[CrAzY dRiVeR]

REQUEST: Please read before starting to argue with me on why i took 7 people (including 1 kid) in a WagonR... I have explained my situation below...

Where it all began???
Well... One night, amma (My mother) comes to me and says uncle is going back to UAE... So, we have to plan for an outing...
[Flashback: Uncle here refers to our neighbour... He was back home last two months, and had to go back (went back this week)...]

Car for the journey???
So... I start dreaming... About taking an innova on rent... And driving all myself... Or may be, the Scorpio... Whatever, i want to drive an SUV... I just cant stop smiling thinking about the fantasic time am gonna have... Jumping with happiness, i run to my father to ask him if innova or scorpio would suit us!!!

Ok... Now for the bad news... He says... That is gonna be real waste of money... Cant we manage with our car???

Boy- boy... I didnt know what to think... 7 people (1 kid included) in a wagonR??? my goodness!!! I have done long trips in the car... But, this was the first time, we were heading to the hills... Highways ok... 7 people, ok... manageable... But... climbing inclines all the way??? With huge potholed roads??? Man! I was hoping for the worst...

So... Car decided (Although i couldnt agree with the decision)... To add to my doubts, i had changed tyres three weeks back only... That too, tubeless on stock steel rims...

(My humble little wagonR)


Destination:
Thenmala (About 75 kms from trivandrum city)
1 day trip... Though 2 full days would be ideal...



The crew on- board:
7 people(including the kid)...

The pic doesnt show me in it (Am taking photo... So)



The first 25 kms: Plain well- laid winding roads
We start at around 9 am... Plan was to make it well before lunch... Roads for the first 25 kms were excellent... Well laid... Not much inline to deal with... Traffic also less... I was enjoying driving...

However... This is when i got intimidated by one negative aspect of the car??? Who desgined that think A pillar??? i know, Honda City and Getz have much thicker A pillars... But still, wagonR is not that behind... It gets irritating, when you take a right corner at 50 kmph, and cant see the road... And you have to either lean left, or look through the side glass...

Now, the postives... The car handled brilliantly... Although its a tall- boy, didnt feel scary at any point... Of course, its not the Swift, which can take corners like a go-kart... But, the limits of the car wont be reached in any of the 'normal' driving circumstances...

Ok... Bad roads??? Here we come!!!
To be frank... I was real scared of this!!! The potholes were huge, and to add to it... I was running on new tyres... That too tubeless on steel rims... Was worried about getting the rim bent...

However... After the first 5 mins... Came back to my senses... Of course, i was real careful and slow over bumps... But wagonR suspension being on the softer side... the potholes and the stones were not much of a problem... The car wobbled a bit when it fell into hug pothles, but he ride was not choppy... It was an up and down oscillation kinda feeling compared to the kick in the *** kinda feeling you get in the Swift/Santro...

After driving for about 1 hour... took the first break... And some pics too...





The most beautiful place on the way (he he... Exagerrated... But still):

All the trivandrum guys, and all the guys who would see this thread with the purpose of visiting thenmala... After you have turned to thenmala from the Ponmudi route, there is a bridge... Not for vehicles, only bikes and pedestrains can go... Its a beautiful place underneath the bridge (Easy to miss)...

The best time to enjoy the place is evening... However, we spend some time there both times... In the evening, the sand has a nice warmth to it... The river is very cool, and fresh... And there is no one around to disturb you much... So... A nice swim in the waters or a short nap on the rocks... Would do much to refresh you up!!!

(pics taken in the morning... Evening pics will be posted later... The second pic in the thread is also the same place...)


Thenmala atlast:

The next session was supercool... Roads were not too bad... But steep... And the wagonR pulled from speeds of 45kmph in 4th gear!!!! That was a huge huge surprise to me... The way it pulled 7such a heaviuly loaded car up the slope...(without ac this time)
After another hour of driving, we reached thenmala... And guess what??? We were received by a gang of monkeys...



