The average fuel efficiency for the entire 2423 km trip was 17.4 km/l.
BHPian Punch_KL recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Last October, I undertook a 2400 KM road trip from Kochi to Hyderabad and back in my Tata Punch, a 2022 AMT model (Creative AMT, top variant).
Before describing the trip, I will give a brief experience of my car. I bought the car primarily for city use. So the AMT lag and the absence of a turbo-engine did not bother me much. I am generally a sedate driver and the AMT felt like a significant convenience over manual shifting, especially since it was my first automatic car. As a family car, safety, space and practicality were my prime considerations, which Punch fulfilled.
The car is excellent in terms of handling and ride comfort. A special mention needs to be made of its turning radius and steering response. Negotiating sharp bends and tight U-turns is effortless, so much so that I have started enjoying the smooth rollback of the steering after a U-turn. Its high driving position offering clear road visibility and the feel of a bigger car is another satisfying aspect. Its compact size comes in handy in narrow city lanes and tight parking spots and its SUV-like stance gives it a road presence.
Two years down the line, I remain a happy owner of the Tata Punch. However, apart from bi-weekly trips to my hometown (60 KM from Kochi), the car hasn’t seen much highway action. Its longest trip until now was a 400 KM roundtrip on a State highway spread over two days.
So, when a college friend suggested a long road trip to Hyderabad on the Punch, I was initially sceptical. Ultimately, I agreed, with the experience of the 400KM drive in mind.
Brief description of the route
Thus, on October 26, at 5.30 AM, three of us set off from Kochi. We planned to visit Hampi on the way to Hyderabad.
On the first night, we stayed at Tumkuru (about 510 KM). We reached Tumkuru by evening 6 PM. The route we traversed was Kochi-Palghat-Coimbatore-Annur-Hasanur-Chamrajnagar-Maddur-Huliyudurga-Tumkuru).
The next day morning (Oct 27), we set off to Hampi. It was an excellent highway from Tumkuru to Hoskete, where we could consistently cruise in 90-100 km mark. We covered the 275 km mark in around 5 hours.
On the 27th and 28th we stayed at Hampi.
On the 29th morning, we set off from Hampi to Hyderabad. The roads were terrible in several patches till Raichur. From Raichur to Hyderabad, it was a good highway. We reached Hyderabad by evening 6 PM.
We stayed at Hyderabad from October 29-November 1. Apart from a road trip, it was a food trip also, especially for two of my friends who are foodies. The culinary experiences of the trip might be a topic for another forum.
On 1st morning, two of us returned from Hyderabad. The third friend left for his hometown from Hyderabad. On 1st night, after travelling over 650 km, we stayed at Krishnagiri. On 2nd morning, we left Krishnagiri and reached Kochi by evening 4.
Vehicle Experience
In one word, Punch amazed me with its highway adventure.
It really impressed me with its performance at high speeds, exceeding my expectations. One can comfortably cruise in the 80-90 kmph stretch. It can consistently maintain its speed at three digits too. Beyond 100, the engine tends to get noisy. The harshness of the 3-cylinder engine can be felt at the 100+ speed.
Being a non-turbo AMT vehicle, one cannot get that instant high torque in this as one pleases. So overtaking needs to be accordingly planned. Since I am used to this vehicle for over two years, I can quite well assess how it will gather pace in a situation and plan my overtaking accordingly. However, my two friends were not at all used to this vehicle. In fact, they were driving an automatic for the first time. So they had a bit of difficulty in adjusting to the power lag.
The high ground clearance of the vehicle came in handy at rough roads. The Hampi-Raichur stretch and the Hoskete-Krishnagiri stretch had several terrible portions. However, the suspension felt a bit stiff in some places making one feel the bumps.
Overall, the ride comfort was good. We did not feel much fatigue from driving. The final word is that Punch is quite good for long highway rides, though it may not be as quick-paced and sporty like turbocharged vehicles. I think Tata did not give Punch a turbo option so as not to cannibalise Nexon.
Fuel Efficiency
The average FE for the entire 2423 km trip was 17.4 kmpl.
However, at some highway stretches, it returned even 20 kmpl.
Some images
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