[sawnilrules]

A Short Trip to Mahabaleshwar, from Mumbai

Considering 15th August was falling on a Thursday, 16th August being a Parsi New Year and then 17th August being a Saturday, it was a perfect time to plan a short vacation. Or was it really the perfect time?

The planning for a road trip began, well in advance in the month of June, so that we could get clear 2 months of time to think in which direction we wanted to head out to. The perils of staying in Mumbai are, every exit direction from the city is either dug up or the highways that lead out of Mumbai are simply non drivable.

With these kind of road related restrictions, planning a road trip becomes more hectic. With anything north of Mumbai banned, the only available option was travel south of Mumbai towards either Goa. But we also didn’t want to go, all the way 600 odd kms with just 3 days at disposal.

So finally, after disregarding most of the locations, we finalized on Mahabaleshwar, as the last time we had been to Mahabaleshwar was almost 6 years ago. We booked 2 rooms with Courtyard by Marriott, luckily got the valley facing rooms and now with bookings done, the contemplation was around which car to take to Mahabaleshwar, all thanks to non-clarity on road conditions.


Before I go further, on how we went about going to Mahabaleshwar, and what all did we explore, here is some brief history of Mahabaleshwar, for people who may not know it. A note here, all of the photos surrounding around the history of Mahabaleshwar are picked up from Google.

The mountains of Mahabaleshwar



Mahabaleshwar, a picturesque hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India, has a rich history and cultural significance.


Ancient and Medieval History:

- The name Mahabaleshwar is derived from the Sanskrit words "Maha" (great), "Bal" (strength), and "Ishwar" (God), referencing Lord Shiva. The town is home to the ancient Mahabaleshwar Temple, which dates back to the 16th century and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is an important pilgrimage site and is believed to house the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh.

Shiva Mandir



- Historical Rulers: The area surrounding Mahabaleshwar was under the rule of the Maratha Empire. It played a strategic role due to its location and natural defenses. The Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is said to have visited the region, and it was under the control of various Maratha chieftains over time.

Historic Mahabaleshwar



Colonial Era:

- British Influence: Mahabaleshwar came to prominence during the British colonial period. In the 1820s, Sir John Malcolm, a British governor of Bombay (now Mumbai), developed it as a summer resort. The British were drawn to Mahabaleshwar for its cool climate, natural beauty, and health benefits, particularly for treating ailments like malaria.

Sir John Malcolm


- Development: Under British rule, Mahabaleshwar became a popular hill station, and many colonial-style bungalows, churches, and schools were built. The British also developed the famous "points" or viewpoints in Mahabaleshwar, such as Arthur's Seat, Wilson Point, and Elephant's Head Point, which offer breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys and hills.

One of the scenic spot, amongst others



Post-Independence:

- Tourism: After India gained independence in 1947, Mahabaleshwar continued to be a favored destination for both Indian and international tourists. Its pleasant climate, scenic beauty, and strawberry farms have made it one of the most visited hill stations in Maharashtra.

- Strawberry Cultivation: The British introduced strawberry cultivation to Mahabaleshwar, which has become one of the region's major agricultural activities. The town is now famous for its strawberry farms, and the annual Strawberry Festival is a major attraction.


Fresh strawberries



Modern Day:
- Preservation and Development: Mahabaleshwar is now a well-developed tourist destination with a mix of heritage and modernity. The region has strict environmental regulations to preserve its natural beauty and ecological balance. The hill station is also a gateway to several trekking routes and nature trails, attracting adventure enthusiasts.

Mahabaleshwar's combination of historical significance, colonial heritage, and natural splendor makes it a unique and enduring attraction in Maharashtra.

Now coming back to our journey

There are two routes that one can take to Mahabaleshwar, Mumbai-Pune Expressway-Wai-Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar, or the other one being Mumbai-Khalapur-Pali-Nagothane Bypass-Mangoan- Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar. Both the routes come with their own pros & cons.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway is perennially traf****ed due to heavy influx of cars and the ongoing maintenance work, plus extended weekend meant, more cars and more traffic jams. The NH 66 that leads to Poladpur road consists of freshly laid tarmac and mostly is relatively traffic free, but the worry was about the road to Mahabaleshwar once we take the left from Poladpur towards the ghat section that is usually state managed. And looking at the overall condition of the road works carried out by MH government, I was quite skeptical. However, after talking to couple of bhpian’s and HVKian’s the route that we went ahead was- Mumbai-Khalapur-Pali-Nizampur-Mangoan-Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar. And considering, NH66 was in brilliant shape, the decision was to take down the A6.

