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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  Almost missed out - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By tribefan - July 7 - 6:53 am

  We had looked at and test drove the RX350 and Q5. We had decided on buying the Q5 when my wife saw an ad for the GLK. As soon as we got in the car and drove the first quarter mile I was sold. It is a solid, quiet, well built car. Although the GLK is not as big as the RX350 and Q5 I am 6 foot 240 lbs and have plenty of room whether in the driver, passenger, or back seat. Love the heated seats and COMMAND system. Noticed others have commented on brake and transmission problems. I have had none, brakes and trans are solid just like the rest of the car. What struck me was you do not have to raise your voice to be heard, even at freeway speeds. Beautiful car.

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  Biggest mistake of my life. - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jerry - July 7 - 1:40 am

  I purchased this used from a MB dealer with only 35000 miles. The moment I left the dealership, I started having problems with shaking, idling rough. It took 3 visits to the MB dealer in Florida before they corrected the problem. I have had this car in the shop so many times I lost count. Everything goes wrong with this piece of junk: Electrical system, door locks, instrument computer, door handle fell off, gaskets, seals, wheel problems, rotors, oil smells, AC going out, lights burning out constantly, etc. The service plan I purchased ($3500.00) ended up not covering most of the things and when it did, I paid $200 deductible each and every time.

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  ML-350 - 2008 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Terry - July 6 - 5:20 pm

  Ive had the ML-350 for 4 weeks now.The performance is great. Quick,solid,smooth shifting. The steering is very sensitive and I tended to oversteer until I got used to it. I think much more responsive than my Jag XJ-8. The ML-350 has so many bells and whistles it takes time to learn them but once you do it seems easy. I was actually happy with the non leather seats. Ive had trouble in the past with leather. Seat adjustment is wonderful. I am 6-4 and my wife is 5-3 so you can imagine what kind of workout the seat motors get. Great car as you would expect

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  A great car so far in the first 1000 mi. - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By jcl - July 5 - 7:53 pm

  This is very comfortable car. Lot of amenities and it feels very safe. The H-K sound system is outstanding. I have had it not long enough to make a judgement on its reliability yet, but so far it has been a great car. I took my friends out and none could tell it is powered by a diesel engine. The acceleration is exceptional and the handling are quite sporty. It is also a very quite highway cruiser (reving at 200 rpm at 70mph) and has plenty of power for passing.

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  Maybe Luck of the Draw - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By f22dara - July 5 - 9:24 am

  Some people may have bought a "monday or friday" car, meaning the days nobody wants to work, a few mishaps made down the assembly line( yes you can research and find out what day our car was born on FYI) However, Im surprised at all the bad reviews. This is my second mercedes but first ML truck. I love it truely & thanking God i have not experienced the nightmares of others. I get so many compliments.I will admit the wiring harness had to be fixed by dealer( free of charge) but other than that the car is perfect total class.. Mercedes is worth the money and yes expensive to maintain but hey... you gotta Pay to Play right..

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  REPEATED COSTLY REPAIRS - NIGHTMARE - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By WARRENFDS - July 5 - 7:23 am

  expensive repairs. seat electronics cost $4000. remote key did not work, omni bar changed $1000. Spark plug wires defective recommeded fix $1500. Defective Lower front control arms fix $750. These are not routine maintenance issues but defective manufacturing which I do not expect on a $40,000 german car. Pls do not buy Mercedese if they are not able to guarantee defective products in their vehicles.

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  Fun, Fun, Fun!! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By karencpnp - July 5 - 4:36 am

  Ive had this car since 11/02, after waiting 4 months on order. Only regret - not getting a 6-speed - but I drive in too much rush-hour traffic for that. The car is fast, corners like a dream, and goes through Z-rated tires like mad. Integrated phone cant be beat - added on after purchase. Blind spots are easily adjusted for by turning mirrors out to the far side, which takes getting used to, but I no longer need to swing my head back & forth. Has been back to the dealer quite a bit for struts, suddenly dead battery, and electrical errors. I will keep it long after its paid for!

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  Bitter Sweet - 1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By 1942wla - July 4 - 2:00 am

  My love for this car has had its moments. There is no ride like a solid benz. The acceleration and tranny is smooth and the motor is more than adequate to have a little fun. Super quiet ride and hard to believe it gets more than 22 mpg. The downside is it is over engineered. I spent a great deal of time and money combating the dummy lights. As I have 155k miles on my 420, these cars will run forever but be prepared to pay for it after 120k miles.

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  GREAT CAR - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By DOMINIC - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I TRADED IN A 95 S320 WHICH WAS BULLET PROOF THIS NEW CAR IS GREAT .HOW EVER NOT AS BULLET PROFF AS MY 95 WAS .I BOUGHT THIS NEW IN NOV. 2002 IT HAS ONLY NEEDED OIL CHANGES .I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL .

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  E320 - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By cdj1942 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  This was the best buying experience Ive had in 45 years. The dealership was a pleasure to work with and made every effort to work with me. We traded in a 2002 BMW 525 because of the poor dealership and a lot of little annoying and missing features. The Mercedes E320 gave us all these little things we were disappointed about on the BMW at no extra charge. The Mercedes has an outstanding ride and handles as well as the BMW. We were also very disappointed in the new 2004 BMW 525 design. In conslusion, the E320 was a little higher priced, but, we didnt have to add anything. So, in the final analyis, it was not any higher priced. You get what you pay for.