10 Cars to spark up your 2014

Happy new year y’all. To those who are spiritually inclined, we are told that this year is a year of new beginnings, a year of Passover, and like my General Overseer said, a year of extraordinary deliverance and advancement. So it got me thinking, what are the top ten vehicles in 9ja to get this new year, cool enough for some extraordinary advancement. They have to be vehicles that are fresh into the market, not more than two years into their model year with enough confidence to top or be near the top of their respective classes. So I went searching the internet and other car websites in Nigeria and after a full day’s work I came up with this list of 5 sedans and 5 SUV’s sure to guarantee one’s arrival into 2014 in style.

For the SUV’s we have

1. The 2014 Range Rover Sport: N23Mill 

2. The 2013 Range Rover Vogue N26Mill 

3. The 2013 Mercedes Benz GL Class N23Mill est

4. The 2013 Mercedes Benz ML Class N17Mill est

5. The 2013 Ford Edge XLT N8Mill est

For the sedan’s we have

1. The 2014 Toyota Camry N6.5Mill est

2. The 2013 Honda Accord N5.5Mill

3. The 2013 Volkswagen CC N6.2Mill

4. The 2013 Ford Fusion N5Mill est

5. The 2014 Toyota Corolla N5.1Mill

So there we have I, the awesome bunch. I know some of you would argue as to how I got by this list so let me clarify a few things. The above vehicles were selected based on their functionality, availability in Nigeria and most importantly their appeal so please don’t start to complain that I didn’t add any Toyota’s in the SUV section.

Every single vehicle selected here from the Range Rover to the Toyota Corolla all have a sort of strong pizzazz in Nigeria. The Corolla; to this year is still the most sold vehicle in 9ja and the Range Rover without a doubt is the benchmark cruiser for the “Oga’s at the Top”.

With that being said, let us now look at these vehicles and see what qualities they possess, what sells them out and what exactly is their  **Selling Point \**.

We’d start with the SUV’s and to begin them is the Baba of Baba’s, the Olori of Ori’s, the chairman of the Landlords, the Almighty Range Rover Sport.

1. The Range Rover Sport.

Seeing as I begun that introduction, I’m sure you can’t help but think that I’m probably razz and you’re not entirely wrong, after all its only Agbero’s hailing their Alaye’s that speak like that; but sincerely, if you talk to the average Yoruba speaking Unigidi student about the Range Rover  “especially if he doesn’t have his own wheels”, you’d surely get a similar answer. The fact about the Range Rover’s dominance in Nigeria is undoubtable. Even if you’re just managing to push an 08” Range, you’re still an Alaye as far as Lagosians are considered; so just imagine arriving at a party somewhere in Yaba with the latest iteration of the Range Rover 2014 beaming it’s high intensity LED headlights for all the world to see, haha; even Barrack Obama wouldn’t be able to cause such a stir. The amount of swagger that would be oozing from your body ehnnnn, even the strongest Feragamo cologne cannot diffuse it!!!!

Okay now unto more mannered things, the Range Rover comes to 2014 all new, I mean down to every detail. For starters, Land Rover dumped the old heavy platform of the Land Rover Discovery on which the Range Rover Sport is based on “I’d bet most of you didn’t know that” for an all new stiffer, lighter and longer Aluminum chassis. This helped reduce the Sport’s overall weight by over 400kg and also helped add third row seating thus increasing the seating capacity of the new Range Rover to seven. I should note that the extra seats on the third row are super tiny and even kids wouldn’t want to seat there. To further reduce the Range’s weight, and increase fuel economy, a V8 is no longer available in the base model, instead the base V8 has been replaced with a more powerful and lighter supercharged V6 with 340hp “254kW”. It’s mated to an 8 speed automatic which transmits the engine’s power to all 4 wheelsl.  The more powerful supercharged V8 engine with 510hp is still available in the supercharged full options trim. All four wheels have antilock brakes which also act as locking differentials in case of wheel spin…. And let’s not forget the Range Rover’s special feature, its Terrain Response System which is famed to be able to tackle anything in its path.

 With that, being said about it's performance and exterior, the interior has also been redesigned to feel more like the premium segment SUV it is. Standard equipment include keyless ignition, full leather interior, an 8-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth and a rearview camera.

2. The Range Rover Vogue.

Yep, that’s the Range Rover Sport’s bigger brother. Now this one is for the chairmen and business moguls alone. It’s one of very few vehicles that combines super duper off road ability with almost superfluous luxury. Merely stepping into the driver seat and turning on the ignition takes you to a new world, you’d be mesmerized with the super sized digital 12”inch dashboard display in front of you….. and that’s just the beginning. Land Rover finally got it though their head to knock off all those questionable plastic bits in the Vogue so know, it feels finally like the Range Rover it should have been.  There’s not much to say about the Range Rover Vogue that hasn’t already been said. Just that if I ain’t over 50years, I have no idea what can make me pick the Range Rover Vogue over the Sport; but hey, that’s just one 21 year old’s opinion.

3.  The Mercedes Benz GL Class.

This supersized Merc is as good as they come. Premium quality and performance as expected with any German automobile; as well as seven very comfortable adult sized seats ‘even in the third row’ are part of the GL offers. The base GL available here is the GL 450 with a twin turbo 4.7Litre good for 375hp “280kW’ mated to a permanent 4WD seven speed automatic transmission. Upgrade to the GL 550 and you get a more powerful version of the 4.7litre V8 with 430hp “320kW”  Driving the Mercedes Benz GL is definitely an experience one doesn’t forget too quickly, the plush leather, the commanding driving position, the flood of tech-gadgets making sure your drive is a memorable one, the avalanching feeling of comfort and satisfaction; there’s really nothing you’re looking for in a family hauler that isn’t available in the GL. Some say that driving the GL is almost like driving an S Class with a raised ride; now that's high praise.

