Haha I just cannot play with you guys, this is way out of my league. However, I will say a few things.

BMW - Like you guys all mentioned, ground breaking, kind of hurt their image in way for being too liberal. However, the fact is, it was a success and I'm sure many companies wished they were on the same boat. On top of that, the new generation of Bangle cars are much easier to swallow (personally, I think they are amazing)

Audi - You guys alreayd hit it on the nail. They will be the "new" BMW imo.

Benz - I just find them way too inconsistent. I think cars like the SLK and CL are amazing looking and are very MB. Extremely classy. However, the R class and GL for example are just... how can I say it. Blah? There's no design highlight whatsoever. It's just not high class like the brand that MB are.

totally disagree

the 3er sedan does not look like 5er and 7er too !

I saw a new S-class today and thought "cool, but not special", immedeately afterwards I realized that the new S-class has completely lost the grace of prior S-class's that we have come to admire and aspire to. MB has felt compelled to give an answer the to radicalism excercised by BMW in the design of the 7er and flopped. Only with the AMG sport package is the design in some small way, redeemed, thanks to the nicely sculpted wheels and traditional AMG ground effects surrounding.

I just think MB need to refine their aesthetic a bit. The current Mercedes design style (S/CL) has a lot of potential that has not been fully realized yet.....I am confident the next SL will be very special.

Don't get your hopes up, that's what I thought about the new 6er before it came out, have only been able to come to terms w/ the convertible (for some odd reason).

Yeah the next SL will be a failure..
LMAO

Note this..
As far as the flagship modells (CL/S/SL) go
MB has NEVER dropped the ball in terms of design.. not even once..
each of these modells have felt like they cant do it better next time..but they always do and until the day the new modell comes the existing modell feels fresh compared to the competition.. only when the new modell arrives it makes the previous look old..
Now thats a way to design cars..

living examples C215 and W220.. and im sure the SL will be the same..

There is a chance that next SL wont look as good as current SL. You know SL is my favorite Benz - Its going to be real hard to improve the looks of SL. I mean, how can you improve something thats already perfect?

i asked the same question about the S and CL.. wich in my eyes where perfect..
but as we all know..they improved it..
so if you see to the history of the brand you should not be worried

So true, so true...

Karma given for great thread!

Yep, I agree.