One Full Tank on my Black Beauty: Bangalore - Guruvayur -Bangalore: Verna CRDI SX

VarunM · 28th October 2009, 16:06

Hi All,

This is my first post on Team- Bhp, kindly excuse any irregularities. Suggestions are most welcome!!

The Thought of a Long Drive -
I drive a Hyundai Verna CRDI SX 2009 model. Usually my drives are limited between my home and office and the occassional weekend drives to the malls and eateries. And knowing the traffic situation in Bangalore, I am sure you would all agree with me that it is not really any pleasure with bumper to bumper traffic most of the time. So my heart was itching to go for a long drive wanting to unleash the Beast within me (or maybe the Car!!).

So, it all started with my ex roomate's invitation for his wedding scheduled for 25th of Oct 2009 in Guruvayur.On hearing this, a small voice within my heart started painting a picture of how good a drive it would be. But then I suddenly came back to reality since it would not really be a wise idea as I would have to do it alone since my better half said she would have some work and hence she couldn't accompany me. So I was left pondering over the missed opportunity and started looking for alternative means of travel.

Then suddenly as I was beginning to finalize on the mode of travel, my better half said that she would be free over the weekend and would be able to make it. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of the long drive which looked a certainity now!!

The Planning -
I spent nearly a week's time finalizing the route to be taken. By the end of the week my wife alleged that I was doing a thesis on the routes to Kerala!!

Jokes apart,I found out from the various threads already posted by my fellow Team-Bhpians that there were 2 routes that I could choose from, namely-
1) Bangalore - Mysore - Gundalpet - Bandhipur - Gudalur - Nilambur - Perithalmanna - Pattambi - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur.

Total distance approx - 390 Kms. While this route would not only be shorter but also a scenic one as it traverses through the Bandipur and Madumalai National parks, coupled with a Ghat section from Gudalur to Nilambur and ofcourse our very own Bangalore - Mysore Road. As you can imagine it seemed like a mix of fast streches and forest road together with a ghat section (kind of reminds me of a typical hindi movie with lots of masala!!!). However a negative aspect of this route which I would later find out would be the not so good roads between Nilambur - Guruvayur with a lot of twists and turns . I had estimated a travel time of 9 hrs factoring in breaks as well if I took this route.

2) The other alternative would be Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Thoppur - Mettur - Bhavani - Avinashi - CBE (Bypass) - Palakkad - Thrissur - Guruvayur.

This route would obviously be the longer one at approx 480 Kms. But the road conditions would definitely be much better as it was mostly on the NHs.The travel time that I had estimated if I took this route would be about an hour to 1.5 hour extra considering the additional 70 odd kms.

My schedule as per plan was to leave by 6AM on the 24th (Sat) Oct and reach by evening since the wedding was scheduled for the following day at 8AM at the Guruvayur Temple. Therefore, technically I had the whole day at my disposal.For the return journey I would be leaving at most by 1-1.30PM which meant I would be a little stretched for time. I must confess its a lot of kms to travel for a 2 day trip.

So I had 2 choices with me. I could not decide between the two as I wanted to try both the routes.Hence I decided that I would take the first route via Nilambur for the leg from Bangalore - Guruvayur,while taking the Guruvayur -Palakkad -CBE - Krsihnagiri-Bangalore route on the return journey.

The Onward Journey -
Finally when the D-Day arrived, I had kept the alarm for 5AM, but I could not sleep due to the excitement building up and got up by 4.30AM inspite of reminding myself that I had another half an hour's time left to sleep.

All things done at home, we managed to leave at 6.10AM, filled up the tank at Advaith Petrol Bunk in BTM as it was enroute to Mysore Road.We reached Mysore Road (via NICE Road) at 7.00AM. Mysore Road was not that heavy on traffic and we stopped over at Shivalli Restaurant just before Channapatna at around 7.45AM.

