REIGNING IN THE RAIN

An unrestrained escape to experience Maharashtra's monsoon magic in a Mercedes-Benz GLE

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The state of Maharashtra, with its geographical diversity and vibrance is beautiful — and you know it. In the monsoon, however, it turns truly magical. Enveloped in a surreal shade of green, with heavy rain clouds hovering above, seemingly within reach, Maharashtra's monsoon has to be seen to be believed. That, as it turns out, was exactly what we set out to soak in, in an SUV that has penned the very definition of its class — the Mercedes-Benz GLE.

Oh, what a feeling it is, being enveloped in luxury, with somewhere to go. Nowhere in particular, though. Just you and the magnificent monsoon. There are few better ways to make the most of a rainy weekend than to drive across the state — first to the elaborate expanse of lush, green mountainside and, then, to the state's enviable coast. We really couldn't have done better than to have brought the GLE along.

It's a state of mind, the GLE, especially in 450 4Matic form. With its 3-litre engine that gets you access to 362bhp and 500Nm of torque — and Mercedes' legendary 4MATIC technology — the GLE is amply equipped to reign in the rain or, for that matter, absolutely everywhere. It's got a 9-speed automatic that shifts gracefully, and its creamy, finessed power delivery grows on you in an instant. Out under a sinister sky, with the weather encouraging most to stay indoors, we still couldn't find anything that could unsettle it.