[jsanket]

Originally Posted by SHANKY11

As far as suggestions go, I am going to list out all my learnings from the trip at the end of this thread, which can be useful for everyone planning a trip here. One important piece of advice, since yours will be a Figo, do not go via Manali route since the road from Gramphu (After Rohtang Pass) to Kunzum Pass is very bad and there are many water crossings along the way, where any low GC car will get stuck. Go via Shimla- Rampur- Kinnaur- Kalpa- Nako- Tabo- Kaza and do the return journey via the same route. If you want to include Chandrataal in your trip, then park the Figo at Kaza, and take the bikes with a day's luggage to camp at Chandrataal. Until last year, the route was very bad and I saw many cars such as Dzire and Ecosport stuck on this terrain. Even the Etios Cross (Liva with raised Ground Clearance) that was accompanying us on our way to Manali from Chandrataal had a tough time clearing those mad water crossings. You will read everything about it in my following posts. That said, this update is from last year. A good thing is that your trip is going to happen in September, which gives you a lot of time to wait for this year's road status updates. If others give a green signal from this year's travels, then you can go ahead and attempt the Manali route. [/list]

Hi, I wanted to know if pseudo SUV's like the Ecosport, Creta and all hold any advantage compared to regular hatchbacks on such terrains? 4*4 is obviously ideal but my guess is that the added ground clearance should definitely help in clearing rocks and in some cases, even offer better water wading ability?
You mentioned you saw a Ecosport stuck. If yours was not 4*4, weren't you on the boat as that guy? (with better luck arguably :P )

Thing is, all these pseudo SUV's are often criticized for their fake SUV credentials. Rugged looks and higher seating position is all these vehicles ought to offer, is often concluded. I really don't know how much true that is!

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by jsanket

Hi, I wanted to know if pseudo SUV's like the Ecosport, Creta and all hold any advantage compared to regular hatchbacks on such terrains? 4*4 is obviously ideal but my guess is that the added ground clearance should definitely help in clearing rocks and in some cases, even offer better water wading ability?
You mentioned you saw a Ecosport stuck. If yours was not 4*4, weren't you on the boat as that guy? (with better luck arguably :P )

Thing is, all these pseudo SUV's are often criticized for their fake SUV credentials. Rugged looks and higher seating position is all these vehicles ought to offer, is often concluded. I really don't know how much true that is!

Quite a controversial topic there, mate.. You have answered the question yourself. The added advantage of ground clearance definitely gives an edge over hatchbacks. However, these psuedo SUVs are monocoques, whereas traditional SUVs (Scorpio, Safari, Fortuner, Endeavour) are body on frames which are sturdier and much more capable in handling bad roads. Also, the suspensions of these body on frame UVs are stiffer, hence chances of bottoming out on bad roads and scraping the undersides are lesser. In my case, the Scorpio definitely provided an edge over the Ecosport due to these reasons.

That said, these pseudo SUVs do make a strong case for themselves since they are capable of handling almost 90% of the country's terrain. Its only in the remotest corners that one would feel the need for a body on frame SUV with a 4*4 transfer case. The ride quality of these pseudo SUVs is also much better due to a softer suspension setup. Hence, one gets a spacious and practical urban commuter as well as a softroader.

[jsanket]

Originally Posted by SHANKY11

In my case, the Scorpio definitely provided an edge over the Ecosport due to these reasons.

Thanks for the feedback. Your scorpio was a 4*4? The Ecosport is actually very stiff too, with 200mm of ground clearance. So it should fare decently too, if yours was not a 4*4!

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by jsanket

Thanks for the feedback. Your scorpio was a 4*4? The Ecosport is actually very stiff too, with 200mm of ground clearance. So it should fare decently too, if yours was not a 4*4!

Mine was a 4*2. And we did get stuck in some sandy and slushy situations. But some careful maneuvering was enough to pull it out. And yes, an Ecosport can be a decent softroader. With what I can recall, those guys in the Ecosport with the broken axle were a bit reckless with the way they were driving earlier. And mind you, these terrains do not give many chances for carelessness. So that might explain the breakdown.

One car that faired exceptionally well on our return journey from Chandrataal to Manali, was the Duster AWD. (If you read my complete travelogue, you would remember that we started for Manali together with 1 Scorpio which was mine, 1 Etios Cross, 1 Innova taxi and 1 Duster AWD.) Maybe it was the experience and skills of the guy driving it ,or maybe it was a combination of both man and machine, that car was able to zoom past every tricky stretch without a sweat. The Duster is also a monocoque crossover. The advantage it has over an Ecosport or Creta is the option of on- demand AWD system. While it may not fare that well against ladder on frame 4*4s, it shall suffice for these kind of journeys.

Like I stressed upon in my earlier post, an Ecosport shall be good enough to tackle about 90% of the country's terrain.

