rudebouy

the shapes of the bodies look very similar. I love it!!! I'm very certain I'll buy that when I upgrade from a C. I was considering buying the S-class cause it looked like the C but now E came into my life. Mercedes-Benz sure knows how to design cars!!! I'm loving every model they update except for maybe the 2004 slk. I'm not feeling the hood at all and the big three point star with the big grill. I think the old slk was perfect. Oh well, MB cant bat a 1000, but there damn close! One day when I got enough money, I gotta collect the new E, the new CLK, the old SLK, the updated M, the S, the CL, and the new SL. I think they're all works of art.

BrabusCClass

post some pics please.

avlis

It's remarkably similar to the $14,000 Hyundai Sonata. My .02...

E class pics here:
http://mbspy.basm.be/w211fipho.htm

The Sonata:

Flashman

You think these two look alike?!? (typo is not mine, found this on the web)

JonH

The interior looks like a Camry !!! The gauge cluster is nice, but the dash is nasty.

--Jon

Mike T.

The C is by far the nicest Benz design in my opinion. The face of the new E looks strained, and the separate headlights somehow don't work stylistically. The current E is better.

MarkL

I do like the current E, but the new one looks fresher. The side profile does look very much like a C. I see M-B is going for a slightly rounder taillamp design, both on the E and the new SL. I kind of like the more angular look of the current C and SLK taillights. No one ever likes all elements of a new design, it takes a little getting used to. When I first saw pictures of the new BMW 740 I didn't like it. But those new ads, where the guy is describing the landmarks to the other driver, it looks sweet.

avlis

Thanks for the side-by-side comparo. pics Flashman.

I was approaching one of these Sonatas on the higway and could have sworn from the rear 3/4 view that it was a Jag X.

BrabusCClass

lol. avlis

MarkL

Yep, they finally realized that cheap cars don't have to be ugly. It seems they're stealing some upscale design cues on their latest models. I saw a Sonata from the back at work and I had to look at the name to be sure it wasn't a Jag S-Type! The rear lights seems very similar... And a 10-year warranty to boot!!

dasMafia

actually, I think the korean looks more like the Jag S than anything, and the MB's profile is very distincive (although a little lex-esque)

C-Kompii

I agree.

I am not a big fan of the new E's avantgarde (sport) front bumpers, but this Brabus body kit for the new E-Class is another story altogether!



-G'day-

young

it looks like a design i will have to grow to like... i like the current e-class' headlight proportions (like the CLK) better than the new ones. (actually, i dislike the new SL's headlights also - the c-sedan being my favorite, followed by the c-coupé)

i have to say that the conceptual sketch at mbspy is more compelling to me.



however, i am definitely convinced about the technology in the new e-class (making the current e-class seem a bit primitive). the interior looks very good except for those big dials for the A/C? on the top of the dash. the speedometer is great! throw in the panoramic moonroof, a wagon version w/ seating for 7, and it is good!

MarkL

Some additional thoughts. For us C sedan owners, now all our bigger brethren will look similar. I think that will strengthen the C's "place" as more than a "baby Benz" even more than before. To me, the current E always has a certain extra "panache", where the similar looking S is a less frequent sight. Now we'll start seeing "bigger C's" much more frequently. Sometimes from the back, I can only tell an S is an S because it has the chrome strip above the license plate.

Jorel C320

i SAW A BACK 3/4 VIEW OF THE NEW LEXUS ES300 AND IT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE CLK....BUT NEWAYS...HUNDAI IS FINALLY TRYING TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES...LETS SEE IF IT WORKS...THEY EVEN HAVE THAT NEW TOP OF THE LINE CAR..I FORGOT THE NAME (A BUNCH OF LETTERS AND NUMBERS)

bagwell

I'll take the new E class anyday !!! the old style looks...well...O L D !!!!! its about time they upgraded/updated its looks !!!!

sure the Lexus GS owners will think MB stole "their" front end look but...E class was around before the GS...plus the E back end KILLS the GS taillights !!!

shtatc

I really like the new E class....I think the exterior is very clean...although the front head lamps seems a little disproportionate....I think people will like them or not...nothing in between...I just am not sure of the interior...more specifically the dash....like the instrument cluster, but not sure if I like the dash...I dont know, maybe pictures do not do it justice....but I would not hesitate getting one.....

MB-BOB

IMO, I like the side profile and rear views of the new E. But I wish MB had taken more of a gamble with the headlights. Now that the S-Class, C-Class and others have started the whole amoeba-look with their headlights, I find the headlights on the current E and CLK to be boring, dated. So, for me the new E will represent a sidestep rather than a step forward.

From a distance, (say 1/10th mile) I am still mistaking the front end of a C-Class for an S-Class. You don't get the appearance of size from a distance and the grills are similar... I am surprised when I get closer it turns out to be a C... This is really odd, because the headlights on the two are very different.

In contrast, the rear views of the C and S are almost identical in details, yet I can tell the difference from a distance much more easily than the front views.

It's not important to me at all whether my C-Class sedan looks like a mini S-Class. I simply do have a problem telling the two apart FROM A DISTANCE. Have any of you made similar observations?

benzomonterey

I agree Bob, from a distance very hard to tell from the side and rear.

MarkL

I'm not crazy about the headlights on the S-Class -- they're kind of "blocky" and don't have the "look here" appearance of the C's, IMO. I think there's something classic about the separated lights on the current E-Class, and I really like the curved surfaces brought upward into the hood design. It looks like they basically tilted the lights off-axis on the new E-Class. BTW, from the pictures I've seen of the new SL, the headlights look almost identical to the C230, with the sharper indentation between the lights than the C240/320.

The rears of the C-Class and S-Class are easy to tell apart once you realize there's a chrome strip above the license plate area on the S, but the design is almost identical.

sal

I like the new E, it's sleeker.

spindrome

E-class is sweet. Goog way to bump up when the kids come.

As for C and S's, it's hard to tell them apart except for the chrome strip on the trunk lid.

From the side view though (close up), a C looks like a squished-S. Not as bad though as an Audi TT, which looks like a squished VW Bug...

Oneslip

I think the new E is showing its evolution without doing it dramaticly. The thing that would hold me back from purchasing one is I don't care for the panoramic view(roof).

Jorel C320

I agree with oneslip. Cars should evolve with thier signiture look. It shouldnt change to be like other ones. The CLK and the ECLASS should stick to the seperated lights look.

revstriker

I like the look of the new E Class better than the current version. I think the back looks more modern compared to the current one (even if it does resemble other models). I like the change that they made with the front lights too. A more updated look!

I disagree with Oneslip though on the roof! If they offered the panoramic roof, I don't think I could buy one without it!