Although the E-Class nomenclature was adopted in July 1993 for the second facelift of the
Mercedes-Benz W124 as part of the company's wider rebranding programme that allocated all of its products into
Classes, the product line of the mid-range cars traces decades before. Officially Mercedes-Benz recognising the importance of pre-WWII cars such as the
W15 170, the
W21 200 and in particular the Diesel powered
W138 260D, retroactively applies the E-Class to 1946 when post WWII production was restarted on the
W136 170V model, with passenger cars deliveries commencing July of 1947. Whilst many publications support this position others choose one of the more contemporary pre-1993 models among the predecessors . The reason for this debate is that from as early as 1949 and until the early 1980s Mercedes-Benz production was centred on two distinct product lines of passenger cars based on their prestige. Differing primarily in the wheelbase, interior furnishing, external finish and the engines, the E-Class predecessors being represented by four cylinder engines, whilst the S-Class predecessors would be of eight cylinder motors. Six cylinder engines would often be shared. De jure this separation took place in 1972, when the premium range was officially branded as the
Sonderklasse and this was continued up until July 1993. The lower tier did not have its own brand, but was commonly referred to as the mid-range and the medium class (
Mittlere klasse). What complicates the matter is that before 1972 and up until 1985 cars in both classes shared the same chassis, body shell, platform and much of the underpinnings. Whilst the 1972 separation coincided with the launch of the
W116 S-Class, it was amid production of the
W114/W115 'Stroke-8' which has been in production for four years since 1968, making it, in view of some the first true E-Class predecessor. The preceding Ponton and Fintail generations are even more difficult to differentiate, as the top end six-cylinder models and the entry four cylinder diesels were literally built on the same body. Adding to this complication were the 'inter-class' models such as the lineup of the
W105 219,
W111 220 and
W110 230 which replaced each other from 1956 until 1968, and the W111 230S which was produced in parallel with the new generation
W108/W109 from 1965 until 1968. Both six cylinder models would eventually become a permanent fixture in the /8 (230.6 and 250, later 230.6 and 280) W123 (250 and 280) and W124 (260 and 300, later 280 and 320).
W120 (1953) The first modern midsize Mercedes was the
W120 'Ponton' 180 of 1953 and was produced until 1962. Sharing its engineering with the
R121 190 SL of 1955, the Ponton was a stylish sedan with a
four-cylinder engine. An
OHC engine
W121 190 appeared in 1956 along with a six-cylinder
Mercedes-Benz W105.
W110 (1961) Mercedes added tailfins to both the new
W110 'Fintail' 190 of 1962. In the 1965 230 model a
Straight-6 engine appeared for the first time, and the four-cylinder engine grew in displacement.
W114, W115 (1968) The midsize Mercedes was redesigned in 1968 as the
W114/W115 'Stroke-8'. This time, the 6-cylinder models (The W114s) were most prevalent, with the W115 line making up the bottom of the company's offerings with four- and
five-cylinder power. A
coupé body joined the line-up in 1969, and was the first mid-range Mercedes to be offered with the
D-Jetronic fuel injection.
W123 (1975) The popular
W123 quickly became a best-seller on its launch in 1976. Especially in
diesel powered 240D and 300D guises, the cars enhanced the company's reputation for product quality. Over 2.6 million were produced until the end of production in 1986. Saloon/Sedan, Coupé, and Estate body configurations were offered.
W124 (1984) The
W124 was presented in November 1984, with production commencing in January the following year. During its production it introduced many new features like the
4Matic all-wheel drive,
DOHC cylinder heads and emission control with
Catalytic converters,
Diesel particulate filters and
Exhaust gas recirculation. A special mention is the top end
500E performance vehicle co-built by
Porsche. It was the third car to inherit the company's new design theme since the late 1970s, following the flagship
W126 and compact
W201. Similar to its predecessors, the W124 also offered a coupé and estate body styles. A cabriolet (internally A124) was also available from 1992.
1993 re-branding To further complicate matters, the 1972-1993
Sonderklasse label was not limited to the W116 and W126 sedans, but also the R107 and R129 SL roadsters, the C107 and C126 coupes. Even the W100 limousine was listed among the S-Class . The unnamed mid-range would see itself balloon when in addition to the standard family of sedans it would be filled with coupes (W114 - 1969), estates (S123 - 1978), compact cars (W201 - 1982), high performance halo cars (190E 2.3-16; 500E) 4x4 off-roaders (W463 - 1989) and cabriolets (A124 - 1992). Since 1972 Mercedes-Benz had two distinct product lines. The S-class premiere range, represented by the W116 and W126 sedans and the W107 and R129 two-door range; and the standard range (W114, W115, W123 and W124). This was then joined by the compact W201 190 series from 1982. The S (
Sonder) suffix literally translates as "special" and is used in German language to denote a premium or more luxurious product. The nomenclature was loosely based on engine displacement. As a result, the hierarchy consisted of a set number of numerical series, across the engines shared within each series. Suffixes would further elaborate on specifics deemed necessary, be it the fuel system e.g. D – Diesel, E
– Einspritz (injection); the body type: C – coupé, T –
Transport (estate); or the car application: SL – sports; G –
Gelände, off-road. Sometimes a combination of several suffices would be used. This made marketing increasingly difficult and very confusing. For example, the W201 was limited to being called 190 series, with engine fitment indicated by a separate number for displacement, e.g. the 190D 2.5 and 190E 2.6. Meanwhile, the W124, sharing these same engines would be named simply as the 250D and 260E, while the W463 and W126 also featuring one of these motors would be called the 250GD and 260SE respectively. In spring 1993 Mercedes-Benz released the successor to the W201, and unlike the 190, which was initially seen as a sporty car appealing to the younger generation, the
W202 was to be a fully fledged automobile for all age groups, with a range of engines and trims. For this Mercedes-Benz opted to create a third, entry, Compact or
C-Class range. To prevent confusion with the Coupé suffix, the Class letter now preceded the displacement, e.g. "C180". Particulars of the engine's fuel system would be written out on the boot - Diesel, Turbodiesel. Petrol engines were by now all fuel injected and thus the E for
Einspritzung suffix was deemed redundant. In the first months of the W202's production, the branding was deemed successful and in August the whole range underwent a major re-branding creating several new Classes. In some cases, like on the W140 S-Class this was a formality of having the S suffix now become a prefix. The R129 SL became the SL-Class and this coincided with changing several engines and thus models. The G-wagen also became the G-class, and this made marketing easier as it allowed to bridge between the privately sold W463 and the commercially sold W461 models. This left only the W124 remaining in the unnamed Mercedes-Benz standard range. As all of the petrol engines were now all fuel injected, and remaining the most commonly sold versions (particularly the 220E and 320E series), this made the E-suffix the most predominant on the W124. For this reason, Mercedes-Benz opted to re-christen its mid-range as the E-class and the models underwent the same re-badging as others. == First generation (W124; 1993) ==