Breakfast done and we reached Channapatna at 8.15AM and Mysore by 9.05AM. Took the left side ring road to join the Nanjangud road. The road was fine until we crossed Gundalpet with the occassion potholes. But once we crossed Gundalpet, the road is really a dirt track with lots of loose stones for some 10 -15 Kms (not sure of the exact distance). The new road I suppose is getting laid and they seemed to be getting the foundation ready before laying the tar. At lots of places you need to share a single lane with the oncoming traffic. Finally I could see tarmac after about half an hour or so. The drive was nice through the forests of Bandipur and Madumalai.Unfortunately we could not sight any wildlife but never the less it was a good drive.

Once we crossed Nandaguni (Kerala - TN border) we hit the ghat section. It was quite twisty with lots of blind curves and surprisingly with very less of traffic for a Kerala road (no offence meant). Stopped somewhere to take some pics. We finally reached Nilambur at 1.00 PM (trip meter read 309 Kms) and stopped for lunch at a KTDC restaurant called as 'Tamarind'. Lunch done and we left Nilambur at 1.50PM. I thought that I would max have another 90Kms or so travel which I felt I could do it in about 2-2.15 Hrs.

Then came the surprise, I felt like every 2,3 and 4 wheeler and Bus in that part of the country was out on that Sat afternoon. The road was largely 2 lanes,very twisty and filled with pot holes every few kms. I dared not go too fast as I feared that I would torture my Black beauty on the pot holed roads. Went through Perithalmanna - Pattambi - Kunnankulam - Guruvayur. One problem that I would like to mention is that there is lack of appropriate sign boards in English (there were some in Malayalam which I didn't understand). So basically you would need to stop and confirm whenever there are junctions.

Finally, we managed to reach Guruvayur only by 4.45 PM and the trip meter read 413.5 Kms. Total time taken was approx 10.5 Hrs. I have earlier driven almost 700Kms in a day without a second thought but believe me the last stretch from Nilambur - Guruvayur is really tiresome. (My wife had already started complaining by the time we hit Perinthalmanna!!)

The best part was my fuel guage had not even hit the half way mark.

The Stay and the Purpose of the Visit-
We stayed in a place called as 'Sopanam Heritage' which is behind the Pvt bus stand on the East Nada. Went to the temple at 6.15PM and luckily were able to finish the dharshan by 8.15PM. Got up early the next day as the Mahortham was at 8AM in the temple.

Marriage done and after completing the fun fair we managed to leave by 12.30 PM.

Return Journey-
For the return journey, decided to go back the same road until Pattambi and then take Ottapalam road to reach Palakkad directly.Well, the reasoning behind it is that would be better to avoid Thrissur. Had heard from people that it takes longer if we go to Palakkad via Thrissur.

The road is ok until Ottapalam and then it widens up after that. Ottapalam - Palakkad is real good road. Only problem is maniacal driving by the local bus drivers who I guess would put the F1 driveers to shame by virtue of their over taking maneuvers.

Anyways reached Palakkad by 2.25PM. Travel time of 1 Hr 55 mins and a distance of 90 Kms. From there on we headed out to CBE. Reached CBE bypass at 3.15PM (41kms). From CBE it is a real pleasure to drive as it is separate roads for going and oncoming traffic. Touched Avinashi at 4.05 PM (48Kms) and Bhavani at 4.55 PM (61 Kms). Took left at Bhavani and reached Thoppur via Mettur. The road is decent but not as good as the NHs. Frankly dont know if it was better to take the NH itself via Salem.

The Krishnagiri ghat section was a little irritating as there were several trucks going at a snail's pace like 20Kmph and others trying to over take them at 21 kmph!!!Imagine waiting for an overtaking like that to complete!! It takes ages. No offence meant to truckers since most of the time it is fully loaded.

Never the less, We reached Hosur (sorry didnt record any intermediate distance/timings) by 8.30 PM (tripmeter read 860 Kms totally). Crossed across the border and took the right at Attibele to take the Sarjapur - Varthur Road.Surprisingly there was less traffic on that part of the road and hence finally reached Marthahalli (home) by 9.00 PM.

