Your ultimate guide to South Africa's best mid-sized premium SUVs
As with all things in life, there are levels to the sport-utility vehicle (SUV) game.
This week we home in on a popular dimension of the breed: the medium-sized premium category.
With one exception (the Porsche) they represent the middle children of their respective brand portfolios. These cars are neither the smallest nor the largest in the line-up.
And to borrow a line from the famous story about a trio of bears, some might find them to be just right: sizeable without being cumbersome.
Some of them have fire-breathing performance iterations but that is listicle fodder for another day.
Starting with the letter A, we have the delectable Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Using the architecture of the gorgeous Giulia sedan, it offers a similarly plugged-in feel but with the benefit of added ground clearance, all-wheel drive and a roomier hatched rear. R1,217,900 gets you into the 2.0T Veloce Q4, the only model advertised new.
On to Audi, with its conservative but sophisticated Q5. The nameplate celebrates its 16th year of existence in 2024 and is now in its second generation. It followed after the large Q7 and played an important role in expanding audiences for the brand. A mild refresh in 2021 helped stave off wrinkles. While it might be an aesthetic wallflower, excellent refinement levels and superb build quality are areas in which the model excels. Pricing kicks off at R1,018,000 for the 40 TDI Quattro Advanced derivative.
When BMW launched the X3 in 2003, it was the early days of the genre. The premium market favoured sedans and the 3-Series was untouchable as a sales mainstay. Fast-forward two decades and the saloon has waned in popularity.
The production line at the BMW plant in Tshwane saw the X3 replacing the 3-Series in 2018. The Munich firm has cultivated a successful product with the X3 and has been able to price it competitively, thanks to domestic manufacture: at R981,884 for the sDrive18d, it is the least expensive car here.
The Freelander was once the most attainable Land Rover product. That nameplate was retired in 2015 to make way for a new junior: the Discovery Sport. While it might be the cheapest Land Rover, you may find it bizarre that its more posh Range Rover sibling, the Evoque, has a lower base price. An Evoque D200 SE comes in at R1,290,900 while the D200 Dynamic SE version of the Sport costs R1,305,400. Though it is charming, with a trendy aesthetic, stout diesel motor and a plush cabin execution, many customers will find the lofty pricing of the model difficult to palate.
On the opposite end, Toyota's luxury division Lexus has often used value as a major calling card. The NX 250 EX costs R986,800 (a bit more than the base X3), but in standard specification would easily best any of its main Teutonic rivals. The origami-type design may not appeal to all tastes but its smooth drive, rich cabin replete with marvellous details and full list of amenities allow the NX to make a sharp case for itself. This second generation model feels bespoke, unlike its predecessor, which showed far too much kinship with the RAV4.
One of the recent plaudits of the Mercedes-Benz GLC was taking the Premium category win in the 2024 SA Car of the Year competition. It ticks the boxes with plush trappings while its assertive exterior gets reverential glances, as you would want being a Mercedes-Benz owner. You pay the price for that impression of exclusivity the brand is trying to cultivate, though. Starting at R1,265,619; the base GLC 220d 4MATIC Avantgarde is considerably more expensive than either of its direct rivals from Germany. Whether it is superior in execution is a matter of taste.