ML320 Mileage?

[Chayro]

New owner of a 98 ML320 with 73K. Car runs very well, passed emissions with flying colors, starts perfectly... I drive very little, basically to the train every day. Maybe 3500 per year tops. Anyway - For around town short trips, i've been doing about 12 mpg. Does that sound right? Maybe I should change the plugs?

[blackmercedes]

I had an ML320 loaner for a week and noticed that I got about 17L/100km's in city driving. That works out to 14 USMPG. You might post on the ML forum for more results from owners, but here's my limited experience.

[itb76]

Sounds way low to me, ours gets 17-20. However it's a mix of city and highway driving. If your train stop is really close by that may account for it; mileage is lower until the engine warms up.

[G-Benz]

I'm with itb76, I get around the same mpgs.

I will add however, that when I'm visiting my in-laws (located in a VERY small town), the short hops around town severely degrade my overall gas mileage.

[Chayro]

My wife just drove it 105 miles straight highway and it did 19 mpg, which doesn't seem that bad. It must just be those tiny 1-mile trips that kill the mileage.

[PaulH]

15 mpg around town; 23-24 mpg on open road @65-70 mph

[itb76]

Originally Posted by Chayro

It must just be those tiny 1-mile trips that kill the mileage.

If it's only one mile to your train stop you're doing very well to get 12 mpg! My other car is a 6 cylinder Golf, which displays average mpg on the trip computer. After I start it up cold it's in the 12-14 range after one mile and you can just watch the mileage go up as the engine warms up. A cold engine runs a richer mixture. Our ML doesn't have the trip computer so I don't know specifically, but you get the idea.

[itb76]

Originally Posted by Chayro

Maybe I should change the plugs?

Unless you get a chance to take longer trips every once in a while, it may not be a bad idea to inspect the plugs before you get to 100,000 miles. And definitely change the oil more frequently than what the book calls for!