Route Hunters Malaysia had its first drive of the year last weekend, which was just for our crew and it took us through some scenic routes in the heart of Pahang before concluding in what was once the outpost of Jerantut. Back then it was the hub for the Felda settlers of Jengka and the last point of civilization before heading towards Kuala Tahan for those who want to venture into Taman Negara.
The route, which is made of Route Hunters Episode 5, has its fair share of sweeping turns and intense twists. While driving on this route it dawned on to us that you do not need a high power techno crazed mod rod to have fun here. There are no balls out 5 minute drive before a smoke break Ulu Yam style driving here (we do not condone this). It’s all about savoring every undulation on the road, the scenery and the epic country road that lay ahead of you. You need something simple, something pure to enjoy such a road. You need, something like the Mazda MX-5’s 30th Anniversary Edition.
The MX-5 is both immensely popular and notorious for dividing petrolheads at the same time. While some consider it to be a purist driving machine, others still argue that it’s nothing more than a dainty convertible. This argument echoes all over the world from the Nurburgring to the Nasi Lemak stalls of Klang Valley.
After driving 1000’s of KM across some of the best driving roads in Malaysia, we feel that the MX-5 is all the car you need to enjoy our beautiful B-roads, more so in the form of the 30th Anniversary Edition. The limited edition 3000 unit run designed to commemorate Mazda’s 30th anniversary of the MX-5 comes in both soft top and RF targa versions. And you can see that these guys pay attention to what a driver needs during a road trip rather than just lashing out novelty items and hope something special comes out.
The upgrade list includes;
- RAYS ZE40 forged alloy wheels of 16 and 17 inch
- RECARO seats specially for this version
- Bilstein Dampers for the manual transmission models only
- Brembo front brake calipers
- Nissin rear brake calipers
- BOSE 9 speaker system
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
For a team that spends bulk of its time roaming around the B roads of Malaysia, trust us when we say that a manual gearbox, good seats, not overly big rims, good brakes, spot on damping and a good sound system is vital when trekking those many miles.
It’s got a 2.0 liter Skyactive-G engine good for 181bhp, which if you’re not indulged in ego displays and you only wish to enjoy the drive, is plenty. Most importantly, it’s the last remaining cars that truly champion the manual transmission. From what we can see, this is one of the most ideal cars you can get to truly enjoy a Route Hunters drive. It remains to see if our theory stands in the real world though, as we have yet to test the latest iteration of the MX-5. Stay tuned to find out if we do!
