Overview & Reviews

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?" That's the opening line of "Mercedes-Benz," a song most famously recorded by singer Janis Joplin in the early 1970s. The tune gently poked fun at materialism and our desire for the finer things in life. It's fitting that the renowned German marque figures prominently in the lyric. Mercedes-Benz has long been known for crafting vehicles that emphasize luxury and refinement. For many, its vehicles are sleek symbols of status, success and good taste.

In January of 1886, Karl Benz unveiled the world's first automobile, a three-wheeled vehicle dubbed the Benz Patent Motor Car. A few months later, Gottlieb Daimler and his chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach rolled out a four-wheeled vehicle powered by his Daimler engine. The first Mercedes was crafted in 1901, shortly after Daimler's death. Built by Maybach, the car was commissioned by Emil Jellinek, one of Daimler's primary distributors, and was ultimately named after Jellinek's daughter, Mercedes.

In 1926, the companies founded by Daimler and Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz AG, and the Mercedes-Benz brand was born. The company's insignia was a three-pointed star wreathed in a laurel; the star was dreamed up by Daimler years earlier, and its three points signified the fact that his engines were used in vehicles that traveled land, air and sea.

Right from the start, the Mercedes-Benz name was synonymous with automotive excellence. One of the automaker's earliest vehicles, the 1931 Mercedes-Benz 170, distinguished itself as the world's first production car to offer a technology that was nothing short of extraordinary for the day: four-wheel independent suspension. The '30s and '40s saw Mercedes establishing itself as the brand of choice for car buyers seeking the ultimate in luxury, thanks to coveted cruisers like the 380 and 540K.

The 1950s witnessed the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing," a sports car that has been described as being the world's first supercar. With its dramatic styling and race-bred technology, the 300 SL reigns today as a classic coveted by collectors worldwide. The decade also saw Daimler-Benz making strides in the area of safety technology. The company's Mercedes-Benz 220 sedans were the first vehicles to incorporate its patented "crumple zone" body design, created to absorb impact in the event of a crash.

In 1963, the company cemented its reputation as the home of automotive luxury with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 600. The elegant, luxurious sedan was also available as a limousine and featured an ahead-of-its-time air suspension system and a V8 engine that boasted 300 horsepower. The decade also saw the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. This full-size sedan went from zero to 60 in under seven seconds, distinguishing itself as the quickest luxury car is its day.

The 1970s saw the birth of the brand's storied S-Class line of vehicles, opulent sedans and coupes that coddled passengers with powerful engines and a long list of luxury features. The decade also saw Mercedes continuing on the cutting edge of safety technology, by being the first to offer antilock brakes in its vehicles.

Daimler-Benz's safety advancements continued in the 1980s. Its cars were the first to offer airbags and traction control. The manufacturer also raised the bar in terms of ride comfort and handling when it introduced multilink rear suspension. The technology debuted on the compact Mercedes-Benz 190 E, and it remains a vital component of the company's chassis engineering to this day.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles got an extra dose of power and performance in the 1990s, thanks to the manufacturer's partnership with AMG, a performance and tuning shop that was eventually purchased by the company to help produce ultra-high-performance versions of some of its vehicles. The first AMG model offered in the U.S. was the sporty C36 AMG in 1995; since then, Mercedes has gone on to offer an AMG-tuned version of almost all of its vehicles.

The company's current lineup is the most comprehensive in its history. With a variety of sedans, coupes, SUVs and roadsters filling Mercedes showrooms, it seems like the only thing missing is a pickup truck. Surely, the fact that Janis Joplin's song holds as much relevance today as it did four decades ago is a strong indicator that the brand's premier status is still very much intact.

User Reviews:

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  Bad transmission for 2006 4matic - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By eastsidejl - June 9 - 1:12 am

  My 06 is currently under MB Manufactures warrantee and I have been fighting with MB to replace my faulty transmission. At 28 mph, it skips. MB tells me there is nothing wrong and this is normal performance!!!! I am filing complaints with every agency. I paid an extra $2k for my extended warrantee when I bought my certified used MB and MB will not fix this!!!! I would NEVER buy this car!!!!!

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  the worst car i ever had - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By cindy39 - June 2 - 2:00 am

  From the second week i bought this car. I have nothing but problems. I usually keep my cars for 5 years. I CAN"T wait to get rid of this car. It drives like a pick up truck the rear view mirror fell down. The breaks clunk. What can i say except that the list can keep going,,,I am not happy at all

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  Buyer beware! - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By Paul Stephens - May 31 - 5:40 am

