Diesel Across America By The Numbers
*HIGHEST FUEL ECONOMY: Leg 1, running slower speeds on flatter terrain: 33.1 mpg in the 190D, 27.8 mpg in the ML320 BlueTEC
*LOWEST FUEL ECONOMY: Leg 3 in the 190D, hoofing along at 60.7 mph for 27.6 mpg; Leg 4 climbing the Alleghenies in the ML320, for 26.4 mpg
*TOTAL GALLONS CONSUMED: 173.917 in the 190D, 192.390 in the ML320
*AVERAGE MPG: 29.7 mpg (190D), 27.2 mpg (ML320)
*HIGHEST FUEL PRICE: $5.30, Firebaugh, California
*LOWEST FUEL PRICE: $4.35, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
*TOTAL FUEL BILL: $816.42 for the 190D accounting for inflation, that's 3.4 times the 1959 tab of $32.27. The ML took $907.54.
*LONGEST DAY: Chico, California, to Seattle, Washington; 680 miles, 12 hours 12 minutes
*SHORTEST DAY: Vernal, Utah, to Denver, Colorado; 448 miles, 8 hours 30 minutes
*LONGEST LEG: 2, Seattle, Washington, to Denver Colorado; 1511 miles, 27 hours 43 minutes
*FASTEST LEG: 3, Denver, Colorado, to St. Louis, Missouri; 60.7 mph average (making up for time lost while a faulty glow plug is repaired in Oklahoma City)
*SLOWEST LEG: 1, Irvine, California, to Seattle, Washington; 54.0 mph average
Invaluable Travel Partners
GARMIN NUVI 880
Many of the statistics above were provided by the trip computer function of the portable Garmin Nuvi 880 we mounted to the 190D's windshield. This unit costs $428 more ($1071) than the Nuvi 760 we used in February's Chevrolet Malibu odyssey and adds voice-command control to the many functions, plus navigation to geo-tagged photos and a built-in receiver for MSN Direct streaming content like live fuel pricing, local traffic and weather, movie times, news, stock quotes, etc. This subscription service is free for the first year, $49.95/year thereafter, and adds most of the capabilities of the fanciest factory XM or Sirius satellite-linked factory nav systems. You still get Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone use, FM signal, or aux cable connection to the vehicle's stereo for nav commands and playing MP3 music or audio books from the internal hard drive or SD memory card, and many more. The unit is easily programmed via the 4.3-inch touch screen. Its speedo needle always reads 10-15-mph high, but the Garmin's speed-reading matched several "Your speed" radar displays we passed. The unit displays posted speed limit on most highways. garmin.com
ESCORT 9500IX PASSPORT RADAR/LASER DETECTOR
Escort's high-tech new GPS-equipped 9500ix Passport always knows how fast you're going, so it can boost sensitivity at highway speeds and reduce it at low speeds to ignore door openers in parking lots. And when we received incoming radar or laser beams, our instantaneous speed was clearly displayed. The 9500ix also warns of nearby speed and red-light camera installations, a database of which is available at escortradar.com (a nominal fee applies after the first 90 days). Users also can mark known speed traps, and the 9500ix also marks and ignores low-level false-alarm signals that occur along frequently traveled routes. $500. 800/964-3138; escortradar.com/9500ix -Frank Markus