Resilience is a hard thing to come by these days, but for this group of ambitious overland travellers, copping out is definitely not an option, not if they want to keep their Proton X70s.

In just a little over two weeks, the Malaysia-China Amazing Trip convoy has made it to Hangzhou, and is presently making their way back to Malaysia. The group of nine Proton X70s drove through Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos before reaching China, and will pass through the same countries on their way back.

At the halfway point in Hangzhou, the group visited Geely’s headquarters and toured the Geely Experience Centre, where they went up close with the Binyue SUV, Jiaji MPV, Borui sedan and Lynk & Co models. All nine cars were serviced during their tour, but the group stayed a few nights in Hangzhou to explore the city further.

For those wondering, the X70 coasted through the first 7,000-km journey from KL to Hangzhou without hiccups. Trip organiser Dr Ling Tung King said the best fuel reading in the convoy managed an average of 5.9 litres per 100 km, and that the X70’s 1.8 litre turbocharged direct injection engine responded well to the various fuel quality in the four countries that they passed.

Even before making the journey back home, the Sarawakian road trip enthusiast said “I plan to make this an annual event,” and he hopes to someday tackle the challenge of driving from Kuala Lumpur to London, and back. Fancy yourself a little adventure, folks?



GALLERY: Proton X70 owners departing from Proton Centre of Excellence