Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. This is the title of a 1992 book written by American author and relationship counsellor John Gray. It is alluded to often when the two genders, their behavioural patterns and likes and dislikes are compared. But what about cars?
Are men and women polar opposites when it comes to their automotive likes and dislikes? An analysis of search data on AutoTrader pertaining to the first six months of 2021 (January 1 2021 to June 30) reveals that their motoring tastes do differ – but only slightly; it’s certainly not a Mars-Venus scenario.
Thanks to the fact that AutoTrader can provide detail down to variant level search (it’s the only marketplace in South Africa able to do this), it’s possible to determine exactly which models – and indeed which variants – the two genders are after.
Their likes are surprisingly similar. Both genders are massive fans of the Volkswagen brand, for instance – with their top three vehicles all hailing from this manufacturer (albeit it in a slightly different order). Both genders are also firm favourites of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak; it’s their favourite bakkie.
Speaking of bakkies, both genders have three of these vehicles on their top ten list – meaning that these supposedly butch vehicles enjoy the support of both genders. While both genders are fans of the Volkswagen Polo 1.0TSI, it is far more popular with women – quite possibly thanks to the 70kW turbocharged stratified injected (TSI) engine, which is a lightweight, high-power, fuel-efficient four-cylinder traditional combustion engine that deftly balances the conflicting requirements of both power and fuel economy. Not surprisingly, it’s a former International Engine of the Year award winner.
Two other points of difference on the lists are the inclusion of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class C180 (all including Coupe) exclusively on the list of members of the fairer sex and the inclusion of the BMW 3 Series 335i on the list of cars preferred by men. This implies that, while both genders like the two German luxury marques, the ladies lean towards the three-pointed star while the men prefer the Bavarian brand.
Ultimately though, there are many similarities on the two lists – which may well prove that we’re all more similar than previously believed.
Well, certainly when it comes to cars anyway …
Male/female information was sourced using G360.
