Trip to Leh

raj_5004 · 20th April 2009, 22:28

since you want a car and not an SUV, this is the wrong section!

but anyways, you should get yourself a car with a good ground clearance & good reliabilty.

i think your options are:
1) maruti SX4: great GC, huge tyres (for a sedan) and being a maruti, it will not give any trouble. yes, be prepared to hear lot of rattling & squeaking though.

2) logan: again a good car with great build quality & robust suspension. this car feels like it has been built to take the rough.

nishant kar · 21st April 2009, 00:10

as everyone has suggested u to take a suv/uv, my advise is the same.
But i have personally done the exact trip from delhi in 2000 in my 98 carburated Zen that i had and there is no reason why u cant go there in a sedan, but u ought to take a Maruti there believe me there are pleanty of reasons for it, from Maruti stable i would suggest u a Swift, Dzire, Astar, Sx4 all have pretty good GC considering other sedans or hatch. if u want u can also take a Esteem it has a never say die attitude, good power and comfort.

But dont take Baleno the car has been not in production for 3 to 4 yrs if i am correct. and spares will be a prob if something happens. Maruti has 2 to 3 service centers in those remote parts i guess. but do check the website also.

if its sedan it has to be maruti because they rock there in Raid De Himalayas.
This is what i feel and experienced......

pole_position · 21st April 2009, 14:39

Not sure how reliable it is but I think Ford Fusion is one car with better GC. Its available in both Petrol n Diesel as well.

I want to do the Leh trip as well. Looking for a used 4X4 SUV as I would like to play around when I get chance.

architect · 22nd April 2009, 14:03

While everybody is recommending SUVs with big ground clearance, I have seen a lot of people taking small cars like the 800 to Leh. Even HVKumar has taken his Matiz (if I am not mistaken) to Leh.

If you are going via Kargil, my dad's Ambassador had made it in the early 90s. I think that route is not as bad as Manali-Leh.

You can make it in a small car if these people have done it but try to get a sump guard and drive more carefully.

However, I have never driven to Leh by either route so this is just second hand experience.

phamilyman · 22nd April 2009, 14:28

Chill man. Its just a road. Either everyone can go, or only stallions can go (ref Rudra's thread). So just take the car you LOVE driving, and head out with a song on your lips (ref anupmathur

).

ram2004 · 22nd April 2009, 14:42

Hi,

Having done the Chennai-Leh by road and looking at using a sedan instead of an SUV on the trip here is my view (entirely based on my ride experience).

I think getting to Leh from Srinagar on the Sonamarg - Zoji La - Drass - Kargil route is possible in a Sedan - the only tricky area can be crossing over the Zoji La. You may encounter difficulty also in unexpected landslides in the Kargil - Drass sector. (we did this on our return from Leh)

However getting to Leh from Manali - through Rohtang -Jispa - route is defintely riskier on a sedan. This is a real tough terrain and challenged the 4x4 Safari in which we travelled. The problem is in the climb to the mountain passes and the descend - there are 3 major passes. You need high ground clearance and possbily good torque(bhp) to conquer this route.

So I wouldnt recommend taking a risk on the Manali-Leh route on a sedan (I found this drive more exciting than the Srinagar route though)- but yes you can definetely go to leh - but take the trip from Srinagar.

Going to Leh becomes a pleasurable and unforgettable experience as long as you have mitigated risks on taking the ride!

cheers
Ram

suman · 22nd April 2009, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumit19629

I am trying to understand if it worth to drive XETA to that height or take a 4x4 to Leh.

Sumit, I'd say that some of it also depends on which month you're planning this trip. IIRC, one of our members (Abhiknov) had taken his Indica to Leh, maybe you can PM him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishant kar

But dont take Baleno the car has been not in production for 3 to 4 yrs if i am correct. and spares will be a prob if something happens. Maruti has 2 to 3 service centers in those remote parts i guess. but do check the website also.

Nishant, nice inputs but Naveen has moved on to Australia & his question was asked a good three years ago

Sumit19629 · 27th April 2009, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman

Sumit, I'd say that some of it also depends on which month you're planning this trip. IIRC, one of our members (Abhiknov) had taken his Indica to Leh, maybe you can PM him.

Nishant, nice inputs but Naveen has moved on to Australia & his question was asked a good three years ago

Thanks Suman for the advice; I will get in touch with Abhiknov and take his experience.

schitre05 · 29th April 2009, 10:08

The thread starter started this thread in 2006 and we are still reading here in 2009!lol i wonder if he really made that trip, anyways those who did made it that far, it would be great to post some pics for less fortunate souls like us. cheers!

