Cheap Suv Cars In South Africa, Price, Reviews And Buying Guide

A Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and a four-wheel-drive system.

Sport Utility Vehicles are hugely popular in South Africa as they offer higher levels of practicality while also offering improved travel ability. 

The popularity of these SUVs is on the rise worldwide and especially in Africa. The following are the cheapest SUVs in South Africa and their prices. The prices stated here are accurate as of September 2021.

Suzuki Vitara Brezza 1.5 GL 

Brand new Suzuki Vitara Brezza

R264,900

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is available in three dual-tone colour options which are sizzling red with midnight black roof, torque blue with midnight black roof and granite grey with autumn orange roof.

Some of its features include projector headlamps with LED DRLs, a new grille, new 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, LED tail-lights and a revised rear bumper for freshness. The rear also gets LED taillights and a slightly restyled rear bumper. The vehicle gets fabric upholstery with an all-black theme also with the leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming IRVM and the SmartPlay infotainment system.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is usually powered by a 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine that produces 103 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. It is also usually offered with a five-speed manual transmission and an automatic transmission with Smart Hybrid technology but buyers can opt for the 4-speed automatic. The Brezza is offered in base GL guise or in GLX trim.

Suzuki recently welcomed the new Vitara Brezza to its local range and it is currently the most affordable compact SUV on sale in South Africa. Think of it as a smaller, more compact version of the brand’s Vitara family car.

Nissan Magnite 1.0 Turbo Acenta CVT

Brand new Nissan Magnite

R280,100

The Nissan Magnite SUV has been launched in South Africa and boasts of best-in-class and first-in-segment features. With its powerful performance and striking good looks, the Nissan Magnite is already making waves in the South African SUV market and is set to rock the world of all who get behind its wheel. The Magnite features some of the most advanced technologies ever built into a crossover and the base model Magnite, as well as the top model Magnite, comes standard with safety, comfort, convenience and performance features which would typically only be found in vehicles priced at a much higher price point.

With a name that combines the words “magnetic” and “ignite”, this cheap SUV will both attract new fans to the Nissan brand.

The Nissan’s first sub-4-meter SUV in South Africa, the Magnate is perfectly suited for the urban adventures the cities have to offer. It is both a great family SUV for those who need an economical option for city traffic but also a safe and secure SUV for those who enjoy long or short distance family holiday road trips.

Nissan’s Magnate is equipped with a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine delivering 74 kW and 152 pound-feet of torque. Buyers have the choice between a 5-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Kia Sonet 1.5 LX CVT 

Brand new Kia Sonet

R290,995

The new Kia Sonet has arrived in South Africa and is offered with two trim levels which are the LX and EX and is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 85 kW and 144 pound-feet of torque.  The engine can be had in either a 6-speed manual or a CVT gearbox. Kia South Africa has noted that a 1.0-litre turbo petrol model will be available towards the end of 2021.

Some of the exterior highlights of the Kia Sonet include a tiger-nose grille, full LED headlamps, projector fog lights, the 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, a rear diffuser, and LED taillights. Inside, the model receives a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system, UVO connectivity, sunroof, ventilated front seats, LED sound mood lighting, drive and traction modes, wireless charging with cooling function, and an air purifier. The Sonet is equipped with safety features such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, VSM, hill-start-assist, and brake assist.

Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XS  

Brand new Toyota Urban Cruiser

R294,800

The Toyota Urban Cruiser came to market as a result of a product share agreement between Suzuki and Toyota and it is essentially a re-badged Vitara Brezza with just some minor differences in styling and feature specification. The Urban Cruiser is powered by the same naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine as found in the Suzuki Vitara Brezza with outputs of 77 kW and 138 Nm and is equipped with a 4-speed automatic shifter. The Urban Cruiser range is offered in XI, XS and XR trim.

The Urban Cruiser is the latest model to be introduced under the Toyota-Suzuki joint venture.

