Shangarh – the name has been on my radar for a few years now, for a quick getaway from life in the big city. The idea of a break in a quiet mountain town though has become something of a misnomer these days, and more so, with the advent of social media. Ironically, it was social media which piqued my initial interest in Shangarh. Nevertheless, a short break offered the perfect opportunity, not just to explore Sainj Valley, but also to see how the Maruti Suzuki Jimny fares in what it’s supposed to do, as far as my use case is concerned – cover some distance on the highway, and to explore some trails which a normal two-wheel drive SUV will not be able to.
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It’s been a few months since the Jimny Alpha MT came home, and a “proper” mountain drive was just what was needed to let the Jimny stretch its legs a bit, if you will. Our Jimny is more or less bone stock. So, no tyre upsize, no throttle controller, no engine remap and no cosmetic alterations. The Alpha trim anyway comes with a few standard features which tilted my interest in its favour – green-tinted window glass, LED headlights and electronically adjustable ORVMs. With the discounts being offered, the price difference with the Zeta was less than Rs. 50,000, so the Alpha it had to be!
Personally, I prefer cars with manual transmissions (the other car in the garage also being a manual). And the Jimny MT seemed to have a slight edge in performance, particularly while overtaking with the driver having control of selecting the right gear, and so manual it had to be! With the Charcoal Grey colour option not available in stock, the choice was made to zero in on the Bluish Black colour option offered in the Jimny. And we have what we have, and some handy features on the Alpha trim too, with standard alloy wheels, cruise control, keyless ignition and electrically foldable ORVMs, although the steel wheels of the Zeta did make for a tempting choice! In all fairness, however, there are not too many things to talk about, in terms of features list on the Jimny – on any trim, but more on that later.
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We hit the road at 0530, for the drive up to Sainj Valley over the Holi weekend. This is our second long-ish drive with the Jimny, and we were already well-acquainted with its highway manners, performance and ride quality, so expectations were already in place. With speed limits on the highway pegged at 90 kmph, the Jimny didn’t feel out of breath or lacking in any sense, and we made good time, north out of Delhi.
Even though the Jimny lacks the acceleration of my other compact SUV, with a 154 bhp turbo-petrol engine, or the balance of its monocoque shell, the Jimny’s body on frame design isn’t exactly unbearable, even at close to consistent triple digit speeds. However, there’s some bouncing and bobbing about, when compared to a monocoque chassis crossover, but not unbearable as many other body-on-frame SUVs are. There’s plenty of cabin space for two people, despite what you’d think from outside, and the Arkamys in-car entertainment system actually sounds better than the similar branded system on my crossover.
After a quick stop for lunch on the new Mandi by-pass in Himachal, it was time to leave the main highway behind to begin the climb up to Shangarh, at approximately 2,100 metres above sea level. After crossing Aut, at Larji, it was time to fill up the tank. The MID was showing 17.3 kmpl up until then - pretty good for a 1.5 naturally-aspirated petrol engine. From Larji, Shangarh is easily over an hour’s drive, although the distance isn’t much.
The road surface disappears as soon as you cross Ropa into the territory of GHNP – Great Himalayan National Park, of which Shangarh is a part of. Gravel and broken surface are what you’d be driving on for most part of the 10 km climb up from Ropa to Shangarh, which will take you the most part of 45 minutes. The climb is not challenging, and any crossover, or even a sedan will be able to do it comfortably. But with added ground clearance and a tractable engine, it becomes more entertaining. Working the Jimny’s 5-speed manual transmission through switchback after switchback is a delight, accompanied by the trademark transmission whine – a trait which is nothing less than automotive music to some of us old-school folks!
The primary idea of us acquiring the Jimny is not to head out every Sunday morning to the nearest trail and get one wheel up in the air, or to splash around in mud. That will happen, someday, if time, and more importantly, opportunity, presents itself. The primary reason for us choosing the Jimny is to explore places off the beaten track, the road less travelled, if you will, where any two-wheel drive vehicle will struggle, or may find it impossible to go to.
The first opportunity presented itself on the second evening, on a drive within Shangarh itself, to climb up to the western ridge to enjoy the setting sun and the sight it was supposed to present to us. Expectedly, there were no other vehicles on the 2-3 km drive up, apart from a couple of two-wheelers. Unlike popular tourist spots, Shangarh’s “sunset spot” was just a dead end, at the end of a trail through deodar forests, and we seemed to be the only ones there for the two-odd hours we spent there, doing nothing!
