Thats the thing. The 190 is no spring chicken either. I have checked the weight of many vehicles and the smaller cars never weight more than 200 lbs less than the midsize ones. A 190 may be in the 3500lb range and the e-class will be in the 3700lb range. Just not enough to make a lot of difference. Especially not on the highway. Which is were the overdrive and torque converter really shine. It is not any different than many of you putting in 2.47 gears to increase the mileage. I just want to be able to accelerate from a stop also. Besides, once the torque converter locks up it is basically the same as a stick shift. The only power loss is from the hydraulic pump.
Also, correct me if I am wrong, but the 190d stick as in most mercedes is not an overdrive unit.
I know I might be shooting high but I still think that it should be possible.