Cracked block E420 97

I've heard conflicting things about the 97 E420's engine. I've heard they are bullet proof and I've heard that they have problems with their heads cracking and throwing rods, like mine did. I have also noticed that the 96 and 98 engines are different which is unusual because Mercedes usually runs their things for around 5 years and also they changed the engine but not the body design? So I was just wanting to see what some other people have heard.