BYD M6: Beyond Limits – Day 1: Kathmandu to Butwal

Battered and bruised, but here. 

They say the best fruit is found at the top of the tree. The bone-rattling climb from Narayanghat to Butwal was ruthless, and it truly tested this adage on the first day of our drive from Kathmandu to Delhi in the all-new BYD M6. 

The plan is to drive from Nepal's capital city all the way to Delhi in the new BYD M6, a car that fits the bill as a road-trip vehicle. The all-electric nature of the M6 adds another dynamic to the equation on this 2,000 km+ journey. 

To make things more interesting, we decided to fill all the seats and travel with seven passengers on board. Seven passengers meant that the third-row seats were up, leaving negligible luggage space. Thankfully, we were able to stash our belongings in the backup car. 

We kicked off our trip from Patan Durbar Square at 8 a.m., driving through Sitapaila via Dharke and making our first stop at E-Stop in Kurintar for a meal to prepare us for what would become one of the most testing drives ever. This was also where we stopped to charge the BYD M6. 

Intermittent patches of smooth tarmac were the only things that kept us sane as we struggled with the dishevelled roads. The roads gradually degraded into complete oblivion, and all seven passengers in our BYD M6 were woefully flung about as we clambered toward our destination: Club Denovo, Butwal. Conversations faded into silence as the drive became more a matter of endurance than anything else. 

In contrast, the BYD M6 fared much better than we did. We had anticipated that the fully loaded M6 would struggle with ground clearance, but a bit of surefooted navigation was all that was necessary to get the job done. Further careful navigation was required due to the thick fog blanketing the "roads" on our climb to Daunne. 

Mercifully, the roads slowly improved as we descended from Daunne. A quick left detour from Bardaghat Buspark made things much easier. Once we reached Butwal, the roads were absolutely sublime. Smooth, straight tarmacs greeted us as we embarked on the redemption arc of this journey. 

Our final stop was the beautiful premises of Club Denovo, where we stayed for the night. On our second leg of the journey, we will be heading to Lucknow. Do come back for more updates.