Got it this January and have driven it from Mumbai to Delhi and back and then to Pune and back.

BHPian karan1977 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I own the GLA 200 (Petrol) 2024. Got it this January and have driven it from Mumbai to Delhi and back and then to Pune and back.

After 4000+kms. running here are my observations:

Pros:

• Refined engine
• Smooth gear shifts
• Paddle shifters make the driving fun
• Beautiful interiors
• Plenty of storage space in the front, the front centre armrest is super spacious
• The air conditioning is good (although I am yet to drive it in 40-degree + temperatures)
• Blind spot assist is a good feature
• 360-degree camera is really useful
• Good music system
• The multimedia interface is smooth and easy to use
• Auto parking is fun to use although it sometimes does not detect an empty slot
• Very good suspension, it's soft but not too soft making the ride comfortable

Cons:

• Missing rear window blinds
• Missing rear centre armrest
• Missing ventilated seats
• Opening the tailgate with your foot gesture does not work most of the time, or maybe I am not getting the hang of it
• ADAS auto braking is scary. I have had the car brake on its own for no reason whatsoever. Somehow it falsely detects something in front and slams the brakes. This has happened twice on Mumbai roads. Fortunately, there was no one behind me, or else I would have been rear-ended. So now I have to disable the Auto Brake Assist feature every time I start the car.
• The front seats are not comfortable for long drives. My wife and I drove for 14 hours on the first day and 8 hours on the 2nd day
• Mercedes Navigation is not as dependable as Google Maps
• The seat kinetics feature is gimmicky, I don't think it made my long drive more comfortable
• The rear camera pops out every time the car slows down or the vehicle behind comes close. And it is noisy! On the first day, I thought there was some loose item in the boot. Mercedes should have kept it simple and just provided a fixed camera in the rear
• The air conditioning automatically changes over to take in air from the outside every 15 minutes or so. So you have to press the internal air circulation button every time you smell smoke or stink

Before I give the mileage figures I would like to point out that my wife and I drive the car sedately. We don't rev the engine high and prefer smooth and gentle acceleration. And we keep the air conditioning on all the time.

Mileage:

• Mumbai rush hour traffic - 4 kmp
• Mumbai nonrush hour traffic, avg speed 40 kmph - 10 kmpl
• Mumbai Delhi Expressway (NE 4), constant speed 120 kmph, RPM 2000 - 16.5 KMPL
• National Highways, average speed 60 kmph - 18 kmpl
• Mumbai Delhi Expressway (NE 4), constant speed 90 kmph, RPM 1400 - 20 kmpl

Mumbai Delhi Expressway observations

• Incomplete. Starts from Sohna near Gurgaon and goes to Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. Thereafter you need to take the state and national highways to Bhanpura interchange near Jhalawar in Rajasthan. This goes all the way to the MP - Gujarat border. The Gujarat state highway that starts from the Gujarat border is terrible and full of potholes. But after some time you get on to the national highway and can go all the way to Vadodara. From Vadodara, you again get on to NE 4 (Mumbai Delhi Expressway) and travel to Bharuch. Surprisingly this 120 km stretch is the only portion of the expressway open in Gujarat.
• There are very few food malls open on the entire expressway. Most of it is still being constructed
• I did not see any operational gas stations on the expressway. So please ensure that you have plenty of gas before you get on the expressway
• I spotted just one electric vehicle charging station (Sohna to Dausa stretch)
• The road is smooth but not level for most of the journey. So you will experience smooth gradual climbs and descents
• There is hardly any traffic

• I have seen idiots stop their vehicles in the extreme left lane and walk across to the extreme right lane just to take cuttings of the beautiful bogeanvilla plants!
• There was an opening in the fence on the left and I saw a farmer bring his buffalos to cross the expressway. This was in Madhya Pradesh if I am not mistaken

While going to Delhi I took the Nashik - Indore highway and short of Indore I turned left and reached Ratlam from where I took the expressway
On my way back I came via Gujarat. Out of the two routes, I liked the Nashik route better because the state highways in Gujarat were terrible and the traffic from Bharuch to Surat was bad. Both being industrial towns, the highways are full of trucks and there is massive air pollution because of the industries.

Final conclusions

I am happy with the car, it's beautiful to look at and drive. No regrets about buying it.

Trip from Noida to Mumbai via Gujarat

• Distance - 1440 kms
• Home-to-home mileage - 16.1 kmpl
• 23 hours travelling time
• 91 litres of petrol (Rs 9500)
• One-way toll around 1800

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Some of the cars that we test-drove include the Jeep Compass Model S, Citroen C5 Aircross, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40.

BHPian CJP recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It's been a busy 8 months since I’ve updated this thread and I am very grateful to you all for the suggestions. There were some points raised that, if I’m honest, I didn’t quite think of. But after much consideration, I finally bit the bullet and YOLO-it with a Mercedes GLA 220D 4MATIC. Below is the story from the choices, to the PDI, delivery and 3000 km update, so hang on for a fun-filled ride!

Chapter 0: The Origin Story

We’ve owned all of our cars for at least 5 years in the past, starting with a ‘99 Mahindra Bolero, which never left our hands till ‘04. Replaced by a Hyundai Accent CRDI, the Accent served us well as our kids grew up and we began our family road trips. An understated workhorse among its cohorts from Hyundai, the Accent was comfortable enough but soon with age, began to show more of Hyundai’s typical niggles. Expensive repairs and the general need for more space with our kids hitting their teen years meant that we were soon in for a replacement.

Enter ‘09 Toyota Innova GX Diesel

Road trips were now the breadbutter of any holiday season in our calendar and soon we found ourselves searching for a comfortable city car and grand tourer (not the flashy Beemers). Back in ‘09, it was pretty clear that the Innova was going to stick around for significantly longer than the other two, we simply didn’t anticipate how long. Till 14 years later the requirement of a fitness certificate comes knocking at the door. There still isn’t much of a plan to sell our old girl, but considering that I’m approaching retirement I began considering options to serve as a companion for now and eventually replace her.

The requirements were more or less the same, a reliable, safe, relatively understated, grand tourer. Thus, in May 2023 the hunt began.

Chapter 1: Choices, choices, choices!

My son (now 22 yo) and I began test driving cars around the 40 lakh budget point, stretching to the entry-level Germans. Beginning with the Jeep Compass Model S, which in hindsight, was a great place to start. It offered all the latest features with quite a no-nonsense and stable driving experience at a “bargain” of just 40 lakhs; an amazing yardstick for the Germans. The let-downs are the lazy 9-speed torque converter gearbox, lack of flappy paddles to take effective manual control (the gear lever is a bit cumbersome to use while trying to take manual control), lack of drive modes and the minor lack of refinement within the cabin with respect to NVH levels. The lack of refinement may be due to the fact that the test drive unit sent to us had run 15k kms and was probably beaten to death, however, it didn’t inspire much confidence in the Jeep’s maintenance.

The GLA 220D was next, which just blew us away with the sheer refinement, luxury and ease of power and torque. A mild flex of the right toe and the car surges forward with the sense of a Star Wars lightspeed jump. The big 18-inch wheels (220D test drive vehicle comes with 18s, 4MATIC has 19s) and suspension ironing out the undulations and in the cabin, a sense of the scenery simply wafting past guaranteed this would be a solid contender for the mini grand tourer. Mind you, all of this comes with a hefty price tag which would become a point of serious deliberation down the lane.

The Citroen C5 Aircross was a bit of a disappointment when considering its hefty price tag. Coming to India as CKDs, the C5 offers amazing ride quality but simply lacks the dynamism and features of its rivals.

The Audi Q3 was, in my son’s opinion, perfect. If you’re willing to overlook the 2-litre TFSI engine, the Q3 guarantees a great driving feel with the legendary Quattro system. The presence of physical buttons for everything is definitely a plus and despite the lower torque of 320 Nm, the snappy gearbox of the Q3 and ferocious power in the higher end, meant that it was no slouch to drive. The real downsides however come from its strengths. The engine, while fun to drive, is quite sensitive to your right foot when it comes to returning efficiency numbers. Teemed with my general preference for diesels for our use case meant no dice for the Audi. Plus the VW Tiguan or larger Skoda Kodiaq makes an amazing case as a budget alternative to the Q3 being from the VAG group, making the option of the Q3 a bit redundant unless you’re hellbent on going for the rings on the bonnet.

