In my opinion the premium car companies follow the "evolution" design philosophy, which might not yield the trendiest cars of the period, but usually makes cars that stand the test of time. In my opinion Audi does this very well. Take the A4. The B5/6/7/8 all seem to be small updates to a quality original design. A6 as well, and A8 did until the current gen which I don't like.
American cars try to reinvent the wheel, changing drastically, changing names (like a badge change makes it sell differently) and generally flopping like a fish trying to keep up.
Lately they have been doing a better job, which is funny that you say only recently have they started to not be as nice looking in your opinion!
You are clearly a "they don't make them like they used too" kind of guy.
They are black, have silver, and same badge, name and model name. Its clearly an identical car.