Total time for return journey 8.5 Hrs for a distance of approx 490Kms. A full 2 Hrs less of travel time with an addition of 75 odd Kms.

My fuel guage was almost showing empty. The warning light had begun to glow.Total distance covered during the trip 890Kms.Filled up the tank the following day, the mileage was 19Kmpl with 70% Ac. Not bad for a car on which I was constantly doing a 110-120 kmph and the occasional burst to 150kmph (I know I know its not safe to drive at such speeds, but I will be careful!!)

Recommendation -
I would take the CBE route any day to get to Guruvayur.My better half also felt that this journey was not half as tiring as the other route. The only reason I would recommend the other route would be if you are interested in going the scenic way.

However, one aspect worth mentioning is the almost 150 bucks of toll to be paid for one side on the CBE route!! But I guess it is a small price to pay for the roads that are provided.

The Car-
I know it is a Travelogue review, but just want to put in a few words for my Black Beauty. For a diesel vehicle it is amazingly silent.The car handles really well through the twisty sections and also has an amazing pick up. The uphill climb especially on the ghat section near Krishnagiri was a piece of cake because of the high torque (240 Nm). The straight line speed of the car would put a lot of others in the same segment to shame. The ABS is a real boon.One bad thing I would like to mention is that the car is a little bouncy over uneven roads. But critics can find N no. of reasons, however I would still give a thumbs up for the Verna CRDI!!!

A special thanks to blackstallion76 and ranjitp1 for their inputs on the road conditions and the route to take.

Cheers, until my next travelogue post!!
-Varun

blackstallion76 · 28th October 2009, 16:27

@VarunM:
Nice travelogue. Yes, the Nilambur-Gudalur is little tiring but scenic route.
Good to know that you tried both the routes. It gives more options next time we plan the similar trip further down.

Please update with pictures.

nandans2005 · 28th October 2009, 16:53

Varun,

Thats a nice travel post.

Hope you have upgraded your tyres for a better and firmer ride. Verna needs an tyre upgrade very badly.

Try upgrading if not done, you will enjoy all the more.

You will get details in the forum.

bye

VarunM · 28th October 2009, 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandans2005

Hope you have upgraded your tyres for a better and firmer ride. Verna needs an tyre upgrade very badly.

Nandan,
Actually I got 185/65 R14 as standard on my Verna with the alloys. I find it quite adequate until now. Do you mean that I should upgrade to 195 or 205 R15??
Anyways, Thanks for the comments.

VarunM · 28th October 2009, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackstallion76

@VarunM:
Nice travelogue. Yes, the Nilambur-Gudalur is little tiring but scenic route.
Good to know that you tried both the routes. It gives more options next time we plan the similar trip further down.

Please update with pictures.

Thanks for the comments. Here are some pics.
First and last ones is Bandipur, while the second one is my black beauty stopped at a place on the ghat section.

VarunM · 28th October 2009, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackstallion76

Please update with pictures.

Some more pics. These are near Mettur on the way back.

nandans2005 · 28th October 2009, 21:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by VarunM

Nandan,
Actually I got 185/65 R14 as standard on my Verna with the alloys. I find it quite adequate until now. Do you mean that I should upgrade to 195 or 205 R15??
Anyways, Thanks for the comments.

Varun,

I found you were driving at 150 kmph sometimes. I dont really know if you felt it or no , especially VERNA floats at these speeds and its not safe. Most of my friends own a VERNA CRDI and have ensured they have upgraded the tyres.

I would suggest that you have a word with NIKHIL2008 in the forum for a nice suggestion on tyre upgrade. He is an expert and also its his business in tyres.

I almost bought this car, but i hope i will not regret not buyng it !!! VERNA Is lovely!

Do upgrade if its really required.It helps. No compromises on safety...right !

pictures are nice !

akroy · 29th October 2009, 05:33

Nice one there VarunM. Welcome to TBHP.
Must say thats a wonderful mileage for Verna when your onward journey was through ghat roads.

