BeachBunny

It all depends on how you drive it.

My fiance has a 2012 Passat 2.5L automatic, gasoline car. EPA says 22 city, 25 combined, 31 highway. I consistently get 27mpg-29mpg city, 33-38mpg highway. And I'm not referring to instantaneous, that 38mpg was after 2+ hours of straight driving. 38MPG highway for a car which has a back seat as big as an S-Class.

The only gripe I have about the E250 is the lack of spare tire. I've had enough tire problems over the years to not be anywhere without a spare. Also wasn't a fan of how much more noise it had over the E350. Granted, it wasn't BAD, but a quiet cabin is very close to the top of my list.

PeterUbers

I will never drive against the wind, it's a personal choice. Also I'll never drive uphill. And I limit the use of the gas pedal at all times

DerekACS

The Canadian version of E250BT does not come with RFTs; instead, a TireFit kit is included (tire sealant + compressor). I have had to use such a kit on my previous E320BT, when my car had a flat tire in a remote location in the southern Utah mountains, 200 km from the nearest tire shop. Fortunately, this repair kit did the job; I didn't have to resort to using the donut spare that is limited to 80 kph (or 50 mph) and 100 km distance. I would not have made it to Moab, Utah with the donut !

As for 'noise', I found that the E250BT is very quiet on the highway. Yes, there is likely more engine noise during acceleration than the E350 gas version, but I did not find the engines sounds to be unpleasant, quite the opposite.

Thumbs up to PeterUbers' driving style: he obviously must get exceptional mileage with his E63S !!!

C280 Sport

I really do not believe the EPA rating and do not even bother with them when it comes to buying one. If I can afford a Mercedes the MPG Should not matter much. My daily driver is a C that is rated at like 25mpg yet on highway driving I can get up to 30mpg. M 2012 E gets 30MPG as well. My CLK gets near 25 and the CL600 get over 20. I say only better for me but The EPA does not test cars long enough in many different areas to understand break-in points and other variables when it comes to MPG. They just give a very broad guestimate based on a small test.

Raymond Lee

bmcdanel
I share your report and experience. My 2014 e250 just turned 3000 miles and I am seeing 49 MPG on highway. I have hard time believing my own eyes! I don't race car, just normal gentle driving.

DerekACS

Is your mpg figure based on the computer readout or actual fill-ups ? Reason for asking is that my E350BT computer is optimistic by 13% ! That's a substantial margin of error.

Raymond Lee

I had 2012 E350 Bluetec. It was about 15% optimistic reading fuel consumption but not with e250.

DerekACS

Very interesting observation ! Looking forward to driving a 2015 E250BT 4M.

LSkrabut

I purchased 2014 E250 (RWD) (125 miles on it at the time of purchase, May 2014). Now I have over 17K on it. Yes I love to drive it and it shows on the mileage.

I have kept track of all of the fuel since purchase and as of now, total fuel consumption is averaging just under 40mpg (figured by math - mileage and gallons filled)

Now with this stated, I find that the E250 mileage computer system is optimistic. Toward reading about 3-6 MPG higher than what the math mileage is, which I trust a lot more. I also find that the computer mileage takes about 40-60 miles before I feel a better representative of how the diesel mileage is for the "Start" reading, taking in to the fact of start up and warming of the motor and possible low speeds till one is running a truer highway mileage representation. I reset the "Reset" mileage at fill ups.

I tend to run the same drive, day in and out, 60 miles each way, with 52 miles of this on interstate highway, which are fairly flat, considering this is in Utah. In the morning run (4am) I tend to get about 42 to 49 MPG driving about 70 mph on the computer. In the afternoon run, 2:30pm driving higher but not steady, between 60 to 80 mph (traffic dependent), I tend to get 44 to 52mpg. But overall with a few in town drives, My mathematical figuring is more like 42 to 44mpg overall per tank full. (600-750 miles between fill ups, not letting the gauge drop below a quarter).

Long distance trips (twice across the country) I notice that my mathematical miles is more like 39 to 42 MPG, rather loaded car running +4-8 over the speed limit for the most part.

I suspect with the colder weather coming on, the mileage will drop. I also suspect that my mileage is slightly better higher up in the elevation than at sea level.

But with this all stated, I am still please at the driving pleasure the E250 delivers. Power to cruise and pass at will, torque given getting to speed effortlessly from stop. Considering the weight of the car.

BeachBunny

It depends how much you drive... I have 212,500 miles on my current car, a 2004 Infiniti M45, getting ~19 MPG. Fortunately gas prices were much less back then, but looking forward, assuming $4-6/ gallon for the next 5-10 years:
The difference in gas price between running a CLS vs E250 diesel is enough to buy a new CLA, almost a C-class. I can afford an S...but instead I'm choosing an E for the fuel economy and lower maintenance costs.