Peugeot distributor Nasim is currently holding a small roadshow at the new wing of 1 Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya. The roadshow started yesterday, 7 July and will continue until this Sunday, 11 July 2010.

On display will be the newly refreshed Peugeot 308 VTi and the 3008 crossover SUV, alongside other models of the Nasim stable. Should any Peugeot model currently feature in your consideration, it might be a good idea to head that way this weekend.

Peugeot 3008

See also:
- Peugeot 3008 – Continental Crossover – by KON (7/6/2010)
- Contrasting Alternatives: Ford Focus vs Peugeot 308 – by KON (6/10/2009)
- Peugeot 407 Road Test to Penang & Back – by YS Khong (14/12/2004)

Honda Malaysia today announced that its yearly Experience Honda 3S Campaign for 2010 has officially begun, starting today 1 July 2010 and finishing three months later on 30 Sept 2010.

Goodies on offer in the campaign period are as follows:

• Buyers of the Accord 2.0 VTi and 2.4 VTi-L get to choose between:
  - an 18-month/30,000km free service & maintenance package, or
  - a Garmin GPS
• Spare parts savings of 25%
• Service vouchers for customers who spend in excess of RM300.00 in a single bill at service centres
• First year subscription fee waiver for Connex SVR (Stolen Vehicle Recover System) worth RM360. System is compatible with City, Civic, CR-V & Accord
• Honda merchandise give-away for customers who test drive or service their vehicles at any Honda dealers.

Honda Accord 2.0 VTi & 2.4 VTi-L

KON

Talk about it: “Experience Honda 3S Campaign” 2010 Begins!

See also:
- Sibling Rivalry: Accord 2.0 VTi vs 2.4 VTi-L – by KON (27/7/2009)
- Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Experience Honda 3S Campaign Returns – by TheGunner (1/7/2009)

Part of life as a motoring journalist is having to re-adapt to one’s own ride after returning all the glitzy test cars to the manufacturer. Though ours is a glamourous job to look at, our pay is not. As such, most of us tend to make do with very modestly-priced rides when we are between test cars. Fortunately, I am sufficiently satisfied with my own car that there were only relatively few occasions that I returned to it feeling distinctly a downgrade from what I was reviewing.

Whatever you might say about Proton’s build quality, you cannot deny that thanks to input from Lotus to its ride and handling, its cars possess above average handling competence. This is why my 2007-vintage Proton Waja Campro with manual transmission remains very much an enjoyable drive in my books, even if it has a few quirks which I have to live with.

Test car for the Auto Foam project: 2007 Proton Waja Campro 1.6E

Although the Lotus input endowed the Waja with a chassis of world-class design, the same cannot be said of its NVH insulation package. At whatever speed you care to mention, the Waja is just full of noises – road noise, wind noise, engine noise, you name it. It’s deafening. Which is why, when Desmond Chong of KL Auto offered me a chance to do a review of his flagship product Auto Foam, I was more than happy to take his offer up.

KL Auto’s premises off Jalan Ipoh

My years in Autoworld Forum have made me already familiar with the concept of foam injection into the chassis. Forummers have been talking up the merits of this product ever since I joined as a forum member back in 2002. Having said that, however, my familiarity with the product is only passing, and I was certainly caught off-guard when Desmond explained to me, in highly technical terms, how the foam must be injected at strategic parts of the car for best effect.

The Auto Foam treatment package given to my car consists of the Comfort Package, which sees foam injected into various parts of the undercarriage, amounting to RM880. Additional treatment of Auto Foam worth RM300 were also injected into the C-pillar, while Wurth/Acoustiplast SP sound insulation sheets worth RM500 were lined along the rear speaker deck, spare tyre well and under the rear seats. Finally, the Roar Killer package worth RM380 was injected into the wheel arches as well as the A-pillar.

Checking sound levels in the car.

After his men were done with their jobs, Desmond invited me to sit inside the car, that time still parked in the workshop, with the engine idling. He implored me to step on the accelerator and asked if I could hear any difference. Honestly, at that point in time, I had almost zero idea what he was blabbing about. I felt some difference, but certainly not at the levels he was describing. But I wasn’t expecting to feel anything yet, because we have yet to hit the road, which I was looking forward to.

Shortly after leaving the compound of his workshop, and on the pockmarked surface of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, I began to see what the man was talking about. Traffic was heavy, so there was no chance of testing the improved handling that he promised. But, on came a pothole, I drove over it, and the suspension thumped it off far greater confidence than I was accustomed to. Before this, every pothole or bump which I failed to avoid or slow down for would have threatened to dismantle my dashboard.

Foam was injected into undercarriage.

The improved ride can be felt most dramatically on pavement-brick surfaces, where less of the harshness caused by the joining lines of the bricks make their way into the cabin. You still feel the suspension at work, but they certainly aren’t transmitting too much of the road’s harshness back into the cabin.

When I stopped at the traffic lights, I noticed that music coming from the rear speakers have a ‘purer’ and crisper sound about them. Now, I must clarify that I have almost zero qualification in reviewing audio equipment, but I can promise you that my stock audio system definitely sounded better than before.

Roar killer injected into A-pillar and wheel arches.

Also suppressed, and impressively so, are resonance vibrations transmitted to the dashboard at certain RPMs, especially at 1,800rpm. When I first drove out of KL Auto’s premises, I noticed that the resonance vibrations were almost completely gone. Weirdly however, after a few day’s of curing, some of the vibrations have returned, but still at a level lower than before. So, that’s improvement nonetheless.

Recently, I drove the Waja to Singapore in a family trip, which doubled as a highway test run for the Auto Foam package. Although the Waja has great inherent composure at high speeds, its stock insulation leaves plenty to be desired. As soon as the speedo crosses into triple-digit territory, you’re better off switching the radio off, because even if you dial the radio volume to the high settings, you’re unlikely to be able to hear anything. And bear in mind the Waja I have is already a significantly improved version compared to the initial batches.

Foam was also injected into C-pillar

Going through the tarred and concrete surfaces of PLUS Highway, I noticed far less intrusion of noise when cruising at higher speeds. Over some of the concrete pavements there were still intrusions of tyre noises, but for the most part, the only source of noise coming into the cabin was the engine. On occasions when it was safe to do so, I allowed the car to coast on free gear at 110kph, and it was peacefully serene. The difference is extremely impressive.

Desmond also pointed out to me that I should feel significant improvement in my car’s outright handling. From my experience thus far, the car’s high-speed stability and cornering poise remains impressive. However, as there was little wrong with the Waja’s road manners in stock form, I felt that improvements in this area were minimal, until I realized that I was taking most sweeping bends one gear higher than before. Bends that used to need fourth gear, can be now be handled in fifth.

