If this is an accurate depiction of the 2009 Mercedes CLK, all we can say is, well, we're disappointed. Not because it's a bad looking car, because it isn't. But was it Aston Martin or VW that started this trend of creating the same car in different sizes? If it was Aston, they've only got three models (for now), and they're playing in a smaller, hand-stitched leather arena, so we'll let them go. But for the mass market folks -- where did design differentiation disappear to?

This could be a much smaller CL. Or a slightly smaller 2-door E-Class. Or a larger, 2-door C-Class. BMW appears to be doing the same thing with the 2009 7-Series, the renderings of which look like a massive and slightly bloated 3-Series. We have no doubt this will sell well, if it is indeed the new CLK, especially as it gives the coupe a much-needed sharpening. The creases do this car a far better service than they do the current S-Class. Still, we wouldn't mind a little more imagination being applied across the drawing boards.

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Rendered Speculation: 2009 Mercedes CLK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.