W210 E320 V6 Economy?

[Antharro]

I've read a number of threads on here about MPG and the E320, but there doesn't seem to a common consensus on what to expect. From here, and from taking to various car dealers and family friends who have Mercs, it would seem that the diesel should return no less than 35mpg, with that figure rising to over 40mpg on a run.

How about the petrol? I've heard (and read) people giving figures from 24mpg right up to 38! Parkers guide says 26.

 

[Peter DLM]

26 is more likely with a typical driving habits.

I've achieved 33.5 out of mine in the past. Looking at the computer now, it's suggesting an average of 29.1 for the last 2700 miles.

All these figures are provided by the car itself. I've not reached the level of sadness needed to track what I'm putting into the car and the mileage done etc, though it's getting close..... society is forcing me into it.

 

[gIzzE]

I've read a number of threads on here about MPG and the E320, but there doesn't seem to a common consensus on what to expect. From here, and from taking to various car dealers and family friends who have Mercs, it would seem that the diesel should return no less than 35mpg, with that figure rising to over 40mpg on a run.

How about the petrol? I've heard (and read) people giving figures from 24mpg right up to 38! Parkers guide says 26.

We had an S320cdi and that returned an average of 31 mpg over 18 months and 45k miles, so a fair bit of motorway mileage. My dad had a W210 E320cdi estate for a while and that was the same.
38mpg was the very best from a whole tankful doing all steady motorway work, doing sub 10 mile journeys and round town would see 26mpg.




In my E320 w210 V6 petrol I am seeing 26mpg from most tanks, I can get mid thirties on a steady motorway run, and worst tankful has been 23mpg, that is the last tankful, all short town journeys with temps below 3ºc constantly.

Personally I couldn't see the point paying a premium for the diesel, plus there is more to maintain on them, don't get me wrong great engines but they are now the expensive option when buying used.

 

[lynall]

Plus petrols usually higher spec and lower miles and the engines are very very simple compared to a modern diesel.

Plugs and leads plus maf prob biggest things, google e320 v6/430 v8 engine probs then do the same with any of the CDI diesel engines and be very suprised just dont mention injectors or glow plugs or or!



Lynall

 

[Antharro]

I keep swinging from the diesel to the petrol to the diesel... back when I first posted about this, the consensus seemed to be that with the diesel, I'd be getting above 30mpg pretty much all the time. With the petrol, if I had a heavy right foot then I'd be seeing sub-30 (down to 26 or so), but I'd get around 34ish on motorway runs.

From what I've been reading since then, it would seem that more people are reporting sub-30mpg, which isn't much good for me.

Every time I change car, I try to get something that is more fuel efficient than the car it's replacing. Doesn't always work that way, but that's the idea. I went from my Polo (1l, 34mpg) to the Mk2 Cavalier (1.6, 25mpg), to the Mk2 CRX (1.6, 30-38mpg) to the FTO (2l v6, 23-32mpg), and got the Accord shortly after (2l, 24-32mpg).

So, it's time to get something with better fuel consumption. But, I'm somewhat unwilling to give up the performance of the FTO (quick Google search says 0-60 in roughly 7 secs), or the space of the Accord, hence looking at the W210 E320 Merc. I also considered an Jag XJ6/XJ8 of similar age, but the fuel consumption combined with the higher insurance group just makes it a no-no. Big boot on them tho.

If the many varying reports on here are true, then realistically, I'm looking at 26/32mpg for the E320V6 and 30/35mpg for the E320CDi.

But if not the W210 E320, then what? Minimum 30mpg please (heavy right foot sessions aside!)...

 

[gIzzE]

So you want a big car that goes fast??

Well there will always be a compromise and that is consumption.


Unless you buy one of the new BMW's which are incredible fuel wise and seriously quick with it.
The new 330i has 272bhp, it does 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds (oficial figures 5.9) and it will do 30mpg all day long thwacking it around, 34 as an average and 38 on a run easily.

But you're going to pay for it in depreciation.



