December first week:
On December 1st I had been to Chennai for the review of the Nissan Magnite. It was the Nano's
first long drive with the upsized wheels and modified interior.
Started by
5:15 am from home. It was a
501km journey to the room I had booked in Chennai. I had calculated an 8 hour drive.
Since I was the only person in the car, I enjoyed the drive with the music turned up.
I had selected the safe and smooth
Coimbatore - Salem - Chinnasalem - Ulundurpet - Chennai route which has 4 lane highways for more than 70% of the route. I maintained a steady
80-85kmph speed for the most part.
Yes, the modifications I had done were really paying off. The cruising comfort has so much improved, with less road noise. The seat comfort with the armrest is so much like a luxury car. After setting off, the first stop I made was at Chinnasalem by 8:30 am, which is exactly halfway of the drive.
250kms in just over 3 hours is really impressive for a Nano, right? Spent some 15 mins clicking photos and updating status and then set off again to Ulundurpet, where I had decided to have breakfast.
It was a proper 1 hour break at the hotel in Ulundurpet, after which I set off again to the final destination. On the way I happened to encounter the upcoming
next gen Mahindra XUV500 testing at high speeds.
It was
12:30 by the time I reached the outskirts of Chennai. Due to the terrible traffic and some political issue, I had to go around another way and then enter the city. Reached the hotel by 2:10pm with the fuel tank displaying just one bar.
It was on this trip that the
Phone Mount came in really handy for navigation. With
Google assistant I could give navigation instructions and the screen itself being right in front of me with real time speed was really so convenient.
The next day morning was spent with the Magnite and the evening at the hotel. I had tanked up the Nano after the review, resulting in an economy figure of
23kmpl.
The third day we set off back to Coimbatore by 1:30pm after catching up with a friend and visiting relatives. It was a rainy drive throughout. Reached Chinnasalem by 5:00pm after having a break on the way. After a break with a friend there, I resumed the journey and reached home at Coimbatore by
10:00pm.
The Nano performed great as usual and so did the modifications. The chances of driver fatigue has reduced drastically, making any journey a pleasant one. I am now looking forward to do more long drives this new year.