Remaining loyal to Toyota, we did test drive the Fortuner; the logical progression of the long-term Innova owner. While the Legender test drive vehicle had the King of the World driving position, it lacked features that you would expect at the near 50 lakh price point. Additionally, the girth of driving a 1 BHK Mumbai Apartment, an antiquated cockpit and that JBL sound system from 15 years ago meant that we were surely not going to return to Toyota.

Since a friend of ours owned an XC60 and speaks highly of the Swedes, we tried the XC40. Having dropped the diesels as well, Volvo has stumbled a bit when it comes to their entry-level car. The XC40 boasts the same power and torque figures as the Q3, but simply lacks the dynamism of the German rivals. Along with the slightly weird feature list, pretty claustrophobic rear seat experience and entirely touch buttons for any kind of basic functionality meant it was quickly eliminated from the running.

Despite attempting to be as thorough as possible, we ended up dropping a few other choices we had in mind. VW never really got back to us to bring a Tiguan round and Hyundai’s Tucson was pretty much ruled out given past experiences. Since we were in touch with Mercedes and the old GLC was just being phased out to bring in the facelift, Akshay Motors suggested that we consider their last piece 1 of 1 GLC. Packed with some features and accessories generally seen in the AMG coupe and GLE models, Akshay Motors had the last GLC to leave the assembly line having run just 36 kms. Seemed amazing, till the drop dead price tag of 82 Lakhs came into the picture. The GLA was a stretch from 40L, 82L was just lunacy at this point.

And so began the checks and balances. The decision was down to the Merc and the Jeep. The Jeep, making a very strong case for itself. At 40 Lakhs, offering everything under the sun with good ride comfort, sufficient power and torque albeit with a slow gearbox and a roomy boot. The Mercedes appears to be, lesser car for your money but after some dinner-time debates, the decision was made to pamper ourselves with the 3-pointed star. The approximately 30 lakh difference was on my mind for a very long time, but we decided that there really was no point scrimping at this age and chose the GLA 220D 4MATIC.

Chapter 2: Sneak Peeks and PDI

The 4MATIC variant is 4 lakhs more than the standard front-wheel drive and comes with the AMG line kit. A few bits of chrome, larger wheels, different grill, brushed aluminium accents on the interior and back faux leather with nicely detailed red stitching. These minor cosmetic differences make the 4MATIC instantly identifiable compared to the regular GLA. The GLA is offered in a wide variety of whites and blacks, being white, silver, grey and black with the incredibly underwhelming denim blue as well. Having owned 2 black cars and a grey Innova, I was open to trying other colours this time. Although I was initially leaning towards blue, seeing it in person was quite disappointing, to be honest. The blue for the GLA looks flat, and very meh, with zero depth because the tinter used on the colour is a light tinter. By contrast, the GLC looks a class apart in its blue (pun intended). The grey and silver did seem like great options, till I got the opportunity to visit Mercedes’ service centre and storage facility in Hoodi where there was a GLA 4MATIC in black. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous to look at.

At the Hoodi Stockyard - first look

Initial ODO Reading

19 inch AMG Stars wrapped in Continental PremiumContact 6 SSR

LED High Performance Lights: Never a dull moment in the night

Now that the decision was made, the buying process began. We ruled out buying from Akshay Motors (even though they are literally in our backyard) as our in-showroom experience during the enquiry stages and when we courted the idea of buying the GLC, left a sour taste in the mouth. We called Sundaram Motors who were more than happy to answer every single one of our queries, including some questions that came up when watching reviews online and even offered a test drive (the second one and a third one much later) in a GLA 200 petrol (underpowered and underwhelming).

Overall the entire buying experience was truly phenomenal. Right from the test drive to the buying experience, PDI, delivery and any time we popped in for a quick discussion, WhatsApp or a phone call. Sundaram Motors staff were courteous and willing to go the extra mile, build a relationship with us and make the buying and ownership experience feel special. The sales reps went out of their way to make us comfortable, with no pressure at any stage to make the booking or sign forms or give them a decision. They must have figured that the ‘sale’ was done, all they needed was to wait for the penny to drop!

Having booked the car, the dealership soon informed us that we could check out the car at the Hoodi stockyard. I dropped in at the Hoodi stockyard while returning from work one evening to see the actual car we would buy, in the metal. And there it stood, with the chrome pin grill adorning the massive three-pointed star. The sheer elegance of the curves along the body and grey star alloys wrapped in Continentals brings out a level of panache. The little boot spoiler and sharp-cut taillights mean that this is no slouch from any angle. It may not be a C or an E class, but Mercedes has really nailed the styling; until you come to the rear bumper. FAKE EXHAUSTS ARE CRIMINAL period.

Despite what you might think, in black, the GLA 4MATIC flies under the radar at first glance. Sedan-like height, unassuming stature and a black hole for paint colour, the size of the car simply disappears when it's parked. Flat-out impressed with the unit assigned to us and with a quick PDI complete (courtesy T-BHP PDI checklist) it was time to sort out the paperwork, accessories, registration and maintenance package.

Mercedes doesn’t offer a wide array of accessories, however, I was adamant on two of them; dashcams (front and rear) and floor mats which come with the appropriate Mercedes price tag. Although fitting the front and back dashcams did cause a slight delay in the delivery, the only hurt caused was the anticipation of waiting another 4 days.

Chapter 3: Delivery and Initial Thoughts

At last, the D day arrived. We showed up at Sundaram Motors, finished the final paperwork and were soon presented with our car. After a royal and a very special delivery experience, complete with the Mysore Petta, bouquets of flowers, a Mercedes branded clock, chocolates, gift hampers, cake cutting and a ceremonial handing over of the keys, it was time to roll on out of the dealership.

As the saying goes; “The first thing you do with a new car is give it for PPF!” We chose Kriti Car Care for our PPF and they did a great job with regular follow-ups after 15 and 30 days to help make any corrections where the film lifts. So a week later the car was now ours. The drive from the garage to the home was a great judge of what the car was like in stop-start Bangalore traffic. In a word; effortless. The sheer ease of driving the GLA in traffic is unparalleled. About 2 hours later, our brand-new car was parked in the garage. Over the subsequent few days, I found myself just standing and admiring the car, knowing I was finally living my dream of owning the 3-pointed star.

Chapter 4: The Final Verdict and Ownership Review

Having completed nearly 3300 km and one road trip to Mangalore, and several smaller drives along Mysore Road and its neighbourhood, my son and I have gotten a good feel of the car and some of its little foibles. Since most of the content available on the internet for the car tends to be a bit superficial and we were unable to find any long term review of the GLA, we decided to try our hand at reviewing the car and sharing our personal experience of living with the GLA.

Styling, Appearance and Perception

Despite the GLA being the smallest SUV in Merc’s lineup, there really isn’t the feeling like they have skimped anywhere. The AMG line kit with the shiny pins on the grill give the look of stars in the night sky, with the functional air scoops and bold lines in the front adding to the stance of the GLA. The LED high-performance lights give a mild frown when viewing the car from the front and the big three-pointed star adorning the front grill is assertive rather than commanding.

From the sides is where the GLA flies under the radar. With the big, grey star-shaped alloys and small body cladding mean that in black, this car looks inconspicuous to the untrained eye. The chrome roof rails along the side and chrome lining around the windows give the impression that there may be more lurking beneath the surface of an understated side angle. The back of the GLA is hit or miss. The taillights look sharp and without any badges (de-badged during the PPF exercise, except for the Mercedes Star), makes one question what they are looking at. Teamed with the roof spoiler and the overall stance of the car from behind looks sorted and sporty. Till you reach the bumpers. As stated earlier, fake exhausts are criminal and so are fake air scoops at the back, why Mercedes why? This design feature really feels like the only fly in the ointment.

Now perception is something no one really thinks about and we didn’t as well until it was raised in the discussion thread. In black, the car does turn heads provided the person sees it approaching them. In the rearview when it’s charging down the highway the GLA looks mildly menacing. Despite this, we had a small incident on our Mangalore trip. A particularly mean Baleno driver thought it would be amusing to inconvenience us by drifting into our lane on purpose when we tried overtaking, and kept up the charade for over 5km. Probably attempting to bully my son who was at the wheel. This incident did get me thinking about perception, but we dismissed this as a one of - silly road rage.

In Bangalore, Mercs are given a bit of space and leeway but you have to remember that the general perception is that the owner is a bit of a rich snob. Of course, there are several reasons as to why the assumption is made, but on average Mercs are considered aspirational and luxury; like the iPhone of the car world. Being aware of this has shaped our driving styles slightly. Where we would once simply steamroll our way forward in the Innova, a more passive approach would be preferable in the Merc to avoid mean drivers, aggressive two-wheelers and pesky autos.

