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:

• 

  Definitely nice! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Hondo - December 20 - 2:00 am

  While my ML320 was in for scheduled maintenance, I received the E320 as a "loaner". I was skeptical since a significant snow storm was predicted. But it turned out I had nothing to worry about. The traction control was outstanding, and the antilock did its job. The car felt confident and performed extremely well. Ride quality excellent, and the car just feels SOLID. The engine is spirited (thats a V6 underhood?), quiet, and refined. I found it kind of odd that the car had a motorized headrest, but a "push open" fuel door. Huh?

• 

  Marylander - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Marlylander - December 19 - 12:00 pm

  Since the new CDI arrived, I had been wanting to buy one. I have been happy ever since I bought this car. It is fun to drive, and gets more than excellent gas mileage. I average 650 miles between fill-ups. Then interior is comfortable and well designed. Sound system is great also.

• 

  Love it - 2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Jab - December 18 - 10:30 pm

  First time owning a benz. I love driving it with the options of comfort or sporty.

• 

  As good as always - 2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By dono - December 17 - 1:26 pm

  This is our third S class. We drove the S350, dont waste your time (under powered and too small)and why spend the extra $10K for the S500 as the 430 has good power and no luxury tax. These cars are limos with great handling and style.

• 

  2005 E 320 Sedan - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By L Jaksetich - December 15 - 8:00 pm

  Fantastic mileage,...drove 920 miles to Florida on less than two tanks of fuel!!! Great road car for comfort, speed & handling. Purchased car, used, 3 yrs old with less than 10K. Even performed well this past winter in driving for its weight,....truly is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. This is my 4th Mercedes. Hope to drive it for a long time. Service is 2nd to none at my selling dealer.

• 

  Best Merc <$60K - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By cmac - December 14 - 4:40 pm

  The car is FAST. But its also solid and stately as well. I really like how it handles and although the ergonomics took some time to get used to I am very happy with the layout of the interior. The seats are quite comfortable with the bolsters (comes with the appearance package) and the integration of the phone/ipod etc is quick and easy. The cupholders are perfect. The back seat has enough room for a short trip for people over 58" and a long trip for people under 58". I would say 60" is the limit in the back seat. The trunk is roomy for a coupe! The car looks really good in person (better than the pictures). Prepare to spend a lot for gas though, I am avg 15.9 MPG.

• 

  jays bullett - 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Jay Combs - December 14 - 12:27 pm

• 

  It does everything I need it to do - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jennifer 123 - December 14 - 10:00 am

  The first time someone asked me how I liked it - I found myself saying "It does everything I need it to do". Which after an extensive search at the time - was I tall order. I was happily amazed. Its a great work car, (work while stuck in traffic) use the integrated phone - great for taking clients and employees - and while working in san fransico - I found what it really could do - just propel itself up hills & navigate wet streets. Comfortable for long trips with the great seats. My back actually feels better when I get out of the car than when I started out the day driving. Great mileage on long trips. I havent had anything but good experiences.

• 

  Fun to drive - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Phil Fox - December 13 - 2:06 am

  We took European delivery of our E350. We drove 2100 miles without a hitch. Best car I ever purchased. Car drives like a dream at 100mph plus, yet can be driven gently around town and will please you equally. Ergonomic controls are great. Dynamic seats are worth every penny! With 268 hp engine up from last year, why buy the E500?

• 

  Great Driving E43 - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By E43 Owner - December 12 - 6:46 pm

  Our family already has 2 BMWs, so I came into this purchase with a bias. We bought an E43 Premium 3 after looking at other sport sedans in this price range (BMW 540, Audi S/A 6/7, Maserati Ghibli, Lexus GS were main options we considered). Even though some were slightly faster and more sporty looking, overall we chose the interior/exterior styling and capability combination of the E43. Weve had it for a month now, and so far so good... and so FUN! Even though we liked the e300 when it came out, I couldnt come to grips with the 4 cylinder - so the E43 offers a sporty-driving alternative to the e300 without the race capability (and 6-figure price) of the E63. The power is great, the options are awesome - and once you get used to using voice commands (we find them quickest vs. COMMAND system menus for some functions) its easy to master. Love Sport+ mode for fun and the option to go full-manual shift. Challenges so far: As some other reviewers, we have not been immune to software issues. Weve had strangely intermittent navigation and HD radio issues, with the dealer still waiting on the latest patch for one of the issues. Software issues alone keep me from rating 5 across the board. OVERALL: After one month and 1500 miles, we would definitely do it again!