The Mercedes 190E We Should've Gotten - One Take
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- A few months ago we featured a drive in a bone stock, U.S.-spec Mercedes 190E. It was fine, and felt solid, but it wasn't...fun. It didn't explain the legendary status of the 190E. Then we were offered this one, which is lighter, stiffer, and a bit faster.
The 190E is a very important car in history, because without its existence, we would not have gotten fast sedans like the M3, the RS4. This is the car that started it all, a car that won on the track and forced BMW to build the E30 M3.
Watch the other 190E video here: • Why the Mercedes 190E ...
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The Mercedes 190E 2.3 16v is the stuff of legend. It is arguable that without its existence we wouldn't have cars like the M3, RS4 and S4. Mercedes spent 6 years and many billions developing it, building it strong enough to race in WRC. That never happened, but that engineering gave us a strong, over-built car that was quick, comfortable, and fun to drive. It was a compact sedan that rode like a Mercedes and had a heart at the track. It's an important car, and finally, we get to drive one.
To answer some of your questions, Zack: US 2.3-16s had only 3 options available (sunroof, which was no charge, heated front seats, and rear headrests.) They came fully loaded with A/C, climate control, power seats etc and weighed 3030 lb (Mercedes' figure. The test cars from the magazines were right around there.) Euro cars had no "packages" - they were built a la carte. So this car isn't actually "missing" any items, it was just ordered without. And for perspective, the outside temp gauge the owner was talking about cost DM 180 for early 1985 models. Sunroof was DM 1290, rear dome light was DM 80. Regular A/C was DM 3330 (automatic climate control like the US got wasn't available on the Euro 2.3-16. On other models, it was a staggering DM 4000. All of these prices are plus tax, which was 14% in Germany then. So think: A/C was DM 3800 on top of a car that cost DM 55,150 already. The US car cost $38k the next year when it debuted. Insanely expensive stuff...
God damned..Mercedes made a handsome car back then...
NO_EYES_ON_ME they really did!
Agreed!!
Brunno Sacco baby
Mercedes has always nailed it. But yes the 190e is classic.
190E is a classic, vastly superior to the first generation C-Class.
Man I want a 190E Cosworth Evo II
laowhy86 there was one for sale in Germany in October 2018. €125K euro.
Are the import rules flexible in PRC?
Jack Greaves Where is PRC? China?
Yep, PRC: Peoples Republic of China, ROC: Republic of China aka Taiwan.
Jack Greaves i don’t know. Have never been there.
I've got a 93 300e on air ride currently. I've owned nearly 100 cars/ trucks in my life and my Benz is no doubt the funnest most reliable and surprisingly snappy car I've owned. I drive 40ish miles one way to work up and down some serious canyons and have never had to do a single thing other than fluid changes and tires... Truly underrated cars!
Damn, the exhaust note is really nice right at the start :o
Props to the owner for a well sorted car with thought out modifications
Lovin' that interior.
for me THIS is the most iconic Mercedez-Benz car that represents the badge ! Perfection !
Hi I totally agree that's why I have 4 190e s.rog. Pacific sunset records.
9:08 still waiting for that queued drive by.
Lmaooooo
me too
The 190E 2.3-16, like the E30 M3, are incredible gems. It's the car that Mercedes chose to officially return to circuit racing; was famously driven by a young guy named Senna to victory over legendary F1 champions; and set world endurance records at Nardo. Congratulations to this owner for showing that 80's four cylinder technology can still be relevant today.
Damn that thing is clean.
jacob portillo agreed
I just picked up a Euro spec 190e 2.0 5speed manual. I learned a lot about these the past few months but this video had a lot I didn't know. Starting to rebuild mine now on my channel and can't wait to get it back on the road.
I like this new presenter's tendency to start nerding a little deeper about whats in these cars...
Its a waste of money and time. Just put in a stand alone ECU and tune a US spec car any way you want. Clown town. Better yet take a M104 put in a reliable Garret turbo and get 400hp without a sweat.
@@Tsalinger It's not that easy especially if you want to race in any heritage classes. They only allow certain modifications and the Jetronic ECU that came with the US models is impossible to change in order to tune the car. Turbo? Sure. But you're still looking at $5000. I'd rather have an NA 2.3-16 because it's a more akin to the original. Yes, this car is a money pit to us but if he wants to do it and he enjoys it more power to hime. Frankly I love it the way it is. He should go all out and get the EVO II body kit.
