The Mercedes W124 can probably be called CC’s favourite Mercedes model without argument, such is the level of positive feeling that exists towards it over here. There are pages upon pages of posts about it, and of course it was bestowed the title of the best car of the last thirty five years a few years ago. It’s been a personal favourite of mine for many years too, and I owned a rather troublesome E200 not too long ago, which was good but a bit underwhelming. I came away from that experience feeling that a W124 really needs a six-cylinder engine at the very least to realise its full potential. Larger engined examples are extremely rare here in Sri Lanka, due to punitive taxes on engines over 2.0 litres, and I doubt the total numbers break into the double digits. So that makes the example you see here that much more special, and you can maybe understand how excited I was to be handed the keys to it.
This particular 300E is a Japanese market example and the original owner was a Sri Lankan diplomat in Japan. Apparently he got special dispensation to bring down a car without the usual restrictions, so of course he appears to have chosen a fairly high spec model for the times. The registration number dates to 1998, which is likely when it arrived here. My personal knowledge of this car dates back to about 2008 when I saw it advertised in the newspaper and went to see it (not too long after reading Paul’s first piece about his 300E). I went with a good friend of mine, let’s call him MM, and we were both quite excited to see a big-engined W124. Unfortunately the car as presented was in pretty poor shape, with many broken interior bits, visible rust spots and an engine that looked like it had seen better days. It was very sluggish on the test drive too, and seemed to have trouble just getting moving. This was a far cry from what I imagined a 300E would feel like, and despite really wanting to own it, I walked away because I didn’t have the spare cash to sort it out or the expertise.
The shape and the details really make the W124 stand out today.
MM however, didn’t forget the car and over the last decade plus, kept an eye on its whereabouts. Its condition apparently went further downhill as it changed hands a couple of times over the years and it finally ended up on the verge of succumbing to the fate of most big engined petrol Mercedes’ in Sri Lanka; the dreaded diesel conversion. Fortunately, MM tracked it down at just the right time and managed to save it from that travesty. Still, it was not exactly pristine, and the engine was on the verge of giving up the ghost as well, so clearly the 300E needed a complete restoration.
So, after a bit of contemplation, he decided the most straightforward option to resurrect this car would be to buy a tidy example elsewhere and transplant all the major components onto this frame. That is what happened in due course, with a relatively low mile example being found in the UK, dismantled, and all components except the body/frame imported and transplanted. Following that, the car was given a full respray in the original black, and the mechanicals were given a thorough going over, which revealed various gremlins that were then sorted out. Following several months of fettling, the car was finally put back on the road earlier this year, and MM kindly offered me the opportunity to spend some time with it, which of course I jumped at!
First impressions; wow the W124 really does look good in black, the colour works well with the square cut styling and is highlighted nicely by the chrome on the grille. Even after all these years the shape of the car looks just right and it stands out all the more in the current sea of identical crossovers. Back in the day I preferred the looks of the facelifted version, but lately I find myself appreciating the purity of the original more.
Simple and timeless lines, courtesy of Bruno Sacco and his team
The interior also feels right the moment you enter, with slim pillars, lots of light and a basic rationality that has few equals. Somehow the interior of this 300E feels more welcoming than the basically identical interior of my old E200 did and I suspect it’s the colour scheme that is responsible. The cream shade is much warmer than the grey on grey that my car was saddled with. The seats are just sublime, supportive in just the right way and with plenty of adjustment available to tweak the seating position to your liking. Once situated, gazing out over the broad expanse of hood towards the three pointed star, you really do feel pretty good.
Leather definitely gives the ambience a lift.
All of this is very familiar to me from the E200, so it’s time to talk about what makes this car special; the M103 straight six. The arrival of the twin cam, 24 valve M104 rather eclipsed the older six but this SOHC 12 valver is plenty admirable in its own right. Built with durability in mind, but also focusing on robust performance, it puts out 187 HP and 192 lb/ft of torque (being a cat-less, euro spec car), both of which were extremely solid figures for the mid 1980s. You certainly don’t get Lexus levels of quiet from the engine, but at startup and idle, it is fairly hushed and vibrations are minimal.
