Guys!! What kind of fuel economy do you get with your cars?

I got a 92 500sel and its a guzzler to say the least. I would say I get about 12-17 mpg depending on road conditions.
I know factory says 13mpg city and 19 highway. But I just wanted to know what the real number is with other owners.

My previous cars were all V-8's, Lincoln Mark VII's, Mark VIII (4.6 DOCH) and 95 Mustang GT 4.6 SOCH <-10mpg in the city and 17mpg on the open road.

I was hoping to get better fuel economy with my 500 SEL, but the best I can do in the city (NYC) is 10-12 MPG.
Is this normal? I try to drive as calm as possible, but still. At $2.95 a gallon, it sucks!!!! I wish I could get my hands on a 92-95 S350 Turbo Diesel model, but they are in 15000-20000 dollar range.

Thanks for any input

 

They are not good in traffic, there is a lot of weight to get rolling. I can usually get close to the 19/20 number on the highway and do better not using cruise. The citynumbers are poor in the 15s I immagine, NY is got to be worse, I pull out of the driveway and usually can average 35 untill I get where im going. The 350 turbo had issues, like crank shaft problems. I asked my good friend / mechanic about a 350 and I got "are you nuts". I think a small body 300 SE would serve you better, one word of advice, I would not worry about fuel mileage, the 140 maintenance costs wiil kill you.

 

Peter, thanks for input.

300 is too slow for my taste, 500 is alsmost enough. I wish the damn thing started in 1st gear, or had an option to do so. 5spd tranny must be a lot better??

As for maint cost, I worry buyt not too much, I know a lot about cars and can fix most things myslef, and even if not, my me4chanic has a 97 S500 that he loves more than his wife and knows everything about it inside out. So I am in good hands.[:-]

 

I have a 2001 S430, my mileage is 19 for just in town, 22 when combined with some around town freeway miles, and over 33 mpg on long trips, using cruise control. I have put about 30,000 miles on the car, and this is consistant performance. My first long trip (800+ miles) was 29.4 mpg, with no attempt to conserve fuel; actually, with a little racing involved, just to try out the new car.

 

Your car being 2001 and S430 should yield a better fuel economy than my 93 500SEL.
I just wanted to compare with other S-class owners and see what they are getting.

Thanks for your input.