FastMoneyPlaya

Did a roadtrip from Baltimore to NYC today in nearly perfect conditions - very light traffic up I-95.

Innocent_Stud

Pretty darn good.

AMGJared

Impressive.

refresher72

At what speed did you cruise at?

aeggroup

It says - 62 mph average

alx

i did boston to orlando and back with 6 people (4 full size and two kids) plus whatever trunk space filled up with luggage going 70-75 most of the time and got 27-28 mpg. that factors in the obligatory nyc and washington dc miles long traffic jams.

if i was suicidal and went 55 mph all the way i would have topped 30 no question about it

FastMoneyPlaya

I was cruising at 65-70, but my average was only 62 due to a couple of small stretches of slower traffic. The first 5 miles of the trip was city too.

venchka

Very nice. I wish my little GLK could do as well. However, that's not a road trip. Around here that's a grocery run. Grinning.

Wayne

BJ021

Makes me wonder if the newer blue techs have something different about them creating better mileage? I've never seen above 25. In fact when I am driving down the freeway at 75 sometimes I'll reset the system and it always starts at 24.9....then goes a bit down from there. Never goes any higher.

refresher72

So what is the best cruise speed among 55 thru 75 for the BEST mpg?

giffie

You may be right about new BlueTECs.... My 2011 gives amazing mileage even in city driving.. *crosses fingers*

See my earlier post..(https://mbworld.org/forums/4747478-post16.html) The average speed is close to 35.. yet good mileage.... City is Miami (no ups/downs)

venchka

Theoretically, 55. If you can stay awake. I did more miles than I like at 55 recently. Crushingly boring.

Wayne

SnowCub

Have you guys tried hand calculating your mpg? I get excited about the mpg that my dash displays on my R-class, but hand calcs show the car's estimate to be off by about 3 mpg.

alx

learn to lift off- it is a very easy diesel trick - as you are going on a flat surface at say 70 try lifting up a bit the throttle pedal (just a bit)- notice how the truck keeps going at the same speed... with practice you can learn to drive mostly in the lift off mode...

my mpg is pessimistic. it at 28 mpg pen and paper shows 25.5 on the mfd

43221B

I would say that at 75, my 09 Bluetec gets about 25 mpg on the computer. The difference is dramatic though when you drive in the 60-55 mph range. At 55 it is easy to be close to 30 mpg on the computer.

A couple weeks ago I did a round trip on I-70 that was as flat as can be. I had the cruise set on 70. The wind was blowing east with up to 40 mph gusts. West bound I got 20 mpg on the computer. East bound I got 31 mpg. So, wind plays a huge factor in mpg.

refresher72

How about we all log in "mpg" and speed ranges on our long trips in this post and try sharing our experiences... may be also throw in experiments in boosting the GL mpg like 'lifting off' pedal as suggested by "alx"...(I will try on my GL)

Fourdiesel

Any speed that is down hill, with a tail wind!
Seriously, steady at any speed (except >80) is better than up and down speed. It costs more energy to accelerate the rolling parts of the car AND the main mass than to keep it steady. That, along with careful anticipation of what is coming up ahead of you so you don't have to brake, is vital. I have also found that I DON'T like to use cruise control going down hill - the cruise system automatically applies the brake to keep the speed down to setpoint. Most times allowing the car to pick up a few mph on its own isn't dangerous.
I carefully measure the tank-to-tank mpg and compare it with the car computer and I always find the computer is optimistic by 2-2.5mpg.

dbtk

I travelled from Connecticut to Virginia last summer in 82 degree humid weather--almost 500 miles and got 30mpg going about 65mph on the freeway with two major stops and some stop-n-go traffic on I-95. Nothing like a GL350 for long road trips.

BJ021

I use cruise mostly when traveling decent distance, but will try your lift off on local freeways. thx

refresher72

I tried the "lift off" today.. it does seem to work a bit but it is not comfortable holding the pedal up for a while though...

Innocent_Stud

Sad but my new personal best mpg so far indicated at has been 19.6 mpg aproximately. That's the price I get for driving a GL450 and not a diesel. At least I get faster quicker acceleration and can beat most SUVs and trucks and cheap sedans on the road.

alx

actually from traffic light to traffic light the 450 is not faster.. it is when speeds go over 50-ish mph when the 450 is faster.

BlownV8

Best 0-60 I could find is 8.8 seconds for the diesel and that's the result of brake boosting the car before takeoff. Most of the tests I've seen has the diesel GL closer to 10 seconds to 60.

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...gl320-cdi.html

The GL40 is around or under 7 seconds to 60.

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...enz-gl450.html

LEOSOPHIE

In your dreams.

aeggroup

Who cares how fast is that - it's a truck.
If you need a fast car - buy AMG or Porsche.