MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

...I am quickly growing cold with this car. To be quite honest, the only part of the exterior that I actually like is the LED fog lamps on the models that are equipped as such. The one redeeming quality is the interior which is absolutely magnificent, and light years above the old model.

I really love almost everything about the inside of this car, but my problem is that the exterior is really quite awkward IMO. After having looked at several of them in a variety of colors, the greenhouse seems awkwardly shaped...or maybe it's the way that the curve up the side of the car accentuates it. Something about the side profile of the car looks very off to me, and from the back the greenhouse looks especially tall. As much as I was wanting to, the Korean-inspired tail lights really are not doing much for me either.



I was always a fan of the older model and felt that it was styled just right- conservative overall but absolutely gorgeous in the details. The sport package with the 5 spoke wheels and subtle aero upgrades was classy and aggressive at the same time. It just seemed to me that everything about the old car flowed together and complimented itself well, whereas the new car has a bunch of awkward elements and angles that really don't create quite as cohesive of a design.



What are you guys thinking so far?

plex

iTrader: (11)

I like the newer ones, one of the managers at work has one and took me for a ride. The old one front end got knocked off so much I always look at them twice lol.

Gojirra99

Yes, I think they look pretty bad from all angles in person, the coupe is more attractive than the sedan though, but still no beauty queen. But it's an E-class, it WILL sell very well nomatter how they make them look like ...

I do agree the interior is pretty nice

LexFather

I said from day one its horrid and seeing them in person doesn't change a thing. I am shocked at how the last version IMO was damn near perfect and this version is a design they passed on in the 1980s. It looks like a bigger C-class but its all wrong, the C-class looks much more cohesive. The rear is just a mess with that random SUV arch and those bland tails.

Considering how good the last one looked I wasn't expecting another grandslam in design but to me its a full 3 steps back.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Im exactly the opposite, I didnt like the last gen E class at all, and completely hated the one before it. The fact that there is six of them parked on every block doesn't help either. But I really like the current model.

DustinV

So this car has a great interior - and that's it?


Let's be honest and unbiased here for a second. The design of any car is purely subjective. Just because one does not like the design of a particular vehicle doesn't make the vehicle sub-par.

By most accounts the new E class is a great machine. The main qualities that the E class has traditionally had were comfort, interior space and safety and without question the new E class has taken these qualities to a whole new level over the car that it replaces (and the competition). There have obviously been improvements to the dynamic abilities, but the main focus of the E class was always comfort. The people buying these cars most likely do not care as much for razor-sharp handling and a sports-tuned suspension. If they did they can go to BMW or Infiniti or equip their E class with the appropriate options offered by Mercedes themselves for a more dynamic driving experience.

Going back to the design, it currently has the lowest coefficient of drag rating in the world for a large passenger sedan. I'm sure the Mercedes design and engineering department worked very closely here in order to create a car that was both visually appealing and efficient from a design perspective. In my personal opinion, they have succeeded. The new E class is classy, elegant and beautiful and with the appropriate rims and body kits it can also appear very dynamic / sporty.


Also, you cite that the rear lights are "Hyundai-inspired and bland".

Let me ask you this: Give me the name of any car in the class of the E class that actually has an exciting rear / rear lights. I don't understand how you can single out the new E class as having a "bland rear" when virtually every car here, in my opinion of course, also has a pretty conservative and boring rear design.

Let's not forget that every E class, as far as I can remember, has never had an "exciting" rear. As a whole, the design of the new E class is still pretty conservative - which is precisely what traditional and prospective buyers in this class want. Understated elegance.

LexFather

You can't ask others to be "unbiased" when you post mainly in German car threads with your "bias".

No one said its a bad car, we are talking about the styling inside and out. In my eyes Benz went from having the best looking lineup in the early 2000s to the trendy "hey look at me" SUV styling that plagues cars.

As for CD, I believe the E-class coupe has the low drag, not the sedan. The LS 430 had a drag of .25 years ago, unheard of for an even LARGER car.

As you stated, styling is "subjective" though when there is a huge majority agreeing, to me there is less subjective and more factual evidence that something is beautiful or ugly. For instance, most people would agree, an Aston Martin is beautiful or an Acura TL is disgusting. To me its not subjective anymore, one is beautiful, one is ugly.

In the case of the E-class its subjective as some like it, some love it. Reading magazine reviews, most have said the styling is odd in a lot of places and its no beauty winner.

madmax2k1

The design is very forgettable, it can pass for a Hyundai. The next 5 series styling looks promising and I'm still on the fence about the next Infiniti M.

