EPIC DRIVE: Kuala Klawang
THURSDAY OCTOBER 15, 2015
Not knowing what to do, we gathered six people on an expedition in hopes to uncover the myth of The Great Klawang. Today's lineup, a front driven Audi A6 Hybrid, rear powered Porsche Cayman and an all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Tiguan. We decided to gather at Cyberjaya then begin a course that required us to travel south through and out of the busy streets of Klang Valley. After having our tyres filled with air, our expedition began at about ten thirty anti meridian where the navigation on the A6 was on the job to lead us through the shortest passage.
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With little to no traffic at all, a span of twisty road magically appeared, this stretch is called N32. Having the leading A6 gone all out, engaging the dynamic mode while only being able to partially disable the traction control, the tail does get loose, messy even when pushed by the driver. This stretch is particularly twisty and narrow and to keep the A6 in line is a game of arm wrestling.
In the Cayman, there wasn’t much sweat until it was presented to the N32. Understeer creeped in once in a while so it was best to activate Sport and keep on to minimise push. The car does rotation in a composed manner, giving it more poke then the driver would have to deal with minor correction from over or understeer. Raspy sounds of flat-6 seated in the middle at full song fills the cabin, which flourishes the experience. As for the Tiguan, things aren't doing too well as it was quickly separated after just two corners. Tyre squeals came on early together with traction control and body roll made its presence clear in the slightest of turns.
As things near the end, we made our way out past Lookout Point to have a glance over the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur. Then took our time looking over (despite being hazy) reminiscing on how far we have come since the day we first got our driving license. Signs of fatigue, both physically and mentally could be seen on the drivers as we were having lunch. A nutritious meal was followed by a cup of coffee to exchange highlights from each of our cars.
After a trip of close to 500 kilometres, our final thoughts were as follows; the hydraulic steering setup has reminded me once again of one of the many reasons why the Cayman was chosen over other cars in its price bracket. The A6 wished for more engine noise as well as a more involving drive. As for the Tiguan, it can be excused for being left behind as it simply isn’t meant to deal with those bends. The drops and dives that N32 had presented us will live in our thoughts for months to come bringing us smiles for somehow cheated death before we surrender ourselves to lucid dreams.
Kuala Klawang
Length: 20.3 kilometer
Address: 71650 Kuala Klawang, Negeri Sembilan
GPS: 3.117551, 101.959400