Why we won't ever get sick of road trips to Malaysia

The cross-border road trip is a topic that has been incessantly documented and discussed, and will continue to be incessantly documented and discussed for the years and decades to come. In fact, if you've been following us along on our driving adventures over the past six months, you might realise that this marks the third time we've headed to Desaru for 2023. 

Nonetheless, these road trips continue to fascinate, instil wonder, and above all, thoroughly excite us — for the very fact that each experience inevitably materialises in its own unique way.

As we were recently reminded on our one-and-a-half day stint with Hyundai's Made-in-Singapore Ioniq 5 lineup, the journey can hold different significance depending on what exactly you're looking out for — and just as vitally, on the car you've chosen to take along for the ride too.

Zhi Xuan loves driving on the variety of roads in Malaysia, taking in the beautiful scenery, while thoroughly enjoying the car he's driving.

I've lost count of how many times I've found myself driving across the border to Malaysia — in just the recent months, I've already done it twice for work trips.

And when I was told to go on yet another drive, I readily accepted the assignment even though I would be driving up to Sepang for my own track day just two days after. It's pretty clear that a road trip to Malaysia is something I enjoy — and a large part of it has got to do with the driving experience there.

First: Lengthy, well-maintained expressways to stretch the legs of the car!

We started off in the lower-powered single-motor Ioniq 5 Prestige 77kWh, but after breakfast, hopped over to the dual-motor Inspiration 77kWh. At this point, I sure was glad that we were already in Malaysia, and had a nice stretch of expressway to drive from our breakfast stop at Talula Hill Farm to our next rest stop at Skudai R&R.

You see — no matter how powerful a car is, the legal speed limit in Singapore is a low 90km/h, and with the horrible traffic conditions, you won't get to experience the capabilities of a high-performance car here.

In Malaysia however, the speed limit is 110km/h, and during off-peak hours, the light traffic makes for a relaxing drive. I'm not advocating speeding, but the road conditions and the sheer amount of distance (your sight of the clear expressway reaches far into the horizon) makes it less daunting to drive at speed as well.

If I find myself behind the wheel of a powerful car like the dual-motor Ioniq 5 that makes 321bhp, I would much rather be on the lengthy expressways of Malaysia over the gridlocked traffic in Singapore.

Second: Fun, winding roads

Going fast isn't the only way to enjoy driving; you can trust me to tell you this — after all my personal car is a low-powered one as well!

After our stint in the blazing-fast dual-motor Ioniq 5, we switched over to the 'Cat A' variant — the single motor Prestige 58kWh variant that puts out 143bhp, but is some 200kg lighter than the dual-motor Inspiration 77kWh model. While lower-powered, this lighter variant still packs enough punch, and is a great car to drive on the curvy and twisty b-roads on the way to our resort at Desaru.

Unlike Singapore where the curviest stretch of road that you can find is only just over a kilometre long and consists of less than 10 turns, Malaysia has plenty of windy roads with excellent scenery, which are perfect for a spirited drive. You don't even have to go too fast on these roads; just take in the flowy curves and enjoy the moment. The best part? These roads can go on and on for 50km or more!

Also: Areas with lighter traffic and friendlier drivers

It isn't just the roads, the drivers and the traffic conditions play a big part in the driving experience in Malaysia as well.

In Singapore, if you need to change lanes, chances are that in the moment you indicate your intention, the other driver will accelerate to close the gap. In Malaysia, it's probably due to the pace of living (and driving) that is a notch lower, or that drivers tend to be friendlier.

Made a wrong turn? Just signal and someone will be nice enough to let you in. You don't hear as many instances of angry drivers blaring their cars' horns at you as well.

That said, if you are on the expressways, you better be sure not to hog the fast lane or you'll likely be high-beamed and tailgated by an angry driver.

Before you start berating me for saying that Malaysia's traffic is lighter than Singapore, just hear me out. While I understand that in the city areas — such as KL's city centre — traffic conditions are perpetually horrendous, the thing is that there are still plenty of roads in Malaysia that are clear and nice to drive on.

In Singapore, the expressways are almost always packed, and even if the city streets are clear, the traffic lights will still force you to stop ever so often. However, if you are in Malaysia, you can always opt for the less populated b-roads where there usually aren't any traffic lights and just focus on enjoying the drive.

Final note: If you enjoy driving, Malaysia's almost better in every way

If you ask me, driving in Malaysia is simply a nicer experience — whether you just want to go on a long road trip, to drive fast and stretch the legs of your car, to experience some twisty mountainous roads, or just a relaxing breakfast drive away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Malaysia has got you covered.

On that last point, I think that's the exact focus that Mattheus has in mind...

Mattheus relishes the change of scenery, different state of mind, and quietly unique experiences one gets just over the border. 

Two to three hours. 

Barring jams (they bring in layers of complexity that diminish the actual simplicity — geographically speaking — of a cross-border jaunt), that's really all it takes to escape the hustle and bustle of Singapore, and plunge oneself into the relative serenity of Southern Malaysia.

Even if pushing a car to its limits along a b-road isn't what you immediately seek, that should be good enough motivation to pack your passport for a journey via Woodlands or Tuas.

