E-Class (W212) Mercedes W212 E-Class Facelift: Renders, Spyshots, Etc

[K-A]

I'm going to find this 'Robert Lesnik', and give him a piece of my mind... alfhvqkejlbfqwluicgl qkjwflkjqhg efkwfwegbqwlf

M-B needs to clean house with their design team, and bribe Habib and co to come back. Get Porsche's lead designer to replace that ego-maniac that is Wagener who is ruining M-B design, get Hussein up in there, get some BMW boys in there, get Peter Schreyer back to the Germans from Kia, and then have Sacco sourced in simply to guide them in the right direction via implementing Mercedes heritage cues into their heads (as a sort of starting/base point).

M-B is getting crushed by BMW and Audi in sales, and I hate to cite "sales" on an enthusiast forum, but those laggard sales are why M-B are doing such comprehensive and damaging-to-early-versions facelifts now, and losing design idiom, therefore it's affecting the brands cachet. People can SEE M-B designers clearly not standing behind their designs, while BMW, Audi, and Porsche are pretty much all fully doing so, maybe with some exceptions here or there.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

I'm going to find this 'Robert Lesnik', and give him a piece of my mind... alfhvqkejlbfqwluicgl qkjwflkjqhg efkwfwegbqwlf

This guy was just doing his job - by following orders directed to him by his superiors. If you're unhappy with the design, don't buy the dammn car. Let management take the blame for their decisions.

 

[K-A]

So you're gonna give him a piece of your mind?

This guy was just doing his job - by following orders directed to him by his superiors. If you're unhappy with the design, don't buy the dammn car. Let management take the blame for their decisions.

Give me a break. Lesnik and these designers get paid big bucks to do a good job. Not every job will be good, and then people will give negative feedback. What you're implying is that we shouldn't ever express distaste for anybody's work, because they "work hard", or aren't the sole decision makers.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

Give me a break. Lesnik and these designers get paid big bucks to do a good job. Not every job will be good, and then people will give negative feedback. What you're implying is that we shouldn't ever express distaste for anybody's work, because they "work hard", or aren't the sole decision makers.

Would you say the same thing about Justin Bieber? Kim Kardashian? Britney Spears? All very successful people who do work hard in their own ways.

You don't obviously understand. There's a hierarchy in place within the design team and it's the head of design that sets the strategic direction and delegates accordingly. Furthermore, it is the head designer who narrows-down all the proposals and, in-conjunction with management, selects the final design.

Lesnik designed the car according to the strategic direction prescribed to him by Gorden Wagner. It was Wagner who short-listed Lesnik's proposal amongst the competing field, and it was Wagner along with M-B management who selected his proposal as the winner.

From the sounds of it, Lesnik actually did a good job because he best fulfilled the expectations of his boss and the rest of M-B management.

 

[K-A]

Yeah, but if M-B's management are on the wrong track, then that would make the job bad. The Pontiac Aztek was once a final proposal and approved with loving arms by a Multi Billion Dollar corporations Management and Executive team.

Aren't designers allowed to have some free reign and then they get their designs selected? Obviously they have some strict guidelines, but considering they compete with each other, they have to employ some of their own visions.

Either way, I point the finger at Wagener, always have been, as I think he's the culprit here. I'm sure he's a fine, good, or great guy, but I think he's showing to have terrible management and leadership skills (probably was an awesome designer to have working under you, however). I also get the impression from his video/interview bits that he's got quite a strong ego and certain style of "swagger" which shows up in the designs we are seeing come out today, and IMO it just doesn't work, especially for Mercedes.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

Who are you to say that M-B management are on the wrong track? It's a bit premature isn't it? This design could well prove to be a hit and generate more E-Klasse sales than the pre-facelifted version. Should that transpire, then one would have to be a fool to label it a "bad job".

Designers are given a lot of creative freedom but they still have to operate within the parameters set by their design director. If all the designers were given complete freedom to pursue their own direction, then it completely make the design director's position redundant. Because in theory, each designer would be their own design director.

 

[Ollemars]

Let me, a staunch Mercedes fan, who has rarely visited any non-Mercedes thread in this forum say this: the W212 FL design looks DISGUSTING. And i never felt in such a way about any other Mercedes car except CLA. The sports grille of the E estate is a joke. Any aftermarket grille would look more organic with the rest of the car. What a shame Mercedes...

