The Mitsubishi Outlander is a solid SUV that is somehow overlooked in the Kenyan Market. People would rather buy the less practical and over-glorified Toyota Harrier and overlook this versatile SUV. There’s freedom of choice and all but if important factors such as utility, off-road capability and 7-seater capacity are considered, then the Outlander is without question the better SUV. It competes with the Toyota Harrier, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Vanguard, Toyota Rav4, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser is a rebranded version of the Suzuki Vitara Brezza which has been in the market since 2016. It’s referred to as an SUV but it lacks the crucial 4WD capability which in our view makes it more of a hatchback than an SUV. It’s however well suited to the Kenyan market offering desirable features such as good ground clearance and excellent fuel economy. It competes with the Subaru XV, Honda Vezel, Nissan Dualis, Mitsubishi RVR and Nissan Juke.
The 2014 Toyota Fielder carries on with the same features from the previous year and only adds a few cosmetic changes. Given its strong performance over the years, Toyota has been in no particular hurry to change the winning formula. The hybrid version that was introduced in mid 2013 continuous to gain ground in Kenya but it is yet to find widespread acceptance due to reliability questions that plague hybrid. The demand for the Fielder is strong and consequently the prices are high even for locally used options.
The Toyota Wish continues to enjoy a strong demand in the Kenyan market due to its fuel efficiency and 7-seater capacity. The 2014 model has seen minimal changes and it still retains all of the features from the previous year. Other alternatives you can buy in Kenya include the Mazda Premacy, Nissan Lafesta, Subaru Exiga and VW Touran.
The Suzuki Escudo is a capable off-road vehicle and it’s one of the few medium sized SUVs with this capability. Even with it’s acclaimed off-road talents and decent on-road manners, the Escudo lags behind its competitors in the Kenyan market such as the Subaru Forester, Mazda CX5, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4 and Nissan X-Trail.
The VW Beetle popularly known as the Bug is an iconic car that was in production for many years and became the global symbol of German engineering. It was simple, practical and affordable which made it very successful in virtually every market in the world including Kenya. It went out of production in 1974 but came back as the New Beetle in 1997 which never really hit the market as expected and was again retooled in 2011 as the Beetle A5.
The Nissan March is a small car that offers so many benefits for people looking for economy and affordability. It is best suited for urban commute but it can be used for occasional long distance travel. It has undergone major improvements over the years to improve its overall quality and reliability. It competes with the Suzuki Alto, Toyota Passo and Mitsubishi Mirage.
With the introduction of the third generation in December 2013 the Toyota Harrier was decoupled from the Lexus RX and they are now separate entities. The Harrier has undergone extensive changes with the most notable being the futuristic frontal redesign. The driving dynamics have also changed significantly with the introduction of a 2.0 Litre powerplant.