Mercedes drives almost 2,000kms on one tank

The long-distance fuel miser test was conducted by British journalist Andrew Frankel, who along with a co-driver, covered the almost 2,000kms distance in 27 hours. The car was a regular production E 300 BlueTec HYBRID, which is fitted with a 20kW electric motor and 150kW four-cylinder diesel engine, with an 80-litre fuel tank as standard.

Upon reaching Goodwood, there was enough left in the tank for an additional 160 kilometres, so Frankel estimates that the E 300 is capable of around 2,129 kms on one tank. Average consumption for the journey was 3.8lt/100kms, which is in line with Mercedes-Benz's claim of 3.8-4.1lt/100km for the hybrid saloon.

Frankel stressed that he and his co-driver did adopt fuel efficient driving styles, but the benefits of this were cancelled out by inclement weather, along with sections of heavy traffic and high-altitude driving.

If less frugal driving is more your style, the Mercedes-Benz E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 242 km/h.