Mercedes-Benz W124

W124 is the Mercedes-Benz internal chassis-designation for the 1984 to 1997 version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The W124 models replaced the W123 models after 1985 and were superseded by the W210 E-Class after 1995.

History

The W124 is a mid-sized vehicle platform. Due to the high cost of German engineering and build quality, the W124 was designed to last many miles, with awards actually given and worn by high mileage versions.

Front suspension uses a separate spring and damper with a rubber top mount. The rear suspension of the W124 features the Mercedes multi-link axle introduced in 1982 with the Mercedes 190 and which is now standard on many modern cars. Estate cars (and optionally, saloons and coupes) had Citroen-like self-leveling rear suspension with suspension struts rather than shock absorbers, gas-filled suspension spheres to provide damping and an under bonnet pressurizing pump. Unlike the traditional Citroën application Mercedes opted for a fixed ride height and employed rear coil springs to maintain the static ride height when parked.

The R129 was based on the W124 platform, in return W124 was equipped in one of the roadster's engines, in its 500E version..

Much of the 124's engineering and many of its features were advanced automotive technology at its introduction, incorporating innovations that have been adopted throughout the industry. It had one of the lowest coefficient of drag (Cd) of any vehicle of the time (0.28 for the 200/200D...
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