|
Larry and I have to disagree on one point:
The W124 and the W202 being too similar. Having spent time in both (lots in a W202 and W201) there is an area where they differ greatly...
The strut suspension used in the W201 and W124 (pretty much the same in both chassis) is greatly inferior to the double-A-arm set up in the W202. While the suspension tuning in some of the "luxury" models of W202 left something to be desired, the ability to turn a W202 into a terrific handling car picks up where the W124 fades away. If the C36 had been blessed with as deep an engine as the W124 E500, there would be no chance for the W124 E500 to run with the W202 AMG car.
But, the W203 comes back with struts, but it's a new set up that has nothing in common with W124 or W201 cars. It's got a bit of a twist that is kinda like "variable geometry" that means the car is quick to respond at slow speeds and very stable at high speeds. With the W124, there was no such ability. When the cars were tuned for high speed stability, they were down-right ponderous around town. We MB-philes just got used to it, since we loved that our cars were like rocks at 100mph. Now we can have our cake and eat it too with the W203!
The two cars I find that are very similar (since we owned both...) are the W210 E-Class and the W202 C-Class. Despite the different (and not always loved) rack-and-pinion of the W210, the cars have very similar characters with regards to ride, handling, interior feel, and so on. They share very similar suspension design, and even their interiors have many "deja-vu" moments. Hopping out of the C230 and into the E300 brought "hey this is much the same" kinda driving experience.
I have yet to drive a Mercedes I didn't like. I have seat time in W123's, W124's, W201's, W202's, W210's, W109 and the SLK and ML versions. I like them all for various reasons...
|