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For diesel fans - Mercedes-Benz D 3.0 in the (historic) test

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Created on August 10, 1974

Text:

K. Freund, translated by DeepL

Photos:

Daimler-Benz AG

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Archiv

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Daimler-Benz AG

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Archiv

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - The first sporty diesel

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1975) - with 80 hp the most powerful diesel passenger car at the time - Geneva Motor Show 1975

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - the "racing diesel" with 80 hp scratched the 150 km/h barrier

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Mercedes Benz 240 D - wider face than its predecessors - at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - five-cylinder OM 617 diesel engine

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D (1981) - the 1,000,000th diesel W123

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - Perfectly suitable for short journeys, for example for cab operations

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - Pretty wheel covers in body color

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - A new five-cylinder diesel engine under the hood

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - world premiere: a five-cylinder diesel engine in a passenger car for the first time

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - Not outwardly different from the other W115s

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - trailblazer: The 240 D 3.0 is regarded as a pioneer of powerful modern diesel passenger cars

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - with steel sunroof

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1973) - With its unmistakable radiator grille

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - With magnolia blossoms in the foreground

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - The legendary 5-cylinder diesel engine

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - 80 hp from 5 cylinders

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - The five-cylinder diesel engine is a groundbreaking innovation

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - The engine is started by turning the ignition key to the drive position. This initiates the preheating process via a relay. A safety circuit limits the preheating time to 2 minutes

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - Advanced diesel engine, the new injection pump is connected to the engine's oil circuit via oil ducts

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - pleasant to drive thanks to the civilized diesel engine

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - The first attempt to make the diesel engine acceptable in passenger cars too

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - Crankshaft with five cylinders in a row

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - Crankcase

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - By no means slow with a top speed of 144.2 km/h

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1974) - fittings from 1974

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Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (1975) - The top model 240 D 3.0 is the only passenger car with a 5-cylinder diesel engine

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Summary

Today, Mercedes' legendarily robust diesel engines quickly come to mind. Let's look back to 1974, when the 240 D 3.0 was introduced; with its five-cylinder engine, it laid the foundation for other powerful diesel vehicles. This contemporary test report takes a closer look at the five-cylinder diesel engine.

This article contains the following chapters

Operation/driving
Engine technology
240 D + 1
360° divided by 5
Plus points
Minus points
Overall assessment
Technical data

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Daimler-Benz is experiencing a diesel boom like never before. Diesel's share of passenger car production is on the rise, and this year it will be well over 40 percent. No wonder Daimler-Benz was keen to add a powerful model to its range of diesel models. Instead of a larger cylinder capacity, a fifth cylinder was added to the existing four cylinders of the 240 D (601 cc per cylinder). The result: a five-cylinder engine with a displacement of three liters and 80 hp. More details in the engine chapter. The new diesel feeling begins as soon as you start the engine. The somewhat awkward pull button for preheating in the previous models (200 D, 220 D, 240 D) is missing in the 240 D 3.0. In the three-liter, the ignition key only needs to be moved to the drive position. The preheating process is then initiated via a relay and an indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. As soon as the indicator light goes out, the engine can be started with the ignition key. The starting process is therefore much more convenient - and, if you like, the reverse of the previous system. (For those not familiar with the diesel system: on the other diesel models, reach around the steering wheel, pull the pull button until the indicator lights up, then pull the button all the way and start). When the engine is warm, a shorter preheating time is now sufficient or the indicator light does not light up at all. The engine can then be started immediately.

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