[autorahul]

Originally Posted by DrRC83

• SUV or CUVs are my choices of cars.

I feel with such highway drives cruise control is a feature you will really begin to love. So that should be one of the features you look for.

In my opinion you could wait for the 1.5 diesel which is expected to be launched soon in Brezza, Ertiga and S-Cross. The engine has gotten good reviews across the board for its refinement.

Amongst them I would go for S-Cross, the best variant in the budget (probably Zeta) which has cruise control. The car's ride quality is also better than others from Maruti.

XUV300 is a good car, but lacks space, especially in the trunk which is essential for long highway trips.

Creta 1.4, the only variant in your range is over priced. 1.6 would have been a different beast altogether but would be definitely out of your range.

[binand]

I have owned 5 cars so far in my life, and with the last week's Bangalore-Kochi trip I've done intercity drives in four of them.

The points/features that I now know matter to me (in decreasing order of importance) are:

1. At the top, and no questions asked - AT. Both my current cars are, both my older cars weren't. A manual non-stop drive from Bangalore to Mumbai I did in Dec 2017 resulted in a stiff left leg that hurt me for quite a long time; so much so that my wife threatened to put a stop to my drives.

2. Seat/centre console alignment (just made up a name). I prefer driving in shorts, but then in my older I10 this resulted in my bare thigh rubbing against the centre console. Over several hours this spot used to become sore. Later on I started carrying a towel with me which I'd drape over my thigh to reduce this.

3. Presence and size/orientation of the dead pedal. The I10 didn't have one; both my current cars do. Great device to keep the left ankle stress free. But the Polo's seem to me is more comfortable than the Endy's. The Civic's was the best, but I've sold it now.

4. The driver seat. Lumbar support matters, and so does neck support.

5. Cruise control is a mixed bag because I tend to slow down for breaks in median, town/village limits, breaks in shoulder guard rail etc. The only stretch where I regularly and comfortably use CC is the Vijayamangalam-Coimbatore 6-lane section.

6. A handle above the driver to raise my arm and hold. The Civic didn't have this. :-)

I tend to drive alone and without stopping for 2-3 hours in one go; so ability to stretch and flex muscles is the key thing. Because my Civic was MT, and I haven't driven the Endy long enough, I think my top choice at the moment is the Polo AT.

[DCEite]

Had a longish highway drive on my Tigor AMT for about 180 kms/4 hrs which included multiple traffic jams.

Must say the level of fatigue after the drive was way less than any other car i have owned previously (Xcent/Spark/WagonR etc.)

Partly because of the AMT and partly because of good seating (read good under thigh and lower back support on the driver's seat).

[DrRC83]

2. Seat/centre console alignment (just made up a name). I prefer driving in shorts, but then in my older I10 this resulted in my bare thigh rubbing against the centre console. Over several hours this spot used to become sore. Later on I started carrying a towel with me which I'd drape over my thigh to reduce this.

Thigh or leg rubbing in the center console is always a problem with i10. After a long drive, it refreshen the memory of the drive for the next 24 to 48 hours. Though I love to drive long in shorts - but this problem in particuler refrains me :(

[sajands]

My previous cars that I owned the experience has been,

Verna 2008 CRDi: Hell of an engine it had but sadly was a boat on the highways, felt like steering a Titanic on the curves and good on long straight roads. decent for long drives on roads that had less curves

Punto Mjd: works both on the Highways and city. Efficient, planted on the road even on speeds more than 120 this car perfect for those long highways. had no problems in terms of long drive fatigue.

Line Tjet: Enough said. Highway star, Tjet is made for long drives, I do Mumbai Bangalore at times nonstop in 12 hours and with one break somewhere in hubli for tank up. No issues in terms of driving fatigue or urge to stop unless nature call. Tjet is a bliss on the highways solo or loaded with luggage and 4 people.

[ValarMorghulis]

Have driven:
1. Maruti Swift VXI Petrol

From Delhi to Bageshwar multiple times

From Delhi to Nainital multiple times
From Haldwani to Ranikhet
From Haldwani to Bageshwar multiple times
From Delhi to Jaipur



2. Honda Amaze Petrol

From Haldwani to Bageshwar once
From Haldwani to Nainital


The Swift always felt good and handled really well even in the circuitous roads of the Kumaon region. The Amaze was meh.

