ML320 CDI - Real World Mileage
 

Truck has 700 miles on it. Drove a 230 mile trip today of which it was about 30 miles of city driving and 200 miles of Interstate. Computer said an average speed of 62 mph and average fuel consumption of 28.8 mpg. Not too shabby for a 4800 lb curb weight vehicle.

I like this truck!

My friend just got one... It sounds so quiet. Quieter than his VW TDI and I could barely tell it was the CDI when he pulled up.

Congrats.
Must ride and drive a bunch smoother than your 463!
Nice rigs. I took a R320 CDI for a trip and it got 30.2mpg
over 50 miles of Freeway crusin.

I can't wait for the GL320.

DR.D

No question about the "smoother", but they're entirely different animals.

Mileage is dropping now that I've passed 1,000 miles and don't baby it as much. I still like it for street driving though - especially the Airmatic suspension, which can be adjusted at the touch of a button for speed bumps, highway driving and curvy mountain roads.

You are definitely making me want to save up for GL in a year or two that has the air suspension. The great thing about diesels is they almost always do better than the EPA estimates. I am pretty impressed if you shop around you can find ULSD at a decent price especially near at a shell or BP that is trying to compete with Home Depot is selling LSD.

I just bought an R320CDI and love it. I drove it from NH to PA and got 26.7 mpg on my first tank. Actually about a half a tank :)
I am beginning to doubt the brochure's claim of a 21.1 gal tank... guess I might have to check the owner's manual.
I just topped it with 10.58 gal and I swear the guage said over half a tank. Also the range numbers on the trip computer when I look at the mpg don't work out right for a 21 gallon tank...
I guess that's what they mean when they say "specs subject to change without notice."

But anyway, I do enjoy getting 26+ mpg running errands late at night with little traffic. I have noticed that my mpg drops climbing hills... I watched my mpg go from 26 mpg down to 23.5 mpg after going up a few hundred foot hill.

I can't say what an R has for a tank, but the ML is 25 gallons; and I've squeezed a shade over that in it on at least one occasion.

Don't pay any attention to the short term computer numbers for fuel mileage. It will fluctuate all over the map, especially when starting from zero. The only real way to get decent numbers is to fill your car the same way each time (not easy with foamy diesel) and divide the miles between fills by the gallons pumped.

Actually my overall mileage has been within 0.1 mpg of the trip computer on my last couple of tankfuls (same station, same pump).

I got "only" 18.7 mpg on my last tankful, but my driving has been largely urban, with my wife driving my Mercedes ( :eek: ) and some idling with AC blasting. It's the kind of driving which would get single digit mpg's on our V8 Mercury Mountaineer, or 15-16 mpg on my old 300TE wagon...

Also our ambient temps were up to 97 deg F today, so my AC was working extra hard.... I'm happy it works :)

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I can't wait for the GL320.

DR.D[/QUOTE]

The Gl with the off road package has air suspension with ADS, a 2 speed transfer case, center and rear locking differentials, skid plate protection, and optical under ride plate front and rear, and chrome roof rail crossbars. Sweet ride.