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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  Mercedes price, Chrylser quality - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By gm4511 - November 21 - 10:00 am

  So far weve had to replace two radios, fix squeaks and rattles in the dash, driver sear, and trunk, speedometer broke, digital information screen went out, and 2 power side mirrors quit. Dealer service is terrible. Buy a Lexus.

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  Awesome Dream Truck! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By 1cna1 - November 21 - 12:33 am

  I really enjoy owning this truck. After all of the reaserch I have done on it, I finally found the one that suited my needs.

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  Easy to repair.. and you better be good at it. - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By spammeplez - November 20 - 10:19 pm

  Trans went out at 150000 miles. Electrical problems and an emission gremlin that has never gone away. At 200000+ miles. Oil seep that Ive just lived with for 6+ years of ownership. Annoying but easy to deal with. Squeaky belt but since none of the components running off the belt has ever been replaced.. guess its not that big of a deal. Fuel pump went out but easy to repair plus it was the original. Again not a big deal.. Lots of little things but parts are easy to find, just as cheap/expensive as any car. But easier to repair than any Japanese car Ive ever owned. Just need to figure out the little tricks the engineers designed to make repairs easy. This car will go 300K miles.

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  1999 E320 - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Rich - November 20 - 3:16 am

  I expected to have issues with a 7 year old car but it has been excellent. I drove it 23,000 miles this year (hwyway and in town) without an problems. I had one catyltic converter replaced under warranty. I had a two dash light bulbs burn out but the dealer sells the tools to quickly remove the a/c and speedo units so I did it myself for $30. The head light lenses need to be buffed out ($75) and it would look much newer than a 99. It uses oil, but MB says to expect a quart every 625 miles but it does much better, around 2000 miles. I am not totally sold that 0W40 mobile one is exactly right for this car even though that is the MB recommendation.

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  A Truly Dream Car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Donald Ray - November 19 - 6:56 pm

  From the first day I took delivery, this car turns heads wherever I go. It has style and grace and is a true joy to drive. Worth every penny of the price. I have had three Mercedes in the past (450 SL, 300 D, 380SE) and this one is the best. It is a 4 door sports car. Handles better than my former C5 Corvette.

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  Unreliable Emission Control System - 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Ken T - November 19 - 6:00 pm

  i have a 2013 E350 BlueTech Sedan. Has been driving this car since new, Vehicle has been serviced regularly at the Mercedes Dealers. At 52000 miles, Tail pipe began to blow smoke. Took it to the Mercedes Dealer at El Cajon, CA First diagnostic, Nox sensors failure. All 3 Not sensors replaced. Problem still exists, so AdBlue Injection valve was replaced, and then AdBlue tank was replaced. How is it possible that 5 components failed at the same time, at 52000 miles. The first 4 items are not covered by warranty. AdBlue tank was covered by Mercedes. They call it "Good Will" although tank is warrant for 7 years or 70,000 miles in the book. Is this the case of "trial & error" method to diagnose the problem, or are these components so unreliable? Replacement of the first 4 items - $2800. Does any one have this problem. Mercedes called me after I returned the survey. I gave Royce (MB) my feedback. Good conversation but I have not heard what their internal investigation reveals, or this is a case of just chit chat. Should I be concerned about what the next breakdown of the emission control system. Does anybody has this problem with the BlueTech emission system?

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  Perfect - 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By connor111 - November 18 - 2:28 am

  This car is perfect. Exterior is nice, interior is extremely luxurious. Everything about this car is perfect.

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  Car Performance - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Jim Smith - November 17 - 10:20 pm

  Car when running correctly was wonderful, but had it in 11 times for major problems, 0 rings replaced twice, two fuel line leaks, transmission went out, and on and on. Lots of keyless go problems. Mercedes would not extend warranty for me. Dealership was very good in handling these problems, but Mercedes would not stand behind product

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  benz - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By danilo - November 15 - 2:00 am

  its simply a benz

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  Elegant, subtle, practical, fun, solid, reliable. - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By rick161 - November 14 - 8:08 am

  After 8 BMWs over the past 15 years, plus an assortment of others (Infinity, Jaguar, Cadillac, etc.), I replaced my tired Volvo V70 T5 w. a beautiful white 01 E320 I found near Charlotte, NC, w. just over 100k mi.. Its a 2-owner local car w. no accidents, clean & no problems except for the new set of Chinese tires (why???) it wore. I corrected that today w. a set of Z-rated Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+. After a thousand miles in 2 weeks on combined high-speed interstate & rural highways, I couldnt be happier. W. transmission fluid/filter & differential oil, coolant & plug change, it looks, runs & drives like new, all for under $8k. W. due diligence, still plenty of good ones out there.