What is SA's 'Car of the Quarter Century'?

Now that the 2024/25 CarsAwards programme has ended, let’s look at the models that have been highly influential in the SA new-vehicle market during the first 25 years of the 21st century. Which model would you crown SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century?”

It seems that just an eyeblink ago, we were still talking about Napster, the Y2K bug, the dot-com bubble that no one expected to burst and the birth of Survivor (“reality TV”). Suddenly, we’re contemplating which model on the local new-vehicle market deserves the title of SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century”!

An honourable mention for the Suzuki Swift – a champion of the shrinking light hatchback segment – and a sales smash.

No, you haven’t been in a time machine. The beard-greying, hair-losing reality is that 12 weeks ago, the 1st century of the millennium turned 25 years old. Good or bad, the world is a much different place: AI and politics have become pervasive, let alone divisive, while nationalism is on the rise around the globe.

Here at the southern tip of the African continent, however, things tend to happen a little slower. We’re more about what factor sunscreen to put on today and what meat we’re slamming onto the braai tonight than about, uhm, (failing) bipartisan agreements between parties. And that’s a good thing. Our transport needs haven’t changed. Moreover, no talk of Trump or totalitarianism will ever temper our love for cars.

*The Nissan GT-R was a niche product, but for a while, it offered supercar-slaying performance at an almost attainable price.*

So, sticking within the borders of Mzansi and in the spirit of democracy, I thought I’d put forward a list (in no particular order) of the most influential cars on the South African market of the past 25 years; my list of candidates for the – unofficial, of course – SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century” title provides a snapshot of changes to consumers’ car choices – and buying power (in light of reduced new-car affordability).

Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W203-series)

In January 2005, the Three-pointed Star sold a whopping 2 774 new units of its W203-series C-Class business-class sedan in Mzansi. It was more than double its nearest segment rival – the E46-gen BMW 3 Series, which, admittedly, was on runout at heading for replacement by the E90 model just months later.

Nonetheless, this was the pre-recessionary boom at its best: more new Mercedes-Benz C-Class units found homes that month than the infinitely humbler Toyota Corolla. Even the Volkswagen Polo and CitiGolf lagged behind the mighty (and locally produced) ‘Benz by around 1 000 units each.

Ciro De Siena presents a Buyer’s Guide to the W204-series-based C63 AMG:

But sales shocks aside, during that period, the East London-built C-Class cemented its status as the benchmark transport choice for church ministers, headmasters, town mayors and corporate middle managers alike, popularising a balance of luxury and all-important badge appeal from just R220k for a base-model C180. In 2007, this candidate for SA “Car of the Quarter Century” was succeeded by the W204-series (shown above), followed by the W205-series (in 2014) and the W206-series (in 2022).

*Mercedes-Benz SA’s Buffalo City assembly plant began producing the W205-series C-Class in 2014.*

Thanks to the rise of the crossover, the 3-box sedan is now all but dead; today, Mercedes-Benz SA sells only a few hundred cars across all its ranges combined each month. Still, the W203-series C-Class will forever remain an automotive icon of street cred in a simpler time when things seemed more affordable.

New Mercedes-Benz C-Class Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Mercedes-Benz C-Class listed for sale on Cars.co.za

BMW X5 (all generations)

BMW X3 third generation — *The 2nd-gen BMW X5 made its local debut in early 2007.*

Think about it – a 5 Series in Timberland boots sounds both outrageous and marvelous, doesn’t it? As the pioneering luxury SUV, the BMW X5 combined luxury, versatility and performance into a product that appeared to be able to go off-road – but couldn’t. Yet, no one cared. Last year, I argued the case for the BMW X5 as the most influential “Car of the Quarter Century” – that’s why I have included it on this list.

Watch Francisco Nwamba’s Buyer’s Guide video for the F15-series BMW X5:

Right-lane roadhogs love the invincible feel of the X5, as do soccer moms, and so do hasty politicians with nowhere to go – to say nothing of blue-light brigades. No wonder it was BMW AG’s 3rd-best-selling model in 2011. If you’re a wealthy Saffer, you can’t leave for Trumptown if you haven’t owned an X5 yet.

*The current-gen BMW X5 won the Premium SUV category of the 2024/25 CarsAwards, sponsored by Absa.*

New BMW X5 Specs & Prices in South Africa

Search for a used/new BMW X5 listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Volkswagen Polo 5 & 1st-gen Polo Vivo

Not all that long into the new millennium, it became obvious to the SA motor industry that the geriatric Toyota Tazz and Volkswagen CitiGolf continuation models couldn’t be kept on life support forever.

