[AutoConsultant]

Short Background
Having purchased my first car at the start of this year – Honda City 5th Gen ZX MT Petrol (You can find my Initial Ownership Review here), I was eager to go on my first proper road trip with her. As I have been to most of the hilly areas in Uttaranchal and Himachal, I decided to cover Rajasthan given that the weather would still be mildly pleasant during Feb end.

The Planning

• Number of Travelers – Me and my wife
• Number of days – 10 (20th Feb to 1st Mar)
• Must Visit – Sam Sand Dunes (Jaisalmer) and Udaipur. I was confused between Mount Abu and Jodhpur, went with Jodhpur as didn’t find any compelling attractions in Mount Abu.

The drives were planned for the day time so that we could enjoy the landscapes. We wanted to cover the adventurous parts first and then move onto the more relaxing locations. So went with the following route :-
Delhi --> Bikaner --> Jaisalmer --> Jodhpur --> Udaipur --> Delhi



A. Bikaner

As Delhi to Jaisalmer would have been a 13-hour drive, we decided to take a pitstop at Bikaner. Started at 6:30 AM on 20th Feb and were welcomed by the typical Delhi smog. Due to the ongoing farmers protest, we had to take a slight detour to cross the state border. Post that, the highway was clear with relatively low traffic. The route we took was Rohtak Bypass -> Hisar Bypass -> Sadulpur -> Taranagar -> Shri Dungargarh -> Bikaner

We had booked our overnight stay at Vesta Bikaner Palace which is slightly before the city area. It’s a beautiful property with a large area. The occupancy was low and all Covid protocols were being followed. We had reached around 3, had some lunch, roamed around the place, and went to sleep.


Covered the rear seat with a cloth as it was mostly going to be used to keep food items or any shopping that we would do


Bought a rubber mat for the boot, fits well and is of good quality - would protect the original spare wheel cover, especially in case of any spillages








B. Jaisalmer

After having a quick breakfast, we headed off to Sam sand dunes where we had booked a campsite for our overnight stay. The route to Jaisalmer was the usual highway but the drive from there to Sam was absolutely stunning. We started to see some actual sand dunes and there were a couple of windmills farms also in the way (I’ll let photo tell the story).

We had to pay Rs 50 as an entry fee for the Sam Camping area. We reached the camp, Oasis Camp Sam, around 4 on 21st, rested for around 20 min in our room and decided to go for the Jeep Safari during the evening. The jeep took us to a tourist spot in the middle of the desert, drove on the dunes for a while, dropped us at the spot and picked us up post the sunset. The Jeep ride was bumpy and borderline dangerous but when you muster up the courage to stand up and absorb the atmosphere, it was totally worth it.

The sand dune experience was just brilliant. There were tourists but few and far spread out, so you could be relatively secluded and in peace. We just strolled around, took a lot of pictures, played with the sand and enjoyed the sunset scenes. You can also go for Parasailing or Camel rides if you wish and there were also a couple of shacks which were serving soft drinks, beer and some snacks. We came back to the camp by 7 30, there was a cultural program going on along with some tea and snacks. Post that, the traditional Rajasthani dinner was served which was delicious. The camp was below decent, we booked their best available rooms but their was just sheer lack of hygiene (dirty bathrooms with disconnected pipes, hair on bedsheets etc). We had initially planned to spend 2 nights there but decided to stay in the city the next day.

Next morning we drove up to Jaisalmer city and checked-in at Hotel Tokyo Palace – a nice little hotel with a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Jaisalmer Fort. We went to the fort in the evening, walked around the market and finished the day at Café The Kaku which I highly recommend for the vibe and the food as well.



Quick stop for a short photography session




The camp








Both the creatures in their natural habitat










The most sand dune bashing I could do


Jaisalmer Fort - View from Hotel Tokyo Palace


City view from the top of the Fort




View from the Cafe


Part 2 in the trailing post

[AutoConsultant]

C. Jodhpur

On 23rd morning we left for Jodhpur which was the best stretch of highway I have ever come across in India. The car was on cruise control 95% of the time but the roads had a lot of twists and turns which made the drive filled with pleasure. We reached the hotel Indana Palace Jodhpur by around 3 and spend the day enjoying the place.

The stay was the highlight of this stint, the room was spacious and had a massive balcony area with a brilliant sunset view. We visited the usual – Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswanth Thada but missed out on Umaid Bhawan Palace as it was closed due to covid. Food recommendations – Lassi at Shri Mishrilal Hotel and lunch at the Filos café. Ended this city’s trip with some bandhej cloth shopping at Tripolia Market.


