Practical or luxurious? There is a perfect car for you

Our vehicles are transport vessels that are designed to ferry us from point A to B safely and in relative comfort.

We choose the vehicles we buy based on how well they will handle the tasks we have for them.

Sometimes we are not sure how to determine these important aspects in the vehicles we hope to purchase.

We often look at a vehicle and assume, based on the marketing and brand positioning that it is the right choice for us.

You might select a vehicle for the status it brings you or simply as a functional tool.

Waste millions

Today, no manufacturer will waste millions of dollars building a vehicle that does not “work” for you.

In most cases today, vehicles come with a warranty of between one and three years.

Sometimes this is extended to five years. Everything is done to ensure that vehicles are safe for your use and there are independent professional bodies that conduct crash tests to determine how safe you will be in the event of an accident.

When choosing a vehicle you must consider how you intend to use it.

Are you a fast driver looking for a pocket rocket or are you looking for a more refined performance car like the exotic Aston Martin DB9?

If you are looking for a family vehicle that does not need to double up as your weekend racer then the Toyota Wish or simple a five-seater like the Toyota NZE or Mitsubishi Lancer are the vehicles for you.

If you really need a racer, then you might want to consider the BMW M5 Touring.

There is a vehicle for you and it might be that little mini or a family saloon or a performance vehicle.

The Toyota Vitz has been wrongly chided by Kenyans for being wanting in many areas that it really is not meant to perform.

What was this vehicle actually designed to do back in 1999. It is the ideal first car.

It is the perfect A to B car that consumes very little. It is affordable to run with low maintenance costs.

It costs little to replace the tyres and the fuel tank will not drill a hole in your wallet.

Now you will have noticed many little Vitzs zooming round town with loud exhaust pipes as the owners try to transform them into pocket rockets.

It does not matter how many tail pipes you install in your vehicle, it will not go faster, just louder.

The Toyota Vitz was also not designed to carry lots of luggage either, so the boot is small.

If you want a mkokoteni (hand-drawn carriage) you need to buy a pick-up.

On the other hand, if what you need is just a little more boot space then you could consider the extended Vitz called the Platz.

Some of us will buy the Toyota Corolla or the Nissan Sunny with a 1600cc or 1800cc engine and want it to perform like a 2.5 litre turbo-charged Subaru Impreza.

Remember, every vehicle has been designed as a package that delivers different levels of these qualities: economy, performance, safety, luxury and utility, among others.

You should not purchase a basic, entry-level saloon car and expect the luxury, refinement and handling you get in a high-end Mercedes, BMW or the new Jaguar for that matter.

This means you should never judge a vehicle unfairly before understanding what it is truly meant to do for you.

Your Land Rover Defender does lots of things very well and also lets in water and dust after a few years of service.

The Toyota Landcruiser 100 is also a workhorse that will take you to the ends of the world and that is why it was been designed with two fuel tanks with a total of 180 litres.

These suspensions have also been engineered to take a beating from hard terrain. This obviously translates into a relatively uncomfortable ride.

Sometimes you will be tempted to upgrade your luxury cars suspension to give it the ability of your crossover 4x4 so that you can get the best of both worlds.

This will have disastrous effects and your vehicle’s structural integrity will be compromised.

It pays to remember that your vehicle’s limits are based on safety.

It will have a maximum speed that ensures you do not drive faster than the vehicle’s brakes can bring it to a safe stop.

Vehicle performance must meet the fuel consumption promise.

Every car seeks to deliver the stated economy in the various driving conditions stated in the manual.

These include city (urban), highway (extra urban) and combined road conditions.

Broad subject

Other factors affecting consumption include type and conditions of tyres and the quality of fuel available in your area.

A friend of mine bought a Toyota Noah with a 2000cc engine and went on to compare it with his equivalent capacity Toyota Caldina expecting similar consumption.

It will never be the same and you should no expect it to be.

Vehicle consumption is a broad subject entitled to a full-length article but in a nutshell you will need to consider the power to weight ratio of your vehicle to your driving style and conditions of the environment you use it in.

The condition of the engine, suspension, tyres, aerodynamics and many other factors combine to affect your vehicle’s ability to deliver on the promises in the sales brochures.

Before you choose your next car, think about what you want it to do for you to avoid the disappointment of expecting the right car to do the wrong job.

Long live the Toyota Vitz.