Maruti Suzuki XL6 On A Roadtrip From Gurugram To Dehradun

The roads leading to Dehradun from Gurugram are a mixed bag of smooth tarmac, village roads, broken single-lane roads, and everything in between. Our companion for the trip was the XL6 petrol with a 5-speed manual gearbox. I was contemplating having an automatic gearbox, given how treacherous the going was about to get, but as the going got tougher ahead, I started to understand that there couldn’t have been a better pick for this trip. As we planned our trip for Christmas, heavy traffic on the roads was apparent. Hence, we pulled our socks early at 6 AM.

With an expected fuel efficiency of around 16kmpl, we were hoping to cover over 700km on a single 45-litre tank. So we filled the XL6 to the brim near Delhi and set out on our trip.

Delhi To Muzafarnagar - 122km

It was my first time traveling to Dehradun. Completely unaware of the sublime Delhi-Meerut expressway, we trusted Google Maps which rerouted us to the older way of reaching Dehradun. Starting from Gurugram, the first scenic location was the Signature Bridge near Ghaziabad. Covered with fog and low-slung clouds, it’s known to be the tallest viewpoint in Delhi. After clicking a few pictures, we continued onwards to reach Muzaffarnagar. Google Maps suggested we take some country roads. However, it was a rather intriguing route, with lots of traffic and tractors loaded with sugarcane. That’s when I came to realise the fact that Uttar Pradesh is indeed the largest producer of sugarcane crops.

However, the road condition was a mixed bag of smooth tarmac and broken single-lane roads. The XL6 impressed me thoroughly with its ride quality. It remained planted over big bumps and didn’t toss us around. One small niggle with our XL6 was the horn, which was not working properly. Negotiating through the flock of sheep was a task then! After driving for 3-4 hours, my patience finally broke and I stopped by a small sweet shop to have some Garam Samosas. If you are going to Dehradun via this route, make sure to keep some fast food at your disposal, as there are no good food vendors or shops on the route. What you would surely appreciate are the cooled cupholders in the XL6 that ’s capable of keeping your soft drinks cool.

Muzafarnagar To Dehradun - 120km

The road from Muzafarnagar changed into smooth tarmac quite dramatically. We no longer had to negotiate through small city roads and the XL6 got a chance to stretch its legs on a smooth freeway. We cruised at 100kmph and the high-speed manners of the XL6 felt satisfactory. It was only from Muzafarnagar that we got to spot highway refreshment zones. If you prefer to have a break on the journey to Dehradun, you will only find outlets like KFC, Pizza Hut, and the likes after crossing Roorkee. For lunch, we grabbed a quick meal from Subway and ventured ahead.

Entering the border of Haridwar charged the whole atmosphere of the road trip. The roads became wider, with a sneak peek of the hills. Orange was flashing all over the surface above the holy Ganga river. It became another challenge to make our way through the peak-hour traffic with the faulty horn of our XL6. As we made our way past the crowded roads of Haridwar, the chase to the mountains became more interesting.

Entering the boundaries of Dehradun brought lush green forest on either side of the road. While the roads became narrower, the hairpin bends uplifted the driving experience. A part of the credit goes to the XL6’s super light steering, which made the drive a breeze. However, as it lacks the needed amount of self centre, I had to make corrections to the steering after every turn. But as the steering of the XL6 is light to twirl, I didn’t find it tiresome. 

Dehradun To Dhanaulti - 36km

The road from Dehradun to Dhanaulti suggested by Google Maps was in poor condition. Multiple landslides had covered the tarmac and the surface was quite loose. That’s where I appreciated the XL6 manual. Had it been automatic, we wouldn’t have had much control over wheel speed. With the clutch pedal, I was able to modulate the throttle without spinning the wheels, which could have made matters worse. The XL6 comes with 15-inch tyres and I always criticised it. Only later did I understand the use of small tyres – they offer a cushy ride and gel well with the soft suspension of the XL6. Slowly and steadily, we made it halfway to our destination, only to realise that reaching the top wasn’t practically possible. This was largely because of the ever-narrowing road and a steady stream of oncoming traffic.

Disappointed, we made our way back to the base. In the mountains, you have to use engine braking to save the brake routers from excessive heating. Fortunately, The engine braking in the XL6 was pretty impressive, which can be attributed to the shorter gearing. It also showed that the battery was charging thanks to regenerative braking. Interestingly, despite driving the XL6 on mountain roads at dismal speeds, we didn’t need to fill up. Down the mountains, you have, food stalls, restaurants, bars, and facilities for camping.