Indana Palace Jodhpur


Indana Palace Jodhpur


View from the balcony


City's view from Mehrangarh Fort





Near Jodhpur's famous Ghanta ghar

D. Udaipur

Moving from barren lands to mildly hilly terrain, this was another great drive. And the destination was even better! Our stay was booked for the next two days at Hotel Lakend which is a lakefront property situated at the Fateh Sagar Lake. The view from the room was brilliant, overlooking the lake.

We spend our 2 days there discovering multiple cafes, roaming around in the local market (Gangaur Ghat Marg), boating in Lake Pichola and enjoying the beautiful sunsets. A special recommendation for Jheel’s Ginger Coffee Bar & Bakery – well-priced and tasty food with one of the best views of the lake. We went there on our first day just to grab a quick meal but ended up spending 3 hours enjoying the ambience during the evening. Also, spend one of your evenings at the sunset point (near Gate No. 3 of City Palace) and try the kulhad wali coffee at the roadside tea-stall. I did a trip of the Vintage Car Museum also, the experience was average, was expecting a little more access to the vehicles.

The trip back – We reserved the entire day of 1st March for the Udaipur to Delhi trip. We took minor 10 min stops and one major pitstop which was around 150 km from Delhi. The Food Street – Behror - I had visited this earlier also and found it very hygienic with decent food/beverage options (Burger King, Barista, Kaventers etc). We left this place at around 6 and were expected to reach home in 3 hours. However, a certain stretch of the highway was under construction and was totally blocked. So the entire traffic was being diverted through internal rural roads. So we were stuck there for approx. 2 hours and had to go through a long unfinished stretch of road – the City handled it pretty well though.




View from the room


View from the Cafe


City Palace






About the Car

What I liked

• Seat Comfort – I never felt a need to stop and stretch out as the seats are very well designed and cushioned.
• Cruise Control – Not a unique feature but this was the first time I was using it. At least 60% of my trip was on Cruise Control which meant a lot of rest for my legs. Even in moderate traffic, I was controlling the speed via CC only without braking by maintaining sufficient distance from nearby vehicles
• Engine Refinement – The car doesn’t hesitate in accelerating in any gear and does so without any jerks. It is a workhorse which can cover hundreds of km at a stretch without breaking a sweat.
• Ground Clearance – Given the amount of talk regarding City’s GC, I never faced any issues on any types of roads an average Indian driver would encounter.
• Comfy ride – With the suspension’s soft setup, the ride quality is amazing on smooth and mildly bumpy roads. Even on highways, you feel secure in overtakes at high speed

What I didn’t

• Lack of Cooled Glovebox – This would have been really helpful in keeping the soft drinks a little chilled during the afternoon drives. Honda should have added this, I don’t think this would add much to the cost
• Android Auto on ICE – The Apple Carplay works like a charm and the screen brightness levels are also sufficient during day time but Android Auto hangs if you try to skip 3-4 songs, you need to disconnect the wire and then connect again
• Reverse Camera Quality – When you need to park in tight spots at night, you need another human’s guidance because the camera is pretty much useless

Fuel Economy
So I experimented with the speeds and following were the results :

• 463 km (90% highway) – Average speeds of 90 kmph – 16.55 kmpl
• 428 km (95% highway) – Average speeds of 115 kmph – 15.82 kmpl
• 601 km (90% highway) – Average speeds of 75 kmph – 19.48 kmpl
• 531 km (80% highway) – Average speeds of 100 kmph – 16.36 kmpl

Trip total : 2268 km – 17.3 kmpl


At Jaswanth Thada's parking. You can see the Umaid Bhawan Palace in the background





Note : I am in no way promoting any hotel/restaurant – these are just my recommendations based on my experience

Thanks for reading

[88_TANK_88]

Beautiful pictures and well written TL.
I visited Jaisalmer in last week of February. Roads are really good throughout Rajasthan.

I also visited Longewala. Could not go to the border as permission would have taken long time. No intention of hijacking you post but the below picture sums up the pride of families of defence personnel.

This sign filled me with pride and respect.

[AutoConsultant]

Originally Posted by 88_TANK_88

Beautiful pictures and well written TL.
I visited Jaisalmer in last week of February. Roads are really good throughout Rajasthan.

I also visited Longewala. Could not go to the border as permission would have taken long time. No intention of hijacking you post but the below picture sums up the pride of families of defence personnel.

