K-A

Been meaning to post these for some time.

As you can see, the Ponton fender will go wayside (tragically) as that's what the white car and some of the Wagons are masking. Obviously also, the quad headlamps will go (tragically again, unless they come up with something super cool up there). As for the grille, to quote myself: IMO the current grille and front may be impossible to top as I think it's really one of the nicest on the roads, but the new grille I'm impressed by as well, so M-B's designers are obviously hard at work. It's not as mean/aggressive as the current grille, looks more rounded and smiley/happy. Less stately, more sporty.

The grille looks slick and cool, but my issue with M-B lately is "cohesion". They're in this habit of grafting on melty-rounded fronts on their cars that otherwise have very hard and angular core designs, and it looks disjointed, i.e the new lousy GLK exterior facelift. Should be interesting.

MinnBobber

Thanks.
It is going to be difficult to improve on the current front end, love the current look.

K-A

I agree. The Designers have their work cut out for 'em, don't they. It's their own fault, literally.

joseph1980

Crap...the front end looks like the C-class.

hyperion667

agree with you guys; the W212 is looking good, and probably will in the years to come

joseph1980

Is that a mickey mouse tied to the emblem? Nice mod!!

bigh123

Ok I am an idiot but this is driving me crazy and I have to ask (I already tried to google it with no success): what shape about the fenders give it the "ponton" look? Can someone point out the spots on the fenders that are ponton like?

Thanks beforehand.

newyorktoLA

This new facelift better be enough to make it super easy to negotiate on leftover 2013's once my 2011 lease goes back!

BenzV12

I agree and pleased to see the comments on the W212's front end

It should be one of the most difficult jobs with respect to improve a car's look that is already the most appealing to a degree

Sedan's side shot suggested to me that may be facelift will be lowered by a few centimeters but I may be wrong too

You said they tragically ditched the ponton fenders but I see them
Kinda off topic but I gotta tell you new upcoming W221's successor to delete the fender flares as well , which is sad

RobbieRob

umm, besides the front end , car looks the same to me???

alanme123

Hehe planning to sell my 2012 E class US version in Canada next year.

IMHO, the front of the 2014 looks a bit too low? Kind of like the C class. The current E definitely looks much more aggressive and powerful. It really is hard to top the current design.. If the facelift is a fail I hope there are awesome deals for the 2013 =D

K-A

It definitely seems like they're gonna make the front look more friendly and "happy", which IMO is antithesis to what the W212 is about. I don't know if the front is lower, but I doubt it. Also, I can't tell, but it seems like the new grille might be smaller? Or maybe the softer angles just make it appear that way.

As for the Ponton. All the renders and "inside info" say that the Ponton will be eliminated, and a lot of the camo-cars DO have the same side sheetmetal, however notice that all the cars are essentially mules with different parts for now. The few cars that DO show heavy masking covering up the lower part of the Ponton fender creases, are pretty much proof that the lower vertical part of it will be taken off and just the top line will be left (which must look stupid as now it'll just look like a short line right under a long line.... doesn't make sense as the upper line is there solely because it originally was the top half of the Ponton crease).

Also, I don't want to make people vomit.... but it looks like cost cutting might be headed to the headlights? I.e like the C-Class facelift, i.e REFLECTORS replacing the non-Xenon projectors. Nothing looks worse than reflector headlamps, especially on a luxury car, so hopefully it's the camo playing tricks on us.

jmatero

Should be interesting to see the Ponton fender go. If the horizontal line continues into the rear door, it could very well make the car look longer and sleeker... And make the rear wheels look larger to the eye.

WEBSRFR

Wow... Not good.

The C-classization of the E class continues. Pretty soon if they keep this up the E class is just going to be a slightly larger C class.

The E class used to be stately, dignified, and distinctive in the Mercedes lineup...

They should just add a middle rear seat to the CLS and just call that the new E class. They can then call this new thing the long wheelbase C class, especially if it is lacking refinements in the interior

hyperion667

lol, yes, but he's been retired a few months now haha

K-A

Yeah, that's the only negative of the Ponton. Both the E and CLS suffer from having the car broken up into "3 parts", which forces them to look less sleek than say a competing BMW profile which has the classic and timeless long character line that runs from the back more or less to the front (or at least to the front fender). Older M-B's, like the first CLS had that, and it gives for a very long and sleek impression.

