When the sight of a Singaporean car - a golden Toyota Estima - elicits exclamations of excitement from my co-driver and I, it suddenly hits that we've driven really far from the Singapore-Malaysian border.
Especially so, since we've put blind faith into Google Maps and accidentally (or serendipitously) pulled off the North South highway on our way to Ipoh, onto the backroads north of the Selangorian town of Rasa, where we're coasting now. It doesn't take long for a concerned WhatsApp call to come in from the support crew. Get back onto the highway as soon as possible, is the instruction.
4:30am: Our trip starts not-so-bright and early at a Shell petrol station near the Second Link Still, that's not the biggest concern at the moment. Eyes darting incessantly between the road and the crisp, 12.3-inch digital cluster of the Audi Q3 Sportback, the focus is trained instead on pushing one specific number down as our mileage continues rising to heights I've never seen before on a single day trip.
The figure stands at 5.3L/100km now; 5.2L/100km (or 19.2km/L) is the next domino to topple. Through the next few hundred kilometres, we will continue to struggle with the numbers as the terrain and weather change.
We're on a fuel efficiency challenge set out by Audi Singapore alongside three other cars (a new mild hybrid 1.5-litre variant of the Q3, and the 1.0-litre A3 Sedan and 1.0-litre A3 Sportback). The goal? Not just to make it from the Second Link Checkpoint up to Thailand in just one tank, but to use as little fuel as possible in the process.
As the terrain and weather change constantly, we struggle with pushing fuel consumption down At 4:00am earlier that day, we'd already gathered at Shell Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim (my trip partner and I stay in Pasir Ris-Punggol, for context) to fuel the cars up and seal the tanks. Setting the Q3 Sportback instantly into 'Efficiency' mode, we'd reached R&R Ayer Keroh before 8:00am.
Now, finding our way back onto the NS Highway, it is exactly noon time. The midday sun has re-emerged after some bouts of bad weather.
What's a fuel efficiency-based, cross-Malaysian road trip like?
Before 8:00am, we've already reached R&R Ayer Keroh (about 220km or 2.5 hours from Second Link) Most petrolheads will kill for the chance to do a Singapore to Thailand road trip - this much isn't lost on us at all. Raw distance and duration considered, the journey is made even tastier when in something like the Q3 Sportback, which can deftly balance comfort, power, and practicality in one car.
But while any iteration of this itinerary, ours included, promises its fair share of fun, having to watch how much both your car and yourself are drinking (toilet breaks equal more stops… which mean worse efficiency) is often painful.
These are the sorts of roads where the Q3 Sportback should come alive - but alas, it is muzzled One part of it is psychological. Downsizing has occurred with the Q3 Sportback we're driving, which is now offered with a mild hybrid assisted 1.5-litre turbocharged inline-four. Even so, a healthy 250Nm of torque will still be unleashed at 1,500rpm. After completing the century sprint in 9.4 seconds, the car should reach a top speed just over 200km/h.
Yet in this environment where one expects to finally unshackle a car's potential and let it run intounrestrained higher speeds, you often have to make do with the centre or inner lane. Particularly, the gently snaking backroads we've wandered out into in Rasa feel perfect for a bit of fun - but alas, we keep it in ourselves not to push past 2,000rpm, and let our speed hover around 90km/h.
The exact benefit of slip-streaming (and the ideal length from the vehicle in front) is hard to pin down The other part of the pain is physical.
My co-driver and I have decided right at the outset that in the interest of teasing out the best of the car's stock capabilities, we will not do anything to improve its aerodynamics or rolling resistance. No over-inflated tyres; no taping of gaps. (To play the long game, we also don't torture ourselves by turning the A/C off.)
But that doesn't stop us from doing everything else possible on the road. In turn, this squeezes out every ounce of energy and concentration imaginable. Each heavy vehicle that trundles into view is a sign to start catching a slip-stream (the results of this are debatable). When that vehicle disappears out of view, we slingshot ourselves to what we hope is the next aerodynamic piggyback ride.
Wet weather is experienced more than once (P.S. Not refuelling...) One might also expect us to use cruise control, considering the 800km-length of the journey. In most cases, this is sensible.
But the Q3 Sportback's adaptive system (offered as standard) ironically works too well in maintaining the distance you've adjusted to the car in front. The consequences: Early braking when it still feels like there's more to be coaxed out of the car's remaining velocity, and acceleration that will make a hypermiler sweat when the gaps widen. As counter-action, the cruise control stalk gets fiddled with a lot in between.
