Not unheard of, the 300E is not geared well for city driving, especially with 2nd gear start. I find that I have to mash it a bit to keep up with traffic in complete stop-go situations. On the highway you should see 25-28, some of us have hit 30 or above on highway trips as well if you are careful. Have you performed any regular maintenance on it? Might want to change plugs, fuel, air filters, etc to make sure you're getting the most out of the engine.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth