Thinking buying a R129 SL. can anybody tell me the typical fuel consumption of the 500 as against the 320. On paper there looks to be very little difference between the two. (24 mpg for the 320 and 22mpg for the 500.) But are they "real world" figures, is the 22mpg for the 500 very optimistic.?
R129 SL500 / SL320 fuel consumption
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
im avg 28 from my 320... 31-32 on a longer run at decent pace... just trundling can get closer to 33-34 but roof down reduces it of course...
I would have thought mid 20s on a 500 is reasonable and late 20s on a run..
clearly if all you do is urban then it will be late teens on a 500 and early 20s on a 320..
I would have thought mid 20s on a 500 is reasonable and late 20s on a run..
clearly if all you do is urban then it will be late teens on a 500 and early 20s on a 320..
Sp!ke
Administrator
I get 26mpg out of my SL500 without trying too hard whilst commuting across west London in rush hour.
I can hit 30+mpg on a run.
I can hit 30+mpg on a run.
Pretty much what redbaron said. I've had just over 29 mpg from my 500 over a tankful, but that was driven reasonably gently with a lot of motorway cruising. Short trips with stop/start driving would halve that. Regardless of the engine there's no escaping the fact that an R129 is nudging 2 tonnes. '99 facelift onwards are a bit better on fuel.
As an aside the mpg is very similar to our Vito (which we just use as a 'car' i.e. carrying family & dogs). But diesel costs more, so it's cheaper for me to go somewhere in the SL if I'm on my own
As an aside the mpg is very similar to our Vito (which we just use as a 'car' i.e. carrying family & dogs). But diesel costs more, so it's cheaper for me to go somewhere in the SL if I'm on my own
Sp!ke
Administrator
I suspect that would be the case although it does depend how deep your pockets are and how much you wanted the V8.
When I was shopping around for one, I was spoilt for choice if I were to have chosen a 320. There were plenty of very nicely looked after cars with reasonable mileage for sensible money.
I couldnt say the same for the 500's, with lots of very dubious examples circulating about (most of them in fact) - in the end it took me over a year to find the right car for the right price.
Whilst I could have just extended my budget and paid a premium for a car that ticked all the boxes, I chose to wait until the right one came along. I found that prices of the 500's were all over the place with as much as £10,000 price difference seperating the scruffier ones from the best examples.
The fun part was finding a ship shape 500 for the same price as a similar spec and condition 320. They are out there but be prepared for a fair bit of shopping about.
