If you’re shopping for a 5-metre-long luxury SUV with seating for 7 occupants, but your budget stretches no further than what a new double-cab costs, here are some top 5 used luxury SUVs for R700k.
Ironically, 7-seater luxury SUVs don’t always make sense in the countries in which they are produced.
The United Kingdom’s country lanes are way too narrow for a Range Rover, in Japan’s congested cities there a very few places where you could park a Nissan Patrol and poky Germany is hardly the ideal place to test your depth perception when manoeuvring a lengthy Audi or Mercedes SUV.
For South Africans, the proliferation of luxury 7-seater SUVs has been a blessing. With huge distances between cities and significant distances, often punctuated by gravel roads and challenging terrain, to travel to getaway venues, a luxury SUV works for its living here.
South Africans’ obsessions with sport, recreation and community also mean we use all 7 of those seats, as many luxury SUV owners are part of a school or activity lift-club.
Luxury SUVs are expensive, but this also means that they depreciate a fair bit over time. For the price of a new double-cab bakkie, you have the option of some quite convincing pre-owned 7-seater SUVs, with luxury features and a fair turn of pace.
Top 5 Used Luxury SUVs for R700k: Audi Q7
There was absolutely nothing subtle about the original Audi Q7…The second-gen version is an exercise in styling restraint and the art of making something rather large, appear much smaller than it is. But the original? It looked every bit as wide (2.1 metres) as it was.
Soem great early second-gen Q7s are now marturing into the market and they offer third-row seating.
Although the third row seating isn’t really for adults and all-day driving journey across South Africa, they are plenty comfortable for kids and tweens. And best of all, the second-gen Q7’s rearmost seats, are individual reclinable, which is much better than the fixed adjustment that some three-row SUVs offers, with seats 6 and 7, being joined.
Luggage space is cavernous with seatings rows two and three stowed, yielding 1908-litres of luggage capacity.
The Q7 you want is ideally a late 2016 or 2017 model (it should have about 100 000 km on its odo’). Some of these are priced just below R500k now, depending on options fitted, with most derivatives in that price-range being 3.0 TDIs.
Powertrain is a crucial point of appeal with any Q7 7-seater. And the second-gen Q7s powered by Audi’s remarkable turbodiesel V6, is one of the best luxury SUV diesel engines. Rated at 183 kW and 600 Nm, these early second-gen Q7 3.0 TDIs are legendary for their high-speed cruising ability, even fully laden. And very low diesel consumption, is driven with restraint.
Search for a used Audi Q7 here
Nissan Patrol 4.8 GRX
For those who require a ladder-frame luxury 4×4 with 7 seats, the obvious choice is Toyota’s Land Cruiser 200, but they’re very expensive. A credible alternative is Nissan’s Patrol, a vehicle that compares favourably with the Land Cruiser in every conceivable way, and one that’s highly regarded in the Australian market, which is similar in terrain and usage patterns to our own. For well under R500 000, you can expect to find a 5th-generation Patrol 4.8 GRX. Unlike the Land Cruiser 200, the bulk of Patrols sold in South Africa are petrol-, as opposed to diesel-powered.
Nissan’s 4.8-litre inline 6 is renowned for its reliability, so too are the Patrol’s nearly unbreakable differentials. The only downside is a limited range, with that 4.8-litre engine guzzling fuel at very near to 20L/100 km in real-world driving conditions. As such, you can never afford to pass up on a refuelling opportunity when you take a Patrol on a long-haul journey – regardless of the Nissan’s 135-litre tank capacity.
Due to its dedicated-off-roader design, the Patrol’s cabin is not the last word in luxury aesthetic and contemporary trim, but build quality is high and the potential for electronic gremlins low. There’s plenty of useful space too, with 668 litres of luggage space available behind the 2nd-row of seats (when the 3rd-row seating is not in use).
In the Nissan Patrol market, R350 000 buys a very tidy 2011/2012 vehicle with just shy of 120 000 km on the clock. And all things considered, up to 150 0000 km is virtually considered “delivery mileage” for a Patrol, considering how tough and reliable it is. Without question the toughest and durable vehicle on our top 5 used luxury SUVs for R700k list.
Search for a used Nissan Patrol here
Lexus LX570
To put it bluntly, the LX570 offers Toyota Land Cruiser 200 ability and build quality combined with Lexus exterior and interior design elements. It’s an inspired choice for those who want all that is desirable about a luxury Land Cruiser 200, but can’t bring themselves to admit to driving a Toyota.
