New Cars 2012: Mercedes CLS

I really liked Mercedes' first generation CLS. It was honestly one of those cars I hated to admit liking, because so many auto enthusiasts chastised it for being ugly; it was named the banana Benz for its upside down banana-esque profile. As with the old car, people chastise this new car as being bland. To a point, I agree. While it certainly doesn't hit onlookers in the face with its roundy-round styling, it does scream Mercedes. Quite. Mercedes' new design direction bowed earlier with the unreasonably square (and almost last generation Hyundai Sonata) styling, especially towards the tail end. Onlookers who weren't possessed with car ID skills would be quick to dismiss it as a Mercedes.
The new CLS is no different. Like its forebear, this new car shares almost nothing with Mercedes design language save for the badge on the grille. Is that a bad thing, though? Not really. With the E-class looking bland to some, (the sedan's grown on me a bit, I will admit) and the ML class looking godawful, and the C-Class having a decidedly sporty look to it, one could argue that Mercedes doesn't have a cohesive design language.
Out front, the CLS greets you in typical big-starred "Hi, I'm a Mercedes, give me your money" fashion, with its gaping, wide grille. The Mercedes-ness continues down the side wit the same "flanks" that have been applied to the new E-Class. Said to resemble Benzes of yesteryear, I find that little kink is the side to be nothing but a breakup of an otherwise bland profile--and it works. I know I will likely get chewed up for this remark, but that little feature does hark back on Mercedes' rich heritage. Where I take issue with the new car the most, is the taillights. I'm getting really tired of this two tone outer-inner crap. While it worked on 2008's Maserati Gran Turismo, it shouldn't be applied to every damn production car that gets churned out. Okay, so the taillights would look a bit blander and less interesting. So? Taillights shouldn't make or break the car.
Since I hadn't gotten to sit in a new CLS as of these pictures, I would love to try it out. I whined and whined a lot about the outgoing car, and how it probably sucked inside, and boy was I wrong. I absolutely fell in love with after I sat in it and took it all in. Maybe I'm just getting my hopes up, but I suspect the new car will get the same reaction from me.