Five of the vehicles most expensive to fill up in June

Bigger is always better. Except when it comes to fuel tank size in our economic climate where a litre of 95 unleaded petrol costs R24,17.

While most modern cars carry between 40 to 50l worth of the precious liquid, some vehicles carry three times at much. While this might do wonders for cruising range, it tends to make visits to the fuel station a somewhat traumatic affair.

Here's a look at what it costs to fill five machines with particularly generous fuel carrying capacities. 

1: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8D

A more affordable alternative to the Toyota Land Cruiser 300, the Land Cruiser Prado (above) is no less capable and will whisk you around some of SA's gnarliest terrains with ease (not to mention in supreme comfort). It also has a gargantuan 150l fuel tank, which makes it perfectly suited for long overland excursions in remote areas. The flip side is that filling it from empty is a pricey exercise — bank on upwards of R3,394 when inland. 

2: Nissan Patrol V8

The Nissan Patrol is a longtime rival to the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and is no less capable in the rough stuff thanks to its advanced drivetrain and rugged body-on-frame platform. As with the aforementioned Land Cruiser Prado, this Nissan also sports an impressively large fuel tank. At 140l it will cost R3,383 when filling it up with 95 unleaded inland. 

3: Mercedes-AMG G63

Though conceived to be a thoroughbred bundu-basher, this flagship G-Wagen is more likely to be spotted prowling the planes of the urban jungle. Fitted with a 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 it's quick enough to give supercars a run for their money and will sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds. This performance comes at a price, however, and that's fuel economy – you'll struggle to get near the claimed 16l/100km in real world driving conditions. This means you'll be regularly priming that 100l tank at a cost of R2,417 a pop.

4: Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6l V6

The Grand Cherokee has a somewhat old school charm, which will no doubt appeal to a certain sect of off-road enthusiasts. Under the bonnet lurks a 3.6l V6 petrol engine (in itself something of a dying breed in our world of downsized turbo motors and clever hybrids) fed by a 93.5l fuel tank. Expect to cough up R2,259 to fill it to the brim. 

5: Bentley Bentayga

There are more dynamic luxury SUVs out there but few are quite as luxurious as the king-sized Bentley Bentayga. Sporting a sumptuous interior that's big on both comfort and refinement, few vehicles are as joyous to pilot on a lengthy road trip. Those seeking extra rear legroom can also opt for the newly introduced extended-wheelbase model. Many engines are available, however our choice is the torquey and reasonably frugal 3.0l V6. Juiced by an 85l tank it will cost you upwards of R1,973 to fill up with diesel 50ppm.

(*Calculations worked out using adjusted June 1 prices for 95 ULP — R24,17 inland and R23.42 coastal — and wholesale Diesel 50 PPM — R23,22 inland and R22,63 at the coast.)