We were part of Hyundai’s massive third edition of the Great India Drive, this in the new Venue. Since it is a connected car, we decided to go see some top IT destinations in it, starting at the Statue of Unity and finishing up in Chennai
Story: Harket Suchde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
As I stand at the base of the colossal Statue of Unity, standing just a shade under 600 feet tall on a placid river island in Gujarat, I can’t help but take a deep breath of contentment. The air is crisp, the statue is a sight to behold, and there is a shiny orange Hyundai Venue parked in front of it, the key nestled safely in my pocket. As majestic as the statue is, I can’t linger too long in its shadow, a road trip awaits. The ceremonial flag-off for the Great India Drive has been completed, time to get this adventure under way.
I have a bit of drive ahead of me, the first stop on this journey is at Car India’s hometown (and mine), Pune city. Those 550+ kilometres I need to cover form my first proper highway run in the Venue. I think this compact SUV can handle it. I’m right. Cruising on the highway is a trifle in the Venue. That potent 1.4-litre turbo-diesel makes 90 hp and 220 Nm of torque. That and the six-speed manual transmission that goes with it are enough to allow you to hold triple-digit speeds without breaking a sweat. Another thing holding the sweat at bay and making those long highway stretches more comfortable is the excellent air-con with automatic climate control.
Having left the statue near noon, it is properly dark by the time I reach Pune and home. The following morning I’m out in the Venue again. We’re off to check out our first IT destination on this journey: Pune’s Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Hinjawadi.