Ride comfort improved tremendously; handling improved too, but only discernible at higher speeds.

Having driven the Waja for three years, my biggest complaint of the car has always been its excessive noise level and also its slightly out-of-whack ergonomics. The Auto Foam injection helped address that first problem, and improved things on a few other areas which hardly even bothered me before this. It hasn’t transformed my car into a Lexus, but you can’t expect something put together for less than RM2,000 to give you RM300k’s worth of ride quality.

To conclude, the Auto Foam package fitted into my car, which is permanent and non-reversible, has produced some pretty impressive effects. Noticeable improvements have come in terms of ride comfort and also noise insulation, making the whole car feel a lot more solid and refined. Claimed handling benefits were also felt, but mostly at higher speeds.

But do you know what’s the sad part? Once you get started, you’ll tend to want more. Be prepared with deep pockets if you want to get into Auto Foam-ing.

KON

See also: Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Auto Foam – Chassis Stiffening & Soundproofing Solution Explained
Talk about it: Autoworld Forum > Car Cafe > Soundproofing, Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH)

Ladies, here’s an announcement for you. Swedish Marque, a prominent official dealer of Volvo cars, is now dangling complimentary makeover vouchers from Bobbi Brown for you.

To get one for yourself, all you need to do, is to head to their showroom at Jalan Dua, Sg Besi and test drive the new Volvo S40 Powershift between now and 31 Mar 2010.

For the men, well, this might well be one occasion where your other half actually bugs you to go test drive a car. How brilliant is that?

KON

Also read: Volvo Launches New S40 with Powershift – by YS Khong (16/10/2009)

Official Press Release from BMW Malaysia

This Christmas, BMW is spreading JOY with Christmas@BMW, an ‘Open House’ event at all its dealerships in the country.

Held over the weekend of the 5th and the 6th of December 2009 from 10:00am to 6:00pm, the event will see BMW give away an iPod Touch (8Gb) with BMW USB Connectors with the purchase of a BMW 3 Series; a portable DVD tablet with the purchase of a BMW 5 Series as well as additional offers for the BMW X5 xDrive30i whilst stocks last.

Also up for grabs for early birds to the dealerships will be special showroom surprises in the form of lifestyle and merchandise vouchers from BMW, Sauber BMW F1 Team sunshades as well as limited edition BMW notebooks which will be decorated on a 9ft Christmas Tree in all BMW dealerships.

Aside from the wide range of BMW cars to test drive, visitors can also expect a day of fun-filled activites for the whole family with activities such as Door Hanger designing and colouring activity as well as Christmas Card making competitions.

All dealerships will also be serving a sumptuous Christmas meal spread.

Geoffrey Briscoe, Managing Director, BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd, in speaking about the Christmas@BMW event said, “To us at BMW, Christmas is a special time for giving and sharing amongst our family members and loved ones. This is exactly what we are doing with our Christmas@BMW dealership events – giving and sharing with our customers!”

He added that the end of the year which is the holiday season is also the time when most people will be paying particular attention to their cars as it is the season for travel.

“At this time of the year, when car checks are particularly important before long travels, what other better way could someone spend their time checking their BMWs than to spend it with friendly, familiar faces from their BMW dealership.” said Briscoe.

See also:

Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Showroom Experience: The Joy Factory @ Auto Bavaria Glenmarie
Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Showroom Experience: The Joy Factory @ Auto Bavaria Sg Besi
Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> BMW Performance Drive
Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Showroom Experience: A Tale of Two Showrooms
Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Brief Test Drive: E90 BMW 323i

Recently, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia organized a special test drive session of the all-new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport for members of the local media. A total of 21 journalists from various publications were invited to attend the event. Spread into five cars, each took turns to drive the Pajero Sport from KL all the way up to Penang and back the following day with a few backroad detours thrown in to fully test its ride, handling and off-road capabilities.

The media pack gathered in the morning at MMM’s HQ in Shah Alam, where they were introduced to Mitsu’s veteran Dakar Rally driver Hiroshi Masuoka, who played a key role in the development of the Pajero Sport. At 9:30am, after a quick group photo, everybody got into their assigned cars and fired up the Pajero’s (let’s use the Sport moniker sparingly from this point forward) two and a half litre turbo-diesel powerplant. Collectively, the five diesel engines idling together produced an audible clatter, which became markedly reduced when the cars are on their own.

Journalists being introduced to Masuoka, before getting into their respective cars.

I was placed in Car No. 3, in the company of  a trio of experienced veteran writers – LeePS of Auto International, Yamin Vong of CBT and BH Chan of Chinese-language based magazine Motorcar. We were flagged off by MMM Chairman, Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir, in the presence of Masuoka-san, CEO Mr Keizo Ono and COO En Omar Harun, with LeePS at the helm of our car. The mini-convoy headed to its first destination at the Selangor Fruit Valley at Bukit Bestari, Rawang. Driving sedately, LeePS was taking it easy on the highway, allowing the other cars to build a sizeable lead over us.

As LeePS strolled the Pajero forward at a leisurely pace, the three of us on the passenger seats had time to look around and evaluate the quality of its cabin. Impressions at this stage were good. The cabin is solidly built, and while the materials used are not bespoke, they look very capable of lasting years of hard use. We got a little wind noise on the highway, but not enough to disrupt our conversations or the music collection stored in the little Pajero-shaped thumbdrive plugged into the USB slot by MMM.

LeePS took it easy on the highways, but gave the Pajero a thrashing along the Rawang backroads.

We eventually caught up with the other test cars at Exit 117 to Rawang & Batang Berjuntai. Heavy traffic split us from the convoy again, but once clear, LeePS absolutely hammered the Pajero through the twists of Jalan Batu Arang to get us again within touching distance of YS, Chris Wee and the others. Here, the Pajero’s tall body exhibited rolling tendencies, but the use of double wishbones up front teamed with independent rear suspension held by a lateral rod kept things firmly in check.

Lateral rod kept body roll in check. Journalists were impressed.

LeePS was able to eventually catch up with the convoy again and we kept on their tails until we reached the Selangor Fruit Valley. There, we were treated to a feast of durians, rambutans, and mangosteens as Masuoka-san to took each of us in-turn on “taxi-ride” on a rough off-road track through the fruit farm in a bog-standard Pajero, rally style. It was an exercise to demonstrate the off-road ability and hardiness of the Pajero, with the engineering borne out of Mitsubishi’s 25-year experience in rallying.

Selangor Fruit Valley – a feast of fruits and an off-road track awaited us here.

