That design has ONE aspect I do like... there's a selection switch on the side of the lens that puts aperture into Auto or Manual. And it remembers where you last left it in manual, so...
1. You zoom out to 18mm.
2. You switch aperture to Manual.
3. You dial up f2.8 (its max at that aperture).
Now, every time you flick the aperture switch into Manual, it will max out the aperture at whatever focal length you happen to be at. It's like a "max out my aperture, please" switch.