I'll make a proper driving video of mine when it comes back from the ECU modernization next week, which should be looking at around 280hp, up from about 230 with the 80s spec KE-Jet. Mine's based on the 2.6/M103 instead of the Cossies, obviously not even remotely stock anymore but at the same time it's not technically modified except for a cam swap, the rest is just machining of stock for track days. So yeah, big power locked up by old tech in these extremely well made motors. In fact the stock head flows so good on a bench there wasn't much more than a clean up to do for "more power than a track n/a setup is even capable of achieving out of 3.1 litres" as the racebuilders put it, despite my efforts to throw as much money as they wanted at it if it would make a single horsepower more. Nope, it already does was the response, spend the money elsewhere to get it, already flows more than you could want. A completely stock 2.6 with nothing but the ECU modernization kit (to allow fuel/spark mapping), returned around 30hp increase following a dedicated dyno retune so that's roughly how much power is locked up in real terms by a Commodore 64 era ECU and lacking of modern sensors. I don't think it was just the W201 project Daimler was busy over-engineering at the time, they were kind of doing it with everything mid-80s, motors too. I read an article about the Cosworth M102 contract by Daimler and why pedants mention it's not a Cosworth engine or even a Cosworth design, it's pure Daimler based upon a Cosworth proposal using a detuned version that was more closely based upon the vanilla M102. That would be because in the article they mentioned the motor Cosworth gave back to Mercedes was a 280bhp fire breathing monster which was completely undrivable on the road, a pure track engine. Mercedes said no thanks but cheers for the idea and went and made a severely detuned version they could put in road cars. The Evo 190E motor is more reflective of the Cosworth design, which has the fuel cut off rev limiter set at 8500rpm and is designed to never really get below about 7000rpm during track work, although in delivery specification actually has paper performance identical to a regular 2.5-16, but it isn't, not even remotely the same engine. I mean it doesn't even have the same bore/stroke despite the same displacement. Vanilla 16v have of course the standard CIS-E fuel cutoff for any DOHC motor at 7200rpm (whilst all SOHC CIS-E are 6200rpm), and this goes for VW, Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, any that use the system (a popular mod on SOHC CIS VWs for track work was simply swapping out the ECU for a DOHC one to raise the rev limiter and popping a more aggressive cam grind in, the closed loop narrowband just accommodated the AFR requirements all by itself so it was literally a bolt in 70% horsepower increase you won't see in any other kind of stock engine). The piston/rod tolerances for all 102/103/104 engines is actually 7200rpm continuous among the lot, rev limiter is purely breathing related by single/double cam. Evos of course, well, think 9000rpm before you're ever going to actually grenade a piston and on the track these were actually putting out a reliable 280bhp all day long. I think the best AMG tuned pro track 2.3-16 got somewhere around 230bhp and I've heard of vanilla 2.5-16 with EFI conversions getting 240, keeping in mind those older CIS versions are tech restricted by modern standards, so have further untapped power sitting around.
The trick about the CIS-E3 they use is the end user lockout of the period, no OBD plug and operator retuning or anything like that, they were given a set tune at the factory and this was never altered and can only be repaired. As for the ECE as opposed to exports (whether NAM or PacRim), the dial to allow various spark maps for different fuel octanes is like a precursor to the knock sensor and self adjusting spark that allows different fuel grades in modern EFI motors and will simply compensate via the knock sensor. The engine is still designed for a specific baseline grade for best tune, which for all period M102/103/104 engines is German pump premium 96RON as commonly available there during the 1980s. The chambering, cam lobe shaping, exhaust excavation, the entire mechanical tune, all fuel/spark mapping aside is optimized for this premium grade unleaded, which is equivalent to modern 95RON (metric countries) or IIRC American 91 pump grade. Back in the 80s higher grade unleaded was also available but harder to find at the pump, hence Daimler engineers zeroed in on the most commonly available premium for best performance as a design baseline for the best flame-fronts and thus volumetric efficiency. Now you could dial up the ECE for 98RON or even 102RON (Shell Ultra) for more aggressive spark, mainly affecting low-mid range spark advance for heavy loading. One characteristic of all W201 era Daimler engines is that they do not wake up in terms of breathing until well beyond 4000rpm, all of them do it, not just the Cossies. The M103 is just as bad and so is the SOHC M102. It's a Euro character of the period, lazy town performance with a mechanical rather than electronic sport mode for highways, again like a precursor to a modern technological feature, what you do, instead of pressing a sport mode button on EFI is select your gearing to keep engine speed above 4000rpm and it's a sporty engine in terms of breathing, but for fuel conservation and best emissions you keep it well below this, drive it like a granny but don't expect any kind of throttle response below that 4000rpm, none of them have any at all although they still have a relatively high VE for the period down low, kept stoich by the closed loop narrowband. This duality is most obviously reflected in the throttle body, bigger than an 85 Mustang 5.0 litre on the vanilla 2.6 M103 for example. Oh yeah, it wants rpm to get some decent intake airspeed.
