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BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Hyderabad
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| 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC tl;dr Replaced 2009 Honda City iVTec at 1,75,000 KMs (bought used at 49,000 KMs in 2013) with a new GLC 220D 4MATIC. Booked and canceled Isuzu VCross, Skoda Superb, Jeep Compass, MG Gloster during the process. Rejected a used BMW 320d GT. Finally, took the plunge and bought a brand new Mercedes. Ran it hard for 23,300 KMs in the first year of ownership. Two mega road trips and a couple smaller road trips took us through 10 states and 3 UTs burning a total of 1960 Ltr of diesel. Plenty off-roading, one overnight camping and so much fun. I feel unleashed! Car Being Replaced 2009 manufactured Honda City iVTec SMT that I purchased in 2013 at 49,000 KMs. We ran it pretty hard clocking over 1,75,000 KMs across the country. It took us to 18 states, several UTs and an extensive road trip through Bhutan. This Honda exhibited exceptional reliability as we never got stuck anywhere even though we abused this car a fair amount. We didn't really have to pay for anything other than just regular servicing and accident related repairs. Nothing broke down apart from the lockset (the keys and locks) at 175,500 KMs. ![]() Masai Plateau near Injole, MH. ![]() Somewhere in the Sahyadri mountains. ![]() Indian states that we traveled to with our Honda City. Why Replace? Though the car was definitely taking us places, it certainly couldn't take us everywhere. I never cared about the lack of ground clearance, bad roads, no roads and took our car wherever we were wanted to go. But there was always this urge to have the ability to go the extra mile, the mild off-roading experience and J&K/Ladakh/North East. I know people have been doing Ladakh in their low slung sedans for almost forever now but when I go there, I want the ability to go "everywhere" which is certainly not possible in a petrol sedan. No off-roading capability, no torque! There was also need for more space. Additionaly, as the car aged, it basically started feeling like a Bolero pickup with a really harsh ride, almost nil noise insulation. A new car was needed and as time passed the need was quickly transforming into urgency! Isuzu D-Max V-Cross in 2016 I was looking for a replacement for as early as 2016. I remember I was in Kodaikanal, TN on a road-trip when V-Cross was launched. And I immediately booked it. But reality settled in a week or so when I realized that it was way too long and I wouldn't be able to maneuver it in our cities or the super narrow roads in the hill stations. Canceled the booking. After this, the car replacement was put on a backburner as I went through life ferrying the Honda City wherever we could. As time passed, I was also becoming a lot clearer on what I really needed from a car and my list of requirements emerged to be
This started sounding more and more like I needed a Honda Creta AWD. The above requirements basically ruled out anything that was within budget. Mahindra Thar, Scorpio N, XUV 700, Force Gurkha etc. I kept waiting for the perfect car launch and life went on. Then Covid happened and I thanked my stars and obsession for preventing me from getting a new car as will just sit idle and corrode away. I kept looking for the perfect car though. Once the Covid 19 story was over and the world started opening again, the pressure for replacing the car was just a little too much and we actively started looking. We were no longer in the mood for waiting. Skoda Superb ~ Apr, 2022 I researched and searched for a perfect car for nearly 6 years. BUT Skoda is like this super hot chic that makes you go totally blind and turns you into a total retard. I wanted to go for Octavia but that didn't have a sunroof and wife really wanted a car with sunroof. So, took a test drive and just booked Skoda Superb. This was so freaking anti-climatic! How does one end up booking a super unreliable low slung Skoda sedan with DSG and no AWD when looking for a car with the above mentioned requirements ![]() Jeep Compass ~ Jun, 2022 The closest car to Honda Creta AWD was Jeep Compass Trailhawk. We took a test drive and the gearbox tuning was such a turn off. Tata Safari has the same engine and a paddle to metal in that yields a rocket ship. In Compass, it didn't do nothing. But we didn't have an option. We went ahead and booked the compass but I insisted for Trailhawk edition. I wanted to go for the best. They had the regular compass available off the shelf but I didn't want that. Even Jeep failed to stick to the promised deadline and we also started realizing that we were compromising a lot. Not just the engine, the luggage compartment is also super small and cannot accommodate bags for the kind of traveling we do. We'd be gone for months at a time. Finally, canceled the booking in July, 2022. MG Gloster ~ Jul, 2022 While the auto industry was falling apart in terms of delivery timelines, we were running out of options. Nobody was willing to sell us a car and on top of that I wanted a black car which nobody keeps in stock anyway. We visited the MG showroom and had a look at the Gloster. My goodness! What a car! I have no idea how Toyota manages to sell a comparatively underpowered car with a significantly worse interiors and plushness when we have a Gloster in the market at almost the same/lower price! Anyway, decided to compromise on the length and 7 seats and booked the car. The quoted waiting period was 48 weeks. I was not ok with it but such was the car market. Paid the booking amount on the spot with a promise that they'll come over with a test drive vehicle later in the week. Yes, such was the environment. People