Tata

Compact crossover that is both stylish and spacious, from India’s biggest car company.

Despite that slanted tailgate and sloping roofline, luggage capacity is good at 500 litres. Tata’s crossover has more ground clearance than you’d think, too, at 208mm. So, it’s useful when your long weekend driving route includes some dirt roads.

Powered by a 1.2-litre turbopetrol, Curvv’s engine is rated at 88kW, giving it decent performance, even at Gauteng altitudes. But like most emerging-market turbocharged engines, despite being small, it’s proportionally heavy on fuel.

Best buy is the value version. Go cheap, get all the kit you need, and minimise depreciation risk.

The entry-level Curvv has 6 airbags, a powered tailgate, and CarPlay/Android Auto with an integrated 7-inch touchscreen. It’s also the only Curvv with a six-speed manual gearbox, which will be much less of a hassle and maintenance risk in the long term, than the mid- and upper trim Curvvs, with their 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions.

Want a Land Rover Discovery Sport for cheap? Well, Tata’s Harrier is built on the Discovery Sport platform…

Positioned in an ultra-competitive market segment with many Chinese rivals, Harrier has something the Chinese automakers don’t: diesel engines.

South Africans still value the overtaking performance and range of a sound turbodiesel. Harrier’s 2.0 turbodiesel isn’t wildly powerful for its size (125kW/350Nm). But it should deliver a consistent 7l/100km and great highway speed overtaking performance.

The entry-level Harrier Pure+ is all you need. It comes with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 6 airbags. Also has tyre pressure monitoring – which is increasingly a must-have for South Africa’s hazardous roads, which eat tyres.

Crossover version of Tata’s Tiago. With decent gravel and road trip potential.

Has 187mm of ground clearance and 336-litres of luggage space. That gives it more ground clearance and luggage space than a Suzuki Fronx.

An interesting design detail is that Punch’s doors open to 90-degrees, allowing excellent vehicle access. But, you’d need to be careful with those ultra-wide aperture doors on a windy Cape Town or East Coast day, to prevent hinge damage.

The 1.2-litre triple only makes 65kW and 115Nm. Which means it will feel slower than a Fronx, fully laden, at Gauteng altitudes.

Best version is the Adventure grade. Featuring ESP, a 7-inch touchscreen and a reverse camera.

One of South Africa’s most affordable cars, from India’s most powerful industrial and engineering company.

Tidy design, with a cabin featuring standard infotainment screen tech. But weirdly, no reverse camera on the base model.

The base trim version doesn’t have ESP, which is a real feature oversight. Tiago does score well in structural crash safety, though. More so than some of its similarly priced Suzuki rivals.

Tiago’s 1.2-litre engine offers real overtaking and highway cruising advantages over similar priced compact cars, powered by smaller 1-litre engines.

This Tata is something to consider as a value-orientated student or first-car choice. Especially if you live at altitude where 1-litre engines struggle for performance.