But the real reason for the ECE fuel dial is for driving across Europe in the 1980s. Go to Czechoslovakia and velcome to Russia mein comrade, pump grade is now 89RON and I hope you brought a spare Mercedes engine, you'll need it if you didn't have a switchable fuel grade feature they decided to build in for just such an occasion. The ECE allows settings for 91RON standard unleaded and 89RON low quality fuels you find in countries that have oil/fuel import or distribution issues, some of Asia at the time, Eastern Europe, etc. For the exports they did something else, which was delete the fuel selector switch and some sealed wiring to accommodate it and make it work up near the ECU. Reason for that is the tune was set for the available fuel grade in the export country, set by 3 resistor variations depending on the country. NAM and Japanese exports got the 740ohms resistor for 95RON, Oz and Burma or places like that had 89RON "standard" unleaded sold alongside Super Leaded fuel at the pump in those early days of unleaded so they got a different resistor, 0ohms IIRC, whilst a couple of years later Oz got better quality "standard" at 91RON and got a 260ohms resistor for that fuel. Those countries didn't get Cossies or AMG variants (which were pre-merger but dealer optioned), because these can't be run safely for long periods on grades lower than 95RON and had to be "grey imported", then you'd have to go find fuel for them or use additives.
So firstly, despite the ECE switchable fuel grades a Cossie (or AMG/Brabus/etc. tuner engines), should not be run for long periods on any grade less than 95RON (91 pump American) or it'll cause problems. It's more like an emergency feature because the design fuel isn't available, whilst for the vanilla motors in the same cars a lesser grade isn't ideal but they're not likely to be always operated up around 5500rpm as an average engine speed 100% of the time you drive them, typical loading and engine speed is far lower. That said, you modify even a vanilla 102/103 and then drive it north of 4500rpm for good throttle response all the time and you'll want to be running premium even if its base tune is for standard grade like an Oz import.
Well there's so much more to be said but I'll leave it there. Can't wait to get mine back. It was just sort of equivalent to a series 1 AMG A45, more power feel but probably less actual performance (stock CIS was way out of tune). Now I'll be expecting to hand one its arse and keep with a C43.
thats probably the best sounding 4 cyl ive seen on the channel.
Thou shalt not slander the E30 good sir!
PS: I do want a 190E also.
Both cars are pretty awesome!
@@AustinMBecker not only does an E30 look & handle better, but its much easier to mod, & they easily make more power. This guy has a fucking grey market, eurospec, tuned FBO 190E & he's making 210 to the crank.... its making like 175hp to the wheels, & god knows how much cash has been dumped in that mediocre at best, money pit.
@@Andy-bm6zo I agree with you, but I do like that the 190E is more unique than an E30. Seems like so many people are modding E30's and E36's, and the 190E is kind of a unexplored space. But you are right about the money, but there is quite a bit stuck in this car.....
If the goal was simply to build a HP freak, they wouldn't be in a 190e. People fall in love with a center car and want to make THAT car the best it can be.
Always liked Mercedes, especially old ones. I feel like I’ll take a look at 964’s and these in a few years time.
