Well first off the W201 has a 4 speed tranny that starts in 2nd gear unless floored. So that would cause a slight hesitation at take-off if you push the pedal enoug to get it to drop to 1st.

Second the vacuum economy gauge will show red when accelerating, unless you only push the pedal a hair. This gauge just gets a vacuum feed from the engine, and vacuum when accelerating is low as it should be. My 2.3 190E does the same exact thing. Then again it is slow to begin with so I floor it from stops to get my first gear and some good acceleration.

What you can do is run some fuel injector cleaner through and check you plugs, cap and rotor to see if they need replaced. Test the O2 sensor as well just to check it. Replace as needed. But the 190E was not exactly a speed demon off the line when new so do not expect it to be after 17 years.

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~Jamie
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2003 Pewter C230K SC C1, C4, C5, C7, heated seats, CD Changer, and 6 Speed. ContiExtremes on the C7's.

1986 190E 2.3 Black, Auto, Mods to come soon.....