Dehradun To Mussorie - 34km

After returning from Dhanaulti, tired and covered with dust, we found ourselves a hotel under the mountain range of Mussorie. It is worth noting that despite the large crowd on Christmas, we found a hotel at an affordable rate without the need for any pre-booking. If you are planning to go to Mussorie, it would be sensible to book a hotel on the spot after considering all the factors. The next morning, we cranked the engine of the XL6 and it started without any drama despite the single-digit temperature. At cold start, the engine hovers in the region of 1,500rpm to 2,000rpm to let it reach its optimum temperature easily. It’s not something to worry about. However, it’s recommended to only start driving the car once the temperature needle is in the middle.

After adding another layer of woolen to cope with the low temperatures, we headed straight to the mountains. The journey to the Mussorie range was full of hairpin bends, banked sections, and smooth roads. Despite the steep inclines, the XL6 performed very well and delivered more than our estimated fuel efficiency. And thanks to the great driveability, I didn’t find myself rowing through the gears often. I slotted the XL6 in 3rd and it was good from 15kmph to 70kmph. One nifty feature of the XL6 are the auto headlamps. When entering tunnels, the headlights turned on before I could reach for the stalks and turned off automatically as we exited.

Our plan to get going early worked in our favour, as we hardly found any traffic on the way. Once we reached the top, it started getting crowded and the roads kept getting narrower. Hence, we decided not to go to the rather famous Mall Road. We found a scenic private property down the hill which had Alpine trees and a small pond. After clicking some pictures of the XL6, we stopped to have breakfast. We sat beside a bonfire and enjoyed garam parathas and chai.

Mussorie To Dehradun - 34km

After creating new memories and clicking several pictures, we decided to call it a day and headed back home. But as we were not the only ones who thought of a trip on Christmas, the return journey was full of traffic, closed routes, detours and overall chaos. We somehow managed to filter through all of it and reached Dehradun. It was in the noon when we sat to have Maggi and chai, before hitting the freeway home.

Dehradun To Gurugram - 284km

Luckily, Google Maps was kind enough to recommend the much better route with free-flowing traffic on our way back. The roads from Dehradun to Muzaffarnager were nothing to write home about, but the going got interesting when we took the Muzaffarnagar bypass. We witnessed smooth wide tarmac, great cafes with bright lighting, and some intriguing infrastructure. After crossing the bypass, we jumped on to the Delhi-Meerut expressway, which was recently inaugurated. As it’s a new highway, we didn’t have to worry about bumps, unmarked lanes or animals. In the middle of the journey, we witnessed heavy rainfall, and hence, we slowed down the pace. We used cruise control on the XL6 to keep a constant speed and it also improved fuel efficiency drastically. 

While the XL6’s shorter gearing has several advantages, it doesn’t work well on the highways. Firstly, it takes a toll on fuel efficiency. The engine hovers around 3,000rpm at 100kmph. Secondly, as the gears are not well spread out, the engine revs and feels harsh everytime you downshift while decelerating. However, you can negate this factor by altering the intervals between gear changes accordingly. One additional gear would have fixed both the aforementioned issues. We hope Maruti Suzuki are listening.

Thanks to the rain, I realised that the XL6 has scope of improvement with its wipers. They fail to clean the windscreen without any smudges and the water droplets disperse further, hampering the view upfront. However, this could be an issue with our long-term test car, given the rough use it goes through every day. We finally entered the border of Delhi-NCR in unrelenting rain. That resulted in some water-logged roads, which the XL6 negotiated with ease. And that ended our two-day-long expedition to the mountains. I dropped my trip companion home and returned to my place in Gurugram. This 800km-long road trip helped me have a thorough understanding of the XL6. With different kinds of roads, traffic, and driving, the XL6 returned an impressive fuel efficiency of 17.5kmpl.

Our trip to Dehradun and Mussoorie was full of scenic views, great roads, and good food. And honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better companion to deal with the ‘off’ road patches we ran into during the trip. It’s supremely comfortable and spacious, frugal and reliable. Till now, I never understood why the XL6 existed when we have the affordable and more practical Ertiga. But the XL6 turned out to be a better family car as it offered a more premium experience, especially thanks to the captain seats for all occupants. If you want a good-looking family mover and have reliability, comfort, and fuel efficiency high on your priority list, then look no further than the Maruti Suzuki Nexa XL6.