Compare this 4 cylinder sound and the new ones :)
I love the car! Always had a sweet spot for the 190E, great build quality and racing heritage. Those wheels look perfect in my opinion. Wonder how much he spent overall on this build....It would be great to see a full modification list as well. Such a cool example of old Mercedes :)
the 190 e is a timeless beauty
Absolutely I have 4 190e s. Rog. Pacific sunset records .
True
My mom had a 2.6 190E 1991 and I absolutely loved the car. It was quick for what it was and felt like a tank. Really reliable too.
What a unique car. Very knowledgeable owner.
Those harnesses though 🙄
Color clash
No its how he mounted them. Rookie move.
The boys at Hot Rod say that if you mount your harness like that, it will cause lower back damage if you crash.
@@Rabidus289 Those harnesses are safe they have anti-submarine technology. Schroth Harnesses
@@mlcobra55 if that's true I should look into those for my 60s Ford.
Ah, made when Mercedes wasn't a "Endless Money Pit".
Expensive cars have always been expensive to maintain, nothing has changed. Mercedes still makes great cars for the European market. Shame Americans only buy the very expensive ones and then complain they cost more to maintain at the stealership than their cheap unreliable domestic cars.
@@h2oaddict28 we get ours slightly less than European people would I believe
@@EthanL21800 huh?
When Mercedes owned Chysler, the 300 series got a MB rear end. Still on all the RWD platforms like the Hellcat, Demon, etc.
I have 3 Priuses. Most reliable cars I have ever owned. Going over 200k on my 2005.
It's dope watching you bomb through the canyons and that old-school MB star floating over the hood.
The 190E was known as the 'Baby Benz' back in the 80s. Now, it's a performance and cultural icon. The 2.3-16 and Cosworth Evo II made it better. The AMG Hammer made it outrageous. I wanted one, still do.
I have one since 1987, 1985 v16 2.3 E :) great great great
Senna bought one from his own money ... The car was just on another Channel (STG).
I had a 85 Euro 190e 2.3-16 as well - 3:03 was especially true. I couldn't find parts.
I normally don't like German Cars but the 190 is one of the few cars a really like and would even consider buying if I get one for a got price.
This thing is fire. However I have been under a rock my whole life because this is the first time I have seen a harness connected to the baby seat brackets haha
It's potentially very dangerous in an accident... harness will try to pull you down... can compression fracture your spine
Schroth 4point is Anti-Submarine and DOT approved- harness has a breakaway/expanding point to allow the body to move as if in a factory seatbelt during an accident and to prevent spinal compression.
This car has not baby seat brackets. That's bolted directly to the chasis
I am sure this car does no have baby seat brackets as it is old. I think they started added those after 2003ish
One of my favourite and arguably one of the coolest Mercedes made. I thoroughly enjoyed this video.
To be fair, very few people under the age of 60 have ever ridden in a Mercedes in the US with roll-up windows.
Finally a review of a well maintained car!
Note that nowhere in the video he complanes about loose steering, sloppy shifter etc. (Even with factory rubber bushings shifter is very nice and direct, as long as the bushing are changed inside actual shifter as well and not only on the linkage)
Mercedes was never intended to be sold as an “excercising mill”. It was a luxury compact bahn burner, for those who could afford. 190E technologically makes E30 look loke a Lada.
What a sick car. Absolutely beautiful.
lol the owner was trying to hold back a smug smile, when he said his car was much better than US spec
04dram04 so would i. “ Muahahaha American peasants “
Amazing OneTake Zac! Brilliant!
Awesome video ... I really liked the casual chit chat after the drive was done...it felt like the kind of discussion that i would've had if i was sitting there, well at least the Petrol head in me ... well done
Thank people who keep those dream cars alive
Zack going full millenial looking for window switches! Love your work!
Love that profile. Especially the bonkers EVO 2 with the crazy wing.
Great vid! Great job Zack
Top Merc ever on One take. Beautiful machine
Great job Jc, thanks for showing off the great community that the w201 has.
One of my favorite DTM cars.
I was at university in the 80s & recall a hall mate turning u in the coolest 190E, with a small spoiler. Cripes, it was the coolest thing in town. I was or looked lowered. Dead jealous. I had a MkII Escort estate 🤔
He had the coolest air about him. I think he was an Iraqi student. We had many, and also Iranians, their parents keen to put them in safely while they fought a long war between the countries.
