[vigsom]

Introduction

This is a travel account of my longest ever drive in my life; 1420km between Gujarat and Karnataka, undertaken solo. This drive isn't anywhere as

a) close to the long ones undertaken by ace tourers,
b) challenging as drives undertaken in unforgiving terrain,
c) beautiful and enchanting as many featured on the forum

but, for me, this was going to be the drive of my life this far, undertaken with little planning, but with my grumpy old companion - a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara AT.

Safety

Here are a few points that I followed:

1. Continued to drive only as long as I felt alert
2. Seat belt on at all times with doors locked
3. Dawn to dusk driving, with a little stretch on Day2
4. Checked the vitals of the car at periodic intervals
5. Kept a bottle of water, and a towel (like a State Transport Corporation driver) handy at all times
6. Followed speed limits to the T
7. Never allowed the low fuel warning light to come on; refuelled well before that

Acknowledgement

I'd like to thank Almighty for having brought me home safe n sound, plus bhpians @sridhar-v and @paragsachania for giving me the reassurance that this drive was going to be worth the effort, and for all their support enroute.

[vigsom]

Background

I've been driving since 1994 but never did a highway drive until 2002. Post that, it wasn't until 2017 that I drove on the highway, between Chennai and Madurai and later from Chennai to Vellore. Many short highway drives followed and the longest one was in 2019 between Vadodara and Mumbai. The urge to undertake a long drive was there since 2021 but couldn't be executed due to rapidly changing Covid protocols at the Karnataka borders. I had an upcoming planned travel to the south but wasn't sure to take a train or take the car.

Decision taken the night before travel

Let's call decision day Day Zero. While I was anyways slated to take a train two days from Day Zero, something told me at approx. 2030hrs that taking the car would be a bold move, and this would be the best time to execute it - the weather was cool, the car was in good shape after a recent round of diagnosis and care, plus there were no cross-border restrictions.

I took a split second decision, loaded the Fastag with enough balance to fund the tolls on this trip, took the car to my trusted fuel station and filled fuel to the brim, ensuring that I filled no more than the pump cut-off point. Please note that this is a petrol SUV and an AT at that. I was prepared for several refuels enroute but all these concerns got rubbished.

Preparations and planning

Since I had already packed all relevant items of the car like its papers and spares in 2021 (for a planned drive which was then shelved), it was easy to put things together quickly:

1. Car's papers - Original RC, PUC Certificate, Insurance (had all these on my parivahan app but still)
2. Spare bulbs, some wiring
3. The K&N filter cleaning kit, some engine oil, some Toyota Long Life Coolant
3. A full tool kit, two spare 5 liter cans

Although I got information on fuel stations enroute from @paragsachania and @sridhar-v, I did no planning on which petrol stations to fill up at, where to stay, nothing, and decided to act on these based on how long I was going to be on the road. What I did initially plan was to take the Kharel - Saputara - Aurangabad - Solapur - Vijayapura route with halts at Aurangabad and Hospet.

Lack of planning (which I suffered on account of)

1. Did not take a car charger for the phone; my phone battery lasts long but I didn't think of the car charger since I'd never done ultra-long hauls.

Sleep

Since I'd taken this decision at short notice, I was excited, and anxious, and slept only at approx. 11:45pm with a target to set off at 06:30am the next morning.

[vigsom]

Setting off on Day1

I got up at 05:30 am, finished my big job, loaded all the stuff in the car, said a small prayer, and was off at 06:15am, praying that all went well. Having worked on many cars, and typically knowing what all can go wrong with the machine, all this does tell on one's mind, especially when one hasn't embarked on a long drive like this. I was concerned, but allowed my grit and determination to stay on top.

