Car Model History

Second generation · W126 · 1981–1991

1990Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The best-selling classic S-Class and a design icon. It reached US showrooms for 1981 (late-1980 launch). The first production car offered with a driver's airbag; later added a passenger airbag (1988). Also spawned the C126 coupe (SEC).

Second generation · W126

1990 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W126) — sedan, front three-quarter view

Photo: “1990 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL AMG LC25” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Start here

What do you need to know?

This page covers the whole 1990 Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.

Complete, source-verified lineup

Find your exact 1990 S-Class

Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.

5factory configurations
Verified complete for the U.S.-marketHow this lineup was verified

We checked this U.S.-market lineup against period sources for factory sedan, coupe, cabriolet, drivetrain, and powertrain roster represented by the cited exact-year or factory-archive evidence. Every version shown below has its own detail page.

Verified 2026-09-01 from Mercedes-Benz Club of America — 1981–1991 W126 U.S.-market buyer's guide.

5versions shown
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Automatic

Body
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
3.0-liter M103 fuel-injected inline-six
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL Automatic

Body
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
3.0-liter M103 fuel-injected inline-six
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 350 SDL Automatic

Body
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
3.5-liter OM603 turbocharged diesel inline-six
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Automatic

Body
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
4.2-liter M116 fuel-injected V8
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL Automatic

Body
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
5.6-liter M117 fuel-injected V8
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version

The 1990 model year

Overview

For 1990, the U.S. W126 range expanded to five sedans when the long-wheelbase 350 SDL turbodiesel joined the 300 SE, 300 SEL, 420 SEL, and 560 SEL. The diesel's 3.5-liter OM603 powertrain is a distinct service application and is not covered by the gasoline-V8 maintenance record used elsewhere on the page.

Specifications

Engines
  • 3.0-liter M103 fuel-injected inline-six
  • 3.5-liter OM603 turbocharged diesel inline-six
  • 4.2-liter M116 fuel-injected V8
  • 5.6-liter M117 fuel-injected V8
Transmissions
4-speed automatic
Body styles
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan, Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Year over year

What changed

  • The 350 SDL restored a diesel sedan to the U.S. model-year roster.
  • The four gasoline models from 1989 continued alongside it.

Worth knowing

Notable

  • The 350 SDL must remain separate from both the earlier 300 SDL and the gasoline 300 SEL despite the shared long-wheelbase body.

Living with it

Reliability & ownership notes

  • Confirm the chassis, engine number, market specification, and build date before ordering parts; U.S. model-year rosters do not describe gray-market or other-market W126 sedans.
  • Use the maintenance record scoped to the exact engine shown on this page; it must not be projected onto the diesel, coupe, or other W126 powertrains that the source does not cover.

Maintenance & service parts

Keep your 1990 S-Class on the road

Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1990 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
9
Factory intervals
8
Fitment-scoped
9
Exact references
2

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

Collect

Bring this model year home

Find a scale model using the exact year, make, and model—not a generic generation search.

Sources

  1. Mercedes-Benz Media — factory S-Class history and W126 design/safety chronology
  2. Mercedes-Benz Club of America — 1981–1991 W126 U.S.-market buyer's guide

Other Second generation years

Explore the W126 generation →All Second generation · W126 years →

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