Is India ready for the luxury MPV? We spend a couple of days with the new V-Class to find out.
The MPV segment in India has been witness to plenty of drama. While there was a time when everyone from Chevrolet to Nissan had a product in the space, it was the Toyota Innova which weathered the storm and ruled the roost for the longest time. Most manufacturers gave up on the segment as a tough nut to crack and pulled out. But this being the Indian passenger vehicle market, things didn’t stay the same for too long. Recently again, there has been a resurgence in MPVs with Tata launching the Hexa, Toyota bringing in an all new version of the Innova and most recently, Mahindra introducing the Marazzo. Of course, with the mass market players making their moves, how could luxury manufacturers keep their fingers out of this pie? So, into this scenario, Mercedes brought its V-Class.
Now the current-generation V-Class has been on sale in international markets since 2014. Of course, Mercedes probably shied away from bringing it here after the forgettable experience with the R-Class launched here in 2011. But now, with the MPV segment heating up again, it’s mustered up courage enough to launch the V-Class.
So, to evaluate the first proper luxury MPV in India in a while, we set out for a popular tourist destination some 250km from Mumbai. Driving this mammoth vehicle within the city, surprisingly, was not as difficult as I had expected it to be. Yes, it’s enormous, yes, it’s heavy. But the steering is light and accurate, and manoeuvring it through traffic is quite a breeze. The turning radius is something that should be mentioned; it’s better than what some SUVs which are two-thirds its size can manage. As for ride, it took everything Mumbai could throw at it (we have bad roads of numerous kinds) perfectly composed, without really making life uncomfortable for occupants.
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin March 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin March 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Does It Fly?
2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.
ONE-MAN BAND
We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.
TVS APACHE RTR 310
THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.
ACE OF BASE
What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before
MOMS KNOW BEST
Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?