Although Masuoka appeared to be driving around the farm like a madman, there was little doubt that he knew what he was doing. During the few times that the Pajero almost lost grip, he was able to recover the situation almost nonchalantly, while casually engaging us in a conversation. You wouldn’t guess it from the pictures, but bumps aside, it was very refined in the cabin. The Pajero just took everything Masuoka threw at it without much fuss, emerging from this chassis-shattering ordeal none the worse for wear.

Danny here actually had a proper conversation with Masuoka as the latter throws the Pajero Sport around the fruit farm.

Poser…

We left the fruit farm with LeePS still behind the wheel, and continued along Jalan Batu Arang in the direction we came from. At this point, it seemed that the designated first drivers have gotten the best deal of the journey. After driving the Pajero through a stretch of untarred road, LeePS got to put the claimed 314Nm peak torque of the Pajero’s common-rail diesel engine to test with stretches of long straight roads. Overtaking on dual-lane single carriageways is not beyond the Pajero, but such efforts are best executed with some planning as the engine takes a few seconds to respond after burying your right foot on the throttle.

LeePS got to further test the Pajero’s breadth of abilities.

The convoy regrouped for a driver change just before we re-entered the PLUS highway at Bukit Tagar, where Yamin took the reins in our car. The designated second drivers got an all-highway route as we cruised steadily to our next rest stop at Tapah for the next driver change. After taking a moment to freshen up, the keys were handed to me, as I was tasked to take Yamin, LeePS and BH to join the convoy for lunch at Indulgence Cafe at Ipoh, before continuing our journey to Bukit Gantang for our next driver change.

Lunch at Indulgence Cafe, Ipoh

My leg of the journey behind the wheel takes us, much to my delight, through the winding and sloping stretches of the PLUS highway at Jelapang. Here, I had to call on the manual shifting function on the INVECS-II four-speed automatic transmission for added traction at the bends. It allowed for more confident cornering, but at a lanky 1.8-metres in height, the Pajero Sport was never going to pull off any physics-defying moves.

Along the straights, the Pajero Sport was a civilized cruiser. Although having only four ratios to play with, the auto gearbox was able to keep the tachometer ticking just over 2,000rpm at the national speed limit. There’s a slight lag in throttle response when prodded, but when it gets on song, all the torque of the diesel engine is delivered in smooth and seamless fashion, evidenced by a steady but relentless march of the speedometer into the triple-digit range.

4A/T proved adequate during our test drive.

Compared to the 2.0-litre Captiva that we tested last weekend, the Pajero Sport’s 2,477cc 4D56 oil-burner, despite a 500cc advantage, loses out in the output stakes. Against the Captiva, it has a power and torque deficit of 12hp and 6Nm, with Mitsu claiming output figures of 136hp @3,500rpm and 314Nm @ 2,000rpm respectively. Not that this these figures make the Pajero a slouch, but it’s worth noting that in Europe, this engine is tuned to produce in excess of 170hp. According to MMM, the conservative tuning of the engine’s output is to accommodate the lower quality diesel of our market.

2.5-litre 4D56 is a little low on power compared to other alternatives, but still pulls Pajero strongly enough.

After swapping drivers at Bukit Gantang, where I vacated the drivers seat to make way for BH, the convoy continued all the way to Penang almost without interruption, though it was a tortoise-paced drive once we crossed the Penang bridge. It took us more than 45 minutes to crawl our way from the bridge to the premises of the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang resort at Batu Ferringhi, where we checked in for the night after an exhausting day behind the wheel. The day’s programme was then wrapped up with a buffet dinner at Shangri-La’s very own Tepi Laut Restaurant & Bar, where Masuoka-san and the other representatives interacted with inquisitive members of the media in a feedback session of the Pajero Sport.

Our lair for the night.

Dinner at Tepi Laut.

The next morning, as some of the other journalists engaged each other in a game of golf, I was able to spend some time on my own with one of the Pajero Sport test cars. Strong sunlight limited my photography options, but I was able to better explore the various features of the interior, not to mention testing the Pajero’s handling along the twisty coastal road of Batu Ferringhi. As advertised, the Super Select 4WD (SS4) system enabled on-the-fly switching between RWD and 4WD mode in seamless fashion up to 100kph.

There are three 4WD modes available – high range (4H), high ranged with locked centre differential (4HLc), and low range with locked centre differential (4LLc), with the chosen setting shown in an on-dash display. Setting the drivetrain to ‘4LLc’ gives the Pajero the ability to climb slopes up 35 degrees steep, while maximum lateral travel angle is rated at 45 degrees. Complimenting the SS4, is a hybrid LSD with helical gears and a viscous coupling. As far as off-roading ability goes, the Pajero Sport is every bit a worthy bearer of the nameplate.

Super Select 4WD indicator embedded in instrument panel.

It is however, a little short in terms of equipment. For 163,000 of your hard-earned ringgits, you will not be getting any one of auto-cruise, steering mounted controls, trip computers, or even a dash-mounted clock. The Kenwood ICE system with 2-DIN HU is a decent piece of kit though, with MP3, WMA and DVD capability built-in. A USB slot placed at the bottom of the centre console next to the cigarette lighter. As a safety feature, and also part of JPJ requirements, the DVD video player can only be used when the car is at a full stop.

Folding of the rear seats, an important feature for potential buyers of this car, can be operated intuitively. Both rows can be split folded, allowing for various cargo/passenger carrying configurations.  The folding mechanism has a solid feel about it, but occasionally it may take more than one attempt to snap the seats back in place. Releasing them was easy enough, especially the back row. It may sound flimsy, but all you have to do pull a couple of straps and the back row seats just tumble forward, slotting themselves nicely to form a flat bed.

Dash is well-designed and solidly built, but at RM163k, it could do with more equipment.

Various possible configurations of the rear seats.

For the return journey to KL, the pack was once again reshuffled, as each car headed home (MMM HQ) independently. I once again found myself in Yamin’s company, but this time we were joined by Salihin of Berita Harian Auto and Ong Siew Lam of Sin Chew. Yamin got us going, and took us through another winding back road of Tanjung Bungah before we joined Jalan Gottlieb and headed straight for the bridge. We swapped drivers twice, but it was an uneventful journey home. The only incident of note was that we had an encounter with a police roadblock, but we were waved right through without having to stop.

Yamin gave the Pajero a good workout, before retiring to the backseat.

During our two days with it, the Pajero Sport gave us a very good impression of its abilities. It was properly refined on the straights, and equally adept in rough terrain. Being mounted on a ladder frame, it does lose out against monocoque-framed rivals in the urban battlefield. In addition, a specs sheet which features a four-speed auto gearbox and rear drum brakes is not likely to impress either, especially at RM163k. What the Pajero Sport has going for it is the ruggedness of its drivetrain, suspension and build quality making it a capable off-roader.

