Cars

Top 5 Fastest Cars in SA For Under R500K

We take a look at the quickest cars around that slide in under the R500k mark.

Published

8 years ago

September 8, 2016

So you have some money to burn on a car, and you want to squeeze as many kilowatts out of your budget? This selection of 5 cars is the fastest way to get to 100km/h, while only making you moderately broke. Here’s our picks for the top 5 fastest cars for under R500,000:

5. Volvo V40 T5

Volvo V40 T5

This is without a doubt the sleeper of the group. If you enjoy the idea of quietly stalking GTIs and handing them a lesson in humility, then this is the car for you. It’s a fairly dull drive with its automatic gearbox and soft set up, and, compared to the other cars here, is more of a comfortable fast sensation than a riveting one. If you want it to look like a proper hot hatch then the stunning R-design package will set you back about R30k.

Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged 4 cylinder
Power: 180kW
Torque: 350Nm
0 – 100km/h: 6.3 s
Top speed: 240km/h
Price: R461,638

4. Mini Cooper S JCW

2016-mini-john-cooper-works-017-lpr

Despite its cute exterior, the mini JCW is quite an animal. It’s the most powerful Mini available to the consumer market, with 170kW and bags of low down torque that make its in gear acceleration really strong. It has grown up a bit since its predecessor but still has a very pointy and agile nature. You can save yourself R25k and get the manual, which will lose you 0.2 of a second in the sprint to 100km/h, but it comes with more interaction and suits its character: a bundle of fun with lots of charisma.

Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged 4 cylinder
Power: 170kW
Torque: 320Nm
0 – 100km/h: 6.1 s
Top speed: 246km/h
Price: R475,596

3. Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 TBI Quadrifoglio Verde

Alfa-Romeo-Giulietta-Quadrifoglio-Verde-2015-29

Uncommon on SA’s roads, the Alfa Romeo is an interesting alternative to the streams of Golf GTIs out there. It has a snappy dual-clutch transmission with launch control, making it easy to zoom to its blitzing claimed time. Buy it for its pretty rear end and a boisterous exhaust note. It’s not as well accomplished to drive as some of its competitors, but one of the slickest and exotic-looking in its class.

Engine: 1.75L Turbocharged 4 cylinder
Power: 177kW
Torque: 340Nm
0 – 100km/h: 6.0 s
Top speed: 244km/h
Price: R463,900

2. Renault Megane RS trophy 275

Renault Megane RS trophy 275

One serious hot hatch, the Megane RS Trophy 275 is regarded by many as the best driving tool in its league. It’s the poison of choice for track days and hospital-runs for ladies in labour. The RS Trophy is not for the faint-hearted, with its Recaro bucket seats and stiff suspension, but those in the know will give it the respect it deserves. It comes with a 6 speed manual gearbox which will make the quick sprints a tad harder, but all the more rewarding.

Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged 4 cylinder
Power: 201kW
Torque: 360Nm
0 – 100km/h: 6.0 s
Top speed: 255km/h
Price: R489,900

Audi S1 3 door

The fastest car on the list, the S1 has a pepped-up version of the Golf GTI engine shoved in its tiny body together with a 4 wheel drive system to keep it as tame as possible. It’s a lot of money for a petite car, but anyone who has sat behind the wheel of one of these can vouch for its quality. The S1 also comes with Audi’s quality interior and a subtle business-first look about it. If the number of exhausts is related to awesomeness, this car would be winning with 4! It’s quite a special bit of machinery and its implemented all-wheel-drive system shows the amount of engineering gone into this car.

Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged 4 cylinder
Power: 170kW
Torque: 370Nm
0 – 100km/h: 5.8 s
Top speed: 250km/h
Price: R499,000

You might be wondering: why no Golf GTI? Well, the Golf R is fast enough at 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds, but a little too pricey to feature on the list, while the standard Golfs claimed 6.5s is just too slow to make the cut.

What car would you pick if you had the choice? Anything not on this list you think deserves a mention? Let us know by tweeting @MenStuffZA and commenting below!