Abhi

VarunM · 29th October 2009, 09:35

Nandan,

Thanks for the inputs. Will surely get in touch with Nikhil wrt the tyre upgrades.

Abhi,
Thanks for the comments. Yes the mileage is really good for the kind of roads that I went through. But I feel the roads really dont matter as long as you minimize gear shift and maintain a constant speed most of the time.

Cheers,
Varun

gadadhar · 29th October 2009, 11:34

varun - I too feel confused about the Mettur stretch compared with through Salem with the 4 laning done till Salem. I have done 2 trips to Kerala recently and had taken Salem once and rest 3 through Mettur. While doing the stretch felt the other one would have been better - its the other side is always green feeling

ampere · 29th October 2009, 13:42

One reason I thought one would like to go through Gudalore is because, if you want to visit on the way. Like in case, while coming back from Guruuvayoor, I would like to visit the Mysore temple also.

Dhanasekaran · 29th October 2009, 14:06

Hi,

Excellent report with narration of real time experience. Loved reading this and look forward to your another epic,...

VarunM · 29th October 2009, 19:20

@Bobby,
Ya I agree with you that NH via Salem would be better if 4 laning is complete. Perhaps the traffic might be a little less via the Mettur route.

@Ampere,
I guess if you need to stop over at Mysore then it makes sense to take Nilambur route.

@Dhanasekaran,
Waiting for the next trip, but I guess it might be some time as I am little low on Vitamin M

Anyways glad that you liked the travelogue.

Majic · 2nd November 2009, 12:21

Though short but really spirit filled looking for to more travelogues from you

swiftnfurious · 30th December 2009, 19:58

Varun,

Try to fill fuel in IOC [its a COCO] before the Jayadeva flyover after Advaith petrol pump [when you go from Silk Board to Mysore] next time. I am sure that would make ur smile broader.

I dont think Mettur road is bad in terms of kms -- what I know is that this route is shorter by 30-40 kms than going thru Salem.

You can avoid some more traffic in this route if you take a left at Perumanelloor. This is a major junction after Avinashi. You will hit Perundurai in this route and believe this will reduce your kms further. This is a very good road with fairly low traffic. The only place you need to be careful on this route is a very sharp curve just 5-10 kms into this road. The last time I had been in this route, they had speed breakers kept there for safety - I had a bad drift once in this curve and I was lucky to escape without even a single scratch to my car and its 5 occupants.

And yes, 150/- is a small amount we need to pay for a beautiful & comfortable drive with no maintenance for the car and brilliant FE.

Nice pics and I envy all Verna CRDi owners. One car which won my heart after my Swift D!

Congrats and Keep driving!

