Mercedes-Benz W124 vs New E-Class: Modern Classic Meets Best Seller

Mercedes-Benz’s advent into the Indian passenger car market started in 1995 with its first model being the now iconic W124 E-class. Now almost 30 years later, Mercedes has introduced the sixth generation of the E-class in India with the latest car, the V214, said to be the best iteration of the luxury sedan yet. The W124 wasn’t a sales success though the E-class has now become the company’s best-selling car in India. And this thought brought some key questions to my mind. How much has the E-class changed over the years? and, was the W124, a car known for its reliability, just as good at its job as an executive sedan as the current E-class? We brought the two together to find out.
  

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Style & Substance

One of the reasons for the W124’s less-than-stellar run in India was that the model arrived at the tail end of its product run globally. The model was set to be replaced by the new W210 E-class globally at the time and Indian buyers didn’t seem to appreciate getting an older car. However, things are a little different now. Resale values of W124s have started to climb in recent years in India and you’re likely to see quite a few examples on the roads ranging from the India-made E220s and E250s to private imports such as this E300 diesel here.

There is a timeless charm to the classic three-box design of the W124 E-class and it looks good even today.

When it comes to design, the W124 has aged very well. The classic 3 box proportions, long and flat bonnet and gently sloping rear deck all give it a timeless look. Unique elements of this generation of the E-class included the plastic covers on the lower sections of the door and the intake vent of the driver-side front fender that was unique to the diesel 124s. The sedan’s high ground clearance also meant that you could clear almost all potholes and oversized speedbreakers on the road.

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A lot has changed in 30 years, the W124 back in the day rode on 15-inch wheels; The sixth-gen E uses notably larger 17-inchers.

Even the wheels look quite proportionate even though these units are just 15-inch units wrapped in 195/65 section tyres. If anything, this W124, finished in white, still looks special even to this date; still exuding the vibes of someone important going about town.

The W124 certainly had some quirks back in the day such as the driver-side fender vent that was the intake for the diesel engine.

The latest E-class in comparison looks huge. It’s notably longer than the old W124, which, is similar in size to the modern-day C-class. The design too is a lot more rounded with flowing lines and smooth contours. The new E also borrows design elements seen in Mercedes’ EQ range, particularly at the front, while the taillights get unique three-point-star graphics. Of course, the new E also gets much larger wheels that fill out the wheel arches nicely. In a nutshell, the new E fills the bill of a modern luxury executive sedan to the T, though it's not as likely to turn heads as its many-time-over great-grandfather.
 

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The new E-class is huge in comparison to the W124; Mercedes' latest design language sees the new E borrow some EQ-like design elements, particularly up front.

Cabin Experience

The W124 for a car from the 90s feels very well-appointed. The front seats are wide, softly cushioned and are six-way adjustable - the India-spec cars came with a power-adjustable driver’s seat. The interior is dated compared to most modern cars but a lot of the surfaces are built to last. The physical buttons have a nice tactile feel to them, there is an auto function for the AC as well - the India-spec cars got up to two different climate zones too. The wood finish on the dashboard and centre console is real wood. Of course, you did have some quirks back then as well such as a way too large steering that was fixed. Hence, you had to work your way around that. Then there were the disproportionate wing mirrors too - the driver's side is rectangular and long, in contrast to the passenger side, which is square, and both offered limited rearward visibility.
 

The W124 is delightfully analogue inside the cabin; buttons operate with a tactile click and you still got bits such as power windows and power-adjustable wing mirrors back then.

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Finally, the instrument cluster, unlike a lot of modern cars, the classic white-on-black all analogue dials - including an RPM gauge - lacked backlighting, instead featuring two small lights built into the cluster’s hood that throw light onto the unit. Oh and did I mention that this car got ABS and dual airbags back in the 1990s - even the India-spec car, which is quite cool.
 

The W124 lacks the outright rear seat space of the new V214 but the back seat is best compared to a good comfy sofa.

The rear seat experience is also one to talk about. The seats offer comfort similar to most living room sofas with a fold-down central armrest for added comfort and adjustable headrests that can be tilted for greater comfort. The headrests can also be folded away at the touch of a button to improve rear visibility. The cushioning is soft and the rear passengers sit higher than the front so the view too is good. Sure it’s not as spacious as the modern E and lacks rear-AC vents but no complaints here - comfort is still good by today’s standards and the AC is more than powerful enough to rapidly cool the cabin even at a low fan speed.
 

The 124s white-on-black gauge cluster wasn't backlit but featured small bulbs embedded in the cowl that projected light onto it.

Open the doors of the new E and the six-generation gap feels like a 30-generation gap - a digital instruments display, touch-sensitive buttons on the steering, a massive portrait-style central touchscreen and even a third display for the front passenger. The front seats are both power adjustable in a variety of angles and ways and even the steering column is power adjustable to get that ideal seating position. The modern high-tech feel is in abundance though to some it might feel a bit overly so. Physical buttons have been minimised to unforeseen levels nowadays with even the air-con controls via the touchscreen, including adjusting the throw of the front air vents. The seats offer a lot more lateral support and feel snug though personally the W124’s softer padding just felt better.
 

Rapid advances in technology make the new E's cabin feel more than just six generations apart

It’s at the rear where the new E starts to pamper its owners. Power adjustable outer rear seats that can recline, a boss mode for the rear left passenger to stretch out, individual climate zones, a centre armrest with a wireless phone charger, powered sun blinds on the doors and rear windshield and a large panoramic sunroof. It’s much more roomier compared to the old W124 and for the modern top executive, the back seat does not disappoint with all its modern comforts. The only real thing missing is the option of ventilated seats which is not even offered to the front occupants - a miss considering cars in the sub Rs 20 lakh price bracket now offer this feature.
 

