Did a Manali-Kaza road trip in my Tata Aria 4x4: Key observations

I used the 4x4 mode exclusively during traversing between Gramphu (Lahaul) and Takcha (Spiti) as it is all off roading, and the car didn't leave me stranded anywhere.

BHPian AdityaDeane recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got a chance to drive with a full house to Kaza this weekend. It was fun and a really amazing drive. We were 6 adults and 2 kids in the car, and I had countless underbody hits due to the load and rough road and momentum I needed to carry up and down the hills.

I used the 4x4 mode exclusively during traversing between Gramphu (Lahaul) and Takcha (Spiti) as it is all off roading, and the car didn't leave me stranded anywhere, be it water crossings, or stony off road sections.

Few people got motion sickness also, but we all survived and enjoyed every moment of the drive.

I did loose a few things from my car on the way:

Rear tow hook cover:

The mounts for my Touchscreen broke, and it came off midway between Manali to Kaza:

 By the way, Saffira is now a Himachali, and I am in love with the car. A few moments of the trip have been summarised in this video, I hope you all like it.

P.S. - The noise upon starting the engine was from the Steering mechanism, somehow the steering fluid was finished and the pump was making that strange loud noise, especially when trying to turn the steering. The problem was fixed by filling the reservoir with some transaxle fluid or something similar from the nearby petrol pump, by my trusted elder brother, who is the G.M. of Northern Hyundai in Ludhiana, and was in the 2nd car during this Kaza trip.

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