Taking The Volvo EX30 Ultra On The Touge

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Can an all-electric Volvo compact crossover be a thrill on the hills? Well…yes(?)

So a little while ago, a somewhat spontaneous opportunity arose to head for the hills at Ulu Yam. And while this job does offer the rather nice privilege of potentially taking any number of tasty petrol-powered hoon machines for this rather nice blast up some of Malaysia’s best driving roads, this likely masochistic writer however decided instead opt to call upon an EV for this Touge session…

There is nevertheless method to this madness though. Such is as when the fuel pumps eventually run dry, there will really be no other choice than to take the supposedly emotionless EV out to get their touge thrills.

Hence, to provide a snapshot of what the future of sheer driving pleasure with an automobile, here is how this writer got on with a Volvo EX30 (Ultra Single Motor Extended Range) one fine Saturday afternoon on Ulu Yam:

The Car

Before diving into the adventure, a quick word on the chosen steed. Most would not peg a high-riding Volvo crossover as a touge-slayer, but two points are worth noting:

This Swedish SUV had bagged DSF’s Performance Crossover of the Year 2025.
Besides, Volvo quotes 476 km of range (403 km from 100 % IRL) for the single-motor Ultra variant used here, which should in theory be plenty for the proposed KL → Bentong → KL blast.

The Prep

A common worry when hustling an EV is whether it will have enough juice to see the day out, especially if Eurobeat is on repeat. And this is what the writer thought too when he initially came up with this mad idea, with him already anticipating that this story will involve some sort of nail-biting hypermiling conclusion at the end of this piece.

Adding to the do or die drama too is that upon a quick charging station search online, what came up was pretty much zilch in that neck of the woods. In fact, there was only to be one DC charging station in the whole of Bentong.

But what actually made this writer feel quite comfortable to undertake this mad idea was the fact that the Ulu Yam touge isn’t that long a drive. The whole proposed route of KL – KKB – Bentong – KL is roughly 210 km long, which the EX30 should comfortably cover, even if most of that milage will be covered at a rather rapid pace.

What more is that while this writer desires to drive the wheels off this EV, he envisions that there would inevitably be (many) moments stuck behind slower traffic. Mountain driving at a steady pace often sips less energy than highway cruising (he hopes), and regen braking before each corner entry’s should (theoretically) claw back some of the electrons spent firing out of the previous one!

The Drive

So now how did the actual drive turn out? Well, the run to the hills started a little after lunch, with the Volvo showing about 90% charge (indicating a range of 363 km). And just to spoil the ending right up front, the EX30 did actually manage the whole route (though this was after a quick chance top up at Bentong).

As for how the EX30 actually performed on the actual touge meanwhile, Volvo can pat themselves on the back because this compact crossover was actually was for it to be a proper hoot and a half when hoofing it through the hills!

Now, the dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead might scoff at that statement. After all, where’s the thrill when there are no gears to row and no engine note echoing through the hills? But this writer would like to posit that for the vast majority of the more casual touge-rs, the adrenaline comes from that quick and dirty surge of speed — the kind that only an electric motor’s instant torque can deliver as it punches you out of a corner and into the next straight — is really all the fun of heading for the hills.

(Also, instant torque is way more useful in finding openings to blast past all the other slower motorists to reach the clear roads ahead.)

And while this particular EX30 tested here was not the full fat twin motor variant too, the slight dip in power is a small sacrifice to make for being able to kick its tail out a bit (something not possible in a Volvo since the similarly RWD 240 from when Volvos were still boxy).

As for some slight negatives here, there is unfortunately no denying that this EV with all its batteries is a heavy beast (and one could certainly feel that mass all the way round a corner.) But its stiff chassis and suspension setup (which admittedly is way too harsh and bouncy to live with day-to-day) does nevertheless provide the EX30 with a planted, sporty stance in the twisties.

With the twisties this time around being the rather tight and technical Ulu Yam route too, this is where the Volvo’s compact size really works in its favour. It’s easy to place on narrow roads, the high-riding crossover stance offers excellent visibility, and it never feels unwieldy—even when the corners come thick and fast.

The only real improvement for touge duty would be stickier tyres to provide a bit more bite on turn-in. Though having the opportunity for some (slight, ESP kills the fun before things actually go south) arse out fun is perhaps a decent enough trade off for those not on a true time attack.

The Charge

So confession time here: despite saying that the EX30 could reasonably complete the whole drive on a single charge, this writer did top it off for at least a bit at the aforementioned Bentong DC fast charger. This was partly because this writer took a detour up to Frasers for some supplementary sightseeing, but primarily due to him chancing that the charger was empty while driving past (and a quick chill session might have been beneficial to his then slightly nauseous state).

Crucially though, it remains a fact that this quick recharge was pretty much an entirely optional stop, as there was actually enough range left to (somewhat) comfortably make it back home on the remaining charge. Even after all that hoofing it on the hills, the Volvo did still show that there was around 45% charge left in its batteries (~160 km), more than enough for the return run to KL via Karak.

What nevertheless remains insufficient however is the number of chargers around Ulu Yam; Bentong alone won’t support an all-EV touge convoy any time soon. To nit-pick further too, that solitary DC unit sits a good seven-minute walk from Bentong Walk, and there isn’t much to do at 4.30 p.m. on a sleepy Saturday over there.

In any case, half an hour of aimlessly walking around Bentong Walk eventually yielded a car with a very healthy 75% state of charge. Perfect really for a totally stress-free (and somewhat speedy) jaunt through Karak, with a cheeky blast up and down from Gohtong Jaya tacked on just because as well.

The Conclusion

In wrapping things up, there are two conclusions to cover from this trip.

First, the Volvo: the EX30 frankly is a pretty decent car… if we were to talk about it for this particular application.

If being rather blunt, the one sentence verdict on the EX30 would be that it is an inverse Volvo. Such is as this all-electric Swedish SUV unfortunately has the very un-Volvo characteristic more than a few liveability niggles with it (most of which are elaborated in a separate story linked here), but it is also equally un-Volvo-like in the way that it is as way more fun to drive than it is to live with.

Second, the experiment: taking an EV to the touge is not just possible, but some might say even enjoyable.

To use another analogy here borrowed from a world where driving shall not be mixed with, an EV on a touge is like a quick shot of vodka, while a traditional ICE experience (especially if it is a stick-shift sports car) is analogous to a fine wine. The former is something that would get your driving high (and just good enough for those who are not too fussy), whereas the latter offers a fuller, more nuanced experience for connoisseurs willing to put in the time and expense.

Just worth adding right at the end here that funnily enough, much like vodka, the risk associated with taking an EV on the touge is certainly to be elevated over an ICE car. The combination of all that newfound instant power and weight is after all tempting fate, especially for those who might think that they are the next Takumi Fujiwara…