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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  WAIT FOR NEXT YEARS MODEL!!!! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By HLee - May 22 - 10:00 am

  Definitally wait for next years (2003 S500). They are going to redesign the horrible COMMAND system, and upgrade the materials in the cabin. There are too many flimbsy plastics for a car like a S500. Power is pretty comparable to an LS430 or Q45.

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  Piece a crap not a van, Not reliable - 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Stan - April 29 - 10:03 pm

  Braking down all the time. i have 30 k and first engine light 8 k they replaced engine and gas paddle wiring connectors, 17 k was driving without power barely making 45mph on freeway for the whole month, replaced water pump and thermostat, now both rear doors holders a not working, Bluetooth stop working at 4.5 k what can i say STAY A WAY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE!!! U buying new car for one reason:( so u hoping drive 100 k without problems).

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  My Second round - another Lemon - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By LSuriol - March 17 - 10:00 am

  Mechanical Problems Persist...Transmission noisy and unreliable, fuel pump goes so car stalls while driving on highway, interior peels...etc...

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  Poor Mrecedes - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By E Collins - March 14 - 7:26 am

  I have had nothing but problems. Sure better not trust it on a trip. I have sat in a hotel room one week and looked at the wall while the car was in the shop. Navagation gave out on another trip . Plans were made for a trip this week but this time I never got out of town. All lights were on. I was in the service dept instead of leaving.This has been going on from the day I brought it home. Almost 2007 and only less than 35,000 miles. I am solving this problem.Talking to Lexus. Plans in the making for a 2007 LS 460 so I can travel again. I have driven nothing but a Mercedes and was a die hard lover of the car.

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  I have never hated a car I owned or leased before! - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Carol Rubenstein - February 3 - 5:11 am

  This is my first Mercedes. Where do I start with this dangerous and poorly designed car? 1. By putting the gear shifts from the center console (in most cars) to the wand, that used to be the windshield wipers, I have actually shifted the car accidentally into Neutral when it started to rain(thinking it was the wipers) while driving on the highway! Luckily it wasnt Reverse!!! 2. In the summer, when Ive gotten into the hot car, I have actually gotten BURN MARKS on my right arm, while placing it on the center console as I was about to select a radio station. They trimmed the console with REAL metal ...it felt like I had put my arm on a hot frypan! 3. The dashboard controls for defroster, A/C, temperature control etc. are all exactly in a line and feel the same...there are no indentations or separations. So when youre driving at night and you need the defroster, you cant feel which one it is...and even when you find it, you still HAVE TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD a second time, to look up at the screen, which is placed to the right of you.... just to make sure you have selected the correct control. 4. The drivers seat is not only uncomfortable, but I have been in physical therapy since July 2015 (a few months after I leased the car) and I am still in P.T. April 2017) because it has caused me nerve pain in my neck and right leg. I have to lift my right leg very high to get over the threshold as I get into the car, and then FALL into the seat and adjust myself. I realized that after the first few months the constant lifting and adjusting have been the cause of the nerve pain. 5. The power seat adjustment ( not the memory adjustment) that you generally find in most other cars,when you slip your left hand down along the side of your seat, to move forward and backward...has been moved to THE DOOR. Wow! I thought it was so clever...BUT this ergonomic design is dangerous! If you want to make a slight adjustment up or back,when youre wearing a thick coat or just want to move back a little, you must remember to do it while the door is closed. If you need to adjust it once the door has been opened, you must REACH OUT BY HOLDING ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL with your right hand and move the seat positions with your outreached left hand. I had the door swing back on my left ankle because I had already put my left foot out of the car...I got a CONTUSION under my skin for months from the door slamming onto my ankle! 6. Now we come to the gorgeous center console...the entertainment center (I thought it was beautiful when I was looking at the car in the dealers showroom). They designed two choices for you. One is a turning dial and the other is a "swipe" selector. Well, that "swipe" method CHANGES MY RADIO SELECTION whenever my handbag or arm slides over it (Example: as I am putting my bag down on the passenger seat). Frustrating and annoying! 7. The most concerning issue with this car happened twice... it SURGED as I was pulling up to a vertical parking space in front of a store. I stopped the car inches away from crashing threw the glass window of my pharmacy...I had driven my car onto the sidewalk! That happened in June two months after I got the car. It happened again in January, as it surged and nearly went up on the sidewalk at the school I volunteer at...both times I managed to apply the brake to stop it. I SPOKE TO THE MERCEDES MANAGEMENT TWICE...once to the service manager after my arm got burned July, the summer of 2015, and about month after that to my Mercedes salesman , about all these issues...I was told the manager would call me...he NEVER CALLED ME. I want to end my lease, butthe car salesman felt I had too much time left on my lease. I dont believe I can prove I am in P.T. because of the cars threshold. Has anyone else had any of these issues with this car??? UPDATE: September 23, 2016. I was told by my salesman that the Mercedes-Benz manager would call me shortly after I wrote the original review, but in all of these months Ive never gotten any contact at all. I guess Ive given up calling or talking to them, since I dont think I can prove that I have been in physical therapy since July 2015 because of the seat design and also having to lift my right leg over the threshold ( causing me to literally fall into the drivers seat). That repetitive motion, over the first few months, caused nerve pain from my lower back down to my right knee. All the other issues I listed are the same...I still have problems with all of them and Im actually afraid of this car ! I am hoping to get rid it when my lease is closer to 20 months old. I am thinking of several other car brands: maybe BMW or Acura. UPDATE: October 2017. Nothing has really changed, still in physical therapy...EXCEPT Ive gotten closer to finishing my lease. HURRAY!! I can hardly wait to get rid of this poorly designed "luxury" car!