Specifications: Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Price (OTR incl. insurance, Peninsula): RM162,980.00
Engine: 4D56, 2,477cc, 16V, inline-4, DOHC, turbodiesel with intercooler.
Max Power: 136hp @ 3,500rpm
Max Torque: 314Nm @ 2,000rpm
Drivetrain: 4-speed INVECS-II automatic transmission, Super Select 4WD
Brakes (front/rear): Vent disc / Drums
Suspension (front / rear): Double wishbones / 3-link with lateral rod
Tyres: 265/65 R17
Length × Width × Height: 4,695mm × 1,815mm × 1,800mm
Wheelbase: 2,800mm
Weight: 2,055kg (kerb), 2,710kg(gross)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres

(+): Rugged build, good high speed refinement, Super Select 4WD.
(-): Underequipped for the price

Verdict: The Pajero Sport is difficult to recommend if you’re an urban only user. However, if you need to constantly go offroad, this is a car to consider.

View the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Media Test Drive thread in our forum here.

The Captiva has been Chevrolet’s best seller since it arrived at our shores, though it still loses out to more popular choices, namely the Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trail. Hicom-Chevrolet certainly sees these two as the Captiva’s natural rivals, with their marketing team aiming their crosshairs at these two established Japanese players. The Chevy is an interesting preposition, with a far lengthier specs sheet than both its designated competitors going at the same price.

Recently, Chevrolet can be seen ramping up their promotion of this highly capable SUV, but they are still losing out in terms of badge value. Undeterred, Chevy raises the game by introducing a facelifted version of the Captiva with even more features at the same price. In response, we quickly arranged for a demo car to review Chevy’s prospects.

Chevrolet Captiva

Our Test Car

There are two engine options for the Captiva, 2.0-litre diesel or 2.4-litre petrol, both featuring 5-speed automatic transmission as standard with an on-demand all-wheel drive system optional. Chevrolet markets the diesel version as the higher-end model, offering more toys like auto headlight control, power folding side mirrors, cruise control, hill descent control, traction control, and brake assist, all of which are omitted in the petrol model.

Hicom-Chevrolet loaned us the top spec diesel version, painted in Black Sapphire on the outside, with the interior finished in a two-tone black and beige colour scheme. In the showrooms, our test car would sell at RM161k OTR with insurance. In addition, it also came with the Captiva Sporty Package which would add RM7.7k to the purchase price. It includes a front bumper guard, black chrome bezel headlamps, side step, chrome wind deflector and clear lens taillights.

Enhancements of the Captiva Sporty Package.

The front bumper guards and bezel headlamps gives an added edge to the front fascia, but the wind deflectors and tail lights hardly do much to lift the Captiva’s already handsome looks. This is especially true of the clear lens tail lights, which have a very aftermarket look about them. The deflectors, meanwhile, adds too much chrome to the car, giving a ‘bling-bling’ infusion to a classy and elegant shape.

Getting Inside

The Captiva did not give me a wonderful first impression when I collected it. As the Chevy PR rep drove the car up the Wisma DRB-Hicom lobby, the diesel clatter of the engine was as loud and unrefined as a bus in Pudu Raya. The doors sounded as if as they were made by separate manufacturers. While the ones in front close with a solid and convincing thud, those at the rear slam shut with a hollow feel. I was caught a few times believing I did not close the door properly.

The Captiva’s cabin.

Initially, things didn’t get much better inside. The dashboard mounted digital clock looks woefully out of date, and decidedly out of place. In addition, the four-way adjustable headrests, even after being pushed furthest back sticks out a little too much for comfort. The interior is actually very well put together, but the beige coloured finishing in these 2009 models simply stain too easily. Our test car, less than a month old with under 3,000km on the odo, already has stains all over the lower parts of the dashboard when we received it. Chevrolet should seriously consider reverting back to the black interior of the 2008 cars.

Clock looks outdated, headrest sticks too far out, and panels stain too easily.

Fortunately, the bad news ends there. The ergonomics of the dash are rather good. Most of the controls are well-positioned and easy to reach for both driver and passenger. Buttons and stalks had a solid tactile feel about them, with the exception of the gear lever which felt a loose when being slotted into position. There were also plenty of storage spaces and cubby holes, but surprisingly, there really isn’t a suitable space on the centre console to chuck your mobile phone. The best solution I came up with was to put it in the slot under the multifunction display with the cover open.

Controls are well laid-out. Surprisingly, engine can be switched off with gear lever at neutral.

A comment is reserved for the GPS unit supplied by Gophers, retrofitted into the Captivas by HICOM-Chevrolet after they come in from Thailand. Because it is a retrofit, the GPS, a detachable and portable unit, runs on power drawn from the cigarette lighter. Our test car came with the power cable plugged into the lighter and the cable running under the dashboard and emerging from the A-pillar, with the GPS unit cradle mounted on the windscreen alongside the A-pillar as well.

While this is a neat solution to obviate the unsightly view the power cord dangling around the dashboard, it is not the most user-friendly position, as it makes it impossible for the driver to call on the passenger’s help to operate the GPS. A better solution is to find someway to mount the GPS unit in the middle.

Our suggestion

The rear seats are a strong point of the Captiva’s interior, allowing for switching of multiple configurations quickly and painlessly. The mechanism slots solidly at the end points, yet disengage easily. Many such folding mechanisms are either flimsy, or too stiff, the ones in the Captiva combine solidity with user-friendliness. For most of our journey, we had the Captiva configured as a five seater, with the third row function as a luggage compartment. Our test car came without the optional luggage shade, which we feel is one accessory worth ticking for, to keep your valuables out of plain sight.

Various possibilities of seat configurations

Luggage shade definitely an option you should tick.

Getting Going

When viewing the car at the showroom, some of you might get turned off by the (admittedly very) truck-like clatter of the diesel engine and scrap the idea of a test drive. You would be making a mistake, for the 1,991cc four-cylinder variable geometry turbodiesel is an absolute gem of a powerplant on the highways. Figures from Chevrolet’s specs sheet claims peak power of 148hp at 4,000rpm and peak torque of 320Nm at 2,000rpm.

2.0-litre turbodiesel idles like a truck, but becomes civilized on the highways.

A five-speed automatic transmission and an electronic on-demand all-wheel drive system completes the setup of a powertrain capable of breaching the national speed limit with only 2,100rpm registering on the tacho. A test drive which excludes a clear run on the highways will not do this engine justice. Folks accustomed to the instant on-demand throttle response of Japanese cars will find this engine sluggish, but it most definitely is not.

5A/T pairs well with torquey powerplant.

