Gotta Love Highway Diesels . . . - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

HomeRunPark · #1 08-26-2004, 08:27 PM

I did some serious highway mileage today for the first time in a while, I loveeeeee loveeeeee loveeeeee my 124 on the highway.

First off, the car just sits, almost like it's on a rail.

And the power at the high end is impressive, I really wonder how I have 121 HP in 1993 (god knows what its like now,) and i can still keep up with everyone else around 90-110mph.

Anybody else expierence this?

McDiesel · #2 08-26-2004, 08:45 PM

my 1990 and my 92 124 turbos strongly agree with you!!

I just returned from a trip to Wash D.C. and we took the 1990 and believe me.. my 1990 is much quicker than any 1991,92 or 93 turbo and loves to run a steady 75mph and still achieve 30 mpg with the air on!

there are more miles in those fuel tanks than my bladder can hold!

even though my 90 has the same engine as the 92 they have different transmissions and the 90 doest have as much smog stuff in her but what a differance swithching off between cars.. the 90 is so much more "peppier"
than my 92 same engine same out put but a big differance in say zero to 60.. the 92 is still quick but not as quick as the 1990..
I have driven my brothers 1993 on occasion and his is a bit more sluggish than my 92 but by far Acceptable!

what a testament to quality!!

i love driving both of mine..

recently put in new bilstein struts on both and rear shocks and man what a RIDE.. have continetal ch-95's grand touring on both vehicles and i cannot enjoy a more comfortable ride with vehicles with 215k, and 170k respectivaly!

had a friend in my 1990 the other day for the first time he has a dodge hemi pickup and he even copmplimented me on the ride saying it was like a mack trucks air ride suspenstion!

I look forward to driving my car everyday... would never want to get rid of either one of them.. they both have their own "personalities!" but I still prefer my 1990 over my 92 even though the 92 has the factory cd 10 disc player my 1990's radio is much better than that active bass 2 piece systems used after 1990.. //

Dervman · #3 08-27-2004, 09:11 AM

Just brought my new 'baby' home from Texas. 1665 miles at an average speed of 65mph (excluding meal stops and one overnight) with 27mpg all the way!! After over 25 hours at the wheel or riding shotgun, my buddy and I got out without any aches or pain despite both of us having back problems. What a GREAT car !!

I have owned newer BMW's and Lexus cars in the past but none of them felt as comfortable as the SDL on the highway.

Dana B. · #4 08-27-2004, 11:35 AM

Just took my '91 on a nearly 5,000-mile trip from SoCal to North Dakota and back, mostly on back roads. Spectacular drive. And stunning MB performance.

I also set a new economy record: 36-plus mpg, with no A/C. Most tanks got between 33 and 35 mpg. Got 32 on one leg through SD -- driving between 80 and 90 mph. Worst economy: <30mpg from a tank of freak fuel in the ND Badlands. Or the 31 mpg across the Mojave with full A/C.

The car was also immensely comfortable, with no back problems. Car with one passenger and loaded to the gills (with squeezebox and Igloo in the back seat). Our final drive was 775 miles from Evanston, WY to Los Angeles, CA.

Plenty of passing power, even above 8,000 feet, thanks to the turbo feeding the car's rather small 2.5 liter powerplant.

I had two concerns, however. The first was a tendancy for my 300D to run up to 110C on long uphill grades with the A/C on and outside temps from 95 to 105F. I frequently had to shut off the A/C to control temps _ and my anxiety. Other than the grades, the car ran at a steady 85-90C.

I fear a new radiator may be in order.

The other downside was no power off the line at high altitude. In Manitou Springs, CO, it was floor-it-and-wait -- like watching a firecracker with a slow fuse. But when the turbo spooled up, the car ran like a rocket.

The 300D 2.5T is a highway warrior with fantastic economy for a car its size. I can't think of a comfier car with longer legs.

But it's a killing machine: I killed two birds and a badger on the highway.

And after leaving L.A./Las Vegas metro, I only saw to MBs the entire trip.

Hatterasguy · #5 08-27-2004, 04:10 PM

My SDL loves the highway, the whole car just comes together and drives so nicely. She seems to have a sweet spot around 75-80, I am looking forward to taking her on a long trip.

DslBnz · #6 08-27-2004, 05:19 PM

Gas cars are so "boring" at cruising speeds. The lack of torque, sound, and overall ruggedness is less than appealing to us greasenecks.

Mr. FancyPants · #7 08-27-2004, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeRunPark

I did some serious highway mileage today for the first time in a while, I loveeeeee loveeeeee loveeeeee my 124 on the highway.

First off, the car just sits, almost like it's on a rail.

And the power at the high end is impressive, I really wonder how I have 121 HP in 1993 (god knows what its like now,) and i can still keep up with everyone else around 90-110mph.

Anybody else expierence this?

