Honda Drive To Discover Edition 12: Expectations Exceeded

‘Drive To Discover’ has now become an annual escape of sorts. The plan is simple - head to a new place, drive Honda’s latest cars, and in the process, discover new places, cultures, and cuisines, all while getting to know the cars better. 

This year’s adventure was the 12th edition for Honda, but the first one for the author. The convoy travelled to the east of India, covering a distance of over 600 km within a span of 5 days. It included the three current cars in Honda’s India lineup, namely the Amaze, City, and Elevate, while the locations included a 5-day drive across a bunch of cities from Gangtok to Pelling to Kalimpong.

The fact that we came across heavenly landscapes, jaw-dropping views and spectacular vistas is obvious. Duh, we were driving across Sikkim. But the star of the drive has to be the tools at our disposal: the Honda cars. Out of their comfort zone, in the unforgiving hills of Sikkim, these cars kept us snug and pushed on when we thought we were past their limits. This story is an account of how the Honda cars did incredibly well in conditions you wouldn’t really resonate with them along with mentions of the truly beautiful scenery that we came across.

Day 1 - Siliguri to Gangtok: Honda Elevate MT

Day 1 kicked off in Siliguri with my Cardekho colleague, Sonny, being my partner for the journey. And both of us got slightly excited when we were given the keys to the Elevate manual (we hadn’t driven the car before) for our drive to Gangtok. 

First impressions with the Elevate were formed as soon as we filled the trunk with luggage. Two full-size suitcases along with an additional mid-size suitcase and there was still space for more pieces of luggage. 

Belongings inside, and off we went for our 100km stint which included some mixed tarmac. The first few kilometres – navigating the busy Siliguri city – were a breeze in comparison to what lay ahead of us. Red on Google Maps only means one thing and it’s never good. This was the only time we wished we had the CVT, because it took us about an hour to clear just a couple of kilometres. Luckily, I wasn’t driving and was handed the responsibility of the DJ. My vivid music taste and loud listening habits soon saw us complimenting the music system of the Elevate.

Compliments were also thrown around for the cabin ergonomics. Everything is where you’d expect it to be, accessible and intuitive to use, and this includes the touchscreen system as well. The soft seats cushioned us with comfort as we finally reached our stay for the night in Gangtok after finally negating the hour-long traffic jam. 

Day 2 - Gangtok to Natula Pass and back: Honda Elevate CVT

Day 2 found us rekindling with the Honda Elevate, but a CVT-equipped unit this time around as we were headed to the Nathu La, a mountain pass right next to the India-China border.

Arguably the best drive of the journey, the ride to Natu La included splendid views with a smidge of snow on the mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and Tarmac that would put most of Maharashtra’s road construction companies to shame.

Fun fact: This was the first edition of Honda’s Drive To Discover to witness snow!

Temperatures were fast dropping below the 0-degree Celsius mark enroute to Natula, but the Elevate (and we) soldiered on. The 1.5-litre NA petrol unit isn’t the most powerful on paper or extra exciting, but it never skipped a beat on steep inclines where we often pushed it past the 4500 rpm mark. In typical i-VTEC fashion, the engine was happy to rev high with a slight hint of a sporty tone and the only thing that felt out of place was the laidback CVT. But a quick fix to that was to put it in Sport mode and take control of the gears via the paddles behind the steering wheel. 

With the poised handling, free-revving engine, and manual control of the transmission, the drive to Natu La couldn’t get any better, until it did. Our jaws dropped at the first sight of Lake Tsongmo, surrounded by mountains with clouds cascading around them. And the drive further north made us pass a few Army camps and trucks, which put us in a properly patriotic mood. That visceral feeling became even fierce upon reaching Natu La and looking at the Chinese territory and their flag. 

Finishing up a 140 km drive, we touched down at the hotel in Gangtok in the early evening, before heading off to the local market for some dinner and conversations. 

Day 3 - Gangtok To Pelling: Honda Amaze MT

Day 3 of the trip found us in the humble little Amaze manual, which was going to be our ride from Gangtok to Pelling. Accommodating our suitcases was a breeze for the Amaze, but the broken patches that we were about to encounter weren't particularly kind to it. 

