4,200 km road trip in Tata Harrier diesel: All smiles & no negatives

The AC performed well even in the hotter regions & the SUV returned an overall fuel efficiency of 12.54 km/l.

BHPian CaptBrat1845 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So, I just got back from a 4200+ kms trip on my 2022 XTA+ Dark Edition from Chennai to Gangtok and back, with my family and dog. This post is just about the Car.

The extended post, with all details including road conditions, things to do stays, breaks/stops en-route shall be posted as a travelogue shortly.

• Route: Chennai - Vizag - Kolkata - Kalimpong - Gangtok - Nathula - Zuluk - Gangtok - Darjeeling - Kolkata - Vizag - Chennai.
• Total Fuel Consumed : 340 Ltrs
• Total Kms run : 4264 km
• Fuel Consumption for the entire trip : 12.54kmpl (actuals). (13.8kmpl as per MID).

Final MID Figures

DEF Consumed : Tank was at 90% full at the start, and at 30% upon completion. So on a 14 Ltr tank, that translates to about 8 Ltrs.

Would attribute the higher consumption to higher revs being maintained in the hills, and also, the poorer combustion due to lack of oxygen there (I guess).

Total Money Spent on Tolls (All via Fastag) for the entire Trip - To and Fro : Rs 6977 (definitely not worth it at all).

All stays booked via AirBnB (since we needed Pet Friendly stay everywhere).

Dates

• 19th May 2023 : 0430 hrs : Depart Chennai
• 19th May 2023 : 1815 hrs : Arrived Vizag
• 20th May 2023 : Rest Day at Vizag
• 21st May 2023 : 0500 hrs : Depart Vizag
• 21st May 2023 : 2200 hrs : Arrive Kolkata
• 22nd May 2023 : Rest Day at Kolkata
• 23rd May 2023 : 0530 hrs : Depart Kolkata
• 23rd May 2023 : 2000 hrs : Arrive Kalimpong
• 24th May 2023 : At Kalimpong
• 25th May 2023 : 1200 hrs : Depart Kalimpong
• 25th May 2023 : 1430 hrs : Arrive Gangtok
• 25th - 30th May 2023 : At Gangtok
• 30th May 2023 : 0900 hrs : Depart Gangtok
• 30th May 2023 : 1400 hrs : Arrive Darjeeling (with Stops)
• 31st May 2023 : At Darjeeling
• 1st May 2023 : Depart Darjeeling - Arrive Kolkata
• 2nd May 2023 : Depart Kolkata - Arrive Vizag
• 3rd May 2023 : Depart Vizag - Arrive Chennai

Prior departure got the car's 3rd service done earlier than required at 9000 kms, including oil and filter changes just as a precaution, as we had envisaged that we would be driving the car extensively for long periods, and also, would have to leave the car on with the AC running, whenever we stop en route at various points for Lunch/Breakfast etc and would have to leave our dog in the car (in the heat) for that period.

We did however take comfort breaks for her and took that opportunity to switch off the engine for ~30mins whenever it was done.

Skye in the Car with AC on.

Happy to report that the entire trip went without even a glitch. The car performed perfectly and as expected. Even at the heights of Nathula and Zuluk (~14000 ft), we did not face any problems whatsoever.

At Nathula

En-Route to Zuluk, we faced, Zero Visibility.

We couldn't take pics of the absolute Zero, as the concentration was more on keeping the car on the road, and not falling off the cliff side!

Zuluk Route - Displayed on Android Auto.

View from Tambi View Point, couldn't get the whole view due to heavy fog and snowfall. The adventurous climb up was totally worth it.

However, the mild drop in power and turbo lag was very apparent. Even the much-reported glitches in the Display unit never showed up.

We constantly maintained between 90-120kmph on the highway. I used the Cruise Control quite a lot, while my wife was happy using the accelerator.

AC performed well, and we did not feel the heat even while traversing the hot regions of Orissa, and Mid Andhra.

Bad roads were tackled with aplomb and no rattling to report after the completion of the entire drive.

At RK Beach, Vizag

The bonnet is good enough to hold both of them.

Yes, it's covered with PPF to protect from Skye's Paws.

Sunset Imagery

Come Rain Come Shine

End of Trip, Prior the Wash down.

Yeah, she's dirty, alright

Gave the car for a thorough wash down, polishing, and interior cleaning at Carspark OMR, Chennai the next day.

Will take some time to assimilate and collate all the data, photos and videos, which will be posted shortly as a travelogue.

No negatives. That's the main takeaway and 100% smiles.

In fact, we've been low on dopamine, since we arrived back in Chennai on the night of 3rd June, and it almost feels like a hangover.

Need to get back on the road again!

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