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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  Woeful Experience. - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By ShocDoc - February 7 - 5:40 pm

  Purchased my new 05 E-55 after having owned 3 problem free Porsche 996s. Initially I loved the car but quickly lost the attraction after the engine stopped running on a very busy local highway at rush hour. Car was towed in and repaired (loose wiring harness). Two weeks later my interior insulation filled with fuel due to problem with the fuel pumps. Left rear shock leaked and car would settle over the wheel when parked for a few days. Brakes squealed like a Yugo. The squealing brakes problem never stopped after several visits to MB service. Lost confidence in the product and sold the car. Done with MB. Without question the worst vehicle I have ever owned.

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  Excellent ride incredible mpg - 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By bob494 - February 4 - 10:16 pm

  This S350 is smooth powerful and fun to drive. I have 6,000 miles on mine and its the bast car I have ever owned including other Mercedes, Lexus, and Audi models. Interior is well laid out with all controls within easy access. My car gets 37 MPG on the highway and I am averaging over 31 MPG in mixed city and highway driving. 4 Matic works great in the rain or snow as well. This truly an exceptional ride, but be aware of expensive options as they are way over priced.

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  Solid and fun - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Brian - February 1 - 8:50 am

  So I just turned 40 and needed a new car. With a new daughter (first child) I needed four doors and safety, as well as a little fun for Daddy. My first thought and test drive was an Acura TL. Mighty fine car, but just a little more biased towards performance handling and the incumbent stiff ride than I or the western PA roads would tolerate. My wife wanted a MB, but my price range and minimum performance requirements didnt seem to meet on paper. Well, you can only learn so much about a car on paper. A trip to the dealer on December 31st definitely helped. With just a little space left here, let me say that buyers remorse will not be a problem here! Quiet, with a bank vault feel.

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  7-speed transmission problems - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Keith K. - January 29 - 6:20 am

  Ive owned 6 MBs in the last 28 years, theyve all been reliable cars. Last year, I purchased a CPO 2006 E350 with 37,000 mi and an extended warranty. Thank God I purchased the warranty! Within six months a major oil leak had to be repaired on the engine and an interior trim piece on the center console pealed off; not so bad. Two days ago, I was driving and the transmission bumped hard down shifting from 2nd to 1st gear. When I drove off, it would not shift out of 1st gear. Had it towed to my dealer. They called today and said there was dark foreign fluid in the transmission fluid, that an interior part had failed and the transmission would need to be rebuilt or replaced. Not amused!

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  My First Benz - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By BKUNC - January 28 - 7:33 pm

  After comparing similar entry-level luxury sedans, the car was competitive in every category. My buying decision came down to styling. Despite the Edmunds editors review, i found the styling lines and the aggressively designed and low front end as final decision maker.

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  one year into owning...never again - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By damnnn - January 27 - 3:11 pm

  Bought mine with miliage 90k, car was 7 years old. I enjoyed it for a few months, and then prolems started to appear. First, transmission started to give me headache, and a month later it completely broke, next: radiator, pheumatic pump, sensors. all together about 6,000 in repairs...a little costly for one year into ownership... Although beautfull and fun to drive but (only in a straight, about 150). At the conclusion, my lesson learned, for germans "only lease"!!!!

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  You Wont Believe This - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By ex-E500 Owner - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I got my E500 in October 2003. It was a beautiful and incredibly fast sedan. By February 2004 it would spend a month at the dealer with a bum transmission and audio system. My dealer was terrific and allowed me to trade the car for another E500. The first one I ordered came in with a bad ignition system. Then, finally, Mercedes swapped cars and another car was ordered. This one came in with a bad brake system. By now I had it with no confidence in the E class. Any chance of a refund was between me and M-B. So, with no desire to be David vs. Goliath, I accepted the car after it was repaired and then the next day drove it to my Jaguar dealer for an S- Type.

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  Torque for days - 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By D Fink - January 15 - 8:45 pm

  First thing that gets you is the exhaust. Cant beat the sound of the AMG V8. It is definitely an experience to drive one, imagine the German answer to muscle cars. I love the car but there are things that I dislike as well. The seats for one, I am 5 11" 275lbs, wear about a size 56 in a jacket. The seats are okay but I am leary they will kill my back in a long drive, time will tell. For a $60-70k car the interior is, well, blah. I owned an 08 C300 before buying this, there are very little differences in the two as far as quality of materials used. Had I based my decision solely on the interior I would have kept my C300 and saved myself quite a bit of money. I cant complain to much though, I bought the car for the performance, and it has plenty.

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  My First Experience with M-B - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By William - January 14 - 1:06 am

  Bought this car with 32,000 miles on it, and have put about 9,000 on it since. Beautiful styling was the initial attraction. Overall pleased with ride and handling and fuel economy. Occasionally get over 30 mpg on highway trips. Transmission is unpredictably jerky at low speeds on occasion. Radio cuts off by itself, stays off for a few seconds, then comes back on in CD mode. Dealer not been able to fix. Brakes very touchy also. Overall impression is great design and engineering (except for the cupholders, what were they thinking?) but overall poor execution. Weve been more pleased with the BMWs weve had. The M-B has fewer features and not near the quality of my daughters 2006 Accord EX

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  G500 at 10,000 mi. 5 mos.old - 2004 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By G500CATDOG - January 12 - 10:00 am

  love it the feel and its looks and the attention it gets wanted a vehicle for longevitty had an oil leak that 2 times at the dealer to tighten a fitting and a broken door latch within 1000 mi. sqeeks like crazy enough to make you go mad selling dealer was real lame about fixing anything but another dealer has helped a lot the sqeeks seem to be temp. sensitive still keep a can of silicone handy ! still feels like a million. breaking nice at 1o,ooomi.