SUVs for under R70k

So, you don’t want a boring looking sedan, a hatchback is just too small for the entire family and station wagons are scarce. What you want is an SUV. It has the size, the interior space and most of the time it comes with an all-wheel drive system, and in some cases, a proper 4×4 system with low range, that allows you to go beyond where a normal car would.

Browsing through autotrader.co.za you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of SUVs that can be had for under R70 000. The variety is as diverse as you could ever want.  I only chose 24 examples out of the hordes on offer and managed to pick one from each manufacturer listed at this maximum price point.

For those of you who might not know exactly what the term SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) means or thinks that having an SUV is something invented in the modern era. Allow me to give you quick history lesson. The first time that the term SUV was used in official advertising material was in a sales brochure for the 1974 Jeep Cherokee.

Ford had used the term already in 1966 for their Bronco, but they were taking a bit of a chance as this model at the time was basically a two-door bakkie. Ironically, some 50 years later, Ford’s all-new Bronco has been brought back to live to much acclaim and anticipation, and this model is a proper SUV.

SUVs do sometimes get referred to as crossovers, but a crossover is basically a car with a raised right height, some body cladding for show and in top-of-the-range models, an all-wheel drive system is offered. And just like with SUVs, the term crossover is not as new as we think. American Motors Corporation (AMC) introduced their Eagle in 1979 and in contrast to a SUV, they simply used an existing car platform and threw in an automatic full-time AWD system, just like they do today.

Dive in and have a look, there are offerings from as low as R35 000, and they include models from Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, American and German premium manufacturers. You can choose between automatic and manual transmissions, and petrol and diesel powerplants.

Subaru Forester 2.5 XTEC – 2005 – 230 000 km – Manual – R35 000

Chery Tiggo 2.0 TXE – 2008 – 143 000 km – Manual – R 38 000

Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 GLS – 2006 – 307 000 km – Automatic – R39 900

Toyota RAV4  2.0 3Dr– 1997 – 236 000 km – Manual – R42 000

Kia Sorento 3.8 V6 – 2009 – 200 00 km – Automatic – R46 000

Hyundai Sante Fe 2.4 GLS – 2001 – 220 000 km – Manual – R48 000

Mahindra Scorpio 2.6 GLX – 2007 – 239 000 km – Manual – R49 900

Renault Koleos 2.5 Dynamique – 2009 – 237 000 km – Manual – R51 000

Nissan X-Trail 2.0 – 2003 – 241 000 km – Manual – R51 000

Kia Sportage 2.0 – 2007 – 171 000km – Manual – R51 000

Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Overland – 2009 – 203 000 km – Automatic – R54 000

Land Rover Freelander 2.2 TD4 S – 2007 – 282 000 km – Manual – R55 000

SsangYong Actyon 200 XTDI – 2009 – 101 000 km – Manual – R55 000

GWM H5 2.0 VGT– 2012 – 131 000 km – Automatic – R56 000

Honda CR-V 2.0 RVSI – 2006 – 264 000 km – Manual – R59 000

BMW X5 3.0D – 2006 – 259 000 km – Manual – R59 900

Mercedes-Benz ML 320 – 2001 – 384 000 km – Automatic – R59 900

Ford Territory 4.0 Ghia AWD – 2007 – 162 000 km – Automatic – R60 000

Peugeot 3008 1.6 THP Comfort – 2011 – 102 000 km – Manual – R62 000

Daihatsu Terios 1.5 – 2007 – 149 000 km – Manual – R65 000

Volvo XC90 2.5T – 2005 – 222 000 km – Automatic – R69 900

Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT – 2012 – 199 000 km – Automatic – R70 000

Range Rover Supercharged – 2008 – 270 000 km – Automatic – R70 000

Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI – 2009 – 242 000 km – Automatic – R70 000

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