didn't even test drive vehicles! While the booking for the Gloster was on, the thought of it being too big to maneuver in places like Ooty, Darjeeling were constantly haunting me. Also, the test drive vehicle never showed up. The booking was eventually canceled in Sep, 2022. In the meantime, we were still shopping around to see if we can get some other car. I got so desperate that I even considered getting Fortuner for a brief amount of time. We visited the Toyota showroom here and luckily the waiting period was well over 11 months and even that was not guaranteed. BMW 320d GT ~ Sep, 2022 I was getting ever desperate to get a new car. But since there was no car ready to be grabbed. Started exploring used car market and luxury car market at the same time. Visited several places in the city and found a BMW 320d GT Luxury Line (2017 / 60,000 KMs) at a decent price of ~28 Lakhs. Even though the car is sold as a touring machine, it's not at all suitable for touring. The spare tyre takes up all the space and there's none left for your luggage. And one simply cannot tour India without a spare tyre. Anyway, I decided to take the plunge and thought of getting it as a stopgap car till we can get our hands on a proper tourer. But I didn't have a good experience at the BMW service center when I took the car over there for inspection. The same is documented in this thread (Awful experience @ BMW service center, Hyderabad). Decided to strike BMW off not only in the used market but also from the new car market. Ditched the car even though I had to pay a decent amount for the 360 degree inspection but it's probably a good idea not go ahead with a deal if your gut feels otherwise. Enters Honda Creta AWD or Mercedes GLC 220D 4MATIC ~ Sep, 2022 Now that I have offended all the Mercedes fanboys out here, let's get back to real talk. Even though I was aware of Mercedes GLC and most of its features, I always considered Mercedes to be this super delicate, fragile machine which one must drive only on finely paved private roads in order to not hurt it. At least, that's the image Mercedes seems to have among the masses. Even the thought of taking a Mercedes off-roading was a bit scary! Anyway, GLC ticked every single item in the list except for ventilated seats. It's such a misfortune that in this country, one must compromise on some or the other thing while purchasing a new car no matter how much money you spend. I was aware of the GLC facelift but I wanted to avoid it because it replaced all physical buttons with that touchscreen. I admit it looks fabulous but I am not a fan of controlling stuff that way. I also anticipated a price increase (Spy Pics: Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz GLC) which helped me make the decision and seal the price. We booked our car with Mahavir Motors, Hyderabad. The waiting period was supposed to be a month but we got our car delivered in flat 19 days. The entire process was managed really well by the staff there. Special thanks to Mr. PV Prasad for taking care of so many things and making the whole process look like a cakewalk for us! ![]() D-Day! It was a good day. It accidentally turned out to be an auspicious day as well. Mahavir Motors delivered 18 Mercedes that day! ![]() The cake was so freaking delicious. ![]() The official declaration! ![]() Chocolates were amazing. We carried a huge chocolate bouquet for the team and they reciprocated appropriately. ![]() Not sure how to use this though. I think it will be considered show off. ![]() We pretended to be climate activists for a total of 5 seconds before driving off in the newly acquired diesel guzzler! One Year Report The car has completed one year at the end of Sep, 2023. Here are the one year stats. Driven: 23,300 KMs Diesel : 1,960 Ltr (~11.89 KMPL) States: 10 UTs: 3 Expressways Driven:
![]() Indian territory visited with the GLC in the last year. Likes
Dislikes
Extra Protection/Covers Bought
Insurance Claim Process Unfortunately, I had to claim insurance twice in the first year. Nothing major, only minor fender benders in the city. The process was super smooth. Vehicle gets picked up, dealer does everything that needs doing. You only need to provide the accident description and send them license etc. That's all. In both the cases, I had to pay Rs. ~2,800/- as standard deductible. But that's all. You don't have to do anything including interacting with the insurance company. Please note that GLC is a CKD car and if you managed to damage your car in a way that some part needs replacement, it'll take a minimum of one week for your car to be returned. Parts are sourced from Pune only on order. Painting takes 3-4 days max. In the first year of ownership, my car as spent nearly two weeks at the dealership for two insurance claims and server. I was not offered and refused a courtesy car in both cases. Not sure what the rules are around that. Also, mine is probably a cheaper Mercedes to qualify for a courtesy car. Service Costs I think this is one of the most unknown and worrisome factor for prospective buyers. I feared this one to be honest especially because you can not get your Mercedes or any other German serviced outside of the authorized service centers when they are in warranty. The first service was carried out at 17,300 KMs. It was delayed because I was already on a long road trip and had no way of getting the car to a dealership. It was not a major service and was about just routine checks and oil/filters replacement. Set me back by Rs. 45,036/-. It's very expensive compared to my Honda City which is somewhere from 5,000-8,000 but I guess it's a fair price for a German. ![]() Issues So Far I don't think it's possible to own a car without issues. I haven't run into any major issues but here we go!
