I think that the current crop look great although not sure about all of them.
A - too small
B - looks good
C - new one looks much better now that it is a mini-S rather than a mini-E
E - a bit boring although estate looks better
S - looks OK for a big car and much better than a 7 Series
CLK - a bit too bland
SLK - OK if that's your thing
SL - looks great
CL - ditto
CLS - ditto
ML - a bit poncy
GL - what the ML should look like, but it is HUGE
V - hmmm.
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I think the Merc range looks pretty good. The real looker is the SL, and the CLS isn't far behind. The weakest is the S*.
What impresses me is the M-B have a model in just about every car segment - although the A and B can't really be classed as MPVs. Merc have spent a fortune on product development.
*Oh, the V. Well, that's just a van, isn't it?
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It seems Chris Bangles' opposite number at Merc is a bloke called Hans-Dieter Futschik.
This page seems to have various designers listed for different models if you can decifer it, its not very clear what is going on:
www.whnet.com/4x4/design.html .
Most cars are styled by a "design team" and its not often that designers become well known, but there are some that spring to mind, like Ian Callum.
Chris Bangle is Chief of BMW design, with 250 staff under him. If the look of the new cars had not caused the controversy they have (people in the US petitioning BMW to sack him) then I dont suppose many people would have heard of him.
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In Bangle's defence, he didn't design all the current BMWs. Taking the 7 series as an example of his work everybody said that BMW were doomed. Well they're still being sold - at a profit and none of the factories have been shipped to China - so something must be right. I will concede that the current 5 series is not as nice as the old shape one. Basically I'm not sure I care who designed "my" car. I like it.
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Personally although I dont think the 5 series looks as good as the previous model but they do look alright. Also Z4's look alright. Its some of the lines around the flanks and rear lights of the 3 series that I think look too fussy.
IMO that Merc CLS looks plain weird from the rear. The sloping back end "four door coupe" vaguely reminds me of some yank saloons but I cant remember any examples at the mo...
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Whoever designed the diesel B-class was profoundly deaf.
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