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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  My ML55 AMG - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By MBZdriver - May 2 - 2:00 am

  I love the way my SUV drives, it handles great for how big it is. It has 342 HP which is more than most cars on the road and is a real head turner. My Benz is faster than my sisters 2002 CLK320.

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  A Winner For Under $30K! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By edward.thaute@citize - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Caveat: I have only owned my C230 for 6 weeks, but no defects discovered so far. This car, with 6-speed M/T and the C5 and C7 packages including 17-inch performance tires, leather, and Bose stereo, is a blast to drive. Great acceleration in 3rd and 4th gear, comfortable cruising in 6th, superb handling characteristics. Blew an Audi TT off the line the other day - felt good considering the Audi costs at least $6-10K more. Only complaint - ABS not as effective as my previous car (Saab 9-3), and, despite ESP and traction control, doesnt handle real well on snowy or icy roads. Overall rating an 8.75.

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  Love to Drive - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Rizkalla - May 1 - 6:03 am

  I have a C300 Luxury 4 Matic, Premium 1 & Multimedia packages, IPod Integration Kit. I have test driven Lexus ES and BMW 3 series sedan and found that this car is by far more enjoyable to drive. The C300 Luxury sedan easily wins in value and prestige for the money. 2009 model has 40GB hard drive and 3 memory settings for the driver seat, which includes the power wheel, and mirrors settings.

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  Very pleased - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By coadster - April 28 - 4:43 am

  Very solid, sharp vehicle. Feels like it is carved out of one piece of steel.

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  My first 5000 miles - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By Ron Greenspan - April 27 - 10:00 am

  I traded a 2002 M5 for this beast so I am very familiar with high performance cars. This is a true luxury car with blinding performance and incredible comfort. You can drive for hundreds of miles and still want to keep going. The seats are extremely comfortable and it has all the toys and technology you could ask for. Its a dream. It is not a sports car but does fairly well in the curves. The brakes are good but it is a heavy car so you have to allow for some distance to stop as compared to a lighter Porsche. The torque is immense and available at any speed. A deeper exhaust sound and a lower ride height would be my only fixes.

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  Best car Ive ever owned! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By onequickcobra - April 20 - 9:53 pm

  This car does everything well! Unparalled safety, even when compard to new cars today, great performance (I live at 9,000 ft. elevation in Colorado and run at 75-90 mph in the mountains between Denver and Breckenridge easily). It gets 27.5 mpg average hwy. if I hold it to 70. With 73,000 miles, total maintenance expense, other than tires, has been under $800. Oil changes are every 13,000 miles and it never uses a drop in between. No repair costs have been incurred in 6 years. Only one warranty claim was experienced 3 years ago for a slight transmisson fluid leak in -15 degree and below weather (a brittle o-ring). Having owned over 60 cars over the past 40 years, this is by far the best

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  Drive all day! - 2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By laselva - April 18 - 2:54 pm

  I liked this car and purchased this car 5 years used with only 32,000 miles on it, 7 weeks & 3,600 miles later, I love this car! Its quiet, well mannered (sport package) looks great, and wants to run at 80mph all day long...in fact it did. I just drove from Orange County to Sonoma last weekend and it was perfect. Quiet, great range (27.2 mpg at 75-80 mph with the a/c on) comfortable and solid feeling! I cant believe you can get all this car for the price of a Toyota Camry. The 7 speed automatic handled the I-5 grapevine with ease (rarely needed to brake coming down, and kept the cruise control on uphill)

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  E - Class (by itseslf) - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Ant346 - April 17 - 10:50 pm

  We drove alot of cars and the way a this E-350 drives continues to impress. Not the fastest car mind you (thats the 500) but driveability of this car is in a class by itself.

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  "ALMOST PERFECT" - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By RAO - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Rides beautifully, classy looking, you can feel the quality. Extremely affordable. Could have used some extra interior room. A little cramped. Almost perfect!

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  So far, so great - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Bsn 1 - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Have had this car for only 3k miles, but it is truly a joy to drive. I have encountered none of the computer/electrical problems-but its still early. Interior fit and finish is remarkable and upgraded wood grained steering wheel really dresses up the look. Drove 700 miles straight and instead of feeling like a whipped puppy, I played 9 holes of golf when I arrived!