Your first classic car: Mercedes-Benz 190

Launched in 1982 in either 90bhp carburettor-fed or 122bhp fuel-injected ‘E’ formats, Mercedes’ unapologetically boxy 190 was a small saloon designed to introduce the strength and quality of the company’s bigger products to a new market.

That unadventurous styling rather reduced its appeal to the younger demographic, but you can see from the number of MOT’d 190s still trundling around the UK that the quality was certainly there. That, plus affordable prices, now makes this mini-Merc a superb first choice for anyone contemplating getting into the classic motoring scene.

After a long production run with very few changes, the 190 eventually gave way to the W202, the first C-Class, in 1993. In those eleven years, more engines joined the 190 range: a 2.6-litre straight six petrol, a number of diesels, and some high-performance 16-valve variants topped by the remarkable – and now very expensive – 2.5-16 Evolution II.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy the 190 experience, however. Perfectly useable examples are readily available for well under £1000. The one we’re driving here has over 200,000 miles on the clock, but it still feels as tight as a drum. Admittedly, it’s from Mercedes’s own classic fleet so has been meticulously looked after, but 190s are known for their tolerance of a low maintenance regime. They are strong and simple, and one of the dwindling number of cars that your local garage won’t scowl at when you take it in for servicing.

Our white car (complete with nodding dog on the rear parcel shelf) has a manual gearbox. That’s not ideal, as Mercedes has never quite got the hang of those. The shift quality is long, vague and rubbery, and tells you why the vast majority of 190s come with automatic boxes.

Autos are much more in keeping with the demeanour of the 190. This is a car for cruising and relaxing in. Quiet and servile in town, it comes into its own on motorways where creases and bumps are effortlessly soaked up with a superb ‘big car’ feeling of stability and comfort.

Try to hurry it through corners and the back end of the car will squat down in a huff, even lifting the inside front wheel into the air if you’re really pushing it. To Mercedes’s credit, they allowed for this style of driving by over-engineering the chassis and suspension to create a steady rather than sudden build-up of roll. The handling is secure and nicely balanced, the easy pull of the engine never fails to impress, and the immediacy of the throttle response will surprise anyone who has only driven emissions-regulated modern cars.

If you’ve reached a realisation that maybe ultimate sports performance isn’t as important as you once thought it was, or you like the idea of endurance allied to a sense of relaxation, a Mercedes 190 is definitely worth a look.

Mercedes-Benz 190

Price £800-£10,000 (excl. 16V)
Engine 4 cyls, 1997cc, petrol
Power 122bhp at 5300rpm
Torque 129lb ft at 3500rpm
Gearbox 5-spd manual
Kerb weight 1180kg
0-62mph 10.9sec
Top speed 121mph
Economy 26mpg
Rivals BMW 3 Series, Audi 80, Saab 900