Now you need to find a Group A inspired Volvo 242 Turbo, Zack.
Done up in the same "Stock Plus" fashion.
I agree!
Those need to stay as the world's worst-kept secret
Had the 4V version with the aero bits back in the day, late 80s. Handled like a go cart.
One of the most awesome cars I've ever driven. They just don't make em like this anymore.
A sensible , smart modified car , bravo . The internet usually overlooks mods like ratios and drivetrain mass , yet they are affordable and rewarding performance gains .
@stuttgartclassics has a nice kit for this called FrankenCIS, retains all the CIS hardware and adds tunable MicroSquirt EFI, totally transforming the car.
Richie Rich pretty sure JC is running this awesome machine on our Dkubus FrankenCIS tunable system 🤘🤘 nice video guys. Love the soundtrack of that exhaust too 🤘🤘
Figured as much lol
Richie Rich also in California if you want FrankenCIS reach out to JC he's the guy!!
stuttgartclassics thanks bro I’ll look into it 👊🏼
@@stuttgartclassics great kit you have there sir!
Considerably one of the best eras for Mercedes.
Haha JC - almost 2 years and it turns up in my feed again. excellent.
Great sounding Benz! 👍🏼👍🏼
Finally!! An education, entertaining, and enlightening video. Most of the information came from the owner though...
I used to have a 1992 300E when I got that car it was 42k on ODO it was custom painted in purl white with blue metallic. I sold it that Mercedes with 84k on ODO since that day I really missed that car I wish I didn't sell it.
I love how attached he is to this car. I'm a huge car enthusiast but I've never loved one model to this extent as some of the guys on here where they know every configuration in every market and which ones came with , I just don't care that much. I guess the closest I am to that is civics where I know a lot of which ones had which parts and what-not, but I don't even own one any more and have no urge to buy another; even when I did, my friend started talking about the personality of his civic and I told him he's fucking nuts - it's a car. It'll always baffle me how people like this have such a strong connection to the community and 1 particular model of car. I wish I could be that happy and in love with just 1 car, but I can't. I want a different car every 2 years. :(.
I always wanted a merc of that gen, be it a 190E or something a bit larger like a 320E, but if I got the 190E I'd be plenty happy with the US spec. My dad owned a '90 300E and that underpowered tank is what I grew up with, so I have a bit of an emotional attachment to it, but not idea what the fuck I'd actually do with it. It's not fast & it's not fun, just nostalgic. What do you do with a car like that? DD it? A modern Hyundai is probably more reliable, lol.
My dream car will be a mb 190e 3.6 brabus 👌
Awesome 190E JC 👍 sounds great and running perfectly crisp 🤘 sweet!
stuttgartclassics there’s a reason for that lol
@@lamboferruccio yup!
Keep at it man. Love the reviews.
@20:31 Got a flashback with the late '90's Sony car stereo chime there!
Mile Mile my e30 makes that noise when your turn it off too
This was by far one of my most favorite car videos great review
My first car was a Malachite Green 190e 2.3. Blew it up on my bday and bought a 2.6 with the bday money a week later. Can't wait for my 3rd.
That sounds good! Just saw one parked next to my car at work yesterday, talked to the owner and he told me his father bought it new 30 years ago, it was in perfect condition.
Love this car. Sounds awesome .
JC makes really good parts I have them in my 190e. Keep up the good work!
20:36 Bwahahaha!
Zack's One Takes always make me laugh.
cringe dude
@@VirusTornado
Maaaaaybe you should talk to your therapist before you publicly cringe at jokes about erect penises...
Or just look at a penis - the fuckin' things are (objectively speaking) hilarious!
Lovely driving footage, thanks for uploading :)
I've always like this Mercedes body style and this car is badass cool!
I got a w202 and these older mercedes in my opinion handle great. My w202 has a great turning radius and handles superb
True. The 190e handles even better than the w202
I never knew that the 190E was designed as a rally car! even more reason to love these cars!
Got a 2.6 just sitting for the last 4 years. It needs hella work and it hurts knowing it could look like this
You really need t try the Evolution II. Really impressive car though.
