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.
The Honda Freed has been around since 2008 but has somewhat gone unnoticed in the Kenyan market. That’s surprising given its strong credentials that usually appeal to the masses here. It’s affordable, cheap to maintain, fuel efficient and can carry up to 8 passengers. It’s built on the popular Honda Fit platform and is as reliable as its sibling. So why has it not been popular in this market? Read on.
The Honda Fit is a 5 seater hatchback that has been in production since 2001. Its popularity in Kenya has been gaining steadily as more and more people are appreciating the quality and reliability of Hondas. Locally it competes with the Toyota Vitz, Mazda Demio and Nissan Tiida. It scores high marks in safety, comfort, reliability and fuel consumption. It is best suited for urban driving but can be used for long distance driving occasionally.
The Toyota HiAce is a light commercial van that is manufactured by Toyota and sold in various markets around the world. It’s a multipurpose vehicle that is highly configurable for diverse applications such as public transport, cargo transport and executive transport. In Kenya, it’s widely used as a public transport vehicle popularly known as the Matatu and other roles such as tour operations.
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.