The SUV can easily cruise at 110-120 km/h on good highways. Driving in the range of 80-90 km/h, this car can return a fuel efficiency of 15-16 km/l.
BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
15,000 km update
We took the Jimny on a 5,000 km trip to south India
I will skip writing a travelogue as this was mostly a personal trip down memory lane.
For a long time, I have been looking for an opportunity to visit Bangalore, meet my old friends, and visit the places we used to hang out.
My wife Bhpian DogNDamsel12, aka Sukanya, had plans to visit her brother’s place in Bangalore during Diwali & for Bhai Dooj, what we call Bhai Phota in Bengali.
So it was like a win-win situation for both of us to drive down to Bangalore.
To spice up the drive a bit, we included Pondicherry and Hyderabad in the itinerary.
The final Itinerary was-
- Day 1 Kolkata to Vijayawada
- Day 2 Vijaywada to Pondicherry
- Day 3 & day 4- Pondicherry
- Day 5 Pondicherry to Bangalore
- Day 6 to day 11- Bangalore (City drive, Nandi hills & Adiyogi)
- Day 12 Bangalore to Hyderabad
- Day 13 Hyderabad to Srikakulam
- Day 14 Srikakulam to Kolkata
Day 1, Kolkata to Vijayawada, 1264 km, 19 hours
We started from Kolkata at 4 pm. Gmaps showed 22 hours and the ETA to Vijayawada was at 2 pm. The check-in time at our hotel was also at 2 pm. I was maintaining a steady pace between 100-110 km/hr. We took the first snacks break at Kolaghat followed by a dinner break at Balasore. From Balasore, it was non-stop driving barring the fuel breaks. In the morning 5 am, we crossed Vizag, and our ETA to reach Vijayawada came down to 9-45 am. We were approximately 4 hours before time. So, we decided to take a break at around 7-15 in the morning and call the hotel to see if they could give us an early check-in. We stopped for nearly 1.5 hrs at Rajamundry and called our hotel at 8-45 am. They assured us that early check-in was possible. That was a relief to us. We pushed a bit from Rajamundry and reached our hotel by 11 am.
At Vivanta Vijayawada
Day 2, Vijayawada to Pondicherry, 623 km, 10 hours
We started around 11 in the morning. The route was pretty straightforward. The highways in south India were a delight to drive.
Somewhere on the way.
We crossed Nellore around 3 pm and reached Chennai Outer Ring Road by 5 pm.
After crossing the Chennai outer ring road we took a late food break.
We resumed back our journey by 6-30 pm, drove to Tindivanam, and took left for Pondicherry.
We reached our hotel at Pondicherry by 9 pm. It was difficult to get a hotel with parking at White Town. Sukanya managed to find this hotel with an underground parking facility! Overall this was a good stay with VFM pricing. The only negative is, that they do not have an in-house restaurant, but there are many restaurants available within walking distance. The good thing is, if anyone orders, they will get the food in the room from nearby restaurants. Plus they served us complimentary breakfast.
Day 3 & 4
Day 3 & 4 were spent in and around Pondicherry & trying out some tasty food! We mostly traveled in Sukanya’s brother’s Honda Amaze as that was a much more comfortable option to travel with 4 adults and 1 kid.
Promenade Beach
At Paradise Beach
At White Town
Day 5, Pondicherry to Bangalore, 348 km, 5 hours.
We started from White Town, Pondicherry at 10 am. We were confused whether to take the route via Vellore & Hoskote or to take the Krishnagiri route. It was Diwali and Gmaps showed all clear for the Krishnagiri route. We trusted G-maps and took the Krishnagiri route.
By 3 pm we reached the HSR layout and took a lunch break. Post lunch we drove for another hour to reach our stay at Budigere.
On electronic city flyover!
Day 6 to day 11- Bangalore (City drive, Nandi hills & Adiyogi, roughly 500 km)
Shell, after a long time! The last time I refueled in Shell, Bangalore was in 2011!
Near Nandi Hills with my brother-in-law’s Amaze and my college friend’s Creta.
A family pic at AdiYogi
My College!
I stayed in this building from 2005 till 2011. It’s in Banshankari 3rd stage.
Driving through Brigade Road after more than a decade!
Midnight Team-Bhp meet at Bangalore!