First concern makes me stop just 30km away

Although I had ensured I'd carried everything, something told me I'd missed carrying my mobile and laptop chargers. I pulled over, put the hazard warning lights, opened the boot, checked my bag, and couldn't find the netted charger case. I smiled, turned around to get back home. Again, about 10kms after I turned around, I decided to check again, and again pulled over, checked my bag thoroughly, and lo and behold - the netted case was there with both the chargers. Lost approx. 25 minutes due to this confusion. While all this happened, I used the opportunity to check if all was well in the engine bay; no abnormality detected (NAD).

Continuing with my drive

My next concern was about the Fastag working on the car - although I'd got the Fastag in 2020, I never ever got to use it since the car was doing only short distances and clocked negligible kms since end-2019. This concern was also assuaged when the barrier opened at the first toll plaza. Phew!

Setting off at 06:15am


Sunrise over the Narmada

[vigsom]

Day1 (Contd.)

By the time I'd crossed Kamrej (on the outskirts of Surat), I had opened the hood and inspected the engine bay twice - No Abnormality Detected. My first tryst with NH48 quirks was at Kadodara where there was this long line of vehicles stuck on the highway; familiar with this territory, I took the service road and wriggled out of the mess in no time, using some sound and light show (this car sports Roots Vibrosonic horns and they help in such situations).

At the crossroads at Kharel Chowkdi

I reached this crossing from where I had to finally decide - to go the Aurangabad route OR go the Mumbai-Pune route. While I was open to Mumbai-Pune, I phoned-a-friend @paragsachania and he opined that given my estimated time of entry into Mumbai (approx 1pm), it was a fair risk to take. I decided to go straight and took my first break at approx 10:45am at Hotel Viram at Killa-Pardi and settled for some idli and vada with tea. Service took a while but the food was good - vadas were freshly made accompanied by good chutney and sambar. Th slow service led to a longish break and it was approx. 45 minutes before I set off again.

I reached the Vasai bridge (Hotel Fountain) at approx. 1pm by when it was getting rather sultry; turned left onto Ghodbunder Road to Thane and traffic was moderate, but I had to use service roads once in a while to beat the long line of trucks.

Around Manor


Surprise #1

While crossing Thane, I was put onto a flyover and directed to turn the logical left on the flyover and proceed towards the Pune road via Mumbra. Now this was surprising since I know that I should have gone the Airoli - Sanpada route. I trusted Google Maps with giving me the right information, but did feel let down. Why? Because maps directed me through the main Mumbra market road, with speed breakers every 10 meters, and by the time I was out of Mumbra, I'd already had enough. However, I didn't stop and kept going until I was out of Kalamboli, which was a cool 2 hours after I'd turned left onto Ghodbunder Road from the Vasai bridge.

Beautiful landscape around Vasai Creek




How I wanted to navigate Mumbai bypass


How I actually navigated Mumbai bypass

[vigsom]

Day1 (Contd.)

Although the weather beat me down, I was kind of charged up as soon as I got onto the Pune Expressway at Kalamboli. The map showed me a little over two hours to Pune. Here, taking a cue from the KSRTC driver Parasuram (remember my ride in a KSRTC Ambaari Dream Class sleeper in Jun-2022), I ensured that I was well within the E-Way speed limits and ensured I was never over 80kmph. After the Khalapur Toll, I was welcomed by a traffic hold up which took not too long to clear. Until Kalamboli, I'd encountered decent drivers, while at the E-Way hold up, I saw dadagiri at its best with everyone wanting to jut into the other's lane. Anyway, after a while, it was a case of fastest and smartest gets ahead.

After navigating the Khandala ghat, again well within speed limits, I took a quick loo break just after the Talegaon toll, washed my face, and was back on the road in exactly eight minutes, headed to Pune. I'd been at the wheel without break from approx. 11am to 4:30pm.

Pune Expressway






Hold up after the Khalapur Toll Plaza


Arrival Pune

With surprisingly no hold ups enroute, I was in my pit stop in Pune at 5:40pm, exactly 11 hours after I left home (25 mins discounted for the charger faux pas). I'd just covered 570km and was fortunate not to have been stopped by cops enroute.

