The WR-V is Honda’s ticket into the world of compact or sub 4-meter SUVs and comes across as a surprise package. No wonder, Honda is able to sell over 2000 units of the WR-V each month and this in spite of a ‘premium’ sticker price. The diesel model especially, thanks its torquey and efficient nature, is keeping customers happy and we decided to pick the same model for a 1000km road trip down South last month. We call it the K2K trip as the car took us from the capital city of Karnataka to the beautiful and stunning beaches of Kerala.
Our road trip started from the Bengaluru airport that is located at the outskirts of the city. This particular media vehicle (the reason you see the DL registration) had over 15,000 km on the odometer and yet felt as fresh as new. Our first stop was Giddenahalli, located on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border but to reach here, we had a task at hand. And this was to negotiate through Bengaluru’s infamous evening traffic. The WR-V however made things easier, thanks to oodles of torque low down in the rev range. This negates the need to downshift often.
From Giddenahalli, we left for out night destination, Mysore. It was dark by now but we were confident with this cross-over and thanks to its brilliant night illumination, reached our hotel without any hassles on the way. We did have to cross through massive speed breakers on the way but the SUV rivalling ground clearance came handy.
Now Mysore is a little gem of a city in this state. But due to limited time on hand, we had to quickly move towards Madikeri which is as popular due to its scenic location and mountain views. Our four-wheeled companion in the meantime was delivering an economy of 25+ as per the display! Later on, as we found out, the entire trip was done in just over one tankful of fuel. No, we did not fill up even once.
The road to Madekeri or the Coorg district is winding and uphill. But thanks to the hot noon sun, we had to use the air-con initially but once into cooler environs, the sunroof was made full use of! This is a USP of the WR-V and it is places like these where you can utilize it completely. The night was spent in the middle of a coffee estate and the WR-V turnout to be quite a poser as you can see in the pictures here.
Our next destination was Kerala, which was an impromptu plan. And this was because in spite of less rest the previous two nights, we weren’t tired at all. Honda is known to make the best seats around and this car was a testimony to the same fact. So, we marched ahead to Kannur, Kerala for the night. In fact, this confidence also came from the fact that I had spent 53 days in a Honda Amaze (back to back) a year back without needing a backbone replacement!
So, why Kannur? Not many know that here lies India’s only and quite a long drive-in beach. For this destination, we left Madikeri early in the morning and were greeted with empty, mist filled twisties of the Western Ghats. Our route today took us through the heart of Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and though these were two-lane roads, we weren’t complaining. Guys, if you ever visit this area, head out for a drive early morning. Its mystical! And do keep the windows down.
Time to discuss the heart of the car here. This diesel model gets a 1.5-litre unit that also powers the City, BR-V and the Amaze. It generates 100 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque and comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Though the engine is on the noisier side, we made full use of the torque low down in the rev range. We continued straight ahead to the famous Muzhappilangad Beach, which, as we told above, is the only beach in India where you are legally allowed to drive your car on. As seen in the images here, we had the entire place to ourselves and had a blast driving the WR-V in the sea waters. Let me add that this is not a recommended thing as the salt from the water isn’t good for the underbody. This also why we got the underbelly washed at a local washing center later in the day.
Post the driving fun, we soaked in the beach views for an hour, hydrating ourselves with sweet coconut water. Our stay for the night was sea facing too and the narrow countryside roads of Kerala were pure fun and took us back in time. Isn’t this we all need for escaping our daily corporate life? We hit the bed early at night as the next day would be a fast dash to the Bengaluru airport to drop the car and take the flight back home.
The drive back to Bengaluru is when we finally stretched the WR-V’s legs and allowed it to cruise in the 6th gear. The roads today took us through the Rajiv Gandhi National Park as well. There are reasons why the Honda WR-V has been a success for the company. It not only looks great for a cross-over, but delivers where it matters the most and that is a comfortable experience even when doing a cross-state run like this one. Loved the images? Do visit this circuit once (by road!) and we are sure you will fall in love with the roads and scenic views. Safe motoring!
