The Mitsubishi Pajero has had a long and illustrious tenure in the 4×4 club spanning 37 years in which there have been only four major iterations. This is not only a demonstration of its timeless appeal but also its ability to thrive in the ever changing automotive landscape. In Kenya, it reigned supreme in the 80s and 90s before it was dethroned by the Toyota Prado. Other competitors include the Land Rover Discovery, the Ford Everest and the Nissan Pathfinder.

The Mazda Axela is without question one of the most superior hatchbacks in the market today. It offers the same level of luxury and refinement as its closest European rivals such as VW Golf and Audi A3 while retaining the famed reliability of Japanese cars. Its alternatively sold as the Mazda3 in markets outside Japan and globally it accounts for the bulk of Mazda's worldwide sales. It competes with the VW Golf, Audi A3, Subaru Impreza and Toyota Auris.

The Mitsubishi Outlander is a solid SUV that is somehow overlooked in the Kenyan Market. People would rather buy the less practical and over-glorified Toyota Harrier and overlook this versatile SUV. There's freedom of choice and all but if important factors such as utility, off-road capability and 7-seater capacity are considered, then the Outlander is without question the better SUV. It competes with the Toyota Harrier, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Vanguard, Toyota Rav4, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester.

The Toyota Wish continues to enjoy a strong demand in the Kenyan market due to its fuel efficiency and 7-seater capacity. The 2014 model has seen minimal changes and it still retains all of the features from the previous year. Other alternatives you can buy in Kenya include the Mazda Premacy, Nissan Lafesta, Subaru Exiga and VW Touran.

The Suzuki Escudo is a capable off-road vehicle and it's one of the few medium sized SUVs with this capability. Even with it's acclaimed off-road talents and decent on-road manners, the Escudo lags behind its competitors in the Kenyan market such as the Subaru Forester, Mazda CX5, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4 and Nissan X-Trail.

The VW Beetle popularly known as the Bug is an iconic car that was in production for many years and became the global symbol of German engineering. It was simple, practical and affordable which made it very successful in virtually every market in the world including Kenya. It went out of production in 1974 but came back as the New Beetle in 1997 which never really hit the market as expected and was again retooled in 2011 as the Beetle A5.

If you are looking for a quality but yet affordable hatchback, then the Audi A3 should definitely be on top of your shopping list. It boasts of excellent build quality, spacious interior, powerful engines, decent fuel economy and good safety ratings. Though it's more expensive to maintain compared to its Japanese rivals, these costs are offset due to its durable parts that last longer. It competes with the Subaru Impreza, VW Golf, Mazda Axela, Toyota Auris, Honda Fit, Toyota Vitz and Mazda Demio.

The 4x4 landscape is changing fast and the chasm that once existed between on-road and off-road vehicles is getting narrower. The term SUV is ambiguous and does not in itself denote off-road capability but rather a body type classification. Due to this confusion, capable off-roaders such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee are grouped together in the SUV labyrinth that carries both true 4x4s and poseurs alike. The Grand Cherokee competes with the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes ML/GLE.