These results match my 77 300D (non-turbo). In town I get 21-25. 21-22 when I drive it hard and 23-25 when I drive it like the Grandpa that I am. I drove from Baton Rouge to a Pull-A-Part in Jackson, MS and got 27 by driving 50-55 on cruise control.

I now tend to drive it "like I stole it" all the time. It runs soooo much better when I do that consistently.

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Baton Rouge, LA
1977 300D Non-Turbo

a couple of years ago I spent a summer driving a friends 2 w126's; an 85 & an 84, both 300SD's. Lots of miles on both (250k = 84, 500k = 85), so they were well broken in. The 84 would get 26 on the open road (70-80mph) while the 85 got 20-22. Both had new rubber at 36psi (michelins), correct alignment, same level of maintenance, same fuel source (D2 from the same tank), same route (Chicago - Joplin). Three notable differences; wheel/tire diameter (84 had 14", 85 had 15"), turbos came up to full boost differently, rear axle ratios seemed to be different. I preferred the 84 even though it accelerated slower, it just rode better at speed (both had fresh shocks & springs).

1984 & 85 300D, normally 20-22 mpg in mixed city-hwy driving 18 mi one-way commute. Measured 26 mpg on 600 mi trip to San Diego, 65 mph, mostly flat but 1 mountain range and little wind. I use the (calibrated) fuel pumps for volume and Google Maps for distance. Revised EPA rating is 19 mpg hwy, which seems low. I wonder if a Tesla could make the claimed 400 mi LA - SF drive. Probably not if running AC and any head-wind, and would be painful to fall short.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

I wonder how many people really know what their mileage is. So many odometer errors and I doubt that most people really understand the wet vs dry pavement odometer errors.
I will see around 5% difference on a windy day trip vs a calm day (round trip) heavy rain, mountains, snow or slush, and of course the dreaded winter diesel will kill many people's high mileage dreams.
How many of you have checked your wet and/or dry odometer readings vs GPS?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I add about a gallon after each run so I get about 2 MPG, not including the start and stop up to the start line. So maybe 3 MPG given that the staging lanes are about another mile or so.

Can anyone top THAT!!??

Dan

I'm kind of embarrassed. I forgot a part of the return road so it's really about 4 MPG. Callin' myself a liar.

Dan

Hard if not impossible to top the Mutt.
BTW around 25/mpg on my 23 mile county road commute 85/ 617.

.............from San Francisco to Maine via Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, "Top of the World", Cody WY, Little Big Horn, UP Michigan, Cleveland etc. etc. etc. Best road trip so far on every kind of paved road you can imagine.

1984 300TD with 250k plus miles, added less than one quart of oil to keep it halfway between the add and full notches. I used additives by Archoil to both the oil and fuel. A good buddy who works for a recent Tonight Show host told me about this stuff.

She was fully loaded too by the way, had to make room for the bride in Traverse City

I get 28-30 in my 4 speed 83 240d swapped with an 85 om617 and the 2.88 diff.
I get 24-26 in my California spec 85 300TD.

All my mileage is mostly highway.

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Old Blue - '83 240D 6 speed manual trans, OM648
Green Machine - 2001 Europa G500
'87 300SDL Bought on Peachparts
'02 E320 4matic wagon

Patchouli Wagon - 2004 E500 - SOLD
333k mile 97 BMW 750il V12. - SOLD
The Californian - 85 300TD - SOLD
Daily Super Sedan - 03 Audi S8 - SOLD
Family Truckster - 2012 VW Touareg TDI - SOLD

23.5 mpg around town in my daughters 1981 240D with a manual. This car is in ridiculously stock condition.

I took the the old sled on a short road trip once, 28.5 mpg at 63 mph.

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1981 240D Four on the floor, Orient Red over Parchment, bought with 154,000 but it's a daily driver and up to 180,000 miles, mostly original paint and all original interior.

82 240D 4 spd. 28-32
82 300TD 4 spd. 26-29.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

I get between 27 and 29 in my 1982 300CD.

I don't know if you guys like Bill Burr, but here's his take on MPG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX0MnVQTGPw

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1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

I can hear many opinions on big oil and auto company conspiracy theories without this guy who feels that the only way to make his point is to swear constantly, I'll bet he uses the F-word alone over 100 times in this constantly rambling rant.

Thumbs down.

Sure, it is believable that automakers don't want to invest in better mileage if it costs them money without return on investment, and that oil companies want to sell more oil, ... duh. But the point that this guy makes on cars getting the same mileage as the 1970s, ... hardly. A full-size Cutlass Supreme (for example) or Monte Carlo would return high teens on the highway, we used to run synthetic oil, Michelin's best radials, premium fuel, and 55MPH to get any more than that in a car with less than 300hp. Today we're driving 75+mph in 300hp V-6s and still getting low 30s (my recent round-trip to Cleveland for example in a rented Challenger returned 31.9mpg on regular, including a week of in Cleveland driving). I'm willing to bet that driving that same car/trip at 60mph would be 36mpg. I usually rent a V-8 4WD Chevy Tahoe, and average 21.6mpg at 74mph, that same vehicle in 1977 would have gotten around 10mpg (I had a much smaller/lighter 302 automatic Bronco, 12mpg was my average).

So maybe they could do better if the ROI was there, but it isn't, and same mileage as '70s is pure ignorance. Further, if you required the emissions levels mandated today, the 1970s cars couldn't even come close.

If fuel gets back to where it was 10years ago then people will start buying on fuel mileage again, today it's all SUVs and large pickups.

And not really on topic, but 2015 ML bluetec 4matic mixed city/highway since new average (13,000miles): 32.6mpg (calculated from fuel logs and GPS verified).

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

1984 Auto 300D NA with aircon and SLS suspension. European model.

Measured the following:

1) 29mpg in the city.
2) 42 mpg on the UK motorway at 60mph or less.

US gallons?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

No imperial gallons. US numbers are 25/38.