W140 or W126?

[James Rothwell]

What do you think is a better car for long distance cruising throughout Europe?

A W140 S500 or a W126 420 SEL?

I had an S500 already but I do like the look of the older one.
But how comfortable is it for long distances, what is it like on fuel?
Reliability?

I know it's a bit of a stupid question because I guess the obvious answer is a W140 as it's newer technolodgy, but is the W126 really that far behind?

Also bearing in mind the main trip the car will be doing this year will be THIS TRIP other than that I won't be driving it to work and back it will just be for long motorway drives and going to and from Nurburgring for photography, obviously not going to lap a w126 was bad enough lapping a S500 in the wet. Will also probably use the car to cruise down to Italy in October.

 

[jaymanek]

W140 is far more comfortable but the reliabilty issue would make me go for the W126 anytime.

Fuel economy very similar.

 

[James Rothwell]

Reliability issue? I did about 12,000 miles in my S500 in about 3 months or so and didn't miss a beat. Was I just lucky?

Just how much more comfortable is a W140? Is it literally chalk and cheese?

 

[jaymanek]

They are reliable but just much more expensive when they go wrong... they have twice as many control units and the suspension is much more complex.

 

[219]

I was put off a W140 and ended up getting my W126 mainly because of all the horror stories about gadgets going wrong - that and the W126 is a more practical prospect for DIY maintenance .

I've done about 11,000 miles in my 500SEL since I bought it last October and it hasn't missed a beat .

 

[MangoMan]

126 anyday.....

 

[w124nut]

IMHO the W126 design makes a better looking car than the W140 but then again I am biased towards cars of the '80s.

 

[James Rothwell]

I really like the look of the LWB W126 but I've never driven one, I've never even been in one. What are they like on motorways?

Would a 1991 420 SEL have cruise control?

 

[Roger Jones]

I don't know whether cruise control was standard, but it is common and it works perfectly in my 300 SE. Motorways? Don't quite know how to respond to that.

I prefer the profile of the SE over the SEL, as the latter seems to have spoilt the integrity of the basic design, but these things are very personal. I also find the performance of the 300 perfectly adequate, but many prefer the V8s; the 300 is slightly cheaper to run (24.16 mpg average over four years) and to service, being a simpler beast.

I have no doubt that the 140 is marginally more comfortable, but I don't like its looks and I too have seen plenty indicating that it can get very expensive when anything goes wrong. It's also larger to the point of parking space likely to be a persistent problem.

 

[MPG]

I've done over 9000 miles in my W126 500SEL since I bought it last Summer and it's been faultless. I think it's getting rather subjective when we talk about "comfort" - I often find that more modern cars despite advances in suspension technology, undo the potential comfort gain by fitting daft oversize alloys. A W126 only rides on 15" rims so you have that rare commodity of "sidewalls" (remember those??) to keep the ride nice & smooth. Sure it may not be quite so adept on the twisty stuff, but that's not really what it's all about.

Also as many posters have said, the W140 broke new ground for Mercedes with the sheer quantity and complexity of its electronics - in other words there's more to go wrong. However, on the plus side I understand the W140 engine range gives far better fuel economy. I average about 18mpg from my W126 although recently I managed to get 21.4mpg from a tankfull which is a personal best (although hardly something to shout about!)

I'd also add that the W126 is a lovely looking thing, Bruno Scacco certainly got the proportions right to my eye - does anybody really think that bargelike, slabsided, portly leviathan of a W140 looks better ?

 

[James Rothwell]

What can I expect from a 420 SEL if I do motorway driving?

I can usually extract good fuel economy from cars my S500 averaged 27mpg, my E320 averaged 33mpg, my S80 T6 SE averaged 31mpg, my A8 4.2 40v averaged 29mpg, my Grand Cherokee LTD averaged 21mpg.

Would late 20's MPG be totally unreasonable from a 420 SEL doing 75mph most of the time on the motorways with very little traffic so just maintaining the same speed.

I presume the W126 is silent like the W140 is on the motorway, I expect it to be a little louder due to the 4 speed box, older design?

 

[MPG]

I can't comment on the fuel economy of a 420, but can talk about cabin noise. A W126 cabin is pretty much silent at motorway speeds and beyond in terms of wind noise. The only real noise you get is from the tyres, but I can't say I find it particularly intrusive. I ride on Dunlop SP1's - I guess some other owners may have better results from different tyres....

