Great OverLand Adventure: The Groundwork

By Siddharth Vinayak Patankar

1 mins read

Published on September 3, 2015

Highlights

You know how you think you know it all, and not in an egotistical way either - and yet you don't? That's how we all felt - maybe more so in a combined sense - when we descended on a workshop to take us through the vehicles that will be our companions through the GLA Adventure. There is the GLA, and then there's the big hulk - the GL too. I was very keen that Mercedes-Benz takes us through the vehicles - with a view to get a refresher on not just all their functions, but also some troubleshooting. So I had this idea to hold the workshop - well, I also held one at the NDTV HQ before the technical one with the cars to take the editorial team through the details of the drive, the routes, and also the dos and don'ts. At the Mercedes-Benz showroom at Mathura Road, Delhi we met Christian Schmidt, a senior Technical Service Manager for the company. Christian spoke to us at length about the cars since seemingly simple things like changing tyres to accessing the car's battery are done differently on both the cars. He also explained the durability and limits of various parts, surfaces and materials on each car. The good news is none of it was rocket science. However, it is not the mechanical bits that cause worry - it's the chances of the on-board electronics acting up. So just like your phone, or laptop that also runs on a microprocessor like the car's ECU, sometimes it really is best to simply reboot, or if the situation so demands - hard reboot! Thus, we were told what and how to do that too! I am also a bit concerned about getting the two cars all dirty - after all they will be traversing many-many miles across all sorts of surfaces through heat, dust, wind, rain, and maybe even harsher weather. Now the cars are in Istanbul, have all their paperwork in order, and the first two drivers are ready to get on the road. The first two will be Bala, from the CNB team, and Dhruv from autoX. After that, his colleague Ishan will take over, and then it will be my turn to drive. I guess I am lucky in that sense, as I will have much to learn from their experience - since they'd have already clocked quite a few miles before I take the wheel. Honestly, I can't wait to get into the driver's seat! I will also have the readers know that the two drivers will share the driving duties on both cars in order to ensure that everyone gets quality time with both, the GLA and GL. Know more about the Great OverLand Adventure here.