W124 History (Part 2 of 3-part W124/W201 series)

[Greg]

This is Part 2 of a series of 3 articles I wrote in 2004 covering the W124 and W201 models for "Das Rundschreiben", the magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club (NSW) Inc.


W124 History
By Greg – Mercedes-Benz Club (NSW) Inc. - W124 & W201 Registrar

In the last issue of Das Rundschreiben I covered the history of the W201, one of the series of Mercedes-Benz vehicles featured at the technical forum I conducted back in May 2004. The other series covered on that day was the W124 series. In this issue I will cover the history of the W124.

The W124 was launched late in 1984 as a replacement for the mid-sized W123 series. Some model designations carried over from the W123 while others were new. The petrol engines in the W124 models 200 and 230E were the M102 units introduced into the W123 series a few years earlier. These single overhead camshaft fours were also being used in the W201 series. The 200 had the same 2 litre with carburettor as the W201 190 and the 230E had a 2.3 litre with Bosch continuous fuel injection.

All new to the W124 was the single overhead camshaft, 3 litre, 12 valve, six cylinder M103. This engine was introduced as a replacement for the ageing 2.8 litre twin-cam M110 in the W123 model 280E. It was derived from the M102 four (shared bore and stroke with the 2 litre) and was fed by similar Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection. The W124 with the new engine was logically badged 300E. Compared to the old M110 it was more powerful, more fuel efficient, lighter and produced lower emissions. The 140kW (188hp) of the early versions without exhaust catalyst propelled the 300E from rest to 100km/h in around 8 seconds and onto a maximum speed of around 220km/h. Also new in the W124 were the diesel powered, four cylinder 200D, five cylinder 250D and six cylinder 300D. Engines were longitudinally mounted and power was transmitted via 4 or 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic transmissions to the rear wheels. As was customary for Mercedes-Benz, automatics started in second gear to provide a smoother start and prevent wheel-spin on icy roads. First gear could be called on with either wide throttle openings or by shifting the selector to 2.

Suspension front and rear was virtually identical to that introduced with the W201 a couple of years earlier. In the front were shock absorber struts with lower control arms and inboard springs and anti-roll bars. Rear suspension was by coil springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bar and the five links per side that brought revolutionary ride and road-holding to the W201. Steering continued with proven power-assisted recirculating ball. Wheels were all 15 inches diameter by 6.5 inches wide in either steel or optional alloy in the 15 hole smooth-faced design. Tyres were 195 wide 65 profile radials.

At 4.74 metres in length, the W124 was essentially a scaled-up version of the W201, sharing many components and bearing a similar appearance and styling. Interior appointments and both standard and optional features were slightly more up-market than those of the W201, consistent with the higher prices of the W124. Being larger and heavier, it offered improved space and comfort but gave away a little of the sharp handling of the W201. Handling was still superb and way ahead of any other comparable sedans of the era. Indeed, the whole package combining good performance, handling, fuel efficiency, comfort, smoothness, quietness, space efficiency and good looks earned the new 300E the title of the best sedan in the world by many motoring journalists at the time. Compared with the W123 that it replaced, the W124 was a huge step forward.

In 1985 a very practical wagon was added to the W124 range. Models included the 200T, 230TE, 300TE, 200TD, 250TD and 300TD. Following the success of the T-series wagons in the W123 it was logical that the W124 have a range of wagons. Many practical improvements were made, and sitting on essentially the same suspension as the sedans, meant the same superb handling and comfort was available to those who required more space. Wheelbase was the same as the sedan although the body was marginally longer at 4.765 metres. Rear brakes and suspension were upgraded to accommodate the extra load capacity of the wagon and the optional self-levelling rear ride height of the sedan was standard fitment on the wagon. The third row seat option (standard in Australia) provided a seating capacity of seven. All the passenger seats could be folded to provide a flat load floor or removed completely to allow further luggage capacity. Nice touches included a retractable luggage safety net and cover to conceal your load and a tailgate with a power closing aid to avoid the need to slam it shut.