Driving through rain and shine; past palm tree plantations and gently winding mountain roads Then there is the fact that the sheer length of the trip - a partial implication of the speeds taken - is exhausting in itself.
At 12:00pm, few can say they've already been on the road for close to eight hours (seven, if we're discounting short breaks). Couple that with sleep deprivation from the early start and intermittent, heavy downpours, and this is multiplied tenfold. Rain and shine; past palm tree plantations and through the mountains of Perak, the assignment stays the same. Keep not just your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, but also your mind from zoning out.
Drumroll... The final figures
At 8:30pm Thai time (7:30pm SGT): Finally pulling into a Shell station in Hat Yai... Above all, overwhelming relief - even though I haven't taken the bulk of the driving today - sets in when we pull into a Shell station in downtown Hat Yai, an hour after crossing the Malaysian-Thai border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. At 8:30pm Thai time (7:30pm SGT), the sky is the same colour as when we set off in Singapore 15 hours ago.
It takes a while for reality to take hold as we emerge from the car and from what has felt like a fever dream. But amidst the camera snaps and eager exchanges between cars of "What's your consumption figure!", the buzzing excitement of what has just transpired starts to sink in.
A final total consumption figure of 20km/L is genuinely impressive in an SUV like this We've done it - covered 900km, and crossed two land borders in a single day. We've driven from Singapore to Thailand.
Thanks to our little detour, there's no softening the cold hard truth that my partner and I have probably lost out in Leg 1 of the trip. (Or so we think. Two days later, we will head back down to Singapore in the A3 Sedan for Leg 2 - reaping an even more impressive consumption figure, while enjoying equal amounts of refinement and comfort. The final results will be averaged out across both legs. Another two days later, we will find out we were actually redeemed by the bell curve.)
Driving to Thailand is as fun as it sounds, but tackling its length and the elements requires grit Still, the figures speak for themselves. Driving in an unmodified 1.5 tonne SUV (albeit with highly modified driver inputs), we've managed an astounding final consumption figure of 20km/L. The trip computer thinks we still have 260km of range left in the tank, enough to make it back down again to Penang. To rewind the clock a little to 4:00am, it started with 910km. We've almost covered that on our entire drive.
There's no doubt too that the car had a large part to play in this. Beyond the power-saving mechanics of its mild hybrid system, the Q3 Sportback is designed to allow you to instinctively slip into eco-oriented driving at the flick of a switch. In 'Efficiency' mode, the A/C is slightly restrained and the engine shuts off when coasting and in standstill traffic.
Road trip essentials: Pre-planning, snacks, a banging playlist (plus a co-driver you can sing your heart out with) - and a steady steed The way the virtual cockpit feeds information is also intuitive and direct. Seeing the needle plummet below zero on your digital rev counter is endlessly satisfying when you know efficiency is the goal.
To road-trip on one tank, or to not?
If a Singapore to Thailand road trip on one tank sounds like quite the uphill battle, that's because it is - to a certain extent. We were already shielded from the bulk of the paperwork required thanks to our wonderful support crew, but still felt the strain of the full-day drive.
The journey is, however, entirely possible and made sweeter, too, with the right ingredients thrown in. Into the mix, add a dash of short breaks, one ace co-driver (staying awake will necessitate playlists of the highest quality, accompanied by unbridled in-car karaoke sessions), and of course - the right sort of car.
Be sure to check out the efficiency-challenge we did a couple of years back with the Audi A4 Sedan!
And here are some other articles that may interest you:
An electric road trip Down Under to take stock of the transforming future
One charge up North (or down South)? Not quite, but with a bit of planning, Audi's e-tron family shows that's not too big of an issue
Fuel economy hacks that will benefit newbie and seasoned drivers
Many drivers have heard of these fuel-saving tips but do they really work?
The 1.0-litre Audi A3 Sedan goes head to head with the BMW 216i Gran Coupe
Especially so, since we've put blind faith into Google Maps and accidentally (or serendipitously) pulled off the North South highway on our way to Ipoh, onto the backroads north of the Selangorian town of Rasa, where we're coasting now. It doesn't take long for a concerned WhatsApp call to come in from the support crew. Get back onto the highway as soon as possible, is the instruction.
