M.P.G - W124 v W126

[thatfatbloke]

Hi - only seem to be getting around 18/20 mpg in my '89 300SE as opposed to the low/mid twenties I got in my dear departed '88 300TE. Is this about right for the SE or is my right foot getting heavier as I get older!!.

 

[television]

It is a cold time of the year and the car does weigh more. you could check that the air filters are clean and check the C02 figures that were on the MOT pass

 

[Telegraph-Hill]

Hi - only seem to be getting around 18/20 mpg in my '89 300SE as opposed to the low/mid twenties I got in my dear departed '88 300TE. Is this about right for the SE or is my right foot getting heavier as I get older!!.

Hi, mpg's (especially on the M103 engines) can vary. But there is no reason while a 300SE should not get into the mid twenties. The KE Jetronic is a bit bitchy sometimes. How are the spark plugs looking? Black? BTW the difference between a full packed W124TE and a W126 S-class in weight is not so huge.
Greez,
Oli

 

[Roger Jones]

I get just under 25 mpg from my 1991 300 SE. My driving style is fairly gentle and the usage mixed. I drove a friend's 500 SEL on two short trips and one long one, averaging out at 22.5 mpg. Unless you are heavy footed and doing lots of short trips, you should be comfortably into the 20s, and into the upper 20s on a steady long trip.

I get the same mpg from my 300E twin turbo (same basic engine) and 27 mpg from my E320 Coupé.

I've seen claims of 30 mpg average and more from the M103 engine, and I don't believe them. Anything sub-20 suggests a driving-style issue, an extreme-usage issue, or a problem -- or a combination of two or more of these.