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Mean machines

SINGAPORE — Some people think vehicles should be as easy to accessorise as their favourite outfits. Others think their vehicles should be en extension of their rugged, sporty personas.

SINGAPORE — Some people think vehicles should be as easy to accessorise as their favourite outfits. Others think their vehicles should be en extension of their rugged, sporty personas.

The machines on this list are for people in the latter group, folk with so much fire in their veins, they stride the Earth with the gait of the unstoppable.

NISSAN X-TRAIL

S$127,800 (with COE)

Local roads have become crowded with crossovers, and models like the Nissan X-Trail have contributed to the segment’s popularity. Together with the smaller Qashqai and Juke, the X-Trail has helped Nissan sell more of this type of car than any other brand.

The X-Trail is the biggest of the breed for Nissan, and with an all-wheel drive, it should be able to tackle light off-roading duties — handy if you discover a jungle trail someday and feel like getting in touch with your inner Indiana Jones or Lara Croft.

Its 2-litre engine produces just 144hp so the X-Trail is tuned more for fuel efficiency than a heart-stopping performance, but its versatile interior is the ace up its sleeve. Folding all the rear seats creates a huge cargo area, and Nissan says you can load items as long as 2.4m into the car. Mountain bike fiends, take note.

But most buyers are probably more enchanted by the X-Trail’s ability to carry people instead of gear. The car is big enough for seven seats, which makes it workable transport for six other members of the brood. And what could be more manly than being a dedicated family man?

INFINITI Q50 RED SPORT 400

S$246,800 (with COE)

Infiniti, the luxury arm of Nissan, is still not a huge player against the likes of BMW, Lexus or Mercedes-Benz globally, but that makes the hidden gems in its model range all the more interesting.

The Q50 Red Sport 400 is a case in point. The Q50 is Infiniti’s 3 Series/C-Class competitor, but the Red Sport version replaces the garden-variety Q50’s 208hp, 2-litre engine with a 3-litre, twin-turbo V6 with 400hp.

That sort of firepower allows it to demolish the 0-100kmh sprint in well under six seconds, and its rear-wheel driven dynamics feel almost old-school, in a thoroughly enjoyable way.

While it is more of a fast, composed road car than an apex-blitzing sports car, it is also a luxury, high-performance sedan without the typical luxury, high-performance price: For its power and level of features, it is far less expensive than similar machines from more recognised marques.

PORSCHE PANAMERA

From S$360,388 (without COE)

Of the 16 different versions of the new Porsche Panamera available, it is the most powerful ones that grab the headlines. But it is the basic Panamera that scoops up the lion’s share of sales. Traditionally, the standard car accounts for more than four out five Panameras sold here.

But while the baseline Panamera may be the slowest in the range, it is hardly slow, since a new 3-litre turbo V6 engine gives it plenty of power. It sends 330hp to the rear wheels through a new eight-speed, twin-clutch gearbox.

Unleashing all that power will see it hit 100kmh from a standstill in 5.6 seconds, quick enough to grow hair on anyone’s chest.

The car handles with uncanny agility despite its large size. What is better this time around is the Porsche’s ride quality over bumps, which is preternaturally calm when you specify the optional sports suspension.

The Panamera’s taut new lines sharpen up its design considerably, especially at the rear. Inside, things have been completely revamped, thanks to a new touchscreen display and a futuristic touch-sensitive panel that looks like something out of Star Trek. That seems only natural, as it gives the Porsche a starship’s cabin to go with its warp-drive speed.

As before, there are two seats in the rear. That is both a strength and weakness of the Panamera, as it provides Business Class-like seating but limits the car’s appeal to people who want five seats. The upcoming Sport Turismo wagon will solve that problem by offering seating for three at the back. That means there is a Panamera for everyone, but given how speedy even the most basic model is, the timid need not apply.

HONDA AFRICA TWIN

S$30,300 (without COE)

Ever since actor Ewan McGregor and host Charley Boorman went on an epic off-road motorcycle trip in the 2004 television series Long Way Round, the adventure bike genre has exploded in popularity. But these bikes can be big, heavy and powerful, and thus intimidating to ride.

Honda’s Africa Twin, named for the location of the original Paris-Dakar Rally and its engine configuration, blends round-the-world capability with extreme user-friendliness. Its 999cc parallel twin engine with a just-right 95bhp and nimble, intuitive handling make it an excellent dance partner on tarmac and light offroad trails.

Its real party trick is a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. While automatics are common in scooters, it seems almost freakish for an adventure bike to have no clutch lever (it has a parking brake instead) or manual gearbox.

Yet, Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission system is perfectly sorted, easy to use and shifts far smoother than even the best professional human riders can manage.

VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

From S$165,900 (with COE)

Longer, wider, lower ... that sums up the dimensional changes for the latest Tiguan, and explains why it looks meaner than the previous model. The softer, more curvy lines of the original Tiguan have also given way to crisp, sculpted creases.

It helps the Volkswagen look more muscular, and emphasises the fact that the car has grown to accommodate a bigger cabin and larger boot.

Yet, it is not the bigger body, but what powers it that gives the Tiguan its red-blooded legitimacy. The basic 1.4-litre version is fairly quick, taking 9.2 seconds to reach 100kmh from a standing start.

But the Tiguan 2.0 R-Line (S$193,900 with COE) could put a scare into drivers of more overtly sporty machinery. Its 220hp engine hurls it to 100kmh in only 6.5 seconds, making it quicker than a basic Porsche Macan.

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