We had taken lunch with us... So... After lunch (good old picnic style lunch), we decided to go to the dam...

The dam may not too big... But, its a hard climb to the top...

(Pic taken almost half way up)


(Thats it... We give up!!! he he...)


Inside dam... Not photographs

(Dont be scared... main hoo naa??? I'll keep an eye out for tigers... he he)


Walking around the dam and forest.... was fun... But not too exciting... There is a cool adventure zone, where you could do trekking, mountain biking, river-crossing etc... But... Going with parents isnt that good an idea...

(Guess who is actually taller???)


(Yes... Me... )


After some more time at the place... We started on the jounrey home by about 5pm...

NExt stop was the bridge mentioned earlier... This time... to take a bath and refresh and spent some lazy time...

(The small bridge... Its easy to miss)




(satisfied and more than happy with the way the car performed... Cant hide the smile in my face)

[DCEite]

Oh boy! You love your car don't you?

Nice report, although could have done with a little less "dots"

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Overall, i was more than satisfied with the lil Suzuki...

However, for others users, i'd list what all i felt good and bad...

Cons

• Thick A-pillar reduces visibilty on taking right turns...
• Mirrors have to be better (But good in new model wagonR)
• Gear box is notchy... But not that troublesome in my car... Shifting to first is the only problem area, and requires correct positioning of the lever...
• Ground clearance could have been more (But that could have sacrifised handling a lot)
• With ac on, performance below 1500 rpm is nothing to talk about... Car takes some time taking speed... But almost after 1500 rpm, the engine becomes nicely responsive... (have heard this from esilto and Alto owners too)

Pros

• Mighty impressed by the way the little engine pulled such a heavily loaded car at considerable inclines in fourth and third gears (Requiring second and first only when road is bad)
• Soft suspension comfy enough for a light car... Handling is good too (But not in the league of Swift/ old zen)
• New set of Michelins Energy Xm1s are excellent... Nice ride comfort... (Thanks once again to kpzen and iraghava for the advice)
• Gear ratios are almost perfect for the engine... Nicely distributed...
• Space at the back... And storage space... Miles ahead of the 800/Alto/Zen estlio/Santro... (Indica although has better rear seats)... Although really cramped... Good leg room and head room meant, people could just about fit in

[Akshay1234]

Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Post Deleted. Slang and SMS Language are STRICTLY prohibited on Team-BHP. Please type in full and proper English for the benefit of other community members.

We advise you to read the Announcements and Board Rules section before proceeding any further.

[mobike008]

Nice report and it clearly shows your facinated by your car .

And, even i agree that it would have been much better with "dots" in the right place.

[kpzen]

Nice report n pics.....Good to see u are enjoying the car n tyres

[Boom Shiva]

Admitting to doing something wrong doesn't make it right.

You (or your father, whoever made the final decision) put your whole family at risk by cramming 6 adults and 1 innocent kid into a car that is not meant for more than 5.

As educated motorists, it is up to us to set an example.

Please don't do it again. For everyone's sake.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

You (or your father, whoever made the final decision) put your whole family at risk by cramming 6 adults and 1 innocent kid into a car that is not meant for more than 5.

I am actually wondering how 6 adults + 1 kid fit into the WagonR. People were sitting on each other ???

[Mistakenguy]

Awesome trip but it must have been too cramped in the car , wasn't it ????
Next time please don't take more than 5 in your car .
Noted your points about the bridge . Won't miss that in my trip .

[amu1983]

Let me guess... the kid sat on the lap of an adult in the front, right? This is the most risky seat you can put a kid in. At all times, no matter what the contingency, children should always be seated in the back.

If hiring an innova /SUV was expensive, you could have hired an Indica and took it along with your car.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Nice report n pics.....Good to see u are enjoying the car n tyres

Of course yes...

