Market Watch: Buy These 1-Litre Engine Cars In Singapore Today

Embracing full electrification comes with a couple of benefits. If you’re blessed with a charger at your doorstep, the convenience factor is second to none. Battery packs and motors powered by them are less complex than engines too, with less moving parts that aid in longer term reliability.

But if you’re not keen on EVs just yet, more traditional ways of propulsion can prove that old is still gold. Especially if you’re focusing on reliability and ease of use in the city. Cars that run on 1.0-litre engines are often more compact (save for some SUVs and crossovers), with enough shove to make grocery runs fuss-free.

These three cars might not possess big performance, but with the ICE age well in the maturity stage, we’d argue that small engines have reached a point where there’s not much to improve on. A hatchback, wagon and sedan on this shortlist suggest how flexible engines can be, and numbers only form a small fraction of the equation!

2019 Suzuki Swift 1.0 Turbo

If there’s one brand that tried their best to steer clear of the bigger-is-better mantra, Suzuki has to be mentioned. The Jimny, Ignis and Swift have dimensions that rivals find hard to fathom, but consumers know deep down that more metal for the dollar isn’t always a positive.

Capable dynamics, efficient drivetrain and a not-too-prohibitive price point makes the Swift stand out from the crowd. We’re big fans of the Swift for sleek city hooning - you should give it a shot, too.

2022 Hyundai i30 Wagon 1.0 Turbo

Added weight and dimensions of the i30 wagon over the hatchback have been negated by how competent its turbo 3 pot feels for urban usage. Sure, it's a negligible 25kg heavier, but 116bhp and 200nm makes it genuinely eager to deploy on city streets.

Fold the 2nd row seats down and utilise 1,650 litres worth of luggage space. We’d think that a hulking torque-rich diesel or plug-in hybrid is required for intensive load lugging duties, but this turbo petrol Hyundai proves otherwise.

2019 Audi A3 sedan 1.0 TFSI

We couldn’t feature 1.0-litre motors without a VW Group mention. Different states of tune have powered city-centric cars like the Volkswagen Polo and T-Roc, Skoda Fabia and Octavia, as well as Seat’s Arona, Leon and Ibiza. Audi’s portion of the pie was reserved for the A1, and more uniquely, the 1.0-litre turbo A3 sedan that slots neatly in the Cat A COE system.

This 2019 A3 might not be mild hybrid-equipped, but it still pushes a decent 114bhp (5bhp more than the current generation) and 200Nm. Looking for a spare part? VW Group’s ecosystem is second to none.

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