I drove two new cars from Mercedes-Benz India over the past few weeks, and it made me realise a very important thing: cars shouldn’t just be evaluated from behind the steering wheel. While a growing proportion of Indian car buyers are driving themselves, India remains one of the major markets where cars are mainly driven by chauffeurs, if you want to make it sound fancy and French.
It is a very different sort of driving one has to do when driving someone else, because you are driving for their comfort. I know that a lot of young men like to impress their dates by showing off their driving abilities, which invariably involves behaving like a maniac. But the best drivers, whether you’re doing it for a living or driving your family or friends, should be as undramatic as possible. I will readily admit that I am used to driving for myself, and not always the best person to drive others around.
The electric Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and the latest generation of the Mercedes E-Class made me appreciate how difficult chauffeuring can be – because a vast majority of people who will buy either car will probably be driven around in them. But “everybody likes driving once in a while,” Mercedes-Benz India’s Managing Director Santosh Iyer told me at the E-Class launch event in Mumbai. He was referring to a recent viral video of Mukesh Ambani, which showed the tycoon hopping into the driver’s seat of his Mercedes-Maybach.
When it comes to driving, the front seat of the EQS SUV 580 is a brilliant place to be. The car has close to 540 horsepower, which can propel this close-to-three-tonne behemoth from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.7 seconds. Even when operating the car gently, you realise that an electric vehicle is possibly better than an internal combustion engine for passengers. The power delivery is so much smoother. Moreover, while modern cars in the luxury segment have dulled sound and vibrations tremendously, the sheer silence of EVs still amazes me.
But to objectively evaluate these cars, it’s important to sit at the back, in the ‘Seat That Matters’. On that front, both these cars are supremely comfortable. As they should be, considering people spend serious money on such vehicles. The new E-Class has a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 78.5 lakh and the EQS SUV, the top-of-the-line electric vehicle from Mercedes-Benz, has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.4 crore, with the uber-luxury Maybach version retailing for over Rs 3 crore.
E-Class: unmatched comfort in the back
Let me talk about the E-Class in a bit more detail. This is the eighth generation of Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling sedan and is a favourite of governments and businesses alike. The variant sold in India is unique because it is the only long-wheelbase right-hand drive model in the world. The reason the German carmaker is selling this extended wheelbase model, which is 133mm longer than the standard model sold in most other markets except China, is because the Indians (and the Chinese), unlike the Americans and Europeans, prefer being driven around.
While this might not sound like much, it makes a world of difference, given that your knees are not being banged up on the back of the front passenger seat. In addition, there is thigh support and reclining rear seats, which can prove incredibly useful for slightly taller individuals. After a long day of work, the back of the new E-Class is a great place to just doze off and forget about the stress of the day. And once you put curtains up on the rear window and quarter glass, you are ensconced in your own little bubble of comfort.
I didn’t want the experience to end, but then again, it was my wife in the driver’s seat and she wasn’t having my pleas of ‘five more minutes’. She wanted her turn at the back, and understandably so. The only thing the rear seats of the new E-Class missed was a massage function, but as Iyer told me, “We have to leave something for the (larger and more expensive) S-Class”.
The new E-Class is fantastic, overall. Despite growing consumer preferences for SUVs—even in the luxury segment—the E-Class still holds its own. In the 30 years since Mercedes-Benz started assembling the model in India, over 56,000 units have been sold in the country.
In the first nine months of 2024, the German carmaker touched sales of 14,376 units in India. And he expects the new car to surpass this number. “I will not give any definitive target, but I expect strong demand for this car. This is the second generation of the long-wheelbase E-Class, and our customers have clearly indicated that they love the additional space.”
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EQS SUV: ample space, entertainment
Back to the EQS SUV, while this is not an extended wheelbase model, the rear seat is a lovely place to be. I was in Hyderabad to experience the car and was glad that I didn’t have to drive it through the manic traffic of the city and witness its various proximity alarms go off. Standard fitment for the vehicle included displays for the rear passengers, which could mirror the main infotainment screen. One could watch a whole movie, listening to the audio through the Bluetooth headphones that came with the car.
The EQS SUV, assembled at Maharashtra’s Chakan from kits that come from Tuscaloosa in Alabama, is actually a three-row car. Although, truth be told, this third row of seats, like in most cars, is not really comfortable and in most situations would likely be folded up to make space for golf bags in the back. In fact, in their press release, Mercedes-Benz pointed out that the EQS SUV can fit four golf bags easily.
Driving these cars is no child’s play. It’s stressful to operate them in the chaotic traffic conditions of India, particularly with your loved ones in the back. Sure, the front seats of these powerful vehicles often have heating and cooling and even massage functions that make driving them a fun experience. But you’ll still always be worried about giving your passengers a rough ride.
After driving the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and E-Class alongside the new Kia Carnival, which I will write about soon, I think I got a crash course in becoming a chauffeur.
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)