What's going on at Mercedes?

I wouldn't want to stifle anyone's creativity and definitely not a company like Mercedes that have produced many industry-leading innovations over the years. But I just have to wonder: What's going on at Mercedes-Benz?

Ok, I gave them a pass for the R-Class and the SLR and a couple other less-than-attractive products over the last few years. But last year's F700 is just getting off track. This is right up there with some of the ugliest cars I've seen - ever.

1. The Proportion: The proportion is just bad. This car, whether purposely or accidentally, is proportioned similar to cars from the 20's and 30's. The long hood, short rear-end, the large wheel arches all contribute to this aesthetic.
2. Wheel size: I know how difficult this aesthetic is to pull off on a modern car. For one, the proportion is the most important thing. What contributes to this heavily (next to Greenhouse size) is the wheel size. Regardless of how large they are these days they're nothing like they used to be. This car's wheels are dwarfed by the oversized fenders. It doesn't have a great stance but instead looks like a parade float.
3. Side view: The side view gives the clearest image of the issues as a whole. The front where the hood and windshield meet is quite high because of the rake. Just below this is where the side theme arch makes it's biggest turn downwards - probably too far down. This makes the belt line at the rear door seem even higher bending the car in half. The rear deck doesn't match the front's height and power and therefore gives it that feeling that the rear is simply following behind.
4. The Greenhouse: This car has an impressively raked windshield for a luxury sedan. What it doesn't have is a rear element to balance it out but instead a rear glass and C-Pillar that make it worse. This front to back symmetry gives the car what I'll call "Audi TT-itis". What I mean by this is it looks like it could go in either direction and directionality is what makes a car dynamic. The rear simply falls off and ends like a movie with a flat ending leaving you begging for more. This car innately will have bad aerodynamics because of this (notice the lip on the rear deck).
5. The Face: As someone commented on the Aztek post, ugly is "In" these days. And the ugliest parts of this car are the front and rear graphics. These are the details that connect us to the car the most - the face. Just like a potential mate, the face of your car is where you see it's soul. The F-Class looks like an uncomfortable kindergartener that has to use the bathroom. I realize that on a concept you have to go bold, otherwise it doesn't get any attention. But what I'm worried about is that like the SLR, the SLK and the R-Class, the F-Class (or future MB sedan) may get built this way.