Bengaluru to Goa in Jimny
We got our Jimny in June 2024, and had been itching to take it for a proper long drive since then. As the year-end holidays kicked in during the last week of December, we finally decided to take our car out for a spin. This year has been quite different for me (more on this coming soon!).
Apart from our first international trip together at the start of the year, my wife and I haven’t travelled much. So we took a few days off and headed to the beach.
Route
We did our homework by watching several YouTube videos where fellow travelers shared the latest road conditions and routes from Bengaluru to Goa.
Here’s the route we took: Google map
Breakdown
Bengaluru -> Chitradurga: 3 hr 39 min (201 km) -> Haveri: 2 hr 5 min (132 km) -> Tadas: 57 min (49.5 km) -> Yellapur:1 hr 27 min (61.9 km) -> Karwar: 2 hr 6 min (94.5 km) -> Calangute Beach: 2 hr 33 min (109 km)
Total: 12 hr 47 min (648 km)
Drive conditions
We started early morning around 5:30 AM to dodge the morning rush near Nelamangala on Bengaluru’s outskirts. The drive from Nelamangala to Tumkur is quite smooth, and soon we hit the highway to Chitradurga. You’ll find a decent number of good pit stops for an early break - do grab a cuppa as decent stopping points become rare post Chitradurga and practically disappear till Karwar.
To keep things safe, I made sure to take regular breaks to stretch my legs. These small breaks might seem like they’re eating into your time, but trust me, they’re absolutely necessary to beat the fatigue from long hours of driving. After our first break in Tumkur, I pulled over somewhere near Chitradurga before pushing towards Davangere, which is famous for its butter dosa.
We reached Davangere around 9:30 and it was time for breakfast. We polished off our packed veggie-mayo sandwiches along with one dosa. Post our quick breakfast, we headed towards Haveri, about 75 km ahead.
Now here’s the important bit - After Haveri toll plaza, we skipped the Huballi route because of its terrible road condition and instead turned towards Tadas. While the roads are mostly decent throughout the journey, you’ll find the stretch from Haveri to Tadas a bit dicey. From Tadas, we took NH66 towards Yellapur. The drive from Yellapur to Karwar was hands down the best part of our road trip, with the road winding through the ghats. The twists and turns make it properly exciting to drive.
Jimny’s performance
From the driver’s seat, I can tell you it was a comfortable ride. People say Jimny lacks power because of its petrol engine, but honestly, I didn’t feel that way at all. Taking overtakes was a breeze without any tension. I maintained an average speed of around 80 kmph throughout. The car cruised comfortably at this speed for more than 7-8 hours, and on empty stretches, I even pushed it to touch 120 kmph.
Indian roads being what they are, you never know when you’ll encounter a speed breaker or pothole out of nowhere, but the Jimny handled sudden braking really well without much body roll. The suspension setup is quite impressive in absorbing these shocks.
Mileage
The only pain point was the tank range - it only manages about 330 km on a full tank, which is a bit of a dampener for long trips. Also, every overtake on an uphill stretch guzzled quite a bit of fuel, dropping the range by 5 km. I managed to gain back some mileage by keeping the speed between 60-80 kmph. For the entire 1300 km round trip, I ended up spending roughly ₹18,000 on fuel.
Experience
The Bengaluru-Goa drive is a mixed bag, honestly. It would be so much better if the road infrastructure was up to the mark and had proper roadside facilities. Having decent spots to grab a hot chai, eat food, and just chill for a bit would make the journey much more enjoyable.
The ghat section was absolutely fantastic, but the lack of proper street lights makes it quite tricky during early mornings and late evenings. I shelled out about ₹1,600 in total for tolls, which is okay considering the roads are quite well-maintained and wide enough.
Covering 650 km in 12 hours has been my personal best since my last long drive from Panchkula to Ajmer back in 2013.
Having our own car in Goa was a game-changer - helped us beat the scorching heat and check out beaches that were a bit far off. Made it to Morjim beach for the first time and totally loved it. It’s got that old-school vibe that Anjuna used to have a decade ago when I first visited.
