Dvinn

I recently noticed a 2 mile a gallon difference between Sport mode and winter mode (comfort mode). Whenever I drive the car in Winter mode I am averaging about 13ish mpg and in sport mode I average 11ish mpg, this is on the same street with similar acceleration style.

Just sharing a little information.

McGuireV10

Interesting that you made this comparison -- I did the same thing last weekend, but for the highway.

We took a trip up to Road Atlanta -- about 7 hours of straight-through highway driving with the cruise control at 80 MPH (average speed both ways was 77 MPH -- only one stop each way for food). On the way up I ran in Sport and on the way home I ran in Winter, with a full tank at the start on each end, and a reset on each end just as I got on the highway, and both showed exactly 25.5 MPG. I also watched as the MPG increased from the reset, and the ramp-up seemed to be roughly consistent between the two.

So at least for highway usage, it doesn't appear to have an impact.

I didn't think to try it around town, my driving habits aren't consistent enough for that.

superflysocal

it definitely makes sense that there is no difference in highway usage since there is probably not much gear shifting especially at 60+ mph

i have been trying to see if there was a difference as well but couldn't tell, especially a 2 mpg difference.

Thanks for the info. Back to comfort it goes esp at these days prices.

Dvinn

Nice observation. Definitelly need more peoples experience on the 2 modes.

One thing to add to my comparison is I am getting better fuel economy when not turtle-ing the car while not over reving it...meaning from a stop light, I accelerated with 1.6k to 2k RPM quickly up to speed, for E500 this is pretty brisk acceleration even at these RPM. So I am speeding up at a moderate rate and try to be consistant with the gas paddle application while testing between the 2.

DWP

If I never drive in ice or snow, is there ever any reason to put my car in "Winter" mode instead of "Summer" (to use the terms from my '03)? I thought that the whole point was to make things easier for the traction control in slippery conditions by starting in second gear, a nonissue here because the roads don't get slippery in winter. The change of names to "Sport" and "Comfort" implies that eliminating one gearshift gives slower but smoother acceleration, but is the latter really any more "comfortable"? I can see how "Winter/Comfort" mode would use more gas, because the engine has to rev higher from a stop when starting in second cog.

marcos

When I picked my car up from Stuttgart/Sindelfingen the engineers told us that the winter setting must only be used in extreme cases of ice and snow as continued use will overheat the torque convertor and gearbox.

glojo

I would expect a difference when driving around town as 'comfort' mode will pull away in second gear and not use as many revs.

Having a 5ltr engine (or a superb 3.2ltr diesel ) will ensure that there is always ample acceleration if required.

If the vehicle is in 'comfort' mode and you need rapid acceleration when pulling away, then 'flooring' the accelerator will make the gearbox change down to first gear.

Marcos has raised an interesting point which makes me wonder why the names have been changed? I certainly would NOT use 'Comfort' mode on a new vehicle simply because the manual advises drivers not to put any strain on the engine. (Pulling away in second gear clearly will put slightly more strain on it.)

Regards,
John

Dema

Was it still weather? I have every day commute and I have 2 miles difference each way because wind.

zanshin

That's interesting because my owners manual advises to only use comfort/winter mode for the first 1000 miles. Seems like a bit of a contradiction.

glojo

I am amazed at that advice. It is certainly something that I would not do.

Mercedes-Benz employ very knowledgeable people that I do not pretend to be the equal of, but my manual certainly does not advise me to use any particular setting. Pulling away in second gear in a new car is certainly not something that I would recommend.

Regards,
John

TPAbnz

The first 1000 miles (1500 km)

In the “Operation” section you will find detailed information on operating, maintaining and caring for your vehicle.
The more cautiously you treat your vehicle during the break-in period, the more satisfied you will be with its performance later
on.

• Drive your vehicle during the first 1000 miles (1500 km) at varying but moderate vehicle and engine speeds.

• During this period, avoid heavy loads (full throttle driving) and excessive engine speeds (no more than 2/3 of maximum rpm in each gear).

• Avoid accelerating by kick-down.

• Do not attempt to slow the vehicle down by shifting to a lower gear using the selector lever.

• Select positions 3, 2 or 1 only when driving at moderate speeds (for hill driving).

• Select C as the preferred shift program (N page 179) for the first 1000 miles (1500 km).

• After 1000 miles (1500 km) you may gradually increase vehicle and engine speeds to the permissible maximum.


Additional instructions for AMG vehicles:

During the first 1000 miles (1500 km), do not exceed a speed of 85 mph (140 km/h).

During this period, avoid engine speeds above 4500 rpm in each gear.

All of the above, as may apply to your vehicle type, also apply when driving the first 1000 miles (1500 km) after the engine or the rear differential has been replaced.


Always obey applicable speed limits.

glojo

Top marks for typing out the instructions.

In our manual that page is 302 and it states 'most' of what you have typed but it cerrtainly does NOT make any recommendation about 'C' mode or indeed any other mode.

I stand by what I have said, but I 100% accept that your book states what you say. I am no expert but I still think it

Riding a push bike clearly demonstrates how much effort is required to pull away in various gears. The lower the gear, the easier it is to start off, using higher gears needs far more effort (or strain on the muscles\engine)

There is nothing wrong I suppose in pulling away in second gear, but I simply would advise against it on a new vehicle.

Take care and well done for typing the page.

John

TPAbnz

Thanks for the lofty compliments, glojo. However, I must confess to my competence in dropping the page into an optical character recognition program, rather than typing proficiencies!

sl561

I was just about to say the same thing, but you beat me to it. So, I'll just confirm what you said -- The 2005 manual definitely says to use comfort mode for the first 1000 miles, and that's what I did. Given that it's now costing $50+ to fill my tank, I also started to use it again when driving around town. (On the freeway, there's clearly no benefit.)