Delhi To Rishikesh In Fiat Punto Evo [Travelogue]

The Fiat Punto Evo makes our journey comfortable yet fun with its sweet dynamics

If you stay in Mumbai and are planning a quick getaway, you have a long list of options to choose from, including Lonavala, Karjat, Kashid, Mahabaleshwar, Lavasa and the list goes on. What if you are put up in Delhi and want to escape the chaotic lifestyle for a day or two with friends, where should you go? There are a couple of those mundane hill stations that are nowadays more chaotic and the list of destinations is actually very limited. This time around me and my two friends decided to go camping at Rishikesh, which is about 230 kms away from Delhi.

Since we are talking about fun trips, the new Fiat Punto Evo was the perfect choice in our situation. The Punto has a cult following for its timeless styling and immense driving pleasure that it offers. The design of the Punto is in a class by itself and the changes on the new Punto Evo shoots up the style quotient of this Italian hatchback. Some of the key styling elements include the wide front grille, sharp crease lines and LED detailing in the tail lights. The Glitterati Gold colour that we got further enhanced the fun factor of our road trip.

Rishikesh is largely known as a pilgrimage destination of India and is also called the adventure capital of India, gateway to the Himalayas and world capital of Yoga. However, we were not interested in any of the aforementioned stuff but to chill and relax. I was quite curious and excited to go camping as I had never done this before but at the same time I wasn’t expecting much from Rishikesh. We intended to start early on Friday at 5 AM from Delhi to avoid traffic but things never go as planned (poor sleeping habits). We eventually left the city at 8 AM and one of the reasons for being late was arranging an auxiliary cable, as we just remembered that the Blue&Me Bluetooth system doesn’t stream music.

We took the conventional route, which is Delhi-Meerut-Muzaffarnagar-Roorkee-Rishikesh. This 230 km route seems to be short and Google Maps shows around 4.30 hours of travel time but things are quite different when you hit the road. We found standstill traffic on the outskirts of Delhi and up till Meerut, our average speed was 60-70 km/hr because of the narrow four-lane highway with traffic. From Meerut to Muzzaffarnagar we gathered good pace on the six-lane stretch and this is where the Punto Evo showed its rock solid high speed stability. There is a big food plaza en route and we took a pause there to grab a quick bite in Subway, you also get Haldirams, McDonalds, Costa Coffee and many more options to choose from, quite a neat food court with good parking space.

The Fiat Punto handles both the rough and smooth with true mettle

Heading back towards Rishikesh, the smooth tarmac lasted till Muzaffarnagar and since there is no bypass for this town, it takes a while to cross the narrow streets. Now you get the same four-lane highway up to Rishikesh, which includes rough and choppy patches. We entered Rishikesh by 2 PM and we had to go 20 kms further to reach our camping site. The last stretch of 20 kms was the best part of the drive on smooth twisties which the Punto Evo handled like a charm and it was great fun. The fantastic ride quality of the Punto made the drive fatigue free throughout.

Now after parking the car, our travel guide made us cross the holy river Ganga through a raft, which is a bit scary, as you have to take your luggage along. It takes a good 15 minutes to cross the river but once you settle in the raft, you can’t stop admiring the beautiful nature around; it is mind numbingly peaceful and serene. The camping tents just have space to accommodate three beds along with your luggage but they are quite cozy. There is no provision of power outlets so you have to get your portable chargers along. Also, the internet doesn’t work there, though you have enough network for calls and text but we kept our phones ringing (boss calling) in our bags and enjoyed the soothing atmosphere. We had a choice to play volleyball but none of us was willing to waste energy, as we stuck by our one point program of lazing around.

While majority of the people come to Rishikesh for adventure sports, we were there to be at leisure

Camping at Rishikesh is the perfect way to de-stress from the urban rush

They provide breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner including rafting (if you prefer) in a single package, which I’ll reveal soon. The piping hot food is excellent, it’s Indian and made fresh in the premises with a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, nothing fancy but appetising chicken curry, vegetables, pulses, rice and fresh tandoori rotis. We were surrounded by enormous hills and sat alongside the gigantic river with our feet submerged in cold white sand. The feeling left us spellbound and I never expected such magnitude of tranquility, these pictures don’t do justice at all. It gets very cold at night and with our jackets on, we could still feel the chill but they also arrange bonfire to make you comfortable sitting outside.

We intended to return next day after lunch and realised in the morning that two days are more than enough for camping, you get good time to relax and have fun with your friends. So it was time to bid adieu to the amazing environment and head back to the hurly-burly of urban jungle. We started at 2 PM from Rishikesh and it took 7 hours for me to reach home after dropping my friends back, thanks to the Google Maps confusion while entering Delhi. We found relatively more traffic on our way back and even that six-lane stretch from Muzaffarnagar to Meerut was slow. Thankfully there’s only one toll booth between Delhi and Rishikesh that charges Rs. 80/- one way.

It was hard to say goodbye to this magnificent place but one can plan trips quite often to Rishikesh from Delhi

We were in a frenzy of delight at the end of the journey realising the kind of money we spent for such a fantastic trip. Only Rs. 1000/- per person for camping, which includes accommodation, food, volleyball, bonfire and what not! And if one is interested in river rafting, you just have to pay an additional Rs. 500/-. On top of that, we never had to refuel the Punto Evo, as we went and came back on a single tank of diesel. The MID showed 15.5 km/l of average fuel efficiency, which is quite impressive. The Fiat Punto Evo was a worthy companion for this trip. The pliant ride quality made it a very comfortable drive while the sweet handling was taking care of the wide grin on my face. There is some turbo lag in the 1.3-litre Multijet engine and you need to work the gears for overtaking but once it stretches its legs, the Punto starts pulling from the strong mid-range torque. The feeling of driving this Italian beast is best experienced on a vast mix of roads as this Fiat manages to create an emotional bond with you. The more you drive a Punto, the more you love it and that’s why we all admire Fiats.

The Fiat Punto is the best hatchback to take a long trip in, it’s solidly put-together, rides beautifully and the handling is a total charm. With a generous boot and scintillating looks, the Punto appeals both to the head and heart.

Further Reading –

Fiat Punto Evo Review
Fiat Punto Evo vs Volkswagen Polo vs Maruti Swift
Fiat Punto Evo vs Hyundai Elite i20 vs Volkswagen Polo vs Maruti Swift
10 Reasons Why Fiat Owners Are Obsessed With Their Cars