28th October 2009, 16:06	#1
VarunM BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 30 Thanked: 4 Times	One Full Tank on my Black Beauty: Bangalore - Guruvayur -Bangalore: Verna CRDI SX Hi All, This is my first post on Team- Bhp, kindly excuse any irregularities. Suggestions are most welcome!! The Thought of a Long Drive - I drive a Hyundai Verna CRDI SX 2009 model. Usually my drives are limited between my home and office and the occassional weekend drives to the malls and eateries. And knowing the traffic situation in Bangalore, I am sure you would all agree with me that it is not really any pleasure with bumper to bumper traffic most of the time. So my heart was itching to go for a long drive wanting to unleash the Beast within me (or maybe the Car!!). So, it all started with my ex roomate's invitation for his wedding scheduled for 25th of Oct 2009 in Guruvayur.On hearing this, a small voice within my heart started painting a picture of how good a drive it would be. But then I suddenly came back to reality since it would not really be a wise idea as I would have to do it alone since my better half said she would have some work and hence she couldn't accompany me. So I was left pondering over the missed opportunity and started looking for alternative means of travel. Then suddenly as I was beginning to finalize on the mode of travel, my better half said that she would be free over the weekend and would be able to make it. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of the long drive which looked a certainity now!! The Planning - I spent nearly a week's time finalizing the route to be taken. By the end of the week my wife alleged that I was doing a thesis on the routes to Kerala!! Jokes apart,I found out from the various threads already posted by my fellow Team-Bhpians that there were 2 routes that I could choose from, namely- 1) Bangalore - Mysore - Gundalpet - Bandhipur - Gudalur - Nilambur - Perithalmanna - Pattambi - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur. Total distance approx - 390 Kms. While this route would not only be shorter but also a scenic one as it traverses through the Bandipur and Madumalai National parks, coupled with a Ghat section from Gudalur to Nilambur and ofcourse our very own Bangalore - Mysore Road. As you can imagine it seemed like a mix of fast streches and forest road together with a ghat section (kind of reminds me of a typical hindi movie with lots of masala!!!). However a negative aspect of this route which I would later find out would be the not so good roads between Nilambur - Guruvayur with a lot of twists and turns . I had estimated a travel time of 9 hrs factoring in breaks as well if I took this route. 2) The other alternative would be Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Thoppur - Mettur - Bhavani - Avinashi - CBE (Bypass) - Palakkad - Thrissur - Guruvayur. This route would obviously be the longer one at approx 480 Kms. But the road conditions would definitely be much better as it was mostly on the NHs.The travel time that I had estimated if I took this route would be about an hour to 1.5 hour extra considering the additional 70 odd kms. My schedule as per plan was to leave by 6AM on the 24th (Sat) Oct and reach by evening since the wedding was scheduled for the following day at 8AM at the Guruvayur Temple. Therefore, technically I had the whole day at my disposal.For the return journey I would be leaving at most by 1-1.30PM which meant I would be a little stretched for time. I must confess its a lot of kms to travel for a 2 day trip. So I had 2 choices with me. I could not decide between the two as I wanted to try both the routes.Hence I decided that I would take the first route via Nilambur for the leg from Bangalore - Guruvayur,while taking the Guruvayur -Palakkad -CBE - Krsihnagiri-Bangalore route on the return journey. The Onward Journey - Finally when the D-Day arrived, I had kept the alarm for 5AM, but I could not sleep due to the excitement building up and got up by 4.30AM inspite of reminding myself that I had another half an hour's time left to sleep. All things done at home, we managed to leave at 6.10AM, filled up the tank at Advaith Petrol Bunk in BTM as it was enroute to Mysore Road.We reached Mysore Road (via NICE Road) at 7.00AM. Mysore Road was not that heavy on traffic and we stopped over at Shivalli Restaurant just before Channapatna at around 7.45AM. Breakfast done and we reached Channapatna at 8.15AM and Mysore by 9.05AM. Took the left side ring road to join the Nanjangud road. The road was fine until we crossed Gundalpet with the occassion potholes. But once we crossed Gundalpet, the road is really a dirt track with lots of loose stones for some 10 -15 Kms (not sure of the exact distance). The new road I suppose is getting laid and they seemed to be getting the foundation ready before laying the tar. At lots of places you need to share a single lane with the oncoming traffic. Finally I could see tarmac after about half an hour or so. The drive was nice through the forests of Bandipur and Madumalai.Unfortunately we could not sight any wildlife but never the less it was a good drive. Once we crossed Nandaguni (Kerala - TN border) we hit the ghat section. It was quite twisty with lots of blind curves