Had our 1993 - 190E 1.8 for 18 months now. It is superb. Always starts on time, is comfy on a long run, infact we took it 3 up from London to Belgium and back last Spring with no worries at all. Servicing is straight forward and even the Merc garages offer a reasonable price for this due to the 190 being an older lady in the family!
I'd love a 2.6 model, maybe one day!
Style, Good boot size, build quality second to none
1.8 not as fast as the 2.6!
Reviewing a 1993 model.
190E 1.8
Owned for 2 years.
Mercedes 190 1997cc auto.(carb. model) If I had to pick the top three cars from those that I've owned, this would be one of them. Coming up 19yrs old, it has covered 202,000 miles. Starts first time every time, no smoke at all from engine. Cost me £500 2.1/2 yrs ago. Only expenditure has been complete exhaust (£155) Always returns 30+mpg. Holds the road exceptionally well, (on 14" alloys) better than any other saloon I've had. Dipped headlights leave something to be desired though, and at 105bhp, a bit of extra power would be nice. Having said that, use what power it has to the full and it's more than adequate to keep apace with modern traffic conditions. Excellent economical, reliable, luxury car, handles superbly.
Reviewing a 1989 model.
4 speed auto
Owned for 3 years.
I love my 190 Merc so reliable has given me no problems had the 190 for one year now and grows on me daily, drives like new would recommend to any one to purchase
but could you tell me have Mercedes ever made a convertible 190 ?? hope this is not a studip question
Another post from me - same car (190e auto) , over a year on from the last posting - still going strong. This years cost - 1 alternator (£70), and, er, that's it, apart from it's annual service. Well over 150k miles, still drives like a 2 year old car. And it still shines up like new. Its's so good I never got round to replacing it. Went straight through the MOT again, and did a 200 mile run in it yesterday on business. Fab
Good all rounder with a bit of style. Even though its a cheap old car people just don't seem to realise its worth a pittance as its got the badge.
It's black which is good - I held out for a dark colour as I think they look a bit taxi like in light colours.
The performance is adequate rather than breathtaking - but if you provoke it its quite rapid. It handles really well though - surprisingly grippy and you can throw it round, despite the ridiculously large steering wheel (why???). Certainly most things that fly past me on the straights end up holding me up in the corners.
Mine's done 150k miles now and honestly feels like you could knock 100k off that. Almost everything I've driven since I got it, most with half the mileage on them (i'm connected with the motor trade) feels baggier than my Merc.
Most importantly I KNOW it'll start in the morning and its as comfy as my sofa, parts aren't too bad pricewise and the engineering is simple but beautifully well done.
Nothings fallen off, gone wrong or broken in the 14000 miles I've done in it. Nor does anything feel like it will.
Problem is - I want more power. I'm seriously considering a 190E 2.6 or a 2.5-16. Everything else is so right so why change model?
Just incredible. Combines the now dead Mercedes Weltmeister ethos and Autobahn crunching design with DTM homologation suspension and engine.
Handling: If you want to know how the very best in small saloons handle, drive a good one flat out down an A-Road. Even today, some 20 years after its birth, it puts an C36 AMG in the shade for finesse, poise, balance and feedback.
Performance By todays standards, 187bhp is poor, but in a short geared and relatively light car like the 190e, its enough to motor at a respectable pace. The midrange guts and noise are fantastic. Unlike modern performance cars, the engine compliments the chassis and handling, rather than dominating the whole experience - if its straight line punch you're after go for a Sierra Cosworth. Despite the rorty engine, and incredible suspension/handling - it retains that basic Mercedes raison d'etre of being able to spend all day at 100mph plus on the Autobahn in total silence and stability.
Build Like a brick outhouse. Working on a lot of it myself unearthed some teutonic engineering gems like the triple sealed doors, handbrake cable mechanism, and so on. It feels like it can go twice round the planet before anything drops off. When things do break, genuine Mercedes parts are surprisingly cheap.
Maintenance: Seek independant specialists - main dealers haven't got a clue with anything built before 1995. And £90 an hour is steep no?
Conclusion:
The eclectic alternative to the E30 M3 and the gentlemens alternative to the Sierra Cosworth
It sits their gleaming in the sunlight, from the flank it could be just a few years old rather than a teenager. Its in immaculate condition for a car over 13 years old, but this is not some pampered heated garage pet, the tow bar , P and O sticker in the boot, and closing on 120k miles pay testament to that.
