Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Few regions in the world can even come close to the relationship that the Middle East has with Mercedes-Benz. While it’s a globally recognised luxury car brand, in the Middle-East, it’s not just a car. It’s an icon. A way of life. A culture of comfort and more.
To celebrate this and the special relationships Bahraini residents have with the kingdom’s authorised Mercedes-Benz distributor Al Haddad Motors, we took four of their top lineup of cars around the island for an adventure last weekend.
We started our journey at the Al Haddad Motors showroom where we got a quick peek at some of the MB2020 renovations happening. Stay tuned to hear more about these changes!
The Bahraini pride tour consisted of Imran Ali, Al Haddad’s marketing manager and Jawad Assiri, its marketing executive, joined by me and our sales and marketing manager Jalal. Before setting off on the road, we took a second to admire the red and white cars.
To start off, I drove the GLC200, Mercedes-Benz’s mid-sized luxury SUV. As our parade of red-and-white Merc’s hit the road, it was only fitting that I listened to the Mystro aka Hamad Al Fardan, Bahrain’s own GP2 racer, rapper and TV presenter.
Our first stop, to fuel our biological engines was the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where we enjoyed Bahrain Bay Kitchen’s famous breakfast buffet (BD15.5net).
This was my first time trying the buffet and not only was I blown away by the size of the spread but more importantly, the number of healthy options there were. It included a full gluten-free section to SIX varieties of honey. For once, I could say that my mom would be proud of my eating out options, even if I still indulged a bit.
As I heaped on a helping of foul madames, turkey bacon, mushrooms, vegetable dumplings and ordered my eggs, Imran and I chatted about some of the recent changes Al Haddad has undertaken this year, including the revamp of their service centre.
The four of us sat down and exchanged anecdotes as we devoured our breakfast. Just as my eggs benedict arrived and I enjoyed my cappuccino, Imran was telling us about his horde of collectibles, including a signed ball from Pakistani fast-bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar. His most recent gift was courtesy of our parent company’s managing director – the very first issue to be printed from our sister paper, Gulf Daily News.
We wrapped up breakfast and headed back to the cars. This time, I relived my first test drive for GulfWeekly and sampled the A200. Having driven the sedan edition of the compact A200 back in August, it was like meeting an old friend after a while.
The hatchback edition was zippy and smooth, the perfect car for a millennial, a young couple or a small family that wants the Mercedes experience without the lofty price tag.
We drove next to Arad fort where we ruminated a bit on the deep Dilmun civilisation roots, Bahrain’s relatively young modern history, Al Haddad’s 58-year history of being the sole distributor of the badge on the island and the changes that the island is undergoing in the face of economy-wide digitisation as well as climate change.
After a few snapshots, including one in which our photographer even helped out some Russian tourists get the perfect picture, we headed off to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), with me back in the GLC200.
With flags of Bahrain draped across the hoods of our cars, our entourage felt like a Bahrain special edition of Top Gear, sans the massive budget and with just as much unnecessarily fun banter.
At the BIC, we could hear the World Endurance Championship (WEC) qualifying races underway as we debated how the ‘Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ has reshaped the culture of Bahrain and some of the recent changes at the BIC, including the National Day Festival.
Jawad and I also chatted about his first few months at Al Haddad and how the deep emphasis on relationship management at the company has pushed him to up his marketing game.
And for the final journey back, I got to test drive the beast – the one and only SL500 convertible. With more than 400 little horses running under me and 700Nm of torque, this machine’s roar is just as smooth as its purr. I felt like The Real Slim Shady as I drove the white stallion with the windows down and my system up, drawing admiring envious looks and a few appreciative honks.
Having spent the day triple-sizing the number of Mercedes-Benzes I have test driven, it was a meditative and somber end to the day as our entourage rolled in, each with broad grins on our face, a rare appreciation for Bahrain’s roads and a much-needed boost to our national spirits.
Scan the QR code below to enjoy the entourage.
