The Toyota Crown is an executive Japanese saloon that is built to rival the world’s best luxury cars. It has a high degree of refinement not common in Japanese cars and it obviously targets an upscale clientele. It competes with the Lexus LS, Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Jaguar XF and Nissan Fuga. In Kenya, the Toyota Crown has historically not been as popular as the Mercedes and BMW but in recent years, it’s popularity has been on the rise.
The Subaru Legacy is a Japanese automobile that features a symmetrical all-wheel-drive system as standard across all grades. It’s the same as the Subaru Outback in all aspects except the suspension which in the Outback has been raised for off-road performance. The Subaru Legacy is offered both as a station wagon and saloon. The station wagon is known as the Touring Wagon while the saloon is known as the B4. The Legacy competes with the Audi A4, VW Passat, Toyota Mark X, Nissan Teana, Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series and the Mazda 6.
The Honda CR-V is medium sized SUV that strikes a perfect balance between luxury and economy. It competes with the Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4, Land Rover Freelander, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander and VW Tiguan. In this group the Honda CR-V is rated highly in safety, comfort and reliability.
The Toyota Harrier is a mid sized SUV sold exclusively in Japan since 1998 and sold in other markets as the Lexus RX. It competes with the Nissan Murano, BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, VW Touareg, Mercedes M Class and Toyota Vanguard. Both the Harrier and the Lexus RX are sold in Kenya as imports from other markets.
The Mazda Axela is medium sized hatchback and saloon that is manufactured in Japan by Mazda . It was introduced to the market in 2004 and is now in its third generation. It competes with the Subaru Impreza, Nissan Tiida, VW Golf, and Toyota Auris. In markets outside Japan, its sold as the Mazda3.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is arguably the most transcendent 4×4 in the world today. It is the longest running Toyota production vehicle, in the market since 1951. In Kenya, it’s a status symbol favored by the high and the might, simply known as the Land Cruiser V8.
The Nissan Tiida is 5 door Hatchback that has been in production since 2004. The saloon version is known as the Nissan Tiida Latio and they differ only in body style. In recent years, the Nissan Tiida has come under increased scrutiny from Kenyans who are shifting preference towards economical and affordable cars. It competes with the Toyota Auris, Subaru Impreza, VW Golf, and Mazda Axela
The Toyota Succeed was introduced to the Japanese market in mid 2002 and is closely related to the Toyota Probox. It is marketed as a 5 seater economical station wagon. Both the Toyota Succeed and the Toyota Probox are popular in the Kenyan market especially with businessmen. Its difficult to distinguish the two at casual observation.