The Mercedes 190E Was The Baby Benz To Beat BMW! (1992 1.8 Automatic Road Test)
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- čas přidán 9. 08. 2022
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The W201 gave Mercedes an answer to the BWM 3 Series, particularly the E30. But could the 190E beat BMW on their home turf? Joe took a drive to find out!
Thanks to Kim Cairns Classic Cars for loan of this car: www.kimcairnsclassics.co.uk/
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I love these, and have been toying with the idea of running one as a daily. I much prefer these over modern Mercs……..
A charming car and completely first class. Produced when MB still made very good cars; built by engineers and not accountants…….unlike today sadly.
They legit gave the engineers coke when they made these
Not made by accountants either ... the marketing department took over.
My son has just bought one and had a ride in it today! Fabulous car.
My '92 109e 2.6 auto Sportline is the bomb. I often say "she handles like a BMW and rides like a Mercedes Benz." Best of both worlds.
I just bought a1993 190e 2.3 automatic on eBay, can't wait to get her home. It needs some love and TLC, but ready to bring it back to it's former glory! Dark green with tan leather interior. I hope I didn't make a mistake! Great video review!
Early in my driving history, I’ve had two of these. Absolutely loved them. Quite fancy getting one again as a play thing, something to cherish and keep looking lovely.
I love the steering/handling on my W201 (190D). An example worthy of my remembrance. It was in the middle of a 140 mile trip home to family, cruising at around 70 mph on the freeway/motorway at night and noticed a BIG obstacle (after the fact, I think it was a dead animal), right smack in the middle of my inner lane. A few cars a couple hundred meters behind. I had 50 meters/1,5 second to react. As a result of routine and great composition, I appropriately and controllably jerked the steering wheel to the right (direction of emergency lane). The left front shock did its work brilliantly (along with the right shock and the anti-roll geometry). This car is not very wide and so If I remember correctly, I only touched the rumbling stripes, but never crossed. I avoided the obstacle by shifting the car about 1 meter to the right, to the right edge of my lane within 0,75 to 1 second, on low beam at dark night. The beam drops 1%.
In my opinion - the steering and handling is amazing and predictable, when routine is achieved. Edit: It was a couple weeks ago.
When Mercedes made great cars! Sold by the bucket load. Every Taxi driver in Spain had one, Oh and Hans Gruber in Die Hard ;) The first A class was great too and I would say that was the last, great car Mercedes made.
Coolest feature introduced mono wiper
My Dad had one in 1991. Solid build. Quality motor.
I have one as my daily and runs like an absolute champion. Suspension is so soft and has no trouble whatsoever day-to-day. Reasonably quick compared to my W123 240D.
A W123 240D will make anything seem quick! I challenge anyone to drive one and not feel compelled to check whether the handbrake is still on
I have a 190e 2.6 & a E30 325i ( cabriolet). On paper they are similar in line straight six engines, similar power & weight but the driving experience is completely different with each one. I use the 190e as my daily and the E30 as my " fun" car. You would be disappointed if you swapped them around as this is where character comes in.
Don't ask me which is better as it's like saying which of my children I prefer.
What I would say is that I agree the 190e ( not necessarily the " Cosworth") still represents a bargain if you avoid a rusty one. Bit of a generalization but I think the cost of the 190e when new meant it was owned by people who didn't scrimp on servicing & maintenance. They also tended to find their way into the hands of owners who enjoyed the build quality and viewed the car as an asset.
They are also a car that makes you feel like you have bought something special. Only other 190e owners understand how you can own a car so good for so little outlay.
You didn’t bring your 190E to Festival of the Unexceptional by any chance, did you?
@@64bakes .Yep. Nautical blue. Was totally eclipsed by the Citroen BX GT next to me which was like catnip !😃
@@kevinbray9550 ah, then we chatted! I had the red E30 and came over for a chat about your car (I think you were on the end of your row by the trees, if I'm not mistaken!)
@@64bakes . Yes I recall you & your car. A red E30 will always be a head turner.
I've been running the 1990 'G' on my channel for 18 months now and I'd agree that the ride quality puts moderns to shame and the build quality has stood the test of time. Mine's a 2.0 and the on paper difference with the 1.8 is minimal but in reality it seems more to have more torque and works well with the auto. They were well rustproofed and have few weak spots and to top it all many parts are still available from your local MB dealer and are surprisingly well priced. I'd only swap mine for a very specific 2.6 pre facelift.
Many years ago my dad had a 190 2 litre diesel. Started his love affair with Mercedes which continues to this day. He's on his 7th Mercedes in a row now.
I remember when they were new. A family friend had a red one like the one in the video.
