From the world's first diesel car to the C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY
The diesel engine has been regarded as the epitome of durability for many
decades: staunch and reliable of course, but also associated with a touch of sluggishness. "Brisk progress" was the term used to circumscribe this lack of dynamism in brochures from the 1970s. Over time this characteristic has completely disappeared, making way for a totally new image. Sportiness, agility, ride comfort, driving pleasure and, not least, environmental compatibility are attributes to which modern diesel engines can nowadays lay claim. Engineers at Mercedes-Benz have been actively contributing to this progress for more than 70 years:
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1936
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The model 260 D (W 138-series) was the world's first series-production diesel passenger car. The 2.6-litre engine had a compression ratio of 1:20.5 and delivered 33 kW / 45 hp at 3200 rpm. |
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1949
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With the model 170 D (W 136-series), Mercedes-Benz again included a four-cylinder car diesel engine in the model range. The 1.8-litre |
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1954
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The diesel models 180 D (W 120-series) and 190 D (W 121-series) |
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1961
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In the "Tailfin" design (W 110-series) the diesel car emancipated itself even further from its commercial vehicle origins: the two-litre diesel introduced in 1961 was still called the 190 D, but when Mercedes-Benz presented the new model 200 in 1965, the diesel variant was also renamed the 200 D. Overall displacement and output (44 kW / 55 hp at 4200 rpm) remained unchanged. |
1974
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In the W 115-series, two new diesel models were introduced together for the first time in 1968, the 200 D and the 220 D. In 1973 the 240 D was added to the range, to be followed in July 1974 by the top-of-the-line 240 D 3.0. This model was powered by the world's first five-cylinder car diesel engine. With an acceleration of 19.9 seconds from |
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1977
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At the 1977 International Motor Show (IAA), a further diesel model specifically designed by Mercedes-Benz for the American market attracted great attention: the 300 SD was the first S-Class (W 116-series) and the very first luxury class model anywhere to be equipped with a diesel engine. An appropriate performance for the luxury saloon was ensured by a turbocharger, which increased the output of the five-cylinder diesel to 85 kW / 115 hp. |
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1983
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In 1982 Daimler-Benz introduced the compact class as its third car model series. In 1983 the compact Mercedes known as the 190 D was given a new 2-litre diesel engine (53 kW / 72 hp at 4600 rpm). This unit was designed to be particularly light, economical and responsive. Above all though, the engine was fully encapsulated to reduce noise by one half. |
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1985
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For the first time in a Mercedes-Benz passenger car, the medium-class 124-series fielded a model with an in-line six-cylinder diesel engine: the 300 D (80 kW / 109 hp at 4600 rpm). |
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1993
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From autumn 1992 the S-Class (W 140-series) powered by a 3.5-litre turbodiesel also became available in Europe: the diesel engine had finally established itself internationally in the automotive luxury segment. This model delivered 110 kW / 150 hp, with a turbocharger and emission control system using an oxidising catalytic converter included in the standard equipment. |
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1993
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Four-valve technology was introduced by Mercedes-Benz as a world first. Using four instead of two valves per cylinder made it possible to achieve a higher torque and output over a considerably wider engine speed range, while also reducing fuel consumption under full load by up to eight percent. |
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1995
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The E 290 Turbodiesel in the E-Class with the new twin-headlamp face attracted great attention. For the first time in a Mercedes-Benz, its OM 602 DE 29 LA in-line five-cylinder engine offered a combination of diesel technology and direct injection. |
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1997
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In the C 220 CDI, Mercedes-Benz presented direct injection according to the new "Common Rail Direct Injection" (CDI) principle. |
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2000
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Easily the most powerful diesel engine in a Mercedes-Benz car was |
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2003
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As the first manufacturer in the world, the company introduced diesel cars complying with the Euro 4 standard, with a maintenance-free |
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2005
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The world's highest-torque V8 car diesel engine (OM 629) entered |
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2005
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Mercedes-Benz equipped all its diesel passenger cars from the A to the S-Class with a diesel particulate filter as standard in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. |
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2008
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Mercedes-Benz introduced the world's first diesel models with AdBlue injection in America (R 320 BlueTEC, ML 320 BlueTEC and GL 320 BlueTEC). |
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2008
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A new generation of four-cylinder diesel engines celebrated its debut in the C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY. Features: two-stage turbocharging and fourth-generation common-rail technology with a rail pressure of 2000 bar, as well as a new piezo-electric injector design with direct nozzle needle control |