News

Upgrading from Ford Endeavour to Mercedes-Benz GLC 300: Review & travel

13th May 2024, 14:03 by Kanad Kalasur

If I was going to spend 70+ Lakhs on an SUV, it should be the latest generation and have the best safety technology and great driving comforts. So that ruled out X3, XC60, Q5 and the likes. Only GLC was the latest gen (globally launched) and I decided to wait for its launch in India.

BHPian sknair recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Starting with a few shots I took using the Canon R6/70-200 f2.8 (most of the other pictures are taken with my phone, so please excuse the quality).

Well, Bluejay looks black, that's what you would say. You are right! I love the Nautic-blue color of this car. It looks almost black unless there is good light and you look close!

After a 650-km drive to Kerala, I gave it a good wash, took out the Canon, and shot a few pictures; here they are:

Back story

I owned a Ford Endeavour 3.2 Titanium (from one of the earliest batches in 2016) and had a wonderful ownership experience with the car. Gave me 7+ years of worry-free ownership and clocked about 50,000 km. As people would say, the 7-year itch started with the excuse that Ford is no longer in India, so we should look for another car. Also, my experience with replacing an AC compressor for my EcoSport (not Endeavour) added to the worry that it took several weeks for the ASC to obtain the part.

Research Phase

As documented extensively on our forum, it is hard to upgrade from Endeavour. With a similar budget and expectations around an SUV with great driving comforts, it is non-existent at this time (Fortuner was the only option, but I never liked its heavy steering and non-pliant ride).

Then the debate was to either look at Skoda Kodiaq or entry-level Luxury SUVs; with the new Kodiaq on the horizon, I didn't want to buy a car at the fag end of its life cycle. The entry-level luxury SUVs looked like a big downgrade from Endeavour, so I ditched that segment. Many were asking similar questions on our forum (including myself), and a lot of pointers were to move further up in the Luxury segment to the likes of X3, GLC, XC60, etc. The budget became a bigger issue, but I bit the bullet and decided to look at this segment.

My expectations were clear: if I was going to spend 70+ Lakhs on an SUV, it should be the latest generation and have the best safety technology and great driving comforts. So that ruled out X3, XC60, Q5 and the likes. Only GLC was the latest gen (globally launched) and I decided to wait for its launch in India. Also did a bit of research about Velar; it was much beyond my budget, and all the negative reviews around Land Rover quality didn’t do any good either.

Sales experience

Even before the launch, I had contacted Akshaya Motors Bangalore (Mr. Deepak); he was very helpful and kept me updated about the launch. Once the car was in the showroom, he contacted me, and I had a brief look at it and got a chance to do a brief 5-minute drive. Though it was a brief interaction, the car impressed me straight away. Since I had to be away for several weeks for work, I decided to wait for a detailed test drive. Later, I took a few test drives and decided to book the vehicle, but I was clear: since it was close to the end of the year, I wanted to get a 2024 manufactured vehicle.

Again, the experience with the sales team was wonderful. Mercedes-Benz answered some of the sticky questions, like E10 and E20 fuel support (they confirmed in writing that GLC supports E10 and E20 fuels). Though it was December and regular bookings didn’t allow MY 2024 vehicles, they managed to provide me with a booking with priority for MY 2024 allocation.

One of my key requirements was safety, including full ADAS, but the test cars did not have Distronics (Active Distance Assist). I was disappointed but considering the pre-safe (more on this later) and other ADAS techs like Active brake assist, lane keep assist and cross-traffic alerts, I decided to go ahead with the booking. Later, realized that Distronics is available in cars produced from Sept 2023 onwards and needs to be purchased as a service. Many of the default software services expire by the end of 3 years; I imagine a couple of lakhs of expenses to renew after three years of ownership.

Some of our forum members who already purchased the vehicle were very helpful in answering many of my questions (online and offline); it is a real blessing that we have access to such a wonderful community.

Pre-delivery

As I was afraid, my annual Dhikala (Jim Corbett) photography trip collided with the expected delivery date. Since I was going with my regular group and was excited about the likely chance of photographing cubs (two tigresses, Jr. Paarwali and Pedwali have cubs now), I didn’t want to cancel the trip. I was particular about doing a PDI before approving money disbursement; somehow, Deepak managed to get the PDI done just before I left for my trip. When I reached the stockyard, the car was still on the truck. It took a while to get it out, and I did a brief check like VIN# (vs FIN, more about that later), and no noticeable issues came up. Again, I was pleased about how they accommodated all my requests for these odd times/places, etc.

While waiting for the car to be unloaded, I checked out the vintage car collections in the Mercedes-Benz showroom on Mysore Road (Kengeri).

Accessories

After researching on our forum about PPF vs. Ceramic coating, we decided to do a full PPF, which would take 2 to 3 days and is done at the dealership. I went with 3M 200 gsm gloss brand with a 10-year warranty.

Additionally, opted for a rear spoiler, edge guard, and rubber mats.

