We take the Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 for a short jaunt into the quiet hills of the Sahyadri range and the quaint hill-fort town of Panhala. Not your ordinary weekend getaway this
Story: Harket Suchde
Images: Sanjay Raikar
Get your motor runnin’,
Head out on the highway,
Lookin’ for adventure,
And whatever comes our way,
Yeah, Darlin’, go make it happen,
Take the world in a love embrace,
Fire all of your guns at once,
And explode into space…”
— ‘Born to be Wild’ by Steppenwolf
Hippie rock band Steppenwolf may have gone off the kilter a bit in the second part of that verse from the iconic motoring song, ‘Born to be Wild’, but the first few lines have been a constant source of inspiration for auto-enthusiasts the world over – and me. This was especially true this past weekend, when staring at the computer screen for hours on end left my brain all fuzzy. I knew I had to jump into a car, put the pedal to the metal, and get away from the city and the brain-draining bustle that goes with it, at least for a little while. Handy then that I work for Car India and a car is always at hand for me to do just that. And, boy, what a car it was too – the Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 – perfect for a drive out to clear your head. So I wiped my weekend schedule clean, hopped into the GLA, and set off down the NH 4.
As soon as I hit the highway, the GLA came into its own. That goosebumps-inducing thrum from the engine filled my ears as the car shot off like a cannonball, and left me cackling like a super-villain with the key to world domination. The ride quality is so sorted on the GLA, absorbing the bumps and grinds with aplomb, but still holding its own when thrown into corners. It’s quite the handler, too, as I found out to my delight when darting through the sparse traffic that littered the highway with consummate ease.