[sridharj77]

Any update to this thread in 2020? Driver and Passenger fatigue are important in long distance trips and cars that minimize them would be awesome.

[fhdowntheline]

Honda City CVT is another beauty to drive on long trips. I have owned the Linea T Jet before, and its great but the City is quite fatigue free for the driver and occupants (in good road conditions ). The 1.5 iVTec makes the City CVT deceptively fast. Its also pretty agile for a midsize sedan, helps on those single lane state highways.The Duster is also good in terms of comfort.

[jfk1975]

Generally speaking, something with a higher H-point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-point) is what I would prefer.

As a driver, I always pick my Ford Endeavor for long distance travel because of that and the ability to flatten out and deal with rough terrain.

As a passenger, my vote goes to either Toyota Innova or the Kia Carnival - primarily because of leg room, rear seat incline with captain chair option.

[arindambasu13]

The Honda City is a fantastic mile muncher. I have done a few trips since getting mine about a year back (the current gen City), and each time it has been a fatigue free experience. The seating position is good as is the lower back support. The iVTEC is a peach to rev out on the expressway, and has adequate grunt to make fast progress with good ability to pull off those overtaking manouevers. Passengers on the back seat have also been wowed by the space and comfort on offer. I am not a overly aggressive driver and maintain speeds between 80 and 120, and at those speeds, it is a wonderful cruiser to cover long distances in good time.

[distiller]

I have driven the Honda Amaze SMT Petrol over long distances. The handling is pathetic, so forget about spirited driving. The driver seat lacks support especially the lumbar one and after few hours in the seat it gets very cumbersome to continue on.
Also I have driven some other cars having higher H point and I can also say that they are more fatigue free and thus you can cover longer distances. The factors that play important role would be sound deadening, seat comfort, driver ergonomics and overall ambience of the cabin.

[SaiSW]

Figo Aspire TDCi. Engine is refined, and as pretty much everyone knows, very very powerful.

All it takes to get infront of someone is just a gentle tap on the accelerator. Truly a marvel of an engine. The steering feel and feedback, granted may not be as sharp as old Figo, but it still is good.

This is one car you'll constantly find a reason to take out on the highways. I have driven an aspire around 100 kms non stop and I didn't have any problems with the ergonomics or the seats. They're not leather, but the fabric itself is of good quality. And that coupled with the best in class SYNC 3, makes everything a breeze.

[troublemaker]

I will never forget my Mitsubishi Cedia Sport! The driving comfort of that car was unmatched and that 2.0 petrol was a gem. Memories..

[RijuC]

In September, 2020 I drove from Gurgaon to Jodhpur in Swift 2016 model VXi petrol car. It took 12 hours for the journey, including the breakfast break, couple of tea breaks, a lunch break etc.

I have a query regarding how uncomfortable I felt for rest of the day after we checked in the hotel. The comfort level at Radisson was good. Nothing to complaint during this COVID pandemic. Both of us are on heavier side. And we prefer a hard bed surface. The hotel bed surface was on softer side. Due to fear of exposure to service staff, this time I didn't ask the hotel service to remove the soft layers of the bed (I usually ask hotels to remove the soft top layer if my stay is more than one night).

Both of us felt like the floor surface when we are walking or the sofa or the bed surface is vibrating (just like we used to feel after a long train journey in earlier days when rail tracks were not so good). Had a disturbed sleep. Wife was in the rear seat of swift for the entire journey. But the uncomfortable feeling was same like me.

Now, my query is: is this a usual feeling after a long drive (it was 650 km for me) or it was due to the light weight/ not so strong structure of the car? Or was it due to some driving style fault? (Mostly I drove in 60-80 kmph range, touched 90-100 kmph only for few times for a brief period).

[db DrivE]

Fortuner or endeavour, without a doubt.
I have been on quite a few road trips and have driven my fortuner extensively for 6 years.
Longest was hyderabad-delhi-hyderabad.
Even used it as a room for sleeping during a Goa trip when we couldn't find decent accommodation.

Can easily say nothing matches the comfort and completeness of a full sized SUV.
I am sure the new endeavour is a wonderful package too.