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.
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.