Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E 250 4MaticBlueTEC Diesel

[mixmanmash]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

[sailor723]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

[mixmanmash]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

Sounds like you're still ahead with the diesel M-Class, even considering the 21 cent premium over regular.  And if you got a gas M-Class, it would take premium unleaded anyways.  Did the SRX need premium?

[sailor723]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

Sounds like you're still ahead with the diesel M-Class, even considering the 21 cent premium over regular.  And if you got a gas M-Class, it would take premium unleaded anyways.  Did the SRX need premium?

As I recall it was one of those "recommended but not required" things.

[mixmanmash]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

Sounds like you're still ahead with the diesel M-Class, even considering the 21 cent premium over regular.  And if you got a gas M-Class, it would take premium unleaded anyways.  Did the SRX need premium?

As I recall it was one of those "recommended but not required" things.

Actually, I looked it up.  Straight from the 2013 M-Class manual:

"Only refuel using premium-grade unleaded gasoline with a minimum octane rating of 91."

[sailor723]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

Sounds like you're still ahead with the diesel M-Class, even considering the 21 cent premium over regular.  And if you got a gas M-Class, it would take premium unleaded anyways.  Did the SRX need premium?

As I recall it was one of those "recommended but not required" things.

Actually, I looked it up.  Straight from the 2013 M-Class manual:

"Only refuel using premium-grade unleaded gasoline with a minimum octane rating of 91."

I was referring to the SRX

[mixmanmash]

I bet the ML is 30% more efficient in diesel than in the gas V6.

possibly...it really depends on how its driven...lots of short trips in the city during this cold spell??...not likely.

I seem to be hovering around 12 lately for mostly in town driving.

Not bad at all considering the size & weight of the thing.  I bet you a gas model wouldn't do better than 15-16 in similar conditions.

My 07 SRX with the 3.6 was often 16.5-17 in the winter

Sounds like you're still ahead with the diesel M-Class, even considering the 21 cent premium over regular.  And if you got a gas M-Class, it would take premium unleaded anyways.  Did the SRX need premium?

As I recall it was one of those "recommended but not required" things.

Actually, I looked it up.  Straight from the 2013 M-Class manual:

"Only refuel using premium-grade unleaded gasoline with a minimum octane rating of 91."

I was referring to the SRX

Doh. Yes my bad.  And you are correct.  The V6 SRX is regular unleaded.  However, the V8 is premium.

[mlin32]

Where I live, the price of premium petrol has risen to roughly parity with diesel: 1 $ litre. Consider the reduced emissions and fuel consumption of diesel, it's a no-brainer. Seems like all the stations here want an extra 13-14 cents/litre for premium versus regular petrol. 

[dirtyjeffer]

don't get me wrong, i love diesels, long before they were "hip and cool"...the only thing that worries me though is long term ownership costs...due to the expensive and complex emission systems used, i worry about faulty sensors/component replacement...not a big deal if you lease a new one every 4 years, but i like to buy my vehicles and own them at least 10 years...this E250 4Matic looks to be a very practical and efficient vehicle though.

[mixmanmash]

don't get me wrong, i love diesels, long before they were "hip and cool"...the only thing that worries me though is long term ownership costs...due to the expensive and complex emission systems used, i worry about faulty sensors/component replacement...not a big deal if you lease a new one every 4 years, but i like to buy my vehicles and own them at least 10 years...this E250 4Matic looks to be a very practical and efficient vehicle though.

Buy a 2006 or older W211 E320CDI.  It had none of the emissions systems and was a 3.2L straight 6 turbo diesel.  My dad picked one up with 103k kms on it for $17k back in June.  Driven it 20k kms so far and he loves it.  I believe the 2007+ W211 E320 Bluetec also did not have urea injection, but they did add diesel particulate filters.

[Silverbird]

I'm not sure when MB's 2.1L Diesel 4 requires adblue treatment, but the Urea tank and hardware would really make it difficult to fit this into anything smaller than the GLK or E class (maybe could fit it on a C-class.

I think the VW approach is that the Jetta/Golf don't have Urea since the weight of the vehicle means it can meet targets without Adblue treatment, but the Passat 4 banger does require it, and gets better mileage for it.

Can be tricky trying to package a 20L tank without reducing some other factor (fuel tank size, trunk size, etc)

[mixmanmash]

I'm not sure when MB's 2.1L Diesel 4 requires adblue treatment, but the Urea tank and hardware would really make it difficult to fit this into anything smaller than the GLK or E class (maybe could fit it on a C-class.

I think the VW approach is that the Jetta/Golf don't have Urea since the weight of the vehicle means it can meet targets without Adblue treatment, but the Passat 4 banger does require it, and gets better mileage for it.

Can be tricky trying to package a 20L tank without reducing some other factor (fuel tank size, trunk size, etc)

You could be right.  Currently, the diesel is marketed as a C250 CDI in Europe and not a C250 Bluetec.  Typically, when they write Bluetec, it means they have the adblue treatment.

Of course the only generation that screwed that up was the W211 Bluetec which did not have adblue, but had diesel particulate filters.

[mlin32]

My understanding is that the Golf Mk7 on the MQB platform will have the urea treatment. As Euro 6 emissions requirements loom ahead, more automakers are designing the aftertreatment for diesels even in Europe.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The urea systems have been less problematic than the particulate trap/EGR systems. They also don't have the negative impact on fuel economy that the traps/EGR have.