The Mercedes-Benz W124 is a range of executive cars made by Daimler-Benz from 1984 to 1997. The range included numerous body configurations, and though collectively referred to as the W-124, official internal chassis designations varied by body style: saloon (W 124); estate (S 124); coupé (C 124); cabriolet (A 124); limousine (V 124); rolling chassis (F 124); and long-wheelbase rolling chassis (VF 124).
From 1993, the 124 series was officially marketed as the E-Class. The W 124 followed the 123 series from 1984 and was succeeded by the W 210 E-Class (saloons, estates, rolling chassis) after 1995, and the C 208 CLK-Class (coupés, and cabriolets) in 1997.
In North America, the W124 was launched in early November 1985 as a 1986 model and marketed through the 1995 model year. Pre-series production began at the beginning of November 1984, with press presentation on Monday, 26 November 1984 in Seville, Spain, and customer deliveries and European market launch starting in January 1985.
History
The W124 was a mid-sized vehicle platform, which entered planning in the autumn of 1976 under development Hans Scherenberg. In July 1977, the W124 program officially began, with research and development managed by newly appointed Werner Breitschwerdt. In April 1978, decisions were made to base it on the Mercedes-Benz W201 model program. By April 1979, a package plan was completed for the program, laying out the guidelines of the project. During the winter of 1980–1981, the final exterior for the W124 program was completed, chosen as the leading proposal by design director Bruno Sacco, and approved by the board of management in early 1981. By mid-1982, the first prototypes reflective of the production design, were assembled and sent to testing. In March 1984, pilot production commenced and development of the sedan concluded with engineering sign-off.
Front suspension used a separate spring and damper with a rubber top mount with control arms directly mounted to the body, without a subframe. The rear suspension of the W124 featured the Mercedes multi-link axle introduced in 1982 with the Mercedes W201 and which is now standard on many modern cars. Estate cars (and optionally, sedans and coupés) had Citroën-like rear self-leveling suspension with suspension struts rather than shock absorbers, gas-filled suspension spheres to provide damping and an under bonnet pressurizing pump. Unlike the traditional Citroën application, the Mercedes suspension system had a fixed ride height and employed rear coil springs to maintain the static ride height when parked.
The W124 was the first Mercedes series to be fitted with the iconic 15-hole, flat-faced alloy wheels characteristic of Mercedes-Benz cars of the 1980s and 1990s. The alloy wheels were nicknamed 'Gullideckel' or manhole covers, because they resemble manhole or drainage covers in Germany, which are consistently round in shape with a series of 15- or 16-holes around the outer edge, often within a concentric ring. Gullideckel wheels in a variety of diameter and offset specifications were later incorporated into the facelift versions of the W126 S-Class, R107 SL and W201 190E series, and were also the 'non-option' wheel on the R129 SL-Class roadster.
Much of the 124's engineering and many of its features were advanced automotive technology at its introduction, incorporating innovations that have been adopted throughout the industry. It had one of the lowest coefficient of drag (Cd) of any vehicle of the time (0.28 for the 200/200D model for the European market with 185/65 R15 tires) due to its aerodynamic body, that included plastic molding for the undercarriage to streamline airflow beneath the car, reducing fuel consumption and wind noise. It had a single windscreen wiper that had an eccentric mechanism at its base that extended the wiper's reach to the top corners of the windscreen (more than if it had traveled in a simple arc). The saloon/sedan, coupés and convertibles had optional rear headrests that would fold down remotely to improve rearward visibility when required. This feature was not available for the T-model because of its specific layout (no space to store the retractable headrests), but the estate serially came with a "neighbour-friendly" rear door that was pulled in the shut-position silently and automatically by a sensor-controlled servomotor. This allowed the use of a tighter fitting rear gate, minimizing the cabin noise in the T-model - sometimes an area of concern for station wagons.
The estate cars (chassis designation S124) came in 5 or 7-seat models, the 7-seater having a rear-facing bench seat that folded flush luggage compartment cover and an optional (in the US until 1994) retractable cargo net. To provide a flat loading floor with the seat folded down, the T-model's rear seat squab was mounted about higher than in saloons, robbing rear seat passengers of some head room. The S124 estate continued in production alongside the new W210 until the S210 estate launched more than a year later. A two-door coupé version was also built, with the chassis designation C124.
The E 320, E 220, and E 200 cabriolets ceased production in 1997. Indian assembly (in a joint-venture with Telco called Mercedes-Benz India) began in March 1995. Offered with five-cylinder diesel engines built by Mercedes' Indian partner Bajaj Tempo, the W124 was replaced there in December 1997.
Models
Initial launch range Upon launch of serial production in January 1985 (the sedan went on sale in December 1984), the range consisted of seven models, to replace the seven W123 models in production (200, 230E, 250, 280E, 200D, 240D, 300D).
