Mercedes-Benz · 1985–1997

Mercedes-Benz type 124

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.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Mercedes-Benz W123 · Successor: Mercedes-Benz C208|Mercedes-Benz W210

All Mercedes-Benz type 124 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

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 cove

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 varia

Commercial vehicles

As with its predecessors, the W124 platform was adapted for many speciality vehicles. Co-designed with the Binz company, a stretched six-door version was unveiled in 1989. The V124 had an 800 mm long insert at the B-pillar with an additional pair of doors and a forward facing seat bench. Production of the V124 250 D and 260 E began in May 1990, with the latter replaced by the 280 E in July 1992 and re-branded as the E 280 in August 1993. The former got the OM 605 engine of the standard sedan at the August 1993 facelift and also re-branded as the E 250 Diesel. A total of 2,342 six-door limousines were built before production halted in July 1994. Unlike the predecessors, which were based on the sedans, the higher roofline of the S124 estate made it the more suitable basis for commercial chassis such as ambulances, hearses, vans and motorhomes by speciality companies, such as the aforementioned Binz and also C.Miesen, Visser, Rappold, Pollmann, Stolle, Welsch, and others. These were available in short (F124) and long (VF124) wheelbases, with the latter being 650 mm longer. Parent models were the petrol 230 E and 260 E and the diesel 250 D. The latter two were replaced by the 280 E/E 280 and the OM605 motor E 250 Diesel respectively. A total of 1,266 SWB and 5,132 LWB chassis were built by the end of 1995.

Technical parameters

The table gives preproduction to end of production as per Daimler. Daimler lists November 1984 as the start of production for the series but also lists 1985 as part of preproduction for any specific early model. No regular deliveries occurred in 1984.The W124 was also offered as a long wheelbase saloon targeted for taxi companies, but the more luxury equipped version was also used as a limousine. Dimensions and weight. === Models === Engines.

Build quality

The W124 gained a good reputation for reliability. In 1995 the diesel engined version topped the "upper middle class" category in a reliability survey of 4–6-year-old cars undertaken by the German Automobile Association (ADAC), with 11.8 recorded breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles for four-year-old cars and 21.6 for six-year-old ones: this compared with 14.6 breakdowns per 1,000 cars for four-year-old Audi 100s and 27.3 for six-year-old big Audis.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Mercedes-Benz W124
Manufacturer: Daimler-Benz
Production: Sedan: January 1985 – August 1995, 2em (2,213,140 ex.), Estate: October 1985 – February 1996, 2em (333,227 ex.), Coupé: April 1987 – March 1996, 2em (141,498 ex.), Cabriolet: March 1992 – July 1997, 2em (33,952 ex.), Total: 2,721,817 ex., excluding commercial chassis
Predecessor: Mercedes-Benz W123
Successor: Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210) (sedan/estate), Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class (C208) (coupé/cabriolet)
Class: Executive car/Grand tourer (E/S)
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Body style: 4-door sedan, 5-door estate, 2-door coupé, 2-door cabriolet, 6-door limousine
Related: Mercedes-Benz E-Class , Ssangyong Chairman
Assembly: Germany: Bremen; Rastatt; Sindelfingen; Zuffenhausen, Poland: Karczew, South Africa: Eastern Cape, India: Pune (TELCO), Mexico: Toluca, Indonesia: Bogor Regency, Wanaherang, Malaysia: Johor Bahru (OASB)
Wheelbase: saloon/estate: 110.2 in, coupé/convertible: 106.9 in, limousine: 141.7 in
Length: saloon: 187.2 in, estate: 188.2 in, coupé: 183.9 in, limo: 218.1 in
Width: 68.5 in, 500 E saloon: 70.7 in
Kerb weight: 3826 lb (400 E), 3927 lb (500 E)
Height: estate: 59.8 in, saloon: 56.3 in, 500 E saloon: 55.4 in, coupé: 55.5 in, convertible: 54.8 in, limo: 58.3 in
Engine: Petrol Diesel
Transmission: Automatic, 4-speed 4G-Tronic, 5-speed 4G-Tronic 722.5, Manual, 4-speed (floor or column), 5-speed (floor)
Designer: Joseph Gallitzendörfer and Peter Pfeiffer (initial design), Bruno Sacco (final design)