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What models relate to the W indentifier

egon

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
32
Location
Warrington
Car
2005 w203 avantgarde se
Did say i would ask a feww stupid quetions when i joined, so here goes one of maybe many.

Is there a definitve list or website that will identify the model of the car with the W number, have looked over the web, and on this forum but havent found what i am looking for.

if someone points me in the right direction that would be great.

thanks

Egon. :)
 
Thanks guys for that, have saved that to my favourites.

Egon
 
So where does the C Class Coupe fit in? !!
 
You are entering a whole world of pain here!

The model identifiers and prefixes are sometimes quite baffling.

A W163 is an ML-Class SUV, right? Right - but it is also a 1930's Grand Prix car! Both carry the 'W' prefix, yet are clearly completely different types/eras of car.

Then you can add the estates. Are they a 'S' prefix in place of the 'W', or are they a 'W' prefix with a 'T' suffix?

The coupés are another game entirely. Most seem to be 'W', as mentioned above with the 203 C-Class coupé. However, the new E-Class coupé is a W212 code, yet it is built on the W204 floorplan, so it is really a W204 coupé. That opens up old wounds on here as well, so I'll stop now.
 
You are entering a whole world of pain here!

The model identifiers and prefixes are sometimes quite baffling.

A W163 is an ML-Class SUV, right? Right - but it is also a 1930's Grand Prix car! Both carry the 'W' prefix, yet are clearly completely different types/eras of car.

Then you can add the estates. Are they a 'S' prefix in place of the 'W', or are they a 'W' prefix with a 'T' suffix?

The coupés are another game entirely. Most seem to be 'W', as mentioned above with the 203 C-Class coupé. However, the new E-Class coupé is a W212 code, yet it is built on the W204 floorplan, so it is really a W204 coupé. That opens up old wounds on here as well, so I'll stop now.

I think it is too late to avoid the discussion, again. :)

The 203 C-class Sportcoupe is actually an CL203, the CL model is a C, like C215. The W204 like new CLC is still a CL203. The E-class coupe is a C207 or A207 if cabriolet. I'll stop now.
 
Didnt realize how complicated it could be, and I am after an estate so back to the drawing board, seems I have opened an old can of worms here.
 
I often see posts on here with reference to CLK's as W208 or W209, should they not be C208 / C209 ?

I'm sure I have read this in Mercedes Enthusiast mag !
 
I often see posts on here with reference to CLK's as W208 or W209, should they not be C208 / C209 ?

Think of the W prefix (for 'wagen') as being the generic designation for any given model, and the others (S, C, R, V, X, Z) as being specific to non-saloon body types. To put it another way, if you said you had an Audi A4 most people would assume you meant the saloon, unless you specifically mentioned that it was an Avant, or a convertible - but they're all still Audi A4s.

So, the first-generation C Class is a W203, incuding the estate version, but the latter can also be denoted as an S203*. Where only one non-saloon body type exists, both designations can legitimately be applied to the same car, so the original CLK is both a W208 and a C208. Similarly, I've seen the original SLK referred to both as a W171 and an R171, which is fine by me.

* The S prefix seems to have originated in the US, so would stand for station wagon.

Incidentally, I've a feeling that the CL prefix (as in CL203) will die when the current CLC does, with the forthcoming C Class coupé being a C204.
 
Thanks for that mocas, still a wee bit confusing, dont you think !
 
Orr crickey mate, there's only one W designation you need to keep your eye on and that is good old W01. Driven by Nico & Michael!
 
Thanks for that mocas, still a wee bit confusing, dont you think !

Well, it didn't help that I cited "first-generation C Class" as an example, when I clearly meant to say "second-generation"... :o Ho hum...

The other thing to realise is that, apart from 'R', the the sub-designations are a fairly recent innovation, with 'C' and 'V' apparently appearing around 1980, 'A' during the 1990s and the remainder only within the past ten years or so as the range started to expand. 'R' (roadster) was first applied to the 1955-63 190SL (R121, as it was based on the W121 saloon platform), but wasn't used again until the introduction of the R107 SL in 1972, its predecessor (the 'Pagoda') being referred to simply as W113.

But to keep it simple, just remember that they're all Ws (ie: 'cars', as can be seen in the definitive chassis code prefixes) but some have secondary designations denoting a body type other than saloon, which may be the only code in common usage. :)
 
Yes.
 
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