I have about 130K miles of 190D 2.5 experience - it was a fine car for me, I had very little trouble with it. It routinely got 40+ MPG and I'd recommend it highly for a your stated purpose.

I've driven the 2.2 version of this car and it is noticeably slower. It's not quite as bad as a 240D but it's close. The 2.5 seems to get similar mileage to the 2.2 but it has more power available for passing (90 HP vs 72HP if I remember correctly.

Both version are available with 5 speeds and this configuration would be better than an automatic for highway use. Of course manuals are harder to find than automatics.

Tim