Gas Mileage
 

Just curious what type of gas mileage people are getting on E550's. I just took a round trip from Houston to Atlanta. While driving 1,700 miles can not be described as fun it was enjoyable with the car using the Distronic+ which is awesome.

I averaged 26.7 mph to Atlanta but had some stop and go traffic. The way back was wide open and I averaged 26.9. Per the trip computer I averaged 71 miles per hour for the return trip which is a pretty good pace for 850 miles.

What does everyone else get for a long trip?

If you are going by the computer in the car I can tell it is misleading.

The true MPG you get only by calculating from miles driven and gas you put in the car.
On hwy my E550 gives me around 24-25 mpg actual calculated from the miles I drive and fuel l I put in it.

Mine is exactly 2 mpg off every time. 33.5 dash is 31.5 real, and 31.5 dash is 29.5 real. This is in a 2011 BT

My E350 4matic wagon on the last long road trip (1000 miles) got 31 MPG measured. the OBC indicated 31.3 which is within margin of error. this was about 90% highway at 70mph and 10% around town traffic.

this is about 15% higher than the window sticker rating of 27mpg highway.

I went back and looked at the gas receipts and compared to the actual miles driven and it did reduce the MPG. I went for 26.7 & 26.9 down to 25.2 and 25.4.

Still not bad for a V8 and compared to the 18 MPG we have gotten on the trip in my wife's Escalade it is great.

2011 E550 Luxury P2+

Carefully measured at the pump (NOT the computer)

Trip 1: Mid June. 1350 miles, in the mountain west; central NM, through CO, UT, ID, OR to eastern WA. Virtually all road miles, some Interstate, except for meals and overnight stops. Segments avg 425 miles between fillups. Cruise was 70mph+. 27.84mpg

Trip 2: 1366 miles, reverse of the above. 27.17mpg.

Bottom line: on cruise control (Distronic) the V8 simply loafs along, even with big elevation changes.

Does distronic improve gas mileage compared to regular cruise control?

Oh, I don't think it does, except maybe the smooth way it handles a slower car in front (you hardly notice you've slowed down) and the smooth way it recovers when you pass that car without touching the gas. In other words, no braking, dumping cruise, punching the gas to get back up to speed.

I might add to the message above: There were a couple occasions, out on the desert, miles of visibility ahead, passing a slow semi --- a little pressure on the gas, get pushed back in your seat, suddenly the truck is way behind you, and you are doing 110mph! Feels like 60. NO DRAMA! Hooray for the 550!

The last thing you mentioned in the best feature!

I don't think I'll ever buy another car again without Distronic. That feature rocks. I would however like to see the value in Night View Assist Plus with Pedestrian Detection. I've watched numerous YouTube videos on how this works, but I have yet to get it to work like it does in the video.

Just going off what the car says with mostly city driving my 2011 e550 averages around 19 mpg, and Im not light on the skinny pedal.

If the 19 mpg is what the car says the true number is around 17 mpg. I have the same engine and with very light footed delicate driving in city traffic you can actually achieve that 19 mpg. Being heavy footed like you say your actual number is around 17 mpg.

Sorry for the mpg facts but I KNOW you smile every time you ask your 550 to go, I do...