and surprisingly with very less of traffic for a Kerala road (no offence meant). Stopped somewhere to take some pics. We finally reached Nilambur at 1.00 PM (trip meter read 309 Kms) and stopped for lunch at a KTDC restaurant called as 'Tamarind'. Lunch done and we left Nilambur at 1.50PM. I thought that I would max have another 90Kms or so travel which I felt I could do it in about 2-2.15 Hrs. Then came the surprise, I felt like every 2,3 and 4 wheeler and Bus in that part of the country was out on that Sat afternoon. The road was largely 2 lanes,very twisty and filled with pot holes every few kms. I dared not go too fast as I feared that I would torture my Black beauty on the pot holed roads. Went through Perithalmanna - Pattambi - Kunnankulam - Guruvayur. One problem that I would like to mention is that there is lack of appropriate sign boards in English (there were some in Malayalam which I didn't understand). So basically you would need to stop and confirm whenever there are junctions. Finally, we managed to reach Guruvayur only by 4.45 PM and the trip meter read 413.5 Kms. Total time taken was approx 10.5 Hrs. I have earlier driven almost 700Kms in a day without a second thought but believe me the last stretch from Nilambur - Guruvayur is really tiresome. (My wife had already started complaining by the time we hit Perinthalmanna!!) The best part was my fuel guage had not even hit the half way mark. The Stay and the Purpose of the Visit- We stayed in a place called as 'Sopanam Heritage' which is behind the Pvt bus stand on the East Nada. Went to the temple at 6.15PM and luckily were able to finish the dharshan by 8.15PM. Got up early the next day as the Mahortham was at 8AM in the temple. Marriage done and after completing the fun fair we managed to leave by 12.30 PM. Return Journey- For the return journey, decided to go back the same road until Pattambi and then take Ottapalam road to reach Palakkad directly.Well, the reasoning behind it is that would be better to avoid Thrissur. Had heard from people that it takes longer if we go to Palakkad via Thrissur. The road is ok until Ottapalam and then it widens up after that. Ottapalam - Palakkad is real good road. Only problem is maniacal driving by the local bus drivers who I guess would put the F1 driveers to shame by virtue of their over taking maneuvers. Anyways reached Palakkad by 2.25PM. Travel time of 1 Hr 55 mins and a distance of 90 Kms. From there on we headed out to CBE. Reached CBE bypass at 3.15PM (41kms). From CBE it is a real pleasure to drive as it is separate roads for going and oncoming traffic. Touched Avinashi at 4.05 PM (48Kms) and Bhavani at 4.55 PM (61 Kms). Took left at Bhavani and reached Thoppur via Mettur. The road is decent but not as good as the NHs. Frankly dont know if it was better to take the NH itself via Salem. The Krishnagiri ghat section was a little irritating as there were several trucks going at a snail's pace like 20Kmph and others trying to over take them at 21 kmph!!!Imagine waiting for an overtaking like that to complete!! It takes ages. No offence meant to truckers since most of the time it is fully loaded. Never the less, We reached Hosur (sorry didnt record any intermediate distance/timings) by 8.30 PM (tripmeter read 860 Kms totally). Crossed across the border and took the right at Attibele to take the Sarjapur - Varthur Road.Surprisingly there was less traffic on that part of the road and hence finally reached Marthahalli (home) by 9.00 PM. Total time for return journey 8.5 Hrs for a distance of approx 490Kms. A full 2 Hrs less of travel time with an addition of 75 odd Kms. My fuel guage was almost showing empty. The warning light had begun to glow.Total distance covered during the trip 890Kms.Filled up the tank the following day, the mileage was 19Kmpl with 70% Ac. Not bad for a car on which I was constantly doing a 110-120 kmph and the occasional burst to 150kmph (I know I know its not safe to drive at such speeds, but I will be careful!!) Recommendation - I would take the CBE route any day to get to Guruvayur.My better half also felt that this journey was not half as tiring as the other route. The only reason I would recommend the other route would be if you are interested in going the scenic way. However, one aspect worth mentioning is the almost 150 bucks of toll to be paid for one side on the CBE route!! But I guess it is a small price to pay for the roads that are provided. The Car- I know it is a Travelogue review, but just want to put in a few words for my Black Beauty. For a diesel vehicle it is amazingly silent.The car handles really well through the twisty sections and also has an amazing pick up. The uphill climb especially on the ghat section near Krishnagiri was a piece of cake because of the high torque (240 Nm). The straight line speed of the car would put a lot of others in the same segment to shame. The ABS is a real boon.One bad thing I would like to mention is that the car is a little bouncy over uneven roads. But critics can find N no. of reasons, however I would still give a thumbs up for the Verna CRDI!!! A special thanks to blackstallion76 and ranjitp1 for their inputs on the road conditions and the route to take. Cheers, until my next travelogue post!! -Varun
	(1) Thanks

