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6/05: The Mercedes-Benz OM605 Diesel…Yeah, They Can Hustle!


6/05: The Mercedes-Benz OM605 Diesel…Yeah, They Can Hustle!

Alright, so for 6/05, you would think that’d we be hunting down some monster combo that’s got enough noise to stir up a local government meeting, enough torque to get a ship’s engine moving and a fuel thirst that borders on the obscene, right? Low-hanging fruit. How about we take on an oddball that can be wicked up into something, is far out in left field, and doesn’t even drink gasoline? It’s the Mercedes-Benz OM605, a 2.5L dual overhead cam inline-five diesel with indirect injection. Used between 1993 and 201 in E- and C-class Mercedes vehicles, the OM605 wasn’t a real powerhouse. In it’s wildest forms, the .960 and .962, the ratings were 148 horsepower and 207 ft/lbs of torque courtesy of a turbocharger and intercooler. For a diesel, that’s not that impressive. Sure, it was moving around sedans and estates and not, say, a large van, but still.

Diesels aren’t immune from hot rodding. Ask any Cummins fan. M-B freaks are known to mess with their diesels too and in this wagon, we’re seeing something we like: good power output with minimal diesel smoke out of the tailpipe. A little is to be expected out of any diesel when you’re romping on it, but there isn’t much. What is plentiful is grunt. This particular car is running an upgraded fuel pump and a Holset HX40 Super turbocharger, and is laying down the good stuff while still returning about 30 MPG, according to the owner. And it’s manual-swapped, just for a little icing on the cake, using 200D and Sprinter bits and pieces and a transmission that’s probably on borrowed time. Hey, at least it isn’t broken yet!

Note one thing while you watch this video…is it me, or does this thing sound like a Dodge Viper?


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2 thoughts on “6/05: The Mercedes-Benz OM605 Diesel…Yeah, They Can Hustle!

  1. Matt Cramer

    Those used to be the cars you dreaded getting behind on an freeway onramp – you could expect to have the time it takes to get on the freeway tripled, while being fumigated with blue smoke the whole time. I can see why an owner would want more power, but I’m really impressed he wrung it out of the original engine!

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