My initial view of the Nissan Note – and this was from a casual observer’s point of view – was that, it’s a mundane car with nothing really going for it. This is not a surprising view as many other people would tend to concur. But not until I stepped into this second generation Nissan Note that I was totally transposed. Beneath the passive veneer lies a serious contender to the hatchback throne.
Ever since it was introduced to the market in 1994, the Toyota RAV4 has been a top selling car. It was the first car to successfully bridge the gap between the big SUVs and the small Compacts. It was by way of the Toyota RAV4 that the world was introduced to the now popular Crossover category and over the years, there have been many competitors but the RAV4 has weathered the storm. In the Kenyan market, it competes with the Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester, VW Tiguan, Mitsubishi Outlander and Land Rover Freelander.
The Toyota Fielder is a very popular station wagon in Kenya both for private and commercial applications. Indeed it can be said that the Toyota Fielder is one of the most popular cars on Kenyan roads today and there’s a good reason for that. The Toyota Fielder is fuel efficient, reliable, spacious and cheap to maintain.
Fresh from reviewing the venerable Nissan Juke, we had a yardstick with which to measure the Mitsubishi RVR. We put it through its paces and in the end the results were pretty close if not tilted in its favor. The RVR wins it in interior space and luggage capacity. We found it to be roomier, comfortable and economical. In Kenya, it competes with the Nissan Juke, Subaru XV, Nissan Dualis and Honda HR-V.
There’s a new kid on the block by the name of Nissan Juke and it’s taking the Kenyan car market by storm. The Nissan Juke looks and drives like an SUV but it’s really an economical hatchback at heart. We drove the Juke and can say without fear of contradiction that it’s one of the best economy cars we’ve driven in a while. Of course it’s not without its faults but when all factors are considered, it’s one of the best.
The Toyota Vanguard is a versatile and functional vehicle that can serve both small and large families. It is a bigger version of the Toyota RAV4 and has been sold in the Japanese market since 2007. In Kenya, its popularity has been gaining steadily due to its off-road appeal and 7 seater capacity.
The Subaru Impreza is a diverse car; from the slow and subdued 1.5L, to the very potent 2.5L WRX STI. It’s the true embodiment of Subaru’s ingenuity in producing cars with a broad appeal. In Kenya, the Subaru Impreza gained traction in the early 2000s when people took notice of its modest fuel consumption and off-road capability. It also benefitted from the good reputation left by its predecessor the Subaru Leone. Now in its fifth generation, the Subaru Impreza has been in production since 1992.
The Nissan Teana is one of the most stylish and elegant Japanese automobiles we’ve driven in a while. It drives so well that for a minute, I was mistaken to think it was some exotic German estate. It actually resembles the Mercedes E-Class especially on the exterior. It competes with the Toyota Mark X, Audi A4, Mercedes C Class and BMW 3 Series.