Selected Route on Maps



Considering there were 2 cars, 2 families, the plan was to leave early so that we could reach Mahabaleshwar latest by lunch time.

On the D Day, we started bang on time, 06:00 hrs. in the morning. First time ever we were bang on time. The route to exit Mumbai was- Borivali-JVLR-Mankhurd-Vashi- Expressway. We fueled up at an IOC petrol pump to the full brim, and we set the course. By the time we reached on the Pune Expressway, it was almost 7:30, but luckily the traffic was sparce and free moving. Interestingly, almost all the cars enroute were maintaining a speed of around 80 kph, although the speed limit on the expressway is 100 kph.

After exiting the Khalapur toll, there is a quick exit towards Imagica/Pali, and it can be missed easily if you are not in the extreme left lane. The exit is quite a rough patch, however once on the Pali road, you will be blessed with smooth tarmac and winding roads. There are couple of restaurants immediately after you get on the Pali road, if you miss them, the next decent restaurant is straight at Nizampur Konkan Division, which is roughly 40 kms away, or roughly 50 to 75 mins away depending on traffic and time of the day.

We took our first break at a restaurant called Sarpanch after 4-5 kms for Nizampur. While the food was good, the service was kind of slow, but then, considering, we weren’t pressed for time, it did not bother us. Must try over there would be- Kanda Poha, Batata Vada and Kanda Bhaji and Vada Misal.

Hotel Sarpanch



After the pet puja, we headed towards our destination. Good thing about the Nizampur route is, you come out on NH66 at the fag end of Mangoan towards Goa. That means, you have literally crossed the entire traffic and ready to hit the newly surfaced double lane corridor of NH66 all the way till Poladpur. Of course, there is some 800 meters of work pending at Mahad, and one 2-3 kms diversion before Poladpur, but rest of the road is a brilliantly paved. I had actually set a cruise of 90 through and through and the car just wafted through.

NH66 towards Poladpur from Mangaon




10:30 hrs. on the watch and we took the left at Poladpur towards Mahabaleshwar is 44 kms drive uphill. While on the ODO it’s a 44 kms drive, but the drive time is roughly around 130-140 mins. The road uphill is a mix bag, with some patches being clean, some patches having potholes here and there and in some patches there’s an ongoing road work, however it’s a decent drive uphill. Once inside Mahabaleshwar, is where the roads get really patchy. God knows, what the municipal corporation is doing. They collect the so-called green tax from every car entering the town, along with a per person charge, but neither are the roads maintained nor is the city/town maintained.

Courtyard by Marriot



Overall, the stay at the property was comfortable, we did venture out towards Panchgani on day 2, explored the Mapro Garden, Cheese Factory and few other focal points.

Found these parked at Cheese Factory



The return trip on day 3 was exact reverse of how we went. So, there were no big surprises really. The round trip was roughly 567 kms on the ODO, the car returned an efficiency of 11.8 kmpl and with 20 litre left in the tank on a 70-litre full tank capacity. Throughout the highway, the fuel efficiency figure on the MID was hovering over 13.8 kmpl, however as soon as we entered Mumbai at Mankhurd side, we encountered traffic. Infact, it took us 3 hours from Mankhurd to Borivali and that is where the number dropped down to 11.8 kmpl as I parked the car.

MID figures while on the highway



Coming to the car, how did the A6 really perform. Well truth be told, last year when I was on a road trip to Dandeli, I was quite depressed with the road mannerisms of the A6. If you have read the thread, I had mentioned in the cons, that the weight distribution is a disaster, and the car simply understeers like crazy. Thus, leaving me to fight the winding roads at even early triple digit speeds. So, to begin with, I was not expecting much from the car. Heck, the Taigun is setup in a tauter way as compared to Audi.

