Fuel consumption remains one of the most fiercely contested and enduringly important features of new vehicles, and manufacturers continue to try to pack performance into energy-efficient motors, looking for a happy medium. Downsized engines and turbochargers have become commonplace, and more recently, manufacturers are turning to hybrid technology in an effort to lower emissions and consumption. A plug-in hybrid system offers an electric-only range thanks to a large battery, while mild-hybrid technology cannot power the vehicle on its own, but works to aid performance and improve efficiency with the addition of a small electric motor.

SA’s bias towards SUVs and bakkies creates an interesting space where everyday usability and weekend ambition overlap, but reasonable consumption is still expected. While economy on the open road remains a factor, the ability of such sizeable vehicles to operate in short stints within the city has become increasingly important, with modern-day bakkies and SUVs asked to occupy a hybrid space as both a city commuter and adventure-capable vehicle – a role the V8s of old simply cannot play. In 2025, that brief is met by a broad spread of bakkies and SUVs using efficient diesels, downsized turbo-petrols and, increasingly, mild-hybrid and plug-in systems. The point isn’t to replace the hardcore overlander; it’s to match how South Africans actually live and travel – school runs in Sandton, meetings in the CBD, then a quick escape to Dullstroom or De Hoop when the calendar allows. For an upper-tier buyer, refinement still matters, as do safety tech, cabin finish and resale. But so too does the ability to tow a boat, cross a drift at a walking pace or idle steadily up a rock step. The five vehicles below are strongly city-friendly, resolutely capable and, crucially, among the most frugal of their kind.

Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 48V

The Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 48V is an exciting and important introduction to the SA market, taking the country’s best-selling vehicle of nearly two decades and making it more efficient. The familiar 2.8-litre turbodiesel remains, but it’s now paired with a 48V belt-driven motor generator that assists under load, recuperates energy under braking and enables a faster, smoother stop-start.

Toyota’s local data shows a meaningful step: a representative 4×4 auto derivative drops to a claimed 7.4 litres/100 km and 195 g/km, and the 48V package adds multi-terrain select for the first time on Hilux. The system also lowers the engine idle from 720 to 600 rpm. While this may seem insignificant on paper, there is a tangible translation in traffic and when you’re inching over loose rock. The payload and the 3 500 kg braked tow rating remain untouched. Independent local testing has logged as low as 7.8 litres/100 km with a gentle foot and around 10 in heavy city use, which is notably thriftier than pre-48V figures. The net effect is a bakkie that stretches a tank further in the midweek stop-go where most double cabs live, yet feels unchanged in the ways owners care about – torque where you need it, fuss-free drivability and the usual ladder-frame toughness for weekends.

Ford Everest 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4×4

Ford’s Everest 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4×4 takes bakkie-tough underpinnings and dresses them up in seven-seat comfort with an interior that now feels properly premium and a notable step up from previous-generation Ford Everests.

On paper, the 154 kW/500 Nm four-cylinder and 10-speed auto are a model of efficiency: Ford lists a 7.5 litre/100 km combined figure for comparable 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4×4 models, and local road tests typically land in the high-8s on relaxed highway stints and the low-10s in mixed commuting. What you are buying here, beyond consumption, is range and composure: a big tank, the ability to wade up to 800 mm, and a braked tow rating lifted to 3 500 kg. Trailer checklists, blind-spot coverage that factors in trailer length and tow/haul plus sand/mud drive modes make towing and gravel work feel unflustered rather than heroic.

The Everest is an industry-leading example of the adventure SUV, and it is the composed combination that sells it: quiet ride, modern infotainment, family-friendly ergonomics and genuine low-range capability. The Everest is at home on city streets and also a quietly efficient choice that still earns its stripes far from tar.

Volkswagen Amarok 2.0 TDI 125 kW Life 4Motion

Volkswagen’s Amarok 2.0 TDI 125 kW Life is the executive-leaning double cab that proves you don’t need the flagship engine to get long-legged economy and real utility. Under the bonnet sits the single-turbo 2.0-litre diesel in 125 kW/405 Nm tune paired in Life trim with either a six-speed manual 4Motion or a six-speed automatic 4Motion – both sharing the broad-shouldered gearing and polished on-road manners that make the new Amarok feel grown-up.

