W124 SEDAN (W124)

About the W124 Sedan (W124)

The W124 sedan is the definitive Mercedes-Benz. Four doors, a body engineered to survive two decades of daily use without structural fatigue, and a range of engines that covered everything from frugal four-cylinder diesels to the hand-built 500E's 5.0-liter V8. The build quality was obsessive. Double-sealed doors. Six-layer paint process. Fully galvanized body panels. Mercedes tested the W124 on the most abusive surfaces they could find and then over-engineered it beyond the results. The 300D Turbo became the taxi of choice across three continents because it would run for 500,000 km on original engine and transmission. The 500E — built by Porsche on the same line as the 968 — lowered the ride height, widened the fenders, and stuffed a 326 hp V8 into the engine bay. It's the sleeper of the decade: a family sedan that could run with an M5.