Merc4Weekend: Story Of A Techie & Merc SLK350

Updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 17:48 [IST]

Passion is a complex feeling which only humans are capable of exhibiting. Unfortunately, in the fast paced world of today people do not get to recognize their passion or get to realise their dreams. Too caught up with their routine day to day affairs, dreams are lost for ever. So, when a lucky few who do get to realise their dreams and experience what they are passionate about it turns out to be something truly special.

One such person is a Bangalorean by the name Tinu Cherian, a denizen of one of the city's countless IT companies, who despite being caught entangled in his regular job, finds a way to enjoy a weekend that he will remember for the rest of his life. This story is about a man's passion for cars and how he managed to satiate his thirst using the power of social media. Drive spark got a chance to speak to Tinu Cherian and here is Mr. Cherian's experience in his own words.

Short Narration about yourself - straight from the horses mouth!

[TC] I am a software engineer on my day-job. I currently work with Juniper Networks, one of the industry leaders in high performance networking. I had previously worked for companies like Cisco Systems and Infosys Technologies. The interesting twist is that my day-job has nothing to do with the personality that I have built on social media. I enjoy a large audience of followers on twitter. People have often confused with me that I am into Public Relations or probably running a social media agency. I am also a passionate supporter of Wikipedia / Wikimedia movement in India. I am a former Board Member ( Executive Committee) of Wikimedia India Chapter and one of few Indian administrators on English Wikipedia.

Which Car does Tinu Cherian drive?

[TC] I have a Hyundai i10. One of the cutest and best-value cars in its segment. But it is almost 5 years old now and I am hoping to upgrade to a Hyundai Verna or Elantra soon.

How did Mercedes SLK 350 or #Merc4weekend happen?

[TC] Earlier this month, famous author Chetan Bhagat was promoting the upcoming movie Kai Po Che with a Twitter contest named #MyKaipocheDream , the prize of which was a Mercedes car each for 3 people for the weekend. While I always had a dream to ride a Mercedes, I also participated but with a slightly cheeky tweet, with which I actually took a dig on Chetan Bhagat. Despite my tweet receiving more than 100+ retweets and being the top tweet on this trending topic, I did not win the contest. But Chetan Bhagat did acknowledge that I was close to winning it.

Then it occurred to me that why not ask other car companies like Audi just for fun and see how they respond for a luxury car on a weekend. Audi recently had a PR disaster on twitter where a twitter celebrity tweeted about how his Audi Q7 was taken for a joy ride by the service station people. Having got a PR setback on social media, I actually intended to give Audi a chance to "make up for it" on social media. While Audi India choose to simply ignore it, interestingly, it caught the attention of people at Mercedes Benz India itself, who then contacted me.
To my surprise, Mercedes Benz India actually sent me home a beautiful Mercedes SLK 350 convertible, all the way from Pune to Bangalore, to be enjoyed for an entire weekend. This proved that the Mercedes Benz as a company was willing to go an extra mile in making potential customers and social media influencers happy. Happy with the sweet gesture of Mercedes, I tweeted about it in detail with the hashtag #Merc4Weekend and shared photos & the experience on Twitter and Facebook, which triggered quite a buzz on social media.

What was your driving experience like, with the Mercedes SLK 350?

[TC] It was really a great experience. I would not have been able to otherwise enjoy driving around a Mercedes convertible, at least at this point of time. I drove this beautiful two-seater sports car in and around Bangalore. I took it even to my office one day. It had this very long bonnet which I had to be extra cautious with in Bangalore's usual bumper-to-bumper traffic. I would avoid revealing the actual maximum speed that I had tried, in the fear of the possibility of getting a speeding ticket :) . But I can certainly assure you that it is an amazing vehicle to drive.

The good, The Bad & The Ugly factors of the Mercedes SLK 350?

[TC] With its super aerodynamic design and awesome style, this is one piece of a beast. The retractable hard top movement is quite fast , clean and graceful. I couldn't stop watching the smooth hard-top to open-top and back metamorphosis again and again. The awesome car gives you superb performance and pumps up your adrenaline for sure. All the controls are elegantly arranged and is easily accessible to the driver. While it has remarkable sporty looks, it can be slightly over-expensive for Indian customers.

Was the SLK 350 an easy car to drive and was it worth the price?

[TC] This very luxurious convertible car comes with a powerful 3.5-litre V-6 engine with 306 Bhp @ 6500 rpm but is an easy car to drive smoothly and quickly. The steering is very precise and was better than I expected. For people who are crazy of high performance vehicles and can afford the price, it is definitely worth it.

Have you ever driven a high-end performance car before? If yes, details required.

[TC] Honestly, I haven't yet got a chance to try other high-end performance cars in this class.

Since looks are everything to sports-car buyers, how do you rate the SLK 350?

[TC] The roadster has a design that is very modern, clean, and elegant. Termed as one of the best convertibles in the segment, the car caught lots of eyeballs while I was driving around Bangalore. I got a bit naughty one time and dropped the hard top at a traffic signal, only to hear OMGs and Wow screams around.

What features of the SLK 350 caught your attention and what are some features you wished the SLK 350 had?

[TC] I especially liked the "Magic Sky Control roof". With just a touch of a button, this roof will control the amount of sunlight entering the car, that best fits your mood and brightness that you want. Its electric Driver Seat Adjustment was also very smooth. I wish it had a 4-seater version too.

Mercedes SLK 350, BMW Z4, Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche Boxster, in this line-up what would end-up in your garage?

[TC] I haven't driven the others, so I may not be in a position for a relative comparison.

If you had the mulah, what would be your dream car?

[TC] A Rolls-Royce Phantom is obviously on my wish-list.