On one fine morning, Team Turbine went out with a crew of 3 completely different luxomobiles to get a first hand experience of a spirited run on Mawa Bhanga Expressway.
The cars which were a part of the road trip were a rare Volkswagen Passat, a black Toyota Crown with aftermarket rims and the most interesting of all- a stanced Toyota MarkII GX110. The Volkswagen Passat is one of the highest selling models of cars in the world. However, the lack of expertise among local mechanics and comparatively higher price have made Volkswagen cars like the Passat quite a rare model for Bangladesh. Besides, this was the only front wheel drive car of the line up
The goal was to reach the endpoint of the expressway to have breakfast at Mawa Ghat which is infamous for its numerous restaurants serving some of the freshest hilsa in Bangladesh. The road trip started at 6am in the morning from Uttara, the northmost point of the country’s capital. The day being a Saturday translated to nearly empty morning roads all throughout the trip.
Getting on the expressway past the toll booth, the cars were greeted with rain. We might have complained some other day but that day was different. Typically, Bangladeshis love to have Hilsa on rainy days. Thus the unexpected rain was treated like a blessing for us. Besides, the rain meant no bikes and unnecessary road crossings which made this drive one of the most mesmerising Mawa runs I personally experienced.
Both the Crown and the MarkII came equipped with 2.0 liter engines powering the rear wheels but the Crown being a newer car, had the most fun all throughout the drive. The Passat, despite being a luxury saloon powered by a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine, surely did hold up pretty well with the big boys and in fact, outclassed both in acceleration thanks to its turbocharged engine. This isn’t a driving impression review of the Passat yet it’s surely commendable how well the Passat would keep itself stable when changing lanes at high speeds with very little body roll while also being one of the most comfortable mid sized sedans I’ve ever got to experience, albeit, it’s due to the Passat being the widest among three aside from the highly engineered suspension setup.
The drive came to its climax in Mawa Ghat located at the end of the expressway where we had some of the best hilsa before heading out to return back to Uttara. The MarkII being a static car, did have some unavoidable hiccups all throughout the journey, but to be fair, it was all worth it given the amazing breakfast and the drive overall.
