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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  PEOPLE NEED TO REMEMBER: ITS A TRUCK! - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By CPW - April 22 - 2:00 am

  I have enjoyed my ML 430 very much. Yes, there have been little nagging things that have been fixed, but, the dealer ALWAYS had another car for me. The seats a good and firm for all day driving. Not like a living room couch. Also people seem to forget : ITS A TRUCK! NOT A CAR. Of course it is choppy over bumps. But I would like anyone to tell me that they can find another vehicle that handles like it and rides like it with a full frame underneath. When was the last time you checked the air in your tires? Sould be at 42PSI Overall: Great Vehicle. Rides like a true German car. FIRM!!!!

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  My second ML320 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Wayne Post - April 22 - 2:00 am

  My first 1999 ML320 was a plain Jane model. It was unbreakable and the dealer support was much better than I expected. Although I bought it used, and from out of the area, the local dealers always exceeded my expectations. I liked the 99 but the 02 is dramatically improved. Every feature works better and I treated myself to all the amenities. I dispute the claims that the ML series is flawed and poorly assembled. Everything worked, always, and I used it hard.

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  Sobering Realization - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By bizzybee81 - April 15 - 2:52 pm

  After 5 years of ownership, having purchased new, once my extended warranty (5 yr, 100k miles) ended, the sobering realization that major repairs costing more than the car is worth was a wake-up call. Im being told by the dealer and MBUSA that the 7-speed transmission and torque convertor has to be replaced at a cost of $7k. With just barely over 130k miles, this first generation tranny is now defunct. It turns out it was a sealed transmission with no prescribed maintenance schedule to prevent problems. Im told metal seems to be floating around and it has to be replaced -- at full cost to me! What OEM does that?? Add to that another $8k in other repairs, and $15k!! Last MB Ill ever buy.

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  Fun but Expensive to Maintain - 1996 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By JeffreySharp - April 13 - 12:23 am

  This is a beautiful car both interior and exterior and the perfect size for a family of 6-plus footers. It is powerful and drives wonderfully particularly on the highway. Be sure to get a warranty though because lots of things tend to go wrong and when they do they are expensive to fix. The engineering seems to be more complicated than necessary which makes any repairs expensive. Next car will probably be Japanese. Had an Acura before this and it went 9 years and besides regular maintenance it never went to the shop.

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  Love the car, BUT! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By suewelch - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Love all the cool features, gadgets, style and performance, BUT the reliability with the electronics are very disappointing... somethings always "broken" and the dealer usually is unable to duplicate. Do you think we invent the fact that it has a problem????

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  Too many trips to the dealership - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By joemale - April 11 - 10:00 am

  I love driving this car: powerful, grips the road, beautiful look. But geez, Ive been to the dealership about a dozen times: 3 times for the radio, replaced keys twice, electronic problems, suspension problems. What a pain!!!

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  My first MB - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mike - April 8 - 3:10 pm

  First off, Im an admitted car nut. Get all the mags, spend too much time on car lots late at night. When deciding on a new car, my priorities were safety, AWD, engineering, style, and value. This one has it all in spades.

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  i geess i got one of the good ones - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By robsmx-5 - April 5 - 10:00 am

  not alot of people are happy with the c230. the only reason i purchesed mine is because the dealer drop it $6500.00.m-b gave the dealer $4k because of slow sales.discounted it another $2500 , took it. have 10,000 miles on mine and have had no trouble with it other than having to replace the sun shades.it gets 33 mpg on the hwy.i dont care for the stiff ride or the way the auto shifts. and dont even try to put xm radio with the m-b radio.cd is about $900 extra if the dealer puts it in, and no other cd changer will work with the bose system. i would not recomend this car as many of the coupes are having too many problems.

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  With the good, comes the bad - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By str1972 - April 4 - 5:06 pm

  I bought my C240 used thinking Mercedes had a good reputation for cars that would last. Found out the hard way, maybe it used to be like that, but not these days. It was a comfortable car, good build quality, good materials, but too many problems. In the yr that I had it: $350 for the CD changer, $300 for the auto climate control control unit, $350 for a MAS air flow unit, $60 for a new MAP sensor, $850 for a windshield for the auto intermittent wipers, $200 for a lower strut, $100 for sway bar end links, $1400 for new struts, $700 for rotors and pads. Paint chips easily, rear package tray fades, dash display fades out in the summer heat. I got rid of it before something else happened.

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  Trouble in Paradise - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By MsTC - April 1 - 10:30 am

  This car is beautiful and a pleasure to drive. It is nimble and responsive. Unfortunately, little and big problems have occured. The battery died when the car wasnt driven for ten days. The transmission failed without warning on the highway 100 miles from home. The Teleaid system couldnt pinpont our location. The car took a week to repair and I wasnt given a loaner. Later, the trunk wouldnt open without use of the valet key. The computer keeps losing the seat memory.