Engine and Drivetrain

The GLA 220D 4MATIC is powered by a 2 litre inline 4 cylinder diesel engine making 187 BHP and 400 Nm of Torque mated to an 8-speed Dual Clutch gearbox with Mercedes’ 4 wheel drive system which kicks in when it senses any loss in grip. All of this means an effortless drive, the torque of a locomotive, and lightning-quick seamless shifts of a Formula One car (hyperbole). The dual-clutch ‘box is a pleasure to drive and in Sport mode shows off its DNA. Even on Comfort mode, the car is eager and willing, it is only on Eco that there is a sense of sobriety, holding on longer to higher ratios.

In the city the GLA feels easy to drive, dimensions are manageable coming from the Innova, making a quick overtake is easy and the mileage, on my Kengeri to Whitefield commute through the heart of the city is between 12 and 14 kmpl in Eco mode. The gearbox stutters a little at lower speeds generally between 10 and 30 kmph but the moment you get a break in the traffic, it's quick to drop down and help you harness the power and torque.

On the highway is where things get interesting. The winning formula for the GLA is that this is a small car with a big engine. The same 2 litre diesel powers (although with different states of tune and higher torque) the C and E class sedans and GLB, GLC and GLE SUVs with the exceptions being the E350D sedan and the GLE 450D which come with a tuned version of the 4 pot diesel and a 6 cylinder diesel respectively.

The big power figures in a comparatively lighter car means that the GLA feels like a performance car when you put your foot down. On highways with strict speed limits of 80 kmph, the car slots into 7th gear and will return an effortless 15 to 17 kmpl. Allow the car to stretch its legs and it’ll give you upwards of 20 kmpl while cruising effortlessly in top gear at anywhere between 100 and 130 kmph and that is the sweet spot - on relatively level roads the engine hums along between 1500 to 1800 rpm and easily maintains 120 to 130 kmph, but for the incessant whine of the speed limit warning, this is the pleasure band.

Suspension, Steering and Handling

In order to understand why I’m about to wax lyrical about this, please keep in mind we’re coming from a first gen Innova. Handling may not be its forte but the suspension is stable at upwards of 120 kmph and the hydraulic power steering can keep up till 140 kmph. In the city this feels like mixing concrete, but the feel and feedback of a mechanical connection to the wheels is like none other. Despite its weight, the Innova’s double wishbone suspension in the front gives you enough confidence to chuck the car into corners without worrying too much. And since we had fitted our Innova with aftermarket stabilizers and 220/65/R15 Yokos, the car could come to a deadstop from 140 kmph in a straight line, believe me this was from a near incident on the Madurai to Rameshwaram highway during a road trip.

The GLA, much like the Innova, inspires a whole new degree of confidence. In the city and on rough roads, the bumps are a bit pronounced on account of the slightly stiffer suspension. But despite the slightly stiffer ride, the car doesn’t feel unsettled at any point, or like it's being knocked off balance when you hit a pothole. It still manages to soak up a majority of the bumps, craters and expansion joints are a mere sound effect. The car comes clad with Continental Premium Contact 6 SSR (run flats) and offers excellent drivability in the dry, good feedback and if a somewhat stiff ride, the profile is 235/50.

Then comes the steering. Butter smooth and very responsive. It may not have the aggressive kick-back or vibration of the hydraulic steering where you can feel minute changes in the road surface, but this electrically assisted unit is easy to twirl at low speeds and weighs up progressively at higher speeds. The Charmadi Ghats were a good test of handling. With 4 adults and a boot full of luggage, this car scampered up the hill with ease and minimal body roll. Vertical pitch and body roll are only prominent if you stand on the brakes or swerve sharply. High speed manoeuvres can be done with ease and complete confidence without even informing your passengers of what you’ve just done.

Electronics, Infotainment and Gizmos

Coming from the barebones utilitarian Innova, having even 1 screen is a big change. Mercedes’ MBUX definitely takes time to explore everything but is easy and intuitive to use. With complete connectivity with your phone (with a type C cable) through the Mercedes Me app and with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, MBUX is slick, fast and responsive to touch commands. The trackpad in the centre console is easy to use and despite what you think, is easy to use on the move as well provided you turn on the haptic response.

The screen for the instrument cluster is also easy to read and informative. The touchpads on the wheel are a little finicky to use while driving but you soon get used to them and accidentally touches are almost none. The new facelift GLA comes with the capacitive touch buttons which would be a bit harder to use on the go, so we really do thank our lucky stars that we got physical buttons for the volume controls, phone controls and cruise control. The various instrument cluster modes are easy to read and look aesthetically pleasing and can be saved and customised to your individual profiles in the MBUX system.

In addition to useful features like maps, Bluetooth, vehicle and engine information, come the luxury features like ambient lighting and seat kinetics. Android Auto and Apple Carplay for this particular version of the GLA do not fill the entire 10-inch display and occupy only 7 inches. This is because the international variants of the car offer smaller screens for both the infotainment and instruments. This has been corrected in the facelift since all models have 10-inch screens.

The Mercedes Me app is useful as well, with remote door locking & unlocking, TPMS, engine start, geo-fencing, valet mode etc., the only downside is there are annual subscription fees after the first 3 years of ownership.

A real unsung hero is the reversing camera. No more craning your neck to search your blindspot or lowering the mirrors (left side mirror lowers automatically when reversing, angle is programmable) to see the curb, the clear camera view and adaptive guidelines are easy to use and estimate spaces. Definitely a big plus. However, this GLA does not come with 360 degree cameras, it does however have sensors all around the car. These are active below 40 kmph and are quite sensitive in Bangalore traffic. More often than not, the car will begin screaming at you when bikers wiggle their way through traffic or more annoyingly when hawkers walk past the car at the traffic lights. This volume of the warning can be reduced or turned off entirely, but despite the annoyance, they are quite useful when manoeuvring through tight city streets. This feature as a result is kind of bittersweet in my opinion, more of a with or without you feature.

The ambient lighting is definitely something else especially when driving at night. The gentle sweeping colour options add to the atmosphere of the car at night and even a bit comforting when driving alone at night. The real party piece on long drives is definitely the seat kinetics. This feature essentially moves the adjustable sections of the seat cushions slightly, preventing you from getting sore from sitting in the same position for long periods. It may seem a little gimmicky till you try it and then the difference is pleasant and comforting. On our way back from Mangalore, I had the seat kinetics off for the ghat section and on for the open highway. You can genuinely feel your thighs getting a bit stiff and boom, this gently almost massages the stiffness away.

The music system is actually quite good despite being a stock Mercedes 6 speaker system and not the Burmester system. 2 tweeters in front, and one in each door mean that the overall listening experience is great, treble and mids are good. The bass is adequate as well despite not having a subwoofer and at no point does the music feel too loud or distracting. The music is clear and insulating but not in a dangerous way where you would be isolated from the outside world. The competition does offer audiophile brands like Alpine in the Jeep and Bang & Olufsen in Audi, but this is a strong entry level system by Mercedes and will satisfy your music needs adequately from rock to pop music albeit not at an audiophile level.

Seats, Comfort and Interiors

The car is quiet, and at city speeds we can have conversations at normal voice levels, living in Kengeri means we don’t have the constant background buzz of a busy city and we miss the quiet when we travel into the city. Inside the GLA is like being cocooned from the bustle outside. Road and traffic noise does filter through, but very unobtrusively. At highway speeds road noise is progressively higher and varies based on the road surface, the loudest are concrete surfaces, while newly laid asphalt roads are quiet and hushed. I would imagine that the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 would be much quieter than the Contis.

The front seats are 8-way power adjustable seats with lumbar support, manual extendable thigh support and 3 memory settings. The DINAMICA microfiber black seats in the 4MATIC variant have slightly different bolstering and are a little more supportive when compared to the regular GLA’s sport and comfort seats. Despite lacking ventilated seats, you really don’t feel hot or sweaty in the car while the sweltering 35-degree heat beats down on a black car with a black interior. The seats give a wide range of adjustment, with height adjustable seatbelts and both reach and rake adjustment of the steering wheel mean that you can find your ideal driving position easily. In the front there is sufficient space between you and the passenger with comfortable armrests on both sides. There is also a simple entry and exit feature to allow for easier ingress where the seat becomes a bit upright.