Well, that's all I have gathered so far on this Mercedes. If you are curious about something, feel free to ask and I'll be happy to answer. Also, do let me know if I am doing something horribly wrong! And Honda City has now become our beater car and we use it occasionally for "city" runs. ![]() Plant run using Honda City. Last edited by bordeaux : 22nd October 2023 at 10:41. |
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BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Hyderabad
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| re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC We have done two major and a couple minor road trips in the new GLC. First one was 9,112 KMs spread across mostly northern states. We were aiming to visit Ladakh in April/May but had to abort trip from Manali/Jispa due to health reasons. I'll share few pictures from both the trips as I really don't have enough time to go into details but feel free to ask for anything related and I'll be happy to share! North India Trip ~ Jan - Apr, 2023 The stats or tl;dr ![]() Full Fledged Camping at Junaraj Eco Forest Cottage. There are no facilities here. You are on your own. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Next morning! ![]() ![]() We went to Polo Forest near Ahmedabad. While we went on to do some sightseeing, on our return found this couple getting their Pre-Wedding photoshoot done with our car. God bless the couple and may they get to own one themselves!! ![]() ![]() Quick camping for some tea at Sunset Point, Dholavira. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() On our way to Nadabet Indo-Pak Border. Amazing road between Mauvana-Datrana. A creative person can go totally crazy here with photography and videography. The salt lake dries up leaving crazy landscape with no horizon in sight. ![]() ![]() ![]() Near Barmer Bypass. What you see in front of us is an under construction Barmer bypass but you see it because I told you so ![]() ![]() Somewhere on the road from Munabao to Sundra (Jaisalmer). Setup an afternoon camp. Had lunch and slept for a while. Wonderful experience. ![]() ![]() Off-roading on some random village dunes near Tanot. ![]() Number one rule of going off-roading is that you never go alone especially in a unknow terrain. Hired a Bolero guy to take us dune bashing. It was totally worth it. Even got stuck once but we were able to get ourselves unstuck just by removing sand. This was somewhere between Tanot and Ramgarh. Fragile Jaisalmer Sand Dunes ecosystem police kindly excuse me. ![]() ![]() I got the car down this sand dune. It's not quite visible in the picture but this is nearly vertical where I couldn't see anything at all. ![]() We went to Khimsar Sand Dunes Resort and guess what I found parked there! A group of NCR bros was out here to chill. ![]() ![]() Took my parents for some camping in Haryana, yo! ![]() ![]() President of Maggie Mafia spotted near Jalori Pass, HP. Dude's got too much Maggie in stock for a super small shop. No points for guessing what we had for lunch! ![]() Jalori Pass, HP. First encounter with snow. Snow ploughs had cleared most of it on the pass but getting down with had fair amount of fun with snow. ![]() Somewhere between Jispa-Keylong. ![]() ![]() We were supposed to move to Padum, Zanskar the next morning. But wife had a health scare and I drove down straight to Hyderabad over the next 4 days. But we still managed to have so much fun on this fairly long trip. |
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BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Hyderabad
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| re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Ladakh Trip - Sep, 2023 We went via Srinagar and visited almost every place that we were allowed to except for Zanskar valley. We were supposed to do that as well but we got really tired and it was starting to get kind of cold towards September end. We decided to abort and try another time. Returned via Manali. The stats or tl;dr ![]() Loaded up for full fledged camping. But we could only manage day camping. It was too cold out there. ![]() Somewhere before Naldurg, MH. Day camping for some Maggie and tea on our way to Aurangabad. From a different trip but I think this is cool picture. ![]() Reaching Kargil ![]() Camping near the Suru River Tributary on Kargil - Zanskar road. Approximate location. ![]() ![]() Namika La on Kargil - Leh highway. ![]() Hambuting La on Kargil - Batalik Highway. ![]() All eyes on the Star please! Somewhere on our way to Sashi La. It's somewhere in the Aryan Valley and can probably be skipped. We couldn't reach it as the road is quite confusing and there's no road towards the end. ![]() Managed to capture MilkyWay galaxy using my OnePlus phone in Lamayaru. ![]() Day camping for some tea almost 2,000 ft below Khardung La on Nubra side. ![]() ![]() On our way to Sumoor, Nubra Valley. ![]() And the Siachen Basecamp! ![]() ![]() On our way back from Siachen. ![]() Somewhere on the Shyok River! ![]() Tsati Sand Dunes near Tsati