 

[MBFanToDeath]

Wow...you see 4-5 pics and start to p*** on it? I have no comment...

 

[MBFanToDeath]

Engine details about the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift are now available.
The lineup starts with the E200 model with its turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine that produces 181 hp (135 kW), followed by the E250 with the same engine tuned to output 208 hp (155 kW). This means that rumors about a Renault-sourced 1.6-liter engine turned out to be purely speculation.
The E200 CDI is powered by a 4-cylinder, 2.1-liter with 134 hp (100 kW), while in the E220 CDI puts out 168 hp (125 kW). The E250 CDI gets the same power unit but with an output of 201 hp (150 kW). The more powerful V6 3.0-liter engine in the E350 produces 248 hp (185 kW). As for the E63 AMG with its twin-turbo V8 5.5-liter engine, this will offer "an incremental increase".
In terms of fuel efficiency, the E220 CDI is the king with 60.1 mpg UK (50 mpg US or 4.7 liters / 100 km) when equipped with the 7-speed auto, representing an increase of 2.4 mpg UK compared to the outgoing model. CO2 emissions are also down by 4 g/km to 125 g/km. For the UK market (at least), Mercedes-Benz will also offer the E300 BlueTec diesel-electric hybrid.
New safety systems include Collision Prevention Assist which is a radar-based collision warning system that can brake the vehicle to lower severity during an impact. Also on the list are Distronic Plus with Steering Assist and Brake Assist Plus with Junction Assist.

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Seriously one of the ugliest fronts I've seen on a Merc.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

The facts are this:

- In design terms, the pre-facelift E-Klasse, comparatively speaking, was a failure. Both the 5er and the A6 are decimating it in worldwide sales. It's as if the E-Klasse had it's pants pulled down and now both the 5er and the A6 are giving it's bare bottom a big spanking.

- M-B therefore had no choice but to change direction and opt for a radical redesign. Hence the heavy facelift.

Whether it'll be a success we simply don't know. Either way, Mercedes could not sustain the design of the current pre-facelift E-Klasse. Left on it's own, the car would have simply slipped further back from the 5er and A6 in worldwide sales.

 

[merc4]

according to AMS the cost of the facelift is about 1 billion EUR, making it the most expensive facelift in MB history.

 

[Zafiro]

according to AMS the cost of the facelift is about 1 billion EUR, making it the most expensive facelift in MB history.

Sonds like my pocket money

 

[K-A]

You can't "hate" on ugly. Ugly is simply ugly.

 

[lukeswiss]

I don't think this new one is a complete failure. The sports grill, in my eyes is. I'd prefer a CLS.
The new classic grill is ok though. I also don't understand why they think the German market is more traditional than the UK market?

How long till the CLS gets the updated safety features? Will it ?

 

[K-A]

Moving on to a little comparo: Speaks for itself me thinks. The W212 facelift with the luxury grille looks insanely better than that cheeky, horrid, and instantly dated rendition of the Star grille. It looks two generations behind the CLS or SL's Star grille to star with....

 

[burana800]

I think with the luxury grill the facelifted E looks superb. Funny also how it makes the non facelifted E look old immediately. imo If one bought the W212 and is now complaining that it is outdated it means that the design was "wrong" from the very beginning. Why would you buy the car then? If the design was "correct" then a facelift does not make the original W212 look outdated.

Whit this facelift I think Mercedes just kinda admitted that they failed the W212 in the first place. Removing the stupid ponton and upgrading the interior I think are proofs. The original W212 also had one big problem imo: didn't look nice without AMG package. Waiting for more photos but I think that FL W212 does.

Really looking forward to the FL coupe and AMG versions

BTW any particular reason why Well-known members are allowed to ruin these threats one by one?

 

[tennmb]

Whoa! The sport front bumper is just too much. The standard bumper looks sportier. I like the sculpting.

 

[JHF]

It's ok

 

[marley71]

Moving on to a little comparo: Speaks for itself me thinks. The W212 facelift with the luxury grille looks insanely better than that cheeky, horrid, and instantly dated rendition of the Star grille. It looks two generations behind the CLS or SL's Star grille to star with....

Thanks for these comparo pics. It may be a little unfair, but the point is well made. Much prefer the older version. Still holding out hope that the coupe will benefit from the update.