Since Labour day is on a Friday, decided to go for a trip to Penang. It's also a good time to test out the practicallity and reliability of the Gen2 in a long distance drive. Loaded the boot with a small travel bag, 3 sleeping bags, 2 A4 sized containers, and 2 carry bags with lots of space to spare. The plan was to leave home on 1st of May at 8.30am to meet up with aunts and uncles at Petaling Jaya to have breakfast.
(8.23am, and we're ready to go!)After breakfast, head towards North-South Highway. Smart tag was borrowed from aunt, but Touch n Go card is not loaded. So we stopped at Rawang R&R for fuel, air and restroom break in preparation for the long journey. Pump in RM40.62 worth of Petronas Primax 3 regular RM1.80/L fuel (full tank auto-stop) as there was still fuel left before filling. Wanted to reload Touch n Go, but the Petronas outlet seems to have sold all their credit.
So we had to move on as there's a very long que for fuel that time of day. So, cruising on the highway at a maximum of 110kmph using autocruise as frequent as possible. The autocruise feature was very helpful as it puts less strain on the leg. Just that eyes need to be on the road at all times as the car in front might be slower than they appear.
(All Touch n Go credit sold out! >.<)Stopped at a couple of rest areas looking for Touch n Go reload but to no avail as every petrol station have sold all their credit. As do normal long north bound journeys, we stopped at Tapah R&R after a long drive and also to freshen up. The petrol stations there had also sold all their Touch n Go credit but luckily there's a Maybank ATM there to reload. It's weird how the Government encourages us to use cashless system but also create such trouble for us to load money (very disappointed)~
After Tapah, we continue our journey hapilly cruising all the way to Taiping where we stopped for lunch. So far, the car's doing well. Tyre noise is quite intrusive but the radio did a good job in keeping the interior comfy. Aircond is doing it's job well in cooling while handling is as good as always. There's no weird (something loose) sounds and also the car shows no signs of overheating or running out of fuel.
Once our bellies are filled, we moved on to Penang. Traffic was heavy on some parts of the stretch. With 4 adults on board and the boot half filled, the car struggled up hill towards Menora Tunnel. The engine needs to be revved up to 4000rpm to keep it moving along at 90kmph. After the tunnel, the Lotus engineered suspension and the all round disc brakes did their job well in making sure the car stays composed and calm all the way downhill.
The drive was normal all the way to Penang, there's no sudden braking or anything out of the ordinary. Just a plain, smooth drive throughout the 360KM drive. Fuel consumption was rated at 6.4L/100KM according to the onboard electronic meter. With 1/4 of the tank left (according to the fuel meter onboard), it's not too long before we need a fill up as the traffic in Penang is similar to that of KL.
(Raining every morning)
Topped up RM50.00 of Shell Regular RM1.80/L of fuel the next morning just in case. Then took a drive throught the coastal roads to visit the Tropical Spice Garden at Tanjong Bunga. Again the handling of the car is just great with very little body roll felt and with the gearbox fixed at '3', the drive was smooth up and down the twisting road. That's the only driving experience worth mentioning in Penang as the others were on normal roads, where bumps are well soaked up by the suspensions. Also, ground clearance was good as it did not scrape the bottom of the front bumper throughout our stay.
Throughout the 3days 2 nights spent in Penang, the car consumed 1/4 tank of fuel. Fuel Consumption was rated at a staggering 10.1L/100KM using the electronic meter. This might be due to the many stop and go traffic (traffic lights) and also short distance trips. So I think it's safe to say that the Gen2 is not really comfortable in city traffic.
(Heavy traffic especially at Gurney area)
Morning of day 3 saw the boot filled with 2 small luggage bags, 2 A4 sized containers, 2 sleeping bags and 2 carry bags as well as biscuits and things bought there. It fills up the boot just nicely. The trip home was through the ferry instead of the bridge. Had breakfast at Butterworth and then top up the tank with RM29.20 of Shell Regular RM1.80/L of petrol. Then we're on our way home using the usual North-South Highway. Again, we stopped at Taiping for lunch and to buy buns. Also, an aunt came over along with her luggage bag. After a small repositioning, everything fits into the boot and we're good to go again.
(A small reminder to drive safe)
When we reached home, it's already 7.30pm. The journey back took 375KM and 3/4 tank of fuel. We travelled 850++KM in the 3days and for the driver and front passenger, it was a nice trip and a less tiring for the driver thanx to the autocruise function. But for the rear passengers, it isn't such a comfortable journey as they complained of the seats being too upright and the headrest made things worst. The rear seats are also said to be a lil too hard. I have no idea as I was the driver, maybe I'll try the rear seats the next time we go for another long distance drive.