The next day, Boga, the owner of the homestay and our digs, advised us to go on a drive, first to Manu Rishi Temple on the opposite mountain from Shangarh. It was a 50 km drive, which took us almost two full hours to cover, first downhill to Neuli from Shangarh along a gravel road and then up to the temple on the other side of the valley. The road is mostly tarmac from Neuli to Manu Rishi temple, at an altitude of around 1,700 metres above sea level, and offers a panoramic view of Shangarh and its surroundings from a distance.
From there, the second and more interesting part of our drive started – to Pundrik Rishi Lake, up from Ropa and through Deohari village. The destination is usually a 2-hour trek, but Boga promised it will make for “an interesting drive.” And as soon as we crossed Deohari village, we weren’t disappointed. The road became a narrow strip just wide enough for the Jimny, the surface all but disappeared, with rocks and dried up mud trails, and the gradient of the trail became steeper as it snaked up through the thick deodar woods.
This is the trail for what the Jimny is designed for. I had to switch to 4H and when the switcbacks became more technical with the surface just a bed of jagged rocks, I had to stop and engage 4L at a couple of places as well. The lake itself was underwhelming, just a weed covered water body, but the location was serene, a clearing in the middle of deodar covered hillsides. And that’s when we felt the first few raindrops coming down from the overcast skies. It was time to head lower down, and this time around we took a different and shorter route down to Ropa, a narrow gravel trail through a forest lined with rhododendron and oak trees, and not a soul in sight. Beautiful, desolate and just the forest trail for the Jimny!
The Suzuki Jimny isn’t the ideal companion for everybody. There are limitations, in performance, in practicality, road presence, and creature comforts. A similarly priced subcompact SUV will trump it, in all these departments! So, if you’re looking for features, comfort and the like, the Jimny isn’t the car for you. Neither will it satisfy your “need for speed” or thirst for performance. More so, with the automatic transmission. Overtakes need to be planned, and gaps in traffic will need to be calculated, and even the five-speed manual transmission will need some work, for you to truly enjoy the Jimny. But if you like it for what it is, all these shortcomings become enjoyable. It’s a kind of primordial driving experience with the Jimny which the purist will really appreciate.
And when the road ends, the Jimny comes into its own! It will happily climb up mountains, cross the most impossible-looking mountain trails and do it all, without a whimper! Trust it for what it can do, and you will be happy with it. But if you’re looking for butch presence, back-slapping performance or creature comforts for a long drive with four people in the car, the Jimny may not be the car for you. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed my first “adventure drive” with the Jimny to quaint little Shangarh – a place which is quickly getting filled up with new homestays, hostels and cafes. For me, the Jimny now calls for a longer drive – perhaps a cross-country trek is in order to see how it can handle longer distances, and then some more.
By Air:
The closest airport is Bhuntar, near Kullu, around 40 km from Sainj, but connectivity is extremely limited. Alternatively, you could fly to Chandigarh and travel by road from there to Shangarh.
Travelling by bus on the Delhi-Manali route is also possible, so long as you remember to get down at Aut. From Aut, bus connectivity is limited.
By Road:
From Delhi, Shangarh is close to 500 km one-way, and it’s approximately a 10-12 hour drive, depending on the route.
The shortest route is along the Delhi-Manali route through Chandigarh, Ropar and Mandi, before taking the turn off at Aut. The longer route is through Shimla, Narkanda and over Jalori Pass.
From Chandigarh, it will be roughly a 6-hour drive. Take the left turn on the exit before the Aut tunnel to head towards Sainj Valley. From Manali, Shangarh is approximately a three-hour drive.
Getting Around
Shangarh offers plenty of easy walks, easy to moderate hikes and longer treks into the Great Himalayan National Park. You can walk around the village and take short and easy hikes to several waterfalls in the vicinity.
If you intend to drive, a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended, but not necessary. Any compact SUV, or sub-compact SUV with decent ground clearance will be sufficient to make the drive to Shangarh. From Neuli, after Ropa, the road is mostly a narrow gravel trail, with switchback after switchback up to Shangarh.
For more adventurous drives through trails in and around Shangarh, four-wheel drive is required, but not necessary for experienced drivers.
When to visit?
The best time to visit Shangarh is during March to May or after the monsoon, from September to November.
July & August will be the rainy season.
For more adventurous travellers, January and February will offer snowfall, depending on local weather forecasts, and during this time, a 4x4 is definitely needed.
