i think I have gotten some ideas from this thread. I dont want to sound real liberal (tree hugger) i started this thread in an effort to decide how fast i set my cruise control when i drive across town here in tucson to get the best gas mileage. All drivers should do the best we can to conserve fuel no matter what our financial situation (nobody should have to "afford $3.xx plus fuel with oil companies making record profits.) Less demand should mean lower prices; especially until americans are smart enough to wasm up to the idea of newer diesels. I am really wainting for MB to start offering the c class as a diesel here in the states (what s their problem? would they rather offer a jeep liberty with a diesel with poor economy?). I remember reading about mid-1990's c class diesels in europe getting mid 40's mpg. BMW offers a 1,3 and 5 series bmw in a diesel in mexico europe and australia. when will they be here?

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1994 C280
2009 VW Tiguan
1993 Toyota X-tra Cab SE-5


1973 220D ... Gone, but not forgotten
1991 Alfa Romeo 164L Gone, wife MADE me forget it

2006 Hyundai Tucson... just straight out FORGOTTEN!

soon i hope.

nothing wrong with hugging trees. they provide us with oxygen. shade. and look pretty nice too.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hmmm... Im not sure your going to see the diesel in a C class anytime soon..... Its the whole brand recognition thing in the American market...... Mercedes is being very cautious with the image of the three pointed star now that they own Chrysler and have brought back Maybach.... They don't want to do damage to a brand and reputation that they have taken decades to build...... If you notice the C coupe is completely gone and probably won't be coming back again..... A C diesel would be a low grade car that they would not be interested in selling to the US market...... The lower end cars for the American market will all have Chrysler logos on them from now on...... I would expect an S class diesel before a C class diesel... I think for now the E will be our only choice for years to come....

I was poking around a Chrysler dealer today because a friend was turning over his convertible for some service and noticed some interesting things..... Most every car I saw had "parts from Germany" for their transmission on the window sticker..... When I went into the service department with him I saw the A, B and C service setup like Mercedes does.....

Fuel prices are at the levels they are now because of choices that we have made in the past. While I don't see the oil industry being sympathetic to our cause I don't think they are up to anything really sinister here.... China needs more oil to produce the cheap goods we buy in record quantities and to power the cars being bought by the newly created Chinese middle class..... Because we are so greedy and want the cheapest price "no matter what" we end up paying for it in other areas.... High energy costs is the way the costs are displaced for buying cheap plastic crap at a big box store..... Ironicly one day we will get to the point that its more expensive to drive the cheap plastic crap home than it is to buy it....... Rather than do something useless like worry about what speed your cruise control is set to to try and save a few pennies on oil why not do something useful.... When your at the big box store next time take a look at the label and see where the product your buying is made...... Every penny you put into the Chinese economy is another penny for them to drive up your energy costs.....

I make an effort to avoid Chinese made goods at all costs. Its kind of fun too.... Lately I have been building up my Italian Made wardrobe.... While more expensive there's no comparison between a cheap production sweatshop made item of clothing and a handmade Italian tailored item.....

does mercedes realize the potential? vw cannot sell enough tdi's. for a majority of mercedes owners (outside sl, 450sel, and 6.9r's) i believe mercedes reputation in the u.s. was built on the reliability of the bulletproof diesel! New car owners making a statement are the reason so many dodge durangos are being traded in and demand is softening for big suv's. listen to the market MB!

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1994 C280
2009 VW Tiguan
1993 Toyota X-tra Cab SE-5


1973 220D ... Gone, but not forgotten
1991 Alfa Romeo 164L Gone, wife MADE me forget it

2006 Hyundai Tucson... just straight out FORGOTTEN!

Robert is onto something when he says it is a brand thing and that Mercedes is taking great care in protecting their marque reputation. Let us face it, as clearly seen in this thread, a great number of Mercedes owners are not concerned with fuel mileage and would not buy a diesel for that reason though they might buy them as part as an overall package. A lot of Mercedes buyers in the US buy a Mercedes because it is a Mercedes, period. They want the prestige they perceive goes with the brand. I do not believe this is true in Europe, there a Benz is just another luxury car and the Europeans are not prepared to pay a high premium for Mercedes cars as americans do, the market there is now dominated by diesels (--> fuel economy). So, I agree with Robert that the decision is one of marketing and not of mpg.

Jl

I think the reason we don't have any of the good diesels here yet it because we have been slow to convert to the new clean low sulfer fuel these engines need.

Dan

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81 240D 4speed with 300D engine
87 560SL
2005 E320
Yukon Denali
Sierra Denali
850 Turbo Volvo
1996 Mustang
1984 Mustang race car
3 Boats

Take a look at the Phaeton. VW can't give them away and they are really nice cars. Its a case study on brand recognition. When most people think VW they think of the little tiny cheap VW bug from the 1970's. VW has done a lot to try and shake that image and you see it in their cars. Their target market is the college kid crowd that buy Jettas and the new bug. You can even see their desperation in their "lowest ego emissions" commercial for the Passat.

Mercedes is smart enough to avoid this kind of identity problem. If you notice the Mercedes Van's are Chrysler/Freightliner badged as the Sprinter even though the design, engine and body are all Mercedes.

When you have the brand recognition that strong you don't mess around with it by selling cars that don't measure up to your reputation. The only reason why the C class has not gone away completely is because the BMW 3 series is such a hot seller.

I don't think thats entirely true. If you look at the C-class history you'll surely find the w201 - an excellent example of Mercedes engineering and craftsmanship. The only problem is that the 190e sold (in the 80s and 90s) for the same price as the new C-class today - without adjusting for inflation. If Mercedes could engineer the car - then decide the price, as they did back then - the c-class would be a better car.

About mpg - obviously on the used car market fuel economy is important. Otherwise you would not find MB diesels selling for thousands more than their gasser counter parts.

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Daily Driver: 02 E430 4MATIC
In the family: '03 E500 // '04 ML500 // 64 220SE

yeah, i was thinking of the fuel mileage thing as a used car. but unfortunately as used car buyers we cant tell the new car buyers what to buy.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Perhaps on certain cars. Its not the case on 126's though.

If your looking for fuel economy there are a lot of other cars that do better than Mercedes Diesels. Even my huge w-140 gasser gets 24mpg.

Yes. For those who like hot engine coolant dumped on their feet while driving Im sure its a great example of MB engineering.