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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  Exellent bang for the buck - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By true driver - November 7 - 12:43 am

  When comparing the E550 against the S class, cadillac CTV, the BMW 5 and Lexus 460 this model by far is the best of the bunch. The interior alone beats all. The premium II package is a must. The ride is excellent and the interior noise is very very low. It handles extremely well for a sedan and braking has very little fade. Exterior styling is elegant and the Sedan model with the hood ornament steels the show. Quality is fantastic. The engine/horsepower/torque and 7 speed transmission is phenomenal. Disengage the traction control and take off when the light changes...yeah, its that fast!

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  The all time perfect car. - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By c32hammer - November 6 - 12:23 pm

  I have found the perfect all around car, its name is C32. Try it you will love it.

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  Sprinters are nice to look at but..... - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By MartyK - November 6 - 8:49 am

  I purchased a new 2011 sprinter 2500 cargo in March of 2012 as a leftover. It started out with poor shifting from the auto trans, soft mushy breaks, serious hesitation when trying to accelerate, especially at low speeds. That was just at the beginning. Right off the lot there wasnt even a working horn. In the first year the radio went out and the dealer wouldnt let me upgrade the radio to the better factory one. They told me I had to replace it with the one I had or just keep the non-working one and live without a radio. At first I got great fuel mileage, I started out for the first 38,000 miles getting an average of 23+ mpg that has now at 50,400 miles dropped to 16-17, even though I was told that it would get better around 35,000 miles when the engine was broken in. Well at 38,000 I lost 2 mpg. Then by 41,000 I had lost an additional 2 mpg. Currently its down another 3 mpg. The stock answer Ive received from Sprinter dealer techs in 3 states, CA, PA, AZ, is that I was getting better mileage than anyone else and now its just down to what everyone else is getting and that I should be happy I did so well for the time I did. Ive driven my sprinter back and forth from southern CA to southeast PA 5 times so as you can surmise most of my 50,400 miles had been cross country driving. In just this past year, since being stranded for 3 days in AZ in June 2015 for a transmission problem, my truck has been in the shop in 3 different states, been looked at by 5 different dealerships in those 3 states and its been in 2 private shops in 2 different states. Mostly for engine light issues as well as all of the originally stated problems along with the loss of mpg. I was assigned a factory Case Rep from the Mercedes headquarters in NJ but that hasnt helped in the least. On my most recent drive from PA to CA, just a couple of weeks ago, July 2016, my newest issue came up. I now have added Cruise control issues to the list of problems. Intermittently not holding speed, shutting off for no reason while cruising, and not shutting off several times after applying the breaks. In this past year its been in one shop or another 8 times for the engine light coming on, several times for the ABS light, once for the Traction light (whatever that is). Its currently at the local dealers shop, and has been for 7 days as of today, for ABS light, engine light, cruise control issues, mpg issues, and breaking issues. SO... theyre nice to look at but PLEASE take my advice and dont buy one!!! Well since writing the above review my van was in the shop several more times for the engine light coming on and for 2 dash warnings: Seatbelt sys. Visit Workshop, and SRS Restraint System Visit Workshop. The dealer agreed with me that both warnings are a safety issue but that theyre not covered by the warranty. I also got a recall notice about the airbags but the dealer said until they figure out what to do just hope I dont have an accident. Arent they nice. All I can say is, and Ill be as kind as I can be in saying that if you buy a sprinter youre an idiot. Im just trying to get through the warranty and then Im trading it in on a new Ford or Ram with the same body style. Jan 2018 update: On my yearly cross country drive in 2017 I was stranded in NM in June 2017 for a couple of days. The dealer discovered that my problem was with the DEF system, which by the way had been completely replaced one year earlier in 2016, so they replaced the whole system again. Anyway, its now Jan 2018 and now I have need for a glow-plug and the dealer tells me to replace all 6 would cost just under $1,000.00 as long as they dont run into a problem. If even one doesnt come out easily it could end up costing an additional $3,000.00 just to replace the plugs because they would have to take the engine head off. I just need to get this piece of junk back to PA in the spring so I can trade it off for a real vehicle. I already have a deal worked out with a Ford dealership in PA to take this rolling piece of xxxx off my hands. Fuel mileage is still bad compared to what I was getting for the first 38,000 miles. Its still down from (23.5 mpg) to (16-17). PLEASE DONT BUY ONE OF THESE HUNKS OF JUNK !!!!!!

