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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  Y2k in 2003 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By h8mymbz - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Great car. Terrible computer system. Ive had 3 failures of the SRS in less than a year. Each repair taking an average of 9 days. Twice the entire system needed replacment, once they couldnt figure the problem. Factory denys that the SRS is an important safety feature and thereby denied my repurchase request. Beware of this car and of MBUSA...

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  Unexpectedly Poor Quality - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By bostonengine - March 3 - 8:24 am

  We have several MBs in my family. This is probably our 5th MB. I was already impressed with the quality. Reliability was what made this car an Mercedes Benz! However, 2009 that I own is far from reliable. 1. It always had some electrical/electronic issues since I bought every 4-5 months. 2. Road Noise is unbearable. I believe this is a car-specific problem, but Service Department refuses to sees the problem. Whoever gets into my car however, asking me what the noise is coming from. 3. "SRS Malfunction" error message appeared out of nowhere and prevents the use of the car. Lets talk about reliability! 4. Seat is ripped from stitches when the car is only 4 years old.

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  Really Enjoyed the Ride - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By george wilds - March 2 - 5:41 pm

  MBZ has costly repairs once out of warranty. Find a reliable mechanic comfortable with the brand. A pleasure to own, however.

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  Not sporty at all, its just a smooth and good looking gas guzzler - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By at_car_guy - March 2 - 9:53 am

  Its not sporty by any means. Its a smooth and quite car. Its not fun to drive, its not exciting either. My major complaint is that its such a gas guzzler and yet its slow in its class. It does not do any better than 23 Mpg when cruising on freeway and despite the 230Hp, its 0-60 is 7.1 seconds. I used to have a 2006 E90 BMW 325i that easily could do 28Mpg on highway and yet could go 0-60 in 6.5 seconds! I forgot to mention a collection of different rattles started at 15K miles and I had to change struts at 16K miles! To make things worst consider the fact that you have to pay for its expensive maintenance out of pocket! Its maintenance plan is a joke...

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  A fun little car - 2000 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Carlsbad84 - February 23 - 12:53 pm

  I bought this car as a certified pre- owned with 30K miles. The car is fun to drive and acceleration and handling are great. I drive the car hard and now with just around 120K mi, it still runs great and just as smooth. Only problem Ive had was radio head unit died and I replaced with an Alpine mated to the Bose amps and it sounds great for a tenth of what Mercedes wanted for a replacement. I plan on keeping this car till it finally dies, which could be another 100k at ths rate.

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  I feel like Ive been had! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Wised up to MB now - February 23 - 2:00 am

  Twenty-eight items addressed under warranty. Everything from seals around the doors to front end bushings to a/c to radio to interior trim to engine stalls to missing/broken bolts to frequently burning out lamps. Attitude of the service advisor? We dont build them, just fix them. Advise of the service advisor in response to how much will fixes cost? Well, may be you wont be so picky then. They just ignore the fact that this car hasnt been a good one!

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  Getting closer to perfect - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By FRANK M. BUSELLI - February 20 - 11:43 am

  The overall look of this vehicle and driving impressions are most favorable. The race to pack the cockpit with mostly useless distracting electronic features,however, is annoying to this driver and I would suggest redirecting that effort toward improving the weight to power ratio combined with better fuel mileage. Lastly, the Sports package , offered at no extra cost, provides a somewhat better ride and appearance profile---- but watch out for curbs and the like that tend to be higher than that ground spoiler!

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  Great fun, and solid - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By sark - February 19 - 12:33 pm

  The car is really a gem and fun to drive. I have been a bit dissapointed by the little things that went wrong. The seat belt assist mechanism, the cheap center console and an alarm that had a mind of its own until the dealer fixed it. I paid sticker so I guess I expected closer to perfect. However, top down with the wife and kids is a blast and its my favorite car in the sector.

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  Best in class Style Price.. except Value - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By s4hire - February 19 - 1:23 am

  Great looking car especially with the AMG package. Great riding car in terms of comfort, performance and handling.

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  Great - 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Mr.Big Little - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Its fun to drive, but too much power.