- The compact sedan is now mostly an Uber-mobile. But can it still be a bargain family car?
- Is there still value to be had if you want the practicality of a small sedan instead of buying into the crossover trend?
- We compare three of the best-value compact sedans on sale in South Africa, from Honda, Suzuki, and VW.
Depending on your age, you probably went to school or to Saturday morning sport in a sedan. But that’s all changed during the last decade and a half.
As SUVs and front-wheel drive crossovers have become more popular, the humble family sedan has become a niche vehicle. Something unthinkable in the 1980s and 1990s, when sedans were the dominant family car class.
South Africa still has a small market of compact, affordable sedans. These cars are mostly sold to fleets (corporate or government) or ride-hailing service operators like Uber. But for buyers who want something mechanically durable, with low theft risk, and reasonable running costs, the compact family sedan makes a lot of sense.
There is also the security benefit of having a lockable steel boot without any glass panels, unlike the tailgate on a crossover, which is vulnerable to theft.
Which one to buy, though? Our affordable sedan buying guide helps you make the best decision between two of the most popular Japanese brands.
Suzuki Dzire
The sedan version of Suzuki’s very popular Swift, with which Dzire shares a lot of components and engineering standards.
ABS and ESP are standard, indicating Suzuki’s commitment to dynamic safety specs in the budget segment. But then again, the Dzire has rear drum brakes, which shows that some of its mechanical safety features have been cut to save on costs.
The cabin is nothing spectacular, but it does have a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Dzire combines Suzuki’s durable 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine with decent luggage capacity. If you need safe storage for that laptop or kids’ sports kit, its 378-litres of boot capacity is great.
Pity there isn’t a more powerful engine for long-distance vacation and weekend-away driving. Suzuki’s 1.2-litre engines are proven and durable, but, being naturally aspirated, they do lose power on the Highveld. And 60kW is not a lot of power to start with…
The best buy is a 5-speed manual. Sure, the 5-speed automated manual transmission is much easier to drive in heavy Gauteng or Cape Town traffic. But these automated manual transmissions just aren’t as durable or as affordable to maintain in the long term as a traditional manual gearbox.
Like many Suzukis, the Dzire has a tiny fuel tank, which means you’ll be stopping more often than anticipated to refuel on cross-country journeys between Gauteng and the coast. And that’s not because it's heavy on fuel, but because the Dzire has a tiny 37-litre fuel tank.
Buy the best new or used Suzuki Dzire on ChangeCars
Honda Ballade
No longer the premium Japanese compact sedan it once was, when associated with Mercedes-Benz locally. But despite that, the Ballade doesn’t look like a cheap Uber-mobile, with a reasonably stylish exterior design and proportions that bely its practicality.
Honda’s designers have also created a Ballade cabin with a better balance between physical infotainment controls, HVAC controls, and touchscreen menus than many rivals.
Ballade offers amazingly durable engines and mechanical integrity. It’s 1.5-litre engine makes a very decent 89kW, but unfortunately, the only transmission option is a CVT, with no manual gearbox available.
Like Suzuki with the Dzire, engineers at Honda still choose to fit the Ballade with rear drum brakes. Which just isn’t the best in braking technology in 2026, especially in South African driving conditions, where cruising speeds are high and the ambient road temperatures are hot.
Are drum brakes really an issue? Well, it’s worth remembering what brakes really do: convert kinetic energy into friction and heat, and it’s the ability to absorb that heat, which is effectively the measure of ultimate braking performance. And in hot, high-speed driving conditions, when you need to do a lot of braking, especially when descending a windy mountain pass with a fully loaded vehicle, disc brakes just work better than drums.
Boot capacity is outstanding at 506-litres, embarrassing many larger sedans and SUVs. But you pay for that with a smallish 40-litre fuel tank. Still, if luggage capacity is your need, for all those sports bags or shopping, the Ballade’s boot space is a terrific sedan selling point.
Residual values remain strong, trading on Honda’s decades of durable product legacy in South Africa. Simple fluids and filter servicing can keep a Ballde running flawlessly for years.
Buy the best new or used Honda Ballade sedan on ChangeCars
Buying Guide insights by Lance Branquinho
