If you are reading this blog entry, then you are probably one of the members who spend hours on mycarforum and myautoblog every day. And hanging out with other car enthusiasts, you would probably know at least the basics of cars; maybe more. When you buy a car, you more or less know what sort of car and kit you are getting for your hard earned money.

But you would be in the minority. Most Singaporean car buyers couldn't give a damn what is under the bonnet, the figures or even if the car was rear wheel drive. What they do give a damn about though is the badge stuck on the bonnet and boot of the car. Who cares about how the car drives so long as the badge is fancy enough to impress your next door neighbour, your relatives and your friends. The car badge is literally worth more than its weight in gold. Anyone remember those fake Lexus Harriers running rampant in Singapore several years ago?

And unsurprisingly, the premium car marques in Singapore have caught onto this propensity for flashing wealth. And so BMW brought in the 1 series as an affordable and attainable way of getting on the premium car bandwagon and then the 320i and then the 318i.

Well guess what? Now there is an even more affordable way to lay one's grubby Singaporean hands on a snobbish German badge - the Audi A1! If one can put up with the small size of the car, it represents the most badge for buck! Imagine the 4 Audi Circles for $126 grand thereabouts! With COE prices as they are these days, this sum isn't all that steep (relatively speaking). This has got to be my top pick for maximum badge for minimum cash!

So, just in case, if you happen to be in the majority (i.e. you have some snob in you); and are in the market for a premium car, you should head down and plonk down some cash for an Audi A1 right away. No test drive needed and don't even bother with the car reviews. It won't matter to you anyway. You get all your money back the next time you pull up alongside your neighbour's VW Golf.

Well, at least until the Aston Martin Cygnet goes into production and your neighbour gets his hands on one.

PS: If you were ever in doubt, this was a review of the new Audi A1 and it told you all you needed to know about it. And no I didn't have to drive one to write this.