Luxury cars and classy hood ornaments have been a winning combination for generations, with owners enjoying the status these tend to represent. Mercedes has lovingly adorned its vehicles with its three-pointed star proudly perched above the grille; and while not quite as exclusive as Roll's Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy - although the illuminated Flying Lady was recently banned in Europe - the iconic star emblem is nonetheless just as well known. Alas, following in the footsteps of the C-Class circa 2017, buyers of the 2021 E-Class range will have to live without it too, as Mercedes has quietly done away with it in the US.

Don't be too worried that your ability to own a luxury cruiser in the E-Class range will go unannounced, though - the news of the hood ornament's demise doesn't mean your Merc will be any less noticeable. Much like fellow German rivals, BMW, size does seem to matter, and while the Bimmer design team seem to think the grille itself needs to be bigger (much like the polarizing giant grille on the BMW 4 Series), Mercedes grew the size of its emblem instead, with the new E-Class range of coupes, sedans, and convertibles sporting a bigger-than-ever star, front and center.

There's still a sense of exclusivity attached to having a hood ornament on your luxury vehicle, but the idea of this being a little old-fashioned and not quite appealing to the younger target market seems to have spurred the automaker to opt for a more contemporary design on some of its models. While some, like the 2021 S-Class Sedan, still sport the flying star atop the hood, the grille has also been enlarged to keep in line with current trends. But for the coming model year, the E-Class goes without the hood-top star, and relies on the redesigned grille with chrome pins to announce it's presence. We have a feeling that more models in the Mercedes-Benz stable will soon follow suit.