PHXATC

I'm curious as to real world mileage people are getting with their CDI Benz's.

I have done a search and come up with some interesting results (all over the place) and am curious myself to see what the run of the mill mileage is these days.

I'm sure you've posted this before and the subject has been beaten to death, but would you mind posting your mileage, normal driving (highway/city/romping/cruising) and whether or not it's calculated by hand or by the computer.

I'm kind of sort of maybe contemplating buying a 2005/06 CDI.

Thanks.

Toby

chemo

Always romping, trunk always full of my junk:

hwy: 34
city: 26 (I live in a small town, not new york style stop every block)

this is by the computer. I have not calculated it myself.


chemo

inFiniTE LooP

27+ mpg for the week and a half it's been here. driven normally, perhaps a little pushin here and there

note: this is in Hawaii, so the A/C is ALWAYS on and there are many hills/inclines. if you live in a flatter place, i would expect better mileage.

FlintCDI

I've been getting average:
city: 35.5 (light traffic in the AM, moderate in the PM)
highway: 40.1

I don't think most of us can really say what the actual real world mileage we're getting due to the fact that these cars are most likely not close to being "broken in" yet, I'd venture to say that the best mileage would be achieved @ or around 40-50k miles. I've been seeing a steady decrease in fuel consumption.

Not to hijack the thread, but what are your mileages as well?

PHXATC

Thanks fellas (FlintCDI, see what you started?).

01 I'm getting 21 (80% highway/20% city)
04 I'm getting 19 (60% highway/40% city) 17 before reflash

02 E320 MBZ 27 (30% highway/70% city)

I agree that the mileage will go up with a looser engine that seats in time.


I look forward to some more answers. Thanks again for those who posted already...it all factors into my decision.

CE750

I am a bit of a lead foot, and heavy on acceleration... The car also only had 3000 or so miles, so for a diesel, much improvement will occur at 30K+

I get 27 average (80% city/20% highway)

On the 101 loop the other day with the A/C off (temps were rather cool in Phx under overcast).. and with the speed steady at 65mph I was getting 37mpg.

The best I've seen is 41mpg on Happy Valley rd West of the I-17 doing 50 window down and A/C off.. amazing!

BTW.. Check your PM.. we have a tentative plan for our meet.

rbordel

I've been keeping a fuel log for 2005. This data is from fuel pump readings, not the car's trip computer. The trip computer tends to indicate slightly higher MPG (~0.5 MPG) compared to the pump.


Caveats (or reasons why you may not be able to duplicate these results):

1. The car is not my daily driver. When I do drive it, it tends to be on long trips.

2. I keep my tires inflated to 38 psi.

3. I almost always obey the speed limit (max 70 mph in my area.)

4. For 2 tankfuls (1398 miles), there was a fault with my car which caused the mass air sensor to become disconnected. This resulted in the check engine light being illuminated and the engine producing low power (it cruised fine at steady speed, but acceleration was terrible.) This also had the effect of boosting the fuel economy about 1 MPG. Once I got it fixed, the fuel economy returned to "normal" values.

2005 Year to Date information -- 2005 E320 CDI purchased new 04/04:

Odometer 1/1/2005 (Miles): 18123
Miles Driven (~90% Highway): 5466
Diesel Consumed (US Gallons): 143.13
MPG: 38.19

inFiniTE LooP

impressive results, might i recommend, www.greenhybrid.com to you, there you will find: http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/ which has a mileage database that helps you keep track of your mileage as well as let others view it, you can add any car you want, it is not limited to hybrids.

zanshin

I'm not at 5000 miles yet, but I'm getting 34 mpg. This is over a 70 mile commute, 54 miles of which is highway. I have the AC on and my speed is usually 70 to 75. (Hey, it's Atlanta. Everyone drives 20 over the speed limit. I think we all want to get away from that city as fast as possible.)

brianhn1

Only have 1800 miles on the odometer. Average milage is often around 25-30. A/C here is used overtime. I also leave the engine on to cool the turbo after a hard run.

CE750

how much warm up/cool down do you do?

I've been doing a 1 minute warm up.. and slow on the RPM until it's at normal temp... and about a 1 minute cool down.

brianhn1

Warm up, I often try to leave the car running for a few minutes if I can before I start driving it. I drive slow until warm up, then I drive it like I normally do. For cool down, judging on how much I spooled the turbo before stopping, I would let the car run at idle for 1 minute or maybe 5 minutes. I would be interested in having a sensor for measuring the temperature of the turbo or a turbo timer.

frogstaple

I’ve got 33mpg consistently over the first 3000 miles. I drive 60% city 40% highway (guesstimate) and I’ve had the AC set to auto. It’s been very warm here since late June.

khaug

Computed from odo and pump readings:

Overall: 32 mpg

Best tank: 37 mpg

Worst tank: 29.4 mpg

Above stats as of 10K miles, 10 months of age. Driving: mostly highway, very little stop-'n-go.

CE750

I went with a good friend to look at Jags for him yesterday in my CDI, and the salesman (very nice/inteligent type) spent 80% of the time admiring my car.. and going on and on about how he can't believe it's a diesel. He first sat in it and revved the engine a bit, and of course was shocked at the lack of noise, so I took him for a ride.. he said it's likely going to be his next purchase!

reb03

CDI, here I come. Crude was up another $1.70 to $67.50 a barrel today. Since I'm in the market for a more comfortable family sedan and I drive 20k miles a year I just can't see getting anything else right now.

TPAbnz

Well, please test drive first . . . but I will let you know that two clients of mine (with substantial resources who could have otherwise bought an E500 or probably any other similarly priced car) BOUGHT a CDI after a spin in my car. OK, Karl, I did select "S" for the tranny mode.

