Honda Drive To Discover 9
Driving through the twisty roads of the beautiful North East in the Honda Civic & CR-V was a wonderful experience
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Agustine of Hippo
Travel is an intricate part of an automotive journalist’s life. The job takes you to many places for new car drives and events and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that ‘this breed’ of people are one of the most widely travelled people. While we have travelled almost the entire country covering something or the other, there are still many places we would love to visit. Well, this is where Honda’s Drive To Discover comes in, it takes you to the lesser-known places. The 9th edition was no different, we were out exploring the North East with Honda’s premium car line-up at our disposal, the Honda Civic and the Honda CR-V.
Using a ferry to transport the cars across the Brahmaputra river
We started the drive from the city of Guwahati, our first stop for the night was the river island of Majuli. Our car for the first day was the Honda CR-V. Powered by the i-DTEC oil-burner, this manual car was a charm to drive. The road towards Majuli was well surfaced with some broken patches. We cruised effortlessly through most of it, the 9-speed autobox making life quite simple. Since Majuli is a river island around the mighty Brahmaputra river, we had to use the ferry to get the cars across to the island. Once the ferry got moving, it was quite intimidating to see the Brahmaputra in all its glory. The current was fast and this river is so wide that you would mistake it for an ocean instead of a river. Moreover, this river tends to flood every year causing great loss to life and property.
The island of Majuli is heaven on Earth
After nearly 45 minutes on the ferry, we got out on the island. As we headed towards our destination for the night, we came across numerous scenic sights. Majuli is a paradise for nature lovers, the whole place is not only picturesque but is a hotspot for flora and fauna including many endangered species. Our halt for the night was a place nestled right in the midst of nature. The Brahmaputra flowing 100 feet away, this place was less luxurious and more rustic, giving you a feeling of accomplishment which you seldom find in the city.
Crossing Arunachal Pradesh in the Civic diesel
Next morning after some traditional Assamese breakfast we set out in the Honda Civic diesel. Our stop for the night was Dibrugarh but we were to get there via Arunachal Pradesh. You need special permissions to cross into this state as it borders China and security is high. Honda’s organising team had already secured the necessary permissions and we drove straight into Arunachal. This state is home to the world’s spiciest chilli, ‘bhut jolokia’ and it really requires courage to try. We tried a teeny sample and ‘spicy’ was truly an understatement here. This chilli is said to be about 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.
The Civic on Asia’s longest railroad bridge – Bogibeel bridge
On the way to Dibrugarh, we crossed the famous Bogibeel bridge. This bridge is said to be Asia’s longest railroad bridge spanning 4.94 kms. This also took the longest time to be operational, it is said to have taken more than 20 years in the construction. Progress was slow due to the constant floods which affect the area and the window for the construction was rather small. In fact, this is the first bridge to use steel-concrete beams which can withstand an earthquake of up to magnitude 7 on the Richter scale. On the open highways, the roads were well surfaced and we took the opportunity to stretch the Civics’ legs in the sixth gear.
Assam is famous for its tea estates all over the world
Assam is famous for its tea estates and what would a trip to Assam be if you didn’t visit one! We saw numerous tea estates as we approached Dibrugarh and finally, we stopped at one to buy some local tea. Some of the tea estates in this area also have guided tours where you can experience the complete processing of tea, right from plucking of the tea leaves to the packaging. After leaving from Dibrugarh the next day, we set out for our destination. Our stop for the night was in the Kaziranga National Park.
Kaziranga National Park is home to some rare animals and birds
Drive to Discover 9 took us through some of the most magnificent and famous attractions in the North East
This national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceroses as well as many other mammals including tigers, elephants, panthers, bears and more than a thousand species of birds. As luck would have it, while driving through the park, we got a glimpse of the one-horned rhino. Though it was at a distance, the feeling of spotting one was quite thrilling. Unfortunately, every year the Assam floods tend to take a toll on the wildlife in the national park. However, the Rhino population has been continuously rising and that is a big positive considering that at a point there were only a few dozens left. Currently, estimated population of the one-horned rhino is more than 2000.
Honda’s new dealerships puts focus on the product and the customer
As all good things must come to an end, it was our last day in Assam. We started driving back to Guwahati but we took a slight detour. On our way, we stopped at Honda’s North East dealership in Tezpur. This is the first dealership in the country which incorporates the Japanese manufacturer’s new corporate identity. Changes include new exterior design, clutter-free spaces, distinct areas for car display and customer interaction and use of 75-inch LED screens for video-driven product information. Honda has also introduced the iWorkshop which is a fully integrated digital workshop management system.
The CR-V impressed us with its spacious cabin and frugal diesel engine
Our last 5 days were truly action-packed and what truly shined through these days were the Civic and the CR-V. The new CR-V is a very practical machine. It encompassed us in comfort while we traversed some really rough roads. The cabin had more than enough space for our luggage and the hero was the i-DTEC, which had more than sufficient power on tap and delivered some amazing fuel efficiency figures as we seldom stopped for fuel. The absence of a gear lever does make the interior look less cluttered and the button shifters add to the modern touch.
Civic’s fantastic ride and handling dynamics made the ride even more fun
The Civic caught the attention of many locals. Wherever we stopped, we were asked about the car and people did give it more than one glance. We loved the Civic for its ride and handling characteristics. It was stable at high speeds on the highway and was fun to drive around the twisties. The ride was pliant on rough roads and the i-DTEC had a good punch, especially on the lower end of the rev band. The NVH levels are the least for any of the Honda diesel cars we have driven. Both the Civic & CR-V proved their mettle in some tricky conditions over the last 5 days. Drive to Discover 9 had come to an end but these memories will remain etched in our minds forever.
One should definitely visit the North-East to enrich the beauty of nature
Further Reading –
Honda Drive To Discover 8
Honda Drive To Discover 7
Honda Drive To Discover 6
Honda Drive To Discover 4
Honda Drive To Discover 3