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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  NOT WORTH THE MONEY... - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By LoveToDrive - March 3 - 10:16 am

  Mercedes benz sales people are talented in their B.S. but for the money this one is DOG! Buy something else, Mercedes has cut too many corners to make this car affordable however it must looks like a Mercedes and acts like a Dodge! Happy hunting!

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  I want to throw my E430 on the junk heap - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Bearvark - February 17 - 2:00 am

  My 2000 E-430 4-matic is a piece of garabage. It has only 7,500 mi. Every 6 months it goes in for some major repair.Ive had the radidiator, fuel tank, entire instrument cluster and major AC components replaced and repeated problems with the steering column, among others. Mercedes says "that is why they have warranties". When I mention my warrranty is about up, they tell me dont worry everything is fixed. I have zero confidence in that statement. Unfortunately, I purchased the car. When I inquired about some type of accomodation on a trade in, they refused. I guess they no longer build a decent car nor care about customer satisfaction.

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  DONT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By galewood478 - February 8 - 9:16 pm

  I bought this car new in 2007. It is now 4 years old. Had transmission problems, suspension problems and electrical glitches. Its only good point is its extremely comfortable ride. But whats the use in having a nice ride if it hardly moves down the road. Yes its a Mercedes, yes it looks classy, but dont waste your time. With the Purchase and repair costs, you couldve bought a nice Bentley. All I can say is this deceitful beauty will be traded in within the month.

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  Never buy this car - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Melissa - February 8 - 12:20 am

  I bought this car with 50000 miles on it. I drove it off the lot of the whole sale dealer and the day after started having problems. It may be because its used and I dont know how the person before me treated the car. Ive had the car for a year and put over $4,000 into it already in repairs. As soon as its fixed something else seems to go wrong. Not to mention the gas mileage is terrible!

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  A lemon with a good engine - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By sonet - October 23 - 8:30 am

  The car was good when it was new. Then everything started to good bad. Audio system went bad several times. Transmission went bad. Sun roof malfunctions. Paint faded badly. Side moulding turns from black to tan. ESS went bad. Brakes vibrate a lot. The dealer was not able to fix this yet for the past 4 years. Gas mileage is way less than what was advertised. Lots of noise on bumpy roads. Engine is loud. Speaker went bad several times. Heating is slow. Vent solenoid went bad several times costing almost $1000 for each visit. CD Changer went bad twice. Turn signal bulb blows out too frequently. Cup holder gets stuck. More room is needed. Electronic diagnosis need to be more accurate. Cost me money.

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  Airmatic Suspension Failure - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Deana J - October 12 - 2:56 pm

  I bought this vehicle new and within weeks of purchase it began displaying a warning light relating to the suspension system. I have had suspension problems over and over again with this vehicle. I had it at the Mercedes service center four times in less than 2 months this summer--each time was due to a suspension problem. I called Mercedes USA to no avail. They would promise a remedy but fail to follow through. I will not purchase another Mercedes because, in my experience, the company does not stand behind defective products.

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  Gl550 ccc - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Hasan - September 24 - 10:01 am

  Well warranty wont cover air ride which is shock absorbers and this car has issues with air ride in 65,000 miles I changed all my cost 5000$ i been ridin S class Mercedes all my life never had air ride issues this suv is junk belive me junk Mercedes be ashamed of production and German car i am for sure switching to American built cars snd suvs

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  reliability - 2012 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By kingcape - September 20 - 9:18 am

  I purchased this SUV new expecting to get a quality vehilcle. I am a high mileage driver and this is what you should expect Air conditioning: Stops working after 2 hours of driving. Brought it to the dealer who said nothing was wrong. Took a vacation from MA to South Carolina. It Stopped..stopped at a SC dealer who left a long VM for my dealer saying it doesnt work. Brought it to the dealer. They tested it and said it was fine. It is not. Alternator: Broke at 49000 miles. Brought it to the dealer and they actually fixed under warrantee. They were not very happy to do it. Heater fan: The dreaded squeak as I have read on line. Almost constant. Cost about $500.00 to fix. So sorry I bought

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  Looks good. But thats it. - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By WritrguyLA - September 5 - 2:00 am

  In the shop every month since I bought it. Too many electronic features I guess, because something is ALWAYS breaking. And speaking of brakes, be ready to replace them within the first year. And its not covered. And the ride is not sporty, its more luxury.

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  CRAP - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Mike - September 4 - 4:54 pm

  The most expensive junk I ever bought. Starting with poor delivery when the dealer scratch the entire clear coat and make it looks like two year old car. Sorry unless they were looking after me and they did it so I dont have to get upset when someone else will put a scratch on it. LOL. And now on top of it we getting all the recalls and the whole middle console broke. Great. DONT BUY IT.