My Car: Toyota innova
My Name: Ikshu Dhanva
My Car: Toyota innova
Wanderlust has been in my blood for as far back as I can remember. As a young boy growing up in the early seventies, my fondest memories of traveling are with my dad (and elder brother) in his beat up World War 11 Ford jeep on fishing trips along the banks of the River Bhadra with the majestic Sahyadri hills as the backdrop around Shimoga. We would be at the fishing spot at the break of dawn, cast our lines the entire day, return home only by late evening with the day’s catch and the usual banter of who caught the biggest fish.
Boy! Things sure have changed with the passage of time, but the passion remains. Driving my new Innova on the highway towards Mekedhat on the banks of the river Cauvery near Kannakapura, I wonder at the comfort at which I travel – a far cry from the jostle of my Jeep days. The river Cauvery is the only river in which the Mahasheer thrives. My wife, Indu is with me along with Buffy, our Labrador, who is adept at retrieving any game bird from the river. I look back at the car’s cavernous interiors with enough space to hold the tent, the fishing tackle, the portable stove and other bits and pieces needed for a camping trip
All my life I have stuck to buying sedans, so the idea of purchasing a MUV was beset with doubts. I am not an impulsive buyer by nature and years of fishing had instilled loads of patience in me, so I waited. But with the passage of time and the many owners who vouched for the efficiency of the Innova, I finally took the plunge. In all honesty, it is a decision I have never regretted. I have made various trips around the many beautiful forests and rivers around Karnataka and the Innova’s powerful air-conditioning, ABS and above all, the high seating ensure that I arrive at my destination fresh and ready for the rigours of fishing which entails a lot of walking and casting. At the risk of sounding egoistic, I must confess that what really impressed me the most about the Innova is the low cost of maintaining the vehicle.
We arrived at Mekedhat in the evening and the angler in me was raring to go. After a couple of casts, I felt the first nibble and tug. After a few minutes of reeling in and letting go, I managed to draw in a medium sized Mahasheer. Indu got the stove going while I pitched the tent. That night, under a starry sky and the river silvery against the moonlight with soft music from my Innova, we had dinner. Later while lying on my bed, I wondered at my prized catch, my Innova (with due respect to Indu).
My Name: Rohit Ganesh
My Car: toyota innova
I bought the Innova keeping in mind my large family as everybody knows it is a family car that provides luxury and other comforts too. I realized the difference only when I went to Thirupathi. The entire journey was smooth and comfortable. As it was religious pilgrimage, a lot of our luggage was dumped on the top.
I was astonished by the smoothness with which I was able to steer on the ghats and even reach a maximum speed of 120km/h. While navigating around one of the steep curves, a bus was parked and I had to suddenly apply the brakes. I managed to stop just a few meters away from the bus thanks to the ABS on the Innova. Though I have other small cars that are suitable for dropping and picking up the kids from school, my son insists on the Innova only. I have a farmhouse in Anekal and with the small car, we used to visit it only once in a way. Now with the Innova around, our trip to Anekal has become more frequent. My son looks forward to these trips and finds it very comfortable to sleep on the last seat. Thanks to the Innova for improving our lives.
My Name: Kumar
My Car: toyota innova
I have added one more Innova to my fleet of cars and my fascination for Toyota cars is increasing day by day. My family and I went to Gokharan in our new Innova for a week and the experience was refreshing. Because of the vehicle’s ample space and comfort factor, we could go to Muldeshwar, Kokke and Dharmastala inspite of not getting hotel accommodation in most of these places.
In Dharmastala, we managed to find parking nearly 3km away and hence had to literally stay in the Innova. We had converted the rear seat as our children’s bedroom while me and my wife straightened the middle seat and slept comfortably with the A/C on. It is like ‘Neeralli Snana Innova mein sona.’ My four-year-old son takes all his play items on long drives and we have kept our children’s toys, eatables and water bottles in the space provided. As we also have a DVD player in the Innova, our kid’s enjoy long trips the most. All of us have our lunch and snacks in the car itself. The Innova is like a mini room for us and we need not even bother about booking hotel rooms.
