So driving like a grandma does have it's rewards...

[hx_guy]

Was curious what kind of MPG I would see if I drove the exact speed limit so over a 16 mile stretch (10 highway and 6 surface streets) I did just that...65 MPH on the highway and 45 MPH on the street. I know the trip computer over estimates but it made a huge improvement over the normally indicated ~30 MPG the trip computer shows me. I have to say I was pretty annoyed the whole time, I felt like I was crawling along. I was amazed that I was actually passing some people a couple instances...people drive under the posted speed? Most everyone was passing by and a few looked pretty frustrated with my driving.

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[listerone]

On a long stretch of I-95 in Virginia,the Carolinas and Georgia (cruise at 69,flat,dry,light traffic) I got my guage up to 45.5 mpg which translated,at the next fillup,to about 38mpg.It was done on winter diesel so if it was on summer diesel it probably would have been better.And you *are* correct...a light foot on the accerator,or better still,cruise control,at the speed limit,is good for mileage.

[thekurgan]

There is so much bottom end torque in the diesel, the light foot doesn't feel light per se.

[ImInPA]

In the US, at least 90% of our driving is all done between idle and 3500-4000 rpms. The Bluetec diesel is pumping out max torque in that range. It very much reminds me of the power of large V8 family cars in the late 60's. Just a light tap on the accelerator and the speedometer responds instantly. Modern diesels make much more sense to me than Hybrids for the long term.

[SoCalCLK]

That's pretty awesome mileage dude. I just averaged 27mpg to San Diego and back in my 550 and I'm pretty stoked, LOL

[mnje350]

I'm even more impressed by the temp displayed.

[hx_guy]

Originally Posted by ImInPA

In the US, at least 90% of our driving is all done between idle and 3500-4000 rpms. The Bluetec diesel is pumping out max torque in that range. It very much reminds me of the power of large V8 family cars in the late 60's. Just a light tap on the accelerator and the speedometer responds instantly. Modern diesels make much more sense to me than Hybrids for the long term.

I agree and disagree with this. While most of the driving is done between those ranges, diesels really don't do as well in city driving/parking lots and such...the highway is really where they shine.

I do a lot of running around being in sales, so I'm going from one parking lot to another just a mile down the road. In that type of driving, my mileage in the Bluetec is in the low-mid 20s. A hybrid on the other hand seems to love that sort of driving and something like a Prius will get 45+ MPG in that environment.

My other car is a 2011 Audi A4 and on my last fill up, which was 80%+ city driving, I averaged just barely over 20 MPG...not good at all. When my lease is up, I am definitely going to look for something that is more geared toward surface street/parking lots and the Bluetec will be more of the long distance car.

[listerone]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

There is so much bottom end torque in the diesel, the light foot doesn't feel light per se.

Having come from the BMW "d" I can assure you that the Bluetec,when compared to the "d",feels like a Toyota Corolla.Gently touch the accelerator on the "d" and you feel like you've been shot from a cannon

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by listerone

Having come from the BMW "d" I can assure you that the Bluetec,when compared to the "d",feels like a Toyota Corolla.Gently touch the accelerator on the "d" and you feel like you've been shot from a cannon

Doesn't the N57 have two turbochargers? Small and large, one for "off idle" and the other picks up > 2500 rpm? I had a loaner once, but wasn't able to do much with it due to traffic. I do remember the trasmission shifted far faster than the G tronic both upshift and downshift and not in the sport mode. I think the Benz is geared more towards comfort off the line, yes.

[BenzV12]

Originally Posted by mnje350

I'm even more impressed by the temp displayed.

That was what I was gonna say as well

E350 Diesel churns out 620 Nm/Torque too , that's impressive . My car now does 370Nm with gasoline powered engine and I love the way it climbs when going up the hills from low speed to gently higher speeds

[listerone]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

Doesn't the N57 have two turbochargers? Small and large, one for "off idle" and the other picks up > 2500 rpm? I had a loaner once, but wasn't able to do much with it due to traffic. I do remember the trasmission shifted far faster than the G tronic both upshift and downshift and not in the sport mode.

Yup,that's right...two turbos.On youtube there a segment from Top Gear in which Jeremy,no fan of diesels,tests a 5 Series equipped with the N57.At one point,during hard acceleration,he said "it's not exactly electric but it is *relentless* (and he did stress that word).An excellent asessment IMO.

Originally Posted by thekurgan

I think the Benz is geared more towards comfort off the line, yes.

Again,you're correct.But there are times when I miss the "oomph" of my "d".

[listerone]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

Doesn't the N57 have two turbochargers? Small and large, one for "off idle" and the other picks up > 2500 rpm? I had a loaner once, but wasn't able to do much with it due to traffic. I do remember the trasmission shifted far faster than the G tronic both upshift and downshift and not in the sport mode. I think the Benz is geared more towards comfort off the line, yes.

I found the clip to which I referred.Interesting stuff,IMO

You Tube

You Tube

[thekurgan]

^^^ I read about the new tri-turbo M550d and that made me drool. Nice clip!

[ImInPA]

Originally Posted by hx_guy

I agree and disagree with this. While most of the driving is done between those ranges, diesels really don't do as well in city driving/parking lots and such...the highway is really where they shine.