Its acceleration is not likely to snap your neck, but don’t be fooled. The wave of torque coming from the engine comes so smoothly and seamlessly, you would easily find your speedo deep in the triple digit zone. It’s not rev-happy engine, but it is certainly very very torquey.

A point to note, which was highlighted to me by the Captivians, whom we followed to Penang recently, was that our test car was already spewing white smoke whenever we accelerated hard. Some of the Captivians also claimed that such occasions are reduced when pumping from Esso or Mobil, though we could not ascertain any improvement after switching to Esso on our second tank of diesel. On the consumption front, we recorded an overall figure of 10.4 litres/100km on a journey which was mostly on the highways, but had some urban and up the hill drivings thrown in.

The five-speed auto comes with Tiptronic manual override, but you’re not likely to need it for normal daily driving. It was, however, useful when we took on the twisted roads at Balik Pulau. Indeed, the Captiva acquainted itself well with the roads on the undeveloped side of Penang island. With the GPS activated and the transmission in manual mode, we were able to anticipate up coming curves and prepare to downshift for additional traction, almost negating the need for even braking at all but the sharpest corners.

We were impressed by the Captiva’s composure at corners, as it responded astonishingly well to direction changes. However, flip side to this was a rather busy ride. While it doesn’t crash through bumps or potholes, the suspension telegraphs almost every imperfection and undulation of the road surface to the cabin. We were given massage chair treatment on certain stretches of the North-South Highway.

Most of the so-called SUVs these days have the looks of SUVs, but not the capability. This cannot be said for the Captiva. Although it’s no Land Rover, it’s four-wheel drivetrain is still very capable. It climbed the 40 degree slopes of Bukit Genting without so much as a hint of drama. On the way down, the Hill Descent Control (HDC) system kept the Captiva’s descent firmly in check. The HDC does not sound very refined, but it works brilliantly. Show it a slope, press the HDC button, slot into gear, foot off the pedals and watch how the Captiva inch its way down on its own effort safely and effectively.

Hill Descent Control

How is it for the passengers?

The Captiva is ideally set up for five passengers, but can be converted to a seven seater by opening the back row of seats. Passengers at the middle row have the option of reclining their seats by an additional 10 degrees without much compromise on the third row’s leg room. The middle row seat backs split-fold in a 60:40 pattern, and has a centre armrest with a small storage compartment inside.

If the need to carry 7 people arises, the rear can sit two adults in reasonable comfort. There is a slight compromise in legroom, but the headroom is as good as the rear most full-sized sedans. However, because the rear windows are rather small, claustrophobics should remain up front. On our return trip from Penang, we had one person sitting on each row. Much to our surprise, the one sitting at the back had little complaints of discomfort. In fact the driver and rear-most passenger was able to engage in an extended chatter, demonstrating the excellent sound-proofing of the Captiva.

Gathering my thoughts from the back seat.

At highway speeds, intrusions of noise, as much as we can make out, were limited to wind-noise, of which we suspect the chrome deflectors  are the main culprits. Otherwise, we were able to engage in conversation and listen to music from the audio unit without too much trouble.

The final word

The Captiva’s model range starts with the RM143k 2.4L FWD petrol, but we believe that’s the entry level version just to attract the attention of those looking at the RM147k CR-V or the RM145k X-Trail 2.5. The one to really have, is the one we tested here, the RM161k 2.0L AWD diesel, though you may wish to forgo the Sporty Package that came with it. Instead, we would suggest that you tick the option boxes for the luggage shade and the convenience netting, which would be useful to keep items from falling off when you need to keep the tailgate open.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Captiva and we liked it a lot. It looks like an urban-only SUV, but Chevy has actually taken the trouble to arm it with a proper 4WD system. The diesel engine, despite its truck-like clatter is an absolute gem while cruising. To be honest, we expected a very ordinary drive from the Captiva. We got a pleasant surprise.

KON

Specifications: Chevrolet Captiva 2.0L Diesel AWD

Price (OTR incl insurance, Peninsula): RM161,442.30
Engine: 1,991cc, inline-4 cyl, SOHC 16V, variable geometry turbodiesel, common rail direct injection.
Max Power: 148hp @ 4,000rpm
Max Torque: 320Nm @ 2,000rpm
Emission Compliance: Euro III
Drivetrain: 5-speed automatic, electronic on-demand all-wheel drive.
Brakes (front / rear): Vent disc / Vent disc
Suspension (front / rear): MacPherson / Four-links with Self Leveling Dampers
Tyres & Wheels: 235/60 R17, 17″ ×7J
Length × Width × Height: 4,635mm × 1,850mm × 1,720mm
Wheelbase: 2,705mm
Weight: 1,915kg (kerb), 2,505kg (gross)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 65 litres

(+): Rear seats easy to configure. Superb drivetrain, excellent refinement at highways.
(-): The excellent refinement is replaced by diesel clatter at idle. Beige interior stains way too easily.

Verdict: An urban SUV with a properly good four-wheel drive system. It’s a lot more capable than it appears.

Discuss about the Chevrolet Captiva in our forum here.

If you’re a regular listener of the local English radio stations, you must have, at some point or other, listened to the advertisement that stars an Encik Rahman, asked to spell out in one breath how far can his Perodua Viva go in one tank. Encik Rahman then goes on like a locomotive naming “Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Kuching ….” before running out of breath.

Well, Encik Rahman, I’ve got news for you. The exercise would have been a lot shorter with a Proton Waja, “KL, Singapore, and back.” On average, my Waja, a manual Campro MC3 version gives about 10 kilometres out of every litre of fuel burned. In its 60 litre tank, this translates to an extrapolated range of 600km per tank. Driving in urban traffic, this figure varies between 570km (9.5km/l) and, if I am good, 620km (10.3km/l) on the rare occasion.

On pure highway driving, I’ve managed to extract up to 14 km/l (extrapolates to 850km per tank), which, on last July, led me to attempt taking the car to our neighbours down south and back using only one tank of petrol. The journey to the island was driven by my brother with me as passenger and all his luggage in the car boot, while I brought the car home on my own.

We filled the tank up to the brim just before leaving, and in the island, the car was in the custody of my brother for a couple days before I headed home. On my way back up north, I even took a detour to Batu Pahat which added 60km to the trip meter by the time I got back to the PLUS highway. The fuel warning light came on while I was still in Malacca stretch, but I drove on until Kajang before refuelling with 827.2km reading on the tripmeter.

This little ’success’ led me to repeat the attempt with Penang, twice. Both attempts, which were actually part of motor treasure hunts which I participated, failed, as I eventually had to refuel either at Tapah or Simpang Pulai on the way back down south. The full load, multiple stopovers and the need to keep to time made an economy run almost impossible. Further diminishing my chances were the fact that the PLUS highway route up north has substantially more gradients and curves compared to the southern stretch.

