It was still dark when a large group of motoring media and social media influencers gathered last Wednesday, September 19 at the Mercedes-Benz showroom for what would turn out to be some firsts for a lot of us.  Dubbed the #HungryForAdventure drive, this would be a Philippine version of an event held by the German automaker in other countries in the region to showcase the performance and features that make the Mercedes-Benz an ideal vehicle for your adventures, specifically the GLC midsized SUV. GLC 200 Exclusive After we got into our vehicle groupings, we made our way down EDSA to our first pit stop at the Shell station at SLEX before making our way to Carmona for our first activity of the day. Our ride for the first day was the GLC 200 Exclusive. It’s the gasoline variant powered by a 2.0-liter, twin cam, 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder engine that puts out 184-horsepower and 300-Newton meters of torque. This is mated to the 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission.  I opted to enjoy the passenger privileges.  After our pit-stop, I took the wheel and drove us to our first activity. We got off the main road and drove through some unpaved roads where we got to experience the GLC’s body control, which kept the ride as smooth as possible. Both the GLC 200 Exclusive and 220 d 4Matic have the Dynamic Select System which allowed us to select between four driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport+.  The best mode suited for rough terrain is Comfort where the GLC lets the suspension have more free play than the Sport mode, giving it the ability to soak up more of the bumps. We made it to our staging area for our first activity where we would Parasail off the side of a hill roughly 50-60 meters off the ground.  These of course had pilots who we rode tandem with. They would pick up thermals off the side of the hill and take us as high as 150-200 meters and keep us in the air for about 10-12 minutes. After which, we would descend to an open area. There was a specially prepared off-road track we could take at speed to experience the different handling characteristics of the drive modes of both 200 and 220 d. The activity finished after lunch and we made our way to Escala Hotel in Tagaytay where we would spend the night. The GLC 220d 4MATIC Our second day of adventure with the GLC’s had us driving the 220 d 4Matic which is powered by a four cylinder 2.2L turbo diesel that puts out 170-hp with torque of 400-Nm mated to the same 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission.  We drove down to Talisay from Tagaytay and we got a good feel for the control that 4Matic permanent all-wheel drive system on the 220 d also while enjoying the response and sporty handling the Sport+ drive mode afforded us on the winding roads en route to the Taal Yacht Club. Here we would take an estimated 20-minute boat ride to the Taal Island Trekking Point. Ahead was about a 2-km hike to Taal’s volcano crater.  This was a truly awesome experience, from the breathtaking sight from the view deck and to see steam venting from the ground around the lake, the shore itself, not to mention the many boiling mud pools to indicate that Taal is still very much an active volcano. It’s the world’s smallest in fact, but is a beautiful place to visit. This again was a trip of firsts, my first time to Paraglide, and first time at the crater of an active volcano. It was also my first time to experience the Mercedes-Benz GLC midsized SUV, which made all the difference. With its luxurious amenities, generous legroom, and the premium infotainment system with a touchpad, there couldn’t be a better adventure partner. It gives you easier access to your media, radio, vehicle settings and mobile phone connectivity through Bluetooth, enabling you to answer calls through the steering wheel mounted controls. All in all, the GLC proved itself to be versatile enough to be as capable in the rough stuff as it is elegant on asphalt. Anyone can take a road trip to the places we went to, but it becomes extraordinary when you do it in a Mercedes Benz GLC.  It all depends on which flavor you prefer, the gasoline 200 Exclusive or the diesel 220 d 4Matic. Text and photos by Neil Pagulayan and Mercedes-Benz PH