1 week ago
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Heaven and Hell: 2000+ kms Mumbai-Udaipur-Mumbai roadworthy travel successful my 1 period aged XUV700 AX7L D AWD
Heaven and Hell: 2000+ kms Mumbai-Udaipur-Mumbai roadworthy travel successful my 1 period aged XUV700 AX7L D AWD
(Apologies successful beforehand for the agelong post)
We spell to Udaipur to observe Diwali with my parents each year, by flight. This clip I was itching bash it by roadworthy successful my recently acquired XUV700. The farthest it had been to till present was Mulshi, up of Lonavala. So it was present clip to trial its estimation arsenic a mile muncher and that?s the nonstop crushed I take this car. My son, present 6 I thought, was benignant of much diligent and acceptable for longer roadworthy trips and this car would beryllium the cleanable steed.
Since this was the archetypal clip for a longish trip, we decided to interruption it into 2 parts. Mumbai to Vadodara with an overnight enactment and Vadodara to Udaipur the adjacent day, aforesaid configuration for the instrumentality journey. We thought it would beryllium bully and relaxing to bash it this mode arsenic we wanted it to beryllium much enjoyable and little hectic.
The Hell
We had decided to permission our location successful Chembur astatine 6:30 americium sharp, truthful we loaded the bigger bags a nighttime before. 6:30 americium I turned the ignition connected and we were acceptable to go. I checked the representation and it showed estimated question clip to beryllium 9 hours 30 minutes, via Eastern Express Highway, Ghodbunder Road. Now, I was alert of the information of the roads connected NH48 and was benignant of prepared to walk that other spot of clip successful postulation and dilatory speeds, estimating that with the breaks the question clip whitethorn spell upto 10 and fractional hours oregon if we are fortunate whitethorn trim a bit, truthful we whitethorn scope our edifice by 5 ish successful the evening.
All the estimates went for a flip the infinitesimal we touched Ghodbunder road. The full agelong was jammed and afloat of trucks and elephantine containers, and cars arsenic well. It was virtually bumper to bumper the full agelong with cars trying to wriggle retired of it done work roads. Once we crossed that stretch, we recovered a spot of alleviation connected the Ghodbunder ghats arsenic the postulation was reasonably accelerated moving. We were gladsome that the worst was down us. But we were truthful wrong; small did we cognize that the ordeal was going to get overmuch much harrowing. NH48 is wholly successful disarray with concretization happening full mode on till astir 100 kms from Mumbai. Scores and scores of trucks person blocked each the lanes and determination is nary mode out. The jam was truthful atrocious that each the vehicles had switched disconnected the engines and were simply waiting for much than 20-25 mins astatine a time. And this was happening each 15 mins oregon so. There was perfectly nary authorization manning, controlling the postulation and we were near connected our ain to find our ain mode retired of the monolithic jam lasting respective kms. A motortruck operator successful our lane thought this volition not unfastened anytime soon and decided to instrumentality a nap, truthful erstwhile the lane cleared ahead, we were inactive stuck down him till idiosyncratic realised and woke him up. My 6 twelvemonth old, whom I had truthful confidently convinced that this is going to beryllium truthful overmuch much amusive than taking a formation was present continuously taunting me. I don?t blasted him though. We took 7 hours to screen 60 kms. Once we crossed Manor, the postulation cleared up and we could bash road speeds. We were to person meal astatine the fashionable associated Ahura successful Dahanu, alternatively we had luncheon determination astatine 2:30pm. If you remember, my estimation was to scope edifice successful Vadodara astatine 5 ish, we managed to scope Surat astatine 6:30 pm. There was inactive 4 hours to go. We took a abbreviated java and snack interruption astatine McDonalds Surat and decided to transportation connected till the edifice non-stop. Here I was, definite that I would not thrust connected the road astatine nighttime considering the information origin and present I had to screen 160 kms axenic road stretch. I was not definite what to expect but I was determined to get to our destination, with the caffeine footwear I had conscionable got. We encountered rather a spot of motortruck postulation with immoderate mini congestions, but from what we had been through, this was a barroom walk. We reached our edifice astatine 10.15 pm. I had present driven for a bully 16 hours. Totally exhausted, we conscionable ordered country work and crashed.
Traffic Situation
The Heaven
Stuck successful the worst postulation jam of my life, my car was similar a spot of Zen. Even with truthful overmuch going connected astir us, with truthful overmuch anxiousness astir erstwhile this volition extremity and whether it makes consciousness to transportation on, the car had calming effect. With it spacious, comfy interiors and good insulated cabin, we were chopped disconnected from the chaos outside. We were benignant of enjoying being wrong the car, listening to euphony oregon simply making conversations. Passing clip became easier.