The first day of school for my brother-in-law’s son! A precious moment!
At Nandi Hills!
With my trusted bike and car mechanic at JC Road, where I used to go frequently when I stayed in Bangalore. They are more than friends to me. We all had a good time back then.
Day 12, Bangalore to Hyderabad, 578 km, 9 hours
We left Bangalore at 9-30 in the morning, had lunch at Kurnool & reached Hyderabad by 6-30 pm. We stayed at Treebo SY Inn, Gachibowli DLF. It is a VFM stay with proper parking. The evening was spent with friends and Hyderabadi Biriyani!
KIA on the way!
Met my college friend in Hyderabad
The Charminar
Day 13, Hyderabad to Srikakulam, 786 km (11.5 hours) + 100 km drive on Hyderabad ORR in the morning. So total of 886 km in 13 hours.
I have heard a lot about the Hyderabad ORR. So to enjoy the ORR we took an extra 105 km drive in the morning before exiting Hyderabad at 12 noon. In all, I got to drive for about 150 km on the ORR with the cruise control set at 120 km/hr!
Between Hyderabad to Vijayawada, we stopped near this beautiful temple.
Hyderabad to Srikakulam had an excellent road surface. Our ETA to reach Srikakulam was at 1-36 am. With a proper lunch break and a longish fuel stop, we managed to enter our hotel by 11-30 in the night. We stayed at the Nagavali Hotel. It’s a huge property with average maintenance, friendly staff, and lots of parking space. The hotel is 3 to 4 km from the highway.
Day 14, Srikakulam to Kolkata, 820 km, 14 hours
We started around 12 noon. Had our late lunch at Tampara Resort near Bramhapur Odisha. Post-lunch break we took another couple of breaks at Balasore & Kolaghat & we finally reached Kolkata by 2 am. Sukanya had some work the very next day, so dropped her at her parent’s home and I drove back to my home. By the time I parked the car, it was 3 am!
5017 km of memories!
How did Jimny perform?
It exceeded my expectations!
Let’s get into some details-
Pros-
- On Day 1, I drove the car for 1264 km. The driver’s fatigue level was in an acceptable range. Even after 1250 km, I was fresh enough to push it for another 250 km!
- This car can easily cruise at 110-120 km/hr on good highways. On Hyderabad ORR I drove at 120 km/hr nonstop for 150 km.
- Till 120 km/hr, one can expect a mileage of 13 km/l with stock tires. Above 120 km/hr, the mileage drops down below 13 km/L.
- Driving in the range of 80-90 km/hr the Jimny can return a mileage of 15-16 km/L!
- One need not worry about the rough patches and small undulations on the highway.
- The stock headlights are good enough for the night drive.
- Proper downshift can easily negate the otherwise average brakes.
- The small footprint is a boon even on the highways with too much truck traffic.
- The AC is a chiller!
- The music system kept us happy! Though music enthusiasts need to upgrade!
- With two people on board, we could actually carry a lot of luggage using the boot space and the rear seats!
- Lastly, go anywhere you want! I saw a nice roadside lake and took the Jimny down beside the lake to click some pics. The second gear lever does aid some confidence!
Cons-
- The co-passenger’s seat and the driver’s seat are placed too close. So Sukanya was not able to sit in a relaxed way as she used to in our Duster.
- The body roll and vertical movements can be felt much more than in a monocoque SUV. This can be more tiring for the co-passenger than the driver.
- Sukanya missed the Duster more than 1000 times on this trip!
- With a tank full of fuel the comfortable range is only 400 km. So frequent fuel breaks are necessary.
- The speed which cars like our previous Duster or similar cars can maintain effortlessly, for that the Jimny needs to be pushed. At 120 km/hr, the RPM is above 3,500 and the engine sound intrudes into the cabin. Though the engine feels fine & responsive, the NVH can make the occupants tired for cruising at 120 km/hr for long. The only solution is to increase the volume of the music system!
- One can beat the Gmaps timing with Jimny too, but in our Duster that was effortless! That I can’t say about Jimny!
- Even if you want, you can’t keep up with fast cars like the Taigun or Xuv700 on 6-lane highways with sparse traffic!
- A dead pedal, a bigger footwell, and a handrest were sorely missed!
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
