It was an epic three-day (over 700 km) drive the place I had the prospect to expertise three totally different Renault automobiles: Kwid, Triber, and Kiger
As a local to the Northern elements of the nation, I by no means had the chance to drive by way of scenic routes alongside the coast. Despite continuously planning journeys to Goa with buddies, they by no means appeared to occur. However, destiny had a distinct plan and it appears the favored seaside vacation spot was to be part of my skilled journey as properly. So, when Renault India despatched invitations for a 700 km plus drive expertise from Karnataka to Goa, I used to be fast to grab the chance. Not solely would I be visiting Goa for the primary time, however I’d even have the prospect to expertise numerous Renault automobiles back-to-back, with the Kiger Turbo being my favorite amongst their choices.
Day 1: Bengaluru To Madikeri
I used to be buzzing with pleasure, desperate to drive the Kiger on the very first day, however to my shock, I used to be handed the keys to the handbook transmission variant of the Renault Kwid. My preliminary thought was, “It’s a small hatchback with a 1-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which only makes 68 PS! Can I really enjoy the drive?” But remembering the age-old clever phrases to not decide a guide by its cowl, I used to be open to see what the entry-level Renault was like in the actual world. Turns out, it will be loads like a buyer expertise as I bought my arms on a factory-fresh Kwid, with simply 40 km on its odometer. There’s one thing oddly satisfying about peeling off the plastic covers from brand-new seats, don’t you agree?
Our first vacation spot was Madikeri from Bengaluru, a complete stretch of 260 km through Mysore. The starting was gradual, navigating by way of heavy metropolis site visitors in Bengaluru. As we hit the Bangalore-Mysore expressway, it grew to become clean crusing. This spectacular 10-lane freeway spans roughly 110 km, and it takes round 2 hours to achieve Mysore, providing a calming drive. On the best way I requested my colleague and companion for the day, Aniruthan, to set the navigation which was straightforward with Kwid’s 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
I used to be pleasantly stunned by the journey high quality of the Renault Kwid, which was actually good for a automobile of its dimension. It dealt with every little thing easily, whether or not it was undulations on the freeway or tough patches alongside the street. Additionally, the high-speed stability of the automobile was higher than I’d anticipated. Even cruising at triple digit freeway speeds, the Kwid felt regular. Since it was a straight freeway ascending uphill after Mysore, it was the proper route to check how the Kwid with its small 1-litre engine would carry out.
I wasn’t too anxious because it was a handbook automobile, so not less than I had full management over the gearing and the clutch. The Kwid actually struggled up the inclines andI needed to downshift to 2nd gear a number of occasions to handle overtakes. The previous couple of kilometres have been like this, until we lastly reached Madikeri, Coorg.
Day 2: Madikeri To Gokarna
Day 2 introduced contemporary pleasure about driving on a brand new route and, after all, a distinct Renault automobile. To my shock, I used to be given the identical Renault Kwid once more however I handed over the controls to my colleague Aniruthan this time and determined to soak up the morning views from the co-driver’s seat.
The journey from Madikeri to Gokarna was the longest leg of this three-day drive, protecting a complete distance of 365 km. This route additionally included Maravanthe Beach, a spot the place I used to be about to go to for the primary time. The first a part of the journey took us by way of the Ghats, the roads providing loads of curves and corners. Wanting to expertise how the Kwid dealt with round curves, I switched to the driving force’s seat of one other entry-level Renault within the convoy. I seen that the Kwid had fairly a little bit of physique roll, however that wasn’t stunning contemplating its wheelbase and floor clearance. But the attractive places on this route definitely did catch my breath and naturally we stopped alongside the best way to seize recollections on our telephones.
After the Ghats part, we reached the outskirts of Mangalore the place we made our first cease of the day, for lunch. With my very own gas tank brimmed, I made a decision to modify issues up and positioned myself on the helm of a Renault Triber, and sure, fortunately it was a handbook. It was going to take us a few hours not less than from Mangalore to Maravanthe Beach, protecting greater than 100 km. The Triber was loaded with 4 individuals, together with some heavy digicam gear inside because it was the digicam crew’s journey for the occasion.
