GPS Screen Display at Low Elevations
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: San Clemente, CA
2003 E-500
GPS Screen Display at Low Elevations
Last week we drove our E-500 to Death Valley National Park. As we got below sea level, we noticed the GPS display of Altitude would reset to 43000 feet as you got below zero elevation. It then would measure down so that when we were at the lowest elevation at Badwater, it read 42700 . I turned the car off as we walked around and took photos there, and when I turned it back on, it wouldn't read any altitude but I took a photo of the display showing we were at Badwater, the lowest point in the US with an elevation of 282 feet below sea level.
We then drove to another location going above sea level and it would read correct, however, this time when we went below sea level, I stopped and took a photo of the display before turning the car off showing the "VERY HIGH" elevation reading when you are actually about 100 feet below sea level.
This trip was about 700 miles round trip for us and we averaged over 22mpg for the entire trip which included a lot of slow as well as fast driving. Car ran well but glad we had our iPod for good music as radio was nearly non existant and our cell phones didn't work there. The scenery was beautiful
We then drove to another location going above sea level and it would read correct, however, this time when we went below sea level, I stopped and took a photo of the display before turning the car off showing the "VERY HIGH" elevation reading when you are actually about 100 feet below sea level.
This trip was about 700 miles round trip for us and we averaged over 22mpg for the entire trip which included a lot of slow as well as fast driving. Car ran well but glad we had our iPod for good music as radio was nearly non existant and our cell phones didn't work there. The scenery was beautiful
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Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Sacramento
'08 AM Vantage V8 - '03 E500
Odd that M-B wouldn't consider the possibility of below-sea-level land operation, but then I can't think of any dry part of Europe below sea level (Holland, maybe?), so they must be guilty of Euro-centric thinking. The area around the Dead Sea is below sea level, as are large sections of desert Southern California around the Salton Sea - for instance, Indio, the location of the recent Coachella music festival (if you're into that).
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: San Clemente, CA
2003 E-500
Originally Posted by jschade
Can anyone confirm what it reads in the parts of New Orleans that are below sea level?
In Death Valley it would read zero elevation when you were between ~50 feet above sea level and ~50 feet below. It would then jump to the 42900 and continue to count down from there. So when we were at 282 feet below sea level, it read 42700.
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From: Michigan, USA
2018 S450, 2019 Range Rover LWB, 2015 Range Rover, 2019 S560 Cabriolet (awaiting delivery)
Originally Posted by Double Eagle
I'm pretty sure it has a plus or minus 50 foot variation in elevation display.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Scotland, UK
2019 Mercedes Benz S500L AMG Premium Plus
Originally Posted by jschade
Can anyone confirm what it reads in the parts of New Orleans that are below sea level?
What are you doin' man. Get me out of here,,probably.
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