The real party piece is the dual pane sunroof. With a simple pull of the switch, the entire atmosphere inside the car is transformed and what may have seemed as a dim cabin is now open and airy just by sliding the blinds back. Only the front pane opens, but until now we haven’t opened the sunroof ever, just the blinds every once in a while.

Now you would assume that a car this small and with large front seats would have a poor back seat experience. But that’s not true, the backseats are very comfy and quite spacious with just enough space for 3 people to sit comfortably for city trips. However there is a small tradeoff, the backseats don’t have any seat adjustment (the Innova had a large amount of adjustability for the middle row including an almost full recline) and there is no central armrest or cupholders. This is genuinely quite weird because most reviews at the launch of this variant had it, but the features were changed when the CKDs landed in India. Leg room and knee room are more than adequate at the back and the low seating position is quite comfortable.

Safety Tech

Despite being an “entry-level” Mercedes, the GLA has front collision warning, attention assist where it will advise you to take a break after 3 hours of non-stop driving and an active collision bonnet. All of this is in addition to the 7 airbags and sturdy shell of the Mercedes with the guarantee that the car won’t kill you provided you wear your seatbelt or kill anyone else.

A feature not often spoken about is the self-parking. It does work only in the specific condition that you’re trying to parallel park or bay park between 2 cars, however, there is the choice of going forward or backward and since it doesn’t use cameras there is no need for lines on the ground. It is safer to use this feature in a multi-storey car park where you are more likely to find a space between 2 cars but always be ready to take manual control should anything go wrong.

And there is really good Emergency Braking, if you are travelling faster than the car immediately ahead of you and there is not enough braking distance, the GLA will start by flashing a red triangle on the dash, and beeping loudly. And if no action is taken and the distance keeps closing and compromises safe braking distance, the car will hit the brakes, quite aggressively as I experienced during one Monday morning commute to Whitefield on Old Madras Road. A larger red triangle and louder beeping will follow, with simultaneous muting of music and phone call if one is in progress.

Boot Space

430 litres seems like many litres of space but a more realistic understanding is that you can fit two full size cases and one small case in the back if you remove the parcel shelf. This is on the smaller side when compared to the competition particularly the Q3 with 505 litres, but 430 litres is more than sufficient for 4 adults and a few days of luggage.

Two full size cases and one small without the parcel shelf - I should have put the larger case at the bottom for this pic. Even this way, the cases don't touch the rear windscreen.

With the parcel shelf, you can fit one full size case and one small case

Agreed this is no bottomless pit like the Innova, where if you remove the last row of seats, you can move house (and we’ve done that and more), but the space is more than adequate. The backseats do fold down as well which means you can now move house with the GLA. There is of course a space saver spare wheel which does not eat into the boot space and is placed under the boot floor. If one can trust the run flats, all you need to carry is the tyre inflator and the entire spare tyre area can be vacated for even more room in the boot. The boot is electrically operated but doesn’t have the hands free feature, so you will need to press a button or pull a switch.

Long term Pros

• Our primary intention of buying this car was to travel and from our experience so far, it does look like it fits the bill. It is compact enough to take it on narrow hill roads, powerful and comfortable enough to munch miles on the highway, easy to drive and reliable. The 3 pointed star on the bonnet and on the steering wheel is just a reminder to take it easy, nothing to prove!
• Everything just works, and while I did want the 360 camera, ventilated seats and adjustable rear seats, arm rests etc., I would have had to bump my budget up another 20+ Lakh to get there and would have had to manage a larger car. This size is just right for the two of us and it can easily accommodate another 2 adults when required.

Long term Cons

• The only thing that I can think of at this point is a potential embargo on Diesels - if that does happen, I will have our clueless politicians and my voting choices to thank (or not)!
• At the moment, we have the Service Contract for 4 years, extendable to another 4. And a full 8-year warranty on the engine and drivetrain, and a bumper-to-bumper insurance. Peace of mind for now. Renewals will eat into my retirement fund.

Small but significant things

• There are two cup holders on the centre console in the front, the driver side cup holder is the default space for the keys. So where does the driver keep their drink?
• The space for the cell phone does wireless charging, and has the only USB port that can be used for Android Auto/Apple Car Play. And it can only hold one cell phone, and you will need a right angle USB C cable to utilise this space.
• The front passenger has no place to keep their cell phone, other than the door pocket.
• The front passenger footwell is aggressively angled, to accommodate the larger tyre. While it can comfortably accommodate a relatively tall person, the foot will be at a more acute angle than some other cars
• Window shades - miss them - the higher models come with retractable window shades. Evidence of cost cutting as the door side panels are designed to accommodate the retractable screens.
• The front passenger and driver side windows reflect the cool turbine style AC vents to a point of distraction, esp. when you want to use the ORVMs.
• The ORVMs have a sharper convex curve on the outermost portion of the mirror, thus eliminating the need to have additional stick-on convex mirrors.
• And the cool aluminium panel on the dash also glares straight into the passenger’s eyes. I did think about putting a matte film to dull the shine - not sure yet if I want to do that.
• And this particular one has been covered multiple times - the rear passengers do not get much - no cup holders, no centre armrest, no place to dock cell phones, but there are two USB C charging ports.
• The USB C ports inside the centre console can be used to plug in a pen drive, the MBUX console will read the drive and will play FLAC or MP3.
• Since the car has GSM data connectivity (from Vodafone), it can be used in a pinch as a hotspot. And MBUX will also connect to home WiFi if within range to do OTA updates - haven’t done any so far though.
• The left side mirror’s position for reversing can be stored in the same memory setting as the front driver seats. The manual has a simple 3 step procedure to do this.
• Specially designed battery terminals for jumpstarts or trickle charging. The red plastic tab slides to hide the positive terminal, and the brass stud horizontally across is the negative terminal.

Final Thoughts

The GLA is perfect if you’re looking for a small car with chops to take on the bigger rivals. The diesel is definitely the one to go for, with its never-ending power and sorted driving dynamics making this the ideal mile muncher on the highway while still being easy to manoeuvre in the city and not really pinching the wallet when it comes to fuel. It may end up gobbling up some of your savings when it comes to maintenance without the service packages which is the case of all luxury cars. So far my experience with the GLA has been very positive leaving me itching to hit the open road every weekend. If you’re looking for a small diesel SUV and are willing to pay a slight premium, look no further!

Happy to answer any questions that folks here might have.

A quick shout out to my son, who helped me write this up and even post it here.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Apart from the grille design, the upcoming EQS will also feature an uprated battery with new chemistry - for improved range.

According to reports, Mercedes-Benz is working on a facelift version of its flagship EV, the EQS sedan.

The new Mercedes-Benz EQS though will undergo a design overhaul in a bid to reverse the sales slump. One of the big changes expected is a newly designed conventional grille and the inclusion of the iconic three-pointed star on the bonnet. The new grille is expected to be sleeker and come with the stars inscribed onto the surface.

A sneak peek of the new grille reportedly flashed up during an event to highlight its similarity to that of the current S-Class. Ola Kallenius, CEO, Mercedes-Benz, stated, "Some [customers] will want to keep a more sporty look and have the star integrated in the panel, and some we believe will want to have the more traditional look."

Apart from the grille design, the upcoming EQS will also feature an uprated battery with new chemistry - for improved range. It will also borrow the upgraded 118 kWh battery pack from the EQS SUV.

Inside, the EQS sedan will gain optional 'executive seats' at the rear, instead of the bench.

Source: Autocar UK

A used S-Class with it's air suspension was the first car that came to mind, but it's length of 5+ meters is a major deterrent.

BHPian Ess recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We're on the lookout for a car to add to our garage with primarily only one specific requirement, i.e. extreme comfort in the rear seats (2 people) for city usage.

A used S-Class with its air suspension was the first car that came to mind, but its length of 5+ meters is a major deterrent. We feel that it might be too long for the roads of Bombay. We already have a 530D which we feel is sometimes difficult to manoeuvre on certain streets in the city.

With a budget of 75L to 1Cr, we're open to new or used (less than 5 years and still under warranty preferably), Sedan, or SUV (SUV preferred as we already have 3 sedans) and less than 5 meters in length. As this will be primarily chauffeur-driven, performance isn't a priority, although we wouldn't say no to a suggestion with 6 or more cylinders that meet the comfort criteria for when the car is self-driven

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Used S-Class. W222 had a more comfort-oriented suspension than the W223

Used Vellfire. Ultimate comfort-mobile.

Wait for the next-gen Kia Carnival that's coming in 2024.

