Yes of course I agree, this is the 21st century for Pete's sake! 30 years ago people were making movies about space travel to distant planets in 2010 and all we've got to show for it in reality is a space shuttle that loses its tiling on lift-off and a few "radically styled" cars. Please...

Radical, futuristic designs need to be lauded and encouraged by the market. We can't continue to rely solely on the microchip for progress. If the car buying public is so "future-averse" then marketers really have a problem in changing perceptions.

The problem is, radical does not always mean futuristic. Some of BMW's more radical designs merely look odd without ushering in a new era in the modern, futuristic interpretation of car styling. An example would be the 1 series to name but one.

So yes, the criticism is a tad long in the tooth but it's not unjustifiable. Funny thing is, I'm not to sure why he'd (Clarkson) level such criticism at the E92? I think it looks quite fetchingly svelte.