Wednesday, June 11, 2008

My experience on the Volvo-10 Jun 08

The Volvo bus is a monster of the road. it is the veritable tiger of the Indian road. The other buses with similar build albeit of far inferior material and finish seem clones from a different era. It seems to be the Sachin Tendulkar of the roads while the other vehicles seem a school boys’ cricket team. It devours every vehicle in a jiffy. The effortless ease with which it accelerates leaving behind not only the Tatas and Marutis but also the Hondas and Toyotas is a sight to behold.

As it bides its time behind a slower vehicle to avoid the oncoming traffic on a narrow road, it resembles a tiger ready to pounce on a rabbit. The effortless ease with which it accelerates past the vanquished is a sight to behold. The overtaking is more like a Pulsar overtaking a TVS 50 or a more apt comparison would be a Hayabusa taking on a Pulsar, only in this case with out breaking a sweat. It's amazing to see a bus with such incredible power yet such noiseless demeanour. The only time it seems to make a wee bit of ruffle is when it breaks to stop. Such is the magnificence of the air suspension that the bus on stopping swings like a pendulum with series of dampening oscillations thus ensuring complete comfort to the passenger.

The passengers inside are supremely comfortable. This is taking luxury to new heights. Others on the road only watch in awe as this monster takes on the shameful Indian roads. Such is the comfort level of the driver that he streaks past the traffic with ridiculous ease. The bumpy road can make all but a little ruffle in a faint corner of the driver's mind as he can seldom feel any of those unruly undulations. This is really the cutting edge of bus technology

The bus has been furnished with 44 world class seats which can be reclined. It has a plasma TV snugly fitted and two light screens avoid any back scatter to disturb the driver. The seats are a wee bit closer and I suspect that it's an Indian custom made design and hence the sleeping comfort is slightly suspect. There exists ample space for the baggage underneath the passenger cabin. The elevated passenger cabin results in expedient space for luggage which also contributed to the overall stability of the bus. There also exists a sun roof in the centreline alley and would double as an escape hatch should this incredible controllable, remarkably cutting edge and amazingly safe machine suffer the misfortune of an accident.

This bus takes the on road experience to another plane. Come on all you friends, you are invited to the party.

No comments: