SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions and Turning Radius
35.0' turning circle (34.1'?)
175.0" long
66.1" wide
54.7" tall
104.9" wheelbase
2,845 pounds curb weight
41.9" front legroom, 30.9" rear
36.9" front headroom, 36.0" rear
11.7 cubic foot trunk
14.5 gallon fuel tank with 1.8 gallon reserve
26.4 square feet of window glass
Fuel:
Ordinary Diesel fuel, usually 20 cents per gallon cheaper than regular when you know where to buy it. Extraordinary cruising range eliminates the need for every one out of three fuel stops compared to a gasoline car. Unlike hybrids there are no batteries to replace for $4,000 in a few years when they fail after the warranty expires.
Popular among Hollywood's jet set, even Daryl Hannah drives a much crummier Diesel car as you can read here.
EPA rated 30 MPG city, 34 MPG highway here. Ken Rockwell gets 30 MPG around town and 37 to 38 MPG on long trips! Ken has seen as high as 42 MPH when others drove the car at a sustained speed of 85 MPH returning from Utah along Interstate 15 for about 700 miles.
California emissions certified by Mercedes-Benz. As an environmentally sound alternative fuel vehicle it is exempt from California's smog check annual emission testing requirements.
Engine:
Inline 5 cylinder 2.497 litre / 152.4 CID overhead cam Diesel engine
Like all Mercedes, the cam is driven by a timing chain that never needs service, not a rubber belt like a Lexus that has to be changed at great expense.
93 hp @ 4,600 RPM
122 ft-lbs @ 2,800 RPM
redline: 5,150 RPM
22.0 : 1 compression ratio
3.43" stroke, 3.31" bore
Mechanical fuel injection. Impervious to EMP effects during and after a nuclear event. Yes, in case of world war three you'll be the only one still driving because the electronic ignitions of every other car made since 1970 will have been fried. There will be no "Mad Max" because every gasoline car made since about 1970 has transistorized ignition control that replaced points. Only vehicles with mechanical ignitions and carburetors, or mechanical fuel injection and compression ignition, will be able to run. Of course forget any modern car with any sort of electronic fuel injection or onboard computers, which is every car made since 1990 including Diesels and commercial trucks. Likewise this car has a hydraulically controlled transmission also impervious to EMP. This may very well be the only operable motor vehicle left after the first nuclear burst of the next conflict, when you'll need your vehicle to run more than any time in your life. Remember that all above-ground nuclear testing stopped in 1963 before any electronic vehicle controls, and acts of war are specifically excluded from coverage under your automobile's comprehensive insurance policy.
The Diesel engine has and needs no ignition system; the fuel ignites from the temperature rise caused by the very high compression stroke. This is called "compression ignition." There are no spark plugs or ignition system.
There are cylinder pre-heaters which warm each cylinder to operating temperature for quick starts in any weather.
Transmission and Driveline:
4 speed hydraulically controlled automatic. Second-gear start except when first is needed: when floored from a stop or or on very steep hills.
3.07 rear axle ratio. With tires at 856 revs/mile you get 2,625 RPM at 60 MPH.
Wheels, Brakes, Tires and Suspension
185/65R15 87T. 856 revs/mile. Michelin is original equipment. NASA also has relied on Michelin as their sole tire supplier since the first Space Shuttle launch in 1981. What goes into Michelin's tires for NASA? The same things that go into their tires for the Concorde, F22 Stealth Fighter and B2 Stealth Bomber. Goodyear makes tires for ordinary jetliners whose ground speeds are less than good sports cars like the Mercedes SL500, big deal.
6J x 15H2 light alloy wheels
Four wheel disc brakes, fully independent suspension
Radio
Becker radio with direct numeric station entry and fine interchannel tuning to eliminate alternate channel interference.
AM stereo as well as FM stereo.
Cassette player with Dolby B and C noise reduction.
Seats
Standard Mercedes seats designed for ultra comfort on any length trip. You'll notice longer seat bottoms than newer Mercedes and other cars. Today Mercedes and others economize with shorter seat bottoms to make the interior of the car look bigger. These smaller cushions compromise on the seat comfort you have in this 190.
Gauges
The side gauges are angled in towards the driver so no accuracy is lost to parallax. My BMW by comparison has a flat gauge panel so the side gauges lose accuracy because you are not looking at them straight on unless you move your head.
The speedometer is dead on when compared to my GPS. Dead on means more accurate than a fraction of a MPH and limited by my ability to interpolate between markings. The speedometer read a little high on the previous set of tires; this will vary with wear and pressure among other things. By comparison my new BMW reads 4 MPH high, which is typical and poor.
The odometer reads high by six-tenths of one percent, and this will vary with tire wear, speed and inflation pressure.
The fuel gauge is typical for Mercedes: it reads 4/4 when full, and comes off the 4/4 mark as soon as you drive a bit. The light comes on when you reach the R marking at the bottom, at which point you still have a gallon or two (check the manual) to go. This contrasts with newer models like my 1997 SL500 the bottom of whose fuel gauge reads 0 and the reserve light which comes on at 1/8. My 190D drinks 12.5 gallons of fuel when the reserve light illuminates. I fill to the rim, which is a half gallon above the pump shut off. There is no annoying vapor recovery as on ordinary gas cars.
The clock is more accurate than I can measure. I can read it to within several seconds and I've never seen it vary even after six months. of course after six months one needs to reset it to or from daylight time.
Detailing and Paint
All original. I've always washed and waxed it by hand. I've never had it polished commercially, nor has anything ever been repainted.
This means that if it looks this good today that you can take it out and have it clayed, polished or whatever to your heart's content and make it even shinier.
I'm a big saver. I never like to use or spend things. I've never wanted to have it polished, which as you know means grinding down a few microns off the top of the clear coat. It's all there for you to do with as you please.
For the past 10 years I've used black-colored wax. It's called something like "Color Match" by Turtlewax and is easy to find. It sounds silly, but this black wax means that any spots you miss when wiping it off don't scream "mistake" as white wax does when it turns white. Brilliant!
http://www.kenrockwell.com/190d/#specs
Goed genoeg denk ik, indien je geen engels begrijpt