The new M106 six-cylinder replaced the
previous four-cylinder engine used in the
Mercedes-Benz 190E during the past seasons. It is a brand-new V6 with a displacement of just under 2.5 liters. Very loosely based on the 4.2 liter V8 used in the E 420 and S 420 models, the new engine uses a cylinder bank V-angle of 90 degrees. Equipped with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, the compact unit nevertheless only weighed due to extensive use of alloys. Initially producing between , it drives the rear wheels via a six-speed
sequential gearbox that was fitted at the rear of the car to improve the weight balance. While
Alfa Romeo's model featured four driven wheels, Mercedes-Benz was restricted to only a
rear-wheel drive setup for their new DTM racer, as none of the road-going C-Class models used
four-wheel drive. The 1996 iteration of the engine developed over , and revved over 11,500 rpm. ==Applications==