Economy/Sport on E320 W124

[Two Bags]

My 1994 W124 E320 coupe has this featrue by the gear lever. I have yet to see one on the Convertible model, at least on all the US ones I've viewed. Can someone enlighten me please?

 

[andyR]

Hi,
The E - S gearbox switch is a winter - summer setting, but at the moment I can't remember what the letters stand for in German. It is often erroneously referred to as economy and sport settings.

In 'S' the car moves off from standstill in 1st gear and changes gear at about 5-6000rpm (again,I can't quite remember but it is at max bhp).

In 'E' it starts off in 2nd gear and changes gear at about 3-4000rpm (max torque?) unless you hit the kick-down, in which case it reverts to 'S-mode' for as long as you keep your foot on the accelerator.

'S' tends to promote more wheel spin and can get quite interesting on ice, but it depends how you like to drive

Have fun; a well maintained E320 sportline can be a surprisingly quick car.

 

[imadoofus]

I can only guess it's because American drivers are interested neither in economy or sportiness...

It looks like you won't find a 5-speed auto in the US too.

PJ

 

[nothantsw124]

Hi i have a 300e W124 , in the manual it indicates that
E = ecomomy ie engine always starts in 2nd gear no matter how hard the accelerator is pressed and changes up at a lower rev limit to save fuel.
S = standard ie always starts in 2nd gear but will drop into first if the accelerator is fully depressed and and hangs onto each gear to a higher rev limit.