Nigel thinks that the Honda Jazz 1.5 RS is a car on a budget that has space, fun driving dynamics and good looks

$100,000 gets you something like a Mercedes-AMG C 63 S in the U.S.A, which upon conversion costs about $99,094 or a cheaper sports sedan like the Subaru WRX STI, which goes for some $46,936.

In comparison, we suckers in Singapura pay $181,800 (as of 1^st June 2016) for the STI. I'm not even going to name the price of the C 63 S because a similar amount buys you a five-room HDB flat, which you don't own for life either.

So, if $100,000 lands in your lap, what's the best and most practical car you can get?

Desmond is smug about his choice, the Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 Premium, which is more expensive but has much fewer ponies than the 129bhp Honda Jazz 1.5 RS I have chosen. In my book, that's a poor decision.

I would have picked my favourite Japanese hatch, the Suzuki Swift Sport, but because I had to get my head out of the performance-oriented gutter and think as a practical adult for a day, the Swift Sport was dropped for its lack of rear and trunk space.

The next best bet was a car that serves up a decent amount of driving fun, could fit a family of five and was economical to run. In this respect, the Jazz RS is second to none.

To me, cars are made to be driven. The car you drive has to make you smile. The Jazz RS is an enthusiastic unsung hero in that department, entertaining you with an eager-to-rev 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine, and is surprisingly quick and agile around corners for an 'econobox'.

And you don't have to enjoy the car alone because its cabin is spacious enough for a couple more friends - one of the most spacious hatches for that fact. Plus, the rear bench, named ULTRA seats, are configurable to maximise interior space for large items like boxes and guitars. You can fold down the rear seats, too, granting significantly more cargo space than in the Ciaz.

During our drive, I, in the Honda, was ever ahead of the Suzuki and genuinely pleased with my choice. I do of course, wish that $100,000 would've bought me said Subaru WRX STI instead.

If you are looking for a sub-$100k sedan, Desmond asserts that the Suzuki Ciaz is the only reasonable and practical choice

Let's be honest now. While $100,000 may be a lot of money, when it comes to buying a new car in Singapore, it suddenly isn't. With all the taxes and high COE prices, $100,000 will merely get you a so-called 'budget' car. So that begs the question - if I was looking to purchase a sub-$100k car, what would be the smart choice? 

Obviously, I have done this the right way. Unlike Nigel, who's all about fun and sportiness and all that mambo jumbo, I've gone down the sensible route. With just a $100k budget, I want to maximise my money, so the car has to be a practical family sedan. 

The car needs to exude practicality. I want generous interior space, not just for the driver but also the passengers both front and back. I want a good-sized boot to carry around my belongings. I want a car that's simple to operate too. After a long day at work or dealing with the little ones, the last thing I need is a car that will frustrate me with its complexity. 

As a practical and sensible family sedan, the car also needs to be easy and comfortable to drive. Powerful enough to manage on highways and perform the occassional overtaking manoeuvre, it also needs to be assured on the roads, be quiet and smooth, and most importantly have a comfortable and forgiving ride. 

With all those considerations in mind, it is really impossible to look past the Suzuki Ciaz as the affordable sedan of choice. It's a handsome yet understated car that will blend right in on our roads. The Ciaz has got a generous interior, more spacious than you would expect by looking at it from the outside, and can more than comfortably sit three full-sized adults in the rear. Its generous 495 litres of boot space is also very much welcome. 

It's easy to think that a sub-$100k sedan will be a boring old box, but the Ciaz isn't. On normal roads, the ride is perfectly agreeable, with a sufficiently punchy and responsive engine. But when you do go around some bends, the tautness of the chassis and its responsive steering mean that the car is capable of a lot more fun and laughs than most will give it credit for. A big plus is the extremely forgiving fuel economy figure as well - 18.5km/L. 

The Suzuki Ciaz is the only sensible choice for a sub-$100k sedan for the sensible man. And I am a sensible man.