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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  A true sports sedan - 2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Alex - June 14 - 4:26 am

  Best part of this car on my first drive was, compare to E320 and E500 ( both I owned before) how stable this drive train is. Solid grip feel and very stable with no rocking motion side to side. surefooted to road. Engine sound make you want to drive around the town more, and it becomes very addictive. Engine is remarkably responsive and with slight touch of the acceleartor car takes off leaving other cars behind the back mirror. Its totally effortless. No wonder with that much power. Nothing like E500 I had, much more responsive.

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  LuvMyMerc - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By esq - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car back in Oct 2001. It was a car owned by the dealership and driven by one of their execs. It had about 7000 miles on board. To date, I had no problems (none whatsoever) with the car although I have around 30,000 miles on it. Loving it..

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  Great Car - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By TxDoc - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Had this car for about two weeks. The 3.2 engine is plenty powerful! It also rides smoother and quieter than the 4.3

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  The best for Mercedez Benz - 2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Rafer Aston - June 14 - 2:00 am

  A well balanced masterpiece, this car rides like a dream, has a host of feartures that are easy and user friendly. The distintive styling makes this car stand out form the competitors. Overall the this car is what it means to own a Mercedez. Thank the lord for this Mercedez.

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  C320 4dr sedan - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By rmcguire38 - June 14 - 2:00 am

  first mb. always been a car buff, very impressed with car; quality and performance. dont like total maintenance policy as i prefer to maintain cars myself. surprised at performance both agility and speed. more fun to drive than corvette that i traded in. would love to have amd and dust a few vettes. fuel milage was another pleasant surprise. 29-30 mpg on interstate trips. wish i had bought mb sooner. wish i had bought an e model as it has more room for longer trips, but c is best choice for about town. purchasing experience was typical; glad dont have to do that often.

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  Love this car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By mstrebe - June 13 - 7:33 pm

  The new 7 speed transmission is interesting. It improves fuel economy with no performance loss, but you do have to get used to things like double gear drop downs and the fact that the car runs at about 2000 rpm vice 3000 at typical freeway speed. The new electronics suite is greatly improved over 2004, but the harmon/kardon audio isnt quite as good at the surround processing as the Bose system in the 2004 or as loud. the iPod option works really well--way better than the 3rd party junk thats out ther.

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  Rolling Passion - 2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By don1978 - June 13 - 7:38 am

  Driving this automobile has been an absolute joy. It hasnt always been smooth sailing. Have had to replace a motor mount and alternator; booth covered under warranty. Other than that its been very reliable and has allowed me many enjoyable miles to reflect on what this car is really about. It does everything well. Sure a BMW 5-series will out handle this car but as a whole this rolling rocket is pure solid power wrapped in a much more elegant package. While driving you can feel as though the engineers have spent many sleepless nights designing this car; sweating every detail. Overengineered and it shows. Passion for their craft has inspired me. I Will have this car a very long time.

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  Not your mothers minivan! - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By jenlong - June 10 - 10:53 pm

  Weve been driving this beauty around for about a month and couldnt be happier. The R350 is a pleasure to look at, a pleasure to sit in and just plain fun. The kids love it, I love it and its just surpassed my every expectation...which were high. I come from a long line of MB owners and have come to expect quality and performance, I got them both here. Its not just pretty to look at, it does its fair share of hauling and stopping and starting in style. I compared it to the Volvo XC90 and just couldnt handle the Jeep like feel of the Volvo. This feels like a luxury car that can also handle lots of people. We love it.

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  Perfect mix of luxury and sportiness - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Polestar - June 10 - 8:10 pm

  The 99 C280 Sport is an excellent mix of luxury and sportiness. Recent reviews of MBs have opined poor quality. However, in 99 MB built the C280 like it built Mercedes of old: rock solid. This car is an absolute joy to drive. The suspension is like no other car Ive owned. The Sport version has a firmer suspension than the standard model. However, it remains a very subtle ride and sticks in corners adding fun. The V-6 engine takes premium fuel and Im getting between 22MPG to 26MPG in mixed driving. The quality of the car is excellent. It looks new even though it is six years old.

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  Good but has hidden issues - 2011 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By lrogalski - June 9 - 4:55 am

  Purchased a used 2011 ML350 Bluetec with 65,000 miles for about $30,000 with taxes. Same day troubles began. Check engine came on and I opened a bar tab at the dealership. Local shop replaced the Nox sensor ($700) and said that there is a possibility of a bad valve body. Reset was performed with hope it doesnt come back but shortly after a 45 miles drive check engine came on. Only MB dealer can fix a valve body and they did for about $2,400. Took a 1000 miles road trip with no issues until 3 weeks later. Check engine again and new code P20BE1B, reductant heater performance, possible $1,200 fix. Mechanic reset the code and said to drive it and see if code comes back. To be continued...