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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  WE LOVE IT! - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Rudys! - February 26 - 4:10 pm

  An absolute great car! Weve had a few problems with the steering mechanism, plastic on driver side seat cracked at 40,000 miles, and a lot of flat tires. Weve never used the spare tire, because we dont know how to release it from its holder... Other then those mishaps, WE LOVE IT!

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  Benz SL 500 - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Alex Steinberg - February 25 - 6:33 pm

  A very heavy German car. What is not to like about that?

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  This Car is NOT Worth It!! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By afrancis78 - February 22 - 10:00 am

  The power is awesome on the 55 but that is where it stops for greatness. The inside design is awful, no back- seat AC, and the back-seat window controllers are badly placed. The car needs constant service for its brakes which will squeak like an old Buick shortly after coming off the dealership lot, not to mention the fuel costs will put a hole in your wallet in no time. The drivers side window is imfamous for not working, and the alignment is off despite repeated attempts to fix it.

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  Dont Buy It. - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By gusrey - February 22 - 9:26 am

  5 years after purchasing it, my wife and I are very dissapointed. Theres many reasons why. Electrical problems. Excesive front tire wear. Front shocks wont last more than 24 mos. Lights are getting burned out. Engine stalls when sitting in traffic (idle rpm). Its a shame that all that hi-tech can be so high maintenance. But, theres hope, our next car is going to be a Lexus. Take that Chrysler. gGod luck out there.

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  I love My MB - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Ryan - February 22 - 4:56 am

  A great car but got some bad stuff Engine is powerful and awesome especially when you reaches 65 70 miles/ hour youll be flouting on air! its cool classy car you would enjoy it if you can spend 1000$ each month on it because of the Very expensive original parts it got very good mileage on the highways it can exceed 250km/20L ( like 30mpg) on long rides . in the city it may range between 13 to 17L/100km top I face some Air Mass sensor troubles it AC compressor is went down when i spilled a drink inside the AC Oil change each 3000 km for like 50 60$ top .

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  Its been a good car - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By waltzonice - February 21 - 9:53 am

  I am the original owner, bought in April 1998 and now its over 12 years old and 145k miles. Lots of little things, but nothing major. I love this car but its time for something different. Ordered a 2011 Land Rover LR4.

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  Good value Not Great - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Boston Beau - February 16 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for the money. I purchased used with 7k miles and have driven for 71,00 miles with minimal repairs. All highway but hard. I push through corners and speed limit and it never lets me down in performance or response. When I need to settle down and act my age it drives like a family sedan.Repairs have been brake pads@30k, rotors@40k and one odd repair at 65k fuel sensor $600.

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  Sorry Caddy and Lincoln, 40K mile update. - 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By kkear3 - February 15 - 2:48 pm

  Trouble in paradise! The local dealer performed the 40K mile service which included the replacement of many filters and fluids but I had to go back at a later date for the required transmission service. After spending a total of $700 for both services, the service adviser tells me the 4matic transfer case is leaking and worse yet-it is a common problem on ALL MBs with all wheel drive. Fortunately, warrantee covered what could have been a very expensive repair. This is the first problem of any sort with the car.

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  S 550 Fun car, but be careful - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By DON - February 15 - 12:13 pm

  First week: Brakes squeak. Driving the car is fun. Design is great.. Interior - wow, I love it. I get lots of people looking at the car. Youll love it, but not the overall quality, which in my old 2006 was miserable. Buy it. Enjoy it. And dont worry about the quality, just dont keep it longer than the warranty. Thats why I only lease them.

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  S430 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Avi Wazana - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I had nothing but problems from day 1. While it is one of the best looking cars out there, I had component problems regularly. Breaks were replaced twice inside 15,000 miles, computer board replaced, electrical problems, noise and loose parts creating noise in the cabin, bas sensors not allowing to put the car in gear and much more... The car suffers from many problems caused by cheap or poor quality components used in the build. I hope MBZ will fix their problems for the future - for now I can not wait to finish my lease and get into a reliable Lexus !!!