I do a lot of running around being in sales, so I'm going from one parking lot to another just a mile down the road. In that type of driving, my mileage in the Bluetec is in the low-mid 20s. A hybrid on the other hand seems to love that sort of driving and something like a Prius will get 45+ MPG in that environment.

My other car is a 2011 Audi A4 and on my last fill up, which was 80%+ city driving, I averaged just barely over 20 MPG...not good at all. When my lease is up, I am definitely going to look for something that is more geared toward surface street/parking lots and the Bluetec will be more of the long distance car.

If you drive more than the "pure electric" (few miles?) in a Prius, and use the engine, their mileage is pretty bleak too. The worst I have done in town is 26mpg in my Bluetec. When you factor in the amazingly dirty process of making the batteries, and the even dirtier process of disposing of the batteries, I still believe that diesel makes more sense. I had a VW Polo as a rental in Europe last time I was there and it had a 1.1 or 1.3 liter diesel (if memeory serves me). On the highway I achieved High 50's and never below 35 in town. Diesel makes more sense overall than Hybrid. Just my 2 cents.

[hx_guy]

You're probably going to be like WHAT?! but I think for my situation, something like a Chevy Volt would make the most sense but dang is that car ugly. A Tesla S is also on my mind to replace my Audi A4 in 2014.

[hx_guy]

Had a pretty long trip today so I ran the test again to get more "real world" numbers since the 16 mile/42 MPG was really under ideal conditions.

Drove 89 miles of which 22 were on surface streets and then 67 miles on the highway. Made a couple stops at two customers and also dealt with some stop and go traffic on the freeway for a few miles. Drove anywhere from 0-5 MPH over the posted speed limit.

Mileage went down but still did well at 38.4 MPG.



The estimated range was crazy after driving on the freeway for a good amount...and this was after I already had 111 miles on this tank. In theory, it would go 818 miles on a single tank.

[ImInPA]

With all of the the diesels I have owned, they have a very long break-in period. I noticed a bump in mpg around 15K, then another bump in mpg around 30K I am anticipating another bump around 50K (based solely on past experience). The magic of modern diesels is this: you can still drive a car that weighs over two tons and still get better mileage than most economy cars. And, you would have to snorting bath salts to think a Prius is better looking than an E. I do like the Chevy Volt. A great idea. I read that Audi is working on a similar concept, except they will use a 250cc rotary engine to drive the generator. The Tesla is fantastic, but, with a $160K price tag and very limited production, they will not likely be seen in many places. Still the idea of a 0-60 in 3.7 sec all electric with a range of 200 miles is really great by any measure.

[troymir350]

Originally Posted by ImInPA

With all of the the diesels I have owned, they have a very long break-in period. I noticed a bump in mpg around 15K, then another bump in mpg around 30K I am anticipating another bump around 50K (based solely on past experience). The magic of modern diesels is this: you can still drive a car that weighs over two tons and still get better mileage than most economy cars. And, you would have to snorting bath salts to think a Prius is better looking than an E. I do like the Chevy Volt. A great idea. I read that Audi is working on a similar concept, except they will use a 250cc rotary engine to drive the generator. The Tesla is fantastic, but, with a $160K price tag and very limited production, they will not likely be seen in many places. Still the idea of a 0-60 in 3.7 sec all electric with a range of 200 miles is really great by any measure.

Tesla: not sure where you got $160k. Base Model S is $57k before tax credits. Top is $100k (ish) before credits and with 275 mile range. Off topic, but hey facts are facts.

[hx_guy]

Yes, I was talking about the $49,500 Tesla S with the 140 mile range. I think it would be a perfect vehicle for city driving, running errands and going to appointments.

[ImInPA]

Originally Posted by troymir350

Tesla: not sure where you got $160k. Base Model S is $57k before tax credits. Top is $100k (ish) before credits and with 275 mile range. Off topic, but hey facts are facts.

You are referring to the Model S (the sedan). I was referring to the Roadster. In the review I read the as tested price of the Roadster was just about 160K. They also will have a much smaller vehicle the Model X. The Model you refer to has a 0-60 time of 5.5 sec. The one I am referring to has a 0-60 time of 3.7 sec. It also has an extended range mode that slows it up a bit but extends range to 245 miles as opposedto 200 for standard power configuration. The Tesla S you mention has a 300 mile range according to Tesla. Here is the review: the as tested price of the Tesla Roadster was 155K. It is hard to believe any MB, BMW, or Audi owner could possibly be fooled with "Base Price" Vs. Actual configurations. Just the facts Kiddo.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...trumented-test

[hyperion667]

you might be getting lots of miles, but chances are you're driving people crazy at the same time.......do consider

[hx_guy]

In case anyone is following along...finished a tank full of gas with "careful" driving and got 652.7 miles out of 19.78 gallons for an average of 33.0 MPG.



Drove between 0-5 MPH over the speed limit about 75% of the time (up to 10 MPH over the rest of the time) and it was around 30% city driving and 70% highway.

Now I'm wondering if I can beat that!

[ImInPA]

Just try and keep in mind that a Bluetec is no lightweight. It weighs in over two tons. The thought of a two ton car achieving 30+ mpg overall is just amazing to me. This is clearly the realm of much smaller economy cars. What's not to like?