The story of Mercedes quality has been told enough times now. Once upon a time the cars were indestructible and much loved , only to be replaced by a generation of rotters. Literally. However, having seen the error of its ways and experienced the reputational damage, Mercedes reverted - by and large - to what it did best: very nicely assembled executive cars.
It’s a time that this particular E-Class hails from. Both the W212 E-Class and W204 C-Class, launched within a couple of years of each other, were tasked with establishing the core Mercedes saloons as great quality cars once again. The reputation for impeccable standards that was there in the W124’s time probably won’t return, but they were undoubtedly improvements on what came before.is interesting for an assortment of reasons.
The E500 presents nicely, too, its wheels unbiffed and grey appearing as smart as grey ever can. Even the light leather inside looks to have plenty of life left in it, the switchgear isn’t worn out, the bolsters look okay… it’s a tired cliché, but it could well pass for much lower mileage car. Which is encouraging for anyone planning to charge through 200k.
Now the E500 looks an appealing route into a cheap V8 Mercedes, if inevitably tinged with the sort of jeopardy big, affordable German cars with a large engine almost always carry. It’s more modern and seemingly better built than the stuff that came immediately prior to it, while being more affordable than the real classics. Really affordable, actually. In 2022,