Here, at a glance, is why the Mercedes-Benz 450 SE Sedan gets up to 25% better mileage than its domestic counterparts.

Combine an efficient power plant with reasonable size and weigh and a low-drag shape and the result is good mileage.

That's the fuel economy story about the Mercedes- Benz 450SE Sedan.

And those are precisely the reasons why, in the tough Federal Environmental Protection Agency tests, the 450SE gets up to twenty-five percent better gas mileage than its domestic counterparts.

The essence of fuel economy

The 450SE Sedan was engineered to overcome the penalties of heavy West German taxation designed to limit engine size. It was also engineered to meet the high cost of European gasoline.

So the 450SE Sedan, like every Mercedes-Benz, embodies the very essence of efficiency.

By necessity.

Like domestic luxury sedans, the 450SE has a V-8 engine. Yet it can deliver better mileage. Why?

Its engine is unique. It is the only single overhead camshaft V-8 engine that employs a computerized fuel injection system to measure out the right amount of gasoline for the speed required.

The car weighs nearly half a ton less than comparable American cars with no sacrifice in strength.

There is big-car room and luxury for five people. The weight saved contributes to its better mileage.

Radial tires are standard equipment. Radials produce better mileage than other tires because they have lower rolling resistance.

The 450SE's aerodynamically designed configuration was created in a wind tunnel. As it cruises, its shape slices through the air with low drag.

That means less fuel waste.

All things considered, perhaps it's time you discovered the unique advantages of Mercedes-Benz.

Note:

Two fuel economy tests: Why the mileage claim confusion.

The welter of conflicting fuel economy figures you're seeing these days stems from one fact: To date, there is no objective, authoritative and repeatable method of determining fuel consumption that will cover every case every time.

Without a common standard, manufacturers can only report on a variety of tests.

Here are two sets of results on the Mercedes-Benz 450SE Sedan.

Among them you may find figures which should approximate your individual driving experience with the 450SE.

1. The Environmental Protection Agency Report, Nov. 5, 1973.

Method: Laboratory test. Simulates 7.5 miles of urban driving. Consists of cold-engine start and vehicle operation on a chassis dynamometer through a computerized driving schedule.

Results: Federal 450SE Sedan average

- 10.1 mpg. (256.5-mile cruising radius.) Comparable domestic sedan results range from 7.9 mpg to 8.9 mpg.

1. The Motor Trend Magazine Mileage Test, January, 1974.

Method: On-the-road test over 73 miles of urban, suburban and freeway driving, with starts, stops and all legal speeds from 0 to 55 mph. Average speed:37 mph.

Results: 450SE Sedan average -16.4 mpg. (416.5-mile cruising radius.) Comparable domestic sedan results not available

NOTE: Test results only for the V-8 powered

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