Mercedes-Benz 190E W201 Road test review. Does the baby Benz still feel premium after four decades?

The Mercedes-Benz 190E (code named the W201) was unveiled at the 1982 Paris motor show and landed in the UK the following year. It was designed by Italian automobile designer Bruno Sacco, then head of styling at Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes were doing well with there larger cars but needed a new smaller car that could go toe to toe with BMW and there E21/E30 3 series which was making a splash in the lucrative company car sector. The new W201 had to be more compact and more affordable than the then current range of Mercedes cars but still retain all that was good about the their premium automobiles.
This example is a mid life facelift version but is essential a very lightly restyled version of the original four decade old design. So doe sit drive well enough to compete with its German rival?
Was it worth a premium over a larger, better equipped Ford or Vauxhall and does it still feel like a premium car today?
Make yourself comfortable while we take a good look around the car followed by a thorough test drive on the undulating North Yorkshire roads.

Thank you to Simon of 'Lot 76 CARS' for loaning me his pride and joy for an afternoon. If you want to see his ongoing Mercedes-Benz journey then head on over to the 'Lot 76 CARS' YouTube channel.

With more car events and reviews booked over the next few months there will be more videos like this one coming very soon so make sure you don't miss out by subscribing and hitting the bell icon to be notified when the next video goes live.
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Thank you to the Motorist for providing a filming location (and dining in the Arnage restaurant) after filming.
Plan your next visit to the Motorist or the Arnage.

Are you based in Yorkshire and have an interesting car that would make for a great video.
Could be anything from a Metro to a Maserati, as long as you have a passion for it there is a good chance that someone else will do too...

Hope to catch you on the next one.

[richardhowlett]

Possibly the last great Mercedes, very much a shrunken W126 S Class . More desirable than anything they make today .

[scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Excellent and comprehensive review Mark on the Baby Merc. A lovely car and well looked after by Simon.

[adebrade]

I'm on my third 190e now, I keep coming back to them.

[markcarpenter]

Good review. I have been considering a 190e as modern classic to own for some time now, but not yet taken the plunge. This video has given me more insight into the strength of this model. Thank you.

[paulfoakes]

Great production work and review. The baby Benz, a popular taxi in many countries and a cosworth powered version too.

[jontemple]

Really hope my old 'K' plate 190e 2.0 is still going... Sadly had to let it go as circumstances were not conducive to giving it the overhaul it needed with nowhere to take it off the road. An excellent car, great drive...

[renierdutoit]

Great review👍 I just drove my 190e over 1400 km to the Kruger National Park and back with no issues whatsoever.

[El-Mariachi-Classics]

Had the E30 for many years and recently started on 190E 2.3 project! Same size cars but different in many ways. E30 much more of a drivers car with fun factor, however 190E is sooo comfortable and feels better than many new cars. Taking it for my first real test tomorrow with +1000km😮 hope she doesn’t disappoint:)

[damieg]

7:57 the S setting means "second", i.e. once engaged the transmission will start off in second gear even when the shifter is in the D position. It is intended for use in slippery conditions where starting off in 2nd gear should reduce the chance/amount of wheel spin. E does in fact mean economy, and what it does is shift the gears earlier in the RPM range to help save fuel.

22:24 the W202 immediately succeeded the 190 (aka W201), not the W203

[LotCARS]

Great work Mark, enjoyed that. Strange to see your own car from another perspective.

[GentilsGarage]

Very good and comprehensive review. Always liked these as they are nice to drive and comfortable… even the slow manual diesels that were popular in portugal for a long time.

[Backwardlooking]

YES. Still have ours . Owned since almost new. A 11/93 190E.

[kamila_]

Lovely review, can agree the W201 has aged like fine wine, adore my 190E.

[LotCARS]

Somehow I think I’m going to enjoy this one Mark….

[ghostman]

i own a 180E 1.8 liter engine here in australia owned it for about 6 years going on 7 its got 210, 000 km on it very hard to find parts here but a good car any way

[dreammaker]

Nice review of a quality car .
I had a high mileage c class 2ltr kompressor, lovely motorway car .
Unfortunately being 2000s car the quality wasn't as good it was thirsty and it rusted .
I was going to get an e class 90s estate but The wife said it would be too big for her 😌.
The windscreen wiper action always amazed me nothing like it that i know of .

[beautgrainger]

The throttle response should be reasonable.. meagre power is a different thing, but it should start doing something quicker than some modern drive by wire.. same for the autobox - just manually shift down when approaching junctions so it doesn't have to change from 3rd to 1st if you floor it into a gap. The steering box is actually a decent thing, mostly hampered by the rubber-damped steering coupler.
The chuckability.. lumbering until you actually go down tight country roads quickly, seems to get more capable as it's pushed a bit.. quite an easy car to recover from oversteer too (miracle if you can cause it most of the year thanks to the low power too). There are numerous potential negatives to having an old 190 but they're good at what they do, a compact old-world mercedes build quality, a league above comparable BMW's (as more of a BMW guy myself)

[kpz]

I used to own a 190E and I miss it, especially the mono-wiper. Maybe I can get a 16v if I find one that isn't an arm and leg.

[andrewkessinger]

Scale up the 201 and you get the 124. I still daily a W201 2.5 diesel. 330, 000 miles and still going strong.

[Muhammadusman-gebs]

I was thinking to take mine on a long road trip about 600 miles. Would this car be suitable