[bluhorizan]

I'm considering purchasing a 1994 350TD which has had a factory rebuilt engine installed. As has been well described on this forum, the W140 is built like a tank. However much engineering design and safety features have been developed over the past decade. Side airbags, traction control, electronic stability control. So which is the safest car: The newer S class Mercedes (W220) or the well-built W140? Which would you choose? Since the new class is not yet available as a diesel model in the US, how would you compare the new E320CDI to the W140 in terms of safety?

 

[My04230k]

I'm considering purchasing a 1994 350TD which has had a factory rebuilt engine installed. As has been well described on this forum, the W140 is built like a tank. However much engineering design and safety features have been developed over the past decade. Side airbags, traction control, electronic stability control. So which is the safest car: The newer S class Mercedes (W220) or the well-built W140? Which would you choose? Since the new class is not yet available as a diesel model in the US, how would you compare the new E320CDI to the W140 in terms of safety?

Are you serious? 13+ years should be your answer. Perhaps just about anything on the road today might be safer by today's definition than that car. But you can't make this comparison realistically because it is unfair to the W140.

So with that I guess the short answer is HEll Yes, and so is the rest of the automotive fleet available today in that class.

BTW. You don't consider a 13 year old car because of it's safety compared to today's car, you consider it because what it symbolized ( then ). Chances are it won't spend enough time on the road to realize any true safety value anyhow...I hope you have a good set of tools.

 

[Jayhawk]

I'm biased, but everything I've seen suggests the W220 is among the safest cars in the world today--even safer than the W140.

 

[Bee]

I'm biased, but everything I've seen suggests the W220 is among the safest cars in the world today--even safer than the W140.

E Class is the safest overall

 

[NZ Benz]

Are you serious? 13+ years should be your answer. Perhaps just about anything on the road today might be safer by today's definition than that car. But you can't make this comparison realistically because it is unfair to the W140.

So with that I guess the short answer is HEll Yes, and so is the rest of the automotive fleet available today in that class.

BTW. You don't consider a 13 year old car because of it's safety compared to today's car, you consider it because what it symbolized ( then ). Chances are it won't spend enough time on the road to realize any true safety value anyhow...I hope you have a good set of tools.

wooo nasty....yea your right though the W220 should be safer in a major crash than a W140, however I'd still contend that given the general age of most of the fleets in the world that the W140 is still safer than most other cars out there, even alot of the Japanese cars don't have side impact bags yet but the later W140's did.

 

[SSL]

Are you serious? 13+ years should be your answer. Perhaps just about anything on the road today might be safer by today's definition than that car. But you can't make this comparison realistically because it is unfair to the W140.

So with that I guess the short answer is HEll Yes, and so is the rest of the automotive fleet available today in that class.

BTW. You don't consider a 13 year old car because of it's safety compared to today's car, you consider it because what it symbolized ( then ). Chances are it won't spend enough time on the road to realize any true safety value anyhow...I hope you have a good set of tools.

MY04230K,

Facts say otherwise.

Mercedes-Benz Crash-Test Results, Mercedes-Benz Safety Information, Mercedes-Benz Insurance Data, NHTSA, IIHS, NCAP, S Class, E Class, C Class, M Class, A Class, Smart, SL Class, SLK, CLK, 190E, 300E, 260E, 200E, SL300, SL500, 300SE, 300D

W140s when looked after are rarely off the road although bluhorizan would be nuts to buy a S350TD not because of it`s age but because the engine has a serious design flaw.

The W140 had such an enormous margin of safety engineered into it that it remains an exceptionally safe car and easily exceeds more modern vehicles including those from the current MB line up.

I certainly wouldn`t want to be sitting in any 230 Kompressor powered MB and hit a W140 head on because that`s what I`d be.... kompressed in the trunk!

Lets hope none of us ever have to put it to the test.

 

[Musikmann]

W140 sure look safe, and like you said, they were built like tanks. One with a factory rebuilt engine would be a temptation for me.

However, so were the W126 built like tanks and many of those are still readily available for not much money (at least for now).

Off the topic, but I suspect the W124 and W126 to increase in value, especially when more people realize there is a lot of new "junk" coming out of Stuttgart with a Mercedes emblem on them.

 

[My04230k]

MY04230K,

Facts say otherwise.

Mercedes-Benz Crash-Test Results, Mercedes-Benz Safety Information, Mercedes-Benz Insurance Data, NHTSA, IIHS, NCAP, S Class, E Class, C Class, M Class, A Class, Smart, SL Class, SLK, CLK, 190E, 300E, 260E, 200E, SL300, SL500, 300SE, 300D

W140s when looked after are rarely off the road although bluhorizan would be nuts to buy a S350TD not because of it`s age but because the engine has a serious design flaw.

The W140 had such an enormous margin of safety engineered into it that it remains an exceptionally safe car and easily exceeds more modern vehicles including those from the current MB line up.

I certainly wouldn`t want to be sitting in any 230 Kompressor powered MB and hit a W140 head on because that`s what I`d be.... kompressed in the trunk!

Lets hope none of us ever have to put it to the test.

SSL you may have a point, but you can not compare a 230K with a tank like the 140.

If I get hit by a fully loaded dump truck it would destroy my S-Class but does that make the Dump truck Safer.

Anyway, my point to all of that was I would not ( ever) choose and OLD 140 over a 220 "just" because of some safety report. Safe or not, the car is yesterday so it's unfair to compare the two.

