With the meteoric rise in affordable, front-wheel-drive cars in the past decade, rear-wheel-drive set-ups tend to be reserved expensive sedans and coupes.
If a R700,000 sedan is not an option for you, but you still want to get pushed around by the rear wheels, odds are you’re driving away in a bakkie, SUV, or MPV.
These are not bad alternatives – however, they don’t compare to the handling and performance of rear-wheel-drive sedans and coupes.
What’s on offer in SA
In South Africa, we found the majority of the rear-wheel-drive cars (not SUVs or bakkies) on the lower end of the price spectrum currently consist of Mercedes-Benz and BMW models.
We were also surprised to see that premium vehicles from competing brands – like the Lexus ES – are front-wheel-drive throughout the range.
There is nothing wrong with this, but it is worth taking note of the fact that even spending R1 million on a luxury sedan in 2021 does not guarantee it to be rear-wheel drive.
To help you navigate this minefield of drivetrains, we detailed the cheapest rear-wheel-drive cars from a range of major manufacturers, below.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
BMW 318i
- Price – R697,524
- Power – 115kW/250Nm
- Warranty – 5-year/100,000km BMW Motorplan.
Mercedes-Benz C200 Avantgarde
- Price – R856,080
- Power – 150kW/300Nm
- Warranty – 5-year/100,000km PremiumDrive maintenance plan.
Lexus IS 300h EX
- Price – R871,000
- Power – 164kW/221Nm + e-torque
- Warranty – 7-year/105,000km warranty and maintenance plan, and an 8-year/195,000km hybrid battery warranty.
Jaguar XF D200 S
- Price – R1,035,934
- Power – 150kW/430Nm
- Warranty – 5-year/100,000km Jaguar Care Plan.
Ford Mustang 5.0 GT Fastback
- Price – R1,045,200
- Power – 331kW/529Nm
- Warranty – 4-year/120,000km warranty, 6-year/90,000km service plan, and 3-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assistance.
Toyota GR Supra 3.0T Track
- Price – R1,067,900
- Power – 250kW/500Nm
- Warranty – 3-year/100,000km warranty and a 5-services/100,000km service plan.
Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
- Price – R1,470,000
- Power – 294kW/420Nm
- Warranty – 3-year/100,000km DrivePlan maintenance agreement.
Keyword: Cheapest rear-wheel-drive cars you can buy in South Africa