And so, because one can never get to much of a good thing, (then) Volkswagen SA decided to keep outgoing versions of the Polo alive (starting with the 4th-gen, which was rebranded as the Polo Vivo) – as a spiritual successor to the CitiGolf, in 2010 – the same year as the 5th-gen Polo was launched.

Watch Juliet McGuire’s Buyer’s Guide video for the 5th-gen VW Polo:

The 5th-gen Volkswagen Polo built on the successes of its predecessors and was empirious as South Africa’s most popular light hatchback. Its pricier predecessor, the (now facelifted) 6th-gen Polo, has a lot more competition – from myriad budget and small crossovers built in countries such as India and China.

For its part, the Polo Vivo has been a sub-Saharan smash hit, racing to 425 000 units sold by August last year. Sure, this budget-beater will forever exist in the shadow of the more vaunted but pricier Polo, but South Africans’ love of the brand and confidence in its build quality has meant that even as a gateway model, the Vivo’s popularity has remained unequalled; and doing justice to the original meaning of the name Volkswagen: a car for the people. See also: Volkswagen Polo Vivo (2024) Launch Review

*The 1st iteration of the Volkswagen Polo Vivo bowed out with the nostalgia-baiting Citi Vivo.*

Find a new/used Volkswagen Polo listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Find a new/used Volkswagen Polo Vivo listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Volkswagen Tiguan (1st gen)

In simple terms, the 1st-gen Volkswagen Tiguan was the tremor that triggered the crossover tsunami; it kicked off an entire generation of hatch-based crossovers that would later redefine family transport.

The Tiguan was also one of the 1st beneficiaries of VW’s then-new philosophy of platform-sharing (in this case, the Golf 5’s MQB platform) that standardised as many components as possible across a multitude of vehicle applications: a game-changing trend that’s become universal practice today.

Watch Juliet McGuire’s Buyer’s Guide video for the 2nd-gen VW Tiguan:

No one could argue against the allure of a Golf on stilts – not then, or when the 2nd-gen Tiguan arrived in 2016 and not today, when the 3rd-gen Tiguan continues to push even further upmarket.

The 1st-gen Tiguan was a trailblazer – but far from perfect. Buyers of the short-lived (there’s a reason why) super- and turbocharged variant may want a word first, seeing as they wish they’d opted for a TDI instead of eternally visiting their twin-charged 1.4 TSIs at their local workshops’ “intensive care units”.

New Volkswagen Tiguan Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Volkswagen Tiguan listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Ford EcoSport

Taking a leaf from the Volkswagen Tiguan’s prize-winning book, the Blue Oval took the Fiesta‘s B-platform, raised its ride height and slapped on a pseudo-SUV body to create the Ecosport small crossover. Along with the 1st-gen Renault Duster, which also made its local debut in 2013, the EcoSport helped to establish the South African new-vehicle market’s now-bustling compact SUV segment.

The Ecosport was a value-for-money (and cutesy) crossover that shot off the showroom floors because those who drove it (mostly women) appreciated the elevated seating position combined with compact proportions – so compact, in fact, that there was no space under the load-bay floor for a spare wheel.

As its local sales performances constantly demonstrated, the fit-for-purpose Ford was hard not to like, but as familiarity breeds contempt, by the end of its 10-year-long tenure, it had become long in the tooth, and its platform was unable to accommodate newer technologies, which is why the model was shelved.

Not that local buyers would have cared about aging DNA; as the little available used stock in the market pays testimony to that. Sadly for Ford SA, the EcoSport’s death hasn’t translated to buyers leaping with the same fervour towards its infinitely more sophisticated, but also quite pricier, Puma replacement.

Find a used Ford EcoSport listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Toyota Fortuner (all generations)

Of course, no list of favourites would be complete without mentioning a Toyota product. When the Hilux-based body-on-frame 1st-gen Fortuner was unveiled here in 2006, it became an overnight middle-class must-have – and almost 20 years and (just) 2 generations later – it still is.

Ciro De Siena presents a Buyer’s Guide for the 1st-gen Toyota Fortuner (2006-2016):

No pandemic, price increases, or overly prolonged life cycle (the current one was launched here in 2016) has put acolytes off – Toyota continuously struggles to meet demand, month after month. For making 7-seat off-roader ownership attainable for thousands of South Africans and outselling rival products by an exaggerated margin, the Fortuner deserves to be a candidate for SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century”.