  Pros: I love the feel of this car when driving. Its solid with great acceleration. I also like the fact that you can put the car into the "hold" position (while stopped at a light for example) and the car will temporarily cut off theoretically saving on gas. Once you put your foot on the accelerator it kicks back into drive seamlessly. Its a quality made vehicle, and overall the drive and performance is great. Cons: For several years, I drove a BMW X5 and a Lexus RX350 before purchasing this vehicle. As one reviewer mentioned, it took concentrated maneuvering to get either the Beemer and Lexus into my garage because of their larger size. I bought the GLK thinking it was marginally smaller and therefore not as much trouble to get in and out of the garage. It took a while to notice that its not just marginally smaller, its tremendously smaller than either the Beemer or the Lexus. In fact, the interior room is so much smaller that I sometime have trouble getting in and out. The leg room in the backseat is a joke. My son is only 510", but I had to move all the seats forward when bringing him home after surgery. I couldnt get his size 11 feet into the back comfortably. Not only is there insufficient leg room, but theres no room to just put "stuff". You know- stuff - like things you would normally keep in your glove compartment besides the owner manual. Forget it. This is the smallest glove compartment Ive ever seen. The owners manual barely fits. If you have other "stuff" to put there youd better think of something else. Dont expect to have room in the side pockets or the pockets on the back of the seats either - almost non-existent. The armrest in the middle has some room but not by much. Im on the road a lot. While I drive I like to listen to audio books via my Iphone. I expect the bluetooth to pick up the book as soon as I get into the car. Thats the way it worked on the previous two vehicles. Not with the GLK. Sometimes my book starts automatically. Sometimes it doesnt. It drives me crazy when Im on a long stretch of highway and lose the signal. Thats happened more than a few times. Driving and trying to manipulate the small letters (I wear reading glasses and cant see as well as I used to) on the dashboard or with the little "wheel" to try to reconnect bluetooth isnt always easy. Just trying to see whether Im pushing the Navi, Radio, Disc button is beyond my vision and graphics be damned they are not all that intuitive. Its been a year since I purchased the vehicle. It has less than 6K miles on it. As I now contemplate trading it in, Ive found that the value of the car has dropped by at least 35% after only a year. I got 60% on trade for my Lexus - after 5 years! Turns out the GLK doesnt hold its value. Im disappointed in that, but you live and learn. Overall, the GLK drives smoothly, accelerates quickly but buyer beware theres a lot of little annoyances that may not make it worth the initial high cost.

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  THE MONEY PIT - 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By frustrated43 - May 24 - 8:11 pm

  Worst car I have ever owned!

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  Horrible car - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Alex - May 4 - 4:14 am

  I bought the car with 160k miles on it in 2013 and was I though that the car should last really long with no problems. But unfortunately, it was nothing than nightmare. I diagnosed the car before buying and everything was fine. My first mechanical problem occurred after 2.5 months - automatic door went out, I payed 400$ to fix it. After a week rear window automatic sunshade went off as well, I decided to leave it as is, since it too expensive to repair. In 3 more months alternator and battery died. In 3 more months blow motor problems started to take place, hot air only and wasnt able to turn air conditioner off until shut off the car, so I replaced blow motor, but after 2 weeks climate control panel stopped working. After some period of time the car just stalled on the road, the car was towed and crankshaft sensor was dead. In 1 month water pump started to jamming and the car stalled couple of time again. In addition, rust started to occur all over the car and it the car looked horrible, just horrible. Transmission problems took place as well, sometimes it was shifted strange and it stocked on the same gear two times, so I pulled out the car and restarted the engine. So, after I spend 3000$ on repairs I decided to sell it. Even though I paid a little more than 4k when I bought it, maximum I got is 2.5K. It was such a relief to rid off from this car. The only con was that the car was extremely fast and fund to drive, but it can not compensate all mechanical issues.

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  Over priced - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By neveragain - April 20 - 2:06 pm

  Bought it with 2000 miles. My wife said not to. She was right. It rides like a light car. In the shop all the time. Way underpowered. Then purchased a Sequia what difference bigger interior better ride and better MPG. Dont buy one. My first Mercedes and my last.

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  Absolute P.O.S. - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By hrspeech - April 5 - 10:21 am

  I fell for the "oh, weve completely redesigned the E-class to be more reliable and compete with a Lexus line of B.S." This car has 27,000 miles on it and is sitting in my garage DOA. Not because we mistreat it and not because we dont do the outrageously expensive services. Its left me stranded because its a normal piece of "german engineering." The only folks who appreciate "german engineering" are the service techs who get rich on servicing this garbage. Run the other way and buy yourself a Lexus before you make the same mistake I made. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever fall for this line of B.S. again. The best cars are engineered and made in Japan. Plain and simple.

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  Be carefull - 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Bill Alexander - April 1 - 4:56 am

  Purchased in Dec09 was finally delivered Feb10 but NOT AS SPECIFIED, no HK stereo, no iPod interface, no 5-spoke rims. Dealer Automotriz Stuttgart refuses any adjustment. After only 2,400 miles the paint had flaked off the hood medallion, seats are horribly wrinkled, Bluetooth faulty, Stereo 20 system so distorted it is unusable besides missing a speaker. Worst is performance, takes a full 2-3 seconds after accelerator is fully depressed to get ANY reaction from the engine. When purchasing, make sure you take YOUR C class out for an extensive test drive and QC check BEFORE signing, as many MB dealers are famous to send their customers to hell after taking your money. Buyer beware.

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  Dont buy one you will regret Ray Catin - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By steve - March 26 - 8:30 pm

  This car has cronic transmission problems. This has been replaced and still is sifting like a go cart. Brake vibration problems. Also a problem with leaking lights (water this a been replaced also and still leaks. Electrical problems, windows and sunroof sometimes dont close, the window will make an attempt to close then it reopens Squeeky brakes. Dont buy one! This car needs to be recalled and reworked. Its really Mercedes garbage. This is my second Mercedes and my last!

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  AWFUL VEHICLE ALL AROUND - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By luke702 - March 7 - 10:56 pm

  I dont know what you people giving this car a good review are smoking, but what I do know is that drugs are bad. Ive had about 21 vehicles so far, and the 99 ML320 is the most awful, poorly built, unreliable, thing (not a car!) that has ever been sold on this galaxy. The car was well kept and still it has 177k miles ONLY running because I have basically rebuild the darn thing. EVERYTHING on the car has gone bad! a few things such as clutch fan, a/c compressor, cold/hot air selector motor have actually been changed a few times! Other than that, name it (radiator, electrical components, all cabin controls for everything, drive shaft bearing, catalytic converter, suspension, etc) went bad