I had some people/stuff moving chores this weekend so I signed up for the Mercedes-Benz R500. I seem to have a knack for picking the long-term vehicles with empty tanks, and now I know why the R500's low-fuel light was on.
With Los Angeles gas prices being some of the highest in the nation (never mind that I live about 5 miles from where the oil tankers off-load, and I drive past at least two refineries twice a day), the proposition of filling the R500's 21.1-gallon tank with premium (recommended) fuel takes on a whole new financial scale. Imagine my surprise when the pump clicked off at $68.00, not because it was an even dollar amount but that it rang up almost seventy bucks!
It wasn't that long ago when fuel pumps would automatically shut off at $50 because it would indicate some sort of wrong-doing...
Chris Walton, Senior Road Test Editor @ 22,077 miles
duh_rel says:
09:24 AM, 03/19/07
Ouch. Let's hope that gas drops back down under 3 bucks. I always fill up in the OC before heading up to LA due to their higher gas prices.
aspade says:
09:45 AM, 03/19/07
Come on, keep some perspective. It's a $62,000, 5000lb luxury boat and you're thinking about gas prices?
billt9 says:
12:30 PM, 03/19/07
Try the Tahoe/Silverado's 26 gallon tank, or the Q7's 26.4 gallon tank.
roar02ram says:
12:49 PM, 03/19/07
What's amazing, actually, is that there was less than 1 gallon left in the Benz's gas tank. How long were you driving with the light on?
cwalton1 says:
01:16 PM, 03/19/07
The light came on at a needle-width under a quarter tank. At the bottom of the tank, the indicated fuel range fluctuates wildly depending on how aggressively what little fuel that's left is being consumed. I was watching it pretty closely for obvious reasons.
For instance, after a traffic light stop or two, the range plummeted. However after a good stretch of open highway, it'd jump up. At the actual fill-up, it read "Range: 13 miles" which would correspond with the current economy of about 16 mpg.
--CW
stingray454 says:
01:57 PM, 03/19/07
Well, if it makes you feel better, it takes $126 to fill the 42 gallon tank on my 3/4 ton diesel Suburban. The only good news is I get over 600 miles on a tank.
ahightower says:
04:25 PM, 03/19/07
Seems to me 16.6 is pretty good for a vehicle that big, with a V8, being driven by people who don't give a darn. Many smaller SUVs and minivans with V6s do about the same. Premium requirement hurts, but as prices go up, ironically, that extra 20 cents is less significant percentage-wise.
mb_parts_blog says:
09:58 PM, 03/19/07
Fuel-efficient cars are in-demand today...due to the continuous increase of gas prices. Mercedes has created the 300D for that reason which has a fuel efficient Mercedes 300D parts-http://www.mbpartswarehouse.com/mercedes_300dparts.html.
Also this car has been used in a successful experiment that uses straight vegetable oil as its fuel. Hope this has been applied to R500...
chuckg says:
06:56 AM, 03/20/07
Around here (N.E. Ohio) the gas pumps shut off at $75. Probably similar in your area.
bimmerjay says:
12:44 PM, 03/21/07
mb_parts, we're all glad to hear that a 15+ year old car has "fuel efficient parts", but what does that have to do with the R500, exactly? Your solicitations for mbpartswarehouse.com are just oh-so subtle...
bgw says:
04:00 PM, 02/ 3/08
I know this is coming a bit late, with the last post being Mar 21 2007 and this is now Feb 3 2008, but you have GOT TO BE JOKING - whining about a $68 fill for a V8 SUV??
Geez, where I live, in eastern Canada, I can put that much in my 1998 Escort. I am not kidding.
You spent $68 for 20.3 gals of gas. Here, to get 20.3 gals of gas (US gal, 3.76 litres), I would have to pay $92.36, which is $4.55 per gal (US). Of course, 20.3 gals won't fit in my Escort, but it's for comparison.
You Americans have GOT to stop complaining about the price of gas, when you are buying inefficient V8 SUV's. Our gas is way higher, but I am not complaining. Our friends in the UK are paying a lot more than even I am, somewhere around $8 a gal.
So, get over yourselves and realize that you have it good. Too good.