Forts. For centuries, these silent sentinels have beenfunctioning as nerve centers and hubs of activity –be it for administration or for defense. Today, theyare mute witnesses to a rapidly changing landscape.Scattered around the state of Maharashtra are some

awe-inspiring forts, which we thought shouldn’t be left just tothe history books. We needed to get closer to them and pay ourrespects. And so began the Premier RiO Great Indian Historicaldrive. The intention was to cover four forts in two days, and thedistances involved meant that we needed a set of wheels capableof tackling high speeds on the highways and robust enough tohandle broken roads. We set out from the state-of-the-artPremier plant in Chinchwad, Pune. Spread over 27 acres, thisplant now serves as the centralised research, development andmanufacturing base for all activities. Our scheduled night haltwas at the foot of the first fort in Devgad, nearly 500 km away.

Past the hustle and bustle of Pune, the RiO began to stretchits legs on the wide NH4, heading towards Bangalore. The heartof the Premier Rio diesel is the award winning FIAT motor,the 1.3-litre diesel CRDi 4 engine, which kept the road beneathus whooshing past at 120 kph without even breaking a

Built like a

FORT!THE PREMIER RIO TAKES USON A TRIP TO REDISCOVEROUR RICH HERITAGE

ADVERTORIAL

The RiO makes eventhe toughest trails

seem like a cakewalk

rio-advertorial.qxd 1/21/2013 5:52 PM Page 1

sweat, all thanks to the fixed geometryturbocharger and intercooler.

This compact SUV has a remarkableground clearance of 200 mm, which ismore than ample for tackling whateverIndian roads might throw at it. Tintedglass windows, front and rear fog lamps,black coloured B pillars, side foot stepsand the rear spoiler are just a few of themany amazing features that go on tocomplete the RiO. Overtaking required amere jab of the throttle, and the Rioswiftly showed the slower moving trafficits neat set of tail-lights without sendingany jolts to our spines, while the Anti-lock brake system (ABS) helped keepthings safe. Within no time, we were atthe turn-off at Nipani, where a healthymix of potholes, faultless tarmac and dirtroads beckoned.

Where other cars would almost cometo a standstill in a bid to negotiate badpatches on the road, the RiO simplyblasted past. The suspension soaked inthe bumps like they never existed, andwithin the cabin, we were spoiled sillywith the comfortable air-conditioning

and tunes emanating from the 2 DIN 4 speaker MP3 CD player. The RiO haseverything from HVAC and powersteering to powered windows up front,central locking with remote built into thekey, electric ORVMs and a wash wiperfor the rear windshield. Talk about being pampered !

We reached Devgad town at 9 at night.Every hotel worth its while was filled up.Apparently a film crew had descended onthe town, and had booked every roomthey could find. The next day was goingto be a long one, and a good night's sleepwas the want of the hour.

Driving around the sleeping town ofDevgad in search of a room, we drove

straight to a dead end. We were lost! Andthen, like a guardian angel, a motorcycleheadlight pierced through the darkness.The rider, ferrying around his wife andkid in the typical Indian way, loudlyproclaimed that he had been chasing theRiO for 5 km. He wanted to take a closerlook at it! After sitting in the car, takingin the well laid out interiors and sizingup the comfortable seats, he emergedfrom it with a smile on his face. Afterinquiring about the cost and specs of thecar, he declared with a smile that the RiOwould certainly be his choice as the carfor his family!

Helpfully, he pointed us to a place heknew where we could spend the night.

DEVGADWaking up to a nice sunny coastalmorning, we began the ascent to theDevgad fort. The climb is steep and theroad narrow but it was nothing for theRiO, with groves of the Alphonso mangotrees that the area is famous for, and apath that snakes through a handful ofvillages. And then, in the clearing upahead, the Devgad fort rises up from the plateau.

Built in 1705 by the great Marathanavy admiral Kanhoji Angre, the fort

now houses a lighthouse that wasconstructed much later in 1915. Theaccess to the structure is through a verynarrow passage way. Thankfully, we werehere in the RiO which very possibly isone of the few SUVs sold in India capableof squeezing into the fort. Despite beingexposed to the ravages of weather andwind for centuries, the structure has heldup incredibly well – which is a testamentto the quality of workmanship anddesign that went into its construction.

There's not much to see, apart from

the ancient little Maruti temple, theramparts and moat around thestructure, but the view from the fort isstunning. The sea buffets the ruggedcoastline hundreds of feet below the fort,and quaint fishing boats can be seenbraving the waves, heavily laden with thechoicest of catch. Next, we headedtowards the Vijaydurg fort, which wasless than 60 km away.