Also new in 1985 were the all wheel drive 4-Matic models available in the 300E, 300D, 300TE and 300TD. This was an on-demand system that, by way of hydraulic controls, directed some power to the front wheels should slippery surface conditions require it. Unlike traditional four wheel drive vehicles, ride height was the same as the rear wheel drive versions. 4-Matic models were not available in Australia.

1985 was also the year that the W124 was released in Australia. Only the 230E and 300E sedans were initially available. In 1986 the 230TE wagon was also released locally. An additional petrol sedan, the 260E, was also released, powered by the 2.6 litre version of the M103 six that also went into the W201 190E-2.6. Equipment specification and price was lower than that of the 300E. Whilst the engine was identical in appearance to that in the 300E, the automatic transmission was different, being the same unit as fitted to the 190E and 230E. The 3.27:1 final drive ratio was also shared with the 190E-2.6 and 300TE unlike the 300E with its 3.07:1 differential.

1987 saw the addition of the 230CE & 300CE two door, four seat, coupes. This stylish coupe body concealed the fact that it shared many of the sedan body panels by way of more steeply raked front and rear windscreens, lower roof line, long doors with frameless windows and lack of a B-pillar. Also new was the plastic lower body cladding creating a two-tone colour scheme which also added colour to the lower bumper sections, front and rear. The coupes sat on a shorter wheelbase than the sedans and wagons and were shorter overall at 4.655 metres. Seating was provided for four, the well contoured rear seats being divided by a timber covered storage console matching the console in the front. A nice touch was the mechanism that presented the seat belt to the shoulder of each of the front seat occupants, as was first seen in the big W126 coupe. Front seats also had taller back rests than those of the sedan. These back rests automatically released to tilt forward for rear seat access when the doors were opened. Most coupes, especially Australian delivered versions, were well optioned with features such as electric memory seats upholstered in leather. The 230CE was never available here.

Also in 1987, a turbo-charged version of the six cylinder, 3 litre diesel became available as the 300D-Turbo and in 1988 turbo-charging was added to the five cylinder diesel to become the 250D-Turbo. This model, like the 300D-Turbo, could be identified by the additional air intake vents in the front, right mudguard forward of the wheel arch. In the same year the 2 litre M102 from the 190E was introduced to the W124 to become the 200E.

Late in 1989 the plastic lower body cladding and two-tone colour scheme of the coupes was added to the sedans and wagons (as had also become the case with the W201 series). Previously unpainted bumpers were now painted to match the lower body cladding (excluding the protective inserts) and external mirrors were painted in body colour. In addition, all the W124 models gained chrome highlights to the exterior and additional timber to the interior in addition to different seat upholstery. Many other less noticeable and technical improvements were also introduced at this time and these became known as the update models.

Along with the update, modifications to the 3 litre M103 saw the addition of a 24 valve cylinder head with twin overhead camshafts and variable valve timing on the inlet camshaft. This engine was designated the M104. It was available locally in the 300E-24 (in addition to the 12-valve 300E) and in the 300CE-24 (which replaced the 300CE). Overseas a 300TE-24 also became available. Up to 170kW was available from this engine and when coupled with a 5-speed transmission, impressive performance was available. Australian 300CE-24 coupes had a 5-speed automatic as standard. To tame the extra performance, all W124s with the M104 gained the larger rear brakes previously only fitted to the wagons, and larger front discs with 4-piston calipers in place of the single-piston floating calipers of the lower powered versions.

As was the case with the W201, a Sportline package was made available in the W124 in 1989. The suspension was lower and firmer with less body roll and wheels were wider at 7 inches and fitted with 205/60R15 tyres. A more direct steering ratio and smaller steering wheel allowed faster steering response. Front seats offered greater side support and in the sedan the individual rear seats separated by the timber console (as fitted to the coupes) were optionally available instead of the bench seat for three. Sportline badges and gear selector completed the package. As was the case with the W201 Sportlines, W124 Sportlines are fairly rare in Australia and whilst all W124 body variants were available as Sportlines overseas, I am unaware on any wagon versions here. The 5-speed manual was offered with either the conventional overdrive 5-speed shift pattern or the dog-leg first gear pattern as seen in the 16 valve versions of the 190E. Unfortunately, all Australian six cylinder W124s were automatics.