This sign filled me with pride and respect.
Attachment 2134667

A fellow BHPian did suggest me to visit Longewala, primarily for the scenic route. However, we were a little tight on our schedule and had to miss out on this.

[RJ2285]

Beautiful pictures buddy! Such a beautiful car. Honda City ZX i-vtec in MT guise on a road trip to Rajasthan is no less than a dream trip.

I have been planning a similar trip in my 4th gen-Honda City I-vtec V MT from Mumbai for quite sometime now. Your thread has inspired me to plan one soon.

The City is such an all rounder. The above pics is like a breath of fresh air especially when you see scores of C-SUVs. Please keep your car for as long as possible.

[PrasannaDhana]

Beautiful pictures! Nice thread!

A proper 3 box sedan is always a treat to look at

I somehow didn't like the new Honda City during launch as I found the overhangs to be too big.

But looking at your gorgeous white ZX, specially the side view, I kind of miss my 3 boxer now (Ciaz, sold it after 5.5 years of usage). I have started to like the city from your pics.

City will definitely be the top of my list if I have to buy a car as Ciaz replacement today.

City (also previous gen and ciaz) are made for comfort and space. The seats are very supportive and you don't feel the travel at all. I have done 750 km in a day and came out fresh.

17 kmpl from an ivtec is awesome too

[rpm]

By god, does that car look gorgeous in white with the desert backdrop, and how! The second-to-last picture of the side profile is truly mesmerizing, with reflection from the sand giving the white coat of the car a satin texture.

Oh yes, and the thread. Very nice and detailed write-up.

[sam264_2000]

Beautiful pictures and a beautiful car. Good to know your observations about the car too! 17.3kmpl for a 1.5L petrol is a really good mileage!

[neel@makrand]

Nice,detailed post.
Going by the looks indeed the New City is impressive. Though I like the previous generation City more. & previous Verna too.
Still a lot to see how the new City turns out to be in the market.
Happy driving to you & all THPians out there 👍🏼

[Ravi_CK234]

Beautiful locations and Lovely pics. I am from South India, the forts in Rajasthan have anyways intrigued me and and your pics have really tempted me to plan for a trip in the near future. Great pics of the desert too.
You have got a lovely car and 17 kmpl from a petrol engine is commendable.
Wish you tons of happy miles ahead

[powershift]

Nice pictures of the car and place.

Like you mentioned, the very frequent complaint about the City is with lack of enough GC for our notorious speed breakers.
Anyone to comment about this from Bangalore's perspective?

[JoshMachine]

Wow, a great and crisp travelogue! Reminds me of my trip back there in 2019.

The Honda City “came to life” with your carefully chosen spots for those pictures
For me, the third last picture from the bottom (with Umaid Bhawan backdrop) takes the prize.

[littlebrother]

There's something about the Honda City that makes you progressively like the vehicle more as days passes by and makes you want to hold on to the car as long as you can even though people who hasn't owned one or even you for that matter was once complaining about how over priced it is, build quality is not up to the mark, underpowered or boring normally aspirated VTEC motor. It's a car for all and one for all purpose. Use a Honda City for few days and you'll obviously tone down your voice abouts it's cons since it makes a compelling sense for its simpliCITy in everything it does beautifully.

City is somehow still holding its place despite the invasion of CSUV's and I hope it does continue to do so for the enthusiasts who still loves the drive of a Sedan.

The pictures of your white Honda City with slightly dark tinted glass is making me want to add another Honda City to our garage.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by AutoConsultant

Fuel Economy
So I experimented with the speeds and following were the results :

• 463 km (90% highway) – Average speeds of 90 kmph – 16.55 kmpl
• 428 km (95% highway) – Average speeds of 115 kmph – 15.82 kmpl
• 601 km (90% highway) – Average speeds of 75 kmph – 19.48 kmpl
• 531 km (80% highway) – Average speeds of 100 kmph – 16.36 kmpl

Trip total : 2268 km – 17.3 kmpl

when you say "average speeds" - do you mean the average speed shown on MID alongwith FE or the cruising speed that you were driving the car at ?

[AutoConsultant]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

when you say "average speeds" - do you mean the average speed shown on MID alongwith FE or the cruising speed that you were driving the car at ?

The average speeds are just an estimation based on the cruising speeds. All the calculations are based on FT to FT readings, none of them taken from the MID. However, I did find the MID readings to be pretty accurate, just 0.3-0.4 more than the actual fuel economy numbers.