E200? E230? S320? What gives?

[Warning: Long (but informative) Post]
Ever wondered those numbers mean on a car, specifically on one of the world's most famous marques?

What the heck is EJ tokking abt? I'm tokking abt that 3-pointed symbol most pple wld go "Wow! U drive that? cool!"
No NO, not Mitsubishi (not unless u are refering to the hot fast AND furious EVO)
We're tokking abt Mercerdes-Benz lah

Well, here's a little primer on the world of cars...starting with the famous German car maker, Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz (or 'Mercz' as we so affectionately call them) was actually a merger of 3 companies (hence the 3 points, also the 3 points meant air, land, and sea)
Karl Benz was da dood who allegedly came up with the world's first automobile.
The German marque was the company responsible with many world's automotive firsts.
Noted examples were

• ABS (since 1978!!!),
• Traction control (1986),
• airbags (1980), Brake assist,
• pre-tensioners to seat belts on the 1981 S-Class.
  In the event of a crash, a pre-tensioner will tighten the belt almost instantaneously, preventing the passenger from jerking
  forward in a crash,
• The "Safety cage" or "Safety cell" construction with front and rear crumple zones —considered by many as the most important innovation in automobile construction from a safety
  standpoint, and now used in nearly all cars and trucks—was first developed by Mercedes-Benz in 1950s and many safety systems and of course luxury stuff!

The UK Dept of Transports has stats that say Mercedes-Benz is 3 times safer than the safest Volvo and BMW 7-series!

Ok, now for the nomenclature (meaning the 'naming of') aka decoding the erm, code

• In 1994, the prefix reflected the model ("class", German "Klasse", in Mercedes-Benz terminology) and a number for the displacement.
• The suffix was retained in some cases, for example "L" for long wheelbase, and "CDI" for Diesel (CDI = Common rail Direct Injection). Thus, the E500 means ("E-Klasse", 5 liters displacement).
• It should also be noted that while in the past the model number generally accurately reflected the actual engine displacement, this is currently not always the case - for example the E200 CDI and E220 CDI actually both have a 2.2 liter displacement, and the C240 actually has a 2.6 litre engine.
• Also, there is a huge difference in power (and price) between some cars with the same engine number, such as CLK55 and CL55.
  
• Supermini: A class (intro in 1998), Entry level: C class (intro in 1993); equivalent to BMW's 3-series, Volvo S60, Lexus IS, Audi A4, Mid-size: E class, CLS; equivalent to BMW's 5-series
• Full-Size: S (intro in 1970s, the luxury flagship, flagship meaning the largest, most prestigious and representative of the brand) The name "S-Class" derives from the German word "Sonderklasse" for which "S-class" is just an abbreviation.
  "Sonderklasse" means "special class", meaning a specially outfitted car, Maybach
• Roadster: SLK, SL (the 'K' usually means 'Kompressor', think turbo-charged, sort of)
  
• Coupe: CLK, CL ('C' meaning 'coupe')
  
• Supercar: SLR (hence shld be the fastest and most furious Benz) 0-100 in 3.8s!!!

Jeremy Clarkson has said in a recent Top Gear episode that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class contains technology to be found on other cars in the future. Clarkson states, "If you want to know what toys are going to be fitted in your ordinary family saloon in like 10 years time, there is only one place to look..." "It's more than just
a car, it's a glimpse into the future, it's a showcase of everything that can be done and everything that everyone else will be doing very soon."

Sources:http://www.answers.com/topic/mercedes-benz, http://www.mercedes-benz.com/

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