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:

• 

  A Few Flaws - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By ErikVB - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Got an ML 350 with 3rd row seating. Great option for those with children under 12 as they fold out of the way sideways and can be removed entirely pretty easily. Car is beautiful with Inspiration pkg and upgraded sound system is a must. I knew mpg wasnt going to be good, but faulty gas gauge sensor has made it worse (Could only go 200 miles on a tank, as sensor wasnt reading final 7 gallons or so). Also the moonroof didnt open properly at first and after getting it fixed, the weatherstripping around it is now falling off. I am hopeful dealer will be able to fix permanently. All in all, fun car to drive with a few production defects.

• 

  Beautiful but Balky - 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By V.M.Greene - July 5 - 10:00 am

  My new MB is a beauty both inside and out but the balky shifting of the auto trans has spoiled my enjoyment. This is especially true going up and down hills. Its like it just doesnt want to shift. There is no such thing as coasting down hill to improve mileage as it just slows down unless you give it some gas. The mileage is another issue (11 City and 20 Highway).

• 

  Comfortable ride - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Charles Davis - July 4 - 3:00 pm

  A pleasure to drive. The ride is smooth and soft. Engine is smooth and strong

• 

  Saved My Life - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By m2e2r2 - July 4 - 5:36 am

  Distracted and going 70 on a 2-lane road, the front tire hit the gravel shoulder. I was spun around across the road and into the ditch on the other side. I could feel the car working to stabilize itself and my thought at the time was thank goodness Im in this vehicle. I should not be here today. Despite the severity of the spinout, the car survived without any problem. I was amazed. I got back up on the road (slowly), got to my Interstate onramp, slowly accelerated up to 65 and went on my way! Had it checked at my destination and there was absolutely nothing wrong. Amazing.

• 

  Electrical Nightmare - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Petersons - July 2 - 2:43 pm

  We bought this certified pre-owned E500 2 months ago, and it has been in the shop 4 times for electrical error messages (SRS and SOS Disabled, electrical consumers switched off message, and more). Today my car caught on fire with me and my 2 children buckled in carseats in the backseat. The entire inside of the car filled with thick white smoke and smelled of burning. The electrical system fried, caught fire,and didnt allow me to open any doors to get my kids out. I ripped them out of their seats, fire trucks put out the fire, we are safe, but a total loss. After the key was taken out the clock and speedometer were spinning, radio blaring, windshield wipers squirting, everything...scary!!

• 

  Great Car - 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By j_nickens - June 30 - 10:14 am

  This was my first car. Picked it up at a used car auction. Im 19 and I was getting looks driving a Benz even though it was a 96. Handled well. Leg room was a issue in the back. Small trunk. Also my electronics went psycho when it was cold. My windshield wiper wouldnt work sometimes. Very scary.

• 

  A near-miss - 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jaz - June 29 - 9:20 am

  Despite what other reviewers have said, this car has a major Achilles heel: the 7-speed automatic transmission and the small V-6 engine dont get along. By sporty-car standards, the 2.5-liter engines 201hp is only marginally adequate; to make this 3400-lb car feel zippy, the transmission would really need to downshift quickly and crisply when accelerating. Instead, it hesitates and is reluctant to downshift even in "sport" mode. So what you get is sluggish performance off the line, which gradually builds as the rpms go up. Too bad; with different transmission software programming, this car could have felt much faster and more responsive. Using the semi-manual feature helps somewhat.

• 

  Love that car - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By irab - June 29 - 2:00 am

  Much better ride comfort than E2002 320 . Much more civilized than 2002 E320: "constant" setting for exterior lights lets you set it and forget it, including DRLs; lets you know CRUISE control is on and what setting; CD changer in dash rather than in trunk with single CD option. However complexity of function may lead to false indicators of malfunctions.

• 

  Not what you expect from Mercedes - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By hosuk lee - June 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought my car in Apr of 2001 thinking "yeah its alot of money for a car but its Mercedes!. Within a few months, I had to take the car back to the dealer because it was making clicking noise from windows and the remote key wouldnt work sometimes. I got it fixed. Then the trunk wouldnt open. I got it fixed. Now the lock (the piece that goes up and down) popped out completely and the lock wouldnt work again. Its just one thing after another. I dont think I will ever buy a Mercedes again. If I am spenging $37K on a small car like this, I want quality and durability since its definitly not the size of the car I am paying for.

• 

  Great Choice - 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By YAAAAAY - June 17 - 11:30 am

  Its wonderful that Mercedes-Benz made a large SUV, shortly after our last one gave up. A fantastic alternative to Cadillac, Chevy, and other brands with large SUVs. It works great in snow and rain. And overall very easy to drive.