Luck would have it that there was some communication error between the radio deejay and me, and he did not get my contact number down clearly enough. I was wondering if the whole episode was a dream as I had not received any telephone call from anyone a couple of weeks after 'winning' the contest over the air? A couple of weeks later, I was checking my email (which I sometimes have the tendency not to check regularly) and found that the good people at Volkswagen Singapore had been waiting for me to give them my contact number via email! Ha, I still had the chance for the drive!
I have to confess that I had thought I won the chance to drive a Beetle for a weekend. I knew there were quite a few models (I found out that there were a total of 28!) of Volkswagen cars, but I was perhaps believing in what I was hoping for more than anything! Ha! I only found out later that it was a Golf I had won the chance to drive. I was not really disappointed. I mean - it was still a prestigious Volkswagen car I was going to drive!
Visiting the Volkswagen centre in Leng Kee Road for the first time on the day I ws to pick the car up, I was in awe. It was not just big, but rather, it was humongous! It had more than enough 'leg-room' to display the many models of cars they had to showcase, spick-and-span and very high-tech! It had a cafe for its prospective customers to enjoy a cuppa, tipping the scales towards buying a car with the brand. Awesome!
The lady who came to help me with claiming the drive, Ms Choo, was very friendly and helpful too! Though I was not there on the premise of buying a car, she did not make me feel like I needed to be obliged to do so. Ms Choo handed me a little goodie-bag (nice gesture from Volkswagen) and got the relevant paperwork done with me within minutes. Efficient!
Ms Choo brought me up to the centre's roof where my 'prize' was parked. I liked what I saw - the light-blue hatchback glimmered against the hue of the evening sun. She went through every detail I needed to know about the car and made me feel at ease with everything. I was thoroughly sold-on the grandeur of the vehicle and its interior that made me feel at ease the moment I set-foot in it! Ms Choo gave me contact numbers I needed, in case I needed to call anyone (touch wood!). Finally, the drive!
First stop, I went to pick Yen and my elder children up. They liked the exterior of the blue car I drove there. Yen got in the passenger's seat and felt the same way that I did - the dashboard of the car looks very nice! Futuristic but not over-the-top, the user-friendly display won our hearts hands-down. When I got it on the road, she liked the smooth acceleration, the seemingly "uninterrupted gear-changes" - the way Class 95's Glenn Ong put it. Unlike some cars, the car did not produce any noise during gear changes Smooth!
Oh, I haven't mentioned how light the doors were, that my four-year-old elder princess and three-year-old prince found no trouble in handling? It gives me a very sturdy and comfortable feel - my children fell asleep a little past ten minutes into the drive from East Coast to our place in Jurong West, and they were not awokened by any bump or rough jerks the car might have made along the way. Great comfort!
I could not wait to hear the review from my brother, Eddie, when we went to our old place in Clementi in a proposed meeting between us and our long-time neighbours. Being a previous car-dealer, he was impressed by the Golf's performance considering it was only a 1.2L. The car had a 'Sport' mode, kind of like a 'Cruising' mode - I guess - that maximised fuel economy too.
The drive these few days has given me a very good impression of the car with its new TSI engine. It brought smiles to my my and children. I would seriously consider purchasing the car if I had to change our family WISH years later...
You could also consider a Touran..
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