When moving off with a normal application of throttle the four speed auto appears to start off in second gear, but there’s plenty of torque on hand, so the 300E gets off the line pretty smartly and certainly feels far livelier than the four cylinder model does. Shifting is smooth, but not imperceptible; you actually do feel that a mechanical device is moving through the gears, but it never becomes jerky or harsh. Smoothness is the defining trait of the 300 E driving experience, and if you keep it between 2-3000 rpm it feels usefully brisker than the four pot but not really quick. However, if you actually press that long travel throttle pedal to the floor, get the transmission to hold onto a gear and really wind that six out, then the 300E sings a rather different tune. Get above 3500 rpm and there is noticeable shove, and the speedo starts climbing much quicker than you expect. With peak torque at 4400 rpm and peak power at 5700 rpm, this engine enjoys high revs and remains very smooth all the way up the tach, giving the driver a seamless stream of power right across the rev range.
Since this is someone else’s car, I didn’t thrash the engine too hard and upshifts happened around 5800 rpm, but the 300E was pulling all the way there and didn’t even hint at running out of breath. It’s also very easy to be going much faster than you realise, because the engine is so smooth and outside noise is so well dampened that the sense of speed is blurred. It’s certainly a good thing that the four wheel disc brakes are powerful, and more than up to the job of reining in the horsepower!
Empty roads certainly do tempt you to wring out the six!
On the handling front the 300E is supremely competent but doesn’t really deliver much in the way of excitement, unless of course, you get excited by a car that is set up to keep you safe and pointed the right way at all speeds. This example has standard 300E suspension, not the lowered and stiffened “Sportline” package that is said to make things a little more fun, so the overwhelming impression is of a very capable car that is designed to ensure all occupants remain safe and unruffled in all conditions. An E34 BMW 5 series of the same period is a rather more entertaining companion on a winding road with more of an edge, if I’m being honest. Still, there is no denying that the 300E is a very relaxing car to drive quickly on any sort of road, although it seems happiest when driven at 6 or 7 rather than 10/10ths.
This drive reinforced my earlier impression that the optimum engine for the W124 is a six cylinder, because that extra smoothness and power combine to get the very best out of the chassis. The 300E never feels lacking in power but I really would like to see what one of the last E320s feels like, with almost 40 more horsepower they surely have some extra oomph. The other point that must be made is how usable the W124 still is, even though it is now 40 years old! This 300E is absolutely capable of being used for daily driving duty, and can easily do a 1000 mile road trip at the drop of a hat, much more comfortably than a modern econobox. Honestly, how many 40 year old cars can you say that about? Of course one would need to keep up with the maintenance, a small price to pay for driving something with so much character and overall competence. Thanks to good parts availability and straightforward design, this really isn’t that hard even in a country like ours.
The car honestly feels as solid as the building, will probably be around as long too.
The W124 is the sort of product that would be impossible to make today, because it was truly was built with the main focus being standards rather than cost, something that simply wouldn’t compute for a modern automaker. An E class built with this philosophy would apparently cost twice the price of a current one, according to industry insiders, so no one is interested in doing that any more. Instead, we get dashboard width screens, customisable ambient lighting, and subscriptions for heated seats, along with a level of complication than ensures that repairing without dealer level skills and equipment is almost impossible. But I guess that’s what we call progress, eh?
I’d say the W123 is the best, but this one is a close second.
Great cars.
The W123 is no doubt among MB’s greatest hits, but to me the W124 moved things along quite a bit.
My favorite Benz is the W150.
Also the passengers?
Can anyone enlighten me, genuinely curious and not trying to pick an argument. Where does the myth of quality with these cars come from? Are we talking perceived or actual quality? Does it come from the feeling of operating the car or from trouble free ownership experience?
Just my overall perception has been that they seems to rust with just about the same vigor of other 80s cars, and not possessing any particularly exceptional mechanical and electrical durability. Engines and transmissions seem to fall apart (maybe different story with the diesels but what non-american 80s diesel wasn’t durable?) Likewise judging from the article the car in question had to seemingly be fully restored. What quality are we talking about? Would love to hear from people with long term experience of these cars.
