Got a spare KSh 5.2 mil? 2012 Porsche Cayenne or 2012 Toyota Prado VX?
So I was chatting to my cousin the other day on whatsapp, and this guy, he is a professional dude, young, smart, sharp, you know the type, so I told him hey I think your next car should be a Porsche Cayenne! He replies… “no I will get a Prado.” I said ermm what? Maybe he thought I said Pajero? I repeated. “Porsche Cayenne?!” He said “yea but no I will be getting a Prado. With a bulbar.”
Got me thinking. For the same outlay, why would anyone pick a Toyota Prado over a similar age German pedigree Porsche Cayenne? I thought i would jot down a few thoughts. I did some quick math. Low kilometer, high specification versions of the 2012 Prado VX and the 2012 Cayenne can both be had for around KSh 5.2 million. What would you get?
These are the approximate stats:
Maintenance: The Prado would be cheaper to maintain than the Cayenne, that’s for sure. Prado spare parts are readily available and relatively cheap, especially if you shop around. Plus the mechanics in Kenya are used to working on them. The Cayenne? Well you wont have too many options, just the dealer in Nairobi probably, unless you get your stuff online. Service for the Prado would be a third of the cost of servicing the Cayenne. Everything would just be a whole lot cheaper for the Prado. You crack the headlight on the Prado? No worries, its not the end of the world. Don’t crack the headlight on the Cayenne.
Prado: 1 Cayenne: 0
Daily Drive: One thing to factor in, that’s goes hand in hand with maintenance, is how you are going to use the car. If you are planning on doing many kilometers a year, travelling up and down, Machakos one day, Kakamega the other, Mara in between, then you better get the Prado. You will be covering many kilometers on less than ideal roads, which will translate to increased service intervals and part replacements.
The Cayenne, even though capable, would not be the best car for that lifestyle. BUT if you were going to limit your activities to around the city, with occasional trips on smooth roads, then the Cayenne would work well. It can handle Nairobi’s potholes just fine don’t worry. Its good enough off-road and can be driven hard everyday but it just means you would have to service it and replace parts more often (= expensive). The fuel consumption is interesting, you would think the Prado would excel here… but turns out the Cayenne is marginally better, probably thanks to the 8-speed transmission.
Prado: 2 Cayenne: 0
Performance: A no-brainer. The Cayenne is the Porsche of the SUVs. If you are an enthusiast, then you will appreciate the physics defying dynamics of the Cayenne. Saying that, the 4.0L petrol Prado has a respectable amount of power, similar figures to those of the V8 petrol full size Landcruiser while weighing in at a few hundred kilos lighter. It’s no Cayenne though. (But do dynamics matter in Nairobi traffic?)
Prado: 2 Cayenne: 1
Prestige: You want to look cool? You want people to look at you? You want people to know you have style? Two words. Porsche. Cayenne.
Every Tom, Dick and Harry in Nairobi has a Prado. If you don’t believe me and you are reading this outside in a public place, please just look up and count how many Prados you can see right now. I bet its at least 3. Actually no… 5… There must be at least 5 Prados where you are right now.
Prado: 2 Cayenne: 2
Design & Features: These days, regardless of the manufacturer, modern cars come with a lot of kit as standard and if it is not standard then you can get it as an option. This rings true for this pair. Build quality is arguable, they are targeting different audiences here. What is build quality? Is an interior with presentable yet durable plastics better than one with soft leather, exotic materials coupled with perfect fit and finish? You see.
But rest assured the Porsche is more luxurious. Its just more premium in every way and more technologically advanced than the Prado. It has that German attention to detail in its design and execution. There is a reason why the entry level Cayenne costs twice what the entry level Prado cost when new. They keep different companies these two… if they were in high school together they wouldn’t be hanging around in the same circles… you know what I mean?
Prado: 3 Cayenne: 3
Reliability: I couldn’t find that much data on reliability, but one site had the Cayenne at 3.5 out of 5 stars and another at 65%, which is average. But these things are subjective. Safe to say that the Cayenne is reliable (it certainly isn’t “unreliable”), but the Prado is more reliable and dependable. And we all already knew that. Toyotas are well known for their durability.
Prado: 4 Cayenne: 3
Verdict: The points tally was just a bit of fun. The truth is that the Toyota Landcruiser Prado is great all-rounder, it does everything well. It looks decent, it is comfortable, it is cheap(er) to maintain, it is reliable, it is capable and it wont draw too much negative attention. Its not the fastest, most dynamic SUV out there but it does what it was designed to do. The fact that it is one of the top selling SUVs in many countries speaks volumes. The Cayenne does not have the same breath of ability as the Prado, not in Kenya at least.
The Cayenne, however, is the benchmark for sporty SUVs. Its ability to blend sports car dynamics with SUV practicality is outstanding. When the first generation Cayenne was launched in 2003, it turned the SUV world upside down. In recent years, efforts from SUVs like the Mercedes GLE, BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport (its high school buddies btw) have tried to close the gap, with the X5 coming closest. But the Cayenne still leads the pack. It’s a different car for a different market, but I think it still has a place in a country like Kenya.
I know which one I would pick…*
In the comments, tell me what you would go for (and how many Prados did you count?)
* Please ignore everything I have said… be smart and get the Prado. The D-4D diesel Prado to be precise.