Used X7, especially with captain seats

Here's what BHPian manson had to say on the matter:

Just over 5 meters in length but well within your budget and requirements I can't recommend the Q7 enough! Plush interiors, comfortable ride, great on space, and then the 6-cylinder motor is an added bonus!

Here's what BHPian Sahil had to say on the matter

We moved from a 5 series to an S-class 8 years ago and still have the latter, while it is certainly bigger, you get used to the size to maneuver. It is worth the slight extra hassle for the amount of extra space and comfort the size provides.

I personally don't think you should fear this aspect much since you are going to be chauffered for the most part.

Secondly, consider the 7 series instead of the S for the back seat comfort. We have both and the 7's back seat is much better. The main difference is that the seat height and under-thigh support are far better in the rear of the BMW than the Mercedes which sinks you in quite low.

This is a great option. I have always loved the Q7 and was very close to buying one in 2019 when they were on deep discounts. It would make sense to consider this especially since Audi is great with their discounts. However, I haven't read much on the forum about the Q7 discounting.

Here's what BHPian nmn.070 had to say on the matter:

Some options to consider for a great back seat:

• Lexus ES - comfortable, reliable, good-looking. It would be my pick for this price range and use case.
• Volvo XC90 - there's a variant with captain seats in the back that is impeccable in its vibe and comfort. A little long in the tooth now.
• Audi A6 - not driven it but have heard great feedback about the comfortable suspension.
• Innova Hycross - save a ton of money, solid residuals, reliable, and great 2nd row in the captain seat variant. Lacklustre interior and dull. Only if you wish to postpone your big car purchase decision and wait for new models to get introduced or get newer luxury vehicles at a reduced price in the used market.
• Mercedes E class - RWD, comfortable, premium. I just don't like the way it looks but that's a personal choice.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Both of these cars pale in comparison to my Fortuner but this is more of an aspirational purchase.

BHPian hajaar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello All,

I am torn between these two cars (CDs are scheduled a couple of days from now, which will change this decision). This is for mostly long trips for a family of four.

Pros for GLA

1. I get a year-end discount
2. Merc badge (mother wanted it)
3. The interiors are fantasti
4. Transparent pricing
5. Reviews seem to indicate that the GLA is more powerful and comfortabl

Pros for X1

1. Latest model
2. Has massage seats and ADAS etc (GLA misses out on massage and has only collision braking)
3. Wireless CarPlay (the GLA has wired CarPlay)
4. Bigger boot

Both of these cars pale in comparison to my Fortuner but this is more of an aspirational purchase

Would love to know your thoughts on this. Also, the buyback scheme is a scam, right?  

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter

Between these two options, the GLA 220d is the superior. The X1's petrol engine is a triple cylinder with ordinary power ratings. Just about okay performance in the city, but it runs out of breath at highway speeds.

With the X1, the diesel is the motor of choice.

Here's what BHPian CarsAndDrives had to say on the matter:

I would skip both. GLA drives great and ticks most boxes, but it feels more like a hatchback and the boot space is a compromise. X1 on the other hand looks good, but the lacklustre engine makes it a big no-no.

I would suggest Q3 - it trumps both of these cars. Only one problem though is the end of model with new launch pending mid 2024. I would score it the best in the lot. These are based on my test drive impressions.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

BMW X1 petrol for highways with four people onboard is pretty much a non-starter.

Don't buy using any exhaustive comparison method. Between the X1/GLA diesels - see which design/look appeals to your family, test drive to check the space and comfort. In general, MB tends to come out as a better family car (brand preference, comfort oriented tires+suspension+gearbox, neutral/pleasing design).

Buy it with heart but ensure that the basics are in place (space, comfort, cost of ownership, etc.). Lack of wireless carplay, etc. should be a distant secondary consideration for a purchase that's aspirational.

Are you sure about the size/space of these cars given your family is coming from Fortuner ownership?

Here's what BHPian PaddleShifter had to say on the matter:

If the car is mainly for highway trips, go for the X1 mainly because of these two factors

• Better driving dynamics and steering feedback at highway speeds.
• bigger boot space.

As mentioned at numerous places on the forum, BMW offers a better service experience along with more reliable cars than the other two (Mercedes and Audi) among the main three manufacturers.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

While it sure was lacking in comparison to the 5 Series, the only thing in my head was, "Dad must have loved this".

BHPian Arnav612 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Luxury mobility is an indulgence that's hard to get rid of. Aspirational value combined with sheer social image qualifies for the Indian lifestyle. The trophy-like stature for years of blood sweat and tears comes from the car standing on the porch, for most of us. The garage queen - the kind that you make sure your hands are clean before touching, the kind that you don't give out keys to the valet, the kind that you trust in altering your lifestyle and that one, penultimate gift to yourself. As they say, boys grow older and their toys get faster.

Here's the story of the two boys in my family - my father, and myself.

Dad and I share the same roots of enthusiasm towards cars (mine is multiplied by a few hundred folds though). I grew up sitting in his lap while travelling and recognizing cars on the road - as young as the age of 2. He made sure I was always involved in every car-buying decision from as young as when I was 8-9. We had different priorities though, my bang-for-buck criteria was fast, sporty, and eventful. His is more on the lines of opulent, luxurious, simple.

Having gone through waves of buying Honda Citys, Innovas, Swifts etc, it was this fine evening in 2017 that we sat to discuss the possibilities of buying one of "those" cars. Dad being himself, started and ended the conversation at Mercedes. We gave little room to BMW, Jaguar and the likes, but pretty much for the namesake. The first contender was the Mercedes CLA, but thanks to its not-so-dad-friendly characteristics, we brought home a W205 C Class in the C200 guise.

The C-Class was a thrill for all of us as our first step into the luxury segment. It complemented our Innova Crysta and City beautifully with the perfect appointment of duties. Amidst these workhorses, the C was special. Yeah, it wasn't the most spacious car out there, and it wasn't loaded to the brim (our Seltos was way more contemporary), but from the way the doors shut, to the way the knurled aluminium knobs turned, and the way the motor purred, it exuded class. A certain amount of class which in my opinion, even BMW and Audi couldn't imagine.

Cut to 2022, 5 years and 18000 kms of the C Class later, we suddenly sold our car to a rather enthusiastic individual. He had been eyeing the car for a while and gave us an offer we just couldn't refuse. We're still in touch and I keep seeing the car whenever I go back to India. Since the C went suddenly, and I had my university commitments starting, we were in a fix. We initially decided to stick with the Seltos and ZS for a while till we were prepared for a proper upgrade. Which made sense given our usage. But, indulgence.

This time, it was my turn. I looked no further than this Blue-Black 530d M Sport of 2014. And boy, what a machine. I had never seen Dad smiling when he accelerated before he did in the BMW. This car was the polar opposite of the C which was way more tame, supple and significantly more nimble. The 5 was business. The M Sport guise made it even damn better. A business suit never looked this good in sneakers, with the way those M Sport rims blended with timeless lines. My 9-year-old 530d never looked 9. And a large part of it was owed to its design.

A year went by and I was away from home. Now remember that the 530d was much more to my tastes than it was to Dad's. And lastly, maintaining a 9-year-old German luxury sedan. Throw these things into one mix and it's not a pleasant experience. One thing failed after the other. Sometimes the steering rack, sometimes interior wear, a suspicious CEL, and so on. We had done our share of preventive maintenance, but you do such stuff for a car that you deeply desire. The deep desire is what dad didn't have. He felt out of place in a 2014 pre-owned car after selling a 2017 showroom-bought car.

While I wouldn't have taken this step individually, collectively we sold it in exactly one year of ownership, in July 2023. Same fate of the Mercedes, the new owner is an avid team-bhp reader, an enthusiast, and an assurance of good hands. We're still in touch and he keeps sharing pictures of the car in new avatars. I commend his enthusiasm for driving the car down from Mumbai to Kochi.

NOW, what next? We concluded that since I was away from home, we should prioritize the parents' wishes when it came to their luxury barge. Hopefully, I cross paths with another 530d later on. Sigh. We casually surfed through new cars like the E-Class, C-Class, GLC etc. But the prices were enormously unjustifiable.

72 Lakhs on the road for a C-Class??? Man!

We were even considering cars like the Camry and the Superb. The value proposition is unmatchable. But, indulgence.

Meanwhile, in Italy I was, casually surfing through classifieds and Autohangar Advantage and came across an inventory of W206 C-Class'. Interesting. The prices quoted - even more interesting. Almost 25% off the price tag of a brand-new car. Quickly rung up a known dealer at Autohangar Advantage in Prabhadevi, and found out the funda. I initially was under the impression, that these might be TD cars or demo cars and I wasn't keen at all. But these were their fleet cars being used individually by their directors from Chakan, and not random potential customers from all over.