A different landscape is all the mind needs sometimes

The thought of squeezing through the Causeway or Second Link always stirs up indescribable excitement because it also surfaces the possibility of trading our hyper-urban environment for one where other sights and sounds can take the front seat.

Though the heat will always remind you that you're not too far from home, Malaysian highways have a charming aesthetic of their own (yes, we're romanticising) — one in which HDB blocks are traded for palm oil plantations, and ERP gantries, for drive-through toll plazas. With the latter, you even get to practise your card-tapping skills from within the car.

Zhi Xuan mentioned it briefly earlier, but to go into more detail, the first stop we make this time on our adventure with the Ioniq 5 family is a good example of how drastically the landscape can change within just a short drive. 

Located in Kluang, Talula Hill Farm and Resort is postcard picture-perfect — with terraced hills fading out and away into smaller 'mountains'. Crucially, what one seeks in such a place is peace, and with the silence of our all-electric Ioniq 5s, that is exactly the commitment we uphold as we descend upon the place (or rather, climb the slopes to).

I've only fantasised about it — never been — but I imagine this is the sort of scene that greets you in further-flung idyllic spaces: Up north in Malaysia in the Cameron Highlands, or even amidst the mountains of Sapa, Vietnam. 

Best of all, some strategic positioning of the tables in the main cafe means you get best seats in the house for taking in this natural beauty. Cold air is admittedly an indispensable ingredient to completing the picture — but the lack of it does little to diminish the magic.

Quiet adventure: When location and machine work in perfect harmony  

Still, Talula Hill isn't our one and only stopover for this eco-themed trip. With specific regard to our destination of Desaru, those who use the often-heard rejoinder of "But there's nothing particularly special to do there" are missing the point… by actually making it.

The coastal town's quiet allure lies exactly in how laid-back it feels — and with an electric car, the possibility of relaxed adventure expands even further. Specifically, the Ioniq 5 is equipped with an external Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, effectively turning it into a roving power bank.

Plugging the adapter into the car's charging port is really all that's required to get things going, and as the 'Parametric Pixels' (they resemble a Tetris-block in this shape) light up layer by layer, a world of possibilities opens up.

After a leisurely dinner near the seat at Anantara Resort, we turn a completely emptied-out carpark nearby into a drive-in theatre (for an episode of Brooklyn 99, naturally), powered entirely by the Ioniq 5. 

Watching Gina take swipes at Boyle under the stars, on field chairs (official Hyundai merchandise you can purchase, by the way), with Korean beer in your hand (those who drank didn't drive!), and good cheer all around is an already-special experience.

Knowing that all this is powered by the futuristic hatchback-crossover right beside makes things even more fascinating.

Then, right before driving back to Singapore the morning after, we head to a nearby beach with a packet of instant noodles and some teabags packed amongst the equipment we've brought along for the trip. (Everything has been easily swallowed in the Ioniq 5's square-shaped, 527-litre boot).

Armed with a kettle, instant cooking pot, and again, the car's unbelievably easy-to-operate V2L port, breakfast is served as quickly as the water boils. Myojo Chicken Tanmen and instant green tea don't come to mind first when one says "Five Star Dining Experienc", but this experience is top-tier: Sweet in its intentional, orchestrated simplicity; thrilling in that it is entirely ours to own.

With our backs against our field chairs, a light breeze in our faces, and only the sound of the waves audible as the Ioniq 5's V2L quietly does its work, a sense of peace naturally settles.

Such spaces of tranquillity may indeed exist in Singapore — but they also undeniably feel harder to seek out given the density of both our population and the built-environment (try doing this at East Coast Park on a Saturday morning). The Ioniq 5 may be doing the heavy-lifting, but Desaru shows it's not just about what the car can do, but where you can go to do these things. 

And how could we forget what awaits one's stomach here?

I haven't mentioned the food yet, of course.

If mental breaks are not essential parts of your itinerary for a road trip up north, there is at least the guarantee of seasoning it with culinary delights.

Turmeric at Anantara Resort, a Malaysian-Thai restaurant, already serves up quite the Lunch and Dinner Menu (personal highlights include the Rendang Tok Daging Rusuk and Pla Kua Prik Smunprai — deep-fried seabass chunks), removing the need to venture out at all from our lodging for the 2D1N trip.

But every Malaysia trip, crucially, brings with it a chance to hit up yet another amazing seafood joint. At Kong Kong Seafood Restaurant, located midway between Singapore and Desaru, another feast awaits, replete with burnt bee hoon, steamed fish, black pepper lobster, and ginger chicken. One week after the trip, I can still taste the steamed sotong, cooked to perfection with garlic and tanghoon.

Of course — it certainly helps when a road trip involves faster-moving highways and quieter, longer-flowing b-roads, both of which inject added dimensions of fun to the driving experience one will not find in Singapore.

Naturally, your machine of choice also influences the level of joy derived — and the generously equipped, spacious and comfortable Ioniq 5 was a thoroughly satisfying companion from start to finish.

Invariably, however, it is the simple, unhurried and ultimately different allure of Malaysia — that keeps us coming back for more road trips.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.