Well done, nice to explore that car. Thanks Smoking Tire!
I really liked that body style. What a clean example.
My uncle has one sitting in his garage, first year of production, dark blue color. I have such a nice memories of that car. Sadly it has automatic transmission (this car is all about its dog leg gearbox) and is mechanically in very bad shape. It needs some serious amount of love. I asked my uncle not so long ago about what he wants to do with it. he said that he may fix it and use as fun weekend car. It was his daily driver from 1994 till 2006 when it showed its age and started breaking.
You should try and take it and attempt to bring it back. These cars are starting to creep up in demand even if it’s an automatic. But be warned old mercs are very expensive to fix. Usually cosmetic parts are the most expensive.
@@jcmendoza9660 Cosmetically it is almost perfect. I wanted to try bringing it back on the road, but I am not sure if he would sell it to me. I even think that the engine was swapped for 2 liter one due to retarded Serbian registration laws.
DiNDiNBrE TeškiMetal bummer
@@jcmendoza9660 Yea, it is easier to find standard 190e in the same color and then swap body kit. Engine swap made it completely worthless.
This was my first and last Mercedes car when I was 17, was cool but I don't like the newer Merc's.
Ayy does this guy have an Instagram? Would love to see more of this car
@jc_mend
I had a euro 190e
My first car was amazing
Beginning of video: no awkward handshake
End of video: 5 solid minutes of car geek gushing
GJ, Zack
Man, I own a euro spec 97 c230 (built in 96) sounds really great, and pretty good power for an i4. So far 225k and still runs brand new. Smoothest car I drove till this day
Is the c230 atmo or supercharged? Looking at putting the 2.3 supercharged into my 190E.
Wow, super cool. Well done to the owner. Nice video too!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for showing auto tempest, I'm looking to buy a g35 coupe and im tired of going on like 7 different websites lol
G35s are pure junk. I owned a 04 g35x for a bunch of years. Motor was stout but god Dayum interior, brakes and suspension fell apart. Was really disappointed.
richardhstratton lol idiot. You have the sedan. I want the coupe. They have a totally different suspension, brakes. Also you have the shitty 04 awd g35 lmao. It uses the tiny breaks those were upgraded in 06. Either way they’re not the same rotors in the coupe. Do some actual research. This channel is for car enthusiasts not dumbasses
Can't wait to drive again...no california sunshine here. ❄️❄️❄️
My father used to own a 1985 190E with manual windows and no AC. But it was the 2.0 and didn't last long, after a couple of hot summers in southern italy we had enough.
I had that exact car for my second car. Loved it, wish I knew how to fix it when I blew it up.
Euro-Spec > U.S. Spec
You're welcome.
Not always. But JDM > Euro spec...
We're talking Mercs. Not Type Rs. You're also a JDM fanboy
Us spec in the new Supra has more bhp than the euro spec
@@pollumG were not talking Japanese cars. We're saying that EU spec mercs is the best version
Danka shien
Great one Zack!
This is my favorite merc
Another w201,balanced car,pure fun,love the knowledge. Zack gonna buy one, like Jason Cammisa did :D
This is the definition of just a purely sweet car. Props to the owner!
now that's a good one
Engine braking is better with a lighter flywheel. The inertia wants to keep the rpm , but the light one drops faster
it sounds soooo good
This sounds so good
Cool owner of a beautifully sounding Cossie. I love my 2.5-16 Evo 1
You have an EVO I??? Are you in Europe? Where did you buy it/import it???
Hi Mario. I still hate you. Just in case you were wondering. ;) lol
@@chuckcribbs3398 I'm in Florida. Sold it a few months ago :)
@@AutobahnVault Why didn’t you sell it to me??? Argh!!! 😅
It just seems like a fun car to drive. Not fast but sounds great and has good inputs.
I Had a normal 190 manual bitd and it was a great highway car.
anyone else just want this car so badly it hurts you to even think about her?
My mom had this car when I was like 15 lol, we never knew how special it was back then, then we sold it after 3 years
Nice shirt! Leistung Autohaus in Garden Grove is the best!
Man one of theses cosworths is a dream car to me, have had a 2.0 8v in the family forever now. Sadly, they start at 90k and go up to 250k here in germany ):