The Nissan Dualis is a compact SUV with a gentle demeanor that belies its true capabilities. It’s one of the few cars that strikes a perfect balance between economy and utility in one package. It’s as economical as any hatchback can be and yet as dynamic as any SUV can be. It has all the qualities that are desirable for driving in Kenya where road conditions greatly vary even within the same city. It competes with the Mitsubishi RVR, Subaru XV, Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V and Peugeot 2008.

The Toyota Vellfire is largely the same as Toyota Alphard that we recently reviewed and their differences are more cosmetic than functional. We were greatly impressed by the Toyota Alphard especially its lavish interior and we expected nothing less from its sibling. True to form, the Vellfire did not disappoint and it put on such a rousing performance that left no doubt about its claim to fame.

The Mazda Premacy is a 7 seater minivan that was in production in Japan from 1999 to 2017. Though it enjoys some modest success in Kenya, it has perennially remained in the shadows of the more successful Toyota Wish. This is largely due to the strength of the Toyota brand and nothing else really. Read on to find out why the Mazda Premacy could offer better value for money

The Toyota Alphard was introduced to the Japanese market in 2002 as a direct competitor to the Nissan Elgrand. Up until that point, the Nissan Elgrand was dominating the 8 seater luxury category and its nearest competitor, the Toyota Hiace was woefully outmatched. Toyota went to the drawing board and answered with the Alphard and later its sibling the Vellfire which showed up in 2008. Together, they blew the Nissan Elgrand out of the water. They come with all imaginable luxuries such as remote controlled double sliding doors, lie flat seats, roof mounted Alpine monitors, dual zone climate and many more.

The Nissan March is not a new kid on the block. It has been around since 1982 which is a testament to its success and longevity in a crowded marketplace. It’s also known as the Nissan Micra(pronounced Mycra) in markets outside of Japan and Asia. In Kenya, it competes with the Toyota Passo, Mazda Verisa and Suzuki Swift

The Nissan Xtrail is a popular medium sized SUV in Kenya that comes in both 2WD and 4WD. It competes with the Subaru Forester(3rd Generation), Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CR-V, and the VW Tiguan.

The Toyota Wish is a 7-Seater Japanese MPV that has been in production since 2003. It competes with the Subaru Exiga, Honda Stream, Mazda Premacy.

The Toyota Passo is an interesting car to review. On one hand there’s the 5 seater version and on the other there’s the 7 seater version known as the Passo Sette. These are two distinct cars that cannot be reviewed in a single article. We therefore elected to review them separately but the question that still lingers is why Toyota would give them the same name. There has to be some logic, maybe a shortage of names? We honestly don’t know and will not dwell on it but only to emphasize to buyers that these two cars are not related.