Basalt Meets Basalt

Team car&bike enters once again into record books, this time with Citroën Basalt SUV Coupe. A team of three drivers – Girish Karkera, Bilal Firfiray, and Seshan Vijayraghvan – undertook this epic journey that started from the outskirts of Chennai and ended in the heart of Mumbai. The journey lasted for nearly two days and clocked close to 2000 km as the crew crossed four states, taking to the wheel in a relay. This is the most distance covered by a petrol automatic car without switching off the engine – a milestone certified by India Book of Records.

The Basalt SUV Coupe is the fourth car to be based on the C-Cubed modular global platform of Citroën. So, for this record run the top 1.2-turbo petrol engine/6-Speed Automatic gearbox powertrain combination was used by the team.

The expedition started from the Citroën plant at Tiruvallur on the outskirts of the Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The facility is also the birthplace of the Basalt. The flag-off was done by the PSA India plant head, Hamid Mezzaib.

Shishir Mishra- Brand Head, Citroën   said “Today marks an extraordinary achievement as Citroën India demonstrates the resilience, reliability, and power of our Basalt by covering 2,000 km non-stop without switching off the engine. Beginning at our Citroën Plant in Tiruvallur and journeying through some of India’s most iconic locations, including the Center of India in Nagpur and the majestic Ajanta Ellora, this route showcases the strength and endurance that define Citroën. We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone, proving once again that our commitment to quality engineering meets the road with confidence and durability.

This accomplishment isn’t just a record but a testament to the spirit of innovation that drives Citroën forward. A heartfelt thanks to our team, C&B, IBR and our supporters who have helped make this journey a reality. Together, we have taken one more step toward reimagining the road ahead, and we are excited to continue delivering memorable, reliable driving experiences for all our customers in India."

The record run started around 1pm on October 20, 2024, with Girish switching on the ignition of the rugged three-cylinder unit. A GPS tracker was fixed on the car to ensure transparency about the switch on/off time and location. A dual dashcam was also affixed on instructions of India Book of Records for visual confirmation of the journey with one camera pointing towards the road from the front windshield and the other pointed to the instrument cluster to check if the tachometer was always running.

While a road trip between Tiruvallur and Mumbai is around 1300 km, to be eligible for the “record” a more challenging detour was planned. This would require the crew to instead drive the Basalt north, to Hyderabad and onwards to Nagpur before turning west towards Mumbai. This would add the necessary 700 km to the journey. 

Leg 1:

The drive started not without drama as Chennai and its surroundings, which included Tiruvallur facing a cyclonic storm warning. It meant the Basalt would have to drive through heavy rain and bad roads which comes as a result. Nevertheless, with a reliable car in hand, the crew decided to go ahead with the challenge. Thankfully, the rain gods were kinder this time and the team was able to flag off during a dry patch of the day.

Exiting the greater Chennai area brought forth the usual challenges of most Indian citygoers. Traffic was abuzz, affected by the sheer population and narrow, poorly surfaced roads. In all the chaos and everyday traffic, the Citroën Basalt stood out thanks to is unconventional yet sporty shape, continuously getting second glances from fellow motorists and pedestrians. Seemed to be a bigger hit with school going children headed home – as could be seen from the wide smiles on their faces on spotting the red Basalt with the car&bike livery.

Most of Highway 716 from Tiruvallur to Tirupati was relatively slow. The team had to ensure average speeds of 45-50 kmph be maintained so that the finish could be timed to the sunrise in Mumbai, which was also our window to shoot at Gilbert Hill, the place which is basically a 66 million old hillock made of basalt rock. The highway opened a bit after bypassing the religious town of Tirupati and heading to Kadapa, a town famous for another kind of rock known by the same name. 

While the highway opened, the night sky started crouching as well making driving on the highway a bit tricky. It wasn’t consistently wide with many exits and villages on the way. On coming traffic with continuous high beams made it tough for the drivers. But where the Basalt really shone was the confidence it could impart the driver. The suspension, tuned for comfort, meant bad roads were not bothersome. With the automatic gearbox, the continuous gear requirements were hardly felt. 

The three-cylinder box has a strong mid-range which is ideal for such highway runs – both with maintaining near triple digit cruising speeds and quick overtaking manouvres. While we were a bit skeptical of having disc brakes only at the front on the Basalt, when it comes to high-speed braking, the sheer balance and mechanical grip of the car was quite commendable. It especially shone once we touched NH40. 

The highway from Kurnool to Hyderabad is a proper 4-6 lane one with consistently visible lane markings and cat eyes. The traffic during the late evening was more of commercial vehicles, which were easy to overtake safely. The handling of the Basalt was the one that struck us most on this stretch as we could clock higher speeds quite easily, despite the odd showers. And at all of this, the engine felt hardly stressed despite the 12 hour plus driving at high speeds. The adept handling meant the long hours were less tiring for the driver too as the car reached the first driver switchover in Hyderabad in the wee hours of morning.

Leg 2 

The sky was still pitch dark as the record-setting Basalt rolled in at the outskirts of City of Pearls. With the clock striking 3 – without wasting any time – we quickly got in the driver’s seat and our first agenda was to drop our first team at the Hyderabad airport. With wee hours still fresh, settling in the Basalt was as easy as getting used to a comfortable pair of pajamas. 