Now the disclosures for me: worst city 21.8 mpg/ best highway with super cetane in Germany: 34.9. No, I don't have a heavy foot and I do drive like an egg between me and the pedal.

reb03

Thanks for the remarks TPAbnz. I test drove one the other day and was amazed at how quiet it was and how much force 369 lb ft really is. While I'm used to driving a fast car (currently own an '03 M3), I guess at 36 years of age with two growing boys my tastes are changing from preferring the kart-like M3 to wanting something more comfortable, quiet and safe for the family and the commute. Yes, I could get an E500 but given the blend of performance and economy provided by the CDI I just don't think the E500 makes sense...for me. Now, since I'm in CA, I'm working on finding a used one with 7,500+ miles and the options I want.

E55 and 993

Interesting point to consider.

If you buy a CDI and average 30 MPG. Fuel Cost per gal: $3. 15,000 miles per year. Annual fuel cost. $1500

If you buy a AMG E55. Average 15 MPG (which is really low - I avg 18 MPG with a very heavy foot) 15,000 miles per year $3 Gal gas. Annual fuel cost $3000.

So the gas E350 and E500 are somewhere in between.

My point is that the best to worst extreme is $1500 per year - $125 a year. That is not much to me, it is probably huge to others. I completely understand the merits of the CDI, the longevity, the cool factor, etc. But just considered the simple fuel cost.

It never makes since to sell a car to get one with better mileage. You will lose more on a trade than save on gas.

This is not to start anything, just an interesting observation (rationale for owning a gas hog - but a sweet one).

reb03

Good points and I couldn't agree more. Since I'm already in the market for a comfortable and safe sedan, economy is one of many considerations. My only concern is going from the extreme of the M3 to the comparatively soft E320 will have me wondering what I've done a few months down the road. The ultimate would be to go the E55 route like you but making such a decision would prove costly since it would likely cause my wife to take 1/2 of everything I own! Didn't mean to hijack the thread...

CE750

Had I not needed to buy my mother an E350 as I had promised to do when I was just a kid.. (And I keep my word!).. I may have gotten an E55, since I really love the W211 body and wanted fast performance too. Plus the 55 comes with a lot of nice stuff as standard. I got my mom's E350 with the intention that I'd get an E500 for myself and stay under $110,000.. but standard options apart (Leather, Airmatic) the CDI is the better car since in terms of resale the MB diesels are king, and more over if you plan to keep the car for a long time, the MB diesels are also the most reliable MB's traditionally. If you equip a CDI with the leather, and Airmatic DC of the 500, you're in the same price spot, but I believe you get the better motor with the CDI. And after a $1200 Renntech tune up, you're driving 411 ft/lb of torque around... that's E500 performance with Accord reliability and economy.


E55 and 993... I'll be free to meet for lunch on the 29th.. sound good? if so, I can tell ATCPHX, and see if he's wants to join us at the Biltmore.

HELL ONA HARLEY

I'm not sure if saving $$$ on fuel should be your first consideration when purchasing a diesel.... I think the longevity of the engine would be my first consideration... In the S.F bayarea diesel is now more than gas.... I've said this before in a thread about a year ago and I see now its becoming fact... Diesel WILL be more at the pump and when its reformulated soon they are sure to bend you over even more..... At least more than we gasoline consumers.

Good luck with your purchase.

CE750

I agree, fuel economy is more of a bonus of diesel, not a sole reason to get it... here in AZ Diesel is about 2.85/gal and Prem is 2.80.. the diesel car is 30% more efficient, so there still room for price/value... but it's not enough to justify the $1500 more price of the car over the Gas..

Spartan

My '05 CDI averaged 30mpg with 75% suburban driving.

I wanted to see how "high" the mpg display would go so on a loooooong downhill, I reset the display and I got 4.1 liters per 100 km which translates to about 60 mpg.

Back in the early eighties, I had a diesel Rabbit and it routinely got over 55 mpg. While it was great on fuel, people could hear you coming a mile away. I went on a trip to Pennsylvania with it with four people and in some of the hills I had to use 3rd gear.

I am sure that Mercedes will have the diesel/electric hybrid option for E-class in the next four years. It makes too much sense not to. I would expect that a four cylinder diesel with a electric motor "support" will accelarate just quick as our cars now and probably get 45mpg. The only difference would be that you be "limited" to 120 mph top speed. As if that matters in NA.

saffrontiger

HOH,
I wouldn't be to quick to order the KY and some latex. Check this out:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp

Now, here is the good news. If, indeed, refiners are having difficulty processing more crude oil, this is likely to be temporary, and as these problems are corrected, their ability to refine more crude oil should increase. Often, U.S. total petroleum product demand peaks in the heart of winter, as heating oil demand surges. But refiners typically peak their runs in the summer, as they produce gasoline to meet peak demand for that product, while also producing heating oil to build up supplies for the winter. And, even though refiners have not produced as much recently as might have been expected, distillate fuel (which includes both diesel fuel and heating oil) inventories, measured in absolute terms, are above the average range for this time of year. Moreover, refiners will be able to draw from crude oil inventories that are currently well above the average range should there be a need to produce extra heating oil this upcoming winter. Thus, while crude oil prices are high now, the recent counter-seasonal build in crude oil inventories should keep prices from being as high this coming winter as they might be without this extra crude oil inventory.

Many discussions can come from this topic. Biodiesel, engine longevity, decrease in future Sulfur/CO/PM etc... ULSD will probably add 5-7cents/gal. Surely not enough to make us bend over :p