The Amaze’s 1.2-litre petrol engine was happy to accommodate our heavy inputs. It revved past 4000 rpm, and even maintained its composure around bends when we pushed it around a bit to cover up some ground. 

Yes, we missed our bigger, comfier Elevate. Especially the sunroof, the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and the sound system. However, the Amaze had its own share of attributes in store for us.

Where it truly came alive was during the final climb up to Pelling where the roads were really steep and only narrow enough for a single vehicle. Its compact dimensions didn’t give us much to worry about with trucks coming the other way. But the drive to Pelling was a bit unforgiving indeed, more so than anticipated, which the Amaze took on rather well. 

Now, unfortunately, our plans to go further up to Yuksom had to be cancelled for the evening owing to the early sunset and the tough drive wearing out the convoy. But everything happens for a reason, which we were about to find out after a bit of repose with bonfire and hot beverages.

Day 4 - Pelling To Kalimpong Via Darjeeling 

The journey to Kalimpong started a tad early as we were hell-bent on experiencing the Pelling Skywalk, which was just a few kilometres away from our hotel. To make sure we made it to Darjeeling in time, we ditched the convoy and set early towards the Pelling Skywalk, and boy, was it worth it (everything does happen for a reason)! 

Chenrezig, the Buddhist religious figure, greeted us to some picturesque frames along with the skywalk itself, which offered an impeccable view of the majestic Kanchenjunga. We paid our respects, got some insta-worthy photos clicked (never before have I felt so photogenic!), and completed the mandatory tourist round of the prayer wheels. After such a delightful start to the day, we could’ve never imagined how the rest of the day would completely batter us.

With us back in the Elevate, we set off to our next destination: Darjeeling. Beautiful landscapes and tea gardens are synonymous with the place. Getting there is a whole other task in itself. I’m talking about proper SUV territory here with steep inclines and rough roads, curving one after the other. And if the terrain wasn’t already challenging enough, our maps decided to go kaput, which made things even more tedious. 

But we marched on and thanks to the guidance of the cheerful locals, we finally made it to our rest stop in Darjeeling. A big shout out to the Elevate , which kept us comfortable over the treacherous route to Darjeeling.

A hefty lunch and a tea tour later, we set off again with Kalimpong punched in on the maps. This route consisted of some heavy downhill driving, and once again, the Elevate impressed us with its dynamic capabilities. I switched to the rear seats for this stint and was surprised to note that even after Sonny’s spirited driving on the twisties, I was rather comfortable in the Elevate’s back seats. So much so that I fell asleep for a while and before we knew it, we pulled up to our final stop for the day and our final hotel for the trip in Kalimpong.

Day 5 - Kalimpong To Siliguri

All good things come to an end, and Honda’s 12th D2D was no exception. The mood was understandably gloomy underneath the smiling morning faces, as a flight back home awaited us at the Bagdogra airport. The last stint was a short one with a 65 km drive from our hotel to Siliguri and this is when we finally got behind the wheel of the City Hybrid. I was quick to grab the key, given that Sonny had already experienced it beforehand. He opted and leisured in the back, while I piloted the City Hybrid down the curvy slopes. 

Just like the Elevate, the City was a hoot to drive around the hills. Be it the broken patches of road, rough-roading, corner-carving or just being planted at high speeds, the City did it all despite the modest ground clearance. The hybrid powertrain was just the icing on the cake: it offered instant response to my throttle inputs and maintained an average fuel efficiency of over 20 kmpl, despite the spirited driving.

Retrospection

Of course, over the course of the trip, there were cases of the City and Amaze inevitably bottoming out in a couple of places. Yet they were unyielding in their drive to take us places, which goes to show the reliability quotient of these Honda vehicles. You’d expect them to be out of their element in such situations, but they soldiered on. The Elevate felt like it was built for trips like these. 

Not sure how the next D2D is going to live up to this one, but I am sure to give my colleagues a tough fight to put my name down for the next one!