The four cylinder petrol range consisted of the M102 powered 200 and 230E models. Both were carried over from the previous generation but with refined timing and compression ratios for better performance. The former had the 1997cc engine with the Stromberg 175 CDT carburetor, and the latter, bored out to 2299 cc, had the Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection. The six cylinder petrol range had the 260E and 300E models. Unlike the predecessors, which had two different engines, these were now powered by the new M103 of 2599 and 2962cc displacements, differing only in cylinder bore size. The diesel range was manifested by the 200D, 250D, and 300D with the new OM601, OM602, and OM603 engine series in four, five, and six-cylinder configurations. All of the engines represented the modular OHC design with a 15° incline. Petrol motors featured breakerless transistorised TSZ ignition. Diesels had the mechanical injection with Bosch fuel pump/distributor. Standard was the 4 speed manual transmission, except on the six-cylinder models which had the overdrive 5 speed, available as option for others. The W4A 020 (722.4) 4-speed automatic was also available as an option for all except the 300E, which had the stronger W4A 040 (722.3). Power steering was standard on all models. Optional were the rear adjustable and self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension mixed with coil springs and anti-lock braking system.
1985: Estates, emissions and exports
In July the range gained another model, the 200E, only for the Italian market. This fuel injected variant of the 200 was meant to suit Italy's tax rates which were based on engine displacement – making it essential to have a more powerful offering beneath the significant 2,000 cc threshold. This version came standard with a five-speed manual transmission or with an optional automatic.
The estate, S124, went on sale in September 1985, repeating most of the sedan's range with the 200T, 230TE, 300TE, 200TD, and 250TD models. However, it lacked the 2.6-litre M103 and the 3 litre OM603. The latter, 300TD, would join the lineup a year later.
Sales to the United States for the 1986 Model year began in autumn with the sole offering of the 300E sedan in both five-speed and automatic versions. Mercedes-Benz had to modify production for the US market to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) automotive emission control regulations and the US Department of Transportation passenger safety regulations. The W124 design incorporated most of these requirements from the beginning, meaning that the only visible cue for American-destined W124s were the rectangular sealed-beam headlights. Although the US cars were still 100 kg heavier than their European counterparts, engine performance was identical for the duration of production.
While the United States strictly enforced its emission control laws, the European Community's dedication to emission control was much more lax. The 1970 70/220/EEC directive would slowly evolve into the European emission standards that came into effect in January 1993 as the Euro 1, with mandatory catalytic converters on petrol-engined cars. This gave automotive producers plenty of time to adjust their production to comply with these requirements. Mercedes-Benz began doing so in September 1985, marking its vehicles with three labels: ECE, retroactively applied to unmodified vehicles; KAT, applied to those equipped with the three-way catalytic converter; and RÜF (Rückrüstfahrzeug, which loosely translates as 'retrofit vehicle'), engineered for later installation of the catalytic converter. Engines equipped with catalytic converters also got the EZL ignition system, where distributor advance would now be governed by the ECU taking into account crankshaft and throttle positions, intake vacuum, and air and coolant temperatures, as opposed to the analogue vacuum-driven ignition advance of the TSZ. Only the carburetted 200 and 200T models remained in their original ECE versions.
The effect of the different emissions modifications varied according to type and engine, with the six-cylinders losing up to 10 hp (in part from having their compression ratio decreased) and gaining up to 50 kg in weight, with acceleration, top speed, and fuel expenditure suffering accordingly.
1986: Turbos and catalysts The transitional state for optional catalytic converters ended in September 1986, when they became standard, but the RÜF version would remain a discount option in certain markets. This included the carburettor fed 200 and 200T models, which gained a new double barrel Pierburg 2EE downdraft carburettor and EZL ignition.
For the American 1987 MY, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Garret T3 Turbocharger on the OM603, resulting in the 300D Turbo and 300TD Turbo models, initially only available in the United States. These were seen as successors to the 300D Turbodiesel W123 range, which was the sole representative of that car in the United States from model year 1984 through 1986. Also for 1987, the 5 speed manual option was pulled out for the 300E sedan, leaving all American cars as automatics.
It was during this time that Mercedes-Benz became increasingly concerned at the abundance of "grey market" imports. The US legislature not only allowed for registration of privately bought foreign car, but also for third parties to officially import the cars for distribution without paying any commissions to the official dealers. Prior to 1980 the scale was superficial, but as the EPA and CAFE regulations put severe restrictions, compelling Mercedes-Benz to abandon on its petrol engine range of all save the flagship models, grey import dealers filled the void. By 1985 60,000 vehicles were being imported into the United States, with every third being a Mercedes.
With the launch of the W124 model (and parallel new generation of motors for the S-class and the SL) whose performance was now equal to the models on the home market, Mercedes-Benz pursued a multi-million US dollar congressional lobbying campaign that would ultimately manifest in the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act effectively banning private import of all vehicles less than 25 years old.
1987: Coupés and 4Matics