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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  G500 Lemon - 2003 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By Dr.MLG - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Mechanical and electrial defects have kept the vehicle in the service department over 30 days in the first 3 months of ownership. The noise that developed recently, from somewhere in the dash, which started after replacing the starter switch, is still present after 2 1/2 weeks in the shop. MB decided that it is a design problem that I have to live with.

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  Excellent so far - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By giles.morris@unisys. - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Excellent value (1 year old 11000 miles). Pleasant drive, quiet, firm comfortable ride. Handles well, but a tad heavy. Tried C240 stick: sluggish and trans inferior to 87 Golf. Auto- trans excellent. Many controls weird but some just fine (seat adjusters impossible to misunderstand). Seats almost as good as Volvo (high praise!) but wish they located me better. Overall: Really nice car, really good machine. If it holds together were going to like this car for a long time. If youre spending this sort of money youd be nuts not to try one of these.

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  C240 - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By JohnnyBgood - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This is my 4th "Baby Benz" and would never get tired driving the car. I love almost everything about it except probably the emblem in front of it. It is too old-fashioned and I would prefer that they just have it flat on the hood rather than have it sticking up.

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  Best car ever - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By drew cooke - June 2 - 2:00 am

  very fun to drive and a very stylish exterior and of course its a mercedes and that means it will have great reliability

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  Rocket !! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By PR - June 2 - 2:00 am

  style + quality + performance + power + speed + agility + 4 doors + 5 speed manumatic = Perfect (MB C32 AMG)

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  Best Car I have ever owned in 25 years - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By John - June 1 - 8:46 pm

  I love this car!!! It has been so reliable I actually can not believe it. I have owned it since new and have never been left at the side of the road. I had a few suspension parts fixed due to pot holes and new tires. Normally only a few hundred $s every six months for service at MB. Service has been great, but my dealership in Canada is owned by MB. I still have the original exhaust system too, that is something for a salty wintery place. I have planned on replacing it a few times, but I figure why it is paid for and it runs like new. I have owned MBs since I was 16 and this has been the best by far.

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  one great car - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By onegreatcar - May 30 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I have driven a lot of cars and SUVs and I have to say this is by far my favorite. Boy does it turn heads. I have two kids and I thought I would never go back to a small car but this one is roomy and sporty enough! Great car for a great price.

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  Great Car But - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By kris - May 29 - 7:03 am

  Great car to drive. Front passenger side wheel bearing is gone after 6k km.

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  A Dream come true - 2007 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Don Theriault - May 27 - 4:16 am

  I had a Lexus SC430 leased for the last 4 years and I had been looking for a relacement. The Lexus was my first experience with a Non North American car. It was fun for a long time but did not give me the real sports car feeling. My Silver/red int. SL550 with AMG sport pack, and Pan Roof is a dream. Great power, very responsive, performance and handling is superior. The gas mileage is about the same as the SC430, but I have almost 100 more HP, much better handling and its more fun to drive. I had tried the Jag, the BMW 6 and the Porsche but settled on the SL550. After 4 months I know I made the right decision.

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  More than I expected. - 1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Original Owner - May 27 - 2:00 am

  After a few weeks of driving my new car, I thought, I hope I will always own a Mercedes. Talking to another 95 Mercedes owner that owned a number of cars including a new Lexus LS4xx, he brought up that same feeling about his Mercedes. At 60,000 the car was running better than other cars Ive owned with less mileage. It was more reliable, with very tight body. I was begining to think trade-in, when I brought it in for the 60,000 mile check- up. As I drove it away from the dealer, I was amazed that it drove as well as it did the day I bought it. At 75,00 there is still no reason to trade it in. It has been a great automobile, much better than I expected.