The modern take on luxury has put greater emphasis on the rear seat and it shows in the new E; powered outer seats, individual climate zones and acres of room to stretch out - ‘sir-ji’ is quite pampered in the back.

The experience of operating the doors too feels miles apart. The W124’s doors might not be as thick as the new E but felt a lot heftier requiring a solid pull from the occupant to open and shut. The accompanying thud was something only buyers of the modern G-class will feel but it added to the W124’s air of rock-solid feel. The V214 in comparison gets soft-close doors and powered door handles that fold flush into the body so even a partial pull on the doors does mean that the door will properly close as long as it partly latches.
 

New E has gone very tech-loaded and physical switchgear has been reduced to minimal levels - the front passenger gets his own screen for personalised infotainment options.

On The Road

The E 300 diesel W124 with me got the globally available 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel engine in a non-turbocharged form. The unit is paired with an old-school 4-speed automatic driving the rear wheels. Firing up the engine was via a physical key back then - none of the ‘leave the key fob in your pocket and start the car with a button’ business. The unit in the car fired up without a fuss despite being 30 years old and the diesel clatter was quite well insulated as well. It’s not entirely sound proof but it's dulled down to a low rumble when on the move.
 

The OM606 diesel looks industrial under the hood of the W124 E 300; the non-turbo six-cylinder diesel was never officially offered in India.

Being a non-turbo diesel mill, you lack the outright performance of the modern E-class but get the engine rolling and the W124 felt like a train barreling down the road. Of course the diesel W124s were meant to cruise down the road rather than be performance-focused machines and that character is very well visible even today. The hydraulic power steering rack offered good feedback and heft, and body roll was well contained through the corners at regular highway speeds. What did surprise me was the ride quality. The W124 lacked all the high-tech air suspension mumbo-jumbo but the ride quality even today feels straight out of a flagship luxury sedan.
 

The W124 isn't as quick as the modern E, but get the non-turbocharged oil burner up to speed and it makes for a very comfy cruiser.

The steel spring and damper set-up ironed out road imperfections very well with the 195/65 section tyres also taking the edge out of any expansion joints. Sure there was still a bit of firmness over small undulations but for a 30-year-old car to offer such a cushy ride quality at par if not better than some modern luxury cars is no laughing matter - over-engineered for sure I’d say.
 

Even 30 years in the future the 124's ride quality is still comparable to modern luxury cars; suspension irons out almost everything thrown at it.

Moving to the latest 6th-gen E, the car we had with us was the E 200 petrol and while it got a smaller 2.0-litre four-pot engine more modern electronics, engineering and the latest turbocharger technology means that it outputs not just more power than the old W124’s six-pot oil burner but also more torque. This is apparent in the way the new E class pulls off the line with 0-100 kmph dusted in a claimed sub 8 seconds. The unit is paired with a butter smooth 9-speed automatic compared to the old 4-speed of the W124 that did give the original shove in the back during downshifts.
 

The sixth-gen E feels easy to drive despite its large dimensions; ride quality is also very plush with body roll well contained.

Ride quality, too, is best described as well-sorted. The suspension irons out all but the largest bumps with ease, and even body roll is well contained considering the car’s over 5-metre length. The electronic power steering makes direction changes quicker, though the unit weighs up a lot less in the hands compared to the 124. But where the new E seemed to fall short was in that indestructible feel that the older W124 seemed to exude.
 

While 30 years apart, both the W124 and V214 retain one common character - they make the owner feel special in their own unique way.

Summing It Up

You can say the W124 and the modern E-class come from two different eras of Mercedes cars. The W124 was designed and engineered from the ground up as a solid long-lasting cruiser capable of munching in the miles with minimal fuss and few chances of things going wrong. Sure in the Indian market, it was at one time the flagship but in global markets the S-class had been around for decades before and the W124 filled out the role as the successor to the indestructible W123 very well. Even today the W124 still has some surprises in store for people setting foot in the car for the first time from the level of comfort it offered even back in the day to the rock-solid feel even 30 years later in well-looked-after examples and very good driving dynamics.
 

The V214 certainly does justice to its claim of being the best E-class yet and is a showcase of just how far technology and the buyer's perception of luxury has changed.

The modern E-class has evolved to become an executive limousine in the Indian market, with its stretched wheelbase and over-the-top comfort and convenience features. Performance has also taken major leaps forward, as have the onboard tech and safety systems. This does some justice to Mercedes’ claim that the new V214 is the best ‘E’ to date, with the car having evolved with the times, advances in personal technology, and the changing perception of luxury.
 

The W124 feels every bit like the overengineered indestructible sedan that many claimed it to be and the analogue driving experience is something modern luxury car buyers are starting to see less of.

So at the end of the day, the modern E class has come a long distance from its genesis as the W124 but some aspects have remained - offering a host of luxuries buyers looked for at the time and offering a comfortable rear seat experience for the “boss”. This was of course not an apples-to-apples comparison but if I had to pick one of these personally based on my experience, I would lean towards the W124. The analogue driving experience is something that has started to fade away in the luxury car market and that is what the W124 E-class delivers while still being similarly comfortable as the new E.

A special thanks to Mahir Javeri for letting us borrow the W124 E-class.