[vigsom]

Setting off on Day2

After a good evening with a friend in Pune, I slept at approx. 11pm only to find that the excitement and anxiety woke me up at 04:30am, when I'd set my alarm only for 05:30am. Having gotten up, and not able to sleep again, I got ready, and was all set at 05:30am. After a cup of black coffee, I set off for the second leg at exact 6am into the chilly morning in Pune.

Refuelling Stop #1 - BPCL COCO after Khed Shivapur Toll Plaza

I was advised by my host in Pune to use the BPCL Coco just after the Khed Shivapur Toll that was approx 20 minutes out of Pune. I had enough fuel left, and when I reached the refuelling point, the level was a little below 1/4 tank. I went up to dispenser #7, and asked for petrol for INR 3,600; after all, why should I pay more for fuel in Maharashtra. I'd calculated that this fuel would take me all the way to Hubbali without fuss. Now comes the interesting part - the attendant told me to pay by on line OR by cash as the server wasn't working. Also, the bill that he gave me was printed from their Pine Labs POS machine. I had better things to do so just gave him cash and left, ensuring that I register a complaint about this with none other than the ED of BPCL.

Continuing onto the border

Although many have been critical of the Pune-Kognoli sector, I found it the greenest and the most enjoyable of the lot, perhaps because of the time I left Pune. The exhilaration while navigating the Khambataki ghat, sunrise enroute to Satara, a beautifully laid concrete road from 43km short of Karad, an MID FE of close to 14.5kmpl (aided by the downslope), tractor trolleys with sugarcane, and the cops at Kolhapur were some highlights. The first time I was stopped this far by cops were at Kolhapur. I had my PUC and license handy, and when they asked for both, flashed them, thanked the official, and was out in less than a minute. All along, I ensured I was operating at no more than 85 kmph. I crossed the Kognoli toll at approx 10am and that's when I wanted to break for my first meal of the day. Just before the Tavandi up-slope, I saw this place called Amar to my right, and also passed two more a little ahead - Kaveri and Satyawati, but continued driving. Realising that I was in for some barren stretch, I pulled over and again phoned-a-friend, who advised me to turn around and head to Amar. I did so and was there in about 10 minutes.

Katraj Tunnel


Sunrise enroute to Satara


Enroute to Karad


Tavandi



Amar Only Veg

What a place! Excellent ambience, reasonably priced food, and a great washroom. I'd rate this THE finest highway budget restaurant that I've been to. I had Upittu, vadai, tea and was then disturbed by some unavoidable phone calls. It was almost 70 minutes before I set off from there, and had an internal target of reaching Bengaluru straight, traffic willing!

Amar


Washroom at Amar - as soon as one gets in, the all black interiors get one confused. Where is the urinal?


The exit from Amar onto the highway - one has to be very very very careful while crossing here


Continuing my drive

I went on and on and on, encountering some great roads, until I hit the Dharwad - Hubbali medianless road, for which I was also charged a princely toll. I was eventually past the Gabbur Toll Plaza to the Hubbali roundabout onto the road to Bengaluru by around 2pm and decided to take on some fuel

View of Hidkal Reservoir on the Ghataprabha river near Hattargi




Dharwad- Hubbali "single' road


Refuelling Stop#2 - Jayam Petroleum at Hubbali bypass

I needed fuel, they had the fuel, and accepted payment by card. Here I took on a full tank as I didn't want to stop anymore for fuel until my destination. Here again, the filling started, cut at INR10 and filling resumed. I took on fuel worth INR4750, and here petrol was lower than Maharashtra by approx. INR 4 a liter. I had room to go on for another 100kms but didn't want to risk running low on fuel with a 2.0L AWD AT. Here again, the bill was from the Pine Labs POS machine.

The road from Hubbali to Chitradurga is what I'd classify in dream category. Although barren, the road was capable of insane speeds, but I continued to do no more than 90-95 kmph. It was on this sector that I donned sunglasses.

