1996.
Nothing special happened that year except the E-Klasse refresh and a simultaneous rebellion against deeply-rooted design conventions. Through a constant alchemical-like process, MB styling had began the transition from bling to bland which was probably the main reason which drove the company to change the car’s appearance. The by then dull-looking rectangular head-lamps were morphed into an oval quad layout while the grille was also altered to fit the car’s new lines. Everything was retuned from front to rear end and the range ultimately saw the introduction of a new V6 unit with power and torque outputs of 221 hp and 310 Nm of maximum torque.