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Our first 500 km long road trip with the Hycross: Drive experience

13th June 2024, 17:36 by Rahul Nagaraj

The car returned 16 km/l mileage for the full journey which is mind-blowing for the fully loaded car (with 60-65% in PWR mode) during summer.

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Updates: 560 km weekend Konkan visit on my Hycross.

A proposal for a quick visit to Konkan was put on the table by my wife on Wednesday 15th May. The main purpose of this visit was to show Konkan to MIL, a chance for kids' summer vacation daily routine and buy Hapoos mangos.

We had also visited the length and breadth of Konkan over the past many years so planning was easy. We decided to visit Guhagar beach. The property selected was Mango Village Resort- A place with no frills, peaceful and close to the beach (3Kms). I booked the 2 BHK villa on Thursday itself. we were 3 Adults and 2 kids.

Route planning: The route planning was straightforward. I don't want to travel on the Mumbai- Bangalore highway due to diversions. So the other option was:

Pune- Tamhini Ghat- Mangaon- Karad- Chiplun- Guhagar and the same is followed for the return journey.

Road condition: Amazing all across except Near Bhagad MIDC area (these 3-4 Kms are always in bad shape from so many years)

Onward Journey: We started from PCMC at 5 am, and with steady speed (60-70KMPH) we reached the MIDC Bhagad area around 7 pm. We had homemade food with us which we relish in a nice location a little off the road in Tamhini ghat area.

Once we crossed Mangaon, I put the PWR mode on and till Guhagar the PWR mode stayed on. I must say this mode is quite addictive. The highway from Mangaon to Chiplun is in great shape, the traffic was sparse and the Ghats were quite scenic as well. The road from Chiplun to Guhagar is again in great shape, barring the city roads near the Chiplun exit. We reached the beach at 10.30 am. For this 266kms journey, the Hycross returned 16.1 km/l of mileage (even with 60% PWR mode). Total driving time was 4.5 hours (I was targeting 5.5 hours).

Hycross performance

This was our first long travel (> 500 km), I must say the car performed just what it is expected, the visibility was great, the acceleration/braking was predictable, and ADAS features were blissful all through (ACC, blind spot monitoring specifically). The car returned 16 km/l mileage for the full journey which is mind-blowing for the fully loaded car (with 60-65% in PWR mode) during summer. We did not feel any fatigue throughout the journey. Our combination of seats: Driver, co-driver, one child seat in the rear and one in the middle, MIL in the middle. My elder kid loves the ottoman seats, as they allow him to rest his feet and have a cosy sleep. Sun blinds were quite helpful for rear passengers.

The boot space was enough for 3 bags + 3 duffels + 10-litre water jar. On the return journey, we bought 6 dozen Alphonso Mango straight from the farm (@ 400 INR/Dozen for the big size, for reference in a regular mango box we can fit just 7-8 of them (instead of 12). The Hycross accommodated all boxes with ease.

Overall, very happy with the vehicle, the practicality, the comfort, the mileage, the stability, the ability to cruise at steady speeds, ground clearance and confidence-inspiring handling.