DustinV

I wouldn't call myself German car-biased at all. Let's face it. These threads involving German vs Japanese turn out to be interesting and I enjoy a good argument. I can mostly comment and talk about German cars since I am exposed to them here in Germany. I cannot talk about Lexus and other Japanese premium products such as Infiniti or Acura because they're non-existent here and there's no automotive literature about them here. If I were working back in the United States, then perhaps you would see me engaging in more discussions regarding Japanese cars. So basically, I try to engage in discussion about vehicles that I have personal experiences with and thus can supply the forum with the appropriate comments. I refuse to talk about a new Lexus product in detail because if it isn't an IS, GS, LS, SC or RX it isn't sold in Europe.

I may own an E class at the moment but I've often stated enough that I am not a Mercedes person. They make great cars but privately owning one is out of the question for me. The E230 I am driving at the moment is a company car and the lease expires at the end of December. I've already placed an order for a new, non-Mercedes vehicle.



SUV styling? Explain please.


A very impressive accomplishment.

Now would you say the LS430 was a beautiful car?



Actually, I might be in the minority here, but the only Aston Martin I find particularly pleasing from a design perspective is the DB / DBS. The Vanquish and Vantage are "fat" and the Rapide is...I don't know how to say it, but it just doesn't look good to me.

If we're talking about the older Aston Martins, now those machines are lovely to the fullest.


I've never listened to magazines and what they say about the design. Most of the people writing for magazines are trained engineers and not designers. They have no formal training in this department and they think like everyone else: hot or not.

I don't claim to be a designer, too, but I try to provide reasons as to why I find a particular design appealing or not.

(Cj)

+1
The 5 series looks pretty good, not amazing, but it's a solid new design. The M tries too hard to be a 4 door coupe, but it's not offensive at least. I really just hope that Lexus doesn't kill the next GS.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Yep, pretty much. Considering that a car has two areas to look at (interior and exterior) I would say that having one of them as a slam dunk isn't that bad of a deal. The exterior is rather awkward and the interior is gorgeous.


Did you miss the "IMO" and how many times I was referencing myself? Thus making it my opinion? Did I ever state that the E is a bad car?

Yes...did I or anyone else ever disagree with this notion? No. This is a thread about people's opinions of the design.

The LS 430 also had a cd of .25...does that make it equally as beautiful/ugly as the new E? I see that you have stated your opinion, so why are you harassing mine?








Unfortunately the rear of the E class looks a lot like these:





In MY opinion, the rear of the E just looks awful. Not only are the tail lights very reminiscent of many Asian economy cars, but they are also ridiculously disporportionate to the car. They are HUGE and take up an expanse of real estate. The shape of the GS's tails are somewhat generic but they are nicely sized and placed, and the detailing is nice. The same could be said for the 5 series. The M has a huge tail light problem but at least the detailing is unique and attractive.

There is a difference between conservative and handsome (previous E) and bland and disproportionate. The new E is the latter.

LexFather

SUV styling-giant wheel arches, giant grills, huge emblems, huge creases, unnecessary lines.

No the LS was not beautiful and it was bland and to me the new E-class looks like the old LS, not beautiful and bland. It could have debuted in 2001.

We cannot dismiss magazines when its convenient to for the sake of our opinion.

TO me the C/E are the same, different size. The C-class gets it all right with the sport package. The E-class, way to busy even with the sport package.

We should all agree when you lower a car, add a kit, bigger wheels, the car always ends up looking better (done OEM). After reviewing the E63 AMG styling over and over and staring at the car in person, I was disheartened, especially since the previous E63 to me was incredible. When adding those features don't help, to me, the design is bad.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

For some of us who hates the current E class, we love the old E class. It was perfect in our eyes.
I said it before , I like the current C class even better than the new E (which was not the case with the last C class)

Now if we said ALL MB is butt ugly, then that's being biased.

lalexusgs

I totaly agree with OP. This new style reminds me so much of new Hyundai Genisis.

The G Man

Whoever said the new E-class looks better in person than it does in pictures lied. It stands out even less in real life. I saw quite a few on the road and didn’t even realize it was a E350 until I saw the MB badge. The car just looks awful from the outside. It kind of look like a mix or Japanese and Korean parts with a MB grill mod. There is absolutely nothing about this car from the outside that say I am MB's latest and greatest re-design E-class.