SINGAPORE — The doors to the Singapore Motor Show have finally been thrown open, and it’s time for the cars to pick up where the hype left off.

One obvious theme that has emerged at the motorshow is the resurgence of Japanese brands. They have exciting new models at widely varying price points and seem to have caught up with European rivals in terms of styling and engine technology.

But never count out the European carmakers, who command vast research and engineering resources between them, and who seem able to respond to everything that competitors (and local regulators) throw at them.

Flashy cars are still a specialty of theirs, but the likes of Mercedes and Volkswagen have rolled out models designed to tempt customers away from the mass-market.

At the same time, one of the fastest and most exclusive cars at the Motor Show is from Japan’s Lexus.

Ultimately, while the Singapore Motor Show doesn’t have much to offer in the way of futuristic concepts or high-performance models of the kind that are the hallmark of traditional car shows, these 15 cars show how car buyers here haven’t been this spoilt for choice for a very long time…

1. Audi TT

The “iPhone on wheels” is a turbocharged 230bhp, 370Nm, 6-speed dual-clutch rocket that can reach speeds of 250km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint time of  5.9 seconds. While the new EA113 engine works it wonders, the interior’s new high-tech wizardry will keep you entertained for miles. You can place your orders for the TT right now, and get your brand new ride at the official launch in March.

Prices start at $265,600. And yes, we’ve driven it! Read our review here.

2. BMW X6

2015 will be a quiet year overall for BMW, but it’s at least starting early with its first new car of the year: the new X6. More versions are available than before (three diesel, two petrol) but for now the lone Singapore option is the X6 xDrive50i, the monstrously powerful V8 model that costs a fairly eye-watering $488,800 with COE.

We’ve driven it and found it just as fast as before (100km/h comes up in just 4.8 seconds) while the handling feels tighter (though some steering feel seems to have gone) in this new iteration of the car.

The styling has been subtly evolved, with crisper lines up front and more pronounced creases along the side of the body to make it look more muscular, but overall the X6 looks as if it was redesigned with the idea that they decided to leave well enough alone. Will that strategy serve the X6 well when rivals from Mercedes (with the upcoming GLE-Class), Maserati (next year’s Levante) and Jaguar (2016’s F-Pace) hit the market? Read our review here.

3. Citroën C4 Cactus

Hate your doors being dinged by inconsiderate drivers who park a weebittooclose? Fear not, the $124,988 Cactus has that protection built into the doors to prevent that! More quirky yet clever features come in the form of the roof-mounted airbag, a windscreen that helps you save on washing fluid, super simple drive gear selctor, and a bold style statement.

Weighing 200kg less than the standard C4, 80hp and 118Nm from the peppy French 1.2L engine is channeled through a 5 speed auto. But, with sub-ton weight, the Cactus returns a cool 4.3L/100km for fuel economy. Deliveries are expected to begin in March. Bye bye ding-ed doors! 

4. Ford Mustang

The Mustang is a car that rarely needs an introduction. Good news for those who have been hoping for a miracle. The Mustang will be available in right hand drive for our local consumers, bringing an end to a painstakingly long 50 year wait for muscle car fanatics. Slated to go on sale in Q4 of 2015, the world-renowned Mustang will be brimming with power, the one attribute that muscle cars are best associated with.

Pop open the hood and you’ll find one of  two engine variants available; a scaled down 2.3-litre turbo EcoBoost unit producing 310bhp or the immense 5.0-litre V8 engine, churning out a mind-boggling 435bhp. In fact, there was an Australian resident who visited the show just to see how his future car would look like – after buying one! Such is the appeal of the Mustang…

5. Honda Mobilio RS

Here’s a car that gets the basic ingredients right: a trusted Japanese nameplate, well-proven mechanicals (it’s based on the Honda Jazz), seven seats and a Category A COE classification.

That puts the Mobilio RS in something of a sweet spot in the market, with few rivals to speak of and, at $121,999 with COE, an enviable price-per-head ratio. “We realised that a lot of Honda customers want more than a five-seat sedan,” says importer Kah Motor’s general manager, Nicholas Wong.

The mini-MPV is slightly elevated to make it easier to drive, says Honda, and there are rear air-con vents to battle our sweltering weather with. It’s a smidgen under 4.4 metres in length and the turning radius is just 5.2 metres. A 1.5-litre 120 horsepower engine and CVT do the driving duties here.

6. Lexus RC F

Here perhaps is the last thing you expected to see from conservative Lexus: one of the sexiest, fastest and loudest cars at the Motor Show (alas, the organisers aren’t allowing the Lexus people to fire up the V8 engine. Probably for the sake of sparing a few eardrums.) The RC F is in some ways a high-performance coupe from the old school: rear wheel drive, with a mammoth 5.0-litre V8 generating 476 horsepower from lots of revs.

Yet, as brash as the Lexus appears, the interior is as plush and straightforward as you’d expect from the brand. One notable difference: the rev counter dominates the displays, just as it would in a racing car. If you can find $438,000 to part with, the RC F is yours, COE and all.

While the RC F is easy enough on the eye, its existence also serves notice that Lexus is letting its hair down. Indeed, its other motorshow displays are the 2.0-litre turbo engine that will gradually find its way into most of its other models, as well as the LF-LC Concept, the aggressive design study from 2012 that hinted all along at the brand’s current resurgence.

Holy F… we have it reviewed!

7. Mazda 2

At a squint the new Mazda 2 looks like the lovechild of an econobox and a sportscar. The bonnet has dramatic curves, the headlights are nicely aggressive, and the body is sculpted in a way that suggests plenty of muscle. Yet, while the sporty looks probably don’t hurt its sales prospects, the Mazda 2 is at heart
a city runabout. It’s a small hatchback that rivals cars like the Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo.

