steves18

Hi Everyone,

Just picked up my 2013 GLK250 yesterday in Toronto and i noticed there was no "ECO" button on the centre console, just a parking assistant button and a button that has an E, S, M on it in a circle. Is this the new ECO button?

Also, there is a green "E" that is lit up on the multifunction display near the middle on the right, but there is no Green or Yellow "ECO" symbol on the display. I should also add that the car does not turn off ever at a stop (i know i've only had it one day but i'm concerned because i dont see the ECO button even though the manual shows it and doesn't show the button i have, weird).

Is anyone else familar with this setup?

I've pasted a picture below which is pretty similar to how mine looks, mine has the parktonic button and this one does not.

fcch

Hi Steve,

I picked up my 2013 GLK250 last week and was surprised to see that the ECON isn't part of the package. I had thought it was standard.

The E-S button is Economy-Sport for the automatic transmission. The E in your dash changes to S if you hit the button. In E, I believe the tranny starts in 2nd gear instead of 1st. The gears up shift later if you are in sport and according to the manual, the ESP parameters are slightly different.

If the manual is like mine, it lists every single option, which isn't our case.

Have fun with your new ride ... I am.

Chris
Trois Rivieres, Québec

Alex Bel

I remember that Start/Stop option is for GLK 350 only, which one of the reasons I chose diesel version.

steves18

So i spoke with the dealer and he said that the Diesel version doesn't need it because it is already so fuel efficient.

I wonder if the diesel engine wouldn't be able to include that option even if they wanted to add it just because the mechanics of the diesel are so different.

glowbal

@Steves18 and everyone else out there. Start/Stop function will NOT work with any diesel vehicles as far as I know because the mechanism is different from regular gas operated vehicles. Something about start/stop requiring a spark to start it up again where as diesels use a pump mechanism.

gbkmtb

Hi all. By way of intro I'm new to the forum and to MB, but excited to pick up my 2014 GLK Bluetec in September. I've wanted to see a good diesel 4wd "car" in the US since moving back from Europe a decade ago. I've been through a few VW TDI lemons with front wheel drive and spent too much time in the shop lobby to ever do VW again. Finally nice to see a couple good vehicles on offer for 2014.

It is possible to do auto start/stop on a diesel engine. I've driven a few of them and they are all over the place in Europe. I believe the 2014 BMW 328d sportwagon xDrive--arriving in US soon--will also offer this as a standard feature. Diesel might start a little slower than gas but I've never compared like make/models.

I'm not sure that I agree with the MB rep quoted above that the 250 is already efficient enough to not need stop/start. I say the more efficient the better for my GLK. (But, admittedly, I'm not racing anyone off the line at any lights).

glayfan40

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...luetec_4matic/

Quote:
"In Europe, this engine gets an automatic stop/start feature to save more fuel, but it's not installed on the U.S. version. Peter Lückert, director of diesel powertrain development, says stop/start doesn't help U.S. fuel-economy test results, and American drivers are less interested in the technology than are Europeans."

AvWuff

Hi guys, new member here. Soon to be owner of a 2014 GLK250.

I drove a 2013 GLK250 in Germany a few months ago (it's what prompted me to buy the car) and it had the Eco Start Stop, despite it being a Diesel. It worked brilliantly. The engine came back on so quickly, it was ready to go in the time it took for me to move my foot from the brake pedal to the gas pedal.

I wish it was an option in my car. I wonder if it could be added with an aftermarket module, since it's clearly available in 250's in Germany.

What an excellent car this is -- had no problem cruising at 230km/h on the Autobahn, it felt very controlled and got up to that speed with no trouble at all.

-av

jimbeam7

Nevertheless, I would expect the ECO option to be present if the manual talks about it and does not state any exception for the GLK250. Maybe we should ask for a check for the difference?

107123210

There are so many things in the manual that I don't have, that I could earn a small fortune using your strategy

Got me thinking though. In these days of computers, you would think that it would be easy enough to provide a vehicle specific manual. They program the assembly lines to produce the car, so coming up with the manual should not be much of a challenge.

Maybe not a paper manual, but at least an electronic manual. It would even be easy enough, to have the manual available on the dash display. Even a downloadable VIN specific manual would be a great help.

mikedr

Wouldn't cost them much to give you a cheap tablet with a vin specific manual on it either. I think Hyundai gives out iPads with the manual preloaded on their top flight cars?

exsailor2001

The Eco mode for the 250 is available in Europe where it is very popular. You may save a very small amount of fuel but in the long run it may be outweighed by increased repairs. Hey, those starts require large amperage drains from your battery and the starter itself will fail sooner as well. If you plan to own your diesel for a long time it would eventually matter.
Take it from a diesel guy, the engines do NOT like starting and stopping all the time. I worked on shipboard engines for over two decades. Every diesel on board save the emergency diesel has a pre-lube pump to minimize wear on start-up. Starting the engines can take a huge toll in the form of wear. The main engines have a "jacking gear" to rotate the engine with the lube oil pumps on and cylinder lubricators that must be used prior to starting.
Diesels have a much higher compression ratio and of course depend on the heat of compression to work. Well, that extra pressure is exerted in the form of compression ring pressure on the cylinder wall. Now, think about that pressure and friction in a cylinder that has had the oil partially drained off instead of fully lubricated because you stopped at a stoplight 20 times a day. I think one can easily see the potential for increased wear.
Regards,
Tony