28th October 2009, 16:27	#2
blackstallion76 BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 343 Thanked: 71 Times View My Garage	@VarunM: Nice travelogue. Yes, the Nilambur-Gudalur is little tiring but scenic route. Good to know that you tried both the routes. It gives more options next time we plan the similar trip further down. Please update with pictures.
	() Thanks

28th October 2009, 16:53	#3
nandans2005 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore. Posts: 640 Thanked: 42 Times	Varun, Thats a nice travel post. Hope you have upgraded your tyres for a better and firmer ride. Verna needs an tyre upgrade very badly. Try upgrading if not done, you will enjoy all the more. You will get details in the forum. bye
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 05:33	#8
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	Nice one there VarunM. Welcome to TBHP. Must say thats a wonderful mileage for Verna when your onward journey was through ghat roads. Abhi
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 09:35	#9
VarunM BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 30 Thanked: 4 Times	Nandan, Thanks for the inputs. Will surely get in touch with Nikhil wrt the tyre upgrades. Abhi, Thanks for the comments. Yes the mileage is really good for the kind of roads that I went through. But I feel the roads really dont matter as long as you minimize gear shift and maintain a constant speed most of the time. Cheers, Varun
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 11:34	#10
gadadhar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,341 Thanked: 1,116 Times View My Garage	varun - I too feel confused about the Mettur stretch compared with through Salem with the 4 laning done till Salem. I have done 2 trips to Kerala recently and had taken Salem once and rest 3 through Mettur. While doing the stretch felt the other one would have been better - its the other side is always green feeling
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 13:42	#11
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,930 Thanked: 12,901 Times View My Garage	One reason I thought one would like to go through Gudalore is because, if you want to visit on the way. Like in case, while coming back from Guruuvayoor, I would like to visit the Mysore temple also.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 14:06	#12
Dhanasekaran BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 80 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi, Excellent report with narration of real time experience. Loved reading this and look forward to your another epic,...
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 19:20	#13
VarunM BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 30 Thanked: 4 Times	@Bobby, Ya I agree with you that NH via Salem would be better if 4 laning is complete. Perhaps the traffic might be a little less via the Mettur route. @Ampere, I guess if you need to stop over at Mysore then it makes sense to take Nilambur route. @Dhanasekaran, Waiting for the next trip, but I guess it might be some time as I am little low on Vitamin M Anyways glad that you liked the travelogue. Last edited by VarunM : 29th October 2009 at 19:22.
	() Thanks

2nd November 2009, 12:21	#14
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Though short but really spirit filled looking for to more travelogues from you
	() Thanks

30th December 2009, 19:58	#15
swiftnfurious Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 7,201 Thanked: 9,651 Times	Varun, Try to fill fuel in IOC [its a COCO] before the Jayadeva flyover after Advaith petrol pump [when you go from Silk Board to Mysore] next time. I am sure that would make ur smile broader. I dont think Mettur road is bad in terms of kms -- what I know is that this route is shorter by 30-40 kms than going thru Salem. You can avoid some more traffic in this route if you take a left at Perumanelloor. This is a major junction after Avinashi. You will hit Perundurai in this route and believe this will reduce your kms further. This is a very good road with fairly low traffic. The only place you need to be careful on this route is a very sharp curve just 5-10 kms into this road. The last time I had been in this route, they had speed breakers kept there for safety - I had a bad drift once in this curve and I was lucky to escape without even a single scratch to my car and its 5 occupants. And yes, 150/- is a small amount we need to pay for a beautiful & comfortable drive with no maintenance for the car and brilliant FE. Nice pics and I envy all Verna CRDi owners. One car which won my heart after my Swift D! Congrats and Keep driving!
	() Thanks