However, this time around, as I started pushing the car on the twisties on Pali-Nizampur Road, or the uphill to Mahabaleshwar after Poladpur, I was actually grinning. Not once did the car move out of its line even at speed shade close to 100 kph on Pali road and speeds around 70 kph on the uphill section. The car just felt gripper on each corner and each turn. That reminded me of my conversation with Kartikeya Singhee, he had told me once, “Flirt with the car, that will tell you the limits of the car”, and I had responded to him, “But I don’t trust the car”, and he again said, “Flirt with the car, you will gain trust”. And actually, on these roads, I was actually flirting with the dynamics of the cars. For a moment, I thought, my driving had become better, but then as I parked the car at the hotel, I realized that the car was behaving differently because of 2 reasons. 1- 19-inch alloys, and 2- Michelin Pilot Sports 4. These 2 components played down heavily on how the car behaved. Bigger alloys meant better contact patch and Pilot Sports are anyways known to be grippier. This is where, I have started falling in love with A6 for its drivability as well. Infact, interestingly on the Pali-Nizampur road, there was a SWB BMW 330i trailing me in my wing mirror. Couple of kms later, as I pulled over at a scenic spot for a photo op, this guy actually pulled over and said, “I have never seen Audi’s hold their line so well.” He was an enthusiast for sure.

Somewhere near Pali, just parked to enjoy the scenery.



Both the cars together



To the answer the question that we began with, was it a perfect time to head out on a short trip especially considering long weekend. Well, there is no concrete yes or a no to it. It boils down to what would you want to do on your vacation. Are you the one, who is going to a particular spot to enjoy the calmness of the location, to unwind and just chill, exploring the property that you are staying, then yes, it’s a perfect time to head out. However, if you are the one who wants to explore every nook and corner of the new place that you are heading to? Then no, coz on such weekends, it is extremely difficult to explore any place, as such places get overcrowded and then your experience coz south side of things.

For me, I prefer to chill around in the property, where I have paid the major buck and relax and unwind, but has any married man ever done what he has wanted?

Towards the end, since I found the lost love with the car, thought of simply posing with the car.

I liked this angle of the car



PS- I know a detailed photoshoot of the car is still pending, I promise, I will do it at the earliest.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

We took our first break at a restaurant called Sarpanch after 4-5 kms for Nizampur.

However, this time around, as I started pushing the car on the twisties on Pali-Nizampur Road, or the uphill to Mahabaleshwar after Poladpur, I was actually grinning.

We were on our way to Goa on the very same day and I think I spotted your car on the Pali Mangaon stretch. Looks gorgeous! The roads really are a treat on this stretch.

[sawnilrules]

The Mercedes Benz C300



When Mercedes Benz launched the C300D sometime 2 year’s ago, it was by far the best looking drool machine ever. The AMG Line kit made the regular and boring C look smashing and gorgeous.

That point in time the 300 came with a D monicker and this time around in 2024, Mercedes Benz has dropped the D monicker in favor of the P monicker.

So apart from having a heart transplant, what really has changed in the 2024 C300P.

I took it out for a short spin to explore the changes. Below are some of the key changes in the model year.

• The headlamp cluster and the tail light graphics are slightly different to the outgoing car, only keen eyes can notice the subtle differences
  
• All 4 doors get request sensors, that means keyless entry is possible in all 4 corners.
  
• C300 now comes with electric boot release for the tail gate, good feature to have, but be cautious at the malls
  
• 255 PS of power and 400 NM of torque, owing to better power to weight ratio, press the throttle and the power is served from the word go, can catch an untrained driver of guard.
  
• 360 camera, has brilliant graphics and is intuitive
  
• Inclusion of level II ADAS with couple of on demand features that means something like ACC comes prefit, needs to be activated via the Mercedes Me App
  
• Increased GC by 4 mm, even with 4 people on board, the car didn’t scrape anywhere, that’s a good news
  
• Cooled and Heated seats, to cool or warm your bum depending on city or state you are living.

While these features are added as a part of MY25 package, the car retains cool features that it already came with.

How does it drive now?

Well truth be told, you may not miss the brutal acceleration that the diesel came with, floor the pedal and it will put the car in illegal territory in no time. Ride quality is slightly on the stiffer side, may be coming from A6, I may be feeling it stiffer. However, stiff suspensions mean, great line and handling capabilities. While it is something that you realise instantly while in the pushing the car. Ride comfort does take a back seat owing to a stiffer suspension. One thing that stayed with me even after getting out from the car was the feeling of luxury. Hands down no other brand does that, the way the Star does it.

With an ex-showroom of INR 69.00 lacs, it threads very close to the BMW M340i, which comes with proper 3 litre, 6 cylinder motor, churning excess of 300 HP. Heck, even the segment above cars like the Audi A6 and the New BMW 5 LWB, have an identical ex showroom price, to this C300, but no prizes for guessing, both don’t match up to the Mercedes when it comes to features list and suave feeling.

On a personal note, I must applaud the management of Mercedes-Benz India for having the confidence to go all out when it comes to speccing their cars and not short changing the customers like their key rivals. For example, I want to ask the team at BMW, where are the rear blinds and rear sit recline in the 5 LWB? Where is the rear entertainment package, that the car boasts for in the global market? I want to ask the team at Audi, why not give digital matrix lights and adaptive suspensions to the India spec car? Where is the wireless Apple CarPlay integration? Why miss such a basic feature, common even in entry level cars today.

Yes the cars sold by Mercedes Benz are expensive, but at the same time, Indian's are lapping up their cars, as for the price, they are offering substantial and exhaustive feature lists as well to justify the price. A manufacturer cannot be blamed for shoddy Government Taxation Policies and made to look the villain in the picture.

To sum it up then, pretty good job done Mercedes, at least on packaging the C300 right. While we will always have a size vs price debate, which can never conclude, but till that time, let's enjoy the car while it lasts.

Enjoy some pictures, I had asked the sales team to send it to me, and they obliged.

Here's a close look to the car-

The Star Studded Grille, Looks Awesome, notice the front camera



Notice the subtle changes to the taillights




Looks Aggressive, Even When Standstill




I personally loved this angle




Those alloys look great, but now looks like, every AMG is having same design



Thankfully, nothing has been deleted here, but there are few additions



The space, does come at a premium, if you are 6 ft tall, expect the rear passengers to feel as if they are in a smaller hatch



3 Zone Air-conditioning could have been added at this price point




How does the C300 stack up against my A6

When you test drive a car, it is obvious, that you get a hitch for upgrade, but just to keep that hitch in check, I took out the A6 for a spin late in the night, so that I could compare the A6 to Mercedes, once again.

To begin with the A6, has an obvious advantage of space over the C Class, and that is a no brainer, however below I have listed down features that are common to A6 and C Class, in the context exclusively to the C300.

Key Common Features

• Intelligent Headlights in the form of Digital Lights or Matrix Lights, both have great throw, depth and intensity.
  
• Ultra-Premium Sound by Burmeister or Bang & Olufsen, if you love great music in your car, you can’t go wrong with any of them, one is a 15 speaker 740 watts system and other one is 17 speakers 790 watts.
  
• Modern Operating Systems, MBUX or MIB, both the cars’ have modern UI/UX with super sharp displays all around, which can be upgraded remotely. However, IMHO, MBUX surpasses MIB in terms of graphics and overall look and feel
  
• Potent Engines, 255 PS of vs 245 PS of petrol refinement, one has brutal acceleration, while the other one has linear acceleration.
  
• Side & electric rear blinds keep the in-car temperature in check, especially during the summers in the country.
  
• Keyless entry on all 4 doors added with easy entry & exit functionality where the steering wheel slides up and the driver seat goes behind.

Key Features Unique to C300

• Electric thigh extenders and electric headrests, in a car that sits segment below, give a wow feeling from the word go.
  
• Level II ADAS, as I mentioned earlier with blind spot assists, front collision alert, rear collision warning and much more.
  
• Staggered tire setup for more grip while cornering, aided by a rear-wheel-drive package.
  
• Double pane electric sunroof, to give that airy feeling in the car.

Key Features Unique to A6

• Four Zone climate control, to cool the car faster.
  
• While I know, it’s not a feature, but passing it as a feature here, NVH levels of Audi are much superior to the Mercedes.
  
• 360 camera, ionizer, and a perfume package (while not available in my car, but is a part of MY24 Audi A6)
  
• I may be biased here, but the road presence of A6, is much superior to the C300D, even though it comes with the AMG Line.
  

I am still happy, that I chose to pick up the A6 over the C300, while there is an itch here and there to simply check the new car in the town, but nothing really has enticed me to say, let's cut the cheque.

Signing off, with the picture of my cars, A6, leisurely parked during the night drive last night. I took the car out, almost after 2 weeks, as owning to increasing traffic in Mumbai, I have gone back to making the Taigun the daily driver. And my Taigun parked next to A6

Both my Tsi's together



And Lastly-

Just a random shot

[sandeepsarma]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

The Mercedes Benz C300

Attachment 2649045

Great comparison. I have to admit that the Audi A6 is growing on me in terms of design (probably also due to seeing you post often here as well) and in fact I feel that the Audis are aging more gracefully over time with their design compared to Mercs and BMWs. The subtlety of the design looks good even when newer models are introduced.