Once we were retired of the jam, I felt arsenic if the car understood however important it was to drawback up connected the miles. Every overtake, each bare space, arsenic I pushed to marque it, the car pushed more. It was similar a continuous travel of vigor connected the highways successful cleanable sync. It was arsenic if maine and my car were some successful the zone, if you cognize what I mean. We kept connected munching miles, definite footed, nimble and with afloat force.
I deliberately did not notation the second fractional of the travel arsenic that is portion of the eden bit. Once we reached Bharuch the representation took america done the municipality to spell to the different end, from wherever we could participate the celebrated National Expressway 4. Wading done the Diwali shoppers wrong the town, we took the ramp to the NE4, Bharuch to Vadodara expressway, wherever my car said, ?You chill bro, I got this?. I activated the Adaptive cruise control, acceptable it to 115 kmph (NE4 velocity bounds is 120kmph) and to my hands and feet disconnected the controls. With astir adjacent to nil traffic, the car practically drove itself for the full 87 km agelong with conscionable gentle nudges to the steering astatine regular intervals. I was successful awe of the car conscionable going astir its business. Not erstwhile did I consciousness insecure, and the car was ace unchangeable and pliant astatine that speed. The headlamps on with boosters were piercing done the pitch-dark expressway. The reflectors each on the roadworthy made it look similar a runway. It was a immense breather for my limbs which were present starting to get sore. It surely did consciousness similar heaven, besides the information that adjacent aft being connected the roadworthy for astir 16 hours, I was inactive not arsenic fatigued, I could person astir apt done a 100 kms much successful this car from that point.
The adjacent time we thought we volition instrumentality it casual and commencement our travel to Udaipur aft having a due meal and immoderate loitering astir the property. We checked retired of the edifice astatine 10 am. This travel was successful implicit contrast. Outstanding roads, accelerated moving traffic, and breathtaking sceneries. It was however we had imagined our full roadworthy travel to be. Once we entered Rajasthan, the road got much windy with ghat sections. XUV700 was astatine location here. Body rotation connected windy roads? No problem. Elevations of the ghats? No problem. It was a gag for the engine. We reached Udaipur successful 5 hours.
Night thrust connected the NE4
Smooth and scenic Rajasthan roads!
Back to Hell
The instrumentality travel was of akin nature, but alternatively of 16 hours we took 13 from Vadodara to Mumbai. Same stretch, aforesaid issues. It is specified a pity that erstwhile you are undertaking specified a monolithic transformation, atleast support successful caput the plight of the contiguous travellers. It is not that hard to make due diversions and negociate postulation done personnels. But 1 needs the volition to bash it. Gujarat excessively has roadwork going connected successful parts, but they person overmuch amended managed traffic.
In conclusion, this was a travel which had everything. But this car has fixed america the assurance to undertake galore much roadworthy trips and blessed memories.
Other observations of XUV700
When stuck successful traffic, I was disquieted astir the DPF choke alert. If it occurs, I would not beryllium capable to thrust supra 60 kmph ofcourse and determination was virtually nary spot to parkland the car to bash regen. Luckily, it did not amusement up. Infact, funnily, it showed up the adjacent time aft I reached Udaipur aft a precocious velocity 350 km thrust from Vadodara. But it went distant aft I drove it for 3-4 kms.
The ace airy steering is simply a boon. We went done beauteous choky lanes wrong towns, it was rather casual to get done contempt the size.
Headlamps are cleanable for road drives. They airy up the road.
ADAS with adaptive cruise power a fantastic feature, but lone utile connected expressways with consecutive path. The car doesn?t dilatory down connected bends.
We did a Bhilwara to Udaipur (165 kms) thrust with each rows up, 8 radical and 2 mean size trolley bags. The car did not interruption a sweat. Infact I touched 140 kmph for a bit, conscionable to try.
The operator spot could person done with a small much thigh support, not a woody breaker though.
There was hardly immoderate fatigue adjacent aft hours of driving. Just my close genu started to get jammed owed to excessively overmuch clip successful the retired position. Couple of stretches and bends, it was backmost to normal.
Suspension glides done reasonably atrocious patches, sharper potholes and cuts tin beryllium felt rather a spot astatine precocious speeds.
Boot aft folding the backmost enactment has a spot of a slope connected the floor, annoying erstwhile you are trying to set the bags and they thin to slide.
Lane support assistance beeps get annoying erstwhile you are manoeuvring astatine precocious speeds done trucks non chalantly driving on each the lanes. I wished determination was a hotkey to disable erstwhile not needed.
Cabin insulation and acoustic windshield play a large portion successful reducing fatigue.
Sun shades for windows is simply a indispensable connected agelong trips, batch of sunlight gets through.
The banal Goodyear Efficientgrip tyres are rather awesome and they are quiet.
The beast rages from 20-80, you request to beryllium much careful.
Some car shots!
In conclusion, beauteous blessed we took this travel and rather satisfied to bash it successful this car. Thank you truthful overmuch for speechmaking done and apologies erstwhile again for the agelong post.
Cheers friends!
