Singapore Expats

Hi, appreciate not everyone thinks an SUV is a good idea, but...

Have just moved to Singapore, and would be interested in your views on which SUV to buy. Will mainly use it for my wife to ferry the 2 kids to/from school/play-dates, the supermarket run, for us to drive to the golf course, and for occasional family road-trips to Malaysia. Can't see us doing more than 15k-20k km a year.

I've narrowed my search down to the Audi Q5 & Q7, the Lexus hybrid/non-hybrid, and the Volvo XC60 & XC90.

My initial thoughts are the Audi Q7 is a bit of a beast, and the Q5 a bit compact. The new Lexus feels like a step backwards from the old model (at least the London version..no reverse camera!!). The Volvos look pretty decent, and the XC60 has an impressive spec but feels just a bit cramped. There seem to be a lot more XC90s around, but does a 7-seater really come in handy?

Appreciate any thoughts/advice. Thanks.

I think you should not buy an SUV at all. Be kind to the environment. There are enough abuser out there already.

Having driven a "Chelsea Tractor" in London, albeit a hybrid one, we have just got used to the size of an SUV. It's so easy to chuck in the kids bikes, or a couple of suitcases/golf bags in the boot, compared to a saloon car. And given the low mileage we expect to do, I'm sure our carbon footprint and quantum of emissions will be much less than someone doing, say, 30k+ in a regular executive car.

I take your point, but I'm interested in hearing the experiences of people who do drive an SUV in Singapore, and how they rate one over the other.

the Q7 or XC90 is a bit OTT. do you really need the 4x4 or 7 seater? the Q5 or XC60 would be a better option. much easier for parking and going thru barriers, etc.

equally, a Geely Excellence or even a Fiat Panda 4x4 will do the same as the Qx and XCx .

p/s i hope you know how much petrol cost in singapore!

The biggest problem with a large SUV will be parking, not just the place, but many of the underground or multi-tiered parking lots have narrow passage ways and sharp corners - a couple of weeks ago one of our freinds manged to scrape the side of theirs in one of these situations - we drove a Totota Rav 4 for a while - more compact but still a struggle sometimes for my wife. A lot of the parking places were built prior to Singapore drivers getting on the large car bandwagon, so bear this in mind. Not sure that I would ever buy a 7 seater bus even though I have 2 kids, what would be my reason (ferrying other peoples kids around - or visitors once or twice a year) I would buy what you need for the family and handle the other situations as they arise. P.S. I like the BMW SUV

as mentioned by others, you're not gonna enjoy parking a Q7 or XC90 in older singapore shopping malls.

my wife drives an RX350 with TWO external cameras in singapore and it's not easy handling it in the older indoor parking lots.

in fact, she takes a bus or cab if she has to go to such places! (ion's one of them, i was told...)

granted, she's a female driver but even i have had a few harrowing experience and given up more than a few parking lots.

plus, whenever i'm in singapore, i would rent or borrow a smaller car (toyota corolla, etc) just because it's more practical.

if it had to be from the list you gave, i would go for the XC60 for safety and size reasons.

but for lower servicing costs and reliability, i'd consider a japanese marque like nissan or toyota.

try richburg if you want to see how nice they can be... no harm going for a test drive.

but if you get the Q7 V12 twin turbo TDI (diesel!!!) with 493bhp and 737lb ft of torque (that's more than the zonda!), 0-100km in 5.5 seconds, carbon-ceramic brakes, then you probably can park in the hotel/mall lobby .

but for parking in HDB, you might have to hog 2 parking space .

durain wrote:but if you get the Q7 V12 twin turbo TDI (diesel!!!) ... 0-100km in 5.5 seconds...

My Honda Valkyrie can do better than that. And easier to park... although still a pain in the ass in a motorcycle parking lot designed for Honda Waves.

Strong Eagle wrote:My Honda Valkyrie can do better than that. And easier to park... although still a pain in the ass in a motorcycle parking lot designed for Honda Waves.

It's a beauty but completely impractical when it comes to basic daily shopping

x9200 wrote:

Strong Eagle wrote:My Honda Valkyrie can do better than that. And easier to park... although still a pain in the ass in a motorcycle parking lot designed for Honda Waves.

It's a beauty but completely impractical when it comes to basic daily shopping

You would be surprised. I can easily carry 48 beers, chips, dips, ribs and chickens for the grill, a bottle of scotch, and if pressed, fixin's for the next mornings bloody mary hang over relievers.

What's the point of buying SUV in Singapore?
You have all the roads flat almost as a table, yet the parking is troublesome...

any padi fields left in singapore?

gravida wrote:What's the point of buying SUV in Singapore?

Hummers are not allowed.

Strong Eagle wrote:You would be surprised. I can easily carry 48 beers, chips, dips, ribs and chickens for the grill, a bottle of scotch, and if pressed, fixin's for the next mornings bloody mary hang over relievers.

With some side bags I guess? Then the beauty is spoiled!

Actually Hummers are allowed here but just not the biggest one. The H3 can be bought here.

http://www.icars.sg/2009/894/hummer-h3-full-details/