Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Mercedes has retrospectively fitted a diesel engined from the C 250 CDI BlueEfficiency to a 1992 190 E 2.6 Sportline.

The experiment has been undertaken to show how far diesel technology has come in the last 20 years. The Sportline was one of 502 models produced to homologate to DTM rules.

See the Mercedes 190 D BlueEfficiency picture gallery

It has been renamed the Mercedes 1...Read the full article

Why? God it must have been a slow week at the Daimler engineering HQ when the egg heads thought this might be a good wheeze.

 Cool - the ultimate green Q-car?

" It produces 201bhp and 369lb ft of torque, while 0-62mph comes in 6.2secs.

The torque is almost twice as much as the Sportline’s and it produces 71bhp more than it, too. "

 

Erm...that's not right - the 2.6 litre I6 had 166 bhp (35 bhp less than the 201 bhp of the diesel engine).

Chips is right , the 2.6 190E was a 6 cylinder petrol 166bhp. The Sportline wasn't a special edition , it was an option package available to all 190's , the 502 special models built were the Evolution 2 190E 2.5ltr 16v petrol with 235 bhp.

honestly , wouldn't you think Autocar would get their information correct tut tut.... !!

But then again , is anyone really bothered  ?? !! and yes , the Merc boffins must have been stuck for something to do !!

Although I will say one thing , the Mercedes Benz 190 at the time held a lot more status than the current C Class could ever wish to have......... 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if they would knock up a RHD version? I'd have one like a shot. Bloody great cars.

Yeah da 190 Benz was pwnage back in da 90's but why put a new engine in an old car?? I'll take da new one every time...

Yes yes, lovely paint job, clean under-bonnet, nice dash, comparative figures etc. But this isn't a genuine classic, so how does it go?

Nice reminds me of when Benzes were a bit special, there was a new C class parked outside just now with its bonnet up, the grille does n't go up with it anymore, funny how little things like that  add up to make things ordinary, also guess the sportline trim level was  a good indication of when things started to get tacky at Mercedes-Benz. Would n't mind that motor in a W124 estate though.

 I hope that it will find its noble L6 2.6. It was really beautiful in Sportline with its sport chassis, its sport intérior...And the logos "Sportline" (blue and silver) on the sides! The real class, not like certain AMG kits...

 

 

I always thought the 190 was a very good looking car. It still is.

 But instead of comparing economy, i would love to know how refined the new diesel unit is compared to the straight 6 petrol unit from 17 years ago. I suspect this would show much less progress than the economy gains. 

 

Maybe a better use of time would be to have worked out how to get those 385kg off the new car.