The Penny Pinchers

In this era of high fuel prices, used cars on Kenyan roads are going small. Our writer ERIC MWENI goes behind the wheel of three nippy, smart and practical superminis to tell you where you should put your money.

Let’s start with a riddle. I have a thing. It’s small, one of the best selling in history and has an e­ffect on male ego. The initials E.D are a primary feature. Don’t ask me what it stands for but it could be anything from Electronic Display to Erectile Dysfunction. Any clues? If your answer is “small cars”, you are right. Ditto “Viagra”. It’s the fastest selling drug in history. Small cars are selling in big numbers too, thanks to high fuel prices. Researchers have linked Viagra to male infertility and we all know what impotency does to men’s egos. Small cars too dent the ego. Small things with small vices… and great virtues too. But since we are wearing a motoring badge (and not a burdizo!), let’s see what three swanky, small cars that are ruling our roads have to o­ffer. They all fall in a category the British call the “superminis.”

Mazda Demio
First impression

November, 2007. A close friend has lost a relative and our ties that bind prompt a 752-kilometre return journey from Nairobi to Kitale. It’s 2pm as we wash down Nyama Choma with soft drinks at Maxland, Westlands before embarking on the journey. We are four adults in a 1298CC Mazda Demio; a gargantuan task for a pintsized car. “Kata­ ka?” (Will it manage the trip?), Kathy, the only lady amongst us quips. She is cleverly cautious. A good part of the road has been transplanted straight from the moon. She is worried about the gullies and the imminent breakdown of the toy in the middle of nowhere.

But we are highly optimistic as we set o­ut and signs of the Demio’s agility begin to show when I overtake a Hyundai Tuscan just after Naivasha town, doing about 140Kph. Kathy, our ‘Deejay’ interchanges the jazz and blues CDs, the sound quality just modest. Brian and Caleb have reclined the rear seats and turned into story tellers.

Several legends, folk tales and jokes later, we pull o­ the main Nairobi-Nakuru highway towards Eldama Ravine. Its 8pm. Caleb, our compass, tells us that this optional route to

Eldoret is pot-hole free; he last came here when there was still free primary school milk, we later came to learn. The road is tarmac on potholes. For about 100 kilometres or so, we toss in and out of the gullies, the Demio barely scrapping the surface. The dense forests on either side of the road exacerbate the eeriness of the night. At least the Demio’s fierce halogens can help spot a stray deer a mile away. Captain Edward Murphy is in deep slumber, as we pull in front of hotel in Eldoret town, just past midnight. A funeral later, and loads of regrets for using the Eldama Ravine gulley-way, we match up against a GK Land Rover Defender hurtling down towards Nairobi at dare devil speed. Only the uneven road surface left about by overloaded trucks (down with the four axles!) compels us to cede way. As we pull into a parking lot in Nairobi upon arrival, Kathy swallows her words.

The Demio’s suspension and sturdy dashboard had not given in to the bad road, and there was absolutely no cabin noise. “This is a good car!” she agrees. The trip had given us a preview of why the third generation Demio is the reigning World Car of the Year. At its launch in the international market in 1996, the Demio was marketed as an all-round supermini multipurpose vehicle. Its ride feels like a mini-SUV, with ample ground clearance and elevated driver position for good measure. Its dashboard layout resembles that of a mid-range soft roader… think of the Daihatsu Terios, Toyota Cami and Suzuki Vitara. It has a 1.3-litre engine that churns out maximum power of 61kw at 6,000rpm and 108 Nm at 4,000 rpm. 0 to 100Kph takes about 10 seconds while flat out, the Demio can reach a top speed of about 160Kph. This car has a great drive feel and corners greatly. ABS and duo airbags comes as standard features with the sporty variety boasting of all round disc brakes. An additional safety feature comes in the name of an automatic reversal mechanism for the driver’s window. It posts about 16 kilometres to the litre, quite impressive economy there.

Second Impression

Some of the drawbacks with this car begin to manifest themselves with the start of the ignition. The starter is irritatingly noisy. Bearing in mind that it’s only recently that the Demio has entered the Kenyan market in big numbers; the spare parts are still scarce. This car was made mostly for short distance, urban travel and should be used for such. It’s very tiring to drive on long distances and if you happen to drive fast over a long time, you can almost hear the engine screaming due to overwork. One wonders why this car’s designers left screaming gaps on the lower front bumper that expose the radiator and other vital engine parts. continue...