The fascia is featured with dual-chamber LED projector headlamps with chrome accents which are complemented by a two-slat wedge cut front grille with chrome surround and grey finish. Moreover, the LED fog lamps also get chrome accents. To further enhance the style quotient, the vehicle gets dual function LED DRLs and turn indicators in the headlamps. As for the sides, the compact SUV gets gunmetal grey coloured roof rails and 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.

The dashboard is adorned by a seven-inch Smart Playcast touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Urban Cruiser gets premium dark fabric seats along with a refreshing dual-tone interior theme. Additionally, the Toyota’s compact SUV offers a sliding armrest with storage in the front, along with four-door speakers and two tweeters, an upper cooled glove box, and five-colour combi meter vibe lights.

Hyundai Venue 1.0T Motion 

Brand new Hyundai Venue

R347,500

The Hyundai Venue is a subcompact crossover SUV that is manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer, Hyundai. Derived from the platform of the Accent, it was Hyundai’s smallest crossover globally prior to the introduction of the Casper.

Hyundai’s stylish Venue came to market late in 2019 and it has been a popular choice in the compact SUV market ever since. The Venue makes use of a turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine with 88 kW and 172 pound-feet of torque driving the front wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission.

There is one key feature in this car and that is the fact that it comes with an electric sunroof. There is also an 8-inch touchscreen given for infotainment and a climate control having the dual-zone technology, also a lovely sound system. The front seats are ventilated and these are powered too. There is one wireless charging portal and there is a smart boot that is hands-free. The car has superb safety measures as well such as the six airbags it provides.

Haval H2 1.5 City

Brand new Haval H2

R329,900

The facelifted Haval H2 arrived in South Africa earlier this year with revised styling and interior upgrades. The H2 is powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo-petroleum engine with peak outputs of 105 horsepower and 202 pound-feet of torque and is mated with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Haval H2 also provides you with a top-level, all-round safety guarantee. In the event of accidents, the airbags deploy promptly to immediately relieve the impact forces applied on the front and side of the driver/front passenger and thus minimize the harm to the driver/front passenger.

There is a real-time automatic constant temperature control that realizes the zone temperature regulation for the driver seat and front passenger seat to build a constant and fresh interior environment.

Buying Guide for Cheap SUVs in South Africa

These are the things to consider before buying an SUV at all. They include;

1. SEATING: Almost all SUVs carry at least five people. Some midsized and full-sized models add a third-row seat that increases the passenger capacity to six, seven, or eight. This does not mean that some three-row SUVs do not have limited cargo space. Some do when the third-row seats are upright. Most third-row seats can fold flat when not in use, or nearly so, opening up additional luggage space.
2. CARGO: The SUV’s dynamic seating configurations mean that all the space behind the front seats is available for cargo with the second-and third-row seats folded down. You should look out for seats that fold flat to get the most out of the space. SUVs usually have a higher cargo floor than minivans, which can make loading heavy objects difficult. However, most offer power-operated, hands-free liftgates, making it easier to access the cargo bay.
3. SAFETY FEATURES: Safety features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and blind spot warning are crash-avoidance technologies that should be standard on all vehicles.
4. 2WD vs. AWD vs. 4WD: Most car-based SUVs use a front-drive platform and are available with all-wheel drive. AWD and 4WD provide power to all wheels, but even though they sound similar, they are not exactly the same thing. AWD is a lighter-duty system that stays permanently engaged. It is usually fine for typical adverse weather conditions and tackling dirt roads. SUVs with traditional 4WD are quite rare. They usually have robust low-range gearing for tackling difficult off-road terrain, such as rocks or steep dirt hills.
5. TOWING: SUVs offer much more towing capacity than any other vehicles. Most full-sized models can tow up to 9,000 pounds while some powerful midsized models can pull as much as 5,000 pounds. Therefore, buyers should look at the tow-capacity rating and be sure they get a vehicle that can comfortably handle the load they need to tow. Midsized and larger SUVs often require an optional tow package to reach that maximum rating.