Four new luxury cars hit Singapore
Got a $230K to $380K to spend on a new car? Here are four new choices, with a twist…
SINGAPORE — In a busy week for the motor industry, four new cars have been launched in Singapore to cap off 2015.
All four are luxury models with a twist: three are Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), and one is made of aluminium instead of conventional steel.
While conventional, steel-made sedans are still the norm in the luxury market, these four new machines from Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz show that wealthy drivers now have more choice than ever when it comes to cars.
If variety is the spice of life, in other words, expect the roads to heat up soon.
JAGUAR XF
If you’re bored of Benz and BMW, the new Jaguar XF is an intriguing alternative to an E-Class or 5 Series for a number of reasons.
Unlike its rivals, the $229,999 (with COE) Jaguar is made of aluminium instead of steel, which makes it lighter by up to 110kg. That aids agility as well as fuel consumption.
It’s pretty quick as a result, too. The basic 2.0-litre model has 240 horsepower and zips to 100km/h in 7.0 seconds. A 3.0-litre turbodiesel version we tried is even quicker, but sips just 5.5 litres of diesel per 100km.
READ MORE > XF R-Sport — what $30,000 worth of extras is like in the new Jaguar
Even if you like being driven around, Jaguar says the newest XF has more room in the back than its rivals. Something for everyone, then.
LEXUS RX
This might surprise you, but the usual best-seller for Lexus around the world is not a car, but an SUV. In fact, Lexus says the RX set the template for a luxury SUV way back in 1998: a tall ride but very little off-roading ability, with car-like behaviour and refinement instead.
READ MORE > One cool feature lets you use The Force to open the RX’s tailgate
The newest RX rolled into town yesterday, with a price tag of $276,000 (with COE) for the RX Turbo Luxury. That comes with a 2.0-litre turbo engine (the smallest in the RX’s history but by no means the least powerful) and new features like a colour head-up display, and a 12.3-inch LCD screen on the dash — the biggest in the business.
Engineers have stretched the RX to give it more cabin space, and they’ve worked on the handling to make it sharper to drive. That would match the new model’s racy new looks.
MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 400
If you’ve never heard of a Mercedes GLE, it’s because this is the first one. It used to be called the M-Class (or ML-Class), which you might remember being used as a football by the dinosaurs in the second Jurassic Park movie, way back in 1997.
READ MORE > How to make sense of Mercedes’ new naming system
Since then, the car has traded ruggedness for refinement. The ladder frame, 4x4 drivetrain has been replaced by a more car-like unibody design, which makes for much better handling and a smoother ride over the road.
It will set you back $345,888 (with COE), has a 3.0-litre V6 engine with 333hp, and accelerates to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds — quick enough to outrun any pesky dinosaur.
MERCEDES-BENZ GLE COUPE
A sexier sibling of the GLE, the Coupe model gives up some cabin space for a swoopy roofline that tapers sportily to the rear. There’s a GLE 400 Coupe with the same engine as the boxy standard model, but speed junkies will like the 367-horsepower GLE 450 AMG version ($383,888 with COE).
That hits 100km/h in just 5.7 seconds. What good are sporty looks without sporty performance, after all?
READ MORE > Mercedes ambassador Elvin Ng gets to grips with the new GLE Coupe at its launch
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