I wanted to get the Mercedes dashcam but was told that it wasn't available at that time, so I went ahead and ordered the Viofo A229 Pro (this decision turned out to be a very poor one due to the complexity of installing the dual channel dashcam; more about it later).

Insurance and additional packages

I opted for Star Protect (through Tata AIG) and got a good deal with 50% NCB. Based on much of our Team-BHPian’s good advice, I opted for a 3-year extended warranty and a 4-year 40,000 KM maintenance package.

Delivery Experience

The D-day arrived quickly. Since I was away shooting tigers (photos, of course), time quickly passed, and I was back in Bangalore in no time. I took delivery the very next day. Here is the story through pictures (please excuse some poor-quality shots; most shots are taken using mobile phones).

Considering my wonderful experience during the sales phase, my wife and I decided to go with a chocolate bouquet. Here's the bouquet! (Inspiration, one of the team-bhpian's).

After about 3500 KMs of driving, sharing some of my views.

Pros (+)

Great safety tech including full Level-2 ADAS (some services are subscription-based)
Amazing interiors, especially the MBUX system
Good looking car, especially from the rear three-quarters
Very good ride quality
Sport mode (even the comfort mode is no slouch, power is always just a tap away)
Excellent build quality
Silent ride, awesome Burmester sound system
Mood lighting, the cabin is an alluring blue by late evening.
Fuel efficiency (over 13 km/l consistently on highways)
Customer care: both Akshaya Motors & Mercedes-Benz

Cons (-)

MBUX system can be daunting for someone new to this system
Also, sometimes you wish there were physical buttons; some of the icons, especially on Android Auto (later switched to Apple car play, which has a better interface), are small, and you have to take your eye off the road to operate them (best to slow down or park before doing so)
I miss the high driving position/view from Endeavour, though this is not bad.
Mercedes-Benz branded collapsible shopping basket deleted (cost cutting, really!)
Everything is very expensive (especially for someone new to the luxury segment)
Best to switch off the Auto engine cutoff when you are driving long distances, especially when waiting at toll plazas; as you dab the accelerator, there is a lag for the power to come back, and the car moves too quickly after that (must be careful not to hit the boom barrier)
Constantly annoying announcements about schools and bends in the road (finally figured out how to switch this off). Main navigation screen, click on the car symbol in the top left corner, click settings, then click messages and tones - switch off school and bend notifications.
Adaptive Headlights - did not see much of a difference between adaptive mode & non-adaptive mode. Anyway, not having a very good lighting package in such an expensive car is a shame (digital lights missing in India spec)

Exteriors Design and Styling

The car looks best from the rear three-quarters, the front gives sedan vibes, and the side resembles a crossover. I wouldn't say the car looks like an SUV (which is what I wanted originally but compromised a bit on the looks, considering all other capabilities). The panoramic sunroof is awesome; one issue I noticed is that you can open the sunroof if you swipe two times (maybe you wanted to open the blinds but not the glass, it would have been best to have a separate switch to open the sunroof glass).

The ORVMs are small for a big car like this, it is OK, but a larger one would have been better to aid visibility.

It is best to apply a PPF or ceramic coating for the darker colors (I have done PPF).

Also tried to educate the regular car wash guy to dust first (using a Jopasu duster), then only clean the car and only once a week. This routine works fine for now; come monsoon, not sure if this would work.

Though the ground clearance is not mentioned, I believe it is 180mm (160mm for standard GLC + 20mm for the offroad engineering package). In practice, I haven't seen any issues with clearing large bumps and driving on rough roads.

Engine, Performance, Handling and Drivability

Considering my requirements were primarily for occasional highway driving, I chose the petrol engine, and the discussions about the uncertain future of diesel engines also influenced my buying decision.

The 2-litre (+48V) mild hybrid is a gem of an engine. Power is always on the tap for overtaking or a quick burst of acceleration. There is a nice throaty note to the engine inside the cabin. The comfort setting works fine for me on highways and city driving.

A few times I tried the sport mode, the car handles much better, and it feels like it has become lighter and sprightly.

The upcoming drive to BR Hills may be enjoyable, considering the twisties to get to the JLR camp.

But I have noted when driving a bit aggressively using the sport mode, then the fuel efficiency numbers drop very quickly.

Ride Comfort

Coming from Ford Endeavor, initially, I felt the ride was rough at low speeds, but it is reasonable. You won't notice the expansion joints and rough roads as the speed picks up. I think the 235/55 R19 Continental tyres are excellent at insulating the road imperfections. The cabin is super silent, and no road noise creeps into it.

Driving position, Ergonomics and Interiors

I love the easy entry and exit function, which allows the seats and steering wheel to automatically move/adjust while you are exiting or entering the car. For leaner people, the seat may be a bit too wide. Also, I like a bit more upright driving position, which I am used to in SUVs. But there are many possible adjustments to get to a suitable driving position with the electrically assisted seats and steering wheel.