The 140 was safest in it's class at the time it was out.. because cars were not being made like they are today. So, of course a w140 would seem safer than an S today. IT's a lot more car (metal, etc.. ) than the S is today. BUT... if you compare the W220 with the vehicles that are Actually out today, you will find a much safer car than most cars when MOST cars today are much safer than cars of yesterday.

That's all I'm saying.

 

[Bee]

SSL you may have a point, but you can not compare a 230K with a tank like the 140.

If I get hit by a fully loaded dump truck it would destroy my S-Class but does that make the Dump truck Safer.

Anyway, my point to all of that was I would not ( ever) choose and OLD 140 over a 220 "just" because of some safety report. Safe or not, the car is yesterday so it's unfair to compare the two.

The 140 was safest in it's class at the time it was out.. because cars were not being made like they are today. So, of course a w140 would seem safer than an S today. IT's a lot more car (metal, etc.. ) than the S is today. BUT... if you compare the W220 with the vehicles that are Actually out today, you will find a much safer car than most cars when MOST cars today are much safer than cars of yesterday.

That's all I'm saying.

Electronic stability and air/head airbags probabaly makes the difference

I wonder about the actual safety cage though

 

[NZ Benz]

SSL you may have a point, but you can not compare a 230K with a tank like the 140.

If I get hit by a fully loaded dump truck it would destroy my S-Class but does that make the Dump truck Safer.

Anyway, my point to all of that was I would not ( ever) choose and OLD 140 over a 220 "just" because of some safety report. Safe or not, the car is yesterday so it's unfair to compare the two.

The 140 was safest in it's class at the time it was out.. because cars were not being made like they are today. So, of course a w140 would seem safer than an S today. IT's a lot more car (metal, etc.. ) than the S is today. BUT... if you compare the W220 with the vehicles that are Actually out today, you will find a much safer car than most cars when MOST cars today are much safer than cars of yesterday.

That's all I'm saying.

I'm not saying that the W140 is "safer" but there have been examples here where the newer range of car particulary in the GM family has not been as safe as the previous version. So I think that to use the word "old" to write off a car any car is plain stupid particulary when the safety data seems to rank them as the same. I think that you are almost as likely to survive a crash in a W140 than in a W220, the only difference I could see would be a side impact with a SUV where the curtain bags may and I stress may stop a head injury as I'm pretty sure the extra space in teh W140 and the side impact bags may mean you would not hit your head on the other car.

 

[SSL]

SSL you may have a point, but you can not compare a 230K with a tank like the 140.

If I get hit by a fully loaded dump truck it would destroy my S-Class but does that make the Dump truck Safer.

Anyway, my point to all of that was I would not ( ever) choose and OLD 140 over a 220 "just" because of some safety report. Safe or not, the car is yesterday so it's unfair to compare the two.

The 140 was safest in it's class at the time it was out.. because cars were not being made like they are today. So, of course a w140 would seem safer than an S today. IT's a lot more car (metal, etc.. ) than the S is today. BUT... if you compare the W220 with the vehicles that are Actually out today, you will find a much safer car than most cars when MOST cars today are much safer than cars of yesterday.

That's all I'm saying.

My04230K,

I agree. Your point about the dump truck is the point I was making. The W140 is still one of the heaviest cars around so in a car on car collision it would have a good chance of protecting the occupants.

Later W140s had many of the electronic safety features of the W220 so when you add in the weight factor it will fare well. Much of what we are seeing in the latest range of MB models is technology designed to help the driver avoid an accident rather than the technology of surviving an accident and in that respect the W140 is clearly not as well equipped.

However bluhorizan asked his questtion with reference to the relative merits of the W140/W220 and in that regard I doubt there was much to choose between the later W140s and the early W220s.

Either way both would be excellent compared to the majority of cars on sale.

 

[asianml]

Later W220 had Pre-Safe which would adjust the seatbelts, seats, headrests, and close the windows and sunroof if the system determined a collision would occur.

 

[NZ Benz]

Later W220 had Pre-Safe which would adjust the seatbelts, seats, headrests, and close the windows and sunroof if the system determined a collision would occur.

What happens if you end up in the drink then?

 

[asianml]

What happens if you end up in the drink then?

I think they'll cut off the fuel, most electronics, turn on the hazards, unlock all doors, and call for TeleAid (if you have subscription). I'm guessing The W140 probably does this anyway.

But think of it this way, since the W220 is smaller in outside dimensions it makes it that much easier and quicker for the emergency personnel to come get you.

 

[NZ Benz]

I think they'll cut off the fuel, most electronics, turn on the hazards, unlock all doors, and call for TeleAid (if you have subscription). I'm guessing The W140 probably does this anyway.

But think of it this way, since the W220 is smaller in outside dimensions it makes it that much easier and quicker for the emergency personnel to come get you.

No I mean that was a serious question, even if the doors are unlocked it's not worth a damn unless you equalise the preasure with the outside of the car by winding down the window a bit, do cars do that when they hit water?

 

[asianml]

No I mean that was a serious question, even if the doors are unlocked it's not worth a damn unless you equalise the preasure with the outside of the car by winding down the window a bit, do cars do that when they hit water?

Oh, okay. I don't think the electrics would even work once it hits the water. I guess, open the door before you hit the water before you go all the way under...?

 

[omairtheman1]

all i know is..... PEACE n***a YouTube - Mercedes S-Class vs. Smart make sure you watch this ALL W140 TO S CLASS COMPARISONS PEOPLE LOL EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS... lmfao flmao