The perfect driving holiday needs some essential ingredients: an off-the-beaten-path destination and a comfortable, capable long-distance runner. So, we took the Elite i20 off to Guhagar in coastal Maharashtra on a weekday.
Weekend getaways. The words have a magical ring to them. Families, bunch of friends, college students, lovers, absolutely everyone loves weekend getaways. Which is precisely why sometimes, you need a “weekday getaway” instead. Most of the popular tourist spots near big cities like Mumbai are easily accessible and hence, on everybody’s favourite weekends, are choc-a-bloc with all sorts of people. Not to mention the kilometres-long traffic jams leading up to these holiday destinations. So, to avoid the pain and suffering involved with driving out of Mumbai on a Friday or a Saturday, we decided to leave on a Thursday and return before the weekend madness started. And to add to caution, we picked a place which would be off the regular tourist’s radar – Guhagar, about 300km of leisurely driving away from Mumbai.
Now came the question of which vehicle to pick for said drive. Something that’s compact, peppy, comfy, and packs in the essentials to make long stretches behind the wheel entertaining. Hyundai’s i20 came right off the top of our heads, the decent fuel economy providing brownie points. The audio system is quite good, entertainment would be taken care of and the 1.4-litre diesel burner would be good to wring out on the bit of NH66 we’d traverse on the way. This alternate road to Goa is reputed for its curves, any driver’s delight.
This story is from the October 2016 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2016 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Does It Fly?
2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.
ONE-MAN BAND
We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.
TVS APACHE RTR 310
THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.
ACE OF BASE
What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before
MOMS KNOW BEST
Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?