The MBUX system has a finger scanner to identify the driver and sets up all your personalized settings like the driving position, system options, audio, and app settings like Spotify. GLC cabin looks the best compared to other luxury cars in this segment; it looks luxurious with the soft-touch materials and faux wood inserts with the aluminium lining (pinstripes). Though there are only a few physical buttons, the center console is amazing to see with the ambient lighting. It looks even more fantastic in the evenings/nights.

There are no steering wheel functions/buttons (touch-sensitive) for certain functions like playing the next song, this is annoying (but you can use the MBUX direct voice commands like Next Track, Previous Track, etc).

The car is comfortable for a four-person family; space is adequate for two adults in the back.

The latest-gen GLC has a narrowed sideboard in the front, still, it invariably touches your legs when you exit. During monsoon time, the pants will likely get dirty as it may touch the sideboard while exiting.

The wireless charging plate for the smartphone is at a weird location if you have a bottle in the cupholder, it is hard to get to the phone charging spot. A note about wireless charging: the charging will be very slow unless you use a Magsafe case for your phone. Initially, my pixel (without a Magsafe case) was charging extremely slowly, and I started to use a wired charger (through a USB C port). Later, when I switched to an iPhone (with a Magsafe case), it charged quickly (a relief).

Also, Apple CarPlay has better support on MBUX, easier navigation, and bigger buttons on the screen.

I haven't made any adjustments to the Burmester Sound system; the default setting itself is very good.

There is adequate space for bottles and knick-knacks; I wish it had a cooled glove box. The air conditioner is good and quickly cools the cabin in the summer heat. Two zone climate control, no controls for back seat passengers.

The 620-litre boot space is also good; I had to load a new cooler in the back; dropped one of the back seats, and it fitted in nicely.

Pre-safe

While we were waiting at a traffic signal one of the days, the car suddenly tightened the seatbelts very fast and released them in a few seconds. My wife and I were wondering what happened, and then I realized there was this bike coming in very fast behind us, and he had swerved to the next lane at the last moment to avoid a cop who was pulling some of the bike people aside. The system must have detected this fast-approaching vehicle, sensed an imminent crash, and started to prepare, including tightening seatbelts (thank God nothing happened).

VIN# vs FIN#

I wanted to subscribe to Distronics (Active Distance Assist) on the MercedesMe portal, but then I noticed an unrecognizable VIN number. I tried to get clarity before purchasing the service (Distronics is about Rs.30K for three years). Finally, I learned it is the FIN# (for EU) and the rest of the world has a separate VIN# for compliance (US regulations).

EU manufacturers use FIN# to identify vehicles (not VIN#). After getting clarity, I subscribed to this service. As soon as I started the car, it recognized the addition of this service and showed a popup on the MBUX system. It works well, and I regularly use it on my long-distance drives.

Dashcam

Though I repeatedly requested Mercedes for a dashcam, I was told there was no availability. Hence, I went ahead and bought a Viofo but didn’t install it fully (most third-party installers don’t have the expertise to install dual cams properly). Within a few days, I found out that Mercedes started to offer a dual-channel HD dashcam.

I opted for the OEM dashcam, which was installed very nicely and comes with parking monitoring. One issue I noticed right away is that only the front cam file can be seen on the mobile when you download the video. But if you view the file in the app (offline), we can see the back camera view also. On laptops, you can view these dual-track videos using VNC player only (even Adobe Premiere Pro shows one track only). If anyone knows how to open and edit dual-track videos, please let me know (the tool/how to).

Btw, the dashcam shuts down in the peak summer heat. As I was returning from Kerala, I parked the car facing the sun (dashcam in the sun) and took a 20-minute break at a CCD; as I started the car back up, the dashcam complained, saying peak operating conditions had reached, and it shut down. After about 15 minutes of driving, it automatically restarted (assuming the AC cooled it down). However, I am surprised that the MB OE cam cannot operate at the high temperatures expected in the Indian summer months. This happened on my recent Hampi trip as well.

ADAS

Glad to have the cross-traffic and blind spot assist, couldn’t figure out the adaptive high beam assist while I was doing countryside driving (I later used it and didn't see much of a difference, Digital light would have been much better). Adaptive Distance Assist (Distronics) is very useful on highways.

I have set Active Break Assist to late intervention, and this works fine even in heavy Bangalore traffic. I am now used to the minimum distance to keep, which helps me drive even more safely.

Service Experience

Only the first inspection (three months) is over, I will continue to update this thread throughout the ownership period.

It was easy to make an appointment, and the ASC sent an experienced driver to pick up the car. You can track it using the MercedesMe app. Nothing major, except a software update for Active Break Assist; it was updated to keep the last settings (else it will go back to default when you start the car if you had switched off Active Break Assist).

Travel Experiences

The solo drive to Kerala and back was uneventful, I enjoyed the time with the car and got some time to figure out all the MBUX functions. The silent and ultra-comfortable cabin provided an enjoyable and tireless driving experience. I also had an opportunity to visit Ashtamudi backwaters.