Model-turned-actress Sushama Reddy drives a car that complements her feisty spirit — the classic 100bhp Honda City of course.

‘I like taking innocent pangas—it’s always exciting to drive past someone who hates being overtaken’

Sushama Reddy firmly believes that travel is an investment you make towards broadening your horizons. So to those who know this to be gospel truth, this tall model and recently-turned actress becomes infinitely more attractive. Sushama is a busy woman but whenever she can throw off the fetters of shooting dates, dubbing sessions or launches, she gives free rein to the traveler within her and sets off, mostly on her own, to visit some new land or some remote and beautiful corner of India. Clearly, here’s one spirited woman.
No wonder then that she drives a car that complements this enthusiasm –- the now-discontinued but still rocking 100bhp Honda City.
“My car may be five years old but I can’t find another that can match the driving pleasure this one doles out in ample measure. The engine is rock solid and the way it accelerates never fails to bring a smile to my face. What’s more, not being a flashy car, I can park it anywhere without worrying about it getting scratched,” says Sushama.
The entire Reddy family is into cars big time. For them a car isn’t just a mode of point-to-point conveyance — rather it is a beautiful machine that has to be cared for and nurtured. That’s why Sushama’s Honda City still holds its own when it sits alongside her dad’s Mercedes-Benz E270.
The Honda forms a large part of her life. Not one to be chauffeur-driven because she simply loves to drive, she uses her City to go everywhere within the er...city. “My car is my cocoon when I’m out. I snack in it, do my make-up in it, I even change in it sometimes! In fact you’ll always find the odd snack or outfit lying around inside it”.

To kill the boredom of driving in traffic, her City’s equipped with a cracker of a music system. Very natural for someone who was the soul of Channel V’s Late Night V. For some auxiliary fun, she sometimes takes innocent pangas with other drivers. “You always find someone who hates being overtaken.”
The times she thoroughly enjoys her car is when she’s getting home late in the evening and the roads are reasonably empty. “That’s when I floor it a bit”

The fastest she’s ever driven is 160kph in Mumbai. “Where?” I ask and her answer is a conspiratorial wink! Sushama’s been driving since she turned 19 and her first car was the Maruti 800 which she really didn’t enjoy. The next set of wheels -- an Esteem -- was better, but “my Honda is simply the best.”
SUVs fascinate her and she loves the “king of the road” feel they provide. While she’s attracted to the Honda CRV’s looks, she won’t plonk her money on it because it is an automatic. A big SUV with a manual gearbox is what she would prefer.
Sushama hasn’t driven much abroad but one drive that she’s working towards is the trans American drive from the East Coast to the West Coast and the wheels of choice? A Porsche Boxster! Another aspiration is a biking trip in New Zealand!
I already know that traveling is a passion with her and watching her smoothly back up and position her car just the way I’ve asked her to, reveals that she’s a damn good driver too. I realize that these aren’t just idle dreams — this lovely tall lass will do these trips someday.