Mercedes-Benz 190E 'Cosworth' (1985 - 1993)

Last updated 6 October 2013

Buying Guide

Good

• The 'hot' 190 2.3 had 187 bhp; 2.5 has 197 bhp, rising to 204 bhp from September 1990.
• Autobox available with 2.5 16v.

Bad

• Manual gearboxes not the best.
• Mechanism of single arm wiper needs freqent greasing and is not included in normal Mercedes service schedules.
• M102 Motor is strong, can produce up to 300bhp in Evo version for competition.

Watch

• Clocking.
• Uneven tyre wear a particularly bad sign on this one as could have been crashed.
• 190 2.3 Cosworth was single chain 175bhp, changed to duplex on 2.5 version.  Simplex chain needs changing every 70,000 miles.
• Otherwise, see 190/190E 1.8/2.0 buying guide.
  

• 16-12-2011: If single arm wiper starts to slow down, lift the flap on the bottom of ther arm and lubricate with graphite oil.
• 24-9-2012: 2.3 has only a Simplex chain so needs 5,000 mile oil changes and a new chain every 70k miles.

Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16

Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II