[4WheelPilot]

With the pandemic being far from over and with all possible precautions, we decided to travel to Bhubaneswar from Bangalore and planned it over a span of 2 days.
Day 1 - Bangalore to Vijayawada
Day 2 - Vijayawada to Bhubaneswar

Just 4 days before our trip, cyclone Nivar struck the coastal belt and 2 days prior to our trip, it moved northwards and heavy rains ensued in the Andhra belt. I was refreshing Teambhp route queries thread to check for latest updates on “Bangalore-Vijayawada” route but there was none. As luck would have it, a call at the eleventh hour from Teambhpian Ashish(9 hrs before start of our trip) informed me that there was a roadblock near Nellore and advised me not to take that route.

What followed next was checking Googlemaps and Teambhp for alternative routes. Once again, bhpian Ashish immensely helped with his guidance on the route and we decided to stick to it. Since it was our first trip on that route, instead of proceeding to Hyderabad ORR and then towards Vijayawada, we took a right before Hyderabad which took us through a tiger reserve and what would later turn out to be a very scenic route!

Now about the drive
The GLC builds power slowly and the drive is very relaxed. Because of the 19 inch wheels, you feel every undulation, pothole on the road at slow speeds but the driving comfort it offers on the highway is unmatched. The maneuverability and grip levels at highway speed are just excellent. We made quick progress on the butter smooth Blr – Hyd route. The kind of noise insulation and comfort inside is of a different level. On a few stretches I did exceed 120 km ph limit and the system went bonkers with the speed alarm and music was muted. I had to stick to 120 to enjoy the music and the drive. These cars are so well engineered that you just don’t feel the difference from the inside, no matter what speeds you drive. But then you realize that the GLC is best for cruising and hence kept the limit within 120(at least for the FL version to not activate speed warning alert). Though this car has 194 BHP, it doesn’t feel like that as the engine is very refined. Drive at three digit speed is very relaxed and if not for the speed warning alert, you wouldn’t know which speeds you are doing.

The brakes in the GLC are slightly hard as you need to press them hard. They seem less assisted when you compare them with the Audis where the slightest tap gives the desired braking effect. This is different from Seltos T GDI and Q3 which I have driven earlier where a slight tap on the brakes makes them work. Blame it on human brain which compares everything!
The steering feels nice to hold and weighs well as you build speed. The touch controls and haptic feedback are great to use and are very well designed.

Interiors
The Mercedes doesn’t disappoint when it comes to interiors. The seats are very comfortable and the extended thigh support and lumbar support were very useful on this long drive. MBUX worked effortlessly and loved the responses it gave for - “Hey Mercedes, What do you think of BMW, Audi !” The big twin sunroof gave an airy feel and was a great thing to use in the mornings and during the rain.
Ambient lighting - In the dark, the ambient light was just next level. Just before we entered Vijayawada, GMaps took us through an isolated patch. The moon shining bright through the Sunroof, ambient lighting and Memories by Maroon 5 from the speakers set the mood right for a Saturday evening but then I realised that I was driving and came back to my senses


Awesome ambient lighting


Rain+Coffee

Likes
Refinement : Butter Smooth Engine
Drivability: At 3 digit speeds, the handling and ride is even better
Classy Interiors, true Mercedes like
Large screen and MBUX works like a charm
Seats are extremely comfortable
NVH: Sound insulation and silent interiors – The Merc engineers have ensured that you are well isolated from all the noise outside
Lights – The LED lights are very powerful and effective on the not so well lit highways
Ambient light – Amazing experience if you take this on a late night drive
Haptic feedback from the buttons
Decent off road capability without scraping any speedbrakers/bumps
Boot closing button – Loved this during Covid times
Separate compartment for the spare wheel

Dislikes
Lack of a sub woofer
Foot board( in the rains this acts like a dirt and grease magnet)
Instant acceleration is missing, not even in S mode
The mouse like center touch pad attracts dust and scratches
No memory seats at this price point
No electronically controlled steering adjustment

Given below is a compilation of the roadtrip.
Day 1 – Bangalore – Vijayawada – 13 hrs



We were 3 in the car(me, wife and aunt). Since we tried to minimize stops on the way, we decided to take food and snacks for day 1. We had packed all our bags the night before and planned for a 5 AM start. I had read umpteen travelogues which advised a 9 hrs sleep before the start of a long trip. But the excitement of taking a long roadtrip(second one after BBSR – Blr trip last year) kept me awake till 1 AM. Finally managed to start at 6 AM(our earliest of all the road trips)
I now realize why people prefer early morning starts. This was the first time I had seen the sky from behind the wheels so early. Cold Bangalore morning and the rays of the early morning Sun piercing through the Windscreen and Sunroof was a different feeling.



