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3 days & 1500 kms: Drove from Mumbai to Kerala in my Mercedes E280 CDI

24th April 2023, 12:04 by Dev Shah

At noon, the sun rays glimmer on the three pointed star creating a special feeling that's unique to driving an old school Merc. Sad that Mercedes only offers the hood ornament on their flagships now.

BHPian cefiljoseph recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Embarking on a road trip from Mumbai to Kerala is definitely something I wanted to do ever since I shifted there for my job. The journey covers a distance of approximately 1,500 kilometres over a span of three days and takes you through some of India's most scenic landscapes. And what better way to experience this journey than in a W211 diesel? The car's robust build and powerful engine make it an excellent choice for long drives, ensuring a smooth and comfortable ride throughout the trip. The road trip promises to be an experience of a lifetime, offering a chance to explore the diverse cultures, cuisines, and landscapes of India. So buckle up, read along and let's relieve the memories together.

Prologue:

Post my undergraduate, I shifted to Thane, Maharashtra after getting placed there. As with most petrol heads first thing I did after landing a job was to get a car - a pre-loved E120 Corolla H5 Manual which my friend lovingly named Coco. Soon after my father too shifted to Mumabi for his job as well. We both knew that it was the perfect time to full fill our dream of owning a star. With the prices of pre-owned cars and plethora or examples in Mumabi, it was right place at the right time. After a lot of debating and scouting for cars, we finally decided to buy a W211 E280 CDI for its balance in comfort, styling and performance while not compromising on economy. Mumbai worked its trademark magic on us and there we had a true blooded turbodiesel W211 in shining silver accompanying Coco. However, soon enough I had to leave Mumbai for higher studies which created a redundancy of cars there. The solution was obvious - to bring the 211 home to Kerala.

Planning the trip:

I had quit my job in Thane and was at home in Kerala to finish some college applications and stuff. My father was travelling for his work. We wanted to bring home the W211 and I was hell bent on driving the car to Kerala. However, my parents were strictly against it and decided to ship it in a truck. When asked for an estimate, they quoited 47k to ship the car from Thane, MH to Thrissur, KL which we thought was not reasonable. Consequently, my plan on driving the car was back on the cards. After checking our schedules, we came up with a plan where I could drive and my dad would join on the way in Bangalore and then we would drive it together back to Kerala. The plan was on and I got my tickets to Mumbai to go bring home our cherished W211.

Tuesday, 14th March, 2023:

There was still a roadblock in driving the 211 home. It didn't have a fast-tag yet. Since we didn't have the RC until a few weeks back, we were not able to apply for a fast-tag. Not having a fast meant paying double charges at the tolls which totalled to anywhere between 4k to 5k v/s the regular 2.5ish. So, I got one at a highway booth using the RC which I thankfully had in my wallet. Now, with everything ironed out, the plan looked great. My mother sweetly advised me to drive safe and carefully. Later in the evening, she dropped me at the airport. The indigo flight departed on time as usual and I reached the apartment in Thane right before midnight. Didn't do much and immediately slept on reaching the apartment at Thane.

Day 0 - Wednesday, 15th March, 2023:

Met some of my ex-colleagues in the living in the same society and had breakfast with one of them. Later, in the evening I saw my sister and some friends and returned to my apartment. Then I packed for the trip and kept all the luggage in the boot so that I can start early morning tomorrow without wasting much time. And, almost forgot to stuck the fast but remembered last minute and got it done too

Day 1 - Thursday, 16th March, 2023:

I had been parking Coco in my friends spot since we only has one parking in the society. So I took Coco and parked in my own spot and moved 211 out of it.

Coco bidding goodbye to the W211. It's was a bit sad for me to see this since they have been together for some time now. Hopefully they will reunite one day. Truly, two of the best cars in their segments and I can't be more grateful to have both in the family. Coco and 211 really make my days whenever I drive them.

Digressing a bit, a recent study conducted by Forbes sums this perfectly - "When it comes to mobility, there is also the aspect of social status that finds its way into the minds of the Indian buyer. The report brings to light that 58 percent of Keralites want their personal vehicle to reflect their passions, while 50 percent of West Bengal would prefer their cars to reflect their social status, beating states like Punjab and Delhi. While traditionally, one would assume that the East’s preferences would be based on practicality while the North would be focused on prestige, this is a narrative that seems to be evolving. Conclusively, the same vehicle can be targeted differently depending on the state’s priorities." I find this read quite interesting.

