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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  Sporty Feel - 2005 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Fireball - June 10 - 4:10 pm

  Looked at from the outside, this vehicle looks small, but Im impressed by the cargo room. Two large crates for our German Shepherds will fit into the cargo section with rear seats down. Climate control system is superb, with vents in the rear seating area. Im also impressed by the safety features. There are no blind spots. Nice fit and finish all round i.e. no squeaks or rattles, but bear in mind only 3K on the odometer.

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  a BMW killer? I dont think so - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By johnwr - June 9 - 6:03 pm

  The navigation system we paid $1200 for (or more precisely, got robbed for)—it is a piece of junk, worst GPS we ever used and we have used quite a few different brands and models. This is simply the worse than the worst. The interface is extremely clumsy and slow to use, the features are limited, some address cannot be found, wrong routes, etc. The traffic update (TMC) is a joke since you have to manually check the text messages for each road on the list. At 8 time price of a touch screen Garmin 1450 with Life Time Map and Traffic update we got 1/8 of the features, functionalities, accuracy and quality.

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  Hoped for More - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By jmcculler - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Its fun to drive but disappointed with the problems I am having. I hit 50,000 miles a few months ago and have had one problem after another; the engine fan completely went, the catalyst converter is coming apart, and the lights (parklights, headlights, tail lights, etc.) must be replaced every other month.

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  love mine - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By relixwjm - May 31 - 1:30 pm

  sweet engine. great ski car. maintain them and they go forever

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  C240 Disappointed... - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Tom114 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Biggest complaint has been poor radio reception. Lots of static on FM and some stations do not come in at all. Other trips to the dealer have been, rear sunshade stopped working, front end bushings squeaked, both front indicators malfunctioned, front seats squeaked and drivers seat was very spongy and felt loose on turns. Also Sunroof regularly needs the resyncing procedure, My C240 has got the Mercedes Benz bug out of my system. Just wish MB could get the bugs out of their system!

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  Lisas E Class - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Lisa Brown - May 30 - 2:00 am

  The e class has plenty of room for me and my kids, very fun to drive and very stylish. Comes in great colors, I love the new design it takes away from the stuffy boxy look that the previous cars had.

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  CLS55 AMG - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By CLS55 AMG - May 26 - 6:56 pm

  Mercedes hit a bulls eye with this car. It is a user-friendly "bad boy" Its fun to drive an never lets you forget that you are in an amazing blend of raw power and forgiving, state of the art engineering.

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  Nice Car, but Very Costly to Maintain - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By flomasta77 - May 25 - 11:20 pm

  Although we bought this car used, it has only been fun to drive for the first 4000 miles, then major things started breaking down in this car. Computer Module at 90k, $1000 repair. Then, cracked radiator at 92k, $900 repair. Then, 110k, tension belt and pulley blow out, $550 repair. Also, these repair are being done by mechanic, which is way less than what the dealer would charge. Normal wear and tear items like tires, brakes, and oil changes are very costly. Its a nice car, but it is becoming really difficult maintaining this vehicle. Also, the interior trim was made with cheap plastic, and is breaking. We expected better from a Mercedes-Benz product, and will not buy another.

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  A Legacy? No ... But fits me well. - 2005 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Yura83 - May 25 - 9:16 am

  05 is the last year for the truck-like frame body, as well as the 5 speed automatic trany. Performs well off- road and in snow. As most other Mercedes, the unique electronically controlled gas paddle will have you looking for others in your mirrors. Car feels somewhat rough on turns even with BAS helping out. If you like extreme ride comfort, get an s- class ... after all you are buying a truck. No 50 mpg for this baby, but not a Hummer either. Both interior and exterior features lack one or two items, but generally satisfying. Overall fun to drive, especially in blizzards. This model is sometimes known for few reliability issues, which are usually covered under warranty. Fun to drive

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  Update on E320 CDI performance and quality - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Jim Smith - May 24 - 10:46 am

  Love the car when not having problems. Have had four major problems, most electronic, but think I have either a turbo going out or a "reprogramming of the transmission" - quoted from dealer service department. Still do not have their act together on quality. Problems with keyless go, steering wheel up and down feature. Have written Mercedes about quality issue, but have had no reply from them.