The car came to Mumbai and dad went over to the showroom. He LOVED it. The interiors were a big step up from anything we ever had. I never was a fan of the all-screen interiors, but see it to believe it. Indulgence. Pulled our own strings and got a sweet deal on a 14k driven Mercedes Benz registered C200. The Mojave Silver + tan interiors wouldn't be our choice, but that's when Mom stepped in saying, no. more. white. Hmph. It's a beautiful colour though.

I returned to Mumbai and gave delivery of the 5. And went to check out this C all alone on the same day. Took a test drive and while it sure was lacking in comparison to the 5, the only thing in my head was "Dad must have loved this", and the dealer agreed. My first impression was strong. I loved how supple the ride was and it took potholes and ironed them out like they never existed. The low seating made for a generous couch-like driving position, my favourite. MBUX was actually pretty easy to use on the move. AC controls were digital, but they were constantly displayed on the screen. No moving through menus and stuff. I would only change the haptic glass panels for actual buttons though.

Just once more, I took a friend along with me for final checks of the car. We sniffed the car all over like CBI guarddogs and had a few panels realigned, and a tiny dent vacuumed out.

We cracked a sweet on road price with transfer charges waived off, and one free service. We will be extending the warranty to 5 years next year. Overall the dealership experience was extremely courteous and frank. All their teams worked in fantastic harmony and all we had to do was pick up the car. My SA, DK Sinha at Prabhadevi is excellent to deal with. Along with the specifics of the car, his conversation and work ethic were commendable. Everything was sorted before time and it was more of him waiting for us than the other way round.

Alternatives:

This 2020 E200 Exclusive came around. With only 21k kms clocked and the exact same price as the C, it was appealing. But the dealer's unresponsive attitude was too slow to catch up with how enterprising Autohangar had been.

Delivery Pictures:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Among the debutants and the star of this year's show was the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The 2023 edition of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally was held in Mumbai today. This was the tenth edition of the iconic rally. The cars lined up at Taj Lands End in Bandra, Mumbai. They then drove to the south end of Worli Sea Face and back via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge.

More than 75 Mercedes-Benz cars spread across 72 different models were on display with nearly 50% of the cars making their debuts or participating after a comprehensive restoration process.

A huge number of people who came to see the beauties. The pandemic is well and truly behind us!

Among the debutants and the star of this year's show was the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’.

This car went on sale in 1963, which means 2023 marks its 60th Anniversary.

Among the other cars that immediately caught my eye was this 300 SC. It had participated in the 2014 edition of the Rally and had returned this year after a fresh restoration.

This stunning 220SE Cabriolet was another attention magnet.

Some of the Rally regulars included the Nurburg...

...and the 500K:

Continue reading Aditya's experience at the rally for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

In case the E350 CDi plan does not work, I am also open to exploring used E250 CDis and E220 CDis of similar vintage.

BHPian B747fan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi everyone,

I have recently got a slight itch to replace my 2010 Mercedes E250 CDI. The car has covered over 1,35,000 km, however recently it has been plagued with issues. This year alone we have spent well over 2 lacs into it. The car was also hydrolocked back in 2019 (more on that later), which doesn't help either.

So a little back story about the vehicle + slight ownership experience

The year was 2010, and I was just a little over 5 years old, and my mom was looking to upgrade from her Mitsubishi Lancer. At that time, we had 3 cars in our garage. A 2006 Tata Safari Decor VX 3.2, a Tata Indica, and a Mitsubishi Lancer, which was my mom's personal car and the one she enjoyed driving the most. The service costs had increased significantly, and there was no authorized service centre in my hometown of Jodhpur, so we decided to let it go and started looking for options.

Now I am not aware of which options were considered, but I vaguely recall a test drive C220 CDi in white colour visiting our home.

A few days later I was shown the brochure of the W212 E-Class and was asked to decide on a few specs. I remember selecting the alloys which eventually led to us getting home an Obsidian Black Mercedes-Benz E250 CDi BlueEfficiency home on the 19th of December 2010, which was also my mom's birthday!

This led to the start of luxury cars in our family.

Eventually, this also became the car that made me into a Mercedes fanboy, which led to our purchase of a GLS350d in 2016, which has now left the garage, and replacement is due in the future for it as well, however, this post will focus on replacing the E-Class, which I have named "A little". (My best friends did play a slight role in this)

Now, this car is very close to my heart for various reasons, mainly because of the nostalgia attached to this car and the fond memories with this. This is also the car on which I learned to drive in 2020, and I still enjoy this car to the max!

However, the car was hydrolocked back in August of 2019, at around 1,12,000 km, and has become very problematic since.

This incident took place when we were on the way to the airport, and it had rained heavily the previous night. This was just 1km away from the airport, and to this day we regret taking the E instead of the Crysta or GLS.

The car was eventually repaired and back in service by February-March of 2020.

I had my first experience driving it on the 29th of August 2020, and I instantly fell in love with the power it had to offer! 201hp, 500nm torque, and RWD, which arguably is not the best choice for a beginner, however lockdowns and empty roads made it better for me, and also helped me in improving my handling skills!

However soon after I started driving, (and using the car to its full potential by pushing it to the limits that the driver never pushed it to), the check engine light came on while I was driving, and the car suddenly stalled. (It was an empty backroad and hence wasn't much of an issue, however, the car had to be towed to our farm 1km away, where our mechanic came and diagnosed the issue as something with the fuel pump).

Since that day, the check engine light constantly remained on and to this day it has some or the other issue popping up, however, it did not affect the performance for the most part until this year.

Here's a clip of it effortlessly getting past 120 with the check engine light on.

The main issues that we experienced this year include a head gasket replacement, turbo servicing, accelerator pedal failing, steering lock failing, and intercooler hose pipes giving up.

The head gasket replacement led to the heads being rebuilt, which obviously accounted for the majority of the money we spent on it this year, and the last of a reliable FNG back in my hometown is also causing more issues.

Also, the car still struggles with many electronic issues from the hydro locking, including busted speakers, some wires still being wet(which was diagnosed when the accelerator failed), and some other sensors causing issues.

Now I have been facing a dilemma on whether to buy new or used. Open to both choices, however, I have a very specific set of requirements, and I am also very attached to the W212 pre-facelift design.

My requirements:

1. Sedan
2. Rear-wheel-drive: This is essential as to this date, I refuse to touch FWDs cause of the driving dynamics.
3. A full-size spare wheel: Now this is the lone requirement that, in my research, cannot be fulfilled if I were to stick to my previous requirements.
4. Diesel (preferred but not necessary)

So, I have considered the following options:

1. Buying a used E350 CDi of similar vintage: This will obviously include getting the car evaluated at a Mercedes service center to see if it's worth going for. I have narrowed it down to 2-3 examples in Mumbai for around 7 lacs.
2. In case the E350 CDi plan does not work, I am also open to exploring used E250 CDis and E220 CDis of similar vintage (W212 Pre-facelift).
3. Going the new option: In this case, I found the C300d to fit my criteria the most, but again it lacks a full-size spare wheel, which in my opinion is essential, but most manufacturers skip this, aside from Lexus with their ES, and Toyota with their Camry, however both of them are FWDs and have CVT gearbox, which is a no for me.
4. The last option, if nothing works, is to keep it A little longer, but it will require a lot more work, as it is almost 13 years old now. Although I have listed it for sale with a local dealer, I have not got a good enough offer yet. Most offers max at 5-5.5 Lacs, mainly because it is in my hometown and also because it is black in colour (People don't prefer to have darker colours in Rajasthan that much). Had got one for 7, but he was unable to arrange finances. The least I am expecting is 7, but seeing the condition of the car, even 6.5L is fine.

I would appreciate suggestions on this matter.

Parting with a few photos of my beloved a little:

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Beautiful Benz, sorry to hear of the flood damage. Once a car is severely flood-damaged, it is never ever the same. I realised it with my humble Nissan Sunny. Water can reach places that the human hand (mechanic's hand) will never be able to.

Sell your car. for 13 years is anyway a good service period.

My suggestion = since you are comfortable with pre-owned, buy a well-maintained used E-Class or 5-Series. Go for 6-cylinder only, either E350 CDI or 530d. There are plenty of options in the market. You have the budget, so avoid the 7-lakh rupee examples. Set your max budget and go for the newest, lowest run example you can find in it.

