BHPian SRISRI_90 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:A Dream Day with Mercedes-Benz Well, when I got the PM from Omkar and the first line read “Very happy to confirm your participation in the Mercedes-Benz x Team-BHP Event,” I had to double-check if I was dreaming or if the “Dream Day “was actually going to turn into reality. I would be lying if I said that I was not excited about the event. It was just that I got to know of it on short notice, so what happened after that was all just a Blur!Chapter 1 – Getting thereThe moment I got the confirmation of participation, I started planning my travel. I did not have any option in mind; I either wanted to ride or drive to Pune. So, it was either going to be a ride on the Himalayan 450 or to drive on my Citroen C3 Turbo. A Quick discussion with Bhpian Parag Sachania and I had made my decision that avoiding riding and instead, driving was the best option. Got my C3 turbo prepped, got the Annual Toll Pass, gave it a proper wash myself, and I was ready to hit the road. It was an Epic 1600 km Road trip to Pune and back home. I absolutely enjoyed the drive, and thanks to Bhpian Speedmeister, who gave me company from Nippani till Pune by driving my C3, while I became the passenger princess. It was epic fun with Bhpian Msdivy and Bhpian Rev8 in their Porsche Macan driving alongside us. For the stay, I booked an Airbnb as close to the starting point as possible, and had a lovely stay. Chapter 2 – Warm WelcomeThe Morning of 22nd November came early. I am not sure if it was the excitement of the event or all the Cappuccinos and Americanos that I had downed the previous day, but I barely slept that night and was up by 4 AM. Got ready and a short drive later, I was outside the Meeting point by 8 AM. A valet took over the cars, and I walked into the BU Bhandari Mercedes-Benz Showroom. I was given a warm welcome by all the staff, from the Security personnel to the management of the showroom; they all made me feel at home, and I really appreciate their hospitality. What followed was a quick introduction of our fellow Bhpians, and before we knew it, we were all heading upstairs for a solid round of breakfast. By the time we were done, we had GTO turn up at the place, and all of us were fired up and looking forward to the AMG Drive to the Mercedes-Benz Factory in Chakan. Chapter 3 – Dreams do come true – The Epic Drive!A Quick look at the allocation list for the onward drive, and I could not believe what I saw. I was allotted the Mercedes-Benz CLE 53 AMG! Well, dreams do come true We all headed down to the parking area, and we all looked like excited kids waiting to board a bus for a school vacation! The Excitement was palpable. We saw a lineup of insane cars like the G 63 AMG, S63 AMG, SL 55 AMG, and the list goes on. I sat inside the car and pressed the start button, and the 6 Cylinder AMG roared to life! It was something to be experienced. Took some time exploring the interiors of the car, and before I knew it, Omkar from Team Bhp joined for the drive to Chakan. It was a superb experience driving the AMG out of Pune. We faced some traffic initially, and after that, I got quite a few Stretches where I could floor it. Each time I did that, I was giggling like a kid. Absolutely loved the experience. Also, Omkar was a super fun guy to share the drive with; he’s a proper petrolhead, and it was really nice talking to him regarding the automotive media landscape. Chapter 4 – Arriving at the Mercedes-Benz plant.Somewhere midway through the drive, we had swapped the drivers, and now I was the Passenger enjoying the drive in the CLE. After a while, we arrived at the Mercedes-Benz factory at Chakan. It is a massive setup, and I was taken aback by the scale of the plant. We made our way through the security and were asked to park up beside a main building where they had parked all the top-end Vehicles for display. Then we walked into the building, and it was a proper Ballroom setup that was converted into a presentation room for our meetup with the MD and CEO of MB India, Mr.Santosh Iyer. Inside this hall, they had parked the G63 AMG, a Maybach EQS SUV, and a Proper Maybach S Class. Chapter 5- The Big Boss. Well, there were two Big Bosses there, one was the MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, Mr.Santosh Iyer, and the other was our own GTO! First, let me talk about Mr. Santosh Iyer. This man is dynamic! He was superb in his articulation, and he answered every question that was fired at him with superb clarity. He didn’t pause to think or ask for extra information. You asked him a question, no matter how hard, he had an answer ready, and it was all detailed replies, not one-liner replies. Really loved the interactive session with him. He was just brimming with energy, and you could see and hear the passion for cars when he spoke about it. Now let’s talk about GTO. It was my first time meeting the Man himself, and he turned out to be super humble and approachable. The moment I went to introduce myself to him, I was half expecting him to have no clue about me, but he surprised me by telling me about my contribution to Team BHP and that he had read about my Citroen C5 and C3 reviews. Whoa, I was honoured to hear that from him. I really loved the way GTO conducted the interactive session with Mr. Santosh Iyer. On one side, we had the super energetic MD; on the other, we had GTO being super calm and collected and so measured in his speech and responses. Even the questions he had were so well thought out and relevant that Mr. Santosh Iyer had to think a little before he answered any question from GTO.Chapter 