Kia Picanto

Hyundai Getz

Hyundai Trajet

FOR FIRST TIMERS
The OPC scheme opens up car ownership to a whole new segment of buyers, here we take a look at two safe choices for first timers

Kia Picanto
PRICE: $40,999
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $530
ROAD TAX: $565
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $23,999
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $310
ROAD TAX (OPC): $50

KIA SHIFTED 190 OPC Picantos in the first six months of this year alone and for good reason, the company’s compact hatchback is the epitome of cheap but cheerful. With a regular price tag just over $40,000 with COE for the manual version, the Picanto already represents terrific value, but factor in the OPC rebate and you get a car for the price of a high-end home cinema setup, not too shabby. And thanks to the car’s tiny engine, the OPC rebate scheme means that all you pay in road tax is $50.

The Picanto looks contemporary enough, cheekily styled as it is, and should appeal to the young new buyer. In addition, the car’s interior doesn’t look as if it was designed way back in the 1980s, unlike those of some of its rivals. The 1.1-litre engine is pretty peppy, too, and as it doesn’t have too much weight to carry around, brisk progress can be easily made. The manual gearbox is also easy enough for anyone to use, and as these tend to make for more frugal fuel consumption than automatics, even more savings can be realised.

Hyundai Getz 1.3 5-door (A)
PRICE: $48,888
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $630
ROAD TAX: $756
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $31,888
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $410
ROAD TAX (OPC): $50

OPC SALES OF the Getz hit 413 units in the first six months of this year, accounting for nearly a quarter of total Getz sales over the same period. Hyundai’s immensely popular compact hatchback gives buyers a wealth of options in the form of different engine and bodystyles. You can have three-door or five-door variants with 1.3- or 1.6-litre engines, and your choice of manual or automatic transmissions, so there’s really a version for everyone.

The Getz is actually due to receive a mild facelift in a few months’ time but there’s no big penalty if you go for the current version. It’s a good deal more angular than the comparatively rounded Picanto but for some that could be a major plus point. It’s also a breeze to drive, and this goes for even the manual versions. That said, the 1.3-litre 5-door automatic version has proven to be the most popular choice for OPC buyers, with 255 units sold. Like the Picanto, the 1.3-litre Getz also incurs an enticingly cheap $50 per annum road tax premium.

FOR FAMILY ROAD TRIPS
If you’re the sort with a penchant for long road trips up north with the extended family, an OPC Multi-Purpose Vehicle or MPV is just the ticket

Hyundai Trajet 2.0 (A)
PRICE: $71,888
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $930
ROAD TAX: $1,513
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $54,888
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $710
ROAD TAX (OPC): $713

LIKE MANY KOREAN offerings, the Hyundai Trajet represents plenty of car for the money, as an OPC, it’s even more so. You can’t call it drop-dead gorgeous but the Trajet is honestly styled, and you can immediately tell that the vast interior is set up to take mostly anything that you can throw at it, the grubbiest-fingered of children included. The big Hyundai is actually designed to offer seating for eight but this is pushing it slightly. Best limit that number to six or seven, especially on longer drives. If you have to carry more luggage than people, the interior seating can be arranged to accommodate this.

The Trajet has also recently received a new engine in the form of a variable-valve-timing equipped 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit. The interior boasts a middle row that comprises three individually adjustable seats, as well as a bevy of cupholders and foldout picnic tables. On the road, you’ll find there’s acceptable oomph from the 2.0-litre powerplant, but that isn’t the point. On long trips, what your passengers will appreciate most is the Trajet’s particularly cushy ride.

Mitsubishi Grandis 2.4 Sports (A)
PRICE: $100,988
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $1,310
ROAD TAX: $2,117
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $83,988
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $1,088
ROAD TAX (OPC): $1,317

IF, FOR THOSE long trips to Malaysia with the kids in tow, you’re willing to spend that much more to indulge in a bit of luxury, and for that read ‘peace and quiet’, you’d be doing yourself a favour by taking a look at the Mitsubishi Grandis. The Grandis is pretty sizeable by most reasonable standards, and there’s space enough inside the versatile interior to swing a big fat cat, which should help to keep things civil amongst the younger passengers on an extended journey.

The big MPV’s 2.4-litre engine endows the car with a decent amount of go, even when it’s fully loaded. The penalty is steeper road tax but the OPC rebate knocks the annual premium back by about 40 percent. The Grandis Sports adds a bodykit, alloy wheels and a very welcome in-car entertainment system that incorporates a DVD player and LCD monitor into the mix. On a trip up to, say Kuala Lumpur, one instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy should be more than sufficient to keep things quiet the whole way.

FOR FUN
If you have a respectable appearance to maintain, OPC performance cars are the way to go. They’re also a good excuse to give your better half

Subaru Impreza WRX
PRICE: $93,000
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $1,205
ROAD TAX: $1,541
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $76,000
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $985
ROAD TAX (OPC): $741

FOR PROPERLY FOCUSED fun, you want something pretty uncompromising. Especially as chances are you’ll be on tenterhooks all week in anticipation of a weekend blast round Pasir Gudang racetrack or even Sepang. In terms of disproportionately big bang for your buck, ask most boy racers and they’ll point you to Subaru. Like it’s closest rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the Impreza WRX has gone through a relentless process of fine-tuning in the heated arena of competition, and this has resulted in effortless street cred.

The WRX’s 225bhp turbocharged boxer engine delivers a mighty punch, especially considering that the car lists at just $93,000 with COE. To find a similarly powerful car you have to look to the likes of the plusher and more expensive Renault Megane RS. Subaru’s World Rally Championship halo effect, four-wheel drive traction, quick steering, excellent body control and a slick-shifting five-speed manual gearbox conspire to deliver a drive that nothing else in this price range, or well above it for that matter, quite matches.

Suzuki Ignis Sport
PRICE: $59,900
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT: $780
ROAD TAX: $868
PRICE LESS OPC REBATE: $42,900
APPROX. MONTHLY INSTALMENT (OPC): $560
ROAD TAX (OPC): $68

IF YOUR IDEA of fun doesn’t so much include looning about on a racetrack at three-figure speeds in a thinly disguised rally rocket, but rather places more emphasis on stealthy performance at sane speeds, then the Suzuki Ignis Sport is well worth a look. It’s based on a fairly old platform but it delivers a spirited drive that shames cars costing thrice the price.

The Ignis Sport’s 1.5-litre in-line four cylinder engine musters 109bhp, while this might not sound like much, it delivers a shove strong enough to make the published 8.9 second 0 to 100km/h time seem way, way off. It’s basically equipped but as a second car to let your hair down in, it does make a fair bit of sense. When you swap your innocuous daily transport for the Ignis Sport in the evenings and at the weekends, for the more self-effacing car enthusiast, it’s probably close to perfect.

*instalments are based on 10% downpayment, and 3% per annum interest over a seven-year loan period