3
Exterior: Its good, decent, mildly hovering above acceptable. The elements are all there, the aggressive stance, the wheel arches, the profile line. The car is consistent with MB's new design themes and makes it look like a miniature S-Class, which is good, luxurious and elegant looking.
However, I'm not attracted to it like I am with say, the new CL, CLS or even the current E-Class. Something about it doesn't inspire the same passion and desire as other MB models which is rather disapointing. The rear is a good looking in that it follows more classic MB designs, and the overall shape is nice too, but I'm not getting that 'feeling.'
I hope this changes with more pictures or when I see the car in the flesh, which often changes peoples' minds.
Interior: Lets see, first off I was sort of shocked at the design. Since I'm American I don't get to see the A/B-Class designs up close and the resemblance to them is lost on me.
Wow, I just don't like it. It looks too much like a different car brand's interior, like an Audi, or some Japanese brand, not an MB interior. This is tragic.
Here's what I like first, since its shorter. The gauges, trim, buttons and surfaces looks good overall from what I can tell, I need to actually touch and feel them to get a better gauge on their real quality. Small things like the nice big COMMAND screen and the chrome strips along the doors and the glove box are nice touches as well.
Now here is my rant. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CENTER CONSOLE?!?!?!
Why is it this black solid mass of plastic that sticks out from the interior trim?! What happend to individual buttons built into a nice wood layout. Call me old fashioned, regressive, wood-happy, I don't know, but I like to have more luxury trim pieces on my dash. Not like Bentely/Roller/Jag/CLS wood, but a little bit more in the front 'wood' be nice. The interior isn't "flowy" enough to me, the passenger console is too rigid for me, and then the sharp cut to the center console dips too low. This accentuates that nasty hunk of plastic in the middle, and even in black interior its far too blatant.

Someone else mentioned this I think, and I agree as well: The percieved line from one side of the front to the other isn't there like in other designs. The sharp cutdown in the center ruins that flow as well, and it sort of makes this partition between the driver side and the passenger side.
I wish they could have atleast slipped a small slab of wood or aluminum trim under those chrome strips in the front. On the doors they have the metal door handle with the chrome strip surrounded by the wood, I wish they would have done a similar concept with the chrome strips on the dash.
OK, thats quite a bit more than I'm used to typing in one post, but its because I'm sort of upset at the design.
Overall, I would prefer an A4 or a G35 as a car to purchase in this segment. Looks are decent, but its not enough to sway me from the afformentioned cars. I'd still take it over a 3-Series or anything else, but its not up to par for me.
Ok I'm done. 3.