W212 fuel tank capacity is not correct

[cheapshots]

Hi all,

Something is bugging me - the official specification says my W212 (2013, auto, 2L petrol) has a fuel tank capacity of 59 liters.

That's rubbish, judging by the amount I fill up I think it is at least 65 litres! Either that or we're being cheated by the petrol pumps.

Can anybody else with a W212 comment?

Thanks!

 

[Lennox]

Some cars at point of order offer larger capacity tanks. Maybe it has one.

 

[cheapshots]

Hmmm maybe, thanks Lennox

 

[Dryce]

Seems to be an area of confusion - not just with MB but with oer manufacturers

- quoted capacity sometimes excludes a reserve (usually about 10%)
- different options - either customer spec'ed or dependent no model
- other configuration variations - different tank sizes in some specific models - eg. diesel vs petrol or down to specific engines
- confusion in the third party sources due to above or translation between US and imperial gallons

 

[jdrrco]

If you put your VIN number into a decoder (VIN Decoder for Mercedes-Benz), it will tell you if yours had the larger capacity fuel tank

 

[cheapshots]

I think it's quite cheeky of the manufacturer to include an extra 10% reserve fuel tank and not mention this in the official specification.

When I buy a car I don't pay much attention to the official MPG which, as we all know is nowhere near reality.......instead I look at the fuel tank size.

Broadly speaking: bigger the fuel tank = worse MPG!

I have a theory that most car manufacturers will aim for their car to give a combined minimum of 400miles (in real world usage) on a full tank....

 

[Dryce]

I have a theory that most car manufacturers will aim for their car to give (combined) 400miles (in real world usage) on a full tank....

My experience is that most hire cars I have will do above 400 and more than a few will do 600+. The big differentiator uis petrol vs diesel. But some petrol variants of smaller cars with automatic transmissions can be particurly dire.

There is quite a bit of variation - you can have a petrol engine variant that will struggle to get 40mpg and scrape 400 miles - while a diesel might manage 600 miles with the same tank capacity.

 

[cheapshots]

Dryce, that's very true about petrol and diesel; I should have been more clear - I was referring to petrol only and only as a rough guide.....but it is a guide that has always worked well for me.... until now.

My W212 is very uneconomical... I would be lucky to get 40mpg on a 70:30 split (motorway:intown)

Before purchasing I checked fuel tank capacity (59L) which I thought was OK given the size of the car, I'm fairly certain it's actually around 65-70L

 

[renault12ts]

I'm lost. What's the problem?

 

[SW18]

As far as I know the W212 came with either 59l or an optional larger 80l tank, which was also standard on some petrol models. Mine has an 80l tank, which was standard fitment for the model. If I run the car until the fuel warning light comes on I can fit in 70-71 litres.

 

[st13phil]

^ This. Only two tank size variants on the W212.

 

[219]

Hi all,

Something is bugging me - the official specification says my W212 (2013, auto, 2L petrol) has a fuel tank capacity of 59 liters.

That's rubbish, judging by the amount I fill up I think it is at least 65 litres! Either that or we're being cheated by the petrol pumps.

Can anybody else with a W212 comment?

Thanks!

Bear in mind that 'full' allows expansion space for temperature variance .

If you fill the tank right to the brim , it is 'over full' .

 

[Kongshavn]

According to the original brochure I have for 2010 E Class, the smaller tank is 59 litre with 8 litre reserve. The larger tank as said above on E350 and E500 petrol is 80 litre with 9 litre reserve. Hope that helps

 

[cheapshots]

Thanks to all