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.
The Mazda Demio is a small 5 seater hatchback manufactured in Japan since 1996. It competes with the Toyota Vitz, Honda Fit, VW Polo, and Nissan Note. It’s best suited for light urban commute but can be used occasionally for long distance travel.
The Toyota Vitz has been an impactful car in the Kenyan market. We credit it as being the first subcompact to achieve commercial success and widespread adoption in this market. Of course there were others before it such as the Toyota Starlet and the VW Polo but these never impacted the market the way the Vitz did.
Toyota Vitz receives a lot of love and hate on the streets, especially on Kenyan roads. There are some negative stereotypes surrounding it which paint a bad picture of the car. However, the Toyota Vitz is a very reliable hatchback. It has steadily improved over the years to become a highly sort-after car for drivers looking for an economical and practical car. Additionally, the Toyota Vitz ranks highly among its competitors in the market such as the Nissan Note, Mazda Demio and VW Polo.
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.