W126 vs. W210

I currently have a W126 1989 300SE, a very beautiful car in good shape. It has 112,000 miles on it.

I was wondering if there were people out there who have had experience with both the 126 and the 210 E Class. I'm curious to hear how others think they compare.

I have driven one 210 E320, and I found it sluggish, even more sluggish than my 126 with the inline six.

My current inclination is to keep the 300SE for quite a while. The only late-model MB I might be interested in would be the E320, which is why I'm looking for other opinions.

By the way, my other MB is a 1979 300TD wagon, a car I love for its simplicity and versatility.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

[royaiii]

I drove the W126 300SE, that is a sluggish car not the W210 e320. The W210 are pretty fast, my 97 E320 goes 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. The W126 300SE probably is in the high 8s if not 9's due to wear and tear. I think the W126 also have a second gear start which only adds to their sluggishness. My 97 E320 has the I6 but the other E320s have V6 which have same power but a broader torque which only should make them more faster. W126 comparing to W210 is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two different beasts made for two different reasons. The W126 is an old breed of MB, you cant even imagine the number of differences that are in the w210. Distributorless ignition, twin spark motors, adaptive transmissions, much more comprehensive engine management, traction control systems, chasis construction, .27 Coeff of Drag and the list could go on for pages. Whatever E320 you drove was messed up for some reason because a well-maintained E320 can really pin you in your seat.

[suginami]

The inline -6 M104 3.2 liter engine puts out 217 hp and 229 ft. lbs of torque.

Check out mbusa's home page, edmunds.com, carpoint.com, etc.

[speedy300Dturbo]

E320 CDI is a DIESEL, not available in the USA!

Car and Driver had a long-tern W210 E320 go 0-60 in 6.8 seconds (detailed in the article where they later had Brabus stick a V-12 in there), so low 7s-high 6s is possible with one.

BTW, the E320 is faster than any US-market W126, especially a 300SEL...Maybe it merely "felt" slower due to the extra refinement and smoothness that a W210 probably has over a W126?

-Sam

[Holson Adi]

I've driven a 1996 E320 and it is a fast car despite its aging 4-speed Auto compared to the 1997 E320's with their 5-speed autos.

Test drove a 1995 E320 SE and I managed to break the traction loose just putting the foot down a little more than usual from start.

However the week before that I also drove a 1994 E320 that was in worse condition. That one was rather sluggish...

[royaiii]

No my car is not modified. Everything is stock. I run Mobil 1. My 97 E320 is a gasoline powered Inline 6. Here is a paragraph from Car and Driver's test of the 1997 E320"
As anticipated, the E320 is a very fast cruiser. When new, we recorded a 0-to-60 time of 7.0 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 15.4 seconds at 92 mph, making this the quickest E320 weve tested. This long-term E320 was even quicker at 40,000 miles, nipping off 0-to-60 mph in 6.7 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds at 93 mphthats only three-tenths off the pace of our quickest times in a V-8powered E420. (The larger-engined E-class costs $5508 more than the E320 this year.)

I bet the diesel is sluggish because you are copmaring it to a gas-powered motor.

[suginami]

Originally posted by Dogonit
"only three-tenths off the pace of our quickest times in a V-8powered E420. (The larger-engined E-class costs $5508 more than the E320 this year.)"

Maybe the 320 is putting out more than rated or something? In this case I would have bought the 320 rather than the 420 considering better gas mileage and same body style.

Could be true. Benzmac posted this yesterday about the 3.0 M103 dyno's more horsepower than claimed by MB, and the 2.6 M103 dyno's a little lower:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-performance-paddock/49584-3-0-into-190e-2-6-a.html#post288325

Drive a V8 560 or 500(euro) and tell me it's an old breed) They Are MUCH MUCH faster than a 300SE. The w126 maybe a simple engine compared to the newer MB's but the w126 body had a lot of money pumped into it for areodynamics. I quote road and track "It's still possible to get the best car for half the price of a rolls" (talking about the 84 500)
Ok I'm done now

[royaiii]

But still they dont have an inch on any of the new gen MBs. I have been in the 560SEL with all the options and it is definitely not like the vault W140s or W220s. BMW pumped close to a billion dollars on the new 7 and look what they got. Money invested in design does not mean that it is going to be a great car. Most 300SEs I see for sale are cheaper than similar mileage and year 300Es. Tells you alot. They are old breed of cars, they don't even come close to the technology of the new cars. Take for eg. ABC, Distronic or Electronic Brake Force distribution. But, you might argue that these are all software advances. Then look at the widespread employment of vaccum systems in these cars. My W140 sucking the rear lid down and then sealing the chrome handle, let me see a W126 do that. Or self-leveling rear axle, everyone is familiar seeing the W126 pinning down on its rear tire during acceleration. But, let's get even more basic, compare the W126 steering to the W140 steering. W140 can be turned with one pinky. W126 is a much heavier system.

[suginami]

Originally posted by w126
My mother had a '97 S500 and I like the old world feel of SEL much more. To me, the W126 felt more solid. Sure the W140 was faster, smoother and quiter and more civilized -- but I like the "feel" of the old Mercs.

That's exactly why my favorite S-class sedan will always and forever be the W108 280 SEL 4.5.

For some strange reason, this chasis is rarely mentioned, but it was waaay ahead of its time, and still drives and feels modern.

[suginami]

Originally posted by blackmercedes

The grille/hoodline of the W126 is classic MB. The round headlamp W210 is still catching on, but with the W203, W220 etc, it's becoming recognizable by most people now.

The interior materials on the W126 are better. Exterior paint too.

The cars are very different. The W126 S-Class' designers begun their work in about 1975. Computers? The W210 was designed with a different world/market/consumer.

Man, John, great comments. Couldn't have said it better myself.