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Having logged over 400,000km's in various 190E's (two 2.3's, one 16V and one 2.6) I find the 190E and W202 C-Class vary different in character. Some things on the 190E are very well done including the heavy upholstery and super-thick sheet metal. But, some things I really don't like. Even though I like compact sedans, the rear seat and trunk on the W201 are really small, and the W202 adds just enough room to make both spots much more user-friendly.
Some little touches on the W201 chassis I REALLY don't miss. The stupid little temp display that never works right and costs a fortune to fix is absent in the W202. The cryptic ACC controls are gone, as is the manual fan control. There is no real console storage and the glovebox is tiny. The C-Class glove-box is small too, but at least there are two good sized console storage bins. In the W201, the non-power headrests don't have a "locking" mechanism and eventually creep down. I had to re-set them all the time. It's a minor thing, but annoying. The W202 has rear head rests and all four lock in place once adjusted.
The W201's have a strut to hold up the hood and it wears out. The spring mechanism in the W202 seems much more robust.
On most 190E's, the door panel material delaminates. So far, I haven't seen too many serious gaffes on the interiors of the W202's, though the MB-Tex is thinner than on the previous cars. Bummer.
The speaker locations on the W201's are stupidly small and upgrading the sound system is difficult. The OE W202 system is much better, and much easier to upgrade if you wish.
In 1998, the W202's lost their STUPID UNRELIABLE mast antennas. The rear-window version works fine, and never needs fixing.
W202 cars are WAY better in the snow, if that's a concern. The 190E 2.6's are not great thanks to the weight of the six out front. The C230's are very good, surprisingly so. Mine is on snow tires and will run away from our all-season equipped AWD Forester.
One real operating difference is the fuel economy. Our C230 offers the same, and in many cases better, performance of the 190E 2.6, but drastically better fuel economy.
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