Mine looks like the gold color of a pizza crust.
I was silver in 2001 and 2002. Am gold this year. My % of CO upgrades remains the same.
My NW upgrade rate is still VERY high and I favor NW over CO.
Other than the bonus miles, I guess the only noticable benefit for me was saving some $$$ on my PClub membership. (Actually my company saved some $$$$)