One had (or has) to experience it to properly understand it. It feels carved from a solid block, and all the interior components have a hefty or solidity that was lacking in subsequent E Class cars. All of this has to be seen in the context of its time, in comparison to the standards then, especially in American and other lesser cars.
Once again, Paul and I agree.
As Paul has pointed out, the materials and assembly were very far ahead of anything contemporary, which was of course reflected in the price. If maintained reasonably well, these cars can (and do) have a nearly unlimited service life.
This particular car was not well kept after the first few years of its life, which was what made it decline to the point that it needed a full restoration.
Right before the superlative Lexus LS 400 arrived and forever changed the luxury car market.
Yes, black does suit these well; nice looking car. And yes, the gray interior does look rather sterile. This is a good combo.
You’ve described the 300E’s driving characteristics well. These cars were engineered for two primary missions: high speed Autobahn driving and rough roads. In these two situations, the 300E was absolutely the best car of its time. But outside of those conditions, it was compromised. It did not feel particularly quick unless you really put your foot into it due to that long-travel throttle linkage, the exact opposite of GM cars at the time. And it did not feel “sporty” in its handling in an overt way. But hustle it down a rough back road at night or at 130 mph on a Mojave desert toad, and the W124 was in its element.
But even outside of those, it did always make one feel utterly secure and confident when getting behind the wheel, knowing that it could take anything out there no matter the challenge.
Of course all of this was back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Since then there’s been tremendous advancements and just about every car above a certain low level feels sportier with their big wheels and tires and accelerates brisker. But the W124 set the standards when new.
The one overwhelming impression the car gives even today on the road is indeed of security, like it will deal with any conditions you might possibly encounter.
My personal opinion is that the W124 exudes a different feeling to most big wheeled, stiff suspended modern cars with their artificial “sportiness”. It just flows along any road.
“how many 40 year old cars can you say that about?” Well, a Lexus 400 for sure, even any big Toyota!
The vast majority drivers do not consider very aggressive driving ability to be their top priority, outgrew that before hitting 35, when comfort and reliability became far more important.
W123 is also one mine, and my beloved Fintails. If you want fast and aggressive, a 3 and 5 BMW outdo the W124.
In Germany when I was there late ’70s and early ’80s an MB was considered an old man’s or plutocrat’s car, as was 7 series.
BMW only reached near-parity with the W124 with the E39 series. And please don’t mention the 3 Series in the same breath as the W124: it’s not fair to kick someone when they’re down.
“Plutocrat car.” I like that expression. However, the W124 was never that. It applies more to the various S-Class generations.
The W114/115, W123, and W124 were the quintessential Benzes. In my neck of the woods, anyway. In that era, the S-, SL-, and SLC-class were considered too flashy, maybe even a bit vulgar. Now all Benzes from the sixties, seventies, and eighties are desirable and often seen classics.
1989 C124-300CE owner here. Most likely my last classic car (not age or health related, luckily), everything else is -or at least feels like- a step backwards. Apart from a C126 with a V8, maybe.
Ooh, what a fine coupe you have. I so lusted after one when they came out.
I just couldn’t let it go, back in the summer of 2023 when I bought it. Not in that pristine (original/unrestored) condition.
I was fortunate to have owned two W124s, a 1994 sedan in beryl (color code 888 – a symbol of good luck in some cultures) and a 1995 coupe in dunkel blau (color code 904). What has been said about these cars in previous posts was absolutely true in my experience. They just seemed solid and well put-together using the highest quality materials.
Living in Houston and traveling throughout the state of Texas, I had ample opportunity to appreciate the cars’ capabilities over rough roads and open highways. The M104 DOHC in-line six always seemed to have “more to give” even at decidedly extra-legal speeds.
I have owned ten different Mercedes-Benz over the years, all new or certified pre-owned – so all in the best possible condition I could expect – but the two W124s were definitely the most “satisfying.”