Auto Design

The Mercedes-Benz 190D BlueEFFICIENCY experimental vehicle.

If you too have been questioning why today cars are so large and heavy, and wondered what could they do for us and the environment if they were simpler and lighter, here some facts and food for thought from Mercedes-Benz.

One evening, the engineer of the German company discussed about the enormous developments in diesel technology over the past 20 years. They questioned: “How might one make this progress directly tangible, in isolation from the equally profound changes in the safety and comfort of the car as a whole?” The answer to that question is this factory-tuned car of a different kind: this Mercedes-Benz 190 D BlueEFFICIENCY.

From the outside it looks just like a quarter-century-old Mercedes 190, tens of thousands of well-preserved examples of which can still be seen on Germany’s roads. Pressing the accelerator tells a different story: equipped with the ultra-modern OM651 common-rail engine developing 150 kW / 204 hp, the Mercedes 190 D BlueEFFICIENCY shows the full potential of this new four-cylinder diesel engine. With a maximum torque of 500 Nm between 1600 and 1800 rpm, this experimental car has more than twice the torque of the most powerful model in the old W 201-series. The 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II, which was presented in 1990 and produced 502 times as a homologation model for the Group A DTM touring cars, “only” manages 245 Nm.

Consequently, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, or 11.9 seconds faster than a 190 D of the time. At that time (1983) the original Mercedes-Benz 190d caused a sensation on its 1983 introduction with its newly developed, fully encapsulated “whisper-diesel”.

The differences between the two diesel generations are even more impressive when it comes to fuel consumption: despite the significant increase in output from 72 to 204 HP, the 1988 engine was burning 7.3 litre to cover100 km according to the DIN standards. The new engine, in the old body would only need 4.6 litre (if the same DIN standards are applied). Fuel consumption could further be cut dramatically by a smaller diesel engine engineered to deliver some 160 HP, taking advantage of the remarkable 385 kilograms weight advantage of the 190D over the C 250  CDI BlueEFFICIENCY.

Which are the main differences?

The C-Class model is 16 centimetres longer, and around nine centimetres wider and higher than a 190 - this is due to the higher standard of comfort and safety standards.

The Mercedes-Benz 190 was ahead of its time in terms of safety technology. Nonetheless, customers at the time enjoyed nothing like the extensive array of passive and active safety systems to be found as standard in the current C series. These include seven airbags, the adaptive AGILITY CONTROL suspension and numerous assistance systems such as ESP® and ADAPTIVE BRAKE.

However, do these “innovations” justify 385 more kilograms?

They do not.  Mercedes-Benz suggests only a couple of areas adding to the weight. Such as multi-adjustable seats or electrically adjustable or just the heated exterior mirrors.

Real progress has been made in the area of aerodynamics. The Cd, coefficient of drag, has gone down from 0.34 to 0.27, despite the bigger wheels.