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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  Over 20 visits to dealer in 24 months - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Sad in St. Louis - July 4 - 2:00 am

  What a sincere disappointment this vehicle has been. After having everything from pieces falling off of the inside to the car stalling out while driving, not to mention the week we couldnt get it to go into reverse causing us to cancel our vacation...the Merecedes area rep hung up on me when I asked if they could do anything to help us out since apparently we had a problem vehicle. Doesnt that make you feel good about dealing the the company? When it drives, we love the car but since it isnt that often...well, we are looking into something else for our next car.

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  Retension belt - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By RogPark - June 30 - 2:03 am

  I had this car for less than one year, enough time for me to have all sorts of service issues. I was sold this car as a "certified" vehicle which is marketing bs talk for "used" car. In a nutshell, I had problems with the retension belt. I drove 8,000 until the belt had to be replaced. I argued that this is something that needed to be covered under warranty and even the Benz service guy agreed. It wasnt so I had to shell out $440. I bought a Hyundai Vera Cruz at about the same time as the C280. Im on the verge of exchanging the C280 with a Sonata. Ata least my expectations wont be high with a Sonata.

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  Piece of Junk.... - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By mograce - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought this SUV on May 21 and had to take it in 3xs for the same problem- accelerator hesitation. When I would mash on the accelerator, it would hesitate for a few seconds and then take off. They replaced parts on all ocassions and the problem still existed. I took it back this past weekend and the dealership paid me what I had bought the SUV for and I traded it in and bought a Yukon. I just assumed that since this was a Mercedes, that it wouldnt be a piece of junk and that it was of high quality, but the joke was on me. I could see that I was headed for a life of misery with this SUV and am grateful that I was able to get out of it.

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  2007 Mercedes CLS550 - 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Boca Raton - June 9 - 6:03 am

  The style is nice. The car is in the shop at least once every 3 months. Fixes so far include, oil leaks, belt tensioner replaced, chrome trim tarnished and replaced, differential replaced, steering wheel leather peeled, door glass window needed several repairs, cup holder chrome peels off in one year or so, replaced once and will need replacement again, window class catches the rubber molding when opened on all doors (no fix available at dealer). The car has clicking noise from from and rear suspension, the dealer said it is normal to have the noise. It may well be normal but I did not expect a MB to have such noises. Blind spot is bad.

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  Engine Problems-cam shaft adjuster - 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mike Richards - May 27 - 1:28 am

  Costly repair popped up right after 50,000 miles (right after the warranty expires). Repair is going to cost over $4K. MB has problems with this issue. It seems similar to the issue in the class action from 2012 in Northern District of California.

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  Constant Nightmare-BEWARE!! - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Holley - May 17 - 10:00 am

  Im appalled at the lack of quality of this vehicle.The shop owns my car.Its my part-time job to pick up and drop my car off at the service department when it isnt being towed.When I pick up my repaired car it always breaks down within a day or so.Ive been following up with MB-USA but dont bother.They send you right back to the dealership who coulnt care less about customer service-and Ive been to three so far!I would love to trade it in but it wont run long enough.Im trying to determine what steps to take to hold MBUSA responsible.Other car makers are completely aware so ML-320 owners are taking the hit on trade-in.BEWARE!!!

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  WORST CAR EVER - 1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Mark W. - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I have owned many cars prior to this MB, from Infiniti, BMW, Land Rover, Cadillac, Buick, Audi, and more. Never have I experience more troubles than I have since purchasing this car. I have had the car in service every month that I have owned it...from squeeks to transmission problems. And the service and sales from MB is the same at the quality of this car. Although I thought this car alone was a lemon, I soon realized that is not the case. Many others who own S-Class Mercedes have the same disappointing stories. My advice...AVOID this car at all costs!

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  Over priced hunk of junk - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By phils68 - April 24 - 11:50 pm

  Warning to other potential buyers: been through 7 recalls on the SBC brakes and other electrical problems. This lousy vehicle needed a wheel alignment at only 6000 miles and the warranty only cover the labor and not parts and guess what? parts costs over $220 to set the steering straight. Pretty pathetic for a pampered vehicle that is only driven on the weekends

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  Avoid buying this lemon - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By JP122 - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Nothing but problems. Recalled 5 times. Electrical problems that the dealer couldnt figure out and cost me thousands. Problem solved, bought a new Lexus.

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  What a disappointment! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Poughkeepsie Family - March 17 - 2:00 am

  We bought the Mercedes ML-320 with such excitement and high hopes. What a disappiontment to own a new car that keeps breaking down! Sure the dealer fixed each problem (though not the first time more than once) but the hastle of bringing the car in for repairs was significant. The car is peppy, but this seems to come at the expense of gas milage; we never acheived the EPA estimates even when driving the car gently. Yes, it has a third row of seats, but they are not convenient to use.