First of all “GCC specifications” are a legal requirement defined by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO). GSO clearly stipulates with which options a vehicle must be equipped. All Mercedes-Benz Passenger cars sold through the local Authorized Mercedes-Benz General Distributors comply with valid regional legal requirements. Additionally the manufacturer automatically links certain options required for a proper operation of the vehicle in the region considering the harsh climate conditions, vehicle operation and available fuel quality. Vehicles produced for other countries or regions will only comply with the regulations and requirements valid for the market where they were initially sold.
Different and complex worldwide requirements result in a huge variety of options, systems and technologies used in different countries. Typical differences to vehicles equipped with “GCC specs” could be: Fuel management caused by different fuel quality and availability, adapted service intervals and service scope, usage of regionally required tires or no spare tire, no proper Arabic documentation, usage of systems which operate on frequencies not approved in the region (e.g. Driving Assistance Systems, Radio), no local navigation map data content, different Air Conditioning systems (including refrigerants), etc