For my previous car, a 3-speed Iswara 1.5 auto, this challenge would have been even more hopeless, even if I was driving alone. The car needed only one leg of the journey to empty its 45-litre tank, even while averaging below the national speed limit. A KL-Penang trip in that car would easily be a three tank affair – one tank to drive to Penang, one tank to drive around the island, one more to drive back to KL.

Further back into the past, a friend once drove five of us in a Waja 4G18 auto from KL to the island. I remember back then how we were fooled by the less than linear nature of the Waja’s fuel gauge into thinking we still had half a tank of fuel left despite not refuelling since arriving from KL three days earlier. We passed Juru, Gunung Semanggol, Sg Perak and Simpang Pulai rest stations without stopping, the light came on, and the fuel gauge was apparently racing to the ‘0′ mark. It was a nervy 40 kilometres of 90kph driving before we reached the petrol station at Tapah.

Last week, when I was invited to the Life in the Fast Lane event featuring Eddie Jordan in Penang, I saw an opportunity to attempt this ‘one tank’ challenge again. This time, the odds are better stacked in my favour. I was going alone, I was carrying clothes for only a day, I needed two rest stops at most, and there wasn’t going to be a lot of town driving taking place. I was simply going to drive straight to the hotel, and head back to KL straightaway the next morning.

The event was scheduled to start at 7pm, but thanks to my tight schedule, I only managed to depart KL city centre at 1pm. The heavy traffic of the city, and also a pre-departure fuel stop at Kepong meant that it was past 2pm when I finally got onto PLUS highway. This was bad news on two folds – precious minutes and kilometres could be lost just like that. The lost minutes would mean that I will have to floor it a little in order to make the function on time, and by not moving, I am burning fuel without extracting any kilometres out of it. On both counts, this would lead to certain penalties in my final fuel consumption (FC) figure. At that point, I could only hope it wouldn’t turn out to be costly.

Filling up at Kepong

Heavy traffic had affect on both time and economy.

As I was getting out of the city in a hurry, my first stop was made early in the journey, at Rawang for a quick lunch. Grabbed a couple of pastries from the bakery; not particularly good, but they were sufficient to keep my tummy filled. As I headed out of the the rest stop, I spotted what seems to be an abandoned stolen car. Anyone who has recently lost a grey Proton Wira Aeroback (registry JFR 4572), please head to the north-bound PLUS rest stop at Rawang.

Lunch at Rawang rest stop. Pastry here not recommended.

Missing car – Proton Wira Aeroback JFR 4572

On the highway, with the objective of keeping FC down, I maintained almost feather weight pressure on the accelerator. My Waja duly obliged, rarely breaching the 100kph mark as we took almost an hour just to cross into the borders of Perak. In fact, it felt as if as the car itself also intends to complete the entire trip in one tank. Usually, on the highways, after settling into 5th gear at 90-110kph, even under light throttle, the speedo would cheekily inch its way to the 130 mark and settle there. Then, as the highway stretches even longer, the Campro motor would slowly pull itself into its peak torque sweet spot of 4,000rpm and hold position.

The Waja was keen to settle at mundane speeds of 90-100kph… initially…

This time, it behaved differently. Even applying a light shove on the throttle, for overtaking, it just lazily spins a few revs more to get closer to the national speed limit. Being its owner for two years, I am quite certain that this car really has a mind of its own. I was approaching Ipoh when that thought crossed my mind, and at that moment, the car suddenly came to life.  Without even the slightest provocation on the accelerator, came a sudden rush of torque from the engine. I happily rode the surge to a few notches above the national speed limit before reining it back.

But, at the end of the day, it was still most comfortable at the higher reaches of the speed limit.

The Waja is a car not without flaws, even if we exclude the build quality problems which plagued earlier batches. While the quality issues are pretty much resolved with the Campro and CPS versions, other quirks remain. It would seem that Proton was too pre-occupied infusing it with Lotus-inspired handling, they neglected to give it the same driveability in tight spaces. Its ergonomics, turning circle, and all-round visibility, if I am to be kind, is far from being the best in the business.

Once on the highway however, the Waja settles into its element, with rock solid stability along the straights at any speed. Its weighty controls, which can be tiring in congested city driving, becomes confidence inspiring on the highways. High speed stability is definitely the Waja’s biggest trump card as far as I am concerned. Despite being nearly a decade old, this remains an excellent chassis design.

Going through the famous Jelapang tunnel.

The famous twisty stretch after the tunnel and Jelapang interchange called for some third and fourth gear action to help rein in the Waja’s understeering tendencies. While this added a few revs to the engine, it made keeping the car in line so much easier, especially useful when overtaking at a corner. The older 4G18 Wajas, with their stiffer spring settings, would be better acquitted to this stretch. For the MC3 version which I am driving, the emphasis has been shifted towards comfort, a theme continued in the CPS version, which migrated from 55-series to 60-series tyres.

After clearing the twisty bits, I gave myself and the car a brief respite at the Sg Perak rest area before hitting the road again. Picking up the pace, I reached the bridge just over an hour later at 5:30pm. My timing couldn’t be more excellent, departing KL at lunch hour and arriving at Penang in the evening, I found myself squaring up against rush hour traffic of two of the country’s most congested cities in one day. The function was scheduled to start at 7:00pm, so there was still plenty of time for me to make it to Batu Feringgi.

What about for manual cars?

Traffic on the Penang bridge threatens to hold up progress.

As I crawled through the snarling traffic on the Penang bridge, it was time to evaluate my chances of making the return trip back to KL the next morning without refueling. To those of you not in the know, there’s a little quirk in the Waja’s fuel gauge – it’s not linear. The ‘full’ and ‘empty’ positions are correctly marked, but that’s it. I’ve worked out that the ‘3/4′ mark corresponds to half-tank. I also know, from experience, that the fuel warning light comes out when there is about 10 litres of petrol left in the tank – good for about 100km in mixed driving conditions.

With this, I need to make sure of two things the following day. One, the fuel gauge is still hovering at the ‘3/4′ mark when I reach Batu Feringgi. Two, the fuel warning light comes out well within a 100km radius of KL. These two indicators would be the markers of my potential success or failure. Coming back to the present, traffic on the bridge continued at a snail’s pace as I took almost an eternity to get onto the island. Like it was in KL, the jam in Penang was threatening to give me bad news on two folds.

Traffic did ease up as I got closer to Batu Feringgi, but it still took one and a half hours.

The immediate concern was time – I eventually reached Shangri-La just on time at 7:00pm, despite having more than one and half hours to get from Butterworth to Batu Feringgi. Upon my arrival, I spotted a very familiar looking car at the parking lot. It was a Honda Accord, which I instantly recognised as one of the test cars Honda Malaysia lends out to the media. In fact, YS had already driven this very same car in the middle of 2008.