I'm down from 40k miles a year to around 20k miles a year so fuel costs don't really bother me anymore. Well they do, but what I mean is the gap between the most fugal diesel and a nice fast petrol has closed so much that it no longer dictates what car I buy.


You need to stop looking at mpg as the figure too, with petrol at 85p litre and diesel still at 99p in the same place, if you are getting 30mpg in a diesel you only need the petrol to do 25.7 to cost the same.

My last tankful actually finished up at 24.5mpg on the E320, I said it was 23mpg earlier but by the time I filled up it was actually 24.5, so that was all stop start journeys with very cold starts, I bet the diesel would have been 26mpg at most.


I like the diesels, I think they suit the bigger Mercs better than most cars, once inside you sort of forget there a diesel, and if I were buying a newer car, say up to a year old it would be diesel purely because of the depreciation curve, but at 3 years or older I'm not sure they make any sense at all. Yeah an E220cdi vs an E240 does, 25mpg vs 35mpg all day long, but when you get to the bigger engines I'm not so sure anymore.

 

[Peter DLM]

You need a 530d. Any of them from 2002/3 should suit you.

 

[gIzzE]

Definitely disagree with that.

I have had the E39 530d and 530i, still have the 530i and my brother is using it, both autos.

I got 29.7mpg from the 530d over 12 months and 40k miles.

I got 26mpg from the 530i and my brother is getting exactly the same.


The E39 530i sport auto is aruably the best car BMW have ever made, I have had an E34, 3 x E39 and a 535d E61, also had loads of 3 series, coupe of M cars including the M3 CSL and still run an M3 now and still stand by this statement.
A lot of BMW owners who have onwed the 530i agree, and those that have owned the 530d as well.

The petrol is a lot lighter up front and because of this it really does feel very nimble for a big car, plenty quick enough for everyday and just a joy on longer journeys.


If I could have found a touring for the same price I got the W210 E320 I would have got one, but they seem to be in far more demand and cost around twice the price of the Merc for the same age/spec/mileage.


But well worth checking them out.

 

[Antharro]

Thanks again for all the input. Unfortunately some of the cars you're suggesting are well out of my price range, so good fuel consumption or not, I can't even consider them. I must admit to being much more of a Merc fan than a BMW fan, although I do have a soft spot for the E34 5 series. Great design, still look good today, imo!

I have more thinking to do!

 

[Dieselman]

My last tankful actually finished up at 24.5mpg on the E320, I said it was 23mpg earlier but by the time I filled up it was actually 24.5, so that was all stop start journeys with very cold starts, I bet the diesel would have been 26mpg at most.

My last several tanks to tank figures have been a low of 33.1mpg and a high of 39.7mpg.
And that's on a 300TD, not a CDi.

Expect 10% better at least from a 320Cdi in a W210 body. If one isn't able to average 35+ in one of those either the car is faulty or one is driving to deliberatly use fuel.

 

[Peter DLM]

I got 29.7mpg from the 530d over 12 months and 40k miles.

You must have been doing something wrong with it. A good friend of mine has a 04 reg 530d and averages 35 all the time, and can get 40+ on a run.

 

[Peter DLM]

.....though having said that, it has had a remap, which made a difference.

 

[Antharro]

My last several tanks to tank figures have been a low of 33.1mpg and a high of 39.7mpg.
And that's on a 300TD, not a CDi.

Expect 10% better at least from a 320Cdi in a W210 body. If one isn't able to average 35+ in one of those either the car is faulty or one is driving to deliberatly use fuel.

See, this is what gets me. One person claims 24-31mpg, another comes along and says 33-40, someone else will come along and say something different. Parkers says 26 for the petrol, 32 for the 300TD and 35 for the CDi... I know different people will have different driving styles so will return different MPGs, but I would've expected a little more consistency.

*confused*

 

[scumbag]

See, this is what gets me. One person claims 24-31mpg, another comes along and says 33-40, someone else will come along and say something different. Parkers says 26 for the petrol, 32 for the 300TD and 35 for the CDi... I know different people will have different driving styles so will return different MPGs, but I would've expected a little more consistency.

