124 E300D fuel mileage

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

filled up my E300D estate last week and the reserve light has come on after doing 390 miles- of that I've done approx 160 miles of motorway at a cruising speed of 85-90mph, then about 100 miles of country A-roads and the rest has been in London traffic- does this sound about right fuel consumption wise?

 

[Bolide]

Fuel consumption

I'd say that was bang-on. I get over 400 miles only occasionally and normally get 30 or 31 mpg

I only get more than that doing long journeys at a steady 85-90 with no holdups I have to accelerate away from. I get 25-27 when towing a loaded car trailer which I think is OK


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

Time to look for that 5-speed 'box Nick!

I guess 400 miles isn't so bad considering the size/weight of the car plus high revs and motorway speed.

I have got around 290 miles out of just over half a tank before at around 70mph all the way with 4 people + luggage in the car- whatever that works out at I think that was the best I've seen with my car.

 

[evade]

I Get Approx 510 Miles Out Of A Tank Full - Mainly Motorway Miles But As It Is M6 Through Cheshire Only At Approx 65 - 70 Mph.
I Work It Out To About 37mpg

 

[Bolide]

92 W124 300td

A 92 car has a different engine


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[flagstaff]

i've been getting 350-380 miles from a petrol 280. the 380 was a mostly motorway effort, although it has to be said that the speeds were quite high, 100mph for some quite long spells. the 5th gear maybe comes good on long trips.

anyway ... only had it for 4 tanks' worth so far, so this figure may drop ... but up to now it seems to compare pretty well with the diesel. plus i get to spin the rear wheels every now and again ;-)

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

flagstaff- does your car have a 5-speed 'box? I thought it was only available on the last of the 124's?

Pretty good mileage for that engine- I wouldn't mind a 280 but head gasket/injection & wiring woes I've heard about have put me off a bit.

I might actually try driving at the speed limit next time and see how I get on...

 

[Bolide]

5 speeds

I think the 5-speed was an option way back when but suspect few people took it up because it was expensive

I've sold a 1992 E300-24 valve with a 5-speed


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[DITTRICH]

I get 35+mpg on my w124 E300 diesel estate (4 speed)
Most I got on the motorway at about 100kph was 40.2mpg through Finland this summer - Hey Finland is F.L.A.T. (40.2mpg *72l /4.54lpg = 637miles!)This compares to 42mpg quoted in the Blurb that came with my car. This is the maximum.
Steady 120kph - 33mpg
Steady 90kph - 42mpg
Urban cycle - 30mpg
On my commute (20m london 10m motorway) 36mpg driving fairly briskly.
My C230K did 27mpg for the same journey but I travel faster in the C230K.
My car did 8,000 miles through Scandinavia and Russia this summer without missing a beat. They just go on and on.
Les

 

[flagstaff]

flagstaff- does your car have a 5-speed 'box? I thought it was only available on the last of the 124's?

Pretty good mileage for that engine- I wouldn't mind a 280 but head gasket/injection & wiring woes I've heard about have put me off a bit.

I might actually try driving at the speed limit next time and see how I get on...

yeah, mine's the 5-speed; the original purchaser obviously specified it, a long with a few other goodies ... one of them thankfully not aircon! of the five mercs that i've had the pleasure to own, this gearbox is by some distance the best. very smooth changes, very quiet. it has to be said that my current car is the only one with evidence of servicing by a merc dealer (up to 100,000 miles).

i know what you mean about the M104 motor ... <touches wood> ... my wiring loom is okay, no obvious signs of deterioration, and i've done the head gasket ... so we'll see. as a possible point of interest, the best gas mileage has come from 2 tanks' worth of 98RON, as opposed to 95.

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

flagstaff- I drove a 124 estate with the 104 engine in the states- I think it was my fav engine I've driven in this chassis apart from 1 thing- the noise! It seemed way too noisy compared too the 12v 103 engine I had in my 300E. That was the 320 though so maybe the 280 is quieter?

a 5 speed box is something I'd like to drop into my car if I could find one.

 

[flagstaff]

agreed, the older 12v sixes were very refined. by comparison the 280 24v seems noisy ... but usually only when it's picking up, around 2000rpm in a low(ish) gear. it's very unobtrusive at high speeds, unlike the fours.

 

[flagstaff]

i've been getting 350-380 miles from a petrol 280. the 380 was a mostly motorway effort, although it has to be said that the speeds were quite high, 100mph for some quite long spells. the 5th gear maybe comes good on long trips.

update... i've managed to get the figure down to 310 miles for a full tank. eek. perhaps when i first had the car i was being a bit timid with the loud pedal. that's how it goes, i suppose.

as an aside, i'm finding that using 97/98RON fuel is *way* more economical that the 95 stuff.