In 1980s, on the one hand, in order to reduce the size of the luxury that Mercedes-Benz mainly focuses on in order to occupy more markets, on the other hand, in order to compete with rivals in compact sports models, the 190 series, known as “Baby Mercedes-Benz”, came out, which is also the originator of mercedes benz c-class cars in the future. The 190 series not only pioneered the Mercedes-Benz compact RV, but also was one of the pioneers of Mercedes-Benz high-performance RV.

“Classic 190 and 190E, 190E were released at the end of 1982, and the chassis code was 201. It is a compact four-door RV released by Mercedes-Benz and the first compact four-door RV of Mercedes-Benz. Its size and positioning were lower than that of Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W123) at that time. At that time, Mercedes-Benz launched the 190 Series to counter the BMW 3 Series, which was also a compact RV. The high-performance version of the 190 series first appeared in 1983, when Mercedes-Benz released the 190E2.3-16 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Matching this engine is a 4-speed, 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed automatic gearbox, with a maximum power of 122 HP and a maximum torque of 178 Nm. This 190E equipped with a 2.3-liter 16-valve in-line 4-cylinder engine can accelerate 0-100km/h in 8 seconds, with a top speed of 230 km/h. The 2.3L fuel injection engine introduced later has a maximum power increase of 49 HP and a maximum torque increase of 55 Nm, and the power and economy are further optimized. Thanks to the lightweight body design. The “e” in the model stands for Einspritzung direct fuel injection (equipped with Boschke-Jetronic multi-point fuel injection system). Compared with the carburetor model 190, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E sedan has stronger power and higher fuel efficiency. This data seems very common today, but at that time, 190E2.3-16 was really a high-performance RV. The appearance of the 190E draws lessons from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W126) introduced in 1979, with the iconic shield-shaped air intake grille, two horizontal and one vertical chrome-plated lines embedded, and the anti-pollution taillights very similar to W126 are adopted at the rear of the car. The corners on the lampshade can effectively prevent the light source from being covered by dirt and other pollutants. The body lines are trapezium-shaped, and the drag coefficient of 190E model is 0.33, which is 25% lower than the average of all cars at that time. Although the 190E does not create a luxurious atmosphere like Mercedes-Benz S-Class, in order to reflect the high-end positioning, the interior materials and assembly technology still maintain the level that Mercedes-Benz should have: perforated leather seats, mahogany panel center console, and Mercedes-Benz standard clock. In addition, the lightweight body structure, seat belt pretension, ABS anti-lock braking system and airbag were all advanced designs at that time. At the beginning of development, W201 had a variety of schemes, such as Golf’s three-door hatchback, two-door convertible and five-door station wagon. But in the end, Mercedes-Benz adopted the four-door car scheme of Schulz refitter. The biggest feature of this model is the pioneering use of the front McPherson rear five-link suspension structure, and the multi-link can effectively adjust the rear wheel grip performance in different sports postures, so that the vehicle has greater handling limit. This suspension structure was very advanced at that time. At that time, Porsche 964, BMW E30 M3, SierraRS and other models all used simple trailing arms. In addition to competing with BMW for the compact RV market, Mercedes-Benz also planned to build WRC B rally cars on the platform of W201. Mercedes-Benz hoped that the 190 E could make a difference in the rally field, but due to the appearance of the powerful Audi Quattro, turbocharging became the new favorite. Mercedes-Benz realized that rushing into the Group B race would probably be defeated by Audi, so Mercedes-Benz, who backed out, shelved the Group B racing plan. Although the birth of the 190 series is full of ambitions for the luxury compact car market, the original purpose of the development of the Mercedes-Benz 190 series is not here. In the early 1980s, Group B was the most concerned automobile race in the world at that time. Major automobile manufacturers invested huge sums of money to develop racing cars and participate in GroupB races in order to gain brand recognition and market returns. Mercedes-Benz is no exception. Although I saw this business opportunity, Mercedes-Benz didn’t have any compact cars to participate in this event. At that time, Mercedes-Benz only had medium and large luxury cars. Such product layout was a lack for Mercedes-Benz to enhance its sports image. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz decided to develop a new car to compete in Group B, and the code name of this plan is W201. Therefore, the Mercedes-Benz 190, which is competition-oriented and cost 600 million pounds to develop, quickly became the focus after its official appearance. It is estimated that Mercedes-Benz at that time did not expect that after fighting in DTM for two years, Evo II chariot finally achieved results in 1992, winning the driver’s championship and the manufacturer’s championship and winning the first manufacturer’s championship trophy in DTM, which is also the highest racing achievement based on the 190E streetcar. Since then, the 190E 2.5-16 EVO II has become one of the hottest models in the 130-year history of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz 190 was positioned lower than E-Class and S-Class, and it was the smallest car of Mercedes-Benz at that time, so many people called it baby-Benz. But this baby-Benz is by no means an idle generation. The design and configuration of Mercedes-Benz 190 was very advanced at that time. Mercedes-Benz 190 series is divided into three categories: 190, 190E and 190D. 190 uses carburetor engine, 190E uses EFI engine and 190D uses diesel engine. Among them, 190E is the most classic. Mercedes-Benz’s innovative technologies on the 190E completely exceeded people’s expectations. Mercedes-Benz 190E, which emphasizes safety, comfort and operability, was quickly recognized by consumers once it was launched, and was regarded as a boutique sedan at that time. In 1993, Mercedes-Benz introduced the C-Class with chassis number W202, and the 190E was officially discontinued. From its birth in 1982 to its discontinuation in 1993, Mercedes-Benz 190E became a classic symbol in the history of Mercedes-Benz with its brilliant sales and legendary achievements in DTM events, and laid a solid foundation for its successor, mercedes benz c Class. The success of Mercedes-Benz 190E is full of Mercedes-Benz’s efforts and breakthroughs. Perhaps this is why fans like to mention this magic car repeatedly.”