Back to the trip, I texted in my family WhatsApp group and a friend about starting from Thane. Reset the trip meter and started my dream road-trip. It was about 5:30 in the morning when I left the apartment. Thane to the Pune expressway was the part not to be liked in the journey owing to the unscientific speed breakers and subpar roads. I took all the speed breakers at an angle and slowly and reached express relatively quickly. On the expressway, the 211 felt at home covering distance like its lives mission and the V6 kept me smiling throughout with its endless supply of torque. Quarter past seven, I stopped at the petrol pump with the attached food court on the expressway to fill myself and 211.

Both of us weren't that hungry at the time. 211 already had just above half tank and it was to early in the morning for me to eat. Nonetheless, not wanting to stop at an unsafe spot, both of us decided to fill up.

One of the best things I love about our 211 is its huge 80L fuel tank coupled with the impressive economy which translates to more than a 1000 kms on single tank. On top of this, it's a basic turbodiesel Mercedes which adds to the reliability. It's sad that the current day diesels don't get to experience this with the complex technology and DPF issues. Correct me if I am wrong. My understanding is that DPF collects the soot in the modern diesel cars and later emits the same all at once. Is it genuinely benefitting the environment or just another failure point?

I too filled up with McDonald's and I parked the car where I could see it. It is generally said that German cars are hard to own but what I have realised is that there's actually fewer problems from the car itself than there is from the others. We pay unreasonable tax to the governments to buy a car and fuel it which is already after paying unreasonable tax on our salaries. Yet, we don't even receive basic healthcare or decent education and pay up tolls to drive on roads with unscientific speed breakers. On top of this, one needs to watch out for people who vandalise these cars if left unattended or even worse in the case of 211 try to steal the hood ornaments which often gives me nightmares when parking it somewhere. Funnily, these people also blame us when buying a German car saying it's troublesome when in reality cars mostly keep us happy but issues are created by the people.

Before starting after food, I also noticed a pollution checking station at the same place and got the carbon levels checked and certified.

Emissions were well within the limits and that inspired confidence in the health of the engine. OM642 for the win. A true blooded Mercedes never disappoints.

After a full tank, the 211 was ready to conquer the next thousand kilometres. I drove non-stop except for a 5 minute break on the way to send an update of the trip. After covering 232kms, we were getting an impressive economy of 14kmpl from the V6 with me being hard on the pedals.

211 proved to be perfect car to do this road trip since it ate tarmac like there's no tomorrow. On the way near Kolhapur, a GLE tried to outpace the 211. I thought it would be a cakewalk to overtake the GLE since it's shamelessly has a four pot - the only car in its segment to have one. All of its primary competitors from the X5 to the Cayenne to the Q7 comes with a six cylinder right from the base model like it should be. Nonetheless, the GLE surprisingly kept up somehow but obviously still vanished to a dot in my rear view mirror.

Nearing lunch time, I started scanning the sides for a safe place to park and have lunch. I particularly look for places where I can see the car when having lunch for safety reasons especially since I was driving alone till Bangalore. On reaching Kolhapur, saw a decent place with an authentic restaurant and great parking. Pulled over there and had a delicious mutton thali:

Unlike morning, I was hungry by now and relished the meal.

211 catching a break from continuous driving:

Post lunch, I also had a red bull just to avoid any kind of drowsiness since I had woken up early that day.

Continuing on the Belgavi road, the goal for the day was to reach a hotel in Hubballi by 5 in the evening to avoid night driving and also because I had a meeting at 6 p.m.

On the way the car did show messages to check the engine oil level but it went away as well.

At 4:30, I reached Hubballi as planned and checked in to President hotel which was booked earlier. 211 was a bit dirty by now after more than 500 kms of driving:

Completed a day of enjoyable and safe driving. Time to rest. Stats for Day 1 below:

I had some fruits and oats then slept early after my meeting.

Day 2 - Friday, 17th March, 2023:

Admitedly, I like staying at a hotel for one main reason - the complimentary breakfast. President did have wonderful spread matching some five stars even. Since reaching Bangalore was relatively easy, I got to spent some time there having breakfast slowly and watching the peaceful lake from the window-side table. It was a serene morning. The restaurant was a bit over the top called jungle with concrete animals placed everywhere in your way. I can't complain though since the hotel staff were very kind and hospitable. Definitely recommend staying here if travelling via Hubballi.

Checked out from the hotel and headed to Bangalore where my dad would also be joining.

Although I have driven significantly in both Maharastra and Kerala, this was the first time I was driving interstate. It made this trip truly special and 211 multiplied this feeling by tenfolds. Roads to Bangalore from Hubballi were the best in the trip and it gave me a chance to push the 211 to its limits and boy does it become a road-rocket when it wants to be.

