Out of the 4 states we covered in 2023, which has the best driving roads?
We took a causal pole in December about which state in Malaysia has the best driving roads. The unanimous winner turned out to be Negeri Sembilan, with 47% and followed by Pahang at 31%. Its noteworthy that the last drive event we did in 2023 was in Negeri Sembilan over some mirror smooth roads.
Although we organised events across 4 states in Malaysia, we have been driving all over the country on our private projects / activities. The survey, however, proved that most of the Route Hunters community members are unaware where the best driving roads in Malaysia are located. Let us educate you.
What makes a good driving road?
We have been documenting the best driving roads in the past 10 years, and we have come to realise that there are certain ‘ingredients’ a stretch of road must have to make it an entertaining, driving centric experience. Which would appeal for driving enthusiasts.
The first thing is traffic. When you want to stretch your ‘driving legs’ and your favourite 4 or 2 wheel toys. Because you want to drive or ride at your own pace without obstructing or being obstructed by others. Plus minimising interactions with other vehicles also drastically increase the safety of driving / riding.
Next is the layout of the road. A straight stretch is going to get boring and stressful after a while. What you want is something that has a fair bit of winds. Depending on your preference and vehicle, sometimes the twistier the better, or sometimes you want just gentle curves to keep things interesting. It also pays to have a reasonably smooth road surface because the last thing you want to do is shop for new rims and tyres every time you go out for a drive.
The third and final ingredients would be the environment. When said road cuts across a picturesque scenery, next to rivers, lakes or over hill or mountains, its a bonus. That would be the finishing touch of what we consider to be the perfect weekend drive road.
Where are they?
You know that stereotype where people ask where can you drive a sports car in Malaysia? These are the kind of roads you can set them loose on. Some of the roads that run across Felda plantations are far superior in terms of surface conditions compared to Jalan Maarof towards BSC or the main road running through Mont Kiara.
We have documented over 100 such roads across Peninsular Malaysia alone, outside of Ulu Yam and Genting Highlands, which we have shared on our website, on our various social media channels and of course feature as much as possible during our drive events. In 2023 alone we covered 40 of these routes in our drive events.
As the survey suggested, yes, a good deal of roads that fit these prerequisites do run across Negeri Sembilan. And yes, we will be running more expeditions out here to share the experience with everyone. But the two heavyweight states for driving roads have to be the two biggest states in the Peninsular, Pahang and Perak.
And the Winner Is....
Both Pahang and Perak benefit from their generous size, and with the Banjaran Titiwangsa mountain range running right through them. Plus the relatively low population density means that these roads are mostly empty, even during peak Balik Kampung times.
Both states are blessed with amazing geographical features, be it the sea cloud lookout in Pahang, or the Lata Batu Puteh bridge in Perak, these places will make you question if this is really Malaysia. But the tie breaker comes in the form of the road conditions and upkeep.
In our own experience, we have to hand the win over to Perak. Most of its rural roads are in far better shape than the ones in Pahang. Despite experiencing similar weather and built across similar terrains, the roads in the Perak heartlands are far kinder to low profile tyres than they do in Pahang.
Everytime we run an exploration expedition across Perak, we find endless stretch of well kept roads running for 100’s of km. However they are not easily accessible, and would require a day’s stay before or after a drive. Hence why our first drive event across these roads were done during our overnight drive last year. Here’s a montage of what took place during that event.
In 2024...
Peninsular Malaysia still has plenty of wonderful and well kept driving roads that are barely mentioned in most drive communities on social media. But these will take time to get to. Hopefully this year we get to organise more events up to these places and share all the hidden gems of our country to our fellow petrolheads.