Hubbali - Chitradurga


Chitradurga


Second pit stop at Chitradurga

I was at Sarvodaya restaurant by approx. 5pm, and this stop was badly needed for two reasons

1. I hadn't peed for 6 hours
2. My phone was at 15% charge, and I realised Ididn't carry a type C car charger (I had a mini USB type though)

Pedigree Bonda soup, two cups of coffee, charging the mobile upto approx 35% and I was off again in 15 minutes. As per my original plan, my hard stop for Day2 was Chitradurga, but I knew I could push to Bengaluru and hence decided to be going. I was driving in the dark on the highway after 3 years, and had some good ol' 80s Ilayaraja songs for company. It was absolute bliss. Post Tumakuru, I had to decide the best route to my final destination, Yelahanka SFS 208. @paragsachania advised me to take the Dobbaspet - Doddaballapura route to Yelahanka, which I did. However, I again got misdirected by maps which put me onto a jungle road from Doddabelavagi.

The eerie experience

The internal road was great for the most part, but was eerie, with only a jungle on both sides. Stop the car and one could only hear crickets. At one point, the road dipped into a shallow stream and there was a rough patch for approx.300m. The only saving grace here was that there were many unsuspecting road users whom GMaps had diverted onto this crazy route, so I was seeing a car every now and then. However, I was running out of battery with only 11% left, but finally managed to reach the Doddaballapura Main Road headed to Yelahanka and crossed the Kadathanamale toll plaza. It was after that that I heaved a sigh of relief. I was eventually in SFS208 Yelahanka at 8:50pm, 14hrs and 50mins after I'd set off from Pune.

The route I went on while I should have gone straight onto Doddaballapura

[vigsom]

Key Takeaways

This road trip was an accomplishment of sorts for me on various counts:

1. My longest ever road trip, executed with very little planning
2. My machine never let me down
3. Barring a few minutes on both days (say 20 mins on Day1 and 30 mins on Day2), the complete trip was executed in non-AC mode. Reason: I wanted to test my endurance
4. The Grand Vitara AT surprised me with only 2 fuel stops and an overall FE of 12.3 kmpl - unbelievable!
5. I was able to push myself much beyond what I'd estimated

What would I do better if I were to do this again?

1. Keep a mobile charger compatible with one's phone, and a fully charged Power Bank as a backup. One doesn't want to be lost in unfamiliar territory with little to no habitation
2. Stop every three hours, stretch, visit the loo and move on after 5-10 minutes, instead of pushing for six hours
3. Review the route recommended by GMaps and take a call, especially if the route is moving through internal roads

Trip Summary

A: Distance covered 1,420km

B: Fuel spend INR 11,730

C: Toll spend INR 1,911

D: Overall Fuel efficiency 12.3 kmpl

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[jkrishnakj]

Good read Vigsom. Attention to your details is something else, I must say.

I was looking at this and was wondering about the decision to drive. Was expecting another train detail.

What drove your decisions to a) Drive instead of a train and b) Taking the route via Pune instead of Solapur/Hospet roads.

Oh, I’m a great fan of the 89’s Illaiyaraja too. Give me a machine, a good road and his songs and I’m a happy man.

I’m sure this drive will make you hit the highways much more.

As for gmaps, what can we say? We used to have stray incidents of the maps turning rogue once a while, in the past. These days, it has a mind of its own and sometimes it even shows routes to cars that even a cyclist will struggle to go.

[RedTerrano]

I always love these long distance adventures. Thoroughly enjoyed yours.
That too a solo in a powerful beast. I envy you Sir!

Absolutely lovely thread to start off the day. Thank you for sharing.

PS. How did you manage to get the pics? Dashcam? Mobile? Camera?

