We ALL aspire to have different cars for different needs, don’t we?
Photos by Azfar Hashim
As car enthusiasts, I am pretty sure every one of you has that deep, inner desire to own different cars for different needs. “Gotta impress my date tonight, I think the Porsche Cayman may get ME somewhere later after dinner, hurhur.” And then for some days, “I need to go grab some groceries, lets just use the Qashqai so I can dump everything into the boot.” Or even, “Ahh… I have a pitch with an important client after lunch, maybe I’ll leave my Z4 at home and drive the Discovery Sport and look responsible but rugged.” Then for you lads with family, “I’m gonna take the missus out for a nice cruise, shall take the Miata”; while for most times, “Family dinner with the kids and in-laws, will just use the Vellfire today.”
You know where I’m going at here. To be able to own three to five different cars would be the stuff of dreams! But realistically speaking this is Singapore, where all car enthusiasts are considered as pests to the authorities; hence car prices are ridiculously high, cost of keeping even just one car could make one cry at times and unfortunately, majority of us could only afford one car, and one car only for every task. To the, perhaps, 30 percent or so who could afford to have more than one car here in Singapore, you fellas are a really fortunate lot.
Which is why at every pub gatherings or BBQ get together with friends, the question of “If you could have more than one car here, what would it be?” are stuff of conversations. To be frank, none could have a definite list: If I were to ask you this question today, your list of cars would be this, this and this; I’ll ask you again a similar question five weeks from now, and it would most definitely be something else…
So without babbling on like a broken record, here are three cars I would like to have right now, and why…
Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - I have always been a firm believer that a cabriolet should be compact and not too powerful. Well I prefer them to be compact so that I don’t have to feel obligated to give people a lift - “Oh sorry, but I can’t send you home cos my boot and rear seat’s filled up with stuff.” Plus with less people onboard, I have less (or zero) bullshit conversation to bear.
In its current size, the Beetle Cabriolet is also easy to maneuver even in the tightest spot; try saying the same thing about a flashier, say, 6 Series Cabriolet; it’d be quite stressful to drive up and down Central Clark Quay’s spiraling carpark. You see, the point of driving a cabriolet is to relax and not get worked up or worried. Slotting it into a parallel parking lot is a cinch too…
The 105 bhp/175 Nm 1.2-litre turbocharged lump is neither slow nor too powerful for anyone to handle; ‘just nice’ would be apt to describe it. And because it’s ‘just nice’, driving it down the expressway with the roof down won’t ruin your hair. Try driving at 100 km/h in a BMW 435i, you’ll probably hate the turbulence and all that noise within the cabin; it’s different driving at that speed in a 1.2-litre cabriolet versus a 3.0-litre cabriolet. Then if you require some practical use, post Ikea shopping, simply bring the roof down and, tadaa, you can lug bulkier items and save on transportation costs. But now here’s the bestest bit: Because of its small engine, this Beetle Cabriolet is frugal and returns 17.9 km/L. Meaning you can drive the entire night away (Singapore is small, what’s wrong with you?!) and enjoy the Fender sound system without having to even monitor the fuel needle…
Infiniti Q50 - Somehow you will always need that one car for daily use. It needn’t be fancy, but just presentable, reliable and very useful; which all points to the Q50. An executive Japanese sedan with a German heart, it’s perfectly matched to a classy and subtly stylish exterior that’s not too loud; after all, you don’t need an attention-grabbing car for everyday errands.
The 208 bhp/350 Nm is more than up to task at getting you from point A to point B at a generous pace; the transmission is equally responsive and smooth, which makes this car even more desirable. Well, to me at least. The comfortable driver’s seat and driving position an added bonus, that’s for sure.
Although most will have the impression the Q50 here is a boring car, the handling department proves to be quite entertaining. It’s a rear-wheel drive and the chassis is surprisingly very balanced; hence if you’ve just ended a meeting in Tuas South and have to head to Changi Business Park for your next appointment, you can quickly de-stress by taking a quick diversion to Lim Chu Kang and attack some of the twisty stretch in this car. And show up smiling widely…
Audi RS5 Coupe - Why not have one monster in your collection as well? You know, the one you’ll (a) drive on weekends to gather with like-minded friends, (b) use for a Sunday morning b-road drive, (c) head to Sepang in. And occasionally drive to meetings to impress that marketing director who has been subtly flirting with you every single time you see each other. This is where Audi’s RS5 Coupe comes in.
This thing is amazing in terms of performance. Oh, and also melodies coming from both under the hood and fairly large exhaust tailpipes. A 2.9-litre Bi-turbo V6 powerplant matched to an 8-speed ‘box, this car screams ‘h-a-v-o-c’ any way you see it: It catapults you forward maddeningly and outruns everything that tries to get close. But that aside, it’s easy to coax even at its limit, the steering precise and brakes that could actually stop this earth from rotating.
It’s very hard to fault the overall package of the RS5. Like the cherry on top, you also will appreciate the well-appointed cabin with superb build quality; just love it. Damn it Audi, because you've built a car like this, I have to queue at the Singapore Pools outlet and gamble my luck…
