Judgement Day
Here are what the panel of judges for Car of the Year 2009 have to say about their own selection process and fvourite cars.
2009 was another bumper year for us car reviewers and buyers alike. Singapore might not have a car market that is as big as America or China, but the car choices we have is astonishingly vast. For me, one of the beginning of 2009 was the Audi Q5. Sure, I’m not a big fan of its looks but it drives and performs well on and off tarmac.
Then came the Volkswagen Scirocco in May. The Scirocco has the proven underpinnings of the Golf GTI but in sexier clothes. Moreover, it is cheaper than the GTI – what more can you ask for? Another two-door model that really impressed me was the Porsche Cayman/Boxster. With a new 2.9-litre engine and a twin clutch gearbox, the entry-level Porsche can no longer be considered as all show and no go.
The Audi S4 was another surprise. I thought it would be a ‘disaster’ that the Audi had replaced the previous S4’s V8 with a supercharged V6, but the 3-litre is really a wonderful performer that is very exploitable. Here you have a car that is cheaper than a BMW335i but better equipped.
It is only the beginning of December as I write this so that leaves me with about three weeks more of testing cars before the year ends. And there’ll be some really great and exciting cars we’ll be testing till then. For now though, my choice for Car of the Year is the sexy Scirocco.
Credits: Story and Photos Various
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