Forget spending 70 lakhs on a new C-Class. Better spend 30 - 50 lakhs on a great E350 or 530d. Take a spin in the G30 530d too, you will love it. The current-gen E-Class is an LWB which I don't think is to your tastes, so look for the previous-gen E350 CDI, but it will be old.

Here's what BHPian B747fan replied to GTO:

Hi GTO! Thank you for your response. Yes, I fully agree that a car once water-damaged is never the same anymore.

I am mainly looking for a W212 pre-facelift because of the elegant grill it has, which, in my opinion, looks timeless! A few months ago, while I was driving on the highway, a biker overtook me, gave me a thumbs for the car, and then sped away! I have narrowed down the E350CDis which looks to be in decent condition, however, I will still get evaluated before proceeding further. The facelift W212s get the Avantgarde pack as standard, which I do not really like, but I did scout for facelift E350CDis, and only found one in decent condition in Mumbai, however, the asking price was too much, at 39 lakhs for a 2017, 2nd owner car, driven around 80k.

I am indeed mainly considering 6-cylinder options only, I considered both diesel and petrol, so E350CDi, E350 Petrol, and E250 Petrol, I decided to stay away from petrol because of the increasing ethanol content in petrol, as the maintenance is already quite expensive with these old beauties! (Will definitely be looking for some good FNGs in the Bandra/BKC area) But I am still open to considering them in case I don't find any good examples of E350 CDi.

The car will be mainly driven by my driver and occasionally by me, as I am yet to gain full confidence in driving in Mumbai traffic (currently driving a manual 2010 Innova here) The average running will be around 300-350kms a month.

Last year, I decided to get my car evaluated at the local dealer. They gave an estimate of 18 lakhs to fully repair the car. It was then lowered to 3.5 lakhs for just fixing the main items.

While I am fully open to used cars, my mom isn't, and she suggested going for a newer one, and that's why I considered the new C300d. (She wants to give me a car as a gift for my birthday which was just a few months ago.) She also liked the E-Class LWB, however, I did not like the use of blue with beige in the interiors of the E350d AMG Line, hence decided to skip it.

While I appreciate your suggestion for a BMW 530d, and I know you have one, I am not really a BMW person. The only BMW I will ever consider, that too as a project car, might be a BMW 118d.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I did not want to buy a diesel because my family has owned a few diesels in the past.

BHPian holyshash recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The W218/C218 Mercedes CLS made its debut in 2011. In India there are very few examples of the W218 which have made their way into the market. I was surfing through the internet trying to find a CLS55 or a 500 for sale but did not find any. I continued my journey to find good example of a car within the fiscal limit of 30L that met my demands, which are RWD/AWD, V6 or a V8 'petrol only', mod friendly and something that can go sideways once in a while.

I found a few examples:

2014 W218 CLS350 with 37,000km on the ODO priced at 22L

• It meets the RWD, V6 and the sideways part, but I am well aware about the scarcity of aftermarket support for this
• model.
• The M276 DE35 is a reliable engine and can clock many kilometres . Its a Naturally Aspirated engine as well.
• Its a 4 door coupe which is a piece of art.
• An ECU tune, a sports exhaust, changed headers, intake etc would help with the power gains.

2013 D4 Audi A8 4.2 FSI Quattro with 30,000km on the ODO priced at 28.5L

• This is a V8 Twin Turbo, the same engine that powers the same generation S8.
• The kilometre figure seems to be fishy and might be tampered with.
• The D4 Audi had a major issue with the turbocharger oil strainer getting clogged in the 2013 models, for which Audi recalled 26,053 units.
• These V8s are quite heavy on pockets, and can cost a limb to repair when something goes wrong.
• A stage 1 ECU remap can throw in 74hp and 128tq, which totals to 520hp.

2010 W212 E350 with 35,000km on the ODO priced at 8.5L

• Its a V6 again with a good mod potential.
• A relative of mine has owned a 220d for a decade now, I have dreamed of owning a W212 since the day I saw it.
• Due to the 1600kg weight it cant go sideways.
• Amongst the five cars, this one is the most budget-friendly option and comes with lower maintenance costs.
• A Wald Black Bison kit could be ordered for this which would make this a baller.

2011 W221 S500 L with 30,000km on the ODO priced at 22.5L

• This one is not a normal 500, its a 4.7L BiTurbo V8.
• Air suspension on these models are usually a deal breaker and there is almost no way to know if its broken beforehand. Although one can replace it with coilovers but then it defeats the purpose of the might S-Class
• Again the S Class' are a nightmare when a major part needs repairing and can cost a lot, as well as the scarcity of the OEM parts not being available.
• A straight pipe would make it sound lethal with that mighty V8 roaring.
• P.S: I have read Androdevs S-Class ownership review hence I know about the cost of maintaining and keeping one of these running!

2012 F01 740Li with 11,000km on the ODO priced at 26L

• Compared to the S class, this seems to be a better choice.
• Again its not a normal 740Li, the 2012 got a twin turbo with the same N55 engine.
• It has a timeless design and with a Prior Design body kit it would look stunning.
• There are various tunes available for it too and can have its power bumped up with an ECU tune.
• Although the 11k kilometres look super fishy again for a decade old car.

I also looked for a BMW 530i/550i as well as C250/300 but failed to find any good examples. I did find a clean C200 but that was an inline 4 and was a little underpowered for me.

While all the cars listed above have relatively high maintenance costs, this is typically expected when it comes to German cars. I did not want to buy a diesel because my family has owned a few diesels in the past
and although it might differ for others, but for me a petrol car sounds cleaner and runs smoother compared to a diesel variant of the same car. The 530d is a very appealing option to consider buying, but its not to be opted for because of the diesel engine. Diesels to give good FE though. Is there a way to confirm if the car has legit kilometres on the ODO or if they have been tampered?

I have driven the 220d w212 a lot of times, and it always amazed me. The exterior of this E class with the split headlamps is the best to look at. The interior is very spacious, compared to a 5er. Recently a Youtuber(Horsepower Cartel) has also purchased a C207 coupe and kitted it with a Black Bison Wald kit and it looks glamorous.

Here is a list of mods that I have decided to do on the car if I do buy the specific one.

W218 CLS350:

• The W218 CSL 350 has a Naturally Aspirated V6 which makes 302hp with 370nm torque. The same engine can be found in the CLS400 with 2 turbos attached to it, which makes 329hp and 480nm torque.
• With a stage 1 tune from RS Tronic will add 24hp and 30nm torque which will make the total horsepower
• gained to 330. That tune should roughly cost around 50,000rs.
• A Fi-Exhaust, model number MB-2126-CBV, will be used to change the stock exhaust. This should make the car breathe better and also make it louder. That should cost 2.5L approximately.
• K&N air intake could be added which could cost around 28,000.
• I am not sure how a catalytic converter could work but I did a little research and it could help the engine eject more air. I found NAP converter for 50,000. I have 0 clue if thats needed or not but
• it does help with FE too.
• I have found a wide body body kit in japan from a company called Prior Designs and got myself a quote if i want the kit to be delivered in India. It should cost around 5.24L.

W221 S500 4.7:

• The S500 has a 4.7 twin turbo engine which makes 429hp and 700nm torque.
• With an ECU stage 1 tune it could crank up the power to 498hp and 779nm, whereas a stage 2 could crank could crank it up to 508hp and 809nm torque. This could cost aproximately 1.5L
• I dont have a quote on the straight pipe but I guess it could cost roughly 50-80k?
• Rest the turbos could be upgraded to a bigger size but that would become too extreme for a S class.
• Same wide body kit could be delivered to India for the same amount as the CLS, as both the kits are sourced from the same company. The price may differ according to the parts.

F01 740li:

• The 740li came with 2 different engines depending on the make year. The models from 2008-2012 came with a twin turbo 3.0L N54, the 2012-2015 models came with a single turbo 3.0L N55. One which is for sale is a 2012 model and somehow it is the twin turbo variant. The N54 engine is a tuner-friendly engine and can be easy to tune.
• ECU tune for the N54 can bump up the stock 320hp/450nm torque to 380hp/550nm torque. Theres even a stage 3 kit available for the N54 but sadly it cant be done in India. The ECU tune is priced at 31,000. There is an exhaust available for the N54 740i from Remus, but I have yet to receive the quote for that.
• Theres also headlight upgrade available for the F01, a company called Z-WORKS which costs around 30,000 per piece. But in order to get the upgrade, we have to send our stock headlamps to the country where the company is located and then they ship it back to us after upgrading it.

