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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  BETTER THEN BMW 330i - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Arash Valaei - March 10 - 10:00 am

  BMW just cant keep up with this car. Dont waste your money, the C320 is better thenthe rest of the competition.

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  Enjoy - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Hobgood - March 9 - 11:43 am

  This is my 3rd E-Class and without a doubt the best. Great reliability, good ride, better gas mileage, good responsiveness, and its comfortable.

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  3 and a half years later - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By joesander - March 7 - 8:36 pm

  I bought this car just after the announcement of the new CLS series and the day it hit the showroom floor. I had my heart set on a BMW 600 series and switched at the last minute. It was love at first sight. Now the lease is expiring and I have to decide what to do. After lots of research I have concluded there is no better car in the market than the one I have in my driveway right now. I would love to trade for something new but for now I am sticking with my still showroom new looking CLS500.

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  Switched from BMW to Mercedes - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Tom in Phoenix - March 6 - 2:30 am

  After looking at the BMW 328i and the 2008 Mercedes Benz 300C, I traded my 2004 BMW 330i on the Mercedes. I am very satisfied with the decision. The MB is more pleasing to the eyes both inside and out. And for those who may be looking for a not so harsh of a ride, but firmer than a Lexus, this is the vehicle. MB did a great job with this new model. In my opinion, a better value for the money than the BMW 3 series.

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  2008 C300 AWD Luxury - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By jatnova - March 4 - 8:23 am

  Purchased the C300 a couple of weeks ago and so far really love it. I traded a 2004 Accura TL for the C300 and I think MB is much better. Quieter overall ride, just as much power (or at least enough power), better handling and a really nice interior. Exterior with the new silver color looks really sharp. Car is built well and has a very solid feel. The handling on the road and quiet ride while driving is much better than the TL or previously owned Lexus.

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  pleasure to review S550 - 2016 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By kiri desai - March 1 - 11:37 pm

  Great car, you got to experience it.

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  Amazing Benz - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By NH Benz guy - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. I traded in my 2008 Saab 9-3 aero xwd for it. I loved my saab so much but I needed more room and since I moved to the city, got tired of the standard transmission. The GLK has great edgy looks and a powerful V6. The 268 hp in this car feels so much better than in the ML350 since it weighs hundreds of pounds less. Great long distance comfort and very stable at high speeds. Had it up to 120 and it felt rock solid as a true Mercedes should.

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  Edmunds and Carfax excellent research tools - 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By Craig Wojciekofsky - February 28 - 3:44 pm

  get the Carfax report

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  Better than our former 2008 E350 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By whoever - February 27 - 12:10 pm

  We just returned and terminated our 3-year leased 2008 E350 5 months earlier last week and decided to lease this 2-wheel drive GLK-350. We have driven the E350 for the 3rd year but could never get used to it, because every time we got into it, we felt cramped and always got the phobia with lot of blind spots all around, its wheel base is too long to make easy turns into any shopping center entrance opening, as the right rear wheel would often hit and ride on the curb and keep damaging the wheel rim and the tire. The E350 drive side rear-view mirror is equipped with a dark auto-dim film, so it makes the driving at night often impaired and dangerous, and its a very stupid over-killed fixture.

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  Gotta Love It! - 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By browniemtb - February 27 - 12:03 pm

  We order a new 07 X5 but after having borrowed the demo from the dealer we found the X5 still to small for a family. Still has the BMW performance though. So we purchased the GL450 and found that it has the size for the family and pretty decent performance. The interior features are great and the safety features are even better. Mercedes did a nice job with this vehicle and I think they hit a high luxury SUV market that BMW has yet to hit. If you need room for kids and cargo look no further! I just hope the build quality coming out of Alabama is better than Ive read in the past.