Famous YouTuber Sourav Joshi Makes U-Turn: Poor Mileage Of Mercedes Due To Faulty Engine, Not E20 Petrol

A recent video from YouTuber and vlogger Sourav Joshi had gone viral. In it, he blamed E20 petrol for a sharp drop in the fuel efficiency of his Mercedes Benz GLC300. This even prompted Mercedes to issue an official advisory. Now, Joshi has issued another statement saying that the mileage drop was due to an ‘engine issue’ and not due to the use of E20 fuel.

In his latest post on X (previously Twitter), Joshi says that he took the SUV to the Mercedes service centre for detailed inspection. The staff there found out that there was an issue with the engine. This was causing the drop in mileage.

He publicly apologised for the confusion caused by his earlier remarks about E20 petrol (20% Ethanol-blended petrol) and clarified that his intention was not to spread incorrect information or create unnecessary concern among viewers. He seems to have edited the vlog accordingly.

However, the original clip continues to circulate widely on social media, drawing attention and strong reactions from users.

Sourav Joshi’s latest statement has triggered strong reactions from netizens. ‘Without checking properly with the service centre spreads panic among followers. You know many people following you and what you say must take accountability.’- commented a user. ‘Bro got scared. Can’t say truth these days and live safely.’ said another.

Another comment reads: ‘Think before you talk, these guys think they can blabber whatever they want and getaway with it just for cheap publicity. Shame on you.’ Someone even found it funny, and said ‘I can’t stop laughing at the reverse gear you have taken!’

The original video clip is from one of the vlogs shared by Sourav Joshi on his YouTube channel. In it, Joshi can be seen seated inside his Mercedes-Benz GLC300 luxury SUV. He says that the vehicle has lately been suffering from a sharp drop in fuel efficiency. It used to return around 15-16kpl in the past. Now, this has dropped to 9kpl.

The driving range, Joshi mentioned, used to be around 800-850km per tank. This has now come down to 480km. This, he said, was very low. He even said he was worried about the vehicle suffering from other issues due to the use of E20 petrol.

Any such problem, he said, would be a bigger concern. This is because he would then have to send the car to the Mercedes Benz service centre in Delhi. This vlogger resides in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. He also said that these days he fills petrol with constant fear. The vlog also had another clip where Joshi mentions that the mileage dropped even further. It came down to as low as 5kpl- very concerning. All these sections of the video will now be chopped off.

Sourav Joshi is one of Mercedes Benz’s loyal customers and is one of the very few owners of an electric G-Wagen. It, he say, delivers a range of around 500 km per charge.

As soon as Sourav Joshi’s clip went viral, Mercedes Benz came up with a clarification through its official X handle. It issued an advisory that claimed that all BS6 petrol vehicles from Mercedes Benz are materially compatible with E20 fuel and certified accordingly by relevant authorities. It emphasised that customer safety, reliability and performance remain its top priorities. The company also assured customers that it is available to assist with any technical queries. ‘Mercedes-Benz remains committed to sustainable mobility’ -said the advisory.

This advisory, however, did not talk about the actual concerns raised by Joshi- the drastic drop in fuel efficiency. It did not try to explain what really happened on that front. Now, since the service centre has reportedly carried out a detailed diagnosis, Mercedes Benz may soon put out an official statement on the actual cause.

Interestingly, the details mentioned in the user manuals of Mercedes cars conflict with the claims made in the above advisory. Actual E20 compliance happened in September 2023, whereas the shift to the BS6 era happened in 2018. We have explained the details of this in a previous story.