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 500 E : the class.

Like its contemporary competitor the BMW M5 E34 : the nicest M5 and 5 series?

The old E class looks waaaay better than the new CLS too. Dunno what Mercedes were thinking designing that rubbish..

I remember Autocar many years ago testing the W124 Turbo Technics (300 conversion I believe) against the Vauxhall / Opel Senator Irmscher. I wanted them both. The old Merc did without all the new Merc Bling (why? MB why???? Please ditch it)). The Senator was a bit more Kit like but as my dad had one and I used to drive it I always wanted him to upgrade. Never happened. Boo hoo.

There is something very compelling and solid about the 500E. We don't often hear the term hewn from the solid now but it was something always levelled at the W124. The fact that it had such power under the smart business suit was just so compelling. It looked right, was discreet and would rocket passed anything on the motorway. Today It's all chrome, chintz and look at me. Then there is the weight. Safety is paramount, ignorance is bliss.

500E, I do believe Rowan Atkinson had one. Well done. He knew how to hatch a cunning plan to get from A to B without being noticed and so darn quickly.

Is it just me that thinks the CLS63 rather smacks of "73 year old bloke trying to pull 23 year old girls in Monaco"? Maybe it is just because I grew up in the 80s, but the 500E just has so much more presence. It looks like the sort of car that was driven by someone who had arrived and knew it.

 I realise I'm very much in a minority as far as these posts are going, but I don't find the 500E in the least bit appealing - design wise at least, I'm sure it is great to drive and all that.  I just don't like the designs of the Mercs from that 80's era, I don't care how 'hewn from rock' they might be, to me they look like the same era's Ford Granadas.  I do, however, like old school Mercs and the classics to my mind are those of the 60's and 70's - give me the Series 2 and 3 SL Class, the W111/W108/W116, and for performance, the 450 SEL 6.9 is one of my favourites.  In fact, I believe this model was used for C'etait Un Rendez-Vous, albeit with the engine sounds of a Ferrari overdubbed onto the soundtrack.  If anyone has ever doubted the performance credentials of a performance Merc model, C'etait Un Rendez-Vous for me sets the benchmark!

500E's are awsome, first one I ever saw was a MB demo car when I worked for an MB dealer in the UK, I now own a very late 95 E500 Limited which is basically within the last few hundred made and I love it to bits, best car I've ever owned and most satisfying car I've ever lived with for any length of time, very docile when you want it to be and pretty damm quick if you give it a bootfull.