3 Used Family Oriented Cars We Can Buy Today In Singapore With Sporty Credentials

As the world resumes activities that gravitate towards more regularity than disruptions, now can be a time where we start on a clean slate, begin to block-book leaves that stretch over long weekends and commit to the next holiday destination. But even with early bird discounts, air fares triple that of pre-pandemic levels and we come to a realisation soon enough that budgets do not line up with intended travel plans.

Given that petrol runs in your veins, you’ve already prepared an elevator pitch for the family so convincing that your other half nudges you on for more details. It was a pitch that involved a week-long road trip weaving through the spine of Peninsula Malaysia - an adventure best accompanied by a functional, yet engaging vehicle.

We have no intention to put you in a spot of bother - these suggestions can be used as verifications for your justifications, and we’re fairly confident these 3 cars of different body styles strive to put similar smiles on your faces!

Subaru Exiga GT

Your fate ain’t sealed even when family count increases to 7. Before you head out to test drive the new Toyota Sienta Hybrid or place a deposit for a used one, consider a Subaru Exiga GT of similar depreciation. We are certainly not taking a dig at the Sienta - in fact it will be one of our top family picks for tamer family duties in Singapore. But when local streets make way for open roads in Johor and beyond, big thrills can be had with the Exiga GT when its turbocharged EJ20 “boxer” motor pushing 225bhp and 326Nm is on the boil, especially when power is anchored to all four wheels in typical Subaru fashion. In an era where hybrids can serve as torque “fillers” in the lower regions of the rev range, the Exiga GT’s take on power delivery evokes memories of rally-inspired machines where tactility took precedence over a numerical arms race.

Kia Stinger GT

Kia’s meteoric rise to stardom the last couple of years might be headlined by wildly popular diesel-powered Carnival MPVs in Europe or the physics-defying EV6, but we can argue that the Stinger in full-fat GT form also garnered credible appeal as it gave German performance sedans a good run for their money. No surprises - the liftback was engineered by a former BMW M VP of Engineering. 370bhp and more than 500Nm of torque helped it on to 100km/h from rest in less than 5 seconds - an achievement not to be scoffed at considering one that weighs a snip over 1.8 tonnes. Rear passengers will enjoy heaps of legroom, along with a boot almost as functional as a class-leading Audi A5 Sportback. There’s always a temptation to sell the idea of a Civic Type R to the family given that both command similar depreciation, but the FD2R simply cannot compete with the Kia’s free-flowing, effortless V6 turbo suited for extended highway exploits.

Saab 9-3 SportCombi

We’ve covered a MPV and liftback - now is time for a wagon from less familiar origins. Usual suspects from Audi or Subaru could easily fit the bill, but we swung towards this Saab 9-3 SportCombi as it boasts an annual depreciation comfortably lower than a Honda Jazz. Sure, it is the lowest specced SportCombi out of 5 variants that landed in Singapore (we’re keen to sample the V6 “Aero” version if it ever pops up on classifieds), but it still packed sufficient punch with a sub-8 seconds century sprint from a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-potter. It might have a wheelbase slightly shorter than a mid-sized executive sedan, but there’s still ample rear space and storage to lug a long weekend worth of goodies.

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