whattodo

Hi All,

I stopped by the dealer to check on a couple of things on my order and they had a MY14 ML350 BT on the lot that I had a look at. I noticed that it had no ECO button. On the US mbusa.com website is shows that the ML350 Bluetec model comes with the Eco Start/Stop feature as standard but yet this one did not. Dealer told me it is not available.
What gives?
Is the website completely wrong?

Thanks

glayfan40

If my MY13 GLK250 can be used as an indication then ECO Stop/Start is not available on diesels, only gassers.

kedmund

they don't work with glo-plugs (or whatever they are called) on diesels from what I read in the manual. there's not a way to determine the amount of time necessary to pre-heat them, so only a petrol function, not diesel.

iankayem

They do work with diesels!
In fact mine works brilliantly on the ML350Bluetec, far better than the Audi petrol.
The reason you do not have it in the States is MB play games with options for different markets.

YYZ-E55

It's actually because our gas/diesel is garbage in terms of quality over here. Also, stop/start isn't factored into the fuel economy ratings for USA.

turley59

Do you all use the "Adblue" there? Here, it is injected only at every start up to decrease emissions from unburned hydrocarbons. If our diesels had Start/Stop, we would probably have to refill AdBlue every 1-2k miles (gross estimate) instead of every 10k, because it would be injected every time the car turned off then back on again... I think this is the main reason why we don't have start/stop on our diesels here.
We actually wouldn't need AdBlue if it weren't for the incredibly stringent emissions laws for the state of California. The diesel itself meets US general emissions standards, but not California. AdBlue makes the Diesel "50 state legal"

haroldsogard

I drove an Audi diesel with the start/stop feature for a week in France this summer. I am actually happy this feature will not be included in my soon-to-be-delivered 2014 ML350 Bluetec. It's very annoying to have to wait, even if it is just a second or two, to get power back at an intersection. Especially in Europe when you're trying to navigate your way through a very busy roundabout!

iankayem

Turley,
Thats an interesting thought about the adblue! We do have it, but since I have now done 20,000km without opening the Adblue tank, then perhaps it only injects on full starts.

Haroldsogard,
Perhaps the Audi diesel you drove is similar to the Audi petrol. It is slow to get going, so we always turned off the Auto stop/start as soon as we started the car.. EVERY TIME!
With the ML Bluetec, the only time I have turned the Auto stop/start off is when I am creeping up to a roundabout in heavy traffic. With the wrong conditions, it tends to shut off the engine for a half a second every two seconds. This is a traffic problem, not a car problem.
When it shuts off at the lights, I just put the brakes on "HOLD" and when the lights change, I am away briskly.
Perhaps I would turn off the Auto stop/start if I intended to drag the next car, but that's not my style.