97 E420 Sport comparable to a 98 BMW 540i (they were not)?

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Well I drove 2 hours to test drive a 1997 E420 Sport (77K mi) on Saturday. The optional "Contour" seat wasn't... Corrosion around the "security light sensor" next to the trunk key hole was... I had great expectations from the rack & pinion steering (second year on the E-Class) coupled with the Sportline suspension that were not met, but the trip was worth every mile! There was a 1998 BMW 540i with 72K miles on it there as well and I was able to drive them back to back. What a difference, the BMW was incredible.
I still can't believe the difference, I wonder if the MB that I drove was just a bad example?
Any thoughts? This was the first Sportline equipped MB that I have driven and I badly want to believe that it was flawed and if I were to drive another one there would be a world of difference.