8 Top Budget-Friendly SUV Cars

8 Top Budget-Friendly SUV Cars From Japan

To have a sports utility SUV (sports utility vehicle), can be cheaper than you think. Some of the famous SUV vehicles in this line are 4X2 and 4X4, and such kind of vehicles will cost heavily in the market. However, some modest version can be bought for an affordable price. Here are a list and comparison of SUV Japanese used cars (2015) that will help you find budget-friendly SUV cars. Check out the models below and consider the possibility of having one of these in your garage.

Renault Duster

The first Renault SUV was released in October 2011. By the end of 2013 they started manufacturing SUV vehicles for an affordable price, that is, less than $25000. The entry SUV model offers 4X2 drive, 1.6 engine, 16V Hi-Flex, 110/115 horsepower and five-speed gears. In addition, the car also features electric locks, air conditioning, and power steering.

Chery Tiggo

Chery Tiggo, one of the most famous car manufacturers in the world, has introduced their first initial model SUV for an affordable price. The car has four wheel drive, 2.0, 16V engine and 135 horsepower. Some of the appealing features of this model are the ABS brake system, alloy wheels, and the LED lights. Last year, they had introduced the automatic version of this car with four-speed for a price of about $28000.

Lifan X60

Lifan X60 is one of the cheapest SUV available in the market. They are accessible for around $23000 with 1.8-liter VVT engine equipped with four cylinders in cross line, makes 128 horsepower. The volume of the dicky is around 405 liters.

Ford Ecosport

One of the best-selling SUVs in the world, the Ford EcoSport is still among the cheapest in its class seven after undergoing a complete renovation in 2012. The price of this vehicle with 1.6 engine flex will only cost around $28000. The new generation model comes equipped with electric steering, air-conditioning, front glass, locks and mirrors, SYNC multimedia system with voice commands and Bluetooth, dual airbag, ABS brake lights with LEDs with all series.

Mitsubishi Pajero Tr4

The entry model of Pajero TR4 2014 costs around $35000. Some of the highlights of this model are the engine with 16V, 2.0 flex, with strength up to 140 horses, power steering, air conditioning, power Windows, locks and mirrors, CD player with MP3 and Bluetooth and dual airbag. The traditional 4X4 traction of the Pajero was reduced to 4 in this version to make it commercially competitive.

Hyundai Tucson

It is possible to have a Hyundai Tucson for an affordable price. The car is available with 2.0 16 V engines, with 145 horsepower and traction 4X2.

Suzuki Grand Vitara

The Grand Vitara is Suzuki’s flagship. The 2013 model has 4 wheel drive, manual gear, and gasoline motor with four cylinders, 2.0 16V, and 140 horsepower.

Chevrolet Captiva

Captiva is the feeling of Chevrolet SUVs. The Ecotec version comes equipped with the four-cylinder engine, 2.4 petrol, 16V, direct injection and 185 horsepower. The model has a six-speed transmission and the largest one among the reasonably priced SUV.

Toyota ist vs Honda Fit: Which One’s the Best Super Mini?

Toyota ist vs Honda Fit: Which One’s the Best Super Mini?

The Toyota Ist and Honda Fit are adorable super minis that have been becoming popular in the used car market day by day. The young people are the main customers of these subcompact cars as they fit all the criteria to be the first car of a college student or a young couple – smaller size, smart features, easy to park, and budget-friendly. Let’s take a look at a comparison of Toyota ist vs Honda Fit.

Honda Fit vs Toyota Ist: An Introduction

The Honda Fit is a production of the Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda. It first entered the market in 2001 and since then has been one of the most popular subcompact cars. It is a five-door hatchback that shares the design of the company’s global small-car platform.

On the other hand, the Toyota Ist is a production of the Japanese automobile company Toyota. It first came to the Japanese market in 2001 and was later exported to various international markets including the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

The Ist is a multi-use compact car that features the style of an SUV and the roominess of a wagon. It used the Vitz as the base model but was able to create its own fan base because of its functionality and enhanced safety features.

Toyota Ist vs Honda Fit Comparison

Appearance & Comfort

If you compare the looks of Toyota Ist vs Honda Fit, both the cars will score almost the same. The Ist looks attractive with its SUV-like styling on the outside and a roomy interior with boldly rounded edges.

On the contrary, the Fit dons a playful look with its sporty demeanor and stylish exterior. Fit’s interior is vinyl, just like the Ist, but has a better duo tone finish. However, the Fit wins the comfort division with its multiple seating arrangements suitable for accommodating bigger and taller passengers and holding more cargo.

