Honda Drive To Discover 9 – Civic, CR-V and Beautiful North-East
We were in Assam for the Honda’s Drive to Discover 9 to explore the new Civic and the CR-V, and the beauty of North East India.
Honda Drive To Discover is the brand’s regular drive happening from the past decade. We were in Assam for the ninth edition of Honda’s Drive to Discover to explore Honda’s newest models – the new Civic and the CR-V – and the beauty of North East India. Our aim was to cover the land of river Brahmaputra to reach the land of dawn-lit mountains – Arunachal Pradesh.
Drive To Discover 9 – Route
Day 1 – Flag off from Guwahati, to Majuli
Day 2 – Majuli to Dibrugarh
Day 3 – Dibrugarh to Kaziranga via Gibbon
Day 4 – Kaziranga to Guwahati
Day 1 – Flag off from Guwahati
Our drive began from the Guwahati and my car was the latest Honda Civic diesel. A total of 26 journalists with their cars headed to Majuli, which is the world’s biggest river island (Brahmaptura). Our route comprise of straight highways, some bridges, narrow roads and crossing through the Kaziranga national park.
We reached the Neimati ghat to reach Majuli, and to reach Majuli we needed the ferry to cross the mighty Brahmaputra river.
Day 2 Majuli to Dibrugarh
Next day our cars were exchanged and we got the new CR-V diesel with a 9-speed automatic gearbox. This AWD version ensures hassle free driving experience. To reach our destination, we crossed the Assam-Arunachal border and drive to Pasighat.
We stopped for a lunch at an ecotourism resort called the Donyi Hango, which served us a home-style Arunachali food. We also encountered the Bhut Jolokia, which is the world’s most pungent chilly.
In Pasighat, the Brahmaputra is known as the Siang or Dihang. This is one of the best places to spend some time and we were lucky to see the beauty of Arunachal Pradesh.
After spending sometime around the river, we decided to move forward to our destination – Dibrugarh. Our car crossed the rail-cum-road bridge – new Bogibeel bridge, which is the largest in India and the second largest in the world.
Day 3 – Dibrugarh to Kaziranga
On the third day, our journey headed to Kaziranga via the Gibbon wildlife sanctuary. This time, we had the new Civic petrol automatic. The entire road was covered with forest area and tea plants.
However, we could hardly see anything at the Gibbon as the heavy rain started. At our stay, we were welcomed with few local dances and memento which will keep reminding us about the place or event.
Day 4 – Kaziranga to Guwahati
On our last leg of the journey to final destination – Guwahati, we crossed through the mighty Kaziranga national park with a hope of some wildlife sighting.
Finally, a one-horned Rhinoceros made its appearance along with the two-horn bullock. This was one of the most memorable moments of this drive. Everyone was excited about the Rhino, but the two-horn bullock brought more excitement to me with its size and appearance.
Honda Drive To Discover 9 – Pictures
After covering a distance of more than 1300kms, our four day drive was finally finished at the Guwahati airport. During our 1300kms drive, we encountered some really narrow roads with potholes, some really bad roads and some twist and turns. The new Civic and CR-V performed really well in dealing with all the hurdles and bad road conditions. I am quite surprised with the new Honda Civic as it managed to overcome all the bad roads and potholes without hitting the underbody. On the other hand, the CR-V impresses with its car-like handling and spacious cabin.
The Honda Civic is powered by a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine producing 118bhp and 300Nm of torque. The same engine also powers the new CR-V, which is paired to a 9-speed automatic gearbox. The Civic Petrol version is powered by a 1.8-litre i-VTEC engine that is good for 139bhp and 174Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a CVT automatic unit.