4. The Mercedes Benz M Class.

The Mercedes M Class is to me, the around town cruiser for those who don’t want a GL. With a starting price of N16Mill, it still is on the expensive side but aren’t they all. I should note that the Audi Q7 which is a much bigger SUV also starts at N16Mill while the similar sized 2013 Volkswagen Touareg starts at N13Mill. These vehicles also offer as much value and are also every inch as refined as the Merc, their only problem, they ain’t Mercs… and on that note I rest my case. I love the M Class and this new one takes luxury cruising to the next level

5. The Ford Edge XLT.

Now this is an SUV for those who still want something that looks good and drives comfortably without having to empty their bank accounts. It isn’t exactly in the same group as any of the aforementioned haulers but it definitely is still a crowd attracter. One thing I love about Ford’s these days is how they manage to make their vehicles look so sexy while keeping the prices far beyond reasonable. It’s no wonder their sales rose by 33% over last year in Nigeria. The 2013 Ford Edge is without a doubt one of the most reasonably priced midsized SUV’s in the market, and with a starting price in the range of N8Mill, one of the most affordable too.

Sedans.

Here’s a more responsible list for those who don’t have eight digits to blow on just one vehicle. The beauty of sedans is that they evoke just as much character as SUV”s as long as you get the right ones.

1.) 2014 Toyota Camry.

The 2014 Camry at the Lagos Auto Show

Well you know that there’s no way we could do this list without 9ja’s favorite car. The Toyota Camry is and would always continue to be the most used vehicle in Nigeria. Be it the famed 98 Muscle, or the 05 Camry or the 2010 model, our love for Camry can never die; which is why the Camry still has the highest retail value in Nigeria. For 2014, Toyota totally redesigned the Camry to look more mature “something a lot of young people wouldn't be too happy about”, yeah now the new look would appeal to those over 45 years of age but for those below 40, the new Camry appears bland and distasteful. Whichever way, I doubt this would affect the Toyota’s sales much because  60% of new Camry buyers are over 45. Still the 2014 is a respectable car and though it’s not what a unigidi student would want to bring to campus, it would definitely blend in any corporate and social scene it finds itself. I hear this new Camry goes for about N7.4Mill if you’re going for the leather option.

2.)  2013 Honda Accord.

Sorry, this ride was just coming out of storage

The Honda Accord for 2013 has been totally redesigned. It also features a new mature look that appears both bold and subtle at the same time. Irrespective of what angle you look at it from, Honda definitely did a good job with the redesign of the Honda Accord; they definitely did a better job than Toyota with the Camry because even with its grown up look, it didn’t lose any of its youthful cues. The new Honda Accord dubbed  in 9ja as “king of the jungle” is definitely hunting to take the sedan jungle crown, Toyota better watch out. The base model costs N5.5Mill as at Sept last year while the full option which was N6.5Mill came with full leather, a small touchscreen interface and a rearview camera.

3.)  The 2013 Volkswagen CC.

Known last year as the Passat CC, this new CC is definitely putting the B in Beautiful!!! I first came across the now Old 2011 CC while I was doing my internship at Stallion Motors and I was really impressed. This new one however has broken the threshold for attraction. Chai!!! I’m 100% sure nobody would see the new CC without turning around for a 2^nd look. The CC is just that good looking and even better. From the redesigned front and rear fascia to the soft touch suede interior, the CC is now doubt beautiful endowed. Power comes from a 1.8litre turbo 4 good for 170hp “127kW”; or a 2.0 litre with 200hp if you import it from America. Whichever of the two, this power is mated to a very economic  7speed automatic transmission.. If you’re a fan of the Mercedes CLS, but you cant afford to shell out the N18Mill required, the CC can easily fill in for you… It’s that good. What’s that they call it again? Oh yeah; A coupe with 4 doors.

4.) The 2013 Ford Fusion

Back in the days, when one mentioned Fords in Nigeria, the response usually ended with a cold shudder. Ford was just one of those car companies we knew existed but had no clue as to what cars they make. Well, fast track to 2011 and you’d barely believe it’s the same brand. Ever since Ford came back to Nigeria with their newly redesigned chest of vehicles, they’ve been capturing the hearts of Nigerians by storm and even threatening to crack Toyota’s firm ground in the auto-market. And that’s what the Fusion is here to do. It brings in it’s stable, strong heritage, a powerful fuel efficient engine and looks so cool, you’d might mistake it for something European. Oh and I should add, it’s also one of the most affordable midsized sedans in Nigeria.

5. The 2014 Toyota Corolla.

I shared pics of the upcoming 2014 Corolla sometimes last year. If you missed it check it here. Then I shared info which showed that there would be two different specs for the Corolla, the more stylish North American spec and the European Spec and given that the European Spec looked very much like the 2014 Camry, I was pretty sure that was the Spec coming to 9ja. And finally here it is; priced at roughly N5Mill, the 2014 Corolla looks like a trimmed down junior to the Camry, the rearlights are almost identical and so are the side skirts. But down to the question as to why to get the Corolla, the answer is simple, 1. It’s a Toyota, 2. Exclusivity; if you get it now, you’d definitely be among the first people to have it.

And that ends it on our Trendy 2014 rides.