Both the cars provide standard safety features including anti-locking brakes (ABS) and airbags (SRS).

Engine Performance

The Toyota Ist features a 1NZ-FE VVTi while the Honda Fit comes with a GD3 L15A VTEC 1.5L engine. Both the small engines deliver big on performance, acceleration, pulling power, and fuel economy despite their limited capacities.

The Ist’s engine features the double overhead camshaft lobes (DOHC) toprovide high engine power and practical fuel economy.

On the other hand, the Fit’s single overhead camshaft (SOHC) ensures fuel efficiency and provides better low engine power at low revolutions. Its CVT improves engine response and makes acceleration smoother.

Handling

The road performance of both the cars is excellent despite their subcompact sizes. They have an independent suspension that is good for high-performance driving, taking U-turns, and turning into the corners. They also hold well on uneven, bumpy roads.

Both the cars are reliable, well built, and have standard technical features. However, the Toyota Ist vs Honda Fit comparison makes it clear that the Fit provides better comfort and amenities while the Ist has higher resale value because of its cheaper and easily available parts.

The Fit appeals to young people more who are a sucker for advanced and entertainment features and like to have an adrenaline rush on roads. However, the Ist is for mature people and small families for its resale price and value for money.

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Do You Really Know Everything About Mercedes Benz?

10 Mercedes Benz Facts That Will Make You Go WOW

Everyone wants to know new facts about Mercedes Benz. To fulfill our readers’ expectations, here we publish 10 Mercedes Benz facts. We collected these Mercedes Benz facts from reliable sources. So, you would feel happy and educated while reading these Mercedes facts. So, start reading to know 10 most interesting facts about Mercedes Benz.

10 Interesting Mercedes Benz Facts:

1. The first petrol powered Mercedes vehicle was made by Karl Benz, the Mercedes-Benz co-founder. His fiancée, Bertha, had to invest in the project as a part of the prevailing marriage law.

2. Back in 2005, the automaker released 3 models of bicycles: the Mercedes-Benz Carbon Bike, The Fitness Bike, and the Trailblazer Bike. In future, Mercedes plans to release more sophisticated bicycles.

3. The Pope rides a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV, with added features like oxygen system and bullet-proof glass. Mercedes has a reputation for supplying cars for VIPs with extra features.

4. Mercedes claimed the 30th place in a Fortune 100 “Best Companies to Work For” ranking in 2013. This proves that the splendid car maker also follows an employee friendly scheme.

5. The Mercedes-Benz 600 model is quite famous among celebrities. Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Hugh Hefner, Jack Nicholson, Coco Chanel, Aristotle Onassis, Fidel Castro, and Elizabeth Taylor owned this iconic model.

6. The Mercedes star symbolizes air, land, and sea. You can find the star in all Mercedes cars, on the hood.

7. The Mercedes motto is: “Das Beste oder Nichts” which literally means – “the best or nothing”. Indeed, they are one of the best carmakers in the world.

8. A billionaire from Abu Dhabi placed an order for a custom made Mercedes-Benz with a gold decorated exterior. White gold worth $2.5 million was used to complete the whole body work. That means the whole exterior was covered with gold.

9. It doesn’t matter how old is a Mercedes car there’s no room for squeak or rattle. Mercedes-Benz welds all of its vehicles in 10,000 different places to make sure no nuts or bolts get loose.

10. There is a sculptor of Mercedes-Benz 240 Diesel at Kinden Park Cemetery in New Jersey. The monument was made to remember the demise of a Mercedes enthusiast who died young. The brother of the dead, David, kept no stone unturned to make sure the monument resembles the actual vehicle and its every detail. In 1970, it cost $500,000 to complete work of this monument.

So, what do you think about these Mercedes facts? Feel free to share your opinion with us.

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Mitsubishi Outlander vs Subaru Forester: Which sports utility is a better deal?

Sports utility cars are the trending favorites among the customers these days. Talking about the particular segment in modern times, the names like Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Forester has to be raised. Well, the best part about these cars is that these offer high-end family appeal, at the same time fitting well with the sports utility segment. However, we are not here to talk about the similarities. So, without making any further delay, take a peek at the Mitsubishi Outlander vs Subaru Forester comparative analysis is given below.