village in Nubra Valley. ![]() Needed to some burn some rubber. Well, why burn our own rubber. Went for GoKarting at Khalsar, Nubra Valley. The track was bumpy. Felt like I was Hamilton in Baku ![]() ![]() The divided villages on Indo-Pak border at Thang, Turtuk. ![]() On our way back from Turtuk. Exact Location: Masang Rzampa. ![]() The Gian Diskit Budha! ![]() The Pangong Lake camping. We parked far away from the water and followed all the legal and moral rules. Didn't touch or take water from the lake. ![]() ![]() On our way to Kaksang La Top. Mirpal Tso in the background! ![]() The mighty Kaksang La Top. People going from Pangong Tso to Hanle should consider taking the Kaksang La top route as it's 100% black top and has two really beautiful high altitude lakes on the route. ![]() On our way to Umling La, we reached the mighty Photi La top. BTW Photi La is much more difficult in terms to height gain compared to Umling La. Umling La is no gain at all compared to this. ![]() And finally The Umling La top. ![]() ![]() And a parting shot as a gentle reminder to my fellow SUV owners, please get her dirty, often! ![]() |
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Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() | re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing! Going to our homepage tomorrow ![]() |
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BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Pune
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Really loved reading the complete buying process you had. The travelogue and the pics are simply brilliant. No wonder GLC is the highest selling Luxury SUV in India. |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC What makes me the happiest is seeing a car in its true form in various habitats and not just being a garage queen like most of the Mercs are. Majority of my friends who have any premium German SUVs keep that car for highway runs or reserve it for when they have to go to a swanky location and then get another Fortuner or Mahindra as their SUV for off-roading drives. Wishing you continued happy memories in this great machine! |
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Senior - BHPian ![]() | Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Nice thread. The Mercedes Three Pointed Star will always be aspirational and a matter of passion for many of us. Its great that you’re using the vehicle the way it is supposed to be used. Well done! Wishing you many many enjoyable miles in the GLC. Going through many of these Mercedes Threads makes me desire one myself! |
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BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Nice crisp review and lovely travelogues of the GLC. Wish you many more miles and smiles with the Black Beauty! Quote:
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Wow wow wow! Such a beautiful travelogue in all senses. Honestly, one rarely comes across a true value-for-money experience of owning a 4WD luxury brand - this is one such. |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Nice write-up! GLC is indeed the most popular across India. Awesome pictures too! Glad to see you enjoying your trips even better with the Merc. Might be one of the few GLCs that have travelled such diverse terrain. How well is the AWD 4-Matic on this one? Does it have low range or AWD locking? During your search, did you not consider the Kodiaq? Or the Tiguan? They both also have AWD and are similarly sized. Also about the ventilated seats which are indeed useful for our climate, its still shocking that none of the Luxury German Brands have them in most of their lineup, other than Flagships. Not even the X5/5 series has them! Meanwhile even the Nexon, Creta, VW 2.0 cars have them. |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Wonderful read and love how you are properly using the Merc to create memories! Just last night was watching Korean car camping videos and wondered if it's doable in India. Will be looking out for more camping experiences and pics of the Black beauty ![]() |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Wonderful travelogue ! Would be a distant dream for GLC owners like to venture out with the merc on terrains like you did. But your travelogue gives me a lot of hope. Im just keeping mine like a little baby cuddled up in my garage with occasional long drives, strictly on highways so far. Would love to venture out soon with my "Red devil" on broken trails. |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Loaded up for full fledged camping. But we could only manage day camping. It was too cold out there. Attachment 2519823 Great post! What are those big DeWalt tool boxes for? Also what brand are the camping table and awning. Where did you source them? |
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| Re: 1 Year with a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4MATIC Quote:
Last edited by Researcher : 23rd October 2023 at 22:18. | |
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