After the first few rays, it was overcast and rained for most of the journey till we had reached Vijayawada.
The route after Devanahalli was very scenic all along the Hyd route. We had zoomed out of Bangalore in no time and reached near Kia Motors Anantpur in no time.


Some other photos taken near Kia Anantpur

Morning fog


Scenic hills nearby


Scenic Blr-Hyd route

What I really like about the GLC is the insulation it provides from the outside. The seats are extremely comfortable with the extended thigh support and it totally cocoons you from outside noise. Other than horns from nearby vehicles, you don’t get disturbed by anything. The diesel clatter, though prominent outside was not to be heard from the inside. The massive sunroof gave us an airy feeling. The only thing missing was a subwoofer in the music system, which felt like a cost cutting at this price point.
Stopped for a quick breakfast at 9 near a CCD only to realize that the CCD was closed. But we had packed our food so this didn’t make much difference.



Route for the next 100 kms


Entering Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve



Photos from inside the Tiger reserve and the jungle route


Refreshing jungle route




Mist and Fog enroute



Start of the twisties


D mode was enough




Ghats


Exiting the jungle route




Short break before hitting the highway again


More scenery


End of Day 1 and the car was very dirty

Day 2 - Vijayawada - Bhubaneswar - 16 Hrs
While Day 1 was very relaxing, Day 2 was a tiring one. So much so that I do not have many photos of Day 2. We started from our Hotel at 9 AM. Ignored google maps and missed a right turn which added 20 mins more. The traffic was slowly building up. From Vijayawada till Rajahmundry, there were many diversions and the road was very crowded. I had read in “Route Queries” section that the road near Rajahmundry was bad but when I saw, it was really horrible because of the big potholes. It seemed as though there was a meteorite shower and they had targeted the roads only! The ride was harsh and went over few potholes in decent speed. The ride was bad and had to be extra careful for the next few hours. I saw a GLA changing its tyres which could have been due to a tyre burst. Tried to go as slow as I could. I must have stopped in a few places and checked the tyres and suspension but they were fine.


One of the few photos taken on Day 2


A sunset photo to end the uneventful Day 2

Avoided entering Vizag and Google Maps took us through Anakapalle and a ghat route. This road was equally bad. There was a long line of trucks and to make matters worse, this was a single carriageway and there was heavy traffic. Took a short break and refuelled the car. The roads were okayish after this and once we entered Odisha, the roads were great. The next few hours were a breeze but the damage(lost time due to bad roads and heavy traffic) was done. Finally managed to reach home at midnight.
To end the travelogue a few points.

The Car
Drove almost 4-5 hours in a single stretch yet wasn’t tired; not just the driver(me) but even the passengers. GLC was extremely comfortable and pleasant to drive. Quoting a famous saying, “Eventually all roads lead to the same destination and it doesn’t matter which road you take but how you take it” and the GLC took it with elan!
The Roads
80% were good roads. Some patches were terrible(Rajahmundry, ghat roads near Anakapalle) due to the deep potholes and diversions without any marking.

[CosmicWizard]

Thanks a ton for sharing the details on GLC. I am currently in two mind about it vis-a-vis X3 and this detailed review helps. I am thinking of GLC petrol that is good 7L cheaper than X3 but diesel version is more or less the same price. Just wondering what made you choose it over X3. Please do share your thoughts.

[4WheelPilot]

Have never driven the X3 but what I get from the reviews are that it is a driver's car and slightly more involving to drive. The sedans(3 Series,C class)are a different story. We didn't want to compromise with the interior and other features at this price point.

The GLC is a great car and drives very well and other than the instant acceleration, haven't missed anything.

We got a good deal on GLC and went with it. If you are considering the GLC petrol, go for it but please check the mileage figures of the Petrol over the Diesel. You will love this car on long drives for sure!

[tirumalavoleti]

NH44 and NH16 are amazing roads for highway cruising. No wonder GLC made it uber cool.

Could you post the route map at which point you have turned right towards coastal Andhra.

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

NH44 and NH16 are amazing roads for highway cruising. No wonder GLC made it uber cool.

Could you post the route map at which point you have turned right towards coastal Andhra.

It was somewhere near Anakapalle that we took a right but sorry do not remember the exact point

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by 4WheelPilot

Just 4 days before our trip, cyclone Nivar struck the coastal belt and 2 days prior to our trip, it moved northwards and heavy rains ensued in the Andhra belt. I was refreshing Teambhp route queries thread to check for latest updates on “Bangalore-Vijayawada” route but there was none. As luck would have it, a call at the eleventh hour from Teambhpian Ashish(9 hrs before start of our trip) informed me that there was a roadblock near Nellore and advised me not to take that route.

