[Verdugoca]

Hey forum! I'm new here. I got my cla250 2 weeks ago and I am completely loving it. One of the reasons why I went with this car was because of the great mileage at 26/38.

As I drive about 22 miles a day (11 to go to work and 11 to go home; on the freeway) I notice my gas line going down when I look at it at random times. It'll drop like estimate 3 millimeters by the time I arrive to work which is only 11 miles and on highway I should get about 38 miles to the gallon. I drive on Efficient mode, I don't floor it or drive all crazy.

Is this normal? How is everybody else's mileage lasting them?

 

[sleepyhead]

Changes in incline (either on the road or parked) can account for needle fluctuation. It may also lag, meaning you may not notice a change until you've been on or off the incline for a while. Also on short drives (distance-wise, not city/highway) you may expect lower mpg since more of your drive is with a cold engine. A cold engine uses more fuel. Lastly, an engine not broken in also uses more fuel.

 

[BenzFan]

even weather conditions can affect your gas mileage, so many things

 

[StayCLAssy]

Hard to tell what kind of efficiency you're getting from watching the needle. Try doing some pump measurements to get your miles per tank.
So many factors involved in getting the best mileage. Best thing I can recommend is get a short ram intake so you're breathing warmer air and maximize your tire pressure. Also lay off the brake. Killing momentum kills efficiency so try letting go of the gas when you think there will be brake tapping instead of trying to draft someone and slamming on your brakes. No drafting a car does not improve mileage.
Let go of the gas when exiting off ramps too and slow to a stop instead of riding the gas until you stop. Most of the time the light will turn green so you won't need to do a complete stop.

 

[RSM]

Averaging about 30 MPG. Driving a mix of backroads and highway to get to work. MPH averaging about 38. I expect with warmer weather and further engine break in MPG will bump up to 32. A few highway trips have yielded 33 MPG. So i think the EPA estimates are on target.

 

[BenzFan]

Not bad at all, i have read how incorrect the EPA can be, i guess under ideal conditions you should get what they rate it at or maybe even better

 

[coder]

I find much depends on driving style and speed.

Winter driving, tires inflated to 38PSI, stock Pirelly 17" all seasons
:
If I keep it under 65, I can get better than 40mpg highway driving, using ECO, and premium gasoline ( 93oct USA). I get 38mpg under 75, and 34mpg under 85.
(Driving like my grandmother)
If I switch to Sport, or drive aggressively, all bets are off. 30-34mgp highway maybe.

I tried 89 octane mid-grade gas, lost a couple of mpg. so concluded that 93 is the way to go. Fuel economy has been like I outline above after I got over the first 1000 miles.

I used to be a fan of manual trannys, on this car I just can't bother.
On another car I would be able to hear when to shift.
This car is so quiet, and has such a wide power /torque band, that there is almost no audio feedback indicating that the car is in the wrong gear..
You could be 2 gears off from optimal and the car would still run and you may not hear it.

 

[RSM]

Getting around 400 miles +/- 10 per tankful driving in eco mode with engine shutoff off. Driving a mix of highway and rural. 34-37 MPG.

 

[Administrator]

I never get close to the estimated EPA MPG in any car. The worst was my pig 06 SRT Jeep I never got above 14 mpg due to my heavy foot.

 

[sleepyhead]

I never get close to the estimated EPA MPG in any car. The worst was my pig 06 SRT Jeep I never got above 14 mpg due to my heavy foot.

A SRT Grand Cherokee? I'd be happy to be getting above single digits.

 

[Administrator]

A SRT Grand Cherokee? I'd be happy to be getting above single digits.

True, I spent more money on gas and tires then I did on payments. I sold it with 100k and bought it almost new.

 

[coder]

Update: After having the dealr fix the CEL that came on ( Engine computer software upgrade) now I only get 32, on highway where I used to get 40+ consistently.

WTF? This makes this car un-workable for me.

 

[sleepyhead]

Update: After having the dealr fix the CEL that came on ( Engine computer software upgrade) now I only get 32, on highway where I used to get 40+ consistently.

WTF? This makes this car un-workable for me.

That means, in all likelihood, they just fixed your car. You didn't really think you would be getting HIGHER than the EPA rating did you? All that means is your calculations were wrong to begin with. Why would it be unworkable if it wasn't getting 40+mpg? The car was never rated for that to begin with.

 

[coder]

The EPA highway mpg on this car is 38. Driven on long highway trips, and flat terrain I should be able to get that, and I was indeed getting better than that. Lots of other folks get better than 40 hwy mpg, see the mpg thread here on this thread.
It depends on speed mostly.

The trip computer is/was accurate, I verified at fill-up time. I do a lot of miles per year, the EPA mpg was a major factor in the buying decision.

 

[sleepyhead]

I still wouldn't expect better than rated mpg, even if other people report it. Everyone drives different, in different environments. When I feel like I'm driving eco, I can get 4-5 mpg above my car's highway mpg in city driving. But that's more stressful than it is ever worth. It's a ballpark number, not something to hang your hat on. Are you using more juice (more radio, heated seats, heater, AC)? How often is that turbo kicking in? And how much stuff are you carrying? In a small car even 25-50 lbs can make a noticeable difference. And are your tires now overinflated from the ambient temperature increase, which will change the distance traveled measured on the odometer and give you an artificially lower distance. Don't forget that unless you use nitrogen in your tires the pressure goes up a lot after a wee bit of driving, even if the cold pressure is per specs. I routinely add 5-15 miles to the math at each fillup when I calculate. I did the math on several long trips and noticed a noticeable difference in odometer mileage versus map mileage.