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

Admitting to doing something wrong doesn't make it right.
You (or your father, whoever made the final decision) put your whole family at risk by cramming 6 adults and 1 innocent kid into a car that is not meant for more than 5.
As educated motorists, it is up to us to set an example.
Please don't do it again. For everyone's sake.

Yes... You are absolutely right... And, am not justifying myself... Nor am i proud of what all happened...
But... As I have explained... It was not my call, nor my choice...

Also... As you have brought up the point... And as per the above post, i would like to humbly remind you to set an example for all (Including me... Cause am also far from perfect) by not advocating drinking and driving by starting thread like "How to drink and drive"
(http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ink-drive.html)

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I am actually wondering how 6 adults + 1 kid fit into the WagonR. People were sitting on each other ???

he he... Dont think so... Since i was the driver... I have no idea... he he...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Mistakenguy

Awesome trip but it must have been too cramped in the car , wasn't it ????
Next time please don't take more than 5 in your car .
Noted your points about the bridge . Won't miss that in my trip .

Good!!!
Its a nice place... I think i have shown you the pics of the place, when i went there in bike six months back...

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice report and it clearly shows your facinated by your car .

And, even i agree that it would have been much better with "dots" in the right place.

Oops! point noted. Devoloped this habit while chatting in yahoo messenger...

Originally Posted by dceite

Oh boy! You love your car don't you?
Nice report, although could have done with a little less "dots"

Ya... A lot
I have seen pics of your car in orkut (If i remember correctly), before i saw it you... But, somehow, didnt see it again... I think it was in a wagonR forum...

[Boom Shiva]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Also... As you have brought up the point... And as per the above post, i would like to humbly remind you to set an example for all (Including me... Cause am also far from perfect) by not advocating drinking and driving by starting thread like "How to drink and drive"
(http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ink-drive.html)

I would humbly request you, in that case, to read the thread carefully. If you have read it and not understood, I humbly offer my services in helping you interpret it.

The abovementioned thread advises and educates people on what is possible within the limits of the law. Whether you are morally offended is another matter. I have merely quoted the law. If I hadn't, you can rest assured our more than capable support team would have deleted the thread long ago. Read carefully.

By cramming 7 people into a Wagon R, you have actually broken the law (a law that is not strictly enforced sadly, but nevertheless, it IS the law). Check your RC book for yourself. It will tell you exactly how many passengers your car is authorised to carry.

What's more, in order to save a couple of thousand bucks, you put your family's lives at risk. I urge you to take their safety more seriously.

Frankly, if it was a group of adults, I wouldn't have posted because you're all old enough to make your own decisions, I hope. But an innocent child was involved, and that is why I commented.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

I would humbly request you, in that case, to read the thread carefully. If you have read it and not understood, I humbly offer my services in helping you interpret it.

The abovementioned thread advises and educates people on what is possible within the limits of the law. Whether you are morally offended is another matter. I have merely quoted the law. If I hadn't, you can rest assured our more than capable support team would have deleted the thread long ago. Read carefully.

By cramming 7 people into a Wagon R, you have actually broken the law (a law that is not strictly enforced sadly, but nevertheless, it IS the law). Check your RC book for yourself. It will tell you exactly how many passengers your car is authorised to carry.

What's more, in order to save a couple of thousand bucks, you put your family's lives at risk. I urge you to take their safety more seriously.

Frankly, if it was a group of adults, I wouldn't have posted because you're all old enough to make your own decisions, I hope. But an innocent child was involved, and that is why I commented.

I understand...

I was mentioning the moral side only... Drinking and driving is dangerous, legal and illegal... I have seen accidents... Thats why telling... Kindly, lets not argue...

And, as for the incident... I have explained my situation... I know what i did was wrong... But in the given circumstances, i dont make decisions...

[rahul_intlad]

Nice report there crazy driver. Appreciate all the time and effort you put in so that all of us at team-bhp could experience your adventure.

The WagonR sure has lived up to its Multi Activity vehicle[that's the fullform of MAV right] tag.