Yes, it is powered by the identical 1-litre non-turbo petrol engine, which could appear a bit small for a 7-seater MPV. But since I did not must sort out any steep Ghats, simply clean highways, it was as much as the duty. The Triber is heavier than the Kwid, so it did wrestle a bit with overtakes however the calmer freeway stretch was much less disturbing. What actually impressed me concerning the Triber was the way it dealt with all kinds of street irregularities. It felt not simply comfy, however steady at larger speeds as properly.
As I approached Marvanthe Beach, my coronary heart was beating with pleasure because it was my first time driving alongside a coastal route. The golden hour gentle and the seaside street created a second that may keep in my coronary heart ceaselessly.
After witnessing the solar dipping into the ocean (or so it appeared), it was time to go to our subsequent cease for the day – Murudeshwara Temple, positioned in Murudeshwar. If you are not conversant in this temple, let me inform you, it is identified for having the second largest Shiva statue on this planet. What a sight it was! After in search of blessings from this magnificent temple, I set off in the direction of Gokarna, which was the ultimate vacation spot for day 2, simply an hour away from the temple.
For this final stretch, I lastly bought the keys to the Renault Kiger, and guess what? It was a turbo petrol variant with the CVT computerized transmission. At final, I used to be behind the wheel of essentially the most highly effective Renault automobile obtainable in India! The Kiger’s 1-litre turbo petrol makes 100 PS / 160 Nm, and never simply that, it additionally will get driving modes: Normal, Economy, and Sport. But here is the factor, I solely bought to drive it for about 55-60 km once we pulled up at our remaining cease of the day in Gokarna, and I needed extra of it.
Day 3: Gokarna To Goa
The remaining day of the drive had the skies bless us with the soothing sounds of rain. It introduced much-needed aid from the scorching warmth of the previous two days. I spent my morning fortunately exploring the venue we have been hosted at – Gamyam Resort – and the personal seaside was much more magical within the rain.
Gokarna to Goa was not solely the ultimate leg of our drive, but additionally the shortest at simply 132 km and was anticipated to take round two and a half hours to finish. Fortunately, that also supplied me ample time to get to know the automobile for the day, which fortunately for me was the Renault Kiger turbo-CVT as soon as once more. Initially, I made a decision to seize some monitoring photographs with some media buddies alongside the best way. While bountiful, it did put us delayed and so I made a decision to place the pedal to the metallic till we reached our vacation spot. The top-spec Kiger I used to be driving got here with options like wi-fi Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wi-fi charging, and auto-dimming IRVM. The wi-fi charging was a lifesaver as I forgot my cellphone’s charging cable in one other automobile.
I made a decision to play with the modes alongside the best way, switching into Sport mode. The response from the throttle was spectacular given the efficiency figures, and the Kiger felt very steady even at triple-digit speeds. This driving time, I used to be not solely driving a automobile with an excellent suspension setup, but additionally with an engine that felt extra alive. After crossing the Goa border, I encountered extra Ghat sections and drove uphill. The remaining stretch to North Goa was uneventful however definitely scenic.
Finally, Goa – well-known for its seashores, booze, and meals. Following the dinner hosted by Renault, a bunch of us media folks headed out to discover the seashores at evening which was a fairly good method to mark the top of the entire journey.
Final Thoughts
During this three-day drive journey, I coated over 700 km alongside the scenic routes of Karnataka and Goa, all of it a complete new expertise. The route included picturesque places like Marvanthe seaside and, after all, the unforgettable Murudeshwara Temple, identified for its second largest Shiva statue on this planet. The tarmac on the route chosen, that includes a good mixture of straight highways and twisty bits by way of the Ghats, supplied a clean journey for essentially the most half. While each states had some spectacular sights to supply, the drive itself was extra gratifying for me than the locations.
I had the chance of driving three totally different Renault automobiles consecutively: the Kwid, Triber, and Kiger Turbo. Thanks to the nice suspension setup of all three Renault automobiles, I by no means felt out of my consolation zone, even when driving on tough street patches. The model’s present flagship providing in India was my favorite – the Renault Kiger Turbo CVT computerized, not only for its clean efficiency but additionally for the feature-packed cabin.
Finally, I can say that it was an epic first driving expertise from Karnataka to Goa, and eagerly await the following one to discover extra automobiles and extra of the nation.
Read More on : Renault KWID AMT