6 – Factory tour.After the Interactive session, we were all asked to surrender our phones and other electronic devices as we headed out to the Production Plant. We were given wireless headsets for communication as the presenter walked around explaining things and safety goggles for protection. It was surreal to see the cars getting assembled in real, as my previous experience was just watching the same on YouTube. Watching it in person was an unforgettable experience. The coordination between Man and machines results in the production of top-class Mercedes-Benz cars, and we were all thoroughly glued to watching the whole process. I will let the pictures do the talking because I do not recall much, as I barely focused on what the presenter was telling us, and instead, I was just ogling at the GLS and GLE’s being produced on the line. Chapter 7 – The Team and Amazing Lunch.A quick shoutout to the amazing team at MB India. It was amazing to see the coordination between the PR team, the AMG Events team, and the factory tour team as well. It was all well-orchestrated, and there were no hiccups or delays anywhere. It would be criminal of me not to acknowledge the spread of food that was offered to us Hungry Bhpians. As soon as we arrived back from the production plant, we were all famished, and we were presented with a wide variety of food, and it all felt like a 5-star hotel Buffet with umpteen choices of dishes ranging from Indian, continental, to Asian cuisine as well. The desserts counter was another attraction with Tiramisu, walnut cake, and some other savouries. As we ate to our hearts’ content, we were already being briefed about our next activity – SUV Experience, which would include the G Turn Experience on the Electric G Wagon and drive in the GLS450 on their specially curated off-road track inside the factory.Chapter 8 – The SUV Experience.Next, we were split into 2 separate groups, and I was put in the group headed by Bhpain Adithya. We were ferried onto the SUV Experience track, which had 2 parts. Part 1 – G Turn Experience with the G 580 SUV. Having watched the Crab Walk by the Hummer EV and a few other fancy moves that only EVs could pull off, now it was time to witness the G Turn. It basically spins the car by 360 degrees. Once you engage it, it’s executed with differential turning. The car has four different electric motors placed close to each wheel, and they are controlled individually by software. Not only is it fun to watch, but we got to experience it as passengers as well. The turn starts smooth, and you’re whisked around. But when it stops, it’s absolutely brutal, and it feels like your neck would snap off! Video: LinkPart 2 – Off-road experience with the GLS 450dThis was conducted on their specially curated off-road track inside the factory. It begins with the demonstrator raising the car’s air suspension to its Maximum setting, and during this, he explained to us about what to expect. This included a Demonstration of Hill Descent control, Hill hold assist, Suspension articulation, and finally the drive on the inclined wall, which was crazy to experience. Of all the SUVs out there, the GLS would be the last one that you would expect to perform all these manoeuvres, but it does it in absolute ease while keeping you, the passenger, in complete comfort. Chapter 9- The Surprise – AMG Autocross ExperienceThis was a super tight and technical track laid out in an open parking lot within the factory, and it was already mapped and set as a timed lap in the AMG A45S. So the moment we crossed the start line, the timer would start and record our lap, and we had to pass through the circuit without touching any cones and had to stop within the end box; failing which, time penalties would be added. This was incredible fun and required full concentration from the drivers. Most of us were just out to have fun and really enjoyed driving the little monster of an AMG, rather than setting a record-setting lap. Chapter 10 – The Return Drive.And before we knew it, it was all over, and we all gathered one last time at the ballroom to say our final goodbyes to fellow Bhpians, before being handed our goodie bags from Mercedes-Benz India. On the way back, I was paired with Bhpian Rev8, and the car to drive was the E220d sedan. Having barely slept the previous night, I just wanted to lounge in the business-class-like back seats of the E Class and relax after a hectic but super fun day. I asked Rev8 to drive all the way to the endpoint, and he readily agreed. I just sat in the back seat and sank into those lovely seats and relaxed the whole way, soaking in all the experiences of that day. Vote of Thanks A huge thank you to GTO for conceptualizing an event like this, and his team of Adithya, Omkar, and Yuvam for coordinating and executing this event to perfection. Also, to the team at Mercedes-Benz India for organizing the event flawlessly and making us all feel so welcome at their place of work. It was an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Mercedes-Benz India. Lastly, to my fellow Bhpains Speedmiester, Rev8, Msdivy, Sunilch, Nitrogary, Reinhard, Ceneterofgravity, Axe77, Abhi-tjet, UD_17, Sachin_cs, Surja, VJbox, and others, it was so lovely meeting you all for the first time in real life. Made quite a few friendships already and hope to meet you all again in the future. Finally, a parting shot of my beloved C3 turbo, which performed flawlessly on the 800 km drive back to Mangalore. It was lovely driving solo for 12 hours straight, and that return drive was the perfect icing on the cake. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
