A shiny new sports utility vehicle is certainly on most people’s wishlist, and the vehicle type has seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years.
While a BMW X5 with M Sport package or a rugged-looking new Land Rover Defender are top contenders, there cars start at well over R1 million.
This begs the question: what type of new SUV do you get for your money locally if your budget is below this?
To find out, we picked four new models at varying price points:
- R250,000
- R500,000
- R750,000
- R1,000,000
These vehicles are detailed below.
R250,000 – Mahindra XUV300
At R250,000 the options for a new SUV are quite limited, but a standout entry is the Mahindra XUV300
Coming in at a starting price of R249,999 the Mahindra offers a range of features, along with high-end safety – taking home the award for safest SUV in the compact SUV segment, awarded by the Global New Car Assessment Programme.
The Mahindra is a reasonably sized entry-level SUV that is fitted with either a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine that produce 81kW and 86kW of power and 200Nm and 300Nm of torque, respectively.
Notable features include:
- Seven airbags
- Hill hold assist
- Leatherette seats
- Rear parking camera
- Front parking sensors
- Dual-zone climate control
A 5-year/150,000km warranty and a 5-year/90,000 km service plan is offered with the XUV300.
R500,000 – Nissan X-Trail
Doubling your budget opens a wide array of options.
However, if you were hoping for German engineering you would need deeper pockets still.
At R498,700 a popular pick for a new SUV is the Nissan X-Trail 2.5 Acenta 4WD CVT.
The Acenta is driven by a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 126kW of power and 233Nm of torque.
Power is then put down to all wheels through Nissan’s Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission.
Notable features include:
- Hill control support
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Limited slip differential
- Advanced drive-assist display
- Automatic hazard warning signal
With Nissan Assured, you will receive a 3-year/90,000km service plan and a 6-year/150,000km warranty.
R750,000 – VW Tiguan
At three quarters of a million rand, you can expect to start cracking the high-end market.
The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Highline – with a starting price of R709,900 – is up there in terms of luxury and practicality.
Featuring a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a maximum output of 162kW and 350Nm of torque, it is paired with a 7-speed automatic DSG gearbox.
This sends power to all the wheels via its 4Motion system.
The R-Line trim specification can then be added for an additional R22,500, which brings along several cosmetic upgrades, while staying below our budget.
Notable features include:
- Voice control
- Hill descent control
- 8-inch media display
- Keyless locking and start
Volkswagen offers a 3-year/120,000 km warranty and a 5-year/90,000 km service plan when buying your Tiguan.
R1,000,000 – Porsche Macan
A million rand is not a small amount of money to spend on a car, no matter which way you spin it.
So you would expect nothing but the best – and the Porsche Macan aims to deliver this.
With a starting price of R1,019,000, the Macan features a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 185kW of power and 370Nm of torque – which is then paired with a 7-speed double-clutch PDK transmission.
This allows you to go from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and reach a top speed of 227km/h.
Notable features include:
- Automatic boot lid
- Lane departure warning
- Real-time traffic information
- Three-zone automatic climate control
- 10.9-inch touch display with Porsche Connect
The R1,019,000 option of the Macan comes with a 3-year Porsche driveplan.
Keyword: Buying a new SUV in South Africa – What you get for your money