i personally like the 03-08 body style, and i am not just saying that because i have one. but what does everyone else think

I said it in another thread but I was perhaps off topic. I would take the 03-08 over the 09's that I have seen. The grills are cheap plastic cross hatches, the side gill is like an open wound. I don't like the front end. But that is just my opinion and perhaps its design will grow on me. When I first saw the 03 style r230 it struck me as one of the most beautiful cars on the road and still does. I can't say the same for the 09. The SL65 black is a different story however.

new style sucks, and i've been trying hard to like it. It looks weird, especially from the side.

I like the new rear styling with the diffuser but wish they had done a better job on the side/front. (plus couldn't they at least have made the diffuser actually work, instead of just be a piece of dead molded plastic??)

Is it true the reason for the new, bulbous and ungainly hood, compared to the old models sleek nose, was necessitated by the Euro Union's new pedestrian crash standard which requires the hood to be several inches above the motor to give a more forgivin impact (and thus a much less sleek front appearance/hood)?

I do not like the 09 styling inside and out. If I was just entering the market for an SL. I would not even consider the new style. The exterior is not as sleek and the interior is like someone went mad with circles.

Yes, gov't mandated design change. That's why all these guys are buying the new ones. No one can positively effect the design of something better then the government

I never knew that was such a problem- cars running into people. I guess the next model change will have to include something to make the cars more global warming friendly. LOL

The styling changes to certain areas of the '09 model look VERY out of place with the rest of the car.
It's more than obvious when you compare the curves of the original to the hard edged creases of the updated areas.
Anyone can see this, and this why this update will always look at odds with itself.
I wouldn't say its ugly, but it is not a flowing design like the original.
As I've written early, Mercedes Benz will be able to address this when they redesign the ENTIRE car.
Until then, it will never look right.