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  Trouble some vehicle - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By nafresh - January 26 - 12:09 pm

  I have 2011 GL Since 2013 now after 48 months Engine and transmission start leaking oil rear suspension airbag blasted at highway last year drive assisted sensor stop working, so much trouble spoke to several owners they confirm vehicle have lot of problems

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  a lemon - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By albert1 - October 28 - 2:00 am

  an absolute disaster...Ive driven lexus for the past 10 years and decided to try the CLK. It was in the shop constantly, the door fell off, catalytic converter, gas tank problems, you name it. I traded it in for a lexus.......good riddance!

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  disgrace to MB Name - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By krueger - October 20 - 10:00 am

  I have been owning ML320 for about a year and have been having nothing but problems. Every two month it is at the dealership for repair: oil leaks, sunroof sometimes does not close, replaced water pump twice, door sills tear up and start leaking even arount sunroof. I thought that I was not lucky, but my neighboor got one and she is only using it on weekends and she still bring her for repair once in four months: same water pump problems, rear axle loose, etc. My friend got one too and he has been complaining about his also. Overall it is peace of s... The only good thing is it off road capabilities. In winter on the snowy roads it is great.

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  Know Lemon. Every One of Them. Stay Far Away! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Scott Espenshade - August 3 - 6:41 pm

  Mercedes is well aware of all the ABC failures on their SL500s & SL550s, but are still allowed to sell them in the United States. There is a VERY dangerous problem if you are driving at the time of the failure. Imagine a shock suddenly coming off a vehicle at 65 MPH?!? Not imagine that EACH AND EVERYONE of the vehicle sold that year fail. 100% FAIL. Sound like a class action lawsuit? You would think so, but some how Mercedes Benz is able to still push lemons out the door. This is not just plain greed, it is a complete lack of value for human life! I have completely lost all respect for Mercedes Benz.

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  Very Disapointing - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Arsen Khachatryan - June 28 - 10:00 am

  Our ML had problems from the first day we got it. I am currently trying to get it a lemon status. There has always been a metal on metal sound from the drive shaft, but the dealership cant fix it. The car has cut off several times under normal driving. We have had four instances when the car would not start and needed to be towed. Once my wife was driving and the power steering gave out.Just last week I was stuck in Atlanta 350 miles away from home and the car needed to be towed, because it would not start. The fuel pump and lines needed to be changed. My first and last.