The Gas Guzzler tax is a Federal imposition. The E550 does NOT have one in 2011 (can't speak for 2010).

The EPA Fuel Economy Estimates from the 2011 E550 new car sticker are as follows:

CITY MPG 15 Expected range for most drivers 12 to 18 MPG
HIGHWAY MPG 23 Expected range for most drivers 19 to 27 MPG

Combined Fuel Economy This Vehicle 18

Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

Tjdehya,

I think your right, the instantaneous reading on the command screen is only a tool to help you optimize your driving techniques.

The only thing that matters is the mpg shown in the trip computer screen.

I get 40 mpg all the time when I am going downhill.

Don't know about others......I'm not looking at instantaneous mpg on the meters.......one position reads mpg since reset and other is mpg since start of current trip. However, next week I'll be on a 1000 mile trip & will calculate and then compare readout with gallons actually used.

now...that was funny

Is your E550 a Deisel model ?

No, it's a 5.5 liter gas V8. The diesel would be 3.0 liters even though MB labels it an E350.

Great! I'm starting a 500 mile test on overall driving mileage. I reset the "Last Reset" indicator and the trip odometer yesterday when I filled up the car. This will be a balance of city and highway driving. I will be able to check the gas used at the next fillup against the calculated mpg in the computer. So far the computer calculations show 23.9 in 95 miles with an average speed of 38mph.

Just to compare to 550i
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/25 mpg (auto); 15/22 (man)
C/D observed: 18 mpg (auto); 17 mpg (man)
However BMW jas more powerful engine 400hp vs 340hp E550 has. So stated fuel economy for E550 looks reasonable.

Just a minor correction; the E550 has a 382hp engine.

I completed a medium test drive over a period of 1 week (60% intown, 40% highway) for 270 miles to check the accuracy of the MFD display for mpg on the "Reset" screen. The readings were as follows:

270 mi 7:40 h
23.4 mpg 35 mph

I filled up the tank with 11.63 gallons of gas and manually calculated that the true mpg was 23.2. That's close enough for me. Still, it's impressive to achieve that kind of mileage when the EPA is stating an average of 18 mpg.

Hi Folks, just returned from 1,157 mile trip....drove at appx 75 mph on interstate and in town at speed limits 45 mph or so......probably 85 % highway and 15% in town driving. Average speed overall for trip was 61 mph.....the dash meter indicated 26.4 mpg and my calculated was 26.02 MPG........so the meter is off just a little - - but in any event the actual mileage was pretty good for this size car I thought.

Thanks for posting. The E550 is more efficient than some people believe it to be. My experience has been similar to yours with regard to the meter - about a 2% error on the high side. My mpg experience with steady 100% interstate driving at 65mph or so consistently indicates between 27.5 and 28.5 on the trip mpg meter. Perhaps the fact that the car automatically lowers itself closer to the pavement at those speeds to lessen the drag also contributes to the better than expected mpg. I hope that you're enjoying your vehicle as much as I have been enjoying mine.

Very impressive!!!

IMHO, one reason why there may be such a large difference in gas mileage is because MB in different countries may not all be the same. Different countries use different grades and octanes of fuel. Not only that, but if I remember correctly, some countries already have the NEW engine in the E550 (which are supposed to be significantly more fuel efficient) while the U.S.A. models still use the old W211 E550 engine (supposedly due to the lower grade of gasoline we use here). Also, at least in the past, engines would be modified due to different emmissions laws in different states (specifically modifying the cylinders and other engine work for cars sold in CA vs. the rest of the U.S.A.). While this does "improve" emmissions, it also affects MPG as well.


That being said, for 2008 E550 MPG vs. 2009 E350 MPG, from my informal observation and testing the E350 gets better gas mileage in general, but the difference is only 1-3 MPG in the city AND highway... but that really depends on each person's driving style and the brand/octane fuel put in (additives and ethanol % can make a difference in MPG).

In conclusion, IMHO, if you have enough money to buy the E550 and want the extra power, then go for it... you can afford the 1-3 MPG lower gas mileage!

I started to measure last two months by using the old fashion way, no long drives so not much freeway. In Aug, I measured ~19.9mpg, and in Sep ~17.2mpg. I guess I burnt too much at the stop lights. But I'm happy. I should've measured during my long trips to Grand Canyon & Zion Canyon last year, Not to worry, there will be more.

I've only had my car a couple of weeks and only 1 fill up so far. The trip calculator displayed 24.3 but the actual was 333 miles on 14.95 gallons for 22.3. The unknown factor is that I don't know if the dealer filled the tank 100% full on delivery or when the trip odometer was set in relation to when the tank was filled so the mileage could be off for that reason.

This tank was a lot of idling and slow traffic cruising so I expect it to do much better on the highway. Either way it's about what I got out of my Lexus but I like the Benz way better so I'm pretty happy.

but I like the Benz way better so I'm pretty happy.
__________________
reckrab


WHOOHOO!!!!
I wanna be pretty happy too.............

Get about 31 on somewhat "hilly" interstate at 65 with A/C on and using cruise. Big believer that cruise control saves gas.
Live in a very small town so "city" is way variable depending on where I go. Drive three miles and I am out of town. Will get about 28 when I go cruising on country roads and through small towns.

Awesome! Your results are way above the EPA predictions.

I never pay attention to mileage because it takes the fun out of pure driving bliss. The only time I do give a crap is when my mileage really goes to crap because then it may be a tune issue rather than a mileage issue.

Doesn't the meter reading (mpg) applies to a given point of time (rather than average)?

E 350 4matic, 12K miles, NYC driving only, average 14.9 MPG.

I'm all about the hyper-miling, so I look forward to this........ways to save: cruise control, no jackrabbit go's, no speeding (much) and of course soft deceleration's (no brake).....
clean oil, properly filled tires......you all know what I mean

jesus that's terrible

The consumption meter gives "at a given point of time" info but the trip odometers are intended to give you averages. How they arrive at those averages and how accurate they are is what this discussion evolved into.