W201 Modern classics: the Mercedes-Benz W 201 series (1982 – 1993)

[trader1]

the “elasticity” of the revband on the i4 was awesome. At the time it was fun to drive and took a beating like a good sport.

 

[Rolf]

Rest In Peace, Ayrton Senna da Silva.

He was brilliant in this 1984 race against other F1 champions where all were driving the same 190E 2.3-16 models.

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[wgerman]

That single windshield wiper

 

[Merc1]

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M

 

[Rolf]

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M

Wow, that car is in immaculate pristine condition. It looks brand new, and the engine is so clean. It's definitely a collector's piece, the 190E 2.3-16 is quite rare nowadays.

Here is a list of all W201 sold worldwide and only 19,487 190E 2.3-16 were produced and just 5,743 2.5-16 models.

 

[Rolf]

A first drive flashback of the 190 range in 83.

 

[Merc1]

Such a tiny car by today’s standards. Hard to believe I and friends used to ride to school in one lol.

M

 

[Giannis]

It did wonders for MB's reputation, though. The 190 series made MB accessible to many people and solidified MB's image. The 190E is still a common sight in our roads, even to this day.

 

[Rolf]

A great 190 brochure from about 1989.

 

[Merc1]

I just adored the latter years190E 2.6. I hadn’t driven or rode in anything that small that was so smooth and refined. It’s such a cute car to this day.

M

 

[Rolf]

Great brochure of the legendary car that started it all for compact performance cars for Mercedes.

The 1985 190E 2.3-16.

 

[Rolf]

The 190E 2.3-16 was a revolution for Mercedes in 1984/85. It was their first sports sedan in a very long time and paved the way forward for other small sports saloons from other brands such as the BMW M3 and later Audi S and RS models.

Some earlier road test comparison with the BMW M535i which in my opinion is not a true rival. The Mercedes W124 300E should be compared but maybe it was done due to the close price of the Mercedes to the BMW.

Would you believe this Mercedes had better handling than virtually any other saloon at the time including this legendary BMW? It was a real drivers car with superb ride and handling and with precise steering.

 

[Rolf]

Another comparison against a Porsche 944S

 

[Rolf]

Some pics of the famous race in 1984 where all the previous F1 world champs raced against each other in the same 190E 2.3-16 and one rookie named Ayrton Senna came and destroyed all of them and won the race.

 

[Rolf]

This must be one of the rarest W201 models in the world, a magnificent Schultz conversion 2dr convertible with a V8 engine shoved under the bonnet.

 

[Merc1]

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[Merc1]

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[Rolf]

If ever there was a car in the compact saloon class that was far ahead of its time, could probably be said of the legendary W201 190 range. This car combined top notch engineering and design that was dare I say, even ahead of the W126 at the time. A light weight (1100kg) body that was about 250 to 300kg lighter than the W123 combined with advanced aerodynamics (CD factor of 0.33) that was lower than the W126 (0.36) and a massive 30% lower than the W123 (0.45) and suspended by a super advanced 5-link multilink rear suspension made this car a revelation to drive with performance to match a much more powerful car just from a 90kw (122PS) 2.0 inline 4 engine (top speed 197km/h, 0-100 in 10.8sec were a close match to a 136kw (185PS) 280E) . Its handling was the best on any Mercedes model and even better than all the competition. The ride comfort was even better than the W123 and again the best out of all its rivals. It was also built in the same exemplary standards as higher priced models, solid as a bank vault. This car was built to last and surprisingly these cars are still on the roads today, more than 30 years after their production ended.

 

[Merc1]

This was when every Mercedes was built the same. I wonder what the cost would be today if they tried to go back to this practice. I so loved the 190E 2.6 Sportline, one of first Mercedes experiences.

M

 

[Mick Briesgau]

If ever there was a car in the compact saloon class that was far ahead of its time, could probably be said of the legendary W201 190 range. This car combined top notch engineering and design that was dare I say, even ahead of the W126 at the time. A light weight (1100kg) body that was about 250 to 300kg lighter than the W123 combined with advanced aerodynamics (CD factor of 0.33) that was lower than the W126 (0.36) and a massive 30% lower than the W123 (0.45) and suspended by a super advanced 5-link multilink rear suspension made this car a revelation to drive with performance to match a much more powerful car just from a 90kw (122PS) 2.0 inline 4 engine (top speed 197km/h, 0-100 in 10.8sec were a close match to a 136kw (185PS) 280E) . Its handling was the best on any Mercedes model and even better than all the competition. The ride comfort was even better than the W123 and again the best out of all its rivals. It was also built in the same exemplary standards as higher priced models, solid as a bank vault. This car was built to last and surprisingly these cars are still on the roads today, more than 30 years after their production ended.

The rear suspension was absolute top of the bill at that time (introduced 1982). I remember going with my brothers to the autoRAI in Amsterdam in 1983. There it was, the new "small" Mercedes, that was small in size, but great in being a true Mercedes-Benz. They had an openworked rear suspension on the show, to explain how the multilink suspension worked. A technical dream; better driving dynamics and better comfort.