Rudra Sen · 29th April 2009, 10:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by schitre05

The thread starter started this thread in 2006 and we are still reading here in 2009!lol i wonder if he really made that trip, anyways those who did made it that far, it would be great to post some pics for less fortunate souls like us. cheers!

No he couldn't make it. He was suppose to join us in Leh. For rest of the story read this

Thread closed.

20th April 2009, 22:28	#31
raj_5004 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dubai/Mumbai Posts: 5,238 Thanked: 3,139 Times	since you want a car and not an SUV, this is the wrong section! but anyways, you should get yourself a car with a good ground clearance & good reliabilty. i think your options are: 1) maruti SX4: great GC, huge tyres (for a sedan) and being a maruti, it will not give any trouble. yes, be prepared to hear lot of rattling & squeaking though. 2) logan: again a good car with great build quality & robust suspension. this car feels like it has been built to take the rough.
	() Thanks

21st April 2009, 00:10	#32
nishant kar BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 83 Thanked: 64 Times	@naveendhyani as everyone has suggested u to take a suv/uv, my advise is the same. But i have personally done the exact trip from delhi in 2000 in my 98 carburated Zen that i had and there is no reason why u cant go there in a sedan, but u ought to take a Maruti there believe me there are pleanty of reasons for it, from Maruti stable i would suggest u a Swift, Dzire, Astar, Sx4 all have pretty good GC considering other sedans or hatch. if u want u can also take a Esteem it has a never say die attitude, good power and comfort. But dont take Baleno the car has been not in production for 3 to 4 yrs if i am correct. and spares will be a prob if something happens. Maruti has 2 to 3 service centers in those remote parts i guess. but do check the website also. if its sedan it has to be maruti because they rock there in Raid De Himalayas. This is what i feel and experienced......
	() Thanks

21st April 2009, 14:39	#33
pole_position Newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 23 Thanked: 0 Times	Not sure how reliable it is but I think Ford Fusion is one car with better GC. Its available in both Petrol n Diesel as well. I want to do the Leh trip as well. Looking for a used 4X4 SUV as I would like to play around when I get chance.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2009, 14:03	#34
architect Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ghaziabad, U. P Posts: 1,359 Thanked: 764 Times	While everybody is recommending SUVs with big ground clearance, I have seen a lot of people taking small cars like the 800 to Leh. Even HVKumar has taken his Matiz (if I am not mistaken) to Leh. If you are going via Kargil, my dad's Ambassador had made it in the early 90s. I think that route is not as bad as Manali-Leh. You can make it in a small car if these people have done it but try to get a sump guard and drive more carefully. However, I have never driven to Leh by either route so this is just second hand experience.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2009, 14:28	#35
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,968 Thanked: 4,642 Times	Chill man. Its just a road. Either everyone can go, or only stallions can go (ref Rudra's thread). So just take the car you LOVE driving, and head out with a song on your lips (ref anupmathur ).
	() Thanks

22nd April 2009, 14:42	#36
ram2004 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 38 Thanked: 11 Times	From my experience................. Hi, Having done the Chennai-Leh by road and looking at using a sedan instead of an SUV on the trip here is my view (entirely based on my ride experience). I think getting to Leh from Srinagar on the Sonamarg - Zoji La - Drass - Kargil route is possible in a Sedan - the only tricky area can be crossing over the Zoji La. You may encounter difficulty also in unexpected landslides in the Kargil - Drass sector. (we did this on our return from Leh) However getting to Leh from Manali - through Rohtang -Jispa - route is defintely riskier on a sedan. This is a real tough terrain and challenged the 4x4 Safari in which we travelled. The problem is in the climb to the mountain passes and the descend - there are 3 major passes. You need high ground clearance and possbily good torque(bhp) to conquer this route. So I wouldnt recommend taking a risk on the Manali-Leh route on a sedan (I found this drive more exciting than the Srinagar route though)- but yes you can definetely go to leh - but take the trip from Srinagar. Going to Leh becomes a pleasurable and unforgettable experience as long as you have mitigated risks on taking the ride! cheers Ram
	() Thanks

29th April 2009, 10:08	#39
schitre05 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 457 Thanked: 176 Times View My Garage	The thread starter started this thread in 2006 and we are still reading here in 2009!lol i wonder if he really made that trip, anyways those who did made it that far, it would be great to post some pics for less fortunate souls like us. cheers!
	() Thanks