From the comments and such that have been posted over the years (!) at Hivewire, the emphasis isn't so much on better looking and better bending. They want to make her more morphable, easier for vendors to customize, and to take advantage of the new features of DS and Poser. Some of the "ethnic" faces posted are stunning.

I think that was the main problem with the original Dawn. It was so difficult to make her look different. She wasn't ugly, but she was instantly recognizable.