Watch out for this car in one of our local auto magazines next month.
(Click here for YS Khong’s test drive report)

I had to head home immediately the next morning. A quick check of the fuel gauge: it’s hovering just below the ‘3/4′ mark. This is going to be close. I moved without delay. By 8:30pm, I had already checked out of the hotel and headed home. Traffic on the way out of the island was surprisingly clear, and I was back on the highway in no time. It was a pretty uneventful drive back, as I maintained light but steady pressure on the throttle. Only quick stops at Sungai Bakap and Simpang Pulai punctuated the journey as I was scheduled to be back in KL by 2pm.

A quick check of the fuel gauge before departing in the morning. There should be just about enough to get back.

Smooth traffic out of island helped save time and petrol.

Quick stop at Sg Bakap

Now at Simpang Pulai, refuelling still not necessary.

As I approached Tapah, the fuel warning light has yet to come out. Good. That means that I have more than 100km worth of fuel left in the tank, which is as well, because the next petrol station is over 70 kays away at Ulu Bernam. You can’t afford to bypass this stop if your tank is running low. My fuel gauge well into the lower half, but still some distance away from being empty. There should be enough to get me comfortably into the confines of the Klang Valley, and certainly more than enough to reach Ulu Bernam.

The warning light eventually came on just shy of the Perak/Selangor border, with the tripmeter reading just over 640km mark. If I don’t drive like an idiot, the Federal Territory was definitely within touching distance. Completing this challenge was going to be a formality. With that knowledge, I drove on past the petrol station at Ulu Bernam, but the fuel gauge continued its almost visible downwards slide.

The digital tripmeter displayed the big seven-oh-oh, a rare occurence as far as this car is concerned. Satisfied that I was sufficiently deep inside the Klang Valley, I pulled over at the Sg Buloh flyover restaurant to refuel with the tripmeter reading 708.9km. The nozzle at the Esso station only let in 56.650 litres of fuel into my tank. The simple arithmetics say that on average, my fuel consumption was at 8 litres/100km, or 12.5km/l.

Final trip meter reading at Sg Buloh – 708.9km (Reflection on meter panels ruined many attempts at photographing meter face). Approximately 56.65 litres of petrol needed to bring a Waja from KL to Penang and back.

To be honest, I have recorded better consumption figures with this car on the highway, but this is definitely the best I have managed on the northern stretch of the PLUS highway. If you’re wondering, there was no need to drive at a snail’s pace or with the air-conditioning off. I was driving, especially on the return leg, with a pretty liberal interpretation of the national speed limit. All I did was to ensure a steady build-up of speed and then attempted to maintain the speed with a minimum of effort. There were even times where I explored the upper ranges of the engine’s rev range to pull away from tailgaters.

If you’re wondering why I bothered with this exercise, well, the reason is that simply because I can. It was simply the satisfaction of doing it, not to mention the good story telling material available when the topic moves into fuel consumption. Without quoting figures, ’driving from KL to Penang and back in one tank’ sounds quite impressive to many people. The other part of the truth, which I don’t really need to share in my storytelling, is that the second thing that Proton got right with the Waja after its ride and handling, was definitely the size of its fuel tank.

During the past one week, I was in India, in what they call the ‘City of Virtues’, Pune, home of Tata Motors. Now, before I go on, let me state that India is a huge country. People I speak to define 200 kilometres as ‘near’. I had landed at Mumbai airport, located along the west coast, and Pune (pronounced Poo-nei) is located around 200km away in the southeast direction. The road conditions plus ridiculously heavy traffic even at 1am, meant that my journey from airport to hotel lasted four miserable hours.

Anyway, before we move on, let’s get the pre-conceptions aside. Most of you have probably watched the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire by now. The story may be fictional, but its depiction of life in India is, as far as I could observe first hand, bang on accurate. There are probably millions of children there going through the same childhood as Jamal, Salim and Latika.

However, during my short stay, I actually grew to like the Indians. I saw them as humble and honest people just trying to survive in a hostile environment. Many of them barely get two meals a day and many others don’t even have a proper place to sleep. Nevertheless, most of the people that I interacted with, with the exception of some dodgy characters at the Mumbai airport, are very polite and soft spoken. However, once you put them behind the wheel, all their good manners are thrown out of the window. 

Honking is the norm, cars drive within millimetres of each other, and traffic lights are ignored. They seem to have a vague concept of lanes, but they just squeeze their cars through any space they can see. The astonishing part is that, over eight days there, I saw only a handful of accidents, which is phenomenal. Usually, whenever I travel, I always prefer to do my own driving, but for the first time in my life, I was happy to be the passenger.

It doesn’t help, of course, that the conditions of roads in India are nothing short of horrendous. While they may be tarred, the finishings are as smooth as the faces of pimple-scarred teenagers. I used to complain a lot about tolls in Malaysia, but after this trip, I will shut up. Paying tolls in Malaysia leads you to proper highways, paying tolls in India leads to the same bumpy roads.

Most of the days, I was driven around in Tata Indica hatchbacks. These cars are as populous in India as the Proton Wira in Malaysia. They don’t look inviting on the outside, and they don’t look well built in the inside. I did a little research, they’ve been on the road since 1998, and have been top sellers in India since then till now. I certainly see how desperate Rover were when they were willing to badge engineer this car and sell it in the UK as the CityRover in 2003.

Tata Indica @ CityRover

The Indica is available in both petrol and diesel, but all those that I’ve sat were diesel powered, each coming with a 1,396cc 4-cylinder motor under the hood delivering 53.5PS at a high 5,500rpm (for a diesel), and 83.3Nm at a useable 2,500rpm. Like most cars in India, all versions feature a 5-speed manual transmission. A peculiar nature of Indian drivers, at least those who were driving me, is that they have a tendency to upshift very early, before the tacho even passes 2,000rpm – making the car appear sluggish from the passenger’s perspective.

Stopping power is given by a standard vent-disc/drum setup, but, impressively on the suspension side, Tata has given the Indica independent suspension all-round, with MacPherson struts up front, and semi-trailing arms at the rear. Other amenities available include front power windows, manual adjusting side mirrors, and digital odo/tripmeter. Most of the cars I sat in had black plastic dashboards, with the exception of one having metallic finish.

Metallic finish. No joke. 

As my stay in Pune came to an end, it was time for me to head back to Mumbai airport to catch my flight home. At that time, I As we stopped for diesel, I told the driver to hand me the keys because I wanted to take the wheel. I sat inside, adjusted my seating position, mirrors, started the engine, and off I went. Slot into first gear – disaster – it was another one of those rubbery and imprecise gear changes. It’s so bad that you can’t tell second from fourth or third from fifth, and who taught them to put the power window switches IN FRONT of the gear lever? Poor ergonomics. 