Mitsubishi Outlander Over View

Being one of the oldest and best effort lines of Mitsubishi, the Outlander is one of the sportier cars in the compact SUV segment. The car was first published in 2001 as Mitsubishi Airtrek in Japan; and adopted “Outlander” in 2006 in all markets. Mitsubishi Outlander is currently in the third generation and has achieved 1.5 million unit sold by Oct 2016.

Subaru Forester Over View

Introduced in Japan Motor Show in 1995 and only until 1997 that Forester started to compete in the market. The car is currently in the fourth generation since from 2012 with some remarkable concepts like Forester XTI, Mountain Rescue Vehicle, and X Mode.

Mitsubishi Outlander vs Subaru Forester

Performance:

The very first thing that an investor looks for its sports utility vehicle is its performance. Hence, this round of Subaru Forester vs Mitsubishi Outlander comparison is obvious to be most interesting one. Forester engine performs smooth and tranquil for even off-road and speeds up rapidly compare to its competitor. Outlander, in the other hands, is likely a relaxing cruise but still running strong on poor road surfaces.

Fuel economy:

Fuel economy surely isn’t the first priority of an SUV’s owner. However, better fuel consumption also means greener to earth and less money for yourself. At this field, we found Outlander slightly frugal for most of the run test. Fuel tank capacity is as well undoubtedly one of the crucial parameters for a sports utility vehicle. To compare Forester vs Outlander, obviously, for it’s bigger frame; the Outlander has to possess greater fuel tank capacity.

Handling and comfort:

From the every first Forester, this car was made with the ability to dig into all corners; encourages you to explores as much as you can. Subaru keeps this trait as the inheritance, and all later Subaru Foresters are still running one of the best off-roaders in its segment.

On the contrary, Outlander is a bit more focus on passengers, as both front-row and the second-row seats offer more space for more comfort. Road and engines noise are well-blocked, too. Thou there is no match to Forester, Outlander surprisingly found good handling and well balancing up to rough surfaces.

Pricing

If comparing the same made years, then Forester is a better price in our stock list. Take 2005 made as an example. We have used Subaru Forester 2005 started from roundly $2,050, and Used Mitsubishi Outlander is around $2,780. Remember, our sales assistant are always there to help!

Mitsubishi Outlander vs Subaru Forester Finale

It’s actually a hard job to say which is better. Both Mitsubishi Outlander vs Subaru Forester have their strong points and none is too bad in particular. If you are that type of people who loves wet roads, dirt tracks, lots of mud, then Forester is the winner. If you prefer comfort and spacious, Outlander surely does the job.

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A COMPARISON BETWEEN TOYOTA RUNX AND ALLEX

A COMPARISON BETWEEN JAPANESE TOYOTA RUNX AND ALLEX.

The classiest automobile company Toyota started launching its ‘’Corolla” series in 1966. The name Corolla stands for “crown”; and it eventually became the best-selling car around the globe. The Corolla line has successfully managed to grab a spot in best-selling annual sales since 1974. In fact, nearly forty million cars have been sold till now. Let us give you a brief comparison of Toyota Allex vs RunX. These are the famous twin in Corollas family.

Toyota RunX Over View

While expanding their brand into the hatchback market; Toyota took the Corolla design and brought some implementations into it. The earlier model was simply tweaked a little. Toyota thus modified the back storage compartment with an upward-swinging door. The new modifications brought the birth of Corolla FX hatchback; which was later assigned with a new brand name, “Toyota RunX”. The RunX got popular as the Japanese domestic car.

Along with modifying the Corolla into RunX, Toyota produced another car with the same body design. This line was intended to be sold exclusively in Japan. They named it Sprinter, for it was envisioned as a sporty version of Corolla. As well, Sprinter was impressively well-received and gave a tough competitive in the market. Therefore, Toyota decided to collaborate with the US manufacturer General Motors and created a new car; especially targeting the American marketplace.

The Sprinter along with some powerful modifications and alterations in its design got rebadged as Toyota Allex. The car got the popularity after that.

Comparison between Toyota Allex vs RunX

The main difference between the two automobiles is their size. The result between Toyota RunX vs Toyota Allex shows that Allex is a bit more spacious and has a commodious design.

Allex offers slightly better fuel economy on the highway and better cruise control. It also offers a better balance between the engine power and the fuel economy.

RunX, on the other hand, has the better traction control and slip differential.

It is hard to compare between “Toyota RunX Vs Allex”. Both have excellent and handling attributes; as well as very popular throughout their run in both the domestic and international market.

