Fast Lane - Chennai B'Lore - NH46

Chasing an A6 on the famous NH46 linking Chennai to Bangalore. Its not much fun being left behind when you are cruising at 150 KPH. The A6 is an icon in poise and luxury. But its not far behind as far perfomance is concerned.

JogaBonito

Aswin!! This one's for you. :)

Trip With Bro Sam - Pondichery (Apr 2007)

Drive along the ECR was cool।

To Bangalore - Golden Quad (Jul 2007)

July is supposed to be the hottest month of the year for Chennai but for a change it rained and almost ruined the trip to Bangalore. The excitement however was more about getting to drive on the Golden Quad (NH7). The trip to Bangalore was quite uneventful and naturally so when we were driving after a 10 hour marathon shift overnight. The return trip was awesome. The Accent Notchback is fun to drive and 175 to 180 KPH was not even an issue; bear in mind the vehicle was loaded with 5 folks and about a 100 Kilos in the boot. We were able to cruise at 175 with the A/C on and had to turn it off in order to climb to 180. The pickup is still an issue with the Accent sport and will never be able to beat the legendary City Vtec. The viva also is a bit wobbly sans the ABS. One would expect the top end to be equipped with goodies such as these and a little extra horses under the hood.



But all in all the Accent Sportback is not the worst performer in the C Segment. Its definitely better than the segment rivals City ZX and Fiesta.

PS: OK agreed, the interiors could be better. And somebody please tell Hyundai; that their alloys are the worst.

Awesome Civic

One word for the The 1.8 V-Tec - "Astounding". The pickup in low revs is awesome. The 132 Ps motor is capable of giving the 150 BHP Skoda Rider a run for its money. The Rider for your information runs on an Audi TT motor. The Civic V-Tec doesnt quite match up to the Rider upto the second gear but being almost 200 Kgs lighter than the Rider it more than makes up in the mid and high range.

The Climate control is cool and goodies like Alloys and an Alpine Audio system are standard. But sadly even the GST Road (Which felt more like Pondy Bazaar) didnt allow me to stretch the Civic to its limits (thats said to max at 213 Kmph against the 217 Kph that the Rider can do). Thats awesome considering the fact that the Jap has about 20 Horses less; but then since the Civic is lighter than the Czech warhorse; they have more or less a similar BHP/ton ratio.

I would go for the Civic any day.

Viva La Rider

The Skoda Octavia Rider (RS) is an amazing piece of Czeck engineering. 150 Horses under the hood can set the roads on fire. The car is capable of 220 Kmph but on the now congested GST road that connects Chennai to Villupuram(Bear in mind this is one of the best strips of tarmac you can get in and around Chennai) I could bearly manage 155 Kmph. The car is screaching fast in 4th gear and your mind is set on 5th but I guess God knows what you are upto and caused the roads to be as congested as they were. 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds and to 100 in under 9 secs. This car is awesome.

Wanna compare the Chezk stud with the Oriental Beauty from Korea (Hyundai Accent Viva) ? Well ! There is no comparison. Although the Viva can easily clock 185 Kmph on the speedo (personally I have done 173 Kmph); you always feel there is something lacking. And the Rider fillls that void to good effect; all thanks to the 150 BHP Audi Quattro TT engine.

The Rider Sport is a CKD; i.e. a Czeck body with a German Soul. You have to drive the Rider to feel the amazing performance despite the pedestrian looks. Thats one area I mark the Viva more than the Rider. The Rider Sport also comes loaded with other goodies like Climate Control, Cruise Control, Spider Alloys and a Badge that can put most other competitors to shame.

Ever Met An Angel !!!!!

Michelle Sweet Michelle !!!

Are You Melting Yet !!!

Sweeter than Rasagulla !!!

Chennai to Ooty via C'batore

I made a short trip to Coimbatore(Sulur) / Ootacammund last week. The viva drives really well. From standstill to 100 in under 12 sec is awesome. The way to C'batore was alright. Took the famous GST road via Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Attur, Salem, Erode to Sulur and then NH47 from Sulur to Ooty via Somnur, Amnur, Mettupalayam and Coonoor. The tarmac was amazing till Villupuram and then .... Well !! the less mentioned .. the better.

These pics were taken 30 kms off Villupuram.


On the way back we took the NH7. the roads were supercool. We clocked about 250 Kms between Dharmapuri and Vellore in about 2+1/2 hours and the speedo read was atleast 110 kmph at any given point in time. To join the NH7 you still gotta go to Erode, Salem and then join the NH7 to Chennai (part of the Golden Quadrilateral) via Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Vellore. Trust me; the drive is worth a trip. I am definitely going back for more.