Exiting the airport ring road of Hyderabad outskirts, we decided to enter Hyderabad for once and pay visit to the upper-crust Banjara Hills in the heart of the city. For the La Maison Citroën, the premium Citroën showroom is aptly situated there. It was merely a pass by in the early hours of the day since it was still before the sunrise. However, to our surprise, the city was up and running way before the first light was out and about. Not only were the early risers such as newspaper and milk delivery personals but even office goers were on their way to work already. So, in order to not get stuck in the early morning city traffic we made ourselves scarce by making our way towards the highway.

With first rays gingerly lighting up the sky and roads, what lay ahead of us was under construction highways and flyovers. The NH44 towards Nizamabad was filled with detours and makeshift road surfaces until the flyovers were constructed. But this was a good opportunity for the Basalt to shine and impress us with its pliant ride quality. Going over endless ill-made road surfaces, the Basalt happily soldiered on. 

What also surprised us the most was how the Basalt’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine felt at highway speeds. Once the smooth highways started rolling in, we were cruising parallel to the lush green mountains of the Sundarnagar Mountain Range standing tall towards the east. The long straight highways had good amount of inclination as it swept around the forest reserve, some lakes and large farmlands. It was close to noon when we crossed into the Maharashtra border. The smooth tarmac made way for poorly kempt sections of the NH44 and once again the pliant ride quality of the Basalt prominently came into play. 

It was close to lunch time when we realized this section of the highway is seldom used by commuters and is mostly populated by goods carrier influx. Its upside was we could slither through between slow moving trucks helped by the punchy nature of the Basalt’s engine and quickshifting gearbox. But the downside was we couldn’t find any good place to stop for a quick lunch on these long-desolated stretches of highway. With bellies grumbling, we soldiered on as our meeting point with the team in Nagpur as in the heart of the city. 

In fact, it wasn’t just the heart of the Nagpur city, but it marked the centre point of India – the Zero Milestone. According to the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India conducted in 1907 under the British rule, the Zero Milestone is considered to be the geographical centre of colonial India in the city of Nagpur. For our rendezvous at such an iconic location, we weren’t prepared for the evening rush hour traffic we would have to encounter there. Despite being a tier 2 city, Nagpur felt like a proper metro city with good roads, flyovers connecting important junctions, and of course the infrastructure all around. The Basalt arrived at the meeting point welcomed by a small clique awaiting it with waving flags and smiles. And we came to realize, the last 500 km simply flew by in the incredible Basalt. 

Leg 3

Late afternoon was possibly not the best time to pick up the baton for the last leg of this record drive, however, it was necessary if we had to reach Mumbai by sunrise. To my surprise, even during the peak hour traffic, navigating the Basalt through the city of Oranges was quite a cakewalk. The last leg of the drive came with its own set of challenges, it was the longest to cover at about 800 km, and the entire drive had to happen after sundown. While the Samruddhi Mahamarg, which connected Nagpur and Mumbai was a treat to drive upon, due to the time and distance at hand, the chances of fatigue setting in was quite high. 

With the setting sun ahead of us, we entered the Samruddhi Mahamarg hoping for an uneventful drive. However, the rain gods had other plans. Less than 50 km into the highway, we were welcomed with a massive overcast and multiple lighting strikes, and soon enough it started pouring, and how! Torrential rain and the pitch-dark sky meant visibility was next to zero. 

What surprised me even further was how the Basalt was handling itself in the rain. Adhering to the speed limits, we were constantly close to 100 kmph mark and the car did not waver even for the slightest bit. While I had to be cautious about hydroplaning, after a couple of wet patches, I realised how stable the Basalt felt despite going over wet surfaced at triple digit speeds. The credit here also goes to the tyres, which offered good grip and traction. 

After an additional 250 km or so, we saw signs of the rains slowing down, and reckoned it was best time to take a quick break, and the only available spot was a Truck Dhaba near a fuel station. With the engine still running, we decided to have a quick supper before hitting the highway. And during this time, we couldn’t fail but notice the level of attention the Basalt was getting from the truckers and other travellers. After a quite chat with some of these admirers, it was again time to hit the road again, and so did the downpour. In hindsight, I think the rains did keep my attention levels at peak throughout the night. Also, about halfway through the third leg I started to really appreciate the ride and dynamics of the Basalt, because it was definitely keeping my fatigue levels at bay. 

We exited the Samruddhi Mahamarg in the wee hours of the morning. What laid ahead was the gruelling NH48, with is multiple stretches of under construction patches, potholes, and several trucks & lorries. After a point I was almost on the verge of giving up, however the Basalt showed no sign of weakness. And seeing it handle the crater size potholes with ease, I too was inspired to finish this record journey. 

It was just before sunrise when we entered Mumbai city and were only our way towards Gilbert Hill. We were finally closing in on the finish line of our record run in this Citroën Basalt, a journey that began around 2000 km away has seen this car's engine running continuously for over 35 hours. A feat that will now see the Basalt name enter the India Book of Records.

RECORD NUMBERS

Average Speed: 48.97

Average FE: 14.88 kmpl

Total idling time: 5 hrs 

Total Drive time: 35.5 hours

Fuel Consumed 

Rs 4000 – 35litres

Rs 3379 – 30.61 litres

Rs 4119 –  37.6 litres

Rs 3476 – 31.11 litres