Underwhelmed

So i picked up my '08 e550 yesterday and on my 40 mile one-way commute this am I got 25.8 MPG. This may be the most pleasant surprise about the car.

cyclerider

I got 25.4 mpg on my last long trip. Really great mileage from a V-8, in my opinion.

By the way, did your '08 have a gas guzzler tax? If so, how much? There has been some debate on this forum about this. You can solve the mystery for us.

Underwhelmed

I did Not pay any gas guzzler tax, amazingly enough.

lasvegas99

I have read in some other posts that this can be overstated. Last night, I too was cruzing home on the highway for 20 miles at around 80mph and it registered 28.1. I must admit sometimes I enjoy seeing how high I can make it go. I do think that there is no way I am getting semi-hybrid efficiency but if you can figure out how off it is (aka 10%) I think it still lets you know in comparison.

Sorry if this has been answered before but does anyone know if you can adjust this feature with STAR or other method in attempts to make it more accurate? Side note, I have stock 17's and tires but have the RENNtech ELM on position 3 (about a 1 1/2 drop) if it matters.

BudC

I just returned from a 6,100 mile vacation in my new '08 E350. The computer said I got 26.8 MPG for the entire trip. This is for a wide variety of driving conditions including altitudes of over 8,000 feet, temps of over 100 degrees, freeway and urban driving and a lot of cruise control even in hilly country.

With my previous '04 E320 I took several very long trips in it that were similar to the trip in the E350 and those trips resulted in the computer showing as much as 28 MPG for a trip.

On that car, I compared actual mileage vs. computer mileage and found the computer to be about 1 MPG optimistic. I assume the E350's computer is also somewhat optimistic.

If I were driving an E550 on my most recent trip, I'd be surprised to get much over 24 MPG. Even so, the new Mercedes engines w/7G transmissions are as good as you're going to get.

Like any mileage measurement, you must average several tanks of fuel to know what you're getting. The computer is somewhat accurate but not perfect.

jimm

If I'm reading the right number, I’m getting about 23.2 on my 350.
And, I haven’t driven it hard.

jimm

==========

‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black, Parktronic,
Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut, Split rear seat,
Wood/leather steering wheel

NCE500

On a recent 300 mile trip from North Carolina to Maryland, my 05 E500 registered 29.3 MPG. I had a full car, 4 people, and a trunk full of luggage, a/c on.

On the return 300 mile trip, my new 07 E550 registered 27.4, I was however gentle with throttle, had the transmission in "comfort" mode, and kept speeds under 75 due to break in.

Assuming these indicated numbers are accurate, both cars are quite economical for what they are. I think the 500 will prove to have been a little
less thirsty vs. the 550.

Congrats on the new ride!

Vik888

The gas guzzler tax is $1300 for an 08 E550
It is $1700 for an 08 E550 4Matic.

I'm not sure how anyone got away with not paying it, but thats what its supposed to be.

ProV1

too bad these mighty MB V8s only get 13-15mpg once u hit the city streets..

Vik888

You gotta pay to play :-P

Underwhelmed

Vik888

I hope you can avoid the gas guzzler. I can tell you that it was nowhere on the sticker or invoice and I confirmed with the dealer that it has 'gone away' for the '08's.

Good luck.

emilner

Maybe you got a 350 and the dealer rebadged it as a 550, everyone else has paid the tax...

cyclrder

8-10 mpg in the city.... and maybe 21 in typical leaving town and trip traffic.... I think that you need to note the AVG speed during those high mileage runs.. my typical is only 45 mph with the mix.

Underwhelmed

Yeah, those two extra cylinders in the engine bay are probably just old soup cans painted to match the other 6.

And I guess some dude from the service department used a bic pen to perforate my seats then stuck one of those battery-powered fans from a baseball hat under the seat.

Egads! I've been duped! The bastages!

Vik888

Hrm, was yours a very early 08? Because it might be using the 07 VIN series, which maybe exempted you from the gas guzzler tax?

Which dealership?

top

wow.. I can't even get that in my C350

lasvegas99

When did the Gas Guzzler tax start? I bought a 03 E500 resale but didn't pay. Maybe its only on the original purchase?

FormerC32Owner

The best I've gotten so far on my '07 E550 is about 22 mpg. And that was mostly freeway. Other than that, I'm averaging about 17 mpg. I have a lead foot.

The car I traded in was a Lexus IS350 and I was getting about 20 mpg on average. So I'm not too disappointed with the mpg, since the trade-off is lear jet-like acceleration!

LeroyC

According to the "Build Yor Own" feature on the MB USA web site there is no gas guzzler tax on the '08 E550. My '07 had a $1300 gas guzzler tax. I don't know whether the car has changed, or the method of determining the tax.

traumatic

On my E320 CDI, the fuel economy computer is actually low by 2-3mpg when compared to calculating fuel usage the old fashioned way. Others have complained that the economy computer can be very inaccurate (+/- 10%). My old BMW overstated by 15%! I think its safe to assume these things aren't very accurate.

Vik888

Yes, the MBUSA site shows $0, but I've confirmed with a couple of dealers and seen the sticker on 2 08 E550's now, and its there .. $1300 or $1700 for 4Matic.

NA55

I get 18 / 23 MPG in my '07 E550 and I am a lead foot too..

JRAMGV8

Yes its possible.....

MidniteBluBenz

The SOHC 3 Valve engines were very efficient. The fuel economy of the 5.5L V8's is very impressive though.

How do the 5.5L DOHC 32V engines compare with a 5.4L SOHC 24V V8's in terms of fuel economy?

silberrosa

I can confirm there is no GGT on the MY08 E550W. For MY07, it was 1300. I understand there were software changes made which helped on fuel economy. For the MY08 E550 4matic, it is 1700.