We live in a highly-developed, ultra-urbanised island nation. Which probably explains why so many Singaporeans regularly make the hop across the causeway.
That’s because Malaysia, like the Kia EV6, has a lot to offer. Our Northern neighbour has everything from future-forward cities, to laid back resort towns, and seemingly everything else in between.
And a long weekend was all the impetus we needed to embark on a drive across the border. Usually, the only real detterent to a Singaporean motorist was the lengthy wait times at the checkpoints.
Though it really wasn’t an issue for two reasons.
Second Link
Firstly, with the government’s recent QR code initiative, there really wasn’t a queue at Second Link at all. But the same couldn’t be said about the Malaysian side. We ended up waiting about three hours before it was our turn to clear the checkpoint.
And secondly, with its dedicated EV architecture, the Kia EV6 has a cabin properly optimised spatially. A pair of ergonomic seats with built-in ventilation functionality further enhanced the cabin experience, making the wait much more bearable, as we were in comfort the entire time.
Forest City
The first stop on our weekend getaway was Forest City. This controversial development was built by a consortium led by Mainland Chinese investors. It was conceived as a future-forward, ecological city with luxury urban living in mind.
High rise apartments make up most of its landscape, with open spaces really only present towards its shoreline. A single hotel serves this reclaimed island, with rooms having a full, uninterrupted view of the coastline.
It may not have turned out to be the utopia it was conceptualised to be (due to political reasons that we aren’t going to get into – this is an automotive website afterall), but it certainly isn’t the ghost town many netizens have claimed that it once was.
Johor Bahru
We wanted to explore Johor Bahru next. RUD Medini, a kart track that we featured on here a while back, was along the way. Seeing that we are both interested in karting, we decided to make a stop.
By Malaysian standards, the drive to RUD from Forest City isn’t long. The 19 kilometre trek consisted mostly of dual carriageways and smaller local roads. At the speed limit of these roads, the Kia EV6 was extremely efficient, regularly matching the manufacturer’s estimated 5.8km/kWh consumption figure.
It probably also helps that we drove it strictly on one pedal mode. Rather impressively, at no point throughout the drive was the car ever jarring on deceleration. Kia did a good job in ensuring their throttle pedal is easy to modulate, without causing strain on the driver’s right leg.
Post RUD, we carried on eastwards, and right into the heart of JBCC. We’d spend the night here, before continuing on to our final destination of the trip.
Desaru
A hip cafe was promptly found near our hotel the next morning, and we made a headed over for a spot of brunch before we continued on our way.
Happily for us, there was a DC charger less than 150 metres from said cafe. It wasn’t rated anywhere near the 250 kW DC charge rate the EV6 could accept, but in all honesty we didn’t need the speed.
The ChargEV station only delivered charge at 40 kW DC, which was just the right speed needed to fully top the car off, whilst also giving us enough time to finish our brunch. We hit the road again, opting to take a scenic route through Johor’s B-roads enroute to Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas.
And with plenty of sudden elevation and directional changes, these roads are a true test of car stability and agility.
Some Thoughts on the EV6
Having had prior experience with an EV6 (again for the same aforementioned publication), I had full confidence in its ability to tackle these roads. The E-GMP platform and its dual electric motors made short work of the 90 kilometre drive.
Its 321 bhp was also a joy to exploit, providing strong general pace whenever it was required. The car also cornered nice and flat, but still maintained a surprising amount of compliance. Despite the exuberant driving, the EV6 only consumed 20% electricity on this 90 kilometre drive. We pulled up at Anantara Desaru’s driveway with 80% charge indicated.
A day enjoying the laid back nature of a resort town and the resort’s accoutrements later, we were ready to make the trip back down to Johor Bahru, and cross the border back to Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint.
Back to Singapore via Woodlands
As this was the more popular checkpoint of the two (re-entry to Singapore is free), we had to endure even more severe traffic than at Second Link. With its excellent 360 camera system, we were able to better keep track of the surrounding hazards.
It serves as an additional layer of protection against the accidental grazing of another vehicle in one of the world’s busiest border crossings.
We made it back to Singapore from Desaru with 77% of charge remaining, having topped the car off before setting off that morning. This is inclusive of being stuck in a two hour jam at the Malaysian checkpoint.
At no point on our trip did the Kia EV6 ever feel like it was out of its element. Its 520 litre boot swallowed two duffle bags, camera equipment and our backpacks with no issue. Even the frunk came in handy.
The Kia EV6 GT Line is smooth and comfortable when you need it to be, yet decently rapid and sporty when you want it to be. Most importantly, it is extremely efficient, so range anxiety would never be an issue!
A special thanks to myCarriage for providing the Kia EV6 GT Line featured in this article. You can rent the EV6 for yourself, or check out their diverse range of cars on the myCarriage website!
And we have a special discount code just for paddleshift.sg readers! Enter code PDSFT at check out to enjoy 8% off your booking – there are no minimum spend or booking date restrictions!
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