1992 Mercedes-Benz 400E Is Your Rational V-8 Benz

From the April 1992 factor of Automotive and Motive force.

Pssssssst! Whats up, good friend. Yeah. you with the alligator attache. Drooling over that Mercedes-Benz 500E however can not moderately swing $87,365? Assume you need to get a hold of $60,195? Sure?

Do we now have the Mercedes for you. This one’s known as the 400E. K—in some ways it is obviously the 500E’s little brother. However in some ways it is just about the 500E’s equivalent. Allow us to fill you in.

Just like the 500E, the 400E is new for 1992. And, just like the 500E, Mercedes created it by way of shedding one in every of its V-8 engines right into a 300-class frame.

That V-8, within the 400E’s case, is the 32-valve 4.2-liter unit that is presented in Mercedes’ baronial S-class vehicles. This will not be the lionhearted 500E engine, however it is sturdy: 268 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3900. You could omit some energy when you’ve pushed a 500E—the 400E does not pressure on the leash like its burly brother—but when you have not, you most likely would possibly not. Even with “handiest” 268 horsepower, the 400E nails the dash to 60 mph in simply 6.8 seconds. It runs comfortably to its best finish of 147 mph. Its engine makes impassioned sounds. And the four-speed computerized clicks off the shifts on the identical 6000-rpm redline because the 500E. The similar symphony, in different phrases—simply performed at a slower pace.

This slightly tamed ferocity is housed in a bundle that is significantly extra restrained than the 500E’s. Although the 400E’s subskin items had been beefed as much as care for the greater energy of the V-8, the bodywork is unchanged. Certainly, the one exterior variations between the 400E and its six-cylinder 300E sibling are its alloy wheels and the badge on its tail. Which makes the 400E the most obvious selection for devotees of stealth motoring.

As soon as inside of. you would be hard-pressed to inform the 400E from the 500E. Very good leather-based seats are same old, as are an automated climate-control sys­tem, twin air luggage, and wonderfully completed burl-walnut trim. Our take a look at automobile used to be plumped up with such choices as heated entrance seats, Mercedes’ ASR traction-control device, and a trunk-­fixed CD changer—bringing the overall tab to $65,360.

That value is certain to elicit an “ouch” or two—particularly with Lexus and lnfiniti providing excellent sedans for roughly two-thirds as a lot. That stated, how­ever, allow us to upload that there’s nonetheless not anything like sitting on the helm of a Mercedes­-Benz.

It is a conspicuously really extensive automotive. You are feeling the 400E’s 3826 kilos—now not in gradual efficiency, however within the heft of the doorways and the firmness of the seats and the solidity of the frame at pace over harsh pavement. Mixed with the twin air luggage, the usual ABS, and the well-fitting, adjustable seatbelts, this solidity makes the 400E an extremely reassuring automobile to trip in.

It is a heavy-effort automobile, too. The steerage calls for company power at the wheel however rewards you with actual turn-in and fluid reaction. The con­trols—the turn-signal lever, the top­lamp knob, the climate-control switches—”thunk” from place to put. The throttle pedal is tightly sprung however clean in its motion. You’ll suppose this automobile’s portions had been full of molasses.

Which is why the 4.2-liter V-8 is this type of surprise on this frame: the 400E is the rest however molasses-slow. The V-8’s torque provides gentle toes to the 400E’s mass. Round-town punch is plentiful, despite the fact that the transmission—annoy­ingly—prefers to begin in 2nd equipment until the throttle is prodded sternly. And cruising is easy, with numerous passing energy in reserve at nearly any pace.

The 400E isn’t as dazzling because the 500E. However it is excellent sufficient to make you wonder whether extra efficiency is truly price $27,170.