Test drive Lancia Delta LPG: Day 5 Neuchâtel > Interlaken

We continue touring Switzerland behind the wheel of the Lancia Delta LPG, on our fifth day of driving and nearly at the end of the trip, as this is our penultimate stage before returning to Spain. We left the route at Besançon, a charming walled French town near the Swiss border.

Today we head out on a route towards one of the most beautiful spots in Switzerland, the Interlaken area, where time seems to stand still and tranquillity and peace fill everything. It will also be a route with demanding roads, the perfect test for the Lancia Delta LPG.

Day 5: Besançon > Neuchâtel > Interlaken [229 km]

Leaving France for Switzerland, we pass through fields and rural countryside, until we reach the mountains. After crossing a high area, we join a national road that takes us to Murten, our first stop in Switzerland.

Murten is a small, picturesque medieval town on the shore of a lake that shares its name. In Murten, it is advisable to park the car inside the little town and take a stroll to calmly admire the houses, the narrow streets and the views of the lake.

From Murten we set course for Bern, although it is the capital of Switzerland it is not a very large city, and we chose it as a stop for lunch since the capital has more places to eat. Leaving the city, there is a high road that offers breathtaking views of Bern and the river that surrounds it (the Aare river).

The old town of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is no lacking in commercial life either, with more than 6 km of shops and bar areas to wander, have a drink or buy whatever we like.

Our next destination will be Lucerne, and we recommend the route between Bern and Lucerne avoiding motorways, because much of the scenery is lost on them. The landscape begins to change, and where before we only saw fields, large meadows now appear with wooden chalets on the mountainsides, truly beautiful views.

Once we arrive at Lucerne, there is no doubt you should step out of the car and walk through a city with so much to see. The most typical and well-known landmark is the medieval Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), with its painted gables, one of the oldest covered wooden bridges in Europe. The two towers of the 17th-century Jesuit church also stand out, as does the Lion Monument, carved into the rock in memory of the Swiss guards who died as heroes in 1792 at the Tuileries (this last one is among the best-known monuments).

Lucerne is also the central point of Switzerland, right by Lake Lucerne (the Lake of the Four Cantons) and a starting point for many routes both into the city and to the nearby mountains.

The end of the route was marked by a mountain road, where we happened to find LPG to refuel, and which took us towards Interlaken, although we will talk about Interlaken and its beautiful scenery in the final part of the route.

Driving impressions

Right after leaving Besançon, we face a road route where we have to make good use of the gearbox to get the most out of the engine. We like the feel of the gearbox, but it has quite a lot of travel.

Where it suffered most was on the stretch from Lucerne to Interlaken, since we encountered a mountain road full of bends: first uphill, where we had to make full use of the engine and test the car’s dynamism, and then on the descent, when the brakes got their turn.

In terms of dynamics it responds correctly, though it is not its strongest quality, as it favours comfort, but it is adequate. The brakes, on the other hand, stood out for their effectiveness: as soon as we pressed the pedal, the car responded with confidence.

We also tested the lateral support of the seats, which passed the test correctly, between bend after bend climbing the mountain towards Interlaken.

After several days behind the wheel, we can highlight the space it offers both in the front and rear seats, as well as the ride comfort. It is not a car for mountain stretches but for travelling comfortably, and it proves very stable on country roads or motorways.

On today’s route, consumption rose to 9 litres per 100 km of LPG, although we have always been lucky to refuel with gas without using the petrol tank, which after many kilometres is almost untouched, though it always consumes a little petrol on starting and when running on LPG.

In the final part of the route we will review the equipment, both standard and that of our unit, of the Lancia Delta LPG we have tested.

Photos | Test team, Diego G. Moreira