This new model has grown in all dimensions to make it more spacious but is only 14kg heavier than before, and though it still has a 1.5-litre engine there’s slightly more power and, as a result, better acceleration. The price isn’t particularly compact, at $122,088 with COE, but that’s for the higher-spec model. A cheaper version with less equipment is set to join the local Mazda range.

8. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Perhaps not as glamorous a vehicle as the chrome example at Suntec suggests, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is still the world’s first plug-in hybrid with a twin motor four-wheel drive that can do both full-electric and hybrid driving modes.

Its two 60kW motors (one for each axle) allow it to be run as a pure electric vehicle for roughly 50km, while in hybrid mode (in which the 2.0-litre engine chips in) it’s rated for 5.8L/100km.

It’s pretty. It’s the future. The near future, that is. While the PHEV isn’t on sale now, local distributor Cycle & Carriage is planning to start collecting orders in the second half of 2015.

9. Mercedes-Benz B-Class

The three-pointed star’s best-selling models are still sedans (the C-Class and E-Class rule their segments here), but the B-Class has been a consistently strong performer for the brand. It’s been sold out in Singapore for months, and now that the facelifted model is here, it should be business as usual for the mini-MPV. The revamped B-Class has a restyled front end (look for a new bumper and wider grille, along with headlights that have integrated LED daytime running lamps) and a reshaped rear bumper, and Mercedes says it’s worked hard to spruce up the cabin. The interior lighting now offers a dozen different colours, believe it or not.

Two models are on sale here (both of them powered by a 1.6-litre, but tuned differently). The B 200 Style (156bhp, 250Nm, 0 to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds) costs $174,88 more, but the B 180 (122bhp, 200Nm, 0 to 100km/h in 9.1 seconds is offered in two spec levels, with the basic “Style” version propping up the range at $159,888 with COE. That’s a price calculated to give upgraders something to seriously think about while they wander the corridors at Suntec.

10. Hyundai Sonata

 

Komoco Motors has unveiled the all-new Hyundai Sonata, the model’s seventh generation. It’s undergone a radical overhaul to both its interior and exterior. We’ve looked at it closely in our review drive, and the body offers clean distinctive lines coupled with intriguing details like a large and wide diamond shaped grille, a strong headlight shape and prominent LED daytime running light bars.

Under the hood is the 2.0-litre multi-point injection engine (codenamed ‘Nu’) which churns out 157bhp and 196Nm, a little more power and torque than before. It’s mated to a Hyundai-Kia six-speed automatic gearbox. At $138,999 with COE it offers a tempting proposition in the executive car market. We drove it. We love it!

11. Kia Sorento

Kia’s Sorento, the Korean automotive maker’s latest addition to its fleet of vehicles, is a seven-seater SUV that serves as its flagship model here. This all-new model has a slightly sportier silhouette than its predecessor, complemented by wraparound headlights and a more prominent and upright grille.

The interior of the new Sorento is also more spacious than ever, with the wheelbase being lengthened by 80mm to 2,780mm. Boot space has been increased as well, from 515 to 605 litres with the third row of seats folded down. Expect the usual array of standard features from Kia, at typically aggressive pricing!

12. Infiniti Q50

Infiniti is as old as Lexus but has so far failed to gain as much traction in the market. Could 2015 be the year in which that finally changes? In the Q50 it could well have its breakthrough model for Singapore. The compact executive saloon (think BMW 3 Series) shares much of its running gear with the latest Mercedes C-Class, and it offers sharp looks and solid build.

The brand’s highlight at Suntec is a new version with Direct Adaptive Steering, a system that gives it sharp responses. It offers different settings to suit the driver’s moods, and Infiniti says it can react to steering inputs more quickly than a conventional set-up. Watch out, BMW?

13. Nissan Qashqai 1.2L DIG-T

Tongue-twisting name aside, the new Qashqai looks much handsomer than the predecessor thanks to bold new styling. Now, Nissan has given it a bold engine choice: A turbochared 1.2L DIG-T engine that puts out 115hp and 165Nm of torque. No figures for 0-100 are available yet, but buyers will be more thrilled at this car’s little thrist along with a tiny carbon footprint of 129g/km of CO2!

With a fuel effeciency of 5.6L/100km, this car weighs about 100kg less than the heavier 2.0L cousin. Which isn’t a bad thing afterall, is it? Deliveries for the new Qashqai 1.2 have begun and may take up to three months. At launch, prices for the Qashqai start at $128,800 (with COE) with $3,000 pre-launch discounts and a free upgrade to an integrated GPS audio system.

14. Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI

In one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it exercises, the Scirocco has been given a facelift. It basically involves bolt-on parts, with a new grille design up front and restyled headlights with new, curved LED strips that are meant to resemble eyelids. Volkswagen says the facelift was a gentle one because the Scirocco has always looked sharp to begin with.

No argument from us there; not for nothing was the Scirocco the best-selling coupe here in 2009, remaining a favourite of local car buyers until recent financing curbs and the COE re-categorisation dented its sales.

Yet, the motorshow is where one of those problems has been solved for the Scirocco. While we drove the range-topping Scirocco R model last year, the big news at Suntec is the launch of the 1.4 TSI model. Its 122bhp engine helps it to sneak back into the cheaper Category A segment, resulting in a price tag of $139,300 with COE (a better-equipped EQP model costs $6,000 more).

And with Category A COEs becoming significantly more plentiful from February onwards, that could well be perfect timing for an old favourite in new clothes.