*confused*

is should not be too difficult to work out with your driving style.

try this, what do you currently get out onf any of your cars. Then look at the official figures and see how close you are.

then look at the official MB figures for the car you are looking at, and make the same assumptions, and you should have a reasonable idea of what you will do with that car, unless you intend to change your driving style.

I managed, on one occasion to get 35pmg out of a 360bhp 5.4ltr V8 in a merc. Once. I also managed to get its average overall at 28pmg most times.

however, when if I calculated its 9200miles of driving with me, it would have been around 23mpg overall. there were occasions when it say single figures, but that was such a small percentage of the time that it did not really affect the overall consumption.

So try that and see what you come up with.

A lot of short journeys, with cold starts, will eat fuel, as does stop/start driving. Driving with a fully laden car, towing, driving like a boy racer, lots of steep hills all reduce MPG, but does everyone drive like that, all day.

 

[grober]

There are many variables which contribute to car economy-some are pretty obvious-some not so obvious.The thing that uses fuel more than anything is accelerating the mass of the car from rest to its chosen speed. Once there maintaining the speed takes less power ( unless the speed is so great that aerodynamic drag has to be constantly overcome- there's always exceptions to the rule) So rule of thumb is smaller mass= less fuel consumption ( the mass includes among other things, the weight of the engine plus the fuel carried-larger engined cars have to carry more fuel as a rule) However once up to speed gearing has more effect on economy since a larger engined car may be higher geared because it generates more torque at lower rpm to overcome rolling resistance and thus paradoxically uses less fuel than a smaller engined car revving faster to generate the same power--- The result of all this is that for petrol engines a slightly larger engine than usual in a smaller light bodied car with good aerodynamics is often a recipe for good performance+ economy.

 

[Dieselman]

Parkers says 26 for the petrol, 32 for the 300TD and 35 for the CDi...

They sound about right. My all time average with the 300 is 33mpg and that includes some sprited driving and a trackday.
The average dipped due to running on Biodiesel for a while and is improving due to slightly modified driving style.

See, this is what gets me. One person claims 24-31mpg, another comes along and says 33-40,

Is the person saying 24-31 actually driving a diesel.? If not consider why they are saying it. Some people claim petrol is as economical as diesel. Thermal efficiency says this can't be the case.

 

[gIzzE]

You have to make sure that a diesel suits your driving style, when I first got my 535d auto I did 9000 miles in the first 8 weeks, St. Tropez, Paris, Geneva, Paris again, all back to Norwich each time.

For a 345bhp 6cyl auto diesel that is 5m long and weighing around 2 tons I thought this was fantastic as I was sat at 180kmph most of the time and was still seeing 34mpg.

However, I then started to use it as the family wagon, we live 10 miles from the city, and the average dropped to 26mpg over the whole year and 40k miles.

Now I also have a 530i petrol auto, and doing the shorter stop start trips this returns the same mpg figure, but on a run at 75mph the diesel starts to pull ahead, 33mpg in the 530i and 38mpg in the 535d.

Now if someone had asked me after 8 weeks what the 535d was doing I would have said 34mpg. However answering that question after 6 months and the answer is 26 mpg.

Everyone drives differently.

 

[kusanku]

My 210 E320cdi regularly gave 46 mpg on the motorway. I got 50 mpg the one time I tired driving at 60mph for 90 miles or so. A lot less around town though, with 19mpg being the lowest score, on a freezing cold day in heavy traffic. I previously had a C220 cdi, and the E320cdi seemed to return pretty similar mpg, especially on the motorway.

My 211 gives me only arond 38mpg, despite allegedly having the same engine. It does feel quicker though.

I should point out though that both are really nice cars to drive. A BMW 5 series might be more economical, but I don't think they drive as nicely (although I know many would disagree with me).

 

[Redbull916]

I get 31 avg and if driven carefully 36.5 on the motorway from my 2000 CLK320 Cab.