Mercedes-Benz W124
| Mercedes-Benz W124 | |
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Mercedes-Benz 300 E (W124) sedan
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Mercedes-Benz (Daimler-Benz) |
| Production | November 1984 – July 1995 (sedan) October 1985 – June 1996 (estate) April 1987 – late 1996 (coupé) March 1992 – July 1997 (convertible) |
| Model years |
1985–1996 2,562,143 built |
| Assembly |
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| Designer | Bruno Sacco (1981, 1982) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size luxury / Executive car (E) |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door estate 2-door coupé 2-door convertible 6-door limousine |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission |
Automatic 4-speed 4G-TRONIC 5-speed 722.5 Manual 4-speed 5-speed |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | Sedan & estate: 110.2 in (2,799 mm) Coupé: 106.9 in (2,715 mm) Limo: 141.7 in (3,599 mm) |
| Length | Estate: 188.2 in (4,780 mm) Sedan: 187.2 in (4,755 mm) Coupé: 183.9 in (4,671 mm) Limo: 218.1 in (5,540 mm) |
| Width | 68.5 in (1,740 mm) E500 Sedan: 70.7 in (1,796 mm) |
| Height | Estate: 59.8 in (1,519 mm) Sedan: 56.3 in (1,430 mm) Coupé: 55.5 in (1,410 mm) Convertible: 54.8 in (1,392 mm) E500 Sedan: 55.4 in (1,407 mm) Limo: 58.3 in (1,481 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3927 lb (500 E) 3826 lb (400 E) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Mercedes-Benz W123 |
| Successor |
Mercedes-Benz W210 (sedan & estate) Mercedes-Benz W208 (coupé & convertible) |
1985–1996
W124 is the Mercedes-Benz internal chassis-designation for the 1984 to 1995/96 version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, as well as the first generation to be officially referred to as E-Class. The W124 models replaced the W123 models after 1984 and were succeeded by the W210 E-Class after 1995.
In North America, the W124 was sold for the 1985 through 1996 model years.
The W124 is a mid-sized vehicle platform. Due to the high cost of German engineering and build quality, the W124 was designed to last many miles, with awards actually given and worn by high mileage versions.
Front suspension uses a separate spring and damper with a rubber top mount. The rear suspension of the W124 features the Mercedes multi-link axle introduced in 1982 with the Mercedes 190 and which is now standard on many modern cars. Estate cars (and optionally, saloons and coupés) had Citroen-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 Mercedes opted for a fixed ride height and employed rear coil springs to maintain the static ride height when parked.
The R129 SL roadster was based on the W124 platform, and in return, W124 was equipped with one of the roadster's engines, which comprised the 500 E.
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. With the exception of the 200, which was equipped with a Stromberg or Pierburg carburetor but was not available to the United States, fuel injection was standard, and the engines incorporated features that maximised performance. The most notable such feature was the addition of an oxygen sensor in the exhaust system which, in conjunction with a semi-electronic fuel injection system, could make the engine run more efficiently. This improved fuel consumption while simultaneously meeting stricter emission regulations. Mercedes-Benz's four-wheel drive system, the 4Matic was first introduced on the W124 in 1987.
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Wikipedia