In this case commuters simply wanted a futuristic and modern railcar. They didn't want a new railcar that had the look of something old. If people looked at that design they probably said, "Great, we have a new railcar to kick of the new millennium but it has a Flintstones look, and we don't want Flintstones, we want Jetsons." The M7 has a different shape obviously, and the railcar has the look of 21st-century train. If you think about it, the M7/M9's are more aerodynamic and have that Jetsons look, the look of 2001: A Space Odyssey (the car went into service in October 2002).
This is the train to (NYC). Stopping at: Babylon, Lindenhurst, Copiague, Amityville, Massapequa Park, Massapequa, Seaford, Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick, Freeport, Baldwin, Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Woodside, Penn Station OR Grand Central.