It was an interesting day at the car-yard Saturday. I did a test drive of a '98 E320 with 85,000 Km (approx. 53,000 mile), a '97 E420 with 42,000 Km (approx. 26,000 miles) and a 2000 E430 with 33,000 Km (approx 20,500 mile). All three cars were running winter tires (Yes, I know its May but we have about 12 - 14 inches of fresh #%@ snow on the ground this morning) and I took all three on the same route of city, street and freeway driving

This has confirmed my opinions that the E430 is the way to go.

The E320 was quite light in the steering and was, in my opinion, struggling to accelerate briskly. Once it got to cruising speed, it was fine but there was always a doubt it was going to have enough "oomph" to merge and overtake crisply. It reminded me of the old 190E with the 2.3 litre four cylnder. The gearbox is making up for the limitations of the engine by having to do a lot of changes and hard work.

The E420 was interesting. Good power but I got the feeling the whole thing was a little unrefined. There was a harshness and noise that I did not expect. Also it did not feel solid.

The E430 was a whole different kettle of fish. Right from the time of closing the door, the car felt more solid and better quality. The engine is smoother, quieter and refined. I appreciate it is several years newer but the mileage is basically the same. A much better vehicle I think.

So, questions:
Does anyone know if the rigidity of the W210 was improved in the 2000 model year make-over? It certainly feels like it was.

Also, does anyone know what else was done other than cosmetic stuff on the front end, the indicators in the side mirrors and addition of ESP as standard?

Thanks,
Scott.