2014 Mercedes-Benz Diesel E250 Rated at 45 MPG Highway

(Mercedes-Benz USA)

Mercedes-Benz is giving some of its competitors a run for their money with the announcement of the new 2014 diesel E-Class’ fuel economy estimates. The EPA says the 2014 E250 Bluetec should get 28/45 mpg city/highway. All-wheel drive 4Matic models will get 27/42 mpg.
The E250 Bluetec’s combined fuel economy estimate of 34 is better than what competing hybrids get, including Mercedes’ own E400 Hybrid, which gets 24/30/26 mpg city/highway/combined. The Infiniti M Hybrid gets 27/32/29 mpg, the Lexus GS Hybrid gets 29/34/31 and the BMW 5-Series Hybrid gets 23/30/26.
The new diesel E250 is also a step up in fuel efficiency from the 2013 diesel E-Class, which gets 22/32 mpg. Left Lane News writes that “the E250 BlueTEC is significantly more efficient than its predecessor, the E350 BlueTEC, despite packing only slightly less underhood muscle.” The 2013 diesel E-Class delivers 210 horsepower using a turbocharged V6, while the 2014 model has a 195-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
The 2014 E250 Bluetec has a couple direct rivals, including the 2014 Audi A6 TDI, which gets a lower 24/38 mpg, but also offers a more powerful 240-horsepower turbodiesel six-cylinder engine. The BMW 5-Series will be available as a diesel model for 2014, and is more powerful than both the A6 TDI and E250 Bluetec. The 535d makes 255 horsepower with its turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine and has slightly better fuel economy than the A6 TDI at 26/38 mpg.

(Mercedes-Benz USA)

Car and Driver drove the new E250 Bluetec and said, “The four scoots the E-class around. If it’s not in a hurry, then at least it’s not notably lazy. Widely spaced ratios that prolong the transmission’s stay in each gear help the BlueTec feel quicker than it is. Engine noise is subdued, and clues that it’s a diesel are remarkably few.”
The 2014 E250 Bluetec will start at $51,400, which will make it the least expensive model in the E-Class lineup, while the E250 Bluetec 4Matic will cost $53,900. The new model is expected to hit dealerships this month, according to Edmunds.
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is currently our number-one ranked luxury large car, and it was named the U.S. News 2013 Best Luxury Full-Size Car for Families. Do you think the addition of the diesel E250 for 2014 will help the E-Class stay at the top of the pack?

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Volkswagen TDI Models to Get New Diesel Engine

Volkswagen's current 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel engine (Volkswagen of America)

Volkswagen has announced that a new diesel engine will be available in 2015 Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat models, which will hit dealer lots by the second half of 2014. The automaker reports that the new engine will produce 236 pound-feet of torque and 150 horsepower, which is a 10 horsepower increase in comparison with the 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel engine that the automaker currently offers.
Volkswagen Spokesman Mark Gilles tells Kicking Tires that the new engine should be more responsive and offer improved fuel economy. “It’s an all-new engine, to all intents and purposes,” Gillies says. “We’re hoping that it will give a probably somewhere around 8% bump to highway [fuel] economy.”
Currently, Volkswagen models like the diesel-powered Golf and Jetta TDI return 30/42 mpg city/highway, or 34 mpg combined. An 8 percent improvement could mean that both cars will hit just over 45 mpg in highway driving. In comparison, the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Turbo Diesel gets 46 mpg on the highway, but has slightly lower city and combined fuel economy estimates.
Volkswagen notes that it has sold more than 47,000 diesel models so far this year, which includes 10,000 diesel vehicles sold last month. The automaker reports that its sales account for “nearly 78 percent of the diesel sales for passenger cars in the United States this year.”
Diesel versions of the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat currently command between $4,200 and $6,475 over their respective base models. However, a recent study indicates that lower ownership costs on diesel-powered Golf and Jetta models save their owners $5,013 and $3,128, respectively, over the course of three years.

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