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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  ML550 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By nelson - October 30 - 10:33 am

  I bought this car 11/29/08 with 10 miles.This is the best car I have driven to date. The ride is smooth, excellent for long trips. Control and nav are relatively easy to use, not complex as some indicated. This is my first MB. I have 1200 miles on it so far so its too early to assess its reliability. I absolutely love this car so far.

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  S 600 coupe is just okay, - 1995 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Jeff West - October 30 - 7:53 am

  i love the attention that i get when driving this car, and i like takeing it on the highway for long cruises at around 80 MPH, people with sport cars feel threatened when they see the V12 sign,,, they try to race, this car blows away most of them,

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  Ho-hum - 2005 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By RT - October 25 - 11:06 am

  Id have to say that overall I am not that happy with this MB product. It is my first and probably last. The cost cutting features become obvious after the cache of driving a Mercedes wears off. Too many typical MB luxury features were cut out of the "special edition" which would have been more aptly named the "lower class" edition. More enjoyable to own and drive that the comparable ford explorer, but I have also experienced the quick wear of dunlop oem tires and the 25k mile brake job. Should not have to replace ball joint and drive train bearings/valve in under 50k miles. Reliability very disappointing for a $40K plus vehicle. Handling better than expected for a virtual road tank!

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  Diesel is nice - 2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Bob Coin - October 24 - 1:06 am

  We ordered a 2009 R320 to replace our 2006 R350 coming off lease. The diesel is giving us exceptional fuel mileage, 24 city, 29 highway in the first 800 miles. The turbocharger fixes the woeful under torque in the R350. The steering is too numb, giving little feel of the road. The command system is a bit improved over the older system, but the screen is too small and the navigation presentation poor and behind the competition. The sunroof is nice and the interior build quility superb. Benz remains far behind the Japanese competition in features and price, but they do not have competing vehicles with the R. It is ridiculous that xenon headlights and push button starting are not standard.

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  Solid Car - Great Value - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Dizzle - October 23 - 11:53 pm

  Bought a 07 CPO E350 Sport/ Premium 1, Blk/Blk with 21,000 miles for $31k Aug 09. The car is very solid and well-built - no chassis flex, creaks, or rattles, very stable (runs likes its on railroad tracks - smooth, stable and tracks very straight even at high speeds). Great value for a car with an MSRP of $55k. Acceptable performance; but its no rocket or track-day thrill ride. I also own a 06 BMW 330 w/ sport package - the E350 cant match the 330 in terms of performance but it is certainly a very comfortable, solid, spacious, safe and prestigious (if that sort of thing matters to you)car. Very happy with the purchase, a top-of-the-line Accord will run you about the same money!

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  Love the Diesel - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Last diesel in PA - October 17 - 2:13 pm

  Wouldnt have gotten it except for the diesel - great mileage, quiet and plenty of torque for running around town or passing on the highway. Just took three teenagers to an amusement park 2 hours away and car was a pleasure to drive and everyone had gobs of room.

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  Good Value and Safety - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Markrec25 - October 17 - 10:00 am

  This is a stylish and fun car to drive. With 8,000 miles on the odometer, the vehicle has been less than perfectly reliable. It seems the problems are very minor but annoying including the High Beam Switch, Radio, Seat Controls and ABS Sensors.

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  First Car - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By automaniac9 - October 16 - 7:22 pm

  This car is an amazing piece of machinery and is the last year of the reliable Mercedes. This car having a 4.3 liter V8 just made the car a sleeper, especially considering that it had no badging anywhere. The transmission shifts almost seemlessly. It has great power and good handling, but this particular car stood out from the pack because of the real Brabus exhaust, and the replica Brabus 19" wheels. The car sounds fantastic and it isnt overly loud. The interior of this car doesnt have the flare of Mercedes of old, but its simple and functional, and thats all you should need. The exterior is much like the interior, simple but nice to look at, especially in the white color mine was in.

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  134k Miles and counting! - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By chevegan - October 12 - 6:03 pm

  My father purchased this car in 1999 at the end of his friends lease for $36,500. The car has been nothing but a joy. It has every single option that the dealer + merc had to offer at the time. In all these years shes been so good to us. Now with the economy i sold off my cars and started driving the merc which was sitting for 2 years. Issues? No. Creaks? Squeeks? Rattles? NONONO. I love this car. yes 91 octane BUT i Average 22mpg in mostly L.A. traffic. Note one thing that all these e-classes seem to need a new steering pump ONLY since it starts to leak. Other than that not ONE crazy repair unlike the other guys rant. Can you say LEMON? or maybe hes hard on his cars what can i say.

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  Great used car value - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By gv3 - October 12 - 10:00 am

  Got my 99 ML320 with a little more than 50,000 miles on the odometer, spending $22k, or about half the cost of a new model. A service record obtained from the local MB dealer showed that most of the annoying glitches that plagued early MLs had been taken care of (window switches, etc.). Ive had no issues with the vehicle, and am much happier with it than my Jeep Grand Cherokee. A lot of car for the $!