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  Amazingly unreliable - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By amcl500 - November 6 - 2:00 am

  M-B has sometime in the last few years lost its commitment to quality control and reliable design. Problems in first 30 days: picked it up on a Friday afternoon - returned it immediately: the brake lights didnt function. Picked it up on Tuesday: returned it later the same day when it exhibited a disturbing vibration at highway speed. (poorly aligned drive shaft)Next drive showed the car handled extremely poorly. (M-B dilivered the car with a cheap set of tires not suitably rated) A few mornings later (with only 150 miles on the vehicle) the car was totally dead in my garage. The dealer claims it was "only" a bad battery.

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  solid, safe - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Tarrant - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Safe and solid. Would purchase it again. After three years, the ML320 has been great. No problems whatsoever. Mercedes has proactively replaced some items under warranty during regularly scheduled maintenance visits. *Great* service in Texas; crappy service from HBL in Vienna, Virginia.

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  MOST FUN EVER - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By shaun - November 4 - 3:10 pm

  Let me start by saying this is one bad bad car(meaning great great car)Bought it with a strict budget in mind so i settled on a 2005 with call it 50 thousand miles.Black on black pd and i payed $31000 for this monster. Enough of that lets start with the fun aspect nothing i mean nothing will hang with this car the torque is just sensational i find myself looking the the lite to turn red so i can stop wait then lift off....whew it tough! I have owned the car for 2 weeks and not a problem yet,this car is all about the engine ,the interior is practical but my 04 745il was more plush driving position .JUST GO AND FIND A LOW MILE E55 AND HAVE FUN!!!!

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  A great car - 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Paul Schroeder - November 4 - 12:29 pm

  This is a great car. We previously had a 2014 C300 4Matic. I would frequently tell my wife that what that car needed was more horsepower and a quicker shifting transmission. This car has both. The transmission shifts in an instant (almost as good as Porsches PDK) and rev matches downshifts. The handling is sharp and the steering is precise. The ride is good for a car with these sporty characteristics. The seats are comfortable and the interior is very high quality. The nav system is far superior to the one in our prior car (which I rarely used, preferring Google Maps in my phone). I highly recommend this car, especially to those who might be considering an S4 or a BMW M sport line car.

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  Marks S430 - 2005 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Mark Papay - November 4 - 1:33 am

  My Mercedes-Benz S430 is the finest car that Ive ever driven. This is the so-called base model of the "S" series and it is provided with standard features that most other manufacturers have never even thought of. It actually out-performs the stated EPA mileage data (17/26). It provides an amazing blend of comfort and performance at a surprisingly tolerable price.

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  Great family vehicle; beast in the hills - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By DSpike - November 3 - 9:50 pm

  Great family vehicle with lots of room and fantastic comfort when cruising on the highway. Low rating on "Fun-to- Drive" because frankly this car/van/stationwagon/crossover isnt intended to be fun to drive the way a sedan might. Its a safe, roomy, family vehicle with style. That said, I will confess that the diesel engine makes this vehicle a beast in the mountains. We live in Colorado and it is sometimes mind- boggling to me how easily this car climbs steep grades. I will say that snow handling was very poor with the original tires, but once replaced became respectable. Fuel economy for this size vehicle is also very respectable. Overall 24-25 mpg. (Around town 19; Highway 27).

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  2015 MB C-class - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By MBW - November 3 - 5:27 pm

  Use US News and World; search under used cars for reliability, safety, cost, etc.