V-Class Marco polo

Forget the hotel! The Marco Polo opens up to reveal a bed, kitchenette and a whole lot more

MERCEDES-BENZ INDIA LITERALLY SET up camp at the Auto Expo 2020 with the V-Class Marco Polo. Launched in two variants, the Marco Polo is priced at `1.46 crore and has place for up to five people to sleep in it with a roof that extends upwards. While the Marco Polo Horizon is priced at `1.38 crore and has space for up to four people to sleep, on a pair of two-seater benches (with electrically operated bolsters). The brand has also added MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Interface) and comfortable sofas with provisions for entertainment screens and tray tables where the rear two rows would be in a regular V-Class. Coming to utilities, the Marco Polo gets a modular kitchenette equipped with two gas burners, a sink, a compressor-based refrigerator with 40-litre capacity and a folding table, a 38-litre fresh water tank and a 40-litre waste water tank, exterior connection for 230V socket and lockable fresh water filler neck. It even gets a wood-covered floor that looks like a yacht-deck. The V-Class Marco Polo and Marco Polo Horizon not only get the standard safety features which, include window bags and thorax-pelvis side bags for the driver and front passenger but also an intuitive Attention Assist feature to warn against inattention and drowsiness. Under the hood, both variants of the Marco Polo get a BS6-compliant 2-litre diesel engine, making 200bhp and 380Nm of torque and as we have experienced with the V-Class in the past, this is a lovely vehicle to take on long road trips. Now with the Marco Polo, you don’t have to bother about hotels the next time you drive up to Ladakh!

MERCEDES LITERALLY SET UP CAMP WITH THE V-CLASS

Based on Maxus D90 Full-size SUV 4WD system Ladder-frame chassis

MG MOTOR INDIA ALREADY MADE A name for itself in two very different sectors: the mid-size SUV market and the nascent EV SUV market. And now the brand is aiming big and high (literally) with its Gloster full-size SUV which, the brand claims, is headed to the Indian market later this year, soon after the launch of the Hector Plus.

MG has chosen the name Gloster as it pays homage to the brand’s British origins, since this was the name given to one of Britain’s early jet-engined fighter aircrafts, the World War II-era Gloster Meteor. The Gloster is based on the D90 which is sold under the Maxus brand. It is a ‘proper’ 4x4 ladder-frame chassis SUV, with three rows of seats, and in terms of size and stance, the Gloster has a presence at par with the full-size SUVs, and MG will be positioning the Gloster as the brand’s flagship product.

Now, we know, most SUV customers are somewhat partial towards diesels, and MG should fulfil their wishes by giving the Gloster the 2-litre 170bhp turbo-diesel engine made in India by FCA, and could also have a nine-speed automatic transmission as an option. That said, we are not completely sure about the petrol engine’s details, so we can hazard a guess that MG might bring in a 2-litre inline-four 218bhp petrol engine, mated to a six-speed manual or even the 8-speed automatic ’box used by the international-spec D90. But that’s just us speculating. Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director, MG Motor India, said, “Auto Expo 2020 is the perfect platform for MG Motors India to unveil our products under consideration for India and also highlight the brand’s technology prowess across connected, electric and autonomous mobility solutions. The unveiling of the Gloster will mark MG Motors’ entry in the luxury SUV space and the Gloster will be a benchmark for luxury SUVs in India after its launch later this year”.

The Gloster will go up against the Ford Endeavour, the Mahindra Alturas G4 and the Toyota Fortuner, which it might even undercut in terms of price.

THE NAME GLOSTER PAYS HOMAGE TO THE BRAND’S ORIGINS