First time in a 300E

[Ara T.]

I took a ride in a buddy of mine's W124 300E a couple weeks ago. It was my first ride in a W124 and first ride in an older Mercedes with gas engine. First off I was really impressed with the seats, they have *almost* too much lower back support, which is awesome compared to the W123s, which basically offer nothing. I usually have to crank the W123s seatback forward really far to get any. Can you bolt these seats into a W123?

I didn't notice its ride quality but seemed to be a lot like a W123. These things can turn an amazingly tight uturn.

The engine was awesome though, what a revver. The only I6 I had ever ridden in/driven was another friend's 1976 Nova, which is definitely a truck engine. But those M103's love to rev. I also noticed what a strange noise it made, everything sounded great, but there was one oddity, and its that this engine sounds like it has a supercharger or something in it. And I know it doesn't. Is this high pitched whine in the background a characteristic of these engines, and what is the cause?