[autobahnjpr]

Google maps is becoming unreliable these days. I have also faced many instances where it misdirects royally. On my recent trip to Udaipur while searching for directions to a restaurant, it took me to a small lane which was closed but the map directed me to carry on. I had to get out and ask for directions and take a 2 km detour to reach the place. Slowly I am also moving out of the habit of relying on it blindly.

[mayd85]

Very good writeup. Kudos to your courage and endurance.

Google Maps has robbed the fun from planning a road trip. I remember my childhood days when my parents used to ponder over large maps for deciding routes and stops. We either carried the map with us or had the route jotted down in a notebook and carried that. Also, if road signs/mile stones were not present, we had to spend a few minutes searching for a decent looking fellow to ask for directions/confirmation of the correct directions. Had to do this every 50 kms or at every major junction. What fun that was!!

[sridhar-v]

Am glad Vigsom finally bit the bullet and did the trip.
It confirmed what I was always telling him - that he will be able to easily do long trips in the Grand Vitara.
And it confirmed that 2 Grand Vitaras could be parked in my porch.

Now guys be also prepared for long travelogues, in the Grand Vitara, from our man.

[cooldip]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Key Takeaways

This road trip was an accomplishment of sorts for me on various counts:

Thanks for posting vigsom. A lovely read as always .

I re-lived my Bangalore-Delhi drive since I used the same route via Vadodara en-route to Jaipur.

I'm not surprised by the capability of the GV. However, the mileage really surprised me. I feel the AT GVs are more fuel efficient than the MTs.

Friendly mod Jaggu had reported figures of 11-12 kmpl in the 2.4 AT. I've barely managed to touch 10 kmpl on the highway with my 2.4 MT.

What is the timeline of this drive? I may have missed it in the post. Was it last week by any chance?

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

What drove your decisions to a) Drive instead of a train and b) Taking the route via Pune instead of Solapur/Hospet roads.

GMaps has a mind of its own

Thank You jkrishnakj. I decided to take the car since I felt I wouldn't get an opportunity like this - and one has to go through the experience once to get apprehensions out of the way. I chose Pune over Solapur since the route is more lively and I have known folks on this sector.

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

How did you manage to get the pics? Dashcam? Mobile? Camera?

Thank You RedTerrano. It was tricky. While moving, I'd look out to confirm if there were no vehicles within a hundred feet of me (back or front), and then put on the hazard warning lights and take a quick picture from the mobile on the holder. The one at Hidkal reservoir was a quick shot, while the ones at Vasai Creek, Amar, were all when I was "static". I wanted to take shots of the Khandala and Khambatki ghats but there was no way I was going to do that in motion, and found nowhere to stop (or maybe missed the lay-bys).

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

on my recent trip to Udaipur while searching for directions to a restaurant, it took me to a small lane which was closed but the map directed me to carry on

GMaps has a mind of its own

Quoting jkrishnakj and autobahnjpr, GMaps is now reliable only if one sticks to the main roads. The day after my arrival, I went to south Bengaluru via the Ring Road and did not take any of the recommended right lanes; instead, turned right at the Deve Gowda Petrol Bunk.

Originally Posted by mayd85

Google Maps has robbed the fun from planning a road trip. I remember my childhood days when my parents used to ponder over large maps, if road signs/mile stones were not present, we had to spend a few minutes searching for a decent looking fellow to ask for directions/confirmation

I noted on this drive that following signs is more than enough. The only points of doubt were the sector between Thane and the Pune E-Way, and the right turn after the Gabbur Toll Plaza. Rest of the route was straightforward.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Am glad Vigsom finally bit the bullet and did the trip

Thank You sridhar-v for your persistent nagging which culminated in this decision.

Originally Posted by Chimera

don't we get more tired due to riding with open windows(and the resultant windblast) than with the ac and without the ac doesn't the car become a four wheeled oven.

Thank You, Chimera. Yes, the car becomes an oven, and the windblast can get noisy, especially past 100kmph. I was below that so it was tolerable. For me, driving non-AC for the most part was to test my endurance. I've always given myself only just that little comfort.