of the Mercedes-Benz 190E and 190D
the quickest reflexes Mercedes-Benz has ever built into a sedan.
THE 190 CLASS represents a phenomenon unique in automotive history. This $31,000 Mercedes-Benz sedan--in gasoline-powered 190E 2.3 and 190D 2.2 diesel versions alike--is supremely civilized an automobile as any that ever borne the name. Yet its over-the-road performance is fully as exhilarating as any sports car or so-called sports sedan sold today.
Its taut wheelbase, its 4 1/2-metre length and its under 1,226 kg. weight help define the 190 Class as an equation of space and mass and energy--the trimmest and lightest Mercedes-Benz sedan of the modern era.
Its multilink independent rear suspension meanwhile defines the term "breakthrough." Each rear wheel is precisely located by five individual links, positioned according to the principles of spatial kinematics and meant to maintain each wheel constantly in an ideal relationship to the road.
With its cross-flow cylinder head, hemispherical combustion chambers and overhead camshaft, the 190E's 2.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine might be taken for a pure racing design. Nothing about its smoothness or torque suggest the typical four-nor does its test-track maximum of 185 km/h-plus. You can choose between five-speed manual or four-speed automatic versions of either model.
Interior design and layout are pure Mercedes-Benz--from steel-sprung, deeply padded front bucket seats, to 106 centimetres of front legroom, to fillets of hand-finished wood trim.
The 190 Class represents the most extensive research and development effort in the history of Mercedes-Benz. What has resulted from a decade of technological exploration and refinement ranks as one of the most remarkable automobiles in the history of Mercedes-Benz.
