A gleaming Mercedes SLK

The Swedes have their Smorgasbord and the Dutch their Rijstaffel. For three days in mid-December, a few select Indian journalists got a taste of the German equivalent, thanks to DaimlerChrysler India Limited (DCIL). However, it was not a plethora of food (duh, obviously) but cars — nine awesome models from Mercedes-Benz including the C-Class, the E-Class, the S-Class and one Maybach 62. The event was what DCIL called a Desert Drive and this entailed 19 cars moving in a convoy, first to Agra for an overnight halt, then to Jaipur for another overnight halt before returning to Delhi for the finish.

With the mercury dropping in Delhi, it was a motley crew of shivering automotive journalists, TV personalities and photographers who turned up at The Grand Hotel in South Delhi at 9am for a briefing. After a press conference they were let loose on the cars. But first, two-man teams had to be selected after which the cars were allotted through draws.

The Maybach 62 that sets pulses soaring

To my disappointment, the SLK went to a lady from a television network and she got to drive the sports car on a road that makes driving the Cedia great fun, thanks to its dips and curves and banked sections. I, on the other hand, drew two diesels — the C220Cdi in both normal and Biodiesel versions. Consoling myself with the thought that it was best that I start small and work my way up to the biggies, I took charge of the normal diesel while my fellow journo team-mate took charge of the Biodiesel. Halfway, we switched cars and I was able to compare how the engine runs on plant fuel.

The C220 CDI is powered by a second generation, common-rail direct injection 2.2-litre diesel engine that develops 141bhp at 3800rpm thanks to a turbocharger. The good thing about this engine is the peak torque of 340Nm between an rpm range of 1800-2300rpm, thus making for good bottom-end pulling capability. So, I did not really mind not having the SLK for the twisty bits (who am I fooling? I was green with envy and made it a point to let the lucky lady know so).

The Biodiesel car was not very different from the one running on mineral diesel but it seemed to me that at 160kph, there was a bit more vibration in the engine. That thought quickly left my mind as I realised that the Biodiesel being a test car had clocked up close to 1,00,000km whereas the mineral diesel car was a relatively new one. I was also informed that the engine was slightly different in spec too. But the only time I got a little worried while driving the Biodiesel was when I lost my way on the roads and wondered where I’d get fuel if the car ran out of it.

Once I managed to find my way back on Mathura Road , I quickly caught up with the convoy. Now it was my team’s turn to sample the E200K. I let my team-mate drive as I took to inspecting the interiors of the car and savour the taste of E-Class luxury. Quite honestly, the E200K has the same engine as the C200K. The difference lies in the aura of luxury that surrounds E-Class cars and of course, the cabin space and the appointments. Rear seat passengers get additional AC vents facing them, so cooling at the rear has been well taken care of. Performance wise, the E200 did okay. Stepping on the gas pedal sent the 1796cc engine spinning freely to the red line with corresponding acceleration.

Once we got to Mathura refinery, it was time to switch cars again: my teammate settled down in the SLK and I (hold your breath) in the Rs 5.5 crore Maybach — all the way to Agra . But I shall not elaborate on the Maybach in this space as I plan to give a low down next time round. But a sneak peek? All I can say is that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When we reached Agra, DCIL had a debriefing in store for us. A sumptuous meal later I hit the sack — out like the light. Next morning too we planned an early start, with the new day bringing an entirely new set of cars to drive.

It was time to sample more E-Class cars — but the 280 this time. Now the 280 is a very different animal compared to the E200K. The difference centres mainly around the engine — a 3.0-litre V6 developing 227bhp of power at 6300rpm and 282Nm of torque from 2500- 5000rpm. Getting that power down to the road is the job of the 7G-Tronic 7-speed auto box. Keeping the car stable and under control is technology like Adaptive Brakes and a Tyre Pressure Loss Warning System. I drove the 280 through the hellish Agra traffic, managing to get out of the city and onto the highway to Fatehpur Sikri and to Jaipur without hitting or touching anything or anybody.

Having driven down a multi-lane, dual carriageway the previous day, the two-lane, single carriageway Jaipur highway came as a bit of a surprise. It was unnerving too as a multi-ton truck came bearing down on the Rs 40 lakh car. It was only after we got out of UP that the traffic thinned a bit; by which time it was my turn to switch over to the E280Cdi, the diesel version.

Instantly, I felt the diesel’s 456Nm of torque pushing me back into the seat. Driving the 280Cdi was not a chore at all and the power was always available on tap if I needed it. Well, maybe not exactly, because whenever I kicked down on the accelerator pedal I sensed a definite interval between the kickdown and the car surging forward — almost as if the gearbox was hunting for the correct gear ratio.

The E-Class experience ended once the changeover point had been reached. I hopped into the ML 350 SUV in the hope of taking some pictures but as it was being used by a TV crew, all I did was wait till I got a chance to get off and get into the cars being used exclusively for photography. It was like that till we got to the regroup point where I slipped into the passenger seat of the SLK for the drive into Jaipur and to the hotel.

The next morning, the photographers left at 6am to catch the light while the others lazed around. I was fortunate to be the first one to get to the SLK. And before anybody realised, the SLK was gone. Alas, Jaipur’s roads had me foxed and I lost my way again. Fortunately the streets were empty and by asking around I got to the photo shoot area behind Jal Mahal. However, it was decided that the SLK would be driven by some other journalists who had not driven the car till then and so, for the drive back to Delhi, I decided against driving anything at all, not even the S-Class. Also, after my Maybach experience I was loath to drive the S-Class. Nothing but the best for me, I thought.

So I made the return journey, relaxing by turn in a variety of Mercs — all the way back to Delhi.

Photographs by the author