Affordable SUVs are plentiful in South Africa but they generally lack one important attribute, a powerful engine.
It’s critical to have a bit of grunt under the bonnet of your high-rider as, without it, you quickly start to notice the lack of spirit when that extra passenger gets on board, or those heavy bags are loaded into the boot, or when that trailer is hooked up to the back.
Of course, not everyone can go out and buy whatever SUV they would like with whatever engine suits their needs. Price and performance have a great relationship, whenever one goes up, the other one follows in short stride.
Fortunately, there are several budget-focused brands that have recently entered the affordable SUV arena, including Haval with the H6 and Jolion, Chery with the Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda C5, Mahindra with the all-new XUV700 and Scorpio-N, and BAIC with the Beijing X55.
Tried-and-trusted models are still around, too, such as Mazda’s CX-3 and CX-30, alongside Hyundai’s Grand Creta.
What this boils down to is consumers now have much more to choose from than they did just a few short years ago.
10 most powerful SUVs in South Africa
The 10 vehicles listed below are the most powerful models in South Africa’s crossover and SUV category under R500,000.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
1. Haval H6 2.0GDIT Premium
- Power – 150kW/320Nm
- Fuel consumption – 7.4l/100km
- Price – R479,950
2. Mahindra XUV700 2.0T AX5
- Power – 149kW/380Nm
- Fuel consumption – 8.7l/100km
- Price – R474,999
3. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6TGDI 290T Distinction
- Power – 145kW/290Nm
- Fuel consumption – 7.0l/100km
- Price – R496,900
4. BAIC Beijing X55 1.5T Dynamic
- Power – 130kW/305Nm
- Fuel consumption – 7.2l/100km
- Price – R412,900
5. Haval Jolion 1.5T S Super Luxury
- Power – 130kW/270Nm
- Fuel consumption – 7.5l/100km
- Price – R479,950
6. Mahindra Scorpio-N 2.2D Z4
- Power – 129kW/400Nm
- Fuel consumption – 6.9l/100km
- Price – R465,000
7. Mazda CX-30 2.0 Active
- Power – 121kW/213Nm
- Fuel consumption – 6.6l/100km
- Price – R497,700
8. Hyundai Grand Creta 2.0 Executive
- Power – 117kW/191Nm
- Fuel consumption – 8.5l/100km
- Price – R487,900
9. Omoda C5 230T Tech
- Power – 115kW/230Nm
- Fuel consumption – 6.9l/100km
- Price – R447,900
10. Mazda CX-3 2.0 Active
- Power – 115kW/206Nm
- Fuel consumption – 6.9l/100km
- Price – R390,500
Join the discussion