E-Class (W124) Mercedes-Benz W124 turns 30!

[Rolf]

@dalab that black E500 looks spectacular. Reminds me of the Hammer spec.

Too good!

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[Merc1]

Too good!

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Probably the best looking sedan Mercedes has ever made.

M

 

[Merc1]

Tested: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 400E Is Your Rational V-8 Benz

From the Archive: The rich man's bargain E-class sacrifices 54 horsepower to the 500E but costs $27,170 less.

www.caranddriver.com

M

 

[Rolf]

Tested: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 400E Is Your Rational V-8 Benz

From the Archive: The rich man's bargain E-class sacrifices 54 horsepower to the 500E but costs $27,170 less.

www.caranddriver.com

M

The 400E (later renamed E420) was the real sleeper in the W124 range. Thumping V8 engine gave it a smooth drive and great performance compared to the 300E.

 

[klier]

Stop it Rolf, you're making us all emotional with all these classics!

 

[Rolf]

Stop it Rolf, you're making us all emotional with all these classics!

Whenever I see your profile pic I get emotional cause I love the E30 so much specially M3 and 333i lmaoff. Ok I need to stop and focus on the new cars.

 

[MAJESTIC]

Holy sh*t, I thought the listed prices were adjusted for inflation but upon research, these cars were insanely expensive! Built and priced like a small tank, wow.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

Holy sh*t, I thought the listed prices were adjusted for inflation but upon research, these cars were insanely expensive! Built and priced like a small tank, wow.

At the time the ratio between D mark and USD was very unfavourable for cars produced in Germany and imported in the USA.

 

[Gianclaudio]

Probably the best looking sedan Mercedes has ever made.

Some years ago, I was driving my late dad to work. At that point, he had lost over 60% of his vision, so he couldn't drive nor recognise details in an object or face.

I stoped at traffic lights, and he points me a car in front/diagonal of us with his finger and exclaim: "look at that Mercedes, so beautiful"
It was a dark blue 500E. What a gorgeous vehicle, and the enjoyable moment for myself: him with his weak eyes, yet finding that car in a sea of others.

 

[klier]

Beautiful story @Gianclaudio
One of the best looking sedan cars there will ever be. Sheer perfection.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

Beautiful story @Gianclaudio
One of the best looking sedan cars there will ever be. Sheer perfection.

I remember seeing my first one in 1985. I was a little kid. Still remember it like it was yesterday. It had the nickname 'the Japanese lady' due to the front indicator lights resembling the eyes of a Japanese lady.The only car that has impressed me more was the E32 which I encountered at the end of 1986.

 

[martinbo]

For me, personally, it remains the finest car ever made. During its time it was a symbol of success down here in SA. If you had a W124, then you really were somebody. My ex-girlfriend’s father let me drive his two daughters down on the South Coast one night back in the early ‘90s. He was crazy (but not) to trust me with his 230E but even my younger pillock self ran out of courage before the W124 ran out of talent. After one scary-ish bend, I calmed down, took it easy and just revelled in the sheer excellence of it. At the time, it was by far the best car I’d ever driven.

 

[Rolf]

Enjoy this first test of the W124 230E done by AMuS in January 1985.

The major improvement from the old W123 was the lower drag of 0.30 compared to 0.42 increased the top speed from 184km/h to 208km/h and due to lower weight (1348kg compared to 1385kg) the 0-100km/h time reduced from 11.3sec to 10.1sec. Even more impressive that its 0-160km/h time reduced from 37.0sec to 30.2sec, a massive 7sec quicker, despite using the same 100kw/205nm engine. Due to the much lower drag fuel consumption reduced hugely at 140km/h on Autobahn the W124 230E consumed 11.9L/100km compared to 16.7L/100km for the W123 230E.

 

[Rolf]

Another AMuS test but of the legend 300E in March 1985.

Compared to the W123 280E tested in 1982 these were the improvements.
- Drag down from 0.45 to 0.30
- weight down from 1527kg to 1420kg (engine alone saved 42kg)
- Top speed up from 201.1km/h to 232km/h
- 0-100km/h down from 8.7sec to 7.8sec
- 0-160km/h down from 23.8sec to 20.3sec
- 1km down from 29.9sec to 28.6sec
- Noise levels at 160km/h down from 78dB (A) to 73dB (A)
- Overall consumption down from 14.6L/100km to 12.1 L/100km

 

[klier]

Going from this to the W214 is like two different brands lol

 

[Gianclaudio]

For me, personally, it remains the finest car ever made. During its time it was a symbol of success down here in SA. If you had a W124, then you really were somebody. My ex-girlfriend’s father let me drive his two daughters down on the South Coast one night back in the early ‘90s. He was crazy (but not) to trust me with his 230E but even my younger pillock self ran out of courage before the W124 ran out of talent. After one scary-ish bend, I calmed down, took it easy and just revelled in the sheer excellence of it. At the time, it was by far the best car I’d ever driven.

And how comfy the back seat was?

 

[Merc1]

The W124 in its most basic forms was still a beautiful car to me. Such a pure and honest design. I would have gladly drive a US model 260E back in the day.

M

 

[Merc1]

M

 

[martinbo]

Pity about the dent in the bumper beneath the right headlight.

That aside, perfection. I’m still baffled by how a design with grey plastic, clad nearly halfway up the bodywork, could end up looking so good as well as being so practical.

For me, this was Mercedes Benz at their finest.

 

[Merc1]

Yeah I saw that dent too. It's likely very expensive to make right.

M