When I first bought my 89 300E, with everything working as it should, transmission, CIS-E ,ect., I was impressed with the performance of such a heavy car with 'only' 170 horses. If everything still worked correctly I would still be impressed.
But, if I were the editor of a magazine about Mercedes Benz cars, I don't think I would focus on what might be considered a negative aspect of a car that is widely considered by Mercedes techs as one of the best cars ever built. Focus on the positive.