W124 E500E hands down. I've driven just about all of them with a family member working within the guts of MBUS for a few years. I even had a W211 E55 in the stable for 6 months as a "loaner" next to the W124 500E that I own. No comparison in, to stay on point, best vehicle to command the road. Rack & Pinion, Suspension, Airbags? WTF, what about steering, cornering, road translation, cabin sound reverberations, seat support, overall build quality, horsepower to weight, torque, etc, & the noise that W124 door makes when you close it v. the W211, and lastly, the way you feel as a driver when you step out of the car after a 10 mile drive or a 2000 mile drive - just as it feels when you swipe the keys from the foyer table on the way to saddle in.

The W211 didn't get much action...

Well there you go. Sounds like you find the W124 is definitely more satisfying to drive. But if you want use the expression WTF I would say WTF when it comes to horsepower to weight and torque. A W211 E55 will absolutely smoke a 500E. Don't think so? Watch this (an E55 is in the same league as an E63) apparantly not a 500E. I like the spirit of the guys in the 500E.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFCR6vRI-ZA

In this day and age the 500E is no longer all that quick.

But honestly if I could find a 500E for the right price I think I would prefer it for the reasone that you sited. I think that it feels more planted and solid. It really is one the greatest (if not the greatest) sedans of all time.

Not true - the E500E chassis is better then W211 period, the suspension is adaptive, just not manually controlled/set - the E500E's are auto lowered by 1/2 inches as the car reaches 2000rpm, no need to go into the steering and tons of grip - as all know the E500E's are much better - no other car was acknowledged by Porchse drivers when it came time to describe the E550E's handling - "The only Benz that handles like a Porchse". Personally I always wanted a great Benz and a Porsche - I got what I wanted in one car......and then some. The fact that this car was hand build and can take track courses with no issues and still be used as a daily driver is the testament to it’s design and performance that made me buy one without any hesitation – don’t think you can say that about any current Benz, nor would I want to take any of them to the track. And the M119 engine is one of the best made period in the Mercedes history, which alone is worth the car in it’s self.


The current E500 is not even worth a conversation. When you say W124, keep in mind the E500E's modified W124 is not the same car period as the regular W124 inside and out and including the materials used, i.e. – the current leather used is too soft imho and will fade out faster, but then again the leather in E500E W124’s is tougher and better quality for spirited driving and the seats are by Recaro and bolstered. Are the W211 seats made the same way? We can split hairs all day long about this…..but to me, a hand build Benz/Porsche will always outweigh any model that has yet to prove reliable long term, or any model in general.

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1992 Pearl Black 500E

Boy, what a spirited conversation! As a W124036 owner I've had to face up to the fact that sooner or later another MB will come down the factory pipe that MAY be a better car...

I'm still waiting Although...the E63 would be seriously tempting if it wasn't so obvious

Part of the satisfaction of owning "the legend" is also owning a piece of the car's history. It tickles to think that the same Porsche technicians who wrenched the 959 (an all time fav for sure) moved on to my car as their next assignment. And the other legend, the Audi RS2 Avant right after! Its amusing to think that Alois Ruf still drives one around his factory grounds as the shuttle bus, and that many MB test drivers in "the day" chose to purchase one for their own rides. I giggle when I think of Bill Shatner, Rowan Atkinson and Paul Anka all shared the same joy of driving the beast as I still do.

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Dean Albrecht
"Lead, follow, or better yet, get out of the way!"E500 owners motto

I've driven some of these newer Benzes with the rack and pinion design (owned one, in fact) and while the steering is much lighter around urban confines, its loathsome on the open road.

Driving at 130 mph requires constant correction in the wheel. Whenever there is an irregularity in the road (a dip, some sort of curvature, whatever), the wheel changes positions and the car wants to set off on a new heading...Both hands are required for driving these speeds in such conditions.

The old recirculating ball system ensured rock-solid stability at such speeds even on slightly uneven surfaces. One hand will do at any speed.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

I find that the only drawback to my 94 E500 is that every time I drive it makes it that much harder for me to believe that any other car is even worth driving. That goes for the newer E500s, everything, except maybe an SL560, which is a very different ride, but wonderful in its own way.

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I never go far without a little Big Star

1994 E500 199/Gray 82k
84 300D (Salty) Orient Red/Palomino 141k
88 300CE (Ersatzhammer) 904/Java 163k -- Turbo Technics twin turbo kit, AMG Gen I body kit, Sportline steering box and steering wheel, Sportline/Eibach /Bilstein Sport/500E suspension, Quaife LSD in 210 mm diff case, Silver Arrow brakes.
88 300CE Brabus 3.6 199 on Black 44k

Well, that's all well and good but hp to weight ratio has nothing to do with which will smoke what. I never said that the W124 500E would smoke the W211 E55 - quite the contrary in personal experience. My point was to make light of the fact that what Porsche did to make the car feel just right in power against the weight of the 124.036 (IE modify intake runners for more torque, etc) gives it the detail to attention translated directly to the driver in a way I have not felt in any other MB sedan made out there, even today. I will add that I have not yet driven the C63, and am expecting a lot of the same characteristics as my 124.036 - because for one thing, it has many, many identical dimensions, etc, one of which is HP/Weight ratio.

The 500E is a big brute, but for sheer "tossability" it's hard to beat the 2.3-16 when the revs are up.

I would have to say 500 SL (129) is one of the best cars I have ever ridden

^^^^^ Yup, what he said. A 16v is a joy to drive. My kid is working on a 400hp na 16v engine now. The headwork is being completed now. Flow bench indicates we'll get 400 hp out of it with a nice workable horsepower / torque range. I can't wait to "toss" it around.

But I would absolutely love owning a 94 500e, blk / blk. I drove one once, and should have bought it. Occasionally I go looking for one, but usually come up empty or a bastardized / ruined example.

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Thank You!
Fred
2009 ML350
2004 SL600
2004 SL500
1996 SL600
2002 SLK32
2005 CLK320 cabrio
2003 ML350
1997 C280 Sport