Opinion is divided on the looks, it can be nothing other than a Merc, who seem to take styling only slightly more seriously than Volvo, yet for a Merc is really quite slender and subtle . Personally if it was the right colour I would find it quite attractive, unfortunately this one comes in pearly white which is a little bit too obvious.
Also fitted other than the tow bar was a colour matched rear spoiler, which hints that this Merc has slightly more sporting pretensions than is normal in a Benz saloon.
Thankfully the rear spoiler is the limit of the plastic body addenda, the rest of the car is mercifully free of plastic extensions. It also lacks alloy wheels so there is plenty of scope for the baseball cap poseurs to customize (spoil) away to their hearts content.
Not so easy to change would be the pensioner beige interior, which combined with the white paint and the spoiler led to my wife describing it as the pimp mobile. The entire effect isn't overly subtle and detracts from the classical elegance of the Benz.
Its a peculiar British trait to see low end Mercs as status symbols, when most other Europeans seem to think they are taxis. Even at this motors age it still attracts attention way beyond the reality of its driving experience. The downside of which can be noticed by other motorists somewhat overt aggression towards it. The front end of no less than 3 Benz badges, the lower of which is truly enormous probably doesn't help play down its profile..
The beige trim may be a garish, but you cant argue with the way it was put together or how well its lasted. The previous owner had decided to change the Benz wheel for a sports Item, I first thought this was evidence of a Boy Racer but having driven a later Merc realise its merely to allow access to the Cabin (see C180 review) . The wheel itself is nice enough but its downside is it obscures all the clocks bar the first 50mph of the speedo. All in all its a bit a of a farce and would be solved far easier is Mercedes could make a little less profit and fit an adjustable steering column to all models.
People were happy to tell me that this is actually quite well speced for a Merc of the Time. Personally I find just electric windows and nearside only mirror and bugger all else a bit of a let down in what supposed to be a premium car. Strangely it also has a single piece of wood which I could certainly do without and looks a little lost on its own around the gear stick. It also has a econometer which rather remarkably shows you when your pressing the accelerator and when your not and I would happily do without the useless object. It probably just as well the equipment is quite limited because frankly what few switches there are, are spread in rather eccentric fashion. Adding more I imagine would only become an ergonomic nightmare.
The whole Merc driving experience is really quite unique. The seats seem unfeasibly hard at first acquaintance as if made of conti board. The key sticks into the dashboard and has a strange restart sequence if you stall it. The floor hinged Accelerator needs a lot of ankle movement to invoke revs out of the engine. The clutch pedal was a bit baggy but the clutch was holding firm, and the brake pedal is quite soft but invokes decent response when used hard.
Lots of people prefer their Mercedes as automatics many even claim the Merc auto is the pinnacle of self shifting, the manual shifter certainly isn't a pinnacle though. The gate is very narrow side to side but long and heavy back to front and its also heavily off set to the left. Its the kind of shift that requires a very precise form of brutality to get quick shifts out of.
Your going to have to practice the shifting if your going to get decent performance out of the 190E. The engine is a bit flat below 3000rpm and that combined with long legged gearing means lots of stirring to keep up a decent rate of knots.
Though the motor is high mileage and displayed a little pinking under extreme load, it was very quite at low revs , strong revving toward the top and smooth throughout so I don't think it was too far from the original experience.
The steering is nicely weighted and On A and B roads the steering is accurate enough to inspire a solid sense of reassurance back to the driver. Combined with suspension that's just the right side of firm and well damped enough to quell any body roll through corners, whilst still giving a decent ride. The chassis feels so well sorted down wider roads that the car feels really quite slow. Back to back drives with other more mainstream saloons shows that the Mercedes goes ten mph faster than you think it does. The calm tranquility at 45mph feels just like 30 mph and makes the car feel slower than the reality. On tight back roads better suited to minis and hot hatches the Merc begins to struggle, the main problems being the steering's relatively slow action and the motors lack of torque cause you to work much harder than you would expect too. The Autobahns are more of a natural home to Mercedes, and when you get the Benz on to a Motorway it begins to feel much more at home. The faster you go the more stable and planted the car starts to feel at 80 plus it feels positively glued to the road, with arrow straight stability. At this speed the engine is just starting to work but hasn't reached the noisy patch above 4 -5000revs.
