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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  Second S Class - 4th MBZ - 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By kcoc3 - June 17 - 11:58 pm

  I think that MBZ put too many bells and whistles on this car. I am paranoid about having any kind of a fender bender as the electronics will surely be messed up. I had to have new breaks and rotors put on at less than 19,000 miles. The climate control makes a weird noise sometimes (noise comes from engine) and per the dealership it is normal. Car is built to be quiet and then there is a weird alien sound. Voice control has improved but still not perfect. Sadly Siri works better in responding to text messages, etc. Massage on the seats is silly, along with the embracing seats. I have never used the "perfume" dispenser.

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  Looks great, rides great. - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Karl Z - June 16 - 7:40 pm

  I love this car. I was going to get a C class but the incentives for this car made me take a look at it. This car may no have been successful seller but my wife and I love this car. It looks great and rides great too. The second row is designed to enjoy the ride. The chairs are great and the Panorama view makes it more enjoyable. I bought this preowned and had nothing major except for lightbulb replacement; however, I have read multiple complaints about quality. I just keep my fingers crossed since we are planning to keep this baby for a while.

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  Great Cruiser - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By SteveYang - June 16 - 10:00 am

  Had more comfort features than the 3 series even has memory settings for the passenger seat. Suprisingly SMOOTHE.... ride for the size of car. All the comparison articles Ive read state the same thing. Ample power and handling to get you in and out of trouble.

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  Very nice car but... - 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By BM - June 13 - 2:30 pm

  Driving the GL is a great experience, I am very happy with it. After having an Acura and a Lexus, I was happy to be back with MB. I was surprised to see a serious lack of technology. especially with the outdated navigation system (a portable one with a fraction of the price has more features and less complicated) and you should be able to change the radio station or CD without loosing the view of the map. Touch screen is standard in other cars. DVD in the back under the back seat make it imposible to change DVD or start it for the kids without stopping and diving under the seat (mainly it is for kids restrained in the back seat). Need child safety locks for the back doors.

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  Not too shabby - 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By LaciMB - June 12 - 7:10 pm

  I bought this car when it was 11 years old and I can say I got a pretty good car for how old it was. It dirves like a dream, and has had no major engine trouble. It did fail to start one really cold day, but other than that has been really reliable. One problem I did encounter was the electrical sensor for the emergency break would not acknowledge that it was disengaged, and the dash alert would beep constantly. Anything with a motor worked very well--windows, seats, mirrors, etc. I had to do no major upkeep to it other than belts and oil changes. I loved the power too! For an 11 year old car, it could still smoke some tough guys at the green lights

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  Not bad - could be better - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By exV70R driver - June 8 - 5:16 pm

  I have 4 small children and I needed a car that would seat all of us. I must admit I wasnt thrilled with the looks of the car and considered it only because it would hold everyone in relative comfort and because the 2008s were on the way and the dealerships had boatloads to get rid of in late July. Having come from a Volvo V70R, I had to have the V8 and not the V6. While the R500 is a great choice for someone with 4 kids, it is nowhere near as responsive or fun to drive as the Volvo. To be fair, the V70R is the Sport version and the R500 has never pretended to be remotely sporty - unless you want to lay down 80 large for the AMG version. After all, its a glorified minivan/station wagon.

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  Whats Up with the ML320? - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Carl Chappell - June 5 - 7:33 am

  Easy to enter the vehicle. Good, firm, fronts seats with good adjustments for different sized people. Do not like the CD player being in the back of the vehicle. Good fit and finish. Engine noise not too bad, wind noise is negligible. Fuel economy is near 20. Good view from from seats, fair from the back. Transmission is smooth and responsive. Auto shifter is fun. Pulls 2000 lb. trailer with relative ease. Sound system is good with above noted exception.

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  What a wonderful car - the E420 - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By dcweeks - June 3 - 11:40 am

  A lot of the reviews here seem to be based on whether you get a good one or bad one. But I think your odds of getting a "good one" are generally good. Perhaps the "bad one" people are more vocal. I didnt intend to buy a car to fall in love with when I happened to buy the E420, but wow, have I fallen head over heals. This is an amazing piece of engineering. I would say that the one I bought was in about the worst shape, but I still found the car amazing. I just put on new shocks, engine mounts, cats, and OMG this car is like brand new and better than I could have imagined. Just writing about it makes me want to go out for a drive.

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  Id Buy Another - Its Been Very Good - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Don French - June 2 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this off a new-car dealer via eBay; had 78K on it then; now has 125K. This car sure beats the newer Cadillac SRX that I dumped due to horrible reliability. This is my "work truck" for renovating rental homes - back seats are often down with building materials in the back as the car tows my 5x8 utility trailer behind, with 2 dogs on the front seat. The 4-Matic never gets us stuck, as we love to ski in the winter and travel in snowstorms. Slightly-stiff seats utilize excellent- grade leather & show only minimal wear (some leather dye sprayed on annually keeps them nice). Issues: Dash pixels (common), rusted hydraulic line, broken front spring, stuck sunroof and nasty body rust.

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  Stay away - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mercedes no more - May 31 - 3:03 pm

  I always wanted a Mercedes and purchased a C320 2 yrs ago. It has been at the MB dealer 4 times. I have had the starter sensor replaced, alternator replaced and codes reset many times. I live 75 miles from the dealer and it costs $225 each time it has to be towed. Now I am looking at a $2700 transmission repair due to transmission fluid leaking on computer componants inside the transmission. Too bad since the car is a eye catcher, super fast and receives many compliments. I will be trading it in on a Toyota/Honda/Nissan as soon as I get it back on the road.