What’s fairly the best upcountry road I’ve driven on is the road from Kagamba, a small town in Ntungamo district to Ishaka District. It’s new tarmac, very well built, reasonably wide, with very few cars and it has the most beautiful scenery for a lazy afternoon drive.
It is the sort of road you need to experience behind the wheel of something capable, something moderately fast, something that handles well in corners as well as it does on the straights.
This is a back road built for sports cars. Of course, it was never intentionally constructed for this type of car, but by design, it unintentionally became the perfect proving ground for such cars.
The drive on this road was unexpected. I was heading to Mbarara and wanting to avoid the very annoying humps on the Ntungamo – Mbarara high way, I asked some locals if the route through Kagamba would eventually lead me to Mbarara. And it did. I had the time and fuel, and with my trusty Google Maps, I embarked on this adventure.
It was a lazy afternoon, the sun was just about setting and the general mood of the atmosphere was warm and calm. A few minutes into the journey, I was astounded by how well built the tarmac was. And it will last because the road barely has any cars. The stones used offered very confident grip from the tyres and although the tyre noise was a bit more than usual, I’d be happy with that trade-off – grip is everything!
As I drove on, it became apparent that this tarmac was my treat for the rest of my adventure. I turned off the AC, opened the sunroof, put on my shades and with my well-curated 2010s RnB playlist; I got comfortable and put my car through its paces on this beautiful road.
The scenery along this road is breathtaking. Surrounded by farmlands, swamps, forests, small bridges and a couple of small towns, it was a tranquil environment for my unplanned detour. With the easiness of the late afternoon, a gentle cold breeze blew into the cabin from the sunroof to further enhance the experience.
The setting sun peered from the clouds at a distance, occasionally flashing which I took as a smile of approval for me and my adventure.
The corners were spectacular and in plenty and why I said this road is the perfect proving ground for sports cars. The agility with which the car responds when you thrust it in a corner at a reasonably fast speed and the sense of control it leaves you with is frankly unexplainable. You’d have to be a car physics geek to understand this unusual thrill.
Driving through corners is an experience that many under-appreciate because we never intentionally go out there to hit corners with the sort of cars that are built to make that a satisfying experience.
On the straights, where I pushed the pedal, the car eagerly raced to the next corner. For me, all of this was the Christmas vacation experience I didn’t know I needed. The corners and towns made sure that you don’t over speed allowing the car to operate optimally and have a relaxed cruise, almost like it was equally having a time of its Christmas vacation.
We arrived more relaxed than when we woke up that morning – the car and I. It remains the best back road I’ve driven through until I find something better.
Driving through the towns, I noticed that most of the businesses were retail shops and a lot of the cars were Toyota Probox cars. At what seemed like a major retail shop, 3 out of 5 times there was a Toyota Probox parked outside.
This confirmed what I’ve always preached; this particular Estate is the sort of car you buy when you own a retail shop.
I’ve driven one before, not intentionally for a review, and it has all the space. It’ll carry all your shopping, it’ll ferry your many children and extended family and the church choir with all their instruments to the church in one trip and if it’s raining outside, your children can still have their football match in the boot. This car is for the buyer who only cares about space.
Do I recommend it? Do you have a retail shop and a very large family? Then yes. If no, you have no reason to drive around looking like a shopkeeper from Ntungamo.
Reviews By Ian Paul 