I had the chance of buying an absolutely mint condition 2L automatic 190E with 85K on the clock for just £900 15 yrs ago from a dealer I knew, but to my eternal regret, I didn't 😭 because I'd spent a fair bit on an E34 BMW 525 TDS auto estate I'd owned for about 2yrs!
Great cars
I owned a 1990 190E 2.6 in the late 90s. Lovely car. Burnt a little oil because of faulty valve stem seals - known issue.
One of the best cars ever manufactured the Quality was and is legendary. Sad to see the plastic bling garbage they make now.
ABS became standard in 1989 but was already (though be it an expensive) optional extra before.
I wasn't aware that you could have burl walnut wood on the 190E. At least, I've never seen one with it. The only wood trim I've seen on a 190E was Zebrano wood, and even then, only on the centre console. Was this optional? Something that was added to later models of the 190E? I've noticed that the cabin of the W201 can sometimes look very austere, so having burl walnut wood trim on the dash and doors is a very nice change.
Had a 2.6 and the 2.5 Cossie. Solid as you can get
I love the 190E. I am going to buy one when i get the license.
Excellent review, thanks! I owned and loved both the BMW E30 and the Mercedes W201. How I wish I still had both...
Hello. I have a pet baboon.
What a meaningful comment... :( @@johntate5050
As a BMW guy I freely concede that the 201 is a better car than an E30 no question. The only problem is that the parts where M-B were not as good as BMW involved driver involvement and there is no question about that either, excepting the 16V. BTW it did not "dominate" the DTE because BMW actually won more races. But it was close.
I had a hankering for a 190E , but found the wheel too low to get fully comfortable. So ended up with a W124 coupe - which uses the same suspension set up. Just beware of rust around the jacking points!
I'd agree with most of that. There was a 190 as well with a carb - the 190E was the more expensive injection version. These had a better ride than an E30 but they were competent as opposed to fun to drive - like a really well made Sierra. The 6 cylinder E30 was always a sweeter drive and the 2.6 Merc engine was never as good as a 323i or 325i. When BMW launched the E36 in 1991 it was game over really. The 190 was a very good car though and better than the rot prone C Class that replaced it. Values are still low because they are just a bit dull. The 190E Cosworth was interesting but not in the same ballpark as either the E30 M3 or the Sierra in terms of fun. Like every other 190....very good but just missing that spark.
No, the C was called the Baby Benz when it was introduced. The E was the "standard" sized car - as it had been in the days of the Ponton Mercedes.
nice job man!
Brilliant car.
Kept ours from almost new. 👍🏻🏴
Very pretty "classy" car in its day, and it's aged very well.
I have always liked these.
Another great review. My preference would be the 2.6 inline 6 with perhaps the sportline chassis if I had the money. Thanks
Yes that would be my choice too. Someone in Netherlands fit the M120 V12 in there. Very impressive…
@@siegfriedbarfuss9379 - wow I have heard that someone managed to shoehorn in a M113 4.3 V8 and I thought that must have been a tight fit (perhaps they managed to modify the W201's engine bay to accomodate the bigger and wider engine - I sure hope they managed to uprate the brakes and suspension.....) but a V12 is another thing entirely. Best wishes - Neil.
Shouldn’t of been called the 109E in homage to the Daimler Benz 601 and BMW should of got the 190 designation for using the BMW 801 in the FW190A lol
Great cars though and although Mercedes haven’t produced anything as good since the 190 it’s lived off it’s laurels of conceived build quality ever since and the same can be said for BMW with the E36.
I thought I didn’t recognise the roads this time lol.
Love mine, best I've owned.
best merc
The W201 would make a wicked EV swap! I mean, Mercedes already did it in a way almost identical to the way we do ev swaps now. Just with older style batteries. Look up Mercedes 201 electric for videos.
Quality car❤❤
And that's why i choose Mercedes instead of a BMW....
So the E30 is more desirable and way more expensive, but the vast majority of them are both to be made into drift cars...ok. Buying an appreciating classic just to ruin the value by modifying it seems legit.
Now you've a few quid the seicento will be swapped for one of these.... Not!
The 190E didn't hold a candle to the E30 ... that's why they only cost 2k and the E30 way more!
Hey man! Im planning to buy the 190E, 1.8, 5 speed manual, and make it into a drift build. Should i go for it? Would love your thoughts on it ! :)
We personally wouldn't build one into a drift car, but they're tough, handle well and RWD, so they've got the makings of one. Just start with a shabby example, please ;)
@@ClassicsWorldUK Aah! Thank you so much for the reply!!! I'll try for a shabby example 😳✌️
Beautiful cars. We have 4 late models . Rog.
Here in portugal there so many 190D still running...bmw not so much. Beautiful but expensive.....
i had a 190e in the family for 23yrs before it got written off a few years ago. just wouldn't die and cost pennies to maintain
I have the one in my profile
Gosh this is ugly