this means that the 4th gear of my 190e has the same gearing as that of the 4th gear of the auto 300e (and also the auto 190e2.6). Somehow i cannot accept losing a gear ...

the 400e/e420's 3rd gear has approximately the same 23.5mph@1000rpm rating, but the 4th gear is a tall 30+mph@1000rpm, according to some car magazines ... hmmm ...

thanks guys for the info ...