[jsanket]

Originally Posted by SHANKY11

Mine was a 4*2. And we did get stuck in some sandy and slushy situations. But some careful maneuvering was enough to pull it out. And yes, an Ecosport can be a decent softroader. With what I can recall, those guys in the Ecosport with the broken axle were a bit reckless with the way they were driving earlier. And mind you, these terrains do not give many chances for carelessness. So that might explain the breakdown.

One car that faired exceptionally well on our return journey from Chandrataal to Manali, was the Duster AWD. (If you read my complete travelogue, you would remember that we started for Manali together with 1 Scorpio which was mine, 1 Etios Cross, 1 Innova taxi and 1 Duster AWD.) Maybe it was the experience and skills of the guy driving it ,or maybe it was a combination of both man and machine, that car was able to zoom past every tricky stretch without a sweat. The Duster is also a monocoque crossover. The advantage it has over an Ecosport or Creta is the option of on- demand AWD system. While it may not fare that well against ladder on frame 4*4s, it shall suffice for these kind of journeys.

Like I stressed upon in my earlier post, an Ecosport shall be good enough to tackle about 90% of the country's terrain.

Thank you so much. Yes AWD is definitely a huge advantage. Pitty that only a handful of cars get it!
I am actually confused between the Nexon and Ecosport. The Nexon is being famed for its ride quality and I wonder if it will hold any advantage compared to the Ecosport!

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by jsanket

Yes AWD is definitely a huge advantage. Pitty that only a handful of cars get it!

I completely agree. When the Creta was about to be launched in India, I had already made up my mind to book a Diesel AT AWD. Alas, they did not give the AWD option and I had to cancel my plans.

Originally Posted by jsanket

I am actually confused between the Nexon and Ecosport. The Nexon is being famed for its ride quality and I wonder if it will hold any advantage compared to the Ecosport!

Even I am eagerly waiting for some long term reviews of the Nexon. Not that I am looking at that segment, but just out of curiosity. Considering the success of the new cars from TATA (Tiago for example) I am sure the Nexon will present a good case for itself. Otherwise, Ecosport is a no brainer.

[jsanket]

Originally Posted by SHANKY11

Otherwise, Ecosport is a no brainer.

Agreed. I am doubtful of the future of Ford though. Sales have not been improving despite good marketing attempts. What if Ford's bread and butter product fails this time? They might just go the GM way?

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by jsanket

Agreed. I am doubtful of the future of Ford though. Sales have not been improving despite good marketing attempts. What if Ford's bread and butter product fails this time? They might just go the GM way?

Unlikely scenario. Not in the foreseeable future at least. GM has a lot of issues going on in their home country as well as globally and they did not see much potential in serving a price sensitive country with a lot of competition. Ford is doing well worldwide and to move out of a big market like India will be a big threat to the global image of the company. This is my understanding though, a lot of factors determine these things and you never know when and what might change the business scenario of India.

[jsanket]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support - Do NOT TAKE threads off-topic for your own benefit.

[vijayols]

Shankyam planning for a trip from Chandigarh to spiti in either early May or mid may this year.Zoom cars seems to be available and would either for the Scorpio or the Creta.Need your advise on the right time to start either mid may or start of May?

Also days to plan for the trip and can we do the Simla route up and Manali route down or opt for the Simla route both ways?The preferred car to hire and a tentative itinerary you could suggest.

Thanks.

Vijay

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by vijayols

Shankyam planning for a trip from Chandigarh to spiti in either early May or mid may this year.Zoom cars seems to be available and would either for the Scorpio or the Creta.Need your advise on the right time to start either mid may or start of May?

Also days to plan for the trip and can we do the Simla route up and Manali route down or opt for the Simla route both ways?The preferred car to hire and a tentative itinerary you could suggest.

Thanks.

Vijay

Hi, sorry for a delayed response as I was travelling. As per my understanding, May and June are summer holidays in schools hence every place is overcrowded. If you can start your trip in the 1st week of May, I think you will have a slight advantage to beat the crowd because many schools organize summer camps till May 15th (this is again my understanding and may not be true) and the rush to the himalayas starts after that and continues till mid June.

Regarding the route, it all depends on your driving skills and the vehicle. Have you driven in such terrains before? If not, I would advise you to come back via Shimla. That said, if you are confident enough, the scorpio can bring you home safely via the Manali route. Zoomcar now has the fortuner as well as the endeavour in their fleet. You can consider those also as they will be more comfortable and reliable than the scorpio. If you plan to skip the manali route and return via Shimla, the Creta shall suffice.

In my opinion, a minimum of 10 days is what you need to enjoy this region properly. I will be happy to give you a tentative itinerary once you give me your route plan etc. I will also share a few useful tips once you give me further details. Hope this was of help.

[abhjain]

I have done this circuit in a 85 HP Duster and there is no issue at all. Locals do their normal drive in M800s 😂😂

[Surprise]

Fantastic travelogue out there with nice pictures. Hats off to you for your patience and passion...have to learned a thing or two from your travelogue buddy. Glad that i bumped into this