VIJAYDURGIn terms of sheer size, the Vijaydurg fort

The RiO’s compact

dimensionsmake it possible

to negotiate it into the

Devgad fort

Where cars shudder to tread, the RiO will confidently go

A quaint fishing village now surrounds the Vijaydurg fort

Be it thick vegetation or rutted roads, theRiO will take ithead on withoutcomplaint

All you need for an adventure is the

keys to your RiO and a roadbook

Dirt roads? No problem whenyou’re driving a RiO

rio-advertorial.qxd 1/21/2013 5:53 PM Page 3

trounces the Devgad fort by a largemargin. It's no surprise then that thisfort was once known as the 'EasternGibraltar' for the fact that it was nearlyimpossible to conquer.

The Vijaydurg fort's earliestfortifications can be traced to the early1200s, making it one of the oldest fortsalong the Sindhudurg coastline.Originally called Gheria, ChhatrapatiShivaji did the near impossible and tookover the fort from Adil Shah of Bijapurand renamed it Vijaydurg.

We parked the RiO comfortably, allthanks to its compact size and itssegment’s smallest turning radius of4.7 metres, to look around, and thetourists suddenly turned their camerasfrom the fort walls towards the littlewhite SUV. It was surreal, really!

Apart from its strategic importanceand sheer impregnability, Vijaydurg hasalso contributed to science, albeitrelatively recently. In 1868, an Englishastronomer by the name of NormanLockyer discovered Helium at this veryfort in 1868, when he was studying asolar eclipse that occurred at the time.

Although there is much to see atVijaydurg, and employing the services ofa registered guide is a must, we had milesto cover and other forts to see. Jumpinginto the RiO, we pointed the frontwheels towards Sindhudurg, some 40clicks away.

SINDHUDURGCommissioned by Shivaji himself andsurrounded on all sides by the sea, theSindhudurg fort was built between 1664and 1667 off the coast of the Malvan townand is spread across 48 acres.A remarkablefact about the fort is that the foundationstones were laid with molten lead!

Urban sprawl has caught up withMalvan, causing the place to sit somewhere between a quaint townand a bustling city. The roads are narrowand crowded, making the dimensions ofthe RiO a boon for negotiating throughthe town.A quick sea-food meal later, weset out towards the final fort in oursojourn – Murud.

MURUDOn reaching the coastal town of Alibag,some 350 km away from Devgad, wechecked into a hotel room by the sea andcrashed out for the night. Setting outearly the next morning, we drove towardsthe Murud Janjira fort. We passed theNizam's palace, and we couldn't help butpark the RiO in front of the gates forsome photos. The palace seemed to be ingood shape and a couple of cars parkedwithin the compound led us to concludethat it is still inhabited. The location ofthe palace is brilliant, sitting on a cliffoverlooking the sea.

A couple of corners later, the fort ofJanjira (its name derived from thecorruption of the Arabic word 'Jazira'meaning island) loomed ahead. This fort,also surrounded on all sides by the sea,proved to be invincible, repelling allefforts of the Marathas, Portuguese and

even the British to conquer it.One of the reasons for this was that

within the fort is a well, which despitebeing quite a distance off the coast,contains fresh water. This provided thesoldiers within the fort with unlimiteddrinking water reserves that allowedthem to stay on indefinitely.

After the photo shoot, it was time topoint the RiO towards Mumbai.Covering almost 1,400 km on all sorts ofroads, the little Premier stood upgallantly against whatever we threw at it.The boot space comfortably held our twoduffel bags and a couple of backpackswith space to spare. Long journeys are abreeze in this SUV, with the ride qualityinsulating the occupants from harsh joltsand jarring potholes.

The Rio indeed is a tiny SUV with alarge heart. Just what we need in a countrylike India. This one will go down well inthe history books for certain!

PREMIER RIO CRDi4P O W E R T R A I NDISPLACEMENT: 1248cc, I-4, common rail

diesel, turbocharged, BSIV

POWER: 72 bhp@4000 rpm

TORQUE: 18.6 kgm@1800-2400 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual

S U S P E N S I O NFRONT: MacPherson strut and coil spring

REAR: 5-rod system

B R A K E SFRONT: Disc

REAR: Drum

D I M E N S I O N SL/W/H (mm): 3970/1570/1730

WHEELBASE: 2420 mm

TRACK (f/r): 1305/1310 mm

GROUND CLEARANCE: 200 mm

TURNING RADIUS: 4.7m

FUEL TANK: 46 litres

KERB WEIGHT: 1145 kg

F U E L E F F I C I E N C Y23.7 kpl

It’s no wonder that Janjira was virtually impregnable. Even the RiO could not breach its walls!

The Nawab’s palace gates make for agrand background for a photo

The RiO stares at the Sindhudurgfort in the distance

rio-advertorial.qxd 1/21/2013 5:54 PM Page 5