Seeking God in the Jungle

Hyundai's Great India Drive was an eye-opener for us city-dwellers. The Exter played a crucial supporting role as we explored not one but two tiger reserves

- Joshua Varghese

WITH THE GREAT INDIA DRIVE (GID), Hyundai have given us car enthusiasts many interesting perspectives. Their themed drives over the years challenged us to bring you motoring content with a unique and specific flavour. This time, in its seventh edition, we got to explore a side of India that many may not be aware of. We are currently in the 50th year of the world famous "Project Tiger" and the GID took us deeper into this programme that made us proud on the global stage. Here follows our experience of this drive and the events that led to our "tiger moment". The GID also gives us a chance to thoroughly test and experience the latest cars by Hyundai. What is a better test of a road car than a proper road trip? The compact and capable Exter was our companion for this particular journey.

We were flagged off in style from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and the convoy headed north-west towards the Bandipur National Park. With a bright blue AMT Exter for company, not only were we able to filter through traffic easily but we looked good doing so. Threedigit cruising speeds were well within the Exter's capability but we did not cruise along for long because we had to leave the highway and head towards the Nilgiris biosphere.

The contrast in scenery was drastic. Dusty highways flanked by a few trees were slowly replaced by an excellent forest cover through which snaked a lovely road. The Exter's handling prowess ensured that I was kept entertained behind the wheel and its compact dimensions were perfect for the dual-carriage road. It was easy to squeeze by buses and trucks around hairpins in the Exter.