BHPian sunilch recently shared this with other enthusiasts: 22-Nov-2025 – The day when stars aligned. This day shall remain one of the most memorable days in my life. These special events for TBHpians is one of the many wonderful things about this forum that I truly admire. And my first experience turned out to be simply spectacular. I was initially part of the first event (Skoda Kodiaq night drive) but the event got moved to another date. Later I couldn’t apply for many other events (Kodiaq drive, Kodiaq Off-Road event, Octavia vRS event at BIC, etc) due to date clashes with work. Finally when this “Dream Day with Mercedes-Benz” was announced, all things fell in place. As soon as I got the confirmation, I cleared up my calendar for Friday and Saturday, started checking hotel options in Pune for the Friday night and also kept an eye on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic patterns. Couldn’t take a leave on Friday and so finally decided to take a calculated risk. Woke up at 3:00 AM on Saturday Morning and at 3:50 AM cranked up the engine. The steed was my 2010 Skoda Laura 2.0 TDI DSG. Tanked up on the way and it showed DTE:600Kms on the console with full fuel tank. The journey went smooth and eventless, barring the normal truck traffic for about 4-5Kms at Lonavala ghat. With a 15Mins breakfast break, I managed to reach B U Bhandari dealership at Baner at 7:00 am precise. At the dealership, after covering 148 Kms, the display showed DTE:930 Kms. I was basically adding fuel to the car while driving to Pune I suppose. While I was the first one to arrive from TBHP side, the dealership and the Mercedes folks were already ready for us and had their media folks as well ready. Saw these beauties parked for us upfront. I settled down at the dealership and had something to eat as well while other BHPians started flowing in slowly. Almost all of us reached before time I believe. No one here wants to miss the chance to drive the Mercedes for sure. Managed to strike conversations with other BHPians for a while and then we were informed of the schedule, the plan and rules by the TBHP team (GTO, Omkar and Aditya) and Mercedes-Benz team. The cars were allocated in pairs where we would equally split the drive to the Chakan plant. On return too, the same idea with a different car. At-least one AMG car was allotted to each BHPian here The Allocation sheet: And Voila, look at what I was allocated I was pairing with our Admin Aditya and he was courteous enough to allow me to get accustomed with the car. This being my first experience with a Mercedes, I took a few minutes to understand the controls, adjust the seating and take note of the length of the car. We started moving towards the Chakan plant with me driving and had a driver-cum-navigator from Mercedes helping us with the directions. About the Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63: This car wasn’t supposed to exist. It isn’t supposed to be expected by a typical S-Class buyer. But then if you don’t innovate, then how can you create a legacy? The car is exactly that. A legacy in the making. It is not only luxurious (duhh!!) but exactly what you would expect, and more, if at any point you want to drive it. It is sporty, very dynamic to drive, has fake noise inside the cabin, comfortable, long, luxurious, feature loaded, and more.Baner to Chakan roads weren’t the best roads to experience the true potential of the car. The the low-seating, the driving dynamics, the feel of the steering, the simulated noise, the comfort, the features. Everything that your money can buy and a bit more. I couldn’t try the Sport or the Sport+ modes as the Comfort mode itself was enough for the given roads and the Pune or Pimpri traffic. But Aditya did drive in the Sport mode wherever possible and the simulated noise inside the cabin was a nice sound to listen to. The sport sound simulation is very much needed as the insulation inside the car is exactly what you would expect from the S-Class.The car has “Grabby” Adaptive Seats. Yes you read that right. It has witchcraft seats. The seats grab you when you turn the steering at high speeds. But in a comforting way. You won’t feel like an evil spirit is taking you away but rather an angel is hugging you to protect you. To allow you to take that turn at any speed that you may want to. To give you that feeling of taking that first ever scooter ride with your parents. After switching seats with Aditya, I managed to fiddle with the car and experience another wonder. The car has 4D sound systems where-in the seats give you the feeling of your chosen song through vibrations. I told you there is witchcraft in it. If this car gets moved through the time machine and lands in 1850 Texas, the folks there would for sure execute the driver. Obviously this being the S-Class, there are buttons and touch-sensitive controls for everything. including adjusting the head-rest, the steering and what not. If it requires any kind of force, it isn’t the S-Class.I wish the armrest was height adjustable (just as in any Skoda) but alas, I need to stop dream about such things I suppose. At the plant were were greeted by Senior Management of MBIL, including MBIL MD & CEO Santosh Iyer. Team MBIL and our GTO managed to provide us with insights on different aspects of the Automobile industry, the current state of the same in India and Europe and also shared some anecdotes from their life through a QA conversation among themselves followed by a QA with the members. This was followed by a very informative tour of the plant where we got the chance to see the Assembly line for multiple models, the Warehouse and the Training Academy. Team Mercedes was courteous to answer all of our questions, however trial those may be. Post lunch we were taken in groups for another great experience – the G-Turn. Only the all-electric G-Wagen is capable of this 360-degree turn that feels magic. It is achieved through four independent electric motors, one at each wheel, which spin the two sides of the vehicle in opposite directions. This was followed by off-road experience where-in we experienced various capabilities of the GLS – Hill Descent Control, Hill Climb and more. The final surprise and the most exhilarating experience for me was the drift experience with the AMG A45. The team at MBIL guided us well and gave each member two laps to try the circuit and test our abilities. Obviously the car is quite capable and safe but to experience the 421 bhp, 500 Nm like a toy is unparalleled. That car is a luxurious and safe go-cart. MBIL team was kind enough to record videos of every run and share them with each member. https://youtu.be/5SXIgVMfhuY At the closing we all had another round-table casual conversation with the MBIL team were even gifted a souvenir. On the return leg I had the GLS AMG Line with me and I got paired with fellow bhpian vjbox. The return journey with admin Omkar was also smooth and managed to reach home by 11:30 pm. By the time I was home the DTE was at 1010 Kms after covering another 150Kms. This car too has some witchcraft in it. Got to meet many BHPians from across the country for the first time and now I have new friends. Many thanks from the bottom of my heart to TBP and MBIL for organizing this wonderful event. Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