Five-speed shifter rubbery and imprecise.

Fortunately, once you’ve brought the car up to speed, you don’t really need to bother with gear changes too much, for the diesel engine does offer good pull, even at fifth gear. Flooring the pedal at 100kph brings about noticeable acceleration, sometimes even better than my Waja Campro. While the assigned driver was happy to settle for driving at 70-80kph, under my command, the Indica felt most comfortable at 110kph. Of course, the word ’comfortable’, especially on Indian roads, is a relative term.

The 93km long Mumbai-Pune Expressway that we took had some rather demanding stretches with twisting bends and poorly surfaced roads putting driving skills and suspension durability to the test. It is here, the rubbery gearstick rears its ugly head again, where regular downshifting is required to maintain traction through the bends. Cornering and lane-changing are acceptable within small hatch limits, but the thing is, you won’t need sports car handling here, so why bother?

At the aforementioned highway speeds, the rear speaker shelf panel was shaking so badly, I was worried that it might shatter. Then I noticed that it appeared to be an aftermarket fitment, and it was the only thing that was shaking. The dashboard, cheap looking as it might have been, did not shake one single bit – which is astonishing, considering the abuse that this car must have been getting over the 35,000 kilometres displayed on the odo. Come think of it, none of the Indicas that I sat in have rattling dashboards.

Dash is cheap looking, but rattle free. Instrument panel includes digital trip and odo.

Now, 35,000 km may not be much on Malaysian roads, but the fact is, 35,000 km over Indian roads would destroy anything that’s not tightly screwed together, and tightly screwed together the Tata is. The harsh natural environment of India means that machineries that see service in this country, or are made in this country are built to be tough, even if they aren’t very sophisticated. Herein lies the strength of the Indica. It has no beauty, no fancy, but it’s built tough, and built to last.

Under usual circumstances, I would have dismissed this car outright, but not this time. Make no mistake, it is still rubbish to drive. In Malaysia, I’d probably not even give it a second look, but in the crowded streets of India, this car makes absolute sense. It would last years upon years, kilometres upon kilometres of horrendous service conditions, and it would continue to serve you faithfully and without pretensions. The best part, it would remain intact long after other more fanciful rides are broken to pieces.

The car to have in India.

Verdict
(+): This car will last you for a great many kilometres
(-): A great many kilometres of unenjoyable driving, unfortunately.

Conclusion: A car you can drive in the harshest conditions, but unlikely to derive any enjoyment out of.

I spent most of the last two weeks out of town, I was on the East Coast partaking in the controlled chaos that was the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

As you can imagine, covering an election is about as much fun as attending a conference of the obvious, the speakers on both sides repeated themselves like broken records and each day the reporters are expected to come up with something new and witty and interesting to write. I don’t think tney succeeded, but they tried.

Anyway, to while away some of the boredom, I decided to go on an adventure to find interesting roads around Kuala Terennganu and I can tell you that there are many ribbons of tarmac there that would make you smile.

I am working on a book of great driving roads so I will just give you a teaser of some of the nice drives you can enjoy if you find yourself in KT.

Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Besut ( via the coastal road)

If you want to go hardcore coastal on this drive, then you head towards the KT airport and take the last right just before the airport perimeter, that would take you to a beach and around the end of the newly extended runway.

The view here is not particularly fantastic, it is a typical east coast beach view lots of pine trees and hawkers. If you start out early, this is as good a place as any for a quick seaside breakfast, jsut go to one of the stall right by the airport perimeter and enjoy the sea breeze while you feed your still-groggy cells.

After rounding the airport, just keep following the signboard that says Kuala Besut and turn right at every opportunity if you find yourself out of sight of the sea.

Every right turn will inevitably take you into a narrow road that cuts through some small fishing village. As soon as you see the ocean again, turn left and head north. This drive is not about speed or testing your car’s handling prowess, it is all about allowing your worries and stress to be washed away by the sound of crashing waves.

Invariably, you will drive at a very leisurely pace, at times you will move at no more than walking pace and there will be moments when you dread seeign a car in your rear view mirror, egging you to go faster.

With the sea always beckoning, you can always stop whenever the scenery becomes too beautiful to let pass without a snap.

Leave your shoes in the car and enjoy barefoot walk on these less well known beaches and spend time at local village coffee shops and talk to the people there and share their stories.

It took me nearly three hours to get from Kuala Terengganu to Setiu in this fashion but along the way I was completely lost in my own little world.

Of course when I was there the monsoon was raging and sea spray was constantly coating the car so the view was not serene but no less beautiful.

The heavy anvils set themselves inches from horizon while sun does it’s best to gild the dark clouds.

The winds blew loud tubulence around every obstacle and howled low and long.

Whipped by the wind, the sea boiled with anger and slammed itself mercilessly onto the beach, threatening anyone who dares to get close.

Lovers walking along the beach shielded each other from the lashing of the monsoon, grabbing scarves and wrapping sarong to protect their modesty while striking a pose for the ever jealous digital camera.

Out in the storm, a fishing boat bobbed with every crest and trough, yo-yo ing the hopes of the families whose men and boys are risking their lives for an honest catch.

I cursed the middlemen who make extravagant profit from the dangers risked by others, may they never sleep well.

Everytime I stepped out of the car, the wind tries to push me back in but I insist. There is nothign quite like watching the spectacle of the monsoon from up close, on a deserted beach where a large wave could come crashing at anytime, sweeping me away without anyone ever knowing.

The journey ended at Kuala Besut at dusk. I pulled up to a seafront food court and rushed to catch the last light.

Out in the distance, the breakwater was doing its best to keep out the bigger waves but quite a few made it past and slammed itself on the concrete embankment. A couple of anglers were trying their luck and seemed to enjoy the wind more than the fishing.

As night fell, a fsihing boat rounded the breakwater, its diesel slowly sputtering protests as the propeller churned up forward thrust towards the landing.

I sat by the beach until darkness reclaimed the view and left me with just the sound of wind and water. The hot coffee lost its heat quickly in this storm so I drank without wastign time and got back to the car.

The drive back to Kuala Terengganu took me on the inland road through Jerteh. I was hoping to see a long forgotten address but the night conspired to veil its familiar features so I drove on. 

I had less than a quarter tank of fuel so I better drive slowly.  Thankfully rain began pelting and I had no choice but to conserve fuel. It was a great drive and I had an hour to let the memory sink in to the beat of raindrops and the crass comedy of George Lopez on the CD.