I did not find much for the Audi A8L 4.0TFSI, but I did see a few videos and it looks like there are mods available for it too. It already has enough power packed inside it, no need for any tuning is required I guess.

The E350 is a very popular car and almost all mods are available online and can also be done by a tuner based in Ahmedabad called Autokrafte. The M272-DE35 is one of the best mercedes engines and is easy to work with too.

Here's what BHPian lamborghini had to say on the matter:

Are you sure the A8 and S500 have the turbo / bi-turbo engines?

Personally, I would look for an Audi RS5 if the intent is to do it up and have fun. A luxo-barge isn't something you would want to push side-ways and tune beyond a certain point unless you're ok spending on maintenance.

Instead of the E350 - find a 535i, a Z4.35i, etc.

Here's what BHPian vredesbyrd had to say on the matter:

CLS 350/E350/740Li personally seem like the best options. I'd want to be more inclined towards the 740 due to BMW's reliability record and the ZF8.

Why not look at some 750s while you're at it?

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

Make sure you check the VIN data sheet or scan report to confirm that type of the engine. Used car dealers get very creative with engine badging, etc.

As much as I like an S Class (or cars of this category), it can be overwhelming when it comes to maintenance. Definitely worth it if you are willing to finance the Endeavour.

Large engine in a sporty car (like RS5) might be a better bet without the liability of fancy suspension and tons of features. In terms of road presence and cool factor, you will be better off with an old "sports" vs cars of W221 era. People will think your 4.7L W221 is a badge job :-)

E Class won't do it - having come this far, you deserve more pain and joy!

Here's what BHPian Tvk1991 had to say on the matter:

The AUDI A8 was on sale for 2+ years. I have seen photos of its air-suspension completely slammed.

The best options I would consider are: RS5, E89 Z4, E90 M3s, CLA/GLA 45 AMG, C43 AMG and W222 S500.

640D is a good option as well.

Here's what BHPian Arnav612 had to say on the matter:

I wouldn't recommend going for a full size luxury limousine with the intent of tuning and going slideways. If you're anyways investing in mods, go for a tame mainstream variant like the C200/E200 of the last generation and go all out. Barges like the S-Class/7-Series will be consuming enough moolah for their own mechanicals in due course, let alone the mods.

Although, If this is your supposed to be your recreational project, don't block out diesels. Merc E350 and BMW 530d are droolworthy sedans with fantastic luxury value and mod potential. And you will now find dime a dozen of these well within your budget.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Here's a list of 13 museums every auto enthusiast must visit.

BHPian JDMBOI recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here is a list of museums & factory tours every petrol-head must go to, so fasten your seat belt and grab some drink because it's going to be a long ride.

• Porsche Museum.
• Nissan Heritage Collection
• Mercedes Benz Museum.
• Honda Collection Hall.
• BMW Museum.
• Koenigsegg Factory Tour.
• Museo Ferrari Maranello & Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari.
• Museo Lamborghini & Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini.
• McLaren Technology Centre.
• Museo Horacio Pagani.
• Museo Mille Miglia
• Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Silverstone Museum.

Porsche Museum

The Porsche Museum is an automobile museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany on the site of carmaker Porsche.

History

The original Porsche museum opened in 1976 in a side-road near the Porsche factory. It was a relatively small works museum with little parking space and it was only big enough to hold around 20 exhibits (in rotation).
Porsche built the museum as a kind of "rolling museum" with rotating exhibits from a stock of 300 restored cars, many in pristine condition and still in full driving order. Originally there was discussion that the new museum would be built alongside a new Mercedes-Benz museum on former trade fair grounds in the Killesberg area of Stuttgart. After the new Mercedes-Benz Museum opened in the east of Stuttgart in 2006, Porsche went ahead with plans to upgrade and extend its museum in the northern district of Zuffenhausen next to the company headquarters. Originally costs were set at 60 million euros but days before the official opening ceremony on 29 January 2009, it was confirmed that the actual costs hit 100 million euros.

The new museum

The new Porsche museum stands on a conspicuous junction just outside Porsche Headquarters in Zuffenhausen. The display area covers 5600 square metres featuring over 80 exhibits, many rare cars and a variety of historical models.

Guided tour

Museum Tour

Discover the company’s history with all its milestones from its beginnings to the present day in an approximately one-hour guided tour of the Porsche Museum that is tailored to your individual wishes.

Public museum tour :

• Max. 25 people
• € 6.00 without entrance fee
• Duration approx. 60 min

Private museum tour

• Max. 25 people
• € 180.00 including admission price
• Duration approx. 60 min

Awareness Tour

Book a guided tour of a very special kind. The awareness tour enables participants to experience the company's history from a different perspective. It's not just about imparting knowledge, but also about the topic of self-awareness. We invite you to a change of perspective with aids such as blindfolds, wheelchairs and earplugs. In this way, interested parties are made aware of how to deal with people with disabilities. This tour is perfect as a team building measure.

Private awareness tour:

• Max. 10 people
• € 100.00 including entrance fee
• Duration approx. 60 min
• Age: starting at 12 years of age

Historic Walk

Accompany us on a journey through time along historical and modern buildings from our more than 80-year old history. Find out how the Zuffenhausen site developed from a design office to one of the most modern automobile plants in the world. Using historical images and documents from the company archive, we will show you the change and growth of our production facility, without entering the buildings.

Private historic walk tour:

• Max. 15 people (participation aged betwenn 8 and 14 years only with an accompanying person)
• € 150.00 without entrance fee
• Duration approx. 120 min

Factory tours

Take a look behind the scenes, where the heart and soul of the brand are at home: at the headquarters in Zuffenhausen. Accompany a sports car on its way through production and experience the perfect symbiosis of tradition and modernity.

We show you how the vehicles of tomorrow are made. In addition to the 911 and 718 models, the main plant has been producing Porsche's first full-electric sports car, the Taycan, since 2019.

Let yourself be captured by the fascination of Porsche and take a look behind the scenes at the headquarters in Zuffenhausen. Accompany a sports car through the production process on a guided tour of the plant and find out what drives us and it: a perfect symbiosis of tradition and modernity. The new Porsche Production 4.0 - smart, lean and green. You can choose from three different factory tours. Children from the age of eight can take part if accompanied by an adult.

911 / 718 Tour

Together with one of our guides, you will visit the assembly line for the Porsche 911 and the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman model series. Where possible, we will show you selected production areas such as vehicle assembly or upholstery. Depending on the prototype construction, there may be short-term adjustments of the tour. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. You can book a private tour or an open tour with other visitors. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Open 911/718 factory tour:

• max. 5 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 10.00 per person
• 8 – 13 years free (with accompanying person)
• 14 – 18 years 6,00 €
• Duration approx. 120 min

Private 911/718 factory tour:

• 1 – 15 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 150.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Taycan Tour

Visit the assembly line of the first full-electric Porsche Taycan and the paint shop. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. The route between the museum and the paint shop on this tour is covered by bus. You can book a private tour or an open tour with other visitors. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Open Taycan factory tour:

• max. 5 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 15.00 per person
• 8 -13 years free (with accompanying person)
• 14 – 18 years € 6,00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Private Taycan factory tour:

• 1 – 10 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 225.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Powertrain Tour

Get exclusive insights into the three assembly lines of the boxer, V and electric motors. We explain to you what distinguishes the different motors. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. The distance between the museum and the new engine assembly is covered by bus. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Private powertrain tour

• 1 – 10 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 180.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Barrier-free museum

There is lots to discover. You can join a guided tour or you can look around the museum alone. We have almost 100 vehicles more than 200 small exhibits interesting information about Porsche The Porsche Museum is barrier free. Lifts take you to all floors of the museum. We have accessible toilets on the ground floor and on the third floor of the museum.

Price List

Entrance fees:

• Adults: 10 €
• Reduced price: 5 €

This price (Reduced price) applies to:

• Schoolchildren
• Students
• Persons with a voluntary social year pass
• Senior citizens
• People with disabilities
• Unemployed persons
• Porsche Classic Card holders
• Porsche Club members

Free entry for: Children up to 14 years. Children may not visit the museum without an adult. Person who accompanies people with disabilities. (mark "B" in the disability card)

Evening tickets from 5 p.m.

Price List

Entrance fees:

• Adults: 10 €
• Reduced price: 5 €

This price (Reduced price) applies to: Same as Above.

Continue reading BHPian JDMBOI's review for more insights and information.