What followed next was checking Googlemaps and Teambhp for alternative routes. Once again, bhpian Ashish immensely helped with his guidance on the route and we decided to stick to it. Since it was our first trip on that route, instead of proceeding to Hyderabad ORR and then towards Vijayawada, we took a right before Hyderabad which took us through a tiger reserve and what would later turn out to be a very scenic route!

I am glad it all worked out for us. November 27, 2020 was one crazy day, with all the moving pieces. All thanks to BHPian @narayans80 for his call and a detailed ground report from Nellore, road update about the Kadappa route and suggesting to take the Hyderabad route!

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

NH44 and NH16 are amazing roads for highway cruising. No wonder GLC made it uber cool.

Could you post the route map at which point you have turned right towards coastal Andhra.

I believe you are looking for the route via Srisailam. You have to take a turn near Kurnool. This should be the route but BHPian 4WheelPilot can confirm further.

https://goo.gl/maps/7HJeRXfvJ4FLKy4L9

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by 4WheelPilot

Day 1 - Bangalore to Vijayawada
Day 2 - Vijayawada to Bhubaneswar

Now about the drive Interiors

Likes
Refinement : Butter Smooth Engine
Drivability: At 3 digit speeds, the handling and ride is even better
Classy Interiors, true Mercedes like
Large screen and MBUX works like a charm
Seats are extremely comfortable
NVH: Sound insulation and silent interiors – The Merc engineers have ensured that you are well isolated from all the noise outside
Lights – The LED lights are very powerful and effective on the not so well lit highways
Ambient light – Amazing experience if you take this on a late night drive
Haptic feedback from the buttons
Decent off road capability without scraping any speedbrakers/bumps
Boot closing button – Loved this during Covid times
Separate compartment for the spare wheel

Dislikes
Lack of a sub woofer
Foot board( in the rains this acts like a dirt and grease magnet)
Instant acceleration is missing, not even in S mode
The mouse like center touch pad attracts dust and scratches
No memory seats at this price point
No electronically controlled steering adjustment

Loved the thread 4WheelPilot! Clearly you have enjoyed the trip..
I agree 100% with your likes and dislikes.
Regarding the music system - I have the Burmester in our GLC so no complaints there. For the footboard issues - get into the car using the footboard. That ways, you wont get the feet dirty and also, the seats will not get stressed on the edges. I don't like worn seat bolsters so I always am careful on how I get in the car.
I just completed a 3000 km round trip in the GLC and it was stunning! I will post about it on the ownership thread.

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Thanks a ton for sharing the details on GLC. I am currently in two mind about it vis-a-vis X3 and this detailed review helps. I am thinking of GLC petrol that is good 7L cheaper than X3 but diesel version is more or less the same price. Just wondering what made you choose it over X3. Please do share your thoughts.

The GLC and X3 are different cars for different people though they are priced similar. If you are serious, have a look at the ownership review thread that I have posted here. There are a couple of X3 ownership threads also. Please feel free to reach out for any queries

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I am glad it all worked out for us. November 27, 2020 was one crazy day, with all the moving pieces. All thanks to BHPian @narayans80 for his call and a detailed ground report from Nellore, road update about the Kadappa route and suggesting to take the Hyderabad route!



I believe you are looking for the route via Srisailam. You have to take a turn near Kurnool. This should be the route but BHPian 4WheelPilot can confirm further.

https://goo.gl/maps/7HJeRXfvJ4FLKy4L9

The trip went really well.
yes that's exactly the route which you pointed out

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by nitrogary

Loved the thread 4WheelPilot! Clearly you have enjoyed the trip..
I agree 100% with your likes and dislikes.
Regarding the music system - I have the Burmester in our GLC so no complaints there. For the footboard issues - get into the car using the footboard. That ways, you wont get the feet dirty and also, the seats will not get stressed on the edges. I don't like worn seat bolsters so I always am careful on how I get in the car.
I just completed a 3000 km round trip in the GLC and it was stunning! I will post about it on the ownership thread.

I don't understand why did they go for cost cutting here. Not that the current one is bad but Burmester is a notch above.
I'll follow your advice to use the footboard while ingress. Was extra careful just so that the footboard shouldn't break. I guess these are made for heavy weights and should manage to hold us

Can't wait to read your Travelogue!

[Puneet0051]

Lovely travelogue. So you drove for 25+ hours in 2 days that's a good drive.

You mentioned that it pulls in relaxed manner but it's not fast unlike in C the same diesel engine does pull really well with same gearbox engine combo. Weight, height etc. Making that much a difference.

