2010 mercedes e350 bluetech diesel auxillary tank in trunk
When we finally did fill up, the car had done 638 miles and the onboard computer estimated we were still good for another 93 miles. However, when we got back on level road, the range-to-empty dropped significantly, and we realized we would have to refuel. The range-to-empty did briefly increase for a time, and at one point of downhill driving the one-tank journey seemed possible. By the time we were up to speed on Interstate 5, we had 306 miles to go to get back to San Francisco according the navigation system, while the E320's trip computer told us that we had 193 miles until empty. Unfortunately, traffic was not on our side, and we spent about an hour cursing the stop-and-go traffic streaming north on Route 405 out of L.A. on the return journey (this time on Interstate 5), we realized we needed to get even better mileage on the way back if we were to make it home without filling up. It was at this point we realized that by taking route 101 we had added more than 60 miles to what was already a challenging distance for one tank of fuel. Arriving at our hotel, we had maintained an average fuel economy of 37.5mpg over 436 miles and over 7 hours and 18 minutes of driving. On the remainder of the journey to L.A., we maintained this better-than-estimated fuel economy, at times even seeing the mileage rise above 38mpg. By the time we had reached San Luis Obispo halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, we had achieved an overall mileage of 37.8mpg over the first 232 miles according to the instrument-cluster mounted LCD readout from the trip computer. To help us achieve this, the E320's cruise control, activated by a stalk above the left turn-signal lever, let us set, increase, and decrease speed with relative ease. We realized before we set out that one of the major challenges in our epic drive was going to be keeping the car moving at a steady rate, without too much braking or accelerating. Unbeknown to us at the time, this would ultimately prove to be a critically influential decision. Not wanting to have to negotiate the ubiquitous rush-hour bottlenecks on the bridge, however, we decided to go our own way and take Highway 101 all the way down the coast instead. was over the San Francisco Bay Bridge onto Route 580 and then down Interstate 5 all the way to our destination. Setting out from San Francisco, the navigation system suggested that the route we should take to L.A.
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Needless to say, our driving was not going to be all open freeways and deserted city roads, and so we figured we would just have to ride our luck in terms of negotiating the traffic on both ends of the journey, and maximize our mileage by using a number of economical driving techniques on the freeway. We fill up in San Francisco, intending to make it to Los Angeles and back on one tank. A dig around on Google Maps showed us that the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles is 377 miles away, making for a round trip of 754 miles: perfect. Having done some calculations based on the size of the E320's fuel tank (21.1 gallons) and the estimated highway mileage (we agreed on the Mercedes estimate of 35mpg rather than the more optimistic EPA rating), we figured that the farthest we could go on one tank would be about 757 miles, assuming that we managed to maximize fuel economy for the entire trip. Armed with the EPA estimates that showed the V-6 seven-speed automatic E320 was capable of 37mpg on the highway, we devised a road trip to the furthest point from the CNET headquarters in San Francisco to which we could drive to and back on one tank. Test the tech: Beverly Hills and back or busįor our tech test of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec, we decided to see just how efficient its diesel engine really was. With all the upscale refinements we expect from Mercedes, the stylish and comfortable E320 BlueTec is the ideal Trojan horse for the next generation of diesel engines in the United States. According to Mercedes-Benz, the 2007 E320 BlueTec has an "unprecedented regard for the environment." Making use of the clean-diesel technology pioneered by DaimlerChrysler in Europe (and recently adopted by Volkswagen and Audi), the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec is the first in a new generation of diesel cars that aims to replace the stereotype of diesel engines as smog-spewing smokestacks with one of a clean and efficient alternative to gasoline engines.