Put it in an easy way, if you’re going go ride with the whole family, go for a Toyota Allex since it has more space, better fuel economy and cruise control.

For a good speedy ride on the highway and exploring places, then Toyota RunX is your better choice with excellent aerodynamics and handling attributes, optional sunroof, front fog lamp and also the Xenon headlight.

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Zim Govt clamps down on foreign-registered cars

Government has drastically cut the duration of stay for foreign-registered vehicles temporarily imported into Zimbabwe by visitors and residents living abroad following abuse of the facility by local car dealers.

Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said government reduced the maximum period under which the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) could permit such vehicles to stay in the country to three months from 12 months with effect from January 1 this year.

 Foreign-registered private vehicles imported into the country by visitors are issued with a temporary import permit by Zimra upon entry. “ . . . beneficiaries of temporary import permits should abide by set conditions, which include, an undertaking to remove the vehicle at the expiry of the temporary import permit and non-disposal of the vehicle within the country, among others, this, however, has not been adhered to,” Chinamasa said in the 2017 National Budget. “Consequently, a significant number of motor vehicles under temporary import permits have not been acquitted, and some end up being disposed onto the local market, resulting in loss of revenue to the fiscus,” the Treasury chief said.


He also highlighted that Zimra was to develop a system that links motor vehicles issued with temporary import permits to the Central Vehicle Registry and the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration in order to deter registration of such motor vehicles. Zimbabwe banned the driving of all imported motor vehicles in transit in November 2010.

However, local car dealers have been allegedly importing foreign-registered cars under the guise that they are temporarily staying during visit only to dispose of them locally without proper documentation to evade taxes and fees.

According to the Zimra website, motor vehicles in transit are not allowed on Zimbabwean roads following amendment of Section 234 of the Customs and Excise Act, which states that motor vehicles in transit must be transported on long-haul carriers with effect from November 1, 2010.


Meanwhile, government is mulling introducing conformity tests for Japanese vehicle imports in a move set top see all car imports being tested before they are allowed into the country. Since introduction of the multiple currency system in 2009, Zimbabweans have resorted to importing second-hand vehicles, mainly from Japan, as they are cheaper than those assembled locally. - See more at Nehanda Radio

Zimra to auction abandoned cars

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has announced that it will auction vehicles that were abandoned at Plumtree Border Post within 30 days, if the owners do not claim them.

Some of the cars have been at the border post — separating Zimbabwe and Botswana — since 2012. Zimra is responsible for assessing, collecting and accounting for revenue on behalf of the State through the Finance ministry as well as facilitating trade and travel by ensuring smooth movement of goods and people through border ports.

The Authority said it has no details of the importers or vehicle owners, according to the Government Gazette general notice 2 of 2017 published on January 6. “It is hereby notified, in terms, of section 39(2) of the Customs and Excise Act (Chapter 23:02), that the following vehicles will be dealt with in terms of section 39(3) and (4) of the Customs and Excise Act (Chapter23:02) if not claimed within 30 days of the publication of this notice in the Gazette. All the vehicles were abandoned at Plumtree Border Post and will be disposed of by auction,” read a notice by acting commissioner general Happias Kuzvinzwa.

The abandoned vehicles include an ERF-E58 Crane truck, 2006 Kia Seddona, 1999 Landrover Freelander, 1996 Toyota Hiace, 2002 Lexus IS200, 2000 LDV 400 Series and a 2004 Lexus GS300, among others. This comes as government has launched a clampdown on foreign-registered vehicles temporarily imported into Zimbabwe by visitors and residents living abroad by drastically cutting their duration of stay in the country following abuse of the facility by local car dealers.

Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said government reduced the maximum period under which Zimra could permit such vehicles to stay in the country to three months from 12 months with effect from January 1, this year.

Foreign-registered private vehicles imported into the country by visitors are issued with a temporary import permit by Zimra upon entry. “…beneficiaries of temporary import permits should abide by set conditions, which include, an undertaking to remove the vehicle at the expiry of the temporary import permit and non-disposal of the vehicle within the country, among others, this, however, has not been adhered to,” Chinamasa said in the 2017 national budget.

“Consequently, a significant number of motor vehicles under temporary import permits have not been acquitted, and some end up being disposed onto the local market, resulting in loss of revenue to the fiscus,” the Treasury chief said. He also highlighted that Zimra was to develop a system that links motor vehicles issued with temporary import permits to the Central Vehicle Registry and the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration Agency in order to deter registration of such motor vehicles. - See more at/Article Source