Top 5 new family SUVs you should take for a test drive

1. Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi SX AWD 8DCT, R914 995

 

Kia's slew of sophisticated SUVs prove that you don't need a German SUV costing over a million bucks if you desire glamour, glitz, and the latest tech and comfort features. The previous Sorento was rather dull but the new one, from the pen of Kia Chief of Design Karim Habib, is a head-turner of note. Every Sorento in the line-up is specified to the rafters too, and its interior design is a stylish and upmarket affair. I am a huge fan of the textured trim inlays that look both modern and classy.

 

 

As the first vehicle to be based on Kia's large SUV platform, the Sorento offers a highly spacious cabin (and a whopping 821 litres of boot space if you stow the third row) with premium-quality materials and excellent ergonomics.

It's powered by the new four-cylinder 2.2-litre Smartstream diesel engine that produces 148kW and 440, and has shed nearly 40 kgs compared to the previous powerplant.

 

 

One of the Sorento's many party tricks is its unique Blindspot Monitor (with Blindspot Collision Avoidance Assist, see above) that displays the view of oncoming traffic behind you in the 12.3-inch Supervision instrument cluster the moment you activate your indicator (available in the SX models and up). Other features include a larger, 10.25-inch touchscreen, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless charging for your phone, Lane Keeping Assist and an Around View Monitor, as well as Terrain mode with settings for mud, snow and sand.

The Sorento's infotainment system also offers next-level connectivity and there is one USB port per person if every seat has a person in it!

 

 

2. Audi Q5 Sportback 40TDI quattro S Line S tronic, R 1 045 000 (without options)

 

Maybe you are one of those people who insists on only buying German SUVs, and that's okay if you can spend some more on all the extras. If this is the case, the new Q5 will delight you, especially the diesel, which is so well insulated you don't even hear its smooth engine purring. If you're a relatively relaxed driver, you'll get at least 900 km from one tank too, with fuel economy as low as 7.2 litres per 100 km in real-life conditions. The 2.0-litre diesel has 140kW and 400Nm on tap, and as the quattro moniker suggests, this Q5 is all-wheel driven.

 

 

Our test model, in sexy Sportback shape, was fitted with adaptive air suspension (R38 0000) which makes for an Aladdin's carpet ride and allows you to raise or lower the suspension, while a Bang & Olufsen sound system (R15 500) enhances your interior experience with 3D sound. If you're a music lover, and you tend to spend a lot of time in your car, I would tick this box for sure! 

 

 

Sitting inside the minimalist, German-engineered cockpit, listening to your favourite classical composer as you drive along a scenic mountain pass in absolute comfort imparts more inner peace than a sweaty yoga class, doesn't it?

 

3. BMW X3 M40i SAV, from R1 415 042 (without options)

 

If you have a petrol card with no limit, and you fancy something fast and mean but suitable for family holidays to interesting places, the BMW X3 M40i is the car for you. It's not even THAT heavy on juice, but driven with fervour, you'll see that virtual fuel needle dropping like it's hot. What's just as hot, however, is the 3.0T inline 6-cylinder engine, with 285 kW and 500 Nm which sends the M40i along from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.5 seconds. I had to wrestle the key from my husband's hand every time we had to run a mundane errand like picking up the kids from school or shopping for coney rolls at Checkers. But since the X3 has a push-button start, it really came down to who got to plonk their backseat down on the driver's seat first. 

 

 

Tearing around the Franschhoek pass in a car that's just as suitable for carpooling negates the need to have more than one car per household, especially if one of you works from home, or you live in the city, so there are ways that X3 M40i ownership can be justified! As an added bonus, BMW sports some of the best self-driving tech on the market today, which makes driving on highways and in heavy traffic a doddle. Other niceties include a choice of interior ambient lighting options to suit your mood.

 

 

4. Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx 4x4, R860 500

 

The mu-X competes with the Toyota Fortuner, but people weren't exactly falling over their own feet to buy the outgoing Isuzu. The new mu-X has now been enhanced to such an extent that I think it truly deserves a permanent space in every offroad enthusiast's garage. Gone is the frumpy design - the new model is looking sharper and more sculpted from every angle, and interior quality has been improved, too. The cabin is much quieter and many luxurious convenience features have been added. 

 

 

I fell in love with the new mu-X because of its practicality. Getting in and out, even right to (or from) the third row, is child's play because the second row tumbles completely forward, and the third row actually has space for adults, although I wouldn't say adults that play professional basketball. Isuzu has gone all out to make the new mu-X remarkably easy to live with, and Isuzu claims it has the biggest cabin in the entire D-SUV segment, which is dominated by players like the Ford Everest and aforementioned 'Tuner from Toyota.

 

 

The new mu-X gets a full five-star safety rating from ANCAP due in part to Isuzu's Intelligent Driver Assistance Systems (IDAS) which continuously monitors driving conditions and acts autonomously to avoid a crash or minimise accident damage, and there's an airbag between the two front occupants as well, bringing the total airbag count on all models to seven. The lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control are only available on the Onyx model, however. Can't quite stretch to R860 500? The entry-level mu-X 3.0TD LS is priced at R693 800 if you're not going to do serious bundu-bashing that requires a low-range transfer case.

 

 

 

5. Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid XS, R413 000

 

These locally-built Crosses have been selling like hotcakes and has opened South Africans' eyes where hybrid cars are concerned. The Cross range also offers SA's most affordable hybrid, which is the XS variant. The XR is a bit more special (at R448 300) because it adds semi-autonomous tech such as lane-keep assistance and adaptive cruise control as well as electrically adjustable seats, to name but a few of its features.

To make it even more appealing, as a whole the Cross is uncomplicated, ergonomic, and ultra-practical. It is the ideal companion for the 9-to-5 life that includes seeking adventure on weekends. And, considering that fuel prices are shooting for the stars, when you get 4.7 litres per 100 km on the combined cycle in the hybrid models, you know you're on to something good.

 

 

The Cross features one of the largest boots in the compact SUV segment, and the second row offers plenty of legroom too. If your budget for a compact SUV is under R420 000, you just cannot go wrong with the ultra-user-friendly Corolla Cross or Corolla Cross hybrid.