YouTuber and vlogger Sourav Joshi has withdrawn his earlier claim linking the sharp decline in the fuel efficiency of his Mercedes-Benz SUV to E20 petrol, saying the problem was ultimately traced to an engine-related issue. His clarification comes after Mercedes-Benz India stated that all of its BS VI petrol vehicles are fully compatible with E20 fuel, amid widespread discussion over the incident.
In a recent post on X, Joshi said the vehicle had been inspected at an authorised Mercedes-Benz service centre, where technicians identified the actual cause of the problem.
"We visited the Mercedes service centre, and they found that there was an issue with the engine, which was causing the low mileage. I apologise for the misunderstanding regarding E20 petrol," Sourav Joshi said in a recent post on X.
He added that there was never any intention on his part to spread inaccurate information or offend anyone.
Addressing the original video, Joshi also said, "I have trimmed that part accordingly," referring to the section in which he had attributed the mileage issue to E20 petrol. Despite the edit, the original clip continues to circulate widely across social media platforms.
The controversy began after one of Joshi's vlogs showed the digital instrument cluster of his Mercedes-Benz SUV, where he claimed the vehicle's fuel efficiency had fallen from approximately 17 kmpl to 5 kmpl within two days.
At the time, he blamed the ethanol-blended fuel available at local petrol stations.
"This is what has happened because of ethanol."
He further claimed that a full tank, which previously offered a driving range of around 800 km, was now delivering only about 490 km.
Expressing concern over the condition of the vehicle, Joshi had also said, "I don't know when this car will break down... Nowadays, I'm so scared of refilling petrol."
Following the widespread attention generated by the vlog, Mercedes-Benz India released an official statement addressing the issue and reiterating the compatibility of its petrol vehicles with E20 fuel.
The statement reads, "At Mercedes-Benz, customer safety, vehicle reliability and performance are of paramount importance to us. All Mercedes-Benz petrol BS VI vehicles are materially compatible with E20 fuel and certified accordingly by relevant authorities. We are happy to support customers for any technical queries. Mercedes-Benz remains committed to sustainable mobility."
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