July. The month where Britain comes into its own quite beautifully. One minute everyone is complaining about the lack of sunshine, the next we're fighting strangers in ASDA for the last fan on the shelf.
And then there are the new car drivers. Windows down. Sunglasses on. Questionable music taste. A completely unnecessary trip to B&Q that somehow turns into a two-hour drive.
That's the magic of a new car. All of a sudden, you become the designated driver by choice. And the best new car lease deals to do it in? Read on.
Audi Q2 S Line
Small SUV. Big Audi energy.
The Audi Q2 has been around long enough to know exactly what it is.
It's not trying to be the biggest SUV on the road. Or the fastest. Or the one with seventeen different driving modes you'll never use.
It's just really good at being an Audi. Easy to park. Easy to live with. Nice to look at.
This particular Q2 comes with Audi's 1.5-litre 35 TFSI petrol engine producing 150PS, paired with the smooth S-tronic automatic gearbox. Translation? Plenty of punch when joining the motorway, easy driving in traffic and a respectable 0-62mph time of around 8.5 seconds. It'll also return up to around 46mpg, so it's not constantly asking for another visit to the petrol station.
Inside, it feels unmistakably Audi too. Solid build quality, a driver-focused cockpit and the kind of fit and finish that reminds you why people keep coming back to the four rings.
Then there's the S Line trim.
18-inch alloy wheels. Sharper styling. Sports seats. A flat-bottom leather steering wheel. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard too, along with rear parking sensors, because nobody enjoys pretending they meant to reverse that slowly.
CUPRA Terramar V2
Family SUV. Main character energy.
If the Audi is quietly confident, the CUPRA Terramar definitely knows it's being looked at.
Sharp lines. Copper accents. A front end that spends absolutely no time blending into traffic.
It's CUPRA's newest SUV, but underneath the dramatic styling is something refreshingly sensible. The 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine produces 150PS and is paired with a DSG automatic gearbox, making it smooth around town while returning up to around 47 mpg combined.
The V2 trim is where things get interesting.
A large 12.9-inch infotainment display, Digital Cockpit, sports seats, rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors and a generous amount of standard equipment mean you don't spend your first six months wishing you'd upgraded the spec.
