Open roads. Stunning views. Trip memories. Exploring new places. Magical vistas. Sunrises and sunsets. These are some of the elements that make up for a perfect road trip for most but in our case, the four-wheeled companion needs to be a special one too. Right then, when we planned to break away from the WFH life for a few days, Hyundai was cooperative enough to lend us the all-new Creta in its finest form, the range-topping and performance-oriented Creta 1.4 GDI DCT version.
Why Rajasthan
Given that the Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal and Uttrakhand were literally closed for tourism (and rightly so!), we decided to head the next best place around and Rajasthan came it was. Though not the best time for a trip to this state, we were hopeful of getting a deserved break from the otherwise mundane routine during the intensive lockdown period.
The Plan
Frankly, we had a rough plan in place. Leave Delhi before traffic sets in, hit NH8 to Jaipur and beyond and plan the rest as the day progresses. Plans are usually meant to be broken but in this case, a mid-night short circuit in my colony's electricity junction led to a firey scare, arrival of a few fire tenders and a four-hour delay in our planned departure time. Sigh.
Day 1
Nevertheless, we started our Unlock trip from the heart of Delhi, the Rajpath area. A quick drive towards Rashtrapati Bhawan and India Gate, we soon hit the Gurgaon expressway by about 10am.
NH8 towards Jaipur has been as boring as always but a few hilly sights around keep your eyes busy and hopes high.
A quick brunch stop later, we were back on the road to Jaipur. Seen below is the Creta 1.4 GDI DCT in the parking lot of the restaurant.
The bypass to this capital city is a boon but over the years, truck traffic has increased a lot. This along with a long trail of vehicles at the toll booths meant it was well past noon when we hit the Jaipur-Ajmer expressway.
With seat ventilation ON and drive mode set to Comfort in our Creta 1.4 GDI DCT, we kept chewing up miles towards our (finally) planned destination, Pushkar. The plan was to spend the evening at our pre-decided location for the perfect views of the sun setting behind the Aravali range.
Pushkar is known for a lot of things but for us, the aim was clear. Get the drone into the air, cameras on the tripod and the soak in the design of the Creta as the sky changed its colors multiple times.
This is where the Creta showed off its full pack of LEDs and DRLs. The long drive to this place had been worth the effort it seemed and our local friends had prepared the best laal maas I have had in years!
Day 2
If the sunset was mesmerizing, the sunset was surreal.
We were ready at our location well in time and once again, our set of drone and cameras were ready to capture nature at its best in all forms.
Post the shoot, it was time to let the Creta explore the surroundings and this was possible due to the traction modes it comes with. Infact, these aids give the driver a lot of confidence when driving into unexplored territories.
Talking of which, our evening experience was a highlight. A drive of about 2 hours got us to what can truly be termed as Rajasthan's own Bonneville flats.
What used to be a salt lake decades back is now an expanse of salt flats. Yes, this has given rise to a small industry here but far away, at our usual location, we had nothing for company, not even a bird!
With 140 horses on tap and the assurance of electronics backing up, it was time to play with the Creta. Flat out runs, making eights and just letting it out completely, the Creta seemed to be enjoying every moment of it as well.
After giving the car's paint job a temporary makeover, we continued ahead to Jaipur for our night halt. A 2-hour drive saw us crashing into our beds by 8pm.
Day 3
We know Jaipur for a lot of interesting places - the old pink city, Hawa Mahal, delicious snacks, forts, hospitality et al. But the same city is also home to amazing landscape and a set of twisties that gives you a sense of being a Himalayan state.
These set of hills are also home to several forts and its common to come across peacocks, monkeys, baboons and the occasional jackal. But for us, it was a treat to see the Creta posing for us in a majestic setting as seen below.
Before continuing ahead, we made a quick stop at the base of the Amer fort.
By 11am, it was time to hit the highway leading back to Delhi, not before a quick fill up. Yes, the answer to the question of 'Kitna Deti Hai' is 15 kmpl which is excellent considering our flat out runs at Sambhar, uphill stint to Nahargarh and generally not driving keeping fuel economy in mind.
The 1100km in these 3 days not only took us some of the best landscapes of Rajasthan but allowed me to understand the new Creta even better. I will summarize our understanding of the car in the video below. Click 'play' to know it all ;)