That said, IMO especially for a Mid-Size sedan, the tradeoff is worth it, as the Ponton is executed well enough that even though it gives off a "stubbier" impression, it adds enough flair, drama, dynamism and is as weird as it sounds "aggressively stately" in the message it conveys. For a conservatively natured car, I think the added effect is nice as it gives the car more character and visual interest.

Therefor, IMO, the Ponton is superfluous on some Coupes as they benefit more from a simple long and sleek visual, while it fits well on more stately-esque sedans that can pull it off.

I guess sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.

aceman

I have to agree...to me, the only exterior piece that needs work are the fugly rims on the car...that should be the easiest "update"

Aceman

YYZ-E55

No need for panic - that is the elegance front end. The AMG sport front end looks much more aggressive.

petee1997

I doubt the ponton fenders will be eliminated. Usually mid cycle changes are small such as front ends and tail lights. They never restamp sheet metal. Time will tell. We will see the first cars in Europe in Jan.

I think, in the future, cars will be more a work in progress. Look at Porsche, the new BMW 3 series and the new generation SL. All these new generation cars have evolutionary changes as opposed the radical change like the W211 to W212.

steelgrey

Let me see if I get this right K-A. Your saying that the horizontal line running from front to back on the BMW gives it a sleaker appearance than the E Coupe with it's ponton fenders. Let's let the pictures speak for themselves.

threeMBs

IMHO, R230 to R231 (SL) is as radical change (both exterior and especially interior) as W211 to W212.

threeMBs

Yes, but the stunning E-coupe should never be compared to a 3-ser coupe. MB's C-coupe should be instead.

jmatero

Sleek is in the eye of the beholder.

I can't speak for KA but the Ponton fender treatment on the current E has its advantages/disadvantages from a styling standpoint.

On the plus side, so many designers today are opting for slab-sided or excessive creases, so it's nice to see something "different". Love it or hate it, the Ponton rear on the E is unique. It also draws its inspiration from the old Ponton series of MB's though, to be frank, it's not something most MB fans would "get" without being told of the connection.

On the downside (and by that I mean "To ME") the Ponton vertical line breaks up the horizontal flow and interrupts the wedge of the car (in profile view mainly) and creates the illusion the rear wheel is tiny, even with 18" AMG which are by no means small. I can look like a hippopotamus on tiptoes at certain angles. If the crease were to continue into the door vs. dropping down, the rear 3/4 would look more planted to my eye.

HOWEVER, the E would definitely lose some personality.

The 5-series horizontal lines that run uninterrupted front to rear make the car (in profile view) appear low, short, long, and hunkered to the ground. It also emphasizes the wheel openings as they are the only vertical element and even the standard 17" wheels (while boring) appear huge.

So "sleek" to me means "flowing". It also means the car looks as though it's moving even when parked. The E-class is sleek from the nose to the Ponton to me... then it stops. And I think that's why so many find the tail lights so "boring". They're looking for SOMETHING in the rear 3/4 to elicit the same emotion they feel when looking at the front 3/4. Just my 2-cents.

jmatero

I don't see why not:

E Wheelbase: 108.7 inches
3 Wheelbase: 108.7 inches

E Length: 185.0 inches
3 Length: 183.8 inches

E Height: 55.0 inches
3 Height: 55.3 inches

They even price about the same when comparably equipped. And the upcoming 435i (new 3 coupe) will be even larger. The E certainly doesn't compare to the 6-series. Almost every automotive website lists the 3-series coupe as a competitor.

NOW... they are VERY different cars, no doubt. The 3-series is pure sport while the E-class is luxury. Personally, a buyer needs to know which they're looking for with regard to ride, handling, power, etc.

threeMBs

This is way OT, but the direct competitor to BMW 3-ser in MB's line up was and still is a C-class. E-coupe (just like CLK it replaced) is an "inbetween" car (a "baby" CL). I do not see why (the greatly overpriced) 6-ser cpe/conv is not an E-coupe/conv competitor (E550 cpe/con with options is $70-80K car). It (6-ser) is certainly nowhere close to CL.