Motoring18.11.2024

Most powerful cars under R500,000

By Myles Illidge

South African motorists looking for an affordable car with decent performance have several options available to them, with Chinese brands like GWM, Chery, Proton, and BAIC offering some of the most powerful cars under R500,000.

MyBroadband looked for the most powerful cars you can buy in South Africa for less than that price point and found a range of options with plenty of power.

The most powerful car you can buy new in the country for less than R500,000 is GWM’s (formerly Haval’s) H6 2.0GDIT Premium, which costs R492,050.

The petrol-powered crossover SUV produces up to 150kW of power and 320nm of torque, and has a claimed fuel efficiency figure of 7.4ℓ/100km.

However, its power figure is just one kilowatt more than that of the next-most powerful option: the Mahindra XUV700 2.0AT AX5.

The Mahindra produces 149kW of power and 380nm of torque. It carried a price tag of R495,199. Unfortunately, Mahindra doesn’t specify fuel consumption figures for the XUV700 2.0AT AX5.

The most expensive options are the Chery Tiggo7 Pro Max 1.6TGDI 290T Premium, Proton X90 1.5T Standard, and GAC GS3 Emzoom 1.5T Executive, which are all priced at R499,900.

The Chery is the third-most powerful option, with 145kW and 290nm of torque. The carmaker claims a fuel consumption figure of 7.0ℓ/100km.

The Proton X90 1.5T Standard produces up to 140kW of power and 255nm of torque, with a claimed fuel consumption figure of 6.8ℓ/100km.

The GAC GS3 Emzoom 2.5T Executive has the best fuel consumption figure of all vehicles listed at 6.2ℓ/100km. It has a maximum power figure of 130kW and produces up to 270nm of torque.

GWM’s Jolion Pro 1.5T S Ultra Luxury features similar power statistics to the GAC. However, it consumes around 7.5ℓ/100km and is slightly more affordable at R495,950.

The most affordable option included is BAIC’s Beijing X55 Plus 1.5T Dynamic at R429,900. It produces up to 130kW of power and 305nm of torque with a fuel consumption figure of 7.7ℓ/100km.

Motorists who prefer powerful diesel-powered vehicles can choose between the LDV T60 2.0TD Double Cab Elite and the Mahindra Scorpio-N 2.2D Z4.

Not much separates the two regarding price, with the Mahindra priced at R487,999 and the LDV at R480,000.

Mahindra’s Scorpio-N 2.2D Z4 produces up to 129kW of power and has the highest peak torque figure at 400nm. The carmaker doesn’t specify a fuel consumption figure for the SUV.

The LDV T60 Double Cab Elite two-litre diesel engine produces 120kW and 375nm. It consumes 8.5ℓ/100km on average.

Listed below are the 10 most powerful cars you can buy in South Africa for less than R500,000. They are listed in descending order in terms of max power figures.