Powered by a huge petrol-fed V8, LX570 is the epitome of a Sandton-Safari-mobile. Inside it’s all soft leather trim and curiously bright Japanese infotainment interfacing, but underneath remains the prodigious ability of a Land Cruiser 200, which is the LX570’s cousin. You are buying one of the most over-engineered body-on-frame vehicle platforms ever built…
Interior space is prodigious, with 701 litres of luggage capacity, but you have to be wary of its range. Even with the 93-litre fuel tank brimmed, LX570’s economy hovers in the high teens. That said, the naturally-aspirated 5.7-litre V8 is unfailingly reliable and unlike many other luxury SUVs, powered by turbodiesels, the LX’s petrol V8 is not a nightmare to keep in good health, beyond 100 000km.
For under R700 000, you can get a tidy one. Always go for one with smaller wheels and larger tyres, as opposed to anything with inched-up alloys.
Of all the vehicles on our top 5 used luxury SUVs for R700k list, the Lexus is possibly the best blend of luxury and reliability.
Search for a used Lexus LX here
Mercedes-Benz GL400d
There is no luxury SUV more iconic than Mercedes-Benz’s Gelandewagen (now known as the G-Class). One can trace its origins to the 1970s and very little evolution has taken place in its packaging since then. The “G” is the loveable ladder-chassis throwback in Mercedes-Benz’s SUV portfolio.
The problem with the G-Class is that it’s very cramped inside. Mercedes-Benz realised this and the “other” G-Class, the GL, was Stuttgart’s solution to this problem – on an unprecedented scale. A massive 7-seater German SUV built primarily for the American market, it brought Mercedes-Benz’s air-suspension technology and proven lockable differentials together to create quite a unique offering.
Mercedes-Benz’s second-gen GL was on sale from the early to late 2010s (2012 to 2019 model years). These vehicles share much of their cabin tirm with a comparable E-Class of the time. But the luggage space numbers, are massive. and with 680 litres of luggage space, you’ll never have to repack your weekend bags. Fold the 2nd- and 3rd-row seats flat and you get a gargantuan 2 300-litre load area… many mid-sized vans don’t offer that much utility space!
Most GLs in the second-hand market are powered by a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 that produces peak torque of 620 Nm, so with a 2.4-tonne kerb weight, the Benz is a capable cruiser, as opposed to a swift SUV. That said, it does have 190 kW of peak power, so it can get a move on when you need to make haste driving long distances.
With low-range and lockable differentials, allied with some ascending and descending stability control algorithms that manage the traction control electronics, GL is supremely capable off-road.
As a Grade 5 off-road-obstacle-taming German luxury off-roader, with ample space and seating for 7 occupants, GL is an oddity – but one which is very fit for purpose. Prices for the 2nd-generation GL, vehicles which entered the market at around 2012, are now under R500 000 when nearing around 150 000 km of mileage. If you want a Gelandewagen you could actually live with as a family vehicle, this is it.
Search for a used Mercedes-Benz GL here
Range Rover Vogue
For many, this remains the quintessential first-class SUV and if you want a 7-seater, it has to be a Vogue, instead of a Sport, derivative. There is no top 5 used luxury SUVs for R700k list that could be considered complete, with a Rangey.
Certain production batches of Range Rovers have the unfortunate reputation for being some of the most unreliable luxury off-roaders of their era, but since Land Rover was recapitalised by Tata in 2008, build quality and engineering integrity have improved remarkably.
If you desire a Vogue priced below R700 000, look for a 4th-generation facelift model – which came to our market in 2013. The closer you can buy towards 2013-2015, the better; most Vogues of this vintage have done between 100 000 and 150 000 km.
The 4.4-litre V8 turbodiesel is immensely drivable, with 240 kW and 740 Nm. It gives these 4th-generation Range Rover Vogues all the imperious high-speed cruising ability they need to cover two provinces in a day. And excellent towing and slow-speed off-road pulling power, when you need to get up a steep, rocky incline. Or tow the dual-axle horsebox to a showjumping event.
That 4.4-litre V8 turbodiesel isn’t wonderfully light on diesel, but it still delivers much better range than the petrol V8s. Of all the engines in our top 5 used luxury SUVs for R700k, the Range Rover’s 4.4 TD V8 offers the most spirited driving experience.
Cabin is a celebration of all things great about Range Rover trim, ergonomics and an absolute commitment to driver and passenger comfort. Design is classic nautically-themed, with a fantastically comfortable driving position and airy cabin ambience.
Infotainment tech has aged well, too, thanks to decent chip-sets being originally used by Land Rover’s software engineers, with the 4th-gen Range Rover Vogue infotainment system.
Luggage space hugely improved over the 3rd-gen Range Rover, with 900-litres of packing space as opposed to only 530-litres.