The 211 picks up speed without second thoughts while cocooning it's passengers from the elements of nature. At noon, the sun rays glimmer on the three pointed star creating a special feeling that's unique to driving an old school Merc. it's quite sad that Mercedes only offers the hood ornament on their flagships now. Current E-class owners(V213) still have the option to swap their regular grills for an S-class one as a consolation and they should in my opinion because it suits the car better. Some people just keep the hood ornament with the regular grills which is quite incongruent.

Cruised to Bangalore was really enjoyable. The views were great with patches of windmills lining the border. It felt borderline filmy to enjoy the star with those backdrops. Had a vegetarian thali with a view of the 211 right outside:

Before starting again, took a minute to wash the windshield that was dirty. Bug hits and dust in general made it a necessity to give it a rinse. Post a quick cleaning, I started for Bangalore. The increasing traffic acted as a great indicator for nearing Bangalore. My father was staying in a hotel at Whitefield. So I headed to Whitefield upon reaching Bangalore. When you have been driving well for so long a sudden change to an environment full of traffic in really annoying.

A R4 Macan was in front of me but when I tried to overtake it, my brakes started overheating. Hate to admit but realised how much better a Porsche is at that point. It was also an eyeopening moment for me that a Macan would be arguably the fastest Porsche to drive in India since the sports cars 911/718 would have to slow down to almost standstill at every speedbreaker and Cayenne/ Panamera will be hard to navigate in traffic. Macan definitely has the upper hand here. Especially the gts version is road rocket. I would argue it's the fastest car in practice while still being under the radar as just another SUV. That said if I were in a position to buy a Porsche I would have the boxer gts. It's the best car Porsche makes currently in my opinion. The 718 chasis is so good. Porsche has to consciously avoid giving the better engines in their smaller offerings like Macon and 718 i.e. give a turbo variant, because it would inevitably make those faster than their flagships which would not work for their product placement. Interesting indeed. Nonetheless, a 718 GTS is what I consider the perfect Porsche sold in India for the reason that it's gets a six cylinder booster engine and it's a roadster with reasonable comfort to drive it daily. Plus, it's not about how fast it goes in a Porsche it's primarily enjoying the dynamics. Going fast is no longer novel after the arrival of electrics anyways.

Saving the dreams for later and returning to the trip, Bangalore traffic and open roads definitely did take a toll on economy bringing it to 12kmpl for the entire trip. Nothing to complain about. I am still in awe that it runs more or less perfectly after 15 years.

After covering more than 1100 kms, it was time for a refill, I stopped at a pump on the way and filled up:

I reached the Lemon Tree hotel where my father was staying. Parked the 211 in the hotel basement, checked in and rested till my dad was back from his meeting:

Stats for Day 2 (Cumulative):

He came around dinner time. Both of us tired and hungry after the long day:

We ordered dinner from Chef Pillai Bangalore- a fantastic place serving Kerala food in Whitefield:

During dinner, we caught up with the drive and planned for the next day. We requested for a wake up call around 4 in the morning since we wanted to leave early and escape the Bangalore traffic.

Day 3, Saturday, 18th March, 2023:

At four in the morning, woke up in excitement even before the wake up call came and checked out shortly.

We drove till Salem and stopped there for breakfast. Then continued again and stopped for a coffee in between:

It was now the final leg of the trip to home. Coimbatore had some narrow roads for a bit but otherwise the roads were great. Upon crossing Kerala, it was surreal to think that I had just driven in four states in three days that too driving interstate for the first time in a dream car. It was truly a great experience for me.

By now the car was really dirty and there was also a message to check the engine oil level. We stopped at a known garage in Thrissur called Infinity Auto-dynamic and topped up the oil. We were a bit concerned if it was oil burning or leaking but turns out it wasn't filled completely before during the service for whatever reason and that there was a shortage of half a litre. We got a car wash done nearby in a shop called Koda Car Spa which had a restaurant attached where we had our lunch.

It was hardly an hour to reach home and we got home by evening.

Day 3 ended well and it's truly felt amazing to have driven the car home and to think about the days when we dreamt of having to start to scouting for one and finally bringing it home, it's one of those special days. However, we were just tired so just slept early the day. I am really grateful for all the well wishers for helping us have a star and to Jatin from Wagenwerkz to bringing it to a great drivable condition after we acquired it.

In case anyone is interested, here are the stats for the final day which is also the total stats for the trip: