The W124 is the internal model designation given to the E class produced between 1988 and early 1996. The successor E class (W210) from 1996 to 2002 was a big step backwards and was largely responsible for the poor customer satisfaction Mercedes have achieved since then. In the early 1990’s Mercedes profit slumped and they decided a way to reverse this would be to make their cars cheaper to build. Since their cars were ‘over-engineered’ they would cut back on their engineering costs.

It has been a long time since I have driven a W124 and when the opportunity arose recently I jumped at it. This particular car is an E320 estate, it is a late one, first registered in 1996 and it has the much sought after 5 speed auto gearbox. This car belongs to a colleague, and it’s on sale. A deal was done where I would borrow it for a weekend, giving me enough time in it to write a review and he would get a plug and be able to list it for free in the Cars for Sale section of the site.

The car starts well –a bit of fan belt slipping for about 10 seconds –and pulls away crisply. It holds onto first gear longer than expected to get some heat into the engine and gearbox. When it does change up, the changes are smooth. The next time pulling away in first, it changes quickly. The controls are all logically placed but the dashboard is a little old looking. Maybe that is because I doesn’t have the supposedly obligatory sat-nav screen. The steering is smaller than on some older Mercedes, and all the better for it. It is covered in leather but the stitching if coming away from a small section. The steering feel is not communicative –so just traditional Mercedes!

I needed to collect some bulky items from Edinburgh (100 miles away) and got permission to use the E320. It cost the best part of £70 to fill up (the price of fuel brings a tear to my eye), tuned in to Radio 2 and I’m on my way. The car picks up speed well and does it effortlessly and smoothly.

When are they going to duel the A1 all the way from Newcastle to Edinburgh? Single lanes and queues build up behind slow traffic. Even if there is no oncoming traffic most drivers prefer just to sit behind slower truck. I, on the other hand, use the E320’s impressive kick-down acceleration to go past long snaking queues. I only do it if traffic permits; I’m far from a boy racer. But the Mercedes make overtaking easy and enjoyable. The A1 has many slow and high speed bends so the W124 chassis is given a workout. For a large and heavy estate, it handles surprisingly well. Body roll is contained, balance is good and grip is tremendous. It just takes everything in its stride. Ride is generally good but very bumpy or series of bends can make the car bouncy if driven with haste. I suspect the dampers are past their best and, although it not necessary, they could be replaced to bring extra fluency to the ride. This is somewhat confirmed when an occasional muted clunk is heard when the body shifts on the suspension –again new dampers should silence that.

Once in Edinburgh I loaded the car up. Fuel was down to two-thirds, so no need for a top up. A top up for me at a cheap-but-nice curry house on Leith Walk and I’m on my way back. Driving the Mercedes in slow traffic, I reflected on how nice it was to be behind a three-pointed star, in a car which just felt so right. This is now 12 years old and the way it drives, the way it looks, you would think it was barely 3 years old. When I checked the car over before the journey, I saw the body to be generally unmolested, just two tiny dents (which could be pulled out but are not worth bothering with). Many W124’s are prone to rusty wheel-arches, but this one is fine. There is a small drop of oil under the engine, which I’ve been told is commonly from the cam chain lubrication and not worth trying to rectify. Still at least there is no cambelt to replace.

The car did about 27mpg and I reckon it would have hit 30 if I had patiently queued behind slow traffic rather than effortlessly accelerating past. But I can sacrifice that 3 mpg for the pleasure I had in exploring the rev range of the 6 cylinder 24 valve engine. I enjoyed the luxury –this is a 12 year old car but it still has a good quota of toys and feature (nice sounding radio cassette, electric sunroof and windows, air bags, climate, leather), I enjoyed the prestige, the quality and dependability. I just like the whole driving experience.

I handed the keys back with W124’s image in my mind confirmed. You don’t have to spend a fortune, you don’t have to buy new or nearly new to enjoy a quality, safe and prestige car. This type of car should be actively helped by the government – keeping good old cars going for longer could reduce the number of new cars being constructed, to the benefit of CO2 reduction.

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This article is sponsored by Proqul Ozone store who supply the Ozonology Sanitisation service.

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