I've now had my '03 E270CDI auto for a month and covered ~900 miles. However, the MPG is somewhat less than expected - I'm getting 18-23mpg urban and 38mpg is the best I've ever achieved cruising at 60mph, despite driving like a nun. This is significantly down on MB figures (29 urban, 52 extra urban).

Is this normal? Do I need to give the car longer to bed in?

Your comments would be appreciated.

 

New cars need some break-in time to achieve optimum mpg. You shouldn't be cruising at one speedand trying for high mileage until after thebreak-in period. If MB says you don't need to break it in, ignore them and break it in anyway. However, ~900 is plenty for today's cars, so it's too late now. More of aconcern nowadays is proper disc brake break-in. </P>


There are some tricks tosqueezing the most mpg from your car. Driving like a nun isn't one of them, surprisingly.</P>


Have you checked your tire pressure?</P>