Music system doesn't have a Sub that's strange for the price they are charging, it's not acceptable.
With Bose, Infinity & Harman Kardon systems in much lower segment cars and lot these are extremely good sounding. For eg: One in Hector is really good. Germans should offer the best possible music system or atleast as an optional pack. Where a Burmester, B&O, Bowers & Wilkins etc could be offered at a reasonable upgrade for buyers who are ready to pay. Being a ducker for good music f. eels pity that a car costing one third or lesser has a better sounding system

I think Volvo has the best sounding MS in this class.

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

Lovely travelogue. So you drove for 25+ hours in 2 days that's a good drive.

You mentioned that it pulls in relaxed manner but it's not fast unlike in C

Music system doesn't have a Sub that's strange for the price they are charging, it's not acceptable.

Hey Puneet!
Day 1(13 hrs) + Day 2(~ 16 hrs) so that makes it 29 hours
Agree - the weight, height and components may be adding to it being slower than C but the GLC isn’t slow by any means. They must have designed it for a reason.
Music system – It is very clear and nice but misses the wow factor as it doesn’t have a Sub. Older GLC had an awesome Burmester music system but they decided to go with factory music system for the GLC FL. How about the C? Does it have Burmester or factory one? I second you on the customization/upgrade to get a better music system if the customer wants. Even if they increase the cost by a few grands and give a better music system, no one would say no to that. If only the Merc team looks at this thread and decides to go back to Burmester!

[Puneet0051]

Originally Posted by 4WheelPilot

Hey Puneet!
Day 1(13 hrs) + Day 2(~ 16 hrs) so that makes it 29 hours
How about the C? Does it have Burmester or factory one? I second you on the customization/upgrade to get a better music system if the customer wants. Even if they increase the cost by a few grands and give a better music system, no one would say no to that. If only the Merc team looks at this thread and decides to go back to Burmester!

Hahaha... You bet that they listen

No buddy even C doesn't have a burmester, it is there in the C CLASS Cabriolet sounds good which I have heard. Its not even in 300d

[BIL2_HGi10]

Originally Posted by 4WheelPilot

The traffic was slowly building up. From Vijayawada till Rajahmundry, there were many diversions and the road was very crowded. I had read in “Route Queries” section that the road near Rajahmundry was bad but when I saw, it was really horrible because of the big potholes. It seemed as though there was a meteorite shower and they had targeted the roads only! The ride was harsh and went over few potholes in decent speed. The ride was bad and had to be extra careful for the next few hours. I saw a GLA changing its tyres which could have been due to a tyre burst. Tried to go as slow as I could. I must have stopped in a few places and checked the tyres and suspension but they were fine.

80% were good roads. Some patches were terrible(Rajahmundry, ghat roads near Anakapalle) due to the deep potholes and diversions without any marking.

Hey! Great Travelogue - good to know that you had a safe and enjoyable trip.
I did warn you about the Worst Road Condition in my Bangalore - Cuttack Travelogue; I had specifically mentioned about it in the Quoted Reply to you, maybe you missed that. Sadly there are no decent alternate routes either.

I travelled back to Bangalore on 17-19DEC .
Day-1: Cuttack to Rajahmundry (7 AM - 9:30 PM)
Day-2: Rajahmundry to Hyderabad. (7:30 AM - 7 PM)
Day-3: Hyderabad to Bangalore. (10 AM - 9:30 PM)

Now am wondering - next time I will take the same route that you've taken. It looks scenic and doable in a day.

Thank you for those beautiful pictures and a neatly written travel summary.

Hands down to your Merc (currently beyond my affordability, but a dream line up for sure).

Enjoy your stay in Odisha but beware of the deadly 2nd wave coming in.

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by BIL2_HGi10

Hey! Great Travelogue - good to know that you had a safe and enjoyable trip.

I did warn you about the Worst Road Condition in my Bangalore - Cuttack

I travelled back to Bangalore on 17-19DEC .

Enjoy your stay in Odisha but beware of the deadly 2nd wave coming in.

Thank you so much. I should have heeded your warning for the Rajahmundry route but glad that it went fine without any damage to the car.

Hope you had a safe trip back to Bengaluru and do send the pics and a nice log(if time permits)

Having a nice time at CTC/BBSR and ya man the so called Covid 2(God forbid) is all over the news

[rajkar]

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

Hahaha... You bet that they listen

No buddy even C doesn't have a burmester, it is there in the C CLASS Cabriolet sounds good which I have heard. Its not even in 300d

GLC originally never had a Burmester. They had it for a brief period to sustain the sales figures as the FL was around the corner. Once FL was launched, they reverted to the original offering. GLC is purely based on the C Class packaging which can be found in the interior layout and other features. Even the MBUX is of the same same size (10.25 inches).