I can kind of see what Klier is talking about.

THe 'lazy' looking eyes of both cars are there to convey a quite confidence. They both have that eyebrow in their front lights which adds to that lazy look. At the same time I can see where GTA's coming from because the Phaeton also has that lazy look to it in the lights.

I think when MB designers went to work on the new CL they decided that they didn't want to make an evolution of the older CL (with it's twin round lights) because they'd end up at a dead-end like Jaguar has with its old-school round lights fetish. So they looked to their past to gain inspiration... so on this point I agree with GTA about being inspired by their past to create designs for the future.
But as Klier stated, it's obvious they got the inspiration from their past, but have been influence by BMW and their 'radical' approach to car designs, especially with the 6er which was heavily influenced by BMW's Z9 concepts.

Below I've put the 6er and the CL side-by-side and highlight the key design elements which make the two look kind of similar. It is important to note that I am not implying that MB copied the 6er, but rather that some of the design principles that BMW used on their gorgeous 6er are also evident on the CL's front, which then makes them seem similar from the front.



Orange line: shows the line starting from the bottom-corner of the windshield and curving its way down to the inside of the front light. Ofcourse this is common to nearly all cars nowadays.

Green line: the outline of the headlights are fairly similar. Both cars incorporate a trapezoidal shape. Some may argue that the 6er has that curve while the CL has a sweeping upward line.. but like I and Klier have said, MB didn't copy the 6er, but rather both have similar shapes and lines.
Also the eyebrow is present in both headlights which adds to their similarity.

Pink line: This line shows the similar 'upside down wave' shape created by the sweeping lines from the bonnet to the bottom of the grille. Both cars look similar in this sense because the line diverts from the top inside corner of the headlight and curves under the grille. The second pink line traces the shape of the grille.. hence creating that upside down wave shape in both cars.

Blue line: This line simply shows how the headlights in both cars are positioned higher than their grilles to create the look of the grille blending into the front bumper... which in turn makes the car look like it's sitting lower than it really is.

These lines show how both the 6er and the CL have similar design cues in terms of where lines start, how they curve and blend to create a cohesive design and also where certain sections are placed (referring to the higher position of the lights).
The similarities are there but I don't believe Mercedes actually sat there and copied the 6er, but rather took the overall frontal design of past MB's and modified them into a modern day design context.

Sorry for the delay, im at work, the lights look pretty cheesy and cheap on the 6'er. The BMW lights look SIGNIFICANTLY better.

Good work on the chop, but its not too my liking.

I notice something kinda interesting in this photo posted by GTA...



The US version of the new CL has that orange/amber reflector thing placed inside the headlight compartment. I find that interesting since the new S-class and past MB's have had that placed on the bumper. At the same time BMW in the past had that orange reflector inside the lights but recently (with the 3er coupe and the 5er facelift) they've moved it outside the headlights (placed along the wheel arch).

Just find that a little interesting.

BTW... GTA, that photo of the CL is absolutely STUNNING! I totally didn't like the initial press release photo's of the CL because they had those ugly multi-spoke wheels, but my oh my does the CL look stunning in black with those 8-spoke rims. Before I saw that pic I was 50/50 on the CL.. (I'm a big believer that the rims on a car can make a huge difference)..so after seeing that photo I'm 100% behind the new CL. Great job MB on making the CL look awesome without having to put a sportskit on it. Love it!