1990 saw the introduction of the limited addition M119, 32-valve V8 powered 500E. This left-hand-drive only model was a joint effort between Daimler-Benz and Porsche. In addition to obvious visible changes such as flared mudguards to accommodate the wide wheels and tyres, the 500E had thousands of subtle differences to the other W124 models. With the 5 litre engine of the 500SL but less weight, the 500E offered more performance and better handling than the SL. This was a supercar in a sedan package, albeit with seating for only four as a result of the Sportline seating.

In 1991 another left-hand-drive only model for the North American market became available in the form of the 400E. This model did not have the modifications of the 500E and was powered by the smaller 4.2 litre version of the M119 four-cam V8. With very tall gearing the 400E was aimed more at effortless high speed cruising than the brutal acceleration of the 500E. Both V8 models ran with vented (as opposed to solid) brake discs at the rear to account for the additional performance. Most versions of the W124 had vented front discs. At around this time the 260E was also rebadged to become the 300E-2.6.

The following year, the 2 valves per cylinder M102 fours and M103 sixes were discontinued (except for the 4-Matics which continued with the M103). A new 16-valve twin-cam four was introduced as the M111 in 2 and 2.2 litre displacements. The 24 valve M104 was now available in 2.8 and 3.2 litre capacities and like the new M111, was fed with sequential electronic (HFM) fuel injection. Direct ignition (with multiple coils and without a distributor) was now employed. Four cylinder models now included the 200E, 200TE, 220E, 220CE and 220TE. Six cylinder models were badged differently in different markets, but included 280E, 280TE, 300E-2.8, 300TE-2.8, 300E-3.2, 300CE-3.2, 300TE-3.2, 320E, 320CE and 320TE. The 3.2 M104 at around 163kW was no more powerful than the 3 litre M104 but produced its power at lower engine speeds and turned out a worthwhile 310Nm of torque. Again, not all models were available in Australia. All 4-speed automatic transmissions now utilised a first gear start whereas the 5-speed autos retained a second gear start. 1992 also saw the addition of a fourth W124 body variant, a four seat cabriolet derived from the coupe. The cabriolet shared the badging of the coupes. Around this time the newer 8-hole alloy wheels replaced the previous 15-hole style.

1993 saw the next update and new badging, consistent with the newly released C-Class and rebadged S-Class. The W124 was now officially the E-Class and the simplified badging reflected this. All W124 body variants were now simply badged E220, E250, E280, E300, E320, E420 and E500. The badging change was also accompanied by the final update to the W124. This time interiors were essentially unchanged but exterior changes included a smaller chrome grill surround with a section of the bonnet extending down between the grill and headlights. The Mercedes star was now mounted on the bonnet rather than the grill surround. Front turn signals changed from amber to clear and rear turn signals gained a smoked appearance rather than amber. The previously unpainted black bumper protectors were now painted in the same colour as the rest of the bumper and lower body cladding.

The W124 then continued unchanged until it was replaced by the W210 E-Class in 1995. With this new 4 headlight model being only available initially as a sedan meant that the W124 wagons & coupes continued into 1996 and the cabriolets ran into 1997. The W124 was among the longest running and successful chassis series produced by Daimler-Benz and certainly their longest running volume produced sedan. It also boasted the greatest number of body variants and models of any Mercedes-Benz series. This is without including special versions such as ambulances, long wheelbase limousines or limited production and modified models. Many such interesting modified versions were produced by specialist groups including AMG. These ranged from a 200kW 3.4 litre version of the M104 through to the 6 litre modified version of the M117 V8 of the W124 "Hammer". The late W124 model line up also included the first version of 3.6 litre M104 in the AMG E36, a badging convention that was to become standard on all AMG models. The E36 was produced mainly in coupes and wagons since plenty of performance was already available in the E500 sedan.

In the next issue of Das Rundschrieben, the third in this series of articles will cover issues to be aware of when looking at a W124 or W201 model as a prospective purchase. I will also cover aspects of ownership including strengths and weaknesses of both the W201 and W124.