Hill stations are a great weekend getaway, far from the maddening city crowd. The scenery, the laid-back life, and the lower ambient temperatures all combine to offer a change of gears that help you relax and better prepare for another week of hustle. BUT IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO MAKE HILL STATION GETAWAYS A REGULAR THING (we’re envious 💙), here’s how you can compare cars and choose the best car for hilly areas. ⛰️
1. Reliability. On a vacation, reliability becomes doubly important because you might drive along some really lonely roads to get to the hill station. For example, if you are making the trip from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar and decide to take the less travelled but more fun route from Mahad, chances are that you might not have a qualified mechanic nearby for some stretches of the route. Even if you pass through a major city like Chandigarh while driving from Delhi to Kasol, it’s still a 550km trip each way, meaning your car needs to be able to take the strain of being driven for an entire day. As a rule of thumb, new car models have better and more features, but older models have the advantage of being refined by real-world use, and their tech is usually more reliable.
2. Excess space. On a vacation, space becomes much more important because you’re going to spend at least half a day getting to your destination. For example, driving to Munnar from Kochi, Coimbatore, or even Madurai will take you at least half a day, accounting for traffic in the city and stops on the highway. The extra legroom helps occupants move positions and get comfortable during the drive. You’ll also need more storage space in the cabin: bottle holders in the doors, and pockets at the back to hold knick-knacks like mobile phones, wallets, candy, and chips. Considerable luggage space is a definite plus – more than two people on a weekend road trip, and you’ll need more space than is available in the boot of a hatchback today. Vacations are made when a car’s boot space is some of the most valuable real estate. And full-size sedans and two-row SUVs (or three-row MUVs with the third row folded) should be on your radar.
3. Bigger-than-necessary engine. Commuting is all about fuel efficiency, but on a vacation, your vehicle is going to be loaded with people and luggage, adding a lot of extra weight. You’re going to be driving – and needing to overtake – at highway speeds, on high gears. You will climb steep slopes on the way to the hill station, with that full complement of passengers and luggage. Therefore, you will need an engine with enough power and torque to handle all these situations, while also running the air-con at max to keep the cabin cool while getting in and out of the city. For a vacation to a hill station, more is always better when it comes to the engine. The best car for hilly areas usually includes diesel engines since they have a higher torque figure at lower revs, making them easier to drive under loaded conditions. However, petrol engines have the edge for all-out performance when overtaking.
4. Great tank range. A car with enough range to get to your destination and back, or at least refuel at a metropolitan on the way, will ensure that you have peace of mind about the quantity of fuel. Sure, most hill stations are a couple of hundred kilometres away from where you live, but while you’re out there exploring, you will burn through your fuel in no time. Again, when you compare cars, diesel-powered cars tend to have a better tank range than petrol ones. But a carefully driven petrol car can also surprise you with its tank range.
5. Manual control over transmission. If you pick a car with only a manual gearbox, skip this point. However, if you have an automatic vehicle, make sure it offers you manual control over the gearbox. This is particularly useful when you want to overtake in a hurry on the highway, or if you want to slowly crawl up a steep incline with a loaded car, or even use the engine braking to keep your brakes from overheating as you descend a steep slope.
6. Driving dynamics. This can be interpreted one of two ways; if you’re fond of speed and corner-carving, you’ll want a sedan with the ability to stay stable at high speeds and give the right feedback to the driver along the corners. On the other hand, if your destination hill station has dirt roads or difficult-to-reach areas with broken tarmac on the way, you’ll want an SUV or MUVcar with good ground clearance. For extreme situations, you will want a vehicle with the ability to drive all four wheels.
7. Safety features. India has the highest percentage of road accident-related deaths in the world, so it’s recommended to keep safety features as a key consideration when picking the best car for hilly areas. Get yourself a car that protects every occupant. All new cars today have ABS and airbags as a legal requirement, but also look up their Global NCAP crash safety ratings. Look for additional safety tech like Brake Assist, ESP, and traction control.
8. Good entertainment system. Whether you’re stuck in inter-city traffic or you find yourself on an uneventful stretch, like the one from Delhi to Chandigarh, or when you’re simply trying to stay awake and cannot find a tea stall or Starbucks for a shot of caffeine, you need a reliable music set-up. Besides, one of the best bonding moments on a road trip is when everyone is singing along at the top of their voices to a popular song, so make sure your device connects to your car’s audio system – be it Bluetooth or aux – and that your speaker settings are optimized basis where everyone is sitting in the car.
🏆 Bonus feature: sunroof.
Sunroofs aren’t just fascinating, they’re fun too 💙 There’s also the matter of keeping out the dust, rain, and the occasional gob of spit from the bus or truck we’re driving behind, from the car cabin 🙄. However, the one time that you will appreciate and use a sunroof is on a road trip to a hill station – the clear air, silence, and low temperatures will let you experience one of the pleasures of motoring to its fullest extent. 😎
The rule of thumb for any vacation vehicle is… get more than you think will be necessary. You see, when you look for a city car, you look for efficiency in all aspects. If you face trouble, you’re in a city and help is near. On a vacation, however, you might be miles away from immediate help so a breakdown has very different implications. The right car with the right features will ensure you will get to and from your destination with a minimum of fuss and distraction, and make sure things go according to plan. 👍
