UK ARE STILL ON THE UP
01 December 2005 - Honda

The recent blizzard conditions to hit the UK prompted The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to issue the latest 4x4 sales figures covering the period from January to the end of October 2005.

Despite the protestations from environmentalists, Reclaim the Streets and other so-called ''do gooders'', sales of 4x4s continue to increase. To date this year 160,607 of these vehicles have been registered, an increase of 3.7 per cent, and they have grown every year since 1997. What makes this increase more impressive this year is the fact that the overall new car market sales, for the same period, are down 5.6 per cent. So in real terms 4x4s are bucking the trend and enjoying real growth.

Also the figures do not include the very popular 4x4 pick ups, because all pick ups - even the most popular recreational ones, are classed as commercial vehicles. Pick up sales in the UK for the first ten months of the year have increased by 5 per cent.

In real life customers clearly still want to own 4x4s and if the predictions for a severe winter come true then sales will get a bigger boost over the next few months.

So who are buying new 4x4s? Well it isn’t Londoners where the anti 4x4 brigade have been saying one in seven new car sales is a 4x4. THE SMMT say in real life from official DVLA figures it is one in 15.

Around the UK between January and October this year, 4x4 new car registrations as a percentage of an areas total sales, show Warwickshire as the strongest 4x4 sales county with 18.5 per cent. Next is Powys with 15.2 per cent, followed by The Borders with 15 per cent, Oxfordshire, 12.4 per cent, and Gloucestershire with 12.2 per cent.

Least popular areas for 4x4 sales are Leicestershire with 2.7 per cent, West Glamorgan 4.6 per cent and the West Midlands with 4.8 per cent. Surprisingly rural areas such as Cornwall only recorded 9.6 per cent and neighbouring Devon just 7.6 per cent.

The 4x4 market has many sectors and goes on sub-dividing as manufacturers think up more niches to exploit. But viewing the 4x4 sector overall as, small, medium and large, the most popular range in the UK is the medium sized Honda CR-V which has taken over from the Land Rover Freelander as the dominant seller.

The original CR-V went on sale in the UK in 1997 and the second generation, which has a more purposeful 4x4 rugged look to it, was introduced in 2002. The CR-V for Europe is now British built at Honda’s Swindon factory. From the original introduction until now over one million CR-Vs have been sold and 75,000 of them have found British buyers. This year with the introduction of the new 2.2 Honda diesel engine in March, CR-V sales will almost double to 25,000 units so you can see CR-V is driving the market growth ably supported by the other big seller, the Nissan X-Trail.

You see lots of these Hondas on our roads, they are everywhere being driven by young mums right through to the older generation. That probably sums up why people like 4x4s. Young mums feel safer in them, they can go anywhere at anytime in bad weather to pick up the children and the vehicle doubles as family transport at the weekend. Middle aged and older people like them because they just want a 4x4 for its go anywhere appeal and of course many use them for towing caravans and horseboxes. One of the CR-V’s strengths is that the 4x4 system is automatic; it only comes into use as and when four-wheel drive is really needed. It has no complicated differential locks or low ratio transfer gears so its get in and drive - just as you would with a car. Another plus point is although it is a five-door vehicle with five seats, it is no bigger on the street in length or width than a medium sized car. The CR-V also has a very good Euro NCAP 3 stars rating for pedestrian safety.

The exterior of the CR-V is very conservatively styled and apart from the nicely styled rear vertical light clusters the vehicle is understated, it is not brash or tarted up. Inside it is well appointed and has flexible rear seating. It lacks storage areas and the facia panel looks very dated and the instruments and controls are not as well laid out as most new cars. However it does the job.

The test car I had in the most popular Sport specification had a really dark interior at that made it appear very bland. The level of specification is very high with front and curtain airbags, electrically operated windows and door mirrors, remote locking, alarm, climate control, electrically adjustable and heated front seats and CD player. Only the satellite navigation system was a £1,200 extra.

The real star component of the vehicle is of course Honda’s award winning, all-aluminium, 2.2-litre, four-cylinder common rail turbocharged diesel engine. This unit initially was introduced in the Honda Accord range and now it has been made available for the CR-V and in a month or so it will appear in the new Swindon built Civic. This diesel engine is also being built at the Swindon factory.

With 140PS of power and 340Nm of torque developed from 2000rpm makes this a very refined and capable ''soft'' 4x4. The installation and driveability with this engine and the six-speed transmission I think is better in the CR-V than in the Accord. The noise absorption is better and the overall gearing provides for a better and more responsive performance in the all-important mid-range when driving on our busy roads. The fuel economy was better in the CR-V than the Accord as well. Off-road capabilities of the CR-V are limited, tracks and grass rather than mud and rocks.

The lightweight engine improves the on-road handling performance of the CR-V. The steering is responsive and the bodyroll is low compared with many 4x4s of a similar size. Anti-lock braking is of course standard.

Needless to say being a Honda the CR-V is well put together and that fact for many private customers is a big reason to purchase. Although Honda is increasing their business and fleet vehicle sales, the CR-V remains predominately a retail car.

The range is priced from £17,200 for the 2-0-litre petrol SE model and rises up to £22,800 for the 2.2-litre diesel Executive. Honda add £1,400 as a price premium for their diesel engine, a figure some private buyers will not accept if they only cover low mileages. The diesel engine does give a nicer drive than the petrol engine, it returns around 10 more miles per gallon and it will be worth more at the time of trade-in, so it is worth paying the extra I think.

From: Miles Better News Agency

www.honda-eu.com

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