The Amarok shares this motor, as well as the higher-spec bi-turbo 2.0-litre diesel, with the next-generation Ford Rangers, thanks to a platform share with the US manufacturer. VW’s release pegs the 4Motion manual at 7.1 litres/100 km and the 4Motion six-speed auto at 7.7 litres/100 km; in local testing, mid-8s is what has been returned on realistic mixed routes, which is credible for a full-size double cab with proper 4×4 hardware.

As with its Blue Oval cousin, the Amarok’s real story is its range of ability and features: the Life 125 kW retains a 3 500 kg braked towing capacity and the full suite of traction aids, so it will tow cleanly, settle into an easy 120 km/h cruise, and keep its poise when you air down for corrugations. Inside, the Life spec offers a full suite of technology: a large touchscreen, smartphone integration and parking aid, and it feels robust enough to live with canopies, roof racks and the inevitable lifestyle kit. For buyers who like their bakkie to dress smartly for the city yet earn its keep on gravel, this derivative is the sweet spot in the Amarok line-up.

Land Rover Defender 110 D300 MHEV

If your adventures stretch a little wilder, your wallet a little wider, and you prize ultimate bandwidth, Land Rover’s Defender 110 D300 mild-hybrid diesel remains the benchmark for all-terrain comfort and inner-city sophistication.

The 3.0-litre straight-six diesel is supported by a 48V MHEV system to smooth stop-start and bolster low-rpm responses; the whole package feels relaxed in town and authoritative on the open road. On efficiency, the manufacturer quotes a combined band of 8.2–8.9 litres/100 km depending on wheel and spec – a strong return given the size and performance of the vehicle.

Despite prioritising a luxurious outfit, Land Rover stayed committed to the off-roading heritage of the name when launching the new Defender. Air suspension allows the Defender to wade up to 900 mm, and the geometry is class-leading, with the off-road height unlocking approach, break-over and departure angles that make short work of eroded passes and rocky ledges.

Crucially, the tech scaffolding enhances rather than intrudes – the Terrain Response 2 quietly optimises traction for sand, mud or rock without the drama, or much input from the driver (gone are the days of wrenching the low-range stick into gear).

On tar, the isolation is limousine-like, with a long-travel ride that makes short work of patched surfaces; on trail, the air suspension proves its worth again, breathing with the terrain rather than fighting it.

Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 AWD

Not every adventure needs a ladder frame, low range and two diff locks. For many urban-first readers, a premium plug-in hybrid SUV with all-wheel drive, genuine gravel confidence and the ability to do the week’s errands on electricity alone is the better play. Enter the Volvo XC90 Recharge T8, the most road-biased model in this group and, for city use, arguably the most efficient.

Volvo South Africa quotes an electric-only range of up to 77 km for the T8 AWD with a 19 kWh battery, a weighted combined fuel use of 1.8 litres/100 km, and system outputs of 340 kW/709 Nm. These numbers translate into silent weekday commuting if you charge at home and incredible power on the open road, which aids overtaking when the family and luggage are aboard.

The hardware is more capable than its urbane demeanour suggests – there’s an off-road mode that lifts the air suspension for rough tracks, and published data puts wading at 450 mm and braked towing at 2 400 kg, so farm roads, eroded estate driveways and a ski-boat are realistic rather than theoretical. The caveat is the familiar PHEV one – on a long uncharged haul, you’ll burn petrol like a strong turbo-four; used as intended, you’ll do most weekdays on electrons and keep the visits to the pump for weekends away. Cabin serenity, seat ergonomics and the clean Google built-in UX make the XC90 an easy daily commute; the AWD traction logic and that extra ride height make it ‘adventure-capable’ – within reason.

By Oliver Keohane
Images: Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Land Rover