4:30am: Our trip starts not-so-bright and early at a Shell petrol station near the Second Link
The figure stands at 5.3L/100km now; 5.2L/100km (or 19.2km/L) is the next domino to topple. Through the next few hundred kilometres, we will continue to struggle with the numbers as the terrain and weather change.
We're on a fuel efficiency challenge set out by Audi Singapore alongside three other cars (a new mild hybrid 1.5-litre variant of the Q3, and the 1.0-litre A3 Sedan and 1.0-litre A3 Sportback). The goal? Not just to make it from the Second Link Checkpoint up to Thailand in just one tank, but to use as little fuel as possible in the process.
Now, finding our way back onto the NS Highway, it is exactly noon time. The midday sun has re-emerged after some bouts of bad weather.
What's a fuel efficiency-based, cross-Malaysian road trip like?
Before 8:00am, we've already reached R&R Ayer Keroh (about 220km or 2.5 hours from Second Link)
But while any iteration of this itinerary, ours included, promises its fair share of fun, having to watch how much both your car and yourself are drinking (toilet breaks equal more stops… which mean worse efficiency) is often painful.
Yet in this environment where one expects to finally unshackle a car's potential and let it run into
My co-driver and I have decided right at the outset that in the interest of teasing out the best of the car's stock capabilities, we will not do anything to improve its aerodynamics or rolling resistance. No over-inflated tyres; no taping of gaps. (To play the long game, we also don't torture ourselves by turning the A/C off.)
But that doesn't stop us from doing everything else possible on the road. In turn, this squeezes out every ounce of energy and concentration imaginable. Each heavy vehicle that trundles into view is a sign to start catching a slip-stream (the results of this are debatable). When that vehicle disappears out of view, we slingshot ourselves to what we hope is the next aerodynamic piggyback ride.
But the Q3 Sportback's adaptive system (offered as standard) ironically works too well in maintaining the distance you've adjusted to the car in front. The consequences: Early braking when it still feels like there's more to be coaxed out of the car's remaining velocity, and acceleration that will make a hypermiler sweat when the gaps widen. As counter-action, the cruise control stalk gets fiddled with a lot in between.
At 12:00pm, few can say they've already been on the road for close to eight hours (seven, if we're discounting short breaks). Couple that with sleep deprivation from the early start and intermittent, heavy downpours, and this is multiplied tenfold. Rain and shine; past palm tree plantations and through the mountains of Perak, the assignment stays the same. Keep not just your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, but also your mind from zoning out.
Drumroll... The final figures
It takes a while for reality to take hold as we emerge from the car and from what has felt like a fever dream. But amidst the camera snaps and eager exchanges between cars of "What's your consumption figure!", the buzzing excitement of what has just transpired starts to sink in.
Thanks to our little detour, there's no softening the cold hard truth that my partner and I have probably lost out in Leg 1 of the trip. (Or so we think. Two days later, we will head back down to Singapore in the A3 Sedan for Leg 2 - reaping an even more impressive consumption figure, while enjoying equal amounts of refinement and comfort. The final results will be averaged out across both legs. Another two days later, we will find out we were actually redeemed by the bell curve.)
There's no doubt too that the car had a large part to play in this. Beyond the power-saving mechanics of its mild hybrid system, the Q3 Sportback is designed to allow you to instinctively slip into eco-oriented driving at the flick of a switch. In 'Efficiency' mode, the A/C is slightly restrained and the engine shuts off when coasting and in standstill traffic.
To road-trip on one tank, or to not?
If a Singapore to Thailand road trip on one tank sounds like quite the uphill battle, that's because it is - to a certain extent. We were already shielded from the bulk of the paperwork required thanks to our wonderful support crew, but still felt the strain of the full-day drive.
The journey is, however, entirely possible and made sweeter, too, with the right ingredients thrown in. Into the mix, add a dash of short breaks, one ace co-driver (staying awake will necessitate playlists of the highest quality, accompanied by unbridled in-car karaoke sessions), and of course - the right sort of car.
Be sure to check out the efficiency-challenge we did a couple of years back with the Audi A4 Sedan!
And here are some other articles that may interest you:
An electric road trip Down Under to take stock of the transforming future
One charge up North (or down South)? Not quite, but with a bit of planning, Audi's e-tron family shows that's not too big of an issue
Fuel economy hacks that will benefit newbie and seasoned drivers
Many drivers have heard of these fuel-saving tips but do they really work?
The 1.0-litre Audi A3 Sedan goes head to head with the BMW 216i Gran Coupe
