Cape Town, also affectionately known as the "Mother City" in South Africa, provides its roughly 4.8 million residents with a breathtaking view of Table Mountain as its backdrop right at the edge of the city limits.
Coupled with the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean washing up against its shores and clear blue skies, this would become a picturesque moment that will be forever etched into this writer’s mind.
It would be here that fellow automotive journalist Jonathan Lee and I would embark on what would be an epic 939km odyssey to Port Elizabeth while driving the Omoda C9 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
The C9 PHEV has not been launched in Malaysia and it features a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission, dual electric motors and a single 65-litre petrol tank with a fully-charged driving range of about 1,100km.
This would turn out to be no ordinary road trip, though.
Instead, the Omoda Jaecoo Safari Drive would be a test of endurance, strategy, and sheer determination during the three-day international challenge against two formidable rivals - the South African group, with their home-ground advantage and the UK team.
But what started as an adventure quickly turned into a battle for national pride as we ventured along the Rainbow Route towards the East Coast and the Indian Ocean.
Day One: A poor start – Malaysia trails behind
The opening 500km would become a brutal wake-up call for us as the light-footed South Africans had managed to amass an early lead.
Meanwhile, the UK team seemed to be sitting confident, closely behind South Africa in second place with us Malaysians dead last and faced with a 90km deficit in range.
The odds, it would seem, were stacked high against us, leaving us to ponder in frustrated anger and question our fuel-saving techniques. This was not acceptable.
With roughly another 400km left, it was obvious that we were at a critical crossroad – accept defeat or fight back?
The answer was clear – this was no longer just a test of driving skills; there was now an issue of national pride.
Day Two: The recalibration
It was clear that we had to re-strategise overnight by taking into consideration as many possible factors as possible.
This included speed, terrain and energy recuperation, among others – all had to be recalibrated to help claw our way back into contention for the next 300km.
However, despite having tyres over-inflated to about 300Kpa (40psi), we were somewhat fully laden with the 660-litre (1,783-litre) boot filled to the brim and the tonneau cover just barely managing to cover it.
Also, half of the rear bench was taken up by lighter, less bulky items while the remaining half was occupied by an approximately 60kg representative from Jaecoo Malaysia. Full in deed.
Although it was initially thought that keeping it in Normal driving mode would help lessen the C9 PHEV’s energy consumption, it seemed to have proven otherwise.
The rationale had us thinking that utilising both front and rear motors would help reduce consumption when bringing this D-segment SUV up to speed.
Thus, the decision was made to swap over to Eco mode – forcing this SUV to receive propulsion purely from the rear.
Furthermore, keeping an average cruising speed of about 85kph seemed to be doing more harm than good and was preventing us from attaining a more optimal consumption of about 6.5 litres per 100km.
Travelling at around 110kph with slight prods to the throttle to gently bring it up to speed was tough.
Unfortunately, due to our competitors (including ourselves) travelling well below South Africa’s national highway speed limit of up to 120kph, certain mandatory stops had to be abandoned.
This would shorten the overall total mileage to be travelled, but it was necessary to reach the day’s final destination on time.
As the distance ticked down towards Port Elizabeth, Mother Nature would complicate matters further, periodically pelting us with heavy rain, light showers and fog.
The roads became fairly slick, and fog moved in to reduce visibility.
Suddenly, what was supposed to be a calculated drive turned into a battle against the elements.
Even though the roads were slick and visibility was poor, Eco mode was kept with cruising speeds reluctantly reduced to about 90kph.
Despite this, the 20-inch alloy wheels with its over-inflated 245/50 Michelin ePrimacy tyres (40psi), paired with the somewhat comfort-oriented suspension, managed to accord good amounts of compliance, grip and stability during such questionable circumstances.
At the very least, the C9 PHEV and its spacious confines provided some solace while utilising this opportunity to turn off the climate controls, open the external vents, and crack the windows down for some added ventilation.
As the weather began to work against us, making every kilometre become an ordeal, our hopes of reclaiming some honour by not finishing last were starting to wane.
By the end of the day, it seemed we had done the unthinkable – we mere Malaysians had closed the gap by 30km and had swapped places with the UK to relegate them in third.
Still, a 60km deficit remained, and there was the final hurdle of about 200km left to Addo, Port Elizabeth.
Day Three: The final push
With one last stretch to go, the challenge had transformed into a high-stakes showdown and the atmosphere inside C9 PHEV was nothing but tense.
Our driving had to be flawless for every action – acceleration, coasting and energy recuperation, all had to be executed to perfection.
Yet, there were doubts.
Could we close the gap further or even beat the South Africans? Would the UK overtake us?
There was no room for hesitation.
As Master Yoda would put it: “Do or do not, there is no try”.
With zero margin for error, we tried our level best to ensure minimal power drain.
That meant no abrupt accelerations, air-conditioning, charging of peripherals and, worst of all, no entertaining music from the 14-speaker Sony sound system.
Every bit of energy had to be squeezed to the last drop while counting down the final few kilometres to Addo.
The Finale: A battle to the very last kilometre
Frazzled, exhausted, and clinging to the last strands of hope, we arrived at the final checkpoint with uncertainty clouding our minds.
Every ounce of effort had been poured into this challenge, but had it been enough?
The air was thick with tension as we waited, every second stretching into eternity.
Then, the announcement came.
We had secured our place ahead of the UK, relegating them to third.
A small victory, but the ultimate question remained - was it enough to take the top spot?
Hearts pounded. Hands clenched. Breath held.
The weight of the moment pressed down on us as the final results were read aloud: “Malaysia wins!”
The words echoed in our ears, almost surreal. But it was true – we had done it.
With a staggering total distance of 939km driven and 251km of remaining range, we had reached a grand total of 1,190km – just 6km ahead of South Africa.
A razor-thin margin, but in a battle like this, it was everything.
Meanwhile, two Malaysians personalities – Iyzdham Ang Kim Hwa and Anjoe Koh – had been pushing the limits of the Jaecoo J7 PHEV in a separate group.
Despite being first-time competitors, they managed to pilot themselves into second place after Indonesia and triumphed over strong contention from South Africa, Australia, Thailand, and the UK, respectively.
Elated, overwhelmed, and ultimately victorious, a realisation quickly dawned upon us – we were bringing home more than just a title... we were bringing home national pride.