Seemingly idling At this speed you tend to become transfixed by the 3 pointed star which leads your way like a gun sight. Even more hypnotic is the single cam action wiper which constantly draws your attention from the road. The other thing which wont help in keeping your eyes on the road is the rather watery dipped lights, though main beam is fairly illuminating.
As a practical proposition a small Merc should be fairly useful, the boot is usefully deep if not massive . Interior wise it will swallow 4 passengers fairly well though heavily loaded the rear suspension dips alarmingly and it wouldn't be my first choice for towing..
The whole point of a Merc is the longevity which is promised by buying into the Merc ethos, Any minor niggles about the way a Merc functions can be described as character, but the way its built overrides any minor irritants that are built in. For the right kind of driving ( the relaxed type ) it produces a quality modern feeling ride which belies its age. Its not really the drivers car that the 190E has gathered the reputation of being but a decent car to travel in, a nice ride rather than a good drive.
I have bought a 1993 190E 2.3 (8V) Sportline (RHD) mercedes recently, with 136000 miles on the speedo. I had to replace the fuelpump and one of the injectors is leaking. Will fix it later on.
Where ever I go, the she still turns heads and peole stare when they think your`re not looking. Black leather interior with metalic grey paint.
Handling is perfect for the size, engine power and age.
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2004.
Performance
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Recently i bought a 190e 2.3 16v, even though is close to a 20 yr.old car, it drives surprisingly well. i had to replace some suspension components but once sorted out, it's a fanatastic drive. engine and chassis is a good match, now i know what the fuss is all about when people refer to the 16v. i will bring her to the track for the first time soon and we'll see how she does.
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed September 2003.
Performance
Reliability
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ive finally bought one and i love it 190e 2.0 she's getting on a bit with 150000 on the clock but looks like 50000 miles. its the color and trim i wanted (metallic grey)and it came with factory fitted cosworth kit and the merc alloys and all for £1000!!! but the timing chain was rattling so new one fitted for £200 and she runs like new, even the merc man was impresses with her.
the only fault so far was the fuel pump relay but apparently common (only £60)
drivers seat is starting to thin but not to bad.
overall a fantastic car and i love her to bits.
would i buy another, only if someting bad happens to this one.
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed September 2003.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
ive finally bought one and i love it 190e 2.0 she's getting on a bit with 150000 on the clock but looks like 50000 miles. its the color and trim i wanted (metallic grey)and it came with factory fitted cosworth kit and the merc alloys and all for £1000!!! but the timing chain was rattling so new one fitted for £200 and she runs like new, even the merc man was impresses with her.
the only fault so far was the fuel pump relay but apparently common (only £60)
drivers seat is starting to thin but not to bad.
overall a fantastic car and i love her to bits.
would i buy another, only if someting bad happens to this one.
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed May 2003.
Performance
Reliability
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I bought my glorious, metallic black 1988, 2.0 190E from it's first owner 2 years ago. With 98,000 miles on the clock it ( why do I feel that I should say "she") cost £2,200 with 12 month's M.o.T. & six month's tax. She, there I said it, is beautifull! Everyone looks at her. Men ogle her! They watch her when they think I can't see them. I've driven her 54,000 miles in these last 26 months. She never complains, never moans, never wants money spending on her. I love her! There I've said it! I look after her, keep her clean and well manicured, and she rewards by looking gorgeous every time we go out. She is getting on a bit now, but just getting more mature, classic, elegant. Like one of those models that never really seem to age, because we age with them. The new models aren't real -they're false - they don't even have that true sign of the marque, that gleaming star, standing high in front of you whenever you're out together. I will never sell her, and I hope that we will never have to part, but if that day comes I shall just have to live with the memories of the wonderful, wonderful times that we have had together.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2003.
Performance
Reliability
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I own an 85 190 RHD its a great car but I think I will be moving to a E200 (w124) more support in uk
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2002.
Performance
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IT'S PERSONAL...THAT'S ALL THAT CAN BE SAID FROM I.
Owned for more than 5 years.
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