 

[219]

Are you already looking at a particular 420 ? Otherwise , I'd be looking for either a 420 or a 500 - I doubt there is any significant difference in fuel economy .

I generally get around 20mpg with my 500SEL , this goes up to around 23mpg on a run and I have seen a best of 25mpg on a round trip from Ayrshire to Liverpool at new year -this was travelling at a steady 70 on the empty M74/M6 most of the way , partly on cruise and partly off - on certain gradients the cruise can hunt on and off which is good for neither vehicle nor occupants . I've experienced this with the cruise controls on a 123 , two 124s and a 201 so think of it as a shortcoming rather than a fault . The 25 mpg on that trip also included a couple of days driving in Liverpool city centre between our hotel and the hospital where my mother-in-law had been taken in .

Although I prefer the proportions of the SE over the SEL , I looked for a SEL because we had a baby last year and needed maximum space in the rear for the infant carrier which barely fitted in the back of the 190E - so from one end of the range to the other .

The car is a fine , quiet motorway cruiser , very comfortable save for the collapsed base in my drivers seat , I could repair but I'm still looking for a facelift mushroom leather interior to replace the set as my leather is worn anyway .

Handling is not as nimble as a W201 or W124 but better than a W123 or R107 ! I've just changed two of the budget-brand tyres that were on the car when I got it for a pair of Continental Premium Contact 2 and will get another two when my supplier gets them in . Hard to tell any difference with the new tyres on the back just yet , but possibly a reduction in noise .

The two things wrong with the car just now are tired rear suspension but will replace springs shortly and non working a/c which I can't get done at KwikFit as it's R12 .

I've never been in a W140 but imagine it would be quieter with double glazing etc . I also like the looks of the 140 but that is subjective . If I was buying on looks I'd have gone for a W116 but the chances of finding a rust free one are slim to zero .

It will probably come down to the first car you find of whichever model/spec that is in sound condition ; I looked at half a dozen rough 126's before I bought my 500 .

 

[johnsco]

I'd take the 126 any time for reliability.
BUT
You don't drive a 420 for fuel economy.

It will almost-certainly have been fitted with cruise.

I never found comfort an issue.
Perhaps a bit on the soft side for some people.
A bit like sitting in your comfy arm-chair.

 

[fnkhan68]

Having driven both cars 300se and S320 I would go for W140. Whilst I love the looks of the W126 the W140 is alot more refined, more spacious and in theory should be more fuel efficient with the newer engines. The S320 I drove has the same M104 engine as the W124 but has a higher output in terms of bhp as MB tuned them for the W140. it did not feel slow at all and and was very quiet.
Whatever your choice is both are great cars but i would personally be inclined to the latter.

 

[talbir]

I own alot of w126's and a few years back had a 1997 w140 S320.

In summary, the w126 is agricultural relative to the w140 - if you want a super luxurious ride, and still feel like you're in a modern day Merc, the 140 wins.

The w126 is of course better looking but a w140 saloon can look very good with the right set-up.

I see no reason to go for a w126 over the w140 if comfort and mway driving is the priority - so long as you buy a post 95 model, you'll be fine as most of the issues the w140 had were sorted by then.

My reason for not having a w140 is only cos' i'm hooked on the crazy 80s cars. But if i was presented with a mint AMG w140 S600 with all the gear, i'd be hard pushed to say no ! They look AWESOME !


talbir

 

[fnkhan68]

Talbir, do you have a picture as I have never seen an AMG W140!

 

[James Rothwell]

I can't find a W140 I want though, I'm after a particular spec.

LWB 1997 or later, ideally Business Edition. With under 120k on the clock.
With a nice spec like Bose, parktronic, electric rear seats, orthopedic seats, etc.

I've been trawling autotrader, ebay and pistonheads trying to find one for ages and I'm not getting anywhere. So I thought maybe a W126 would be nice for a while.

The S500 I used to have was a 1998 one and it didn't do anything wrong in 12,000 miles of use.

 

[Seamster15]

Have you checked the upcomming Mercedes Sales at BCA?

W220 but will be very cheap..

MERCEDES S320 3.2 CDI L, 4 Doors, Saloon, Diesel, Auto/Manual Mode, Registered 24-10-2003 280k. Blackbushe tommorow.