A cruise into the mountains with some star-studded cars is all one could ever ask for!

"I m heading off to Leh for a drive,” was the statement that raised the eyebrows of both my parents, which led to the obvious questions of how, when, and why? I could easily see where this was headed. A family discussion was called for, and it was solely because the route charted out to reach Leh was through Srinagar and Kargil – places which hit headlines on a daily basis for all the wrong reasons. I managed to squeeze myself out of the conversation, and started for the trip with Mercedes-Benz to a place that only 11 years ago faced war. Fortunately, it’s slowly, yet steadily, recovering from what happened then. We all gathered at Srinagar, and the drive from the airport to the hotel was enough to make us understand that things have changed, but there was still a sense of insecurity, which was ironic because the number of military personnel grew by every passing street.

We were to drive Mercedes SUVs, which included the GL 350 and the G55 AMG. Obviously, we were all fascinated by the G55 – for its reputation precedes it. A thoroughbred off-roader, this SUV is more than what meets the eye, and the fact that it boasted an AMG badge only heightened our anticipation to drive it all the way to Leh.

For the time being, though, the first leg of the journey was taking the GL 350 from Srinagar to Kargil. And we headed out with maps, back-up cars, and a whole bunch of information about altitude sickness. For many of us first-timers, when statements like, “if you feel dizzy, and don’t do anything about it, you will die,” or “if you feel breathless, and don’t pay attention to it, you will die,” and “if you drive off the cliff, you will die,” held a lot of relevance because, for all practical purposes, we were scared out of our wits – and the fact that we were travelling through politically sensitive places like Kargil didn’t help either.

We were all set for our early morning first-leg drive from Srinagar to Kargil, and we hopped onto our noble steeds for they, along with us, would be part of this most memorable and fascinating drive that we were to embark on. Leaving Srinagar, there were a lot of things in my mind, but the top priority always went to ‘avoiding death’ at all costs. But still, when in the GL 350 – everything just felt simple. The tar road continued for a more than a few hundred kilometers, and it was simply amazing to see how roads were carved out of mountains. The result was a breathtaking view of some of the most beautiful landscape that India has to offer.

The winding roads continued, and the GL 350 moved as if it didn’t care what the roads were like. It took the bumps and the pits with equal agility. It was a treat not only to be at the wheel, but also a co-passenger when the road conditions worsened – it was all in a day’s work for the GL. But, then again, there was some hesitation from the 4Matic transmission, which was caught off guard in some cases. In these conditions, immediate power delivery is important, and a delay in power making its way to the road surface can make you impatient beyond a point. All that said, we passed through the snow-capped mountains and into the rocky terrain of Kargil.

The single lane roads became narrower, and soon we reached Kargil – a place that has a permanent place in Indian history for that’s where patriotism was reborn. It’s as normal a town as any other, but businesses close early here. And we had to call it a night at 8pm, as we had to gear up for the next day, which would bring with it the climb to Leh. But, the excitement to reach Leh was outweighed by the fact that I would be getting the G55 AMG to drive the next day – and I was just thinking to myself, ‘can this monster be tamed?’

An early morning start again, and it was all about getting acquainted with the 507bhp churning V8. Built for off-roading, styled for military use, and powered to insanity, the G55 AMG was one of those dreams that one always saw but couldn’t quite grasp. I’ve had to wait for my turn to drive one, and I’ve come to discover that it’s more than just taming this powerful machine – it’s very much a case of asking the AMG, ‘take it easy on me, I’m a first-timer’ (with an awkward smile of course).

Its starts with powerful a rumble, and then there’s just more of that. It’s raw and animalistic. It’s acoustic addiction. Taming the G55 would’ve been a massive mistake. It’s one of those wild things that are born and live free, and they are happy leading their lives. It’s got power, it’s got strength, and my God it sounds brilliant. It’s not just a grunt from that V8, it’s the roar – and a big one at that too. Mind you, it is not easy to drive this thing. A few weeks driving the G55 and you’ll be as muscular as Sylvester Stallone. With the stiff suspension, there’s a lot of bouncing around in the cabin. But it certainly does have speed, and it follows the philosophy of ‘the faster you get cover terrain, the easier the drive.’ With 700Nm of torque, this beastly dynamite is a powerhouse of action. It believes that nothing can stop it, and it’s simply going to take on the unconquerable. It leads you into believing that you can get away with anything, and if you throw it around a bend (not a wise thing to do), the G55 growls mad – as if to say, ‘who’s this idiot at the wheel?’

Having enjoyed putting my hand in the mouth of the monster, I didn’t want the fun to end. But, well, all good things come to an end. We reached Leh, and the chill in the air was a stark reminder that the drive to Pangong Tso will be something of a challenge (not for the cars, but for us humans). Having seen how picturesque the lake was in the movie Three Idiots, we were looking forward to driving down there, but we had to pass through the Chang La Pass, which stands tall at 17,586 feet.
We passed through the valley, where signboards read, ‘Enjoy the Valley, this is not a rally’ (obviously it was miss-spelt). We were in SUVs that had already had their fair share of running though, and we didn’t want to push them unduly – so we took it easy till Changla. There was a sense of conquering-the-world, as we steeped out to breathe the air on the third highest motorable road in the world. Quiet clearly we had conquered a lot with the stars on our side.

Both the GL and the G55 had clearly made their point, and the admiration for the manner in which they’re engineered and built has since quadrupled. Well, of course, I missed the absence of a dead-pedal in the GL – in a journey as long as this, a foot rest for the left leg would have made a world of difference. As for the G55, its stiff suspension is not something that the co-passengers would enjoy, but, as a driving experience, it was – quite plainly – phenomenal.

All said and done, the Stars certainly put a smile on our faces – and we’ll wait for the stars to align once again (in the cosmos that is) before we take another expedition in these star cruisers.