Watch Ciro De Siena’s video review of the 2023 Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 VX 4×4:

Never mind the Japanese Adventure SUV’s slightly cramped and outdated cabin – or its compromised load bay: South Africans adore a 4×4 badge, and the Fortuner has come to personify suburbia’s latent adventure aspirations like no other. See also: Toyota Fortuner GR-Sport (2025) Launch Review

New Toyota Fortuner Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Toyota Fortuner listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Ford Ranger T6

After more than a decade in the bakkie wilderness as rebadged Mazda efforts, the Ford Ranger finally came good in 2011 when it was consolidated as a single, Australian-designed global model, the T6.

Produced for more than a decade (in Silverton, South Africa, among other places), the original lineup comprised a considerable 33 derivatives, including single-cab, SuperCab and double-cab variants.

Watch Ciro De Siena compare the 2019 examples of the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux:

The Ranger was, finally, a genuine potential Toyota Hilux beater, with reasonable durability, arguably better ride quality, a higher-grade tech interface (first SYNC 2, then SYNC 3), and from 2019, available with a compelling 157 kW/500 N.m 2.0-litre twin-turbodiesel with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Until being replaced by the “T6.2” Ranger in 2022, the bakkie was kept current by constant variant and specification upgrades, notably the Thunder, Wildtrak, Stormtrak and Raptor flagship (shown above).

New Ford Ranger Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Ford Ranger listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Kia Sportage (3rd-gen)

When Korean cars arrived in SA in the late ’90s, they were barely better than the 1st wave of Chinese ones that followed a decade later. The Kia Sportage, which began life as a homely small off-roader (with low range), evolved dramatically into a meritorious candidate for SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century”.

The launch of the 3rd-gen Sportage (and identical Hyundai iX35) in 2010 represented a quantum leap forward for Kia’s family car offering. The newcomers were attractive, well-specced, competitively-priced – and highly desireable; massively boosting the public perception about the quality of Korean cars in a time that Indian and Chinese cars were hitting rock-bottom in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

That perception was bolstered by the 2023 launch of the current-gen Sportage. While some legacy brands persist with the business model of making any feature beyond 4 seats and a steering wheel an optional extra, the Sportage is available in generously equipped trim grades. The Kia was, and is, a smart buy. Like it did in 2023/24, the Sportage won the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards’ Family Car category.

New Kia Sportage Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Kia Sportage listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Haval H6

Today, Chinese vehicles are taking over the world market at a rapacious pace. For that, they have to thank 2021’s Haval H6, which embodied Chairman Mao’s vision of a Giant Leap Forward for Chinese cars like no other. FYI, the Haval H6 will soon be facelifted, bringing with it more features and performance, but here’s why the GWM sub-brand’s family car is a candidate for SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century”.

Ciro De Siena and Jacob Moshokoa compare the Haval H6 and Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max:

The H6, offered in turbopetrol-, petrol-electric hybrid and GT guises, opened the floodgates for Chinese-made small crossovers and medium SUVs. They’re eye-catching, stuffed to the hilt with luxury and tech features, plus they’re offered at prices that force SA’s legacy brands to improve their competitiveness.

Watch Ciro De Siena’s review of the Haval H6 GT:

The Chery armada has followed, incorporating its platform shared sub-brands Omoda and Jetour in an all-out assault (as has GAC, but on its own steam); the new brands recognise that in this segment, the battle for customer wallets is no longer being won on the Nürburgring, but by offering superior value.

New Haval H6 Specs & Prices in South Africa

Find a new/used Haval H6 listed for sale on Cars.co.za

Volkswagen Golf 5 GTI

No list of SA favourites (or candidates list for SA’s “Car of the Quarter Century”) would be complete without a Volkswagen Golf GTI. Most iterations of the Wolfsburg-based brand’s hot hatch have been offered in Mzansi, but the 4th-gen Golf GTI, which debuted in the late ’90s and was beefed up early in the 2000s, deserves a mention because it successfully made the world forget about the awful Golf 3 GTI.

The Golf 4 GTI is memorable as the 1st-ever turbocharged GTI, an avenue that has now become the norm as hatchback-making OEMs first implemented turbocharging in pursuit of power and, later, fuel efficiency. It also suggested that a hot hatch could balance premiumness with performance. Suffice it to say that the “best-of-both-worlds” approach has become the GTI nameplate’s lasting trademark.

Watch Francisco Nwamba’s Buyer’s Guide video for the 7th-gen VW Golf GTI:

However, the Golf 5 GTI gets the nod for introducing another industry-defining component: the dual-clutch transmission (or direct-shift gearbox – DSG). Yes, subsequent GTI iterations were faster, more refined and luxurious, but the Golf 5 GTI had a rawness that later models, which increasingly trade on badge value instead of the joy of the driving experience itself, lack. It remains the GTI that I want most.

Watch Ciro De Siena’s video review of the Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI: