[Biraj]

After my short trip to McLeodganj with friends in December, I didn’t get time to even take a weekend off. During this extremely busy period my made the post precious acquisition of my life (till now). I am now a proud owner of Fiat Linea T-jet Plus (Brozo Scuro). I have named it Crusoe. I will definitely prepare an ownership review once time permits, hopefully within this month.

As always, the trip wasn’t planned. On Friday (It was Friday the 13th) afternoon my fiancée complained about me being workaholic and not spending enough time with her. She is not on T-bhp so, can afford to mention that I too was dying to take Crusoe for a long drive. Went home packed some clothes, told mom that I will return on Sunday, then called my (to be) wify and asked her to pack clothes for 2 days. She is getting used to these short notices from me.

The trusted route:


Evening 1:

We started from Delhi at around 7 PM after upgrading the low beam bulbs. We encountered a huge traffic snarl till Delhi border and then it was a smooth drive till Murthal. A customary stop at Pahalwan for Paranthas and Tea, and then we continued our journey. Due to the construction of bridges, there are still a number of diversions on NH 1. After driving for about 3 hours from Murthal, we reached McDonalds at Zirakpur. Since the trip was unplanned, we didn't make any prior bookings so, decided to make calls to hotels from there. Two didn’t answer, one said we will open in morning, and finally the owner of Winnies Holiday Inn answered the call. For some reason he couldn’t hear me but promptly returned the call. He informed that a cottage is available and he would ensure that someone waits for us at reception. He was also kind enough to inform that kitchen is closed so please complete your dinner and then come. I must say, I am extremely impressed with his responsiveness and customer service as he offered his help incase we struggle to find our way, as this was my first trip to Kasauli.

We started from McDonalds around 1 am and were about to encounter anxiousness/adventure of a new level. I had three quarters of petrol in the tank when we started from Delhi and this being Crusoe’s first trip to highway; I wasn’t too sure about his thirst. Moreover I too was driving at higher speeds than usual so the fuel consumption was on the higher side. The plan was to take fuel at Panchkula however, none of the pumps on the left were open and I didn’t try the ones on right hoping I will find one at the next turn. The moment we entered toll plaza of Himalayan expressway the low fuel warning light turned on. It’s difficult to describe in words the anxiousness that prevailed for the next 50 odd KMs till we found an IOC pump open near Kasauli. We thanked our stars for reaching there and I almost felt like giving that pump operator a big hug for being there.

A tank full of fuel and we were on our way to Kasauli. The hotel is on the Kasauli road at about 8 kms before Kasauli so we reached there around 2:15 AM. We really liked the place after trekking for 50 odd steps to reach our Cottage. I would recommend the place to anyone looking for quiet place to unwind or relax.

Day 2:

After a lazy start to the day, we decided to head for Shimla as she had never been to Shimla earlier. We started for Shimla around 2 PM. We decided to keep the room and return after a short trip of the mall. It drizzled throughout the day and the weather was too good to be true. We felt blessed to have gone there at the right time. It was one of the most beautiful drives that one can experience. At around 3.30 pm, we reached a resort called The Destination. Enjoyed the lunch there, the food coupled with excellent view made the lunch even more enjoyable.

We started from there at 4.30 pm and reached Shimla in 30 minutes. We were welcomed into Shimla by clouds/mist and agents from hotels chasing our car with brochures. Now we were in for the second adventure of our trip. We realized that we both left our jackets in hotel and the temperature outside (as per the car) was 7 degrees. We first parked the car at a parking spot and then took a cab to lift of mall. We entered the first shop that we could spot to purchase jackets as the low temp combined with drizzle and bone chilling wind would have made even chiffon clad Bollywood actor feel cold. So, there was no way that lesser mortals like us could have survived.

A walk at the mall and some shopping for the lady and we were ready to start our journey back to Kasauli. The return journey took lesser time than expected and we made it to hotel in less than 2 hours.

Day 3:

We started the day early and went to Kasauli. Finding a parking spot there is tough and protecting the car from monkeys is even tougher. Drove till Monkey point and also the standard lovers point (every hill station has one). We enjoyed the stroll in market and some shopping for the lady. Crusoe met the first of his kind at Monkey point. We crossed a sunbeam beige T-jet at Monkey point and they seemed equally excited to spot another T-jet. This car gives some exclusivity. The road was too narrow and we went on different paths after reaching Kasauli market so, couldn’t interact with the owner.

Enjoyed the brunch at Kasuali with chicken momos and wai wai. We started from Kasauli at 3.30 PM and drove without any halt till Haveli near Karnal. The ride through Himalayan expressway was delightful. Sticking to speed limit on that road and that too on a T-jet is tougher than not staring at PYTs in your fiancée/wife’s presence. We reached Haveli at 6.30 pm and stayed there for more than an hour. It seems there were too many weddings taking place on 15th, thus the road near Delhi border was extremely crowded. We finally reached our home at 11 PM. A trip that I thoroughly enjoyed and the quality time spent with (to be) wify made both of us cherish the decision of being together.

Special note for Crusoe:

Many of my friends questioned my decision of purchasing a petrol sedan and that too Fiat. I always believed that this is the car I want to own and after this trip my belief is stronger. I sincerely believe that I couldn’t have owned a better car for my budget of less than 10 lacs. I am an enthusiastic driver (I drive fast but not rash) and enjoy pushing my car to its limit. I have already touched 170 KMPH with less than 4k on odo. The response, ride quality, steering feedback are simply addictive. This car is a dream on hilly segments. The bottom end grunt allows it to climb steep ascents effortlessly. The long range of 3 rd gear also makes it quite effortless for hills. I didn’t have to shift much during the hilly segments. The overall efficiency for the trip was 11.8 KMPL and the car managed around 10 on hills as well. I was a bit too enthusiastic while going (was my first highway drive on crusoe) so the efficiency was around 10. While returning I decided to drive in the range of 80-100 KMPH and observe an average fuel efficiency of 16.9 KMPL.

Really love Crusoe and his abilities. All hail Crusoe!

Some pics of the trip:

Moon from the balcony at 2.30 in the night.


Kasauli at Night




Monkey point from hotel


Will miss such weather


Crusoe!


Evil Eye!


Will take the toy train next time


More pics of the route to Shimla





Driving through clouds at Shimla






Beautiful Shimla



Beautiful Kasauli


Crusoe at Monkey Point


Another T-jet at Monkey Point


Himalayan Expressway

[sameerg001]

Thanks for a short nice travelogue, covered all the points. Crusoe looks awesome.

BTW can you please share more about the place where you stayed ? Any link to the website or something.

Cheers,
Sameer

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Thanks for a short nice travelogue, covered all the points. Crusoe looks awesome.

BTW can you please share more about the place where you stayed ? Any link to the website or something.

Cheers,
Sameer

Thanks Sameer,

You can find additional details about Winnies Holiday Inn at Accommodation in Kasauli|Luxury Hotels in Kasauli|Hotels Kasauli. Place is really good and owner is very cooperative as well. For food, you should look for options outside as their food is not great.

Cheers,
Biraj

[ritwikdey28]

A small and sweet travelogue but I would say very compact and covering all the main points.
Just a word of advice, please take extra care about the diet of crusoe when you travel long, specially at night..

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by ritwikdey28

A small and sweet travelogue but I would say very compact and covering all the main points.
Just a word of advice, please take extra care about the diet of crusoe when you travel long, specially at night..

Thanks Ritwik, I now have started to understand Crusoe's appetite. I thought it would sip petrol but at higher speeds, it literally believes in "petrol khabo" That's perhaps a trait it picked by being in a Bengali household.

Cheers,
Biraj

[thumpingheart]

An efficiency of 16-17 kmpl with relaxed driving is simply awesome man. I knew that the T-jet engine is better than the normal 1.4, but this is a cherry on top of the already delicious cake

I'm just back from a trip to shimla-manali with wifey. Bring back memories

Cheers

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by thumpingheart

An efficiency of 16-17 kmpl with relaxed driving is simply awesome man. I knew that the T-jet engine is better than the normal 1.4, but this is a cherry on top of the already delicious cake

I'm just back from a trip to shimla-manali with wifey. Bring back memories

Cheers

Thanks thumpingheart, Crusoe loves its share of highway and expressway drives. I was amazed at the avg fuel efficiency when it was driven with a light foot. I try so much to drive with a light foot but it's really difficult to not push a T-jet.

Spare a thought for us, we had to come back to the scorching heat in Delhi. I am sure Pune is much better in terms of weather.

[thumpingheart]

Spare a thought for us, we had to come back to the scorching heat in Delhi. I am sure Pune is much better in terms of weather.

Definitely the weather is a lot better in Pune. Hehe.

Happy motoring. Waiting for more stories on your Crusoe

[TaureanBull]

Wow! Himalayan Expressway looks like a smooth drive. Never imagined that such a road exists in the Shivaliks. How long is that? I guess it begins somewhere from Zirakhpur.

Guess it was good learning about keeping the vehicle topped up. Cannt imagine standing on the highway with family without fuel

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by TaureanBull

Wow! Himalayan Expressway looks like a smooth drive. Never imagined that such a road exists in the Shivaliks. How long is that? I guess it begins somewhere from Zirakhpur.

Guess it was good learning about keeping the vehicle topped up. Cannt imagine standing on the highway with family without fuel

Himalayan Expressway was 25 odd KMs. It begins near Zirakpur and is almost till Parwanoo.

Keeping the car topped up is the way to go, especially when one is driving a car that loves sipping (rather gulping) petrol.

[Indizen010]

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