Love the color, desert taupe, same as mine! Like the stickers too!

oldnavy · #8 08-27-2004, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Last edited by McDiesel : Yesterday at 07:53 PM. Reason: cant spell! need mavis beacon typing classes!~

My computer can't spell for crap, and I have the I have the CD of her's if you want it.

MBDFahrer · #9 08-28-2004, 02:38 AM

I'm too scared to take my 87 300D on long trips. The vac pump is at the age where it should be replaced. The original head worries me since temps are at the 100 mark even when driving on a 30 mile commute on a nice day (i like to keep it as close to 80 as possible). But it still feels nice on freeways when there's no traffic.

last123 · #10 08-28-2004, 08:25 AM

Back to my '83 300SD, the diesels have always left little to desire in terms of highway driving for me. I took that car literally all over the country, and it always ran nicely and smoothly. My '85 300D was a great highway driver also, though I didn't do near as many highway miles in the few short years I had her. My current '87 300D is the best of the three. I will gladly travel 200 or 400 miles to visit friends or family, and we always take *my* car!
Did anyone read the Car and Driver article recently about the most effecient cars on the market - it was Prius, Civic Hybrid, Echo, and Jetta TDI? There was a inset blurb in the article about diesels, commenting that the diesel driver is never bored because diesels ooze character. They ooze some other stuff too I guess, but character they never lack.

last123 · #11 08-28-2004, 08:27 AM

guess it was time to update the signature

psfred · #12 08-28-2004, 01:38 PM

I have to watch the 300D on the interstate, it's easy to get in the habit of "pushing" a bit in traffic and ending up at 100 mph all the time.

Milage is good -- 31 to 34 if I can keep it under 75, right at 30 if I can't.

I have to stop every couple hours these days, my knees swell if I sit too long -- and 600 miles at 70 mph is a LONG time -- as in Evansville to Macon, GA!

Peter

oldnavy · #13 08-28-2004, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by last123

Did anyone read the Car and Driver article recently about the most effecient cars on the market - it was Prius, Civic Hybrid, Echo, and Jetta TDI? There was a inset blurb in the article about diesels, commenting that the diesel driver is never bored because diesels ooze character. They ooze some other stuff too I guess, but character they never lack.

Yes I did and was very unimpressed with the write up. I have one friend that had a Honda Hybrid, and one with a Toyota hybrid. The honda could only break 50 mpg it did 50 mph on level road, averaged about 34 over all city/highway combined. It had lots of electronic problems and left him stranded 3 times, traded it for a Golf TDI 5sp and the roads he travels have 55 mph speed limit and is averaging a steady 63-65 mpg. My neighbor's Toyota is averaging 32 mpg and his Honda regular gasser averaged 36 mpg when he traded it fo the Toyata hybrid, needless to say he is a unhappy fellow. :p We had a Toyota Echo automatic and it never got more then 40 mpg. Then I found out that it had a 10% speedometer error and figuired it never got more then 36 highway, and 30 mpg in town.

After driving the car on a 2 lane road one day and had a semi going the other direction blow me onto shoulder of the road twice in one day I told the wife to not drive it on the highway and if she needed to go out of town take by NB TDI. We eventually traded the Echo because it was always having CEL's and a/c would not get the car cool in 85* weather let alone 100* stuff we have here July & August. The '02 Jetta we traded the Echo for averages 38 to 40 in town and at 75 to 80 mph on interstate gets 46 to 48 mpg and when driven in states with 65 mph speed limit we generally get 50 to 51 MPG.

Sorry for getting so windy.

last123 · #14 08-28-2004, 05:18 PM

Yes, my 300D likes to go very fast also. Maybe it's like an underdog thing, where I don't want to let some gasser show me up on my turf, so I'll go faster than I should. Not wise, but fun!

Nothing beats real-road experiences when it comes to figuring fuel mileage. I've not had any experience with the hybrids, but I'll take a "real car," especially a nice diesel that gets great mileage, over this super-complex computer car any day. Guess I'm old fashioned that way. Maybe once the cars get more common they'll be more reliable.
As for the Echo, I have a friend whose wife drives one, and it scares the hell out of him when she takes it on a trip. Again, why when you can have a nice diesel?

A diesel Benz is the finest highway car in the world, in my experience. And as we all know, they're not too expensive, especially compared with new technology that's pulling huge premiums at the dealer.

Hatterasguy · #15 08-28-2004, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmak124

I'm too scared to take my 87 300D on long trips. The vac pump is at the age where it should be replaced. The original head worries me since temps are at the 100 mark even when driving on a 30 mile commute on a nice day (i like to keep it as close to 80 as possible). But it still feels nice on freeways when there's no traffic.

The vac pump is not a maintaince item, maybe if you had 300k-400k on it, it wouldn't be a bad idea. I took mine off to inspect and fix an oil leak at 236k and didn't see any wear. 603's like to run warm, 90 is normal on a hot day on the highway, the electric fan doesn't come on to 105C so I wouldn't worry about 100 to much. Clean your radiator and go threw your cooling system.