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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  Falling Short of Expectations - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By terrier - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Paid top dollar for what turned out to be a real dissapointment> Poor quality, and terrible dealer support (Claridges in Fremont, CA). Well never buy another car from them again.

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  So dissapointed. - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Unimpressed Girl - December 26 - 2:36 pm

  I traded in my G35 coupe on this car and from the second day of owning I wish I could have just got my old car back. In the three years that I owned my G35 I never had as many problems as with this stupid car. It was certified pre-owned when I bought it and it only had 15,875 miles on it. Heres the list: Blown speaker, Wheel Balance off, Drivers side seat holder broken, Engine Pulley replacement, Middle brake light out, and chip in windshield. I know you might be thinking...most of these things were rigged so I didnt find them instantly and I got to those so far and only owned it a few months. Terrible customer service and a terrible car. Dont buy it!

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  Three words - "piece of junk" - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mark Atlanta - December 19 - 10:36 am

  I have owned 5 MBs since 1989 and through the years have been pretty much pleased. I bought the C230 Sport, bright Mars Red. Styling is hot - but that is where it stops. The aluminum interior trim looks like it was cut from an old tin can. Performance was lacking and at idle the car had a lot of engine vibration. At 3,000 miles, most of the lightbulbs had blown, and the windows would periodically start going up and down by themselves. First service appt. cost $ 300.00. MB should take a clue from BMW and quit putting 4 cyl. engines in these cars. I just traded this car last week for a new 2006 BMW 330i (resale was awful) and traded my SLK230 for a new Z4 - 3.0. My MB days are over.

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  2017 GLE 350 - 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLE Class
  By Hale Malia - December 17 - 4:48 pm

  Great ride and handling as you can expect with German Cars in general. I owned the ML350 before and I thought it had better ride than this one. Gas mileage is OK and consistent with specifications. Roomy interior but higher seats seem to interfere with tall person getting in and out. Pros: looks sharp and has a great road feel. Lane departure warning is excellent and highly recommended. Cons: electronics user interface are extremely poor, even dangerous. Voice command is decade old technology. Dont waist your money on Smartronix package it is useless at best - Does not self park as you might be led to believe and the cameras do not activate automatically when you pull into a parking spot. Small screen without touch screen option is a HUGE miss considering the cumbersome user interface. I bought the car 2 months ago because Android Auto is a "must have". The car is already in the shop because Android Auto is not working. Just think That because something sounds great, it may not be implemented as such. Mercedes has not been able to fix the Android Auto problem and has no projected date when it will be! Mercedes is a hollow brand, neither luxury nor reliability or customer service.

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  Mercedes Service Managers Nightmare - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Mike Payne - December 16 - 10:00 am

  The first day we brought it home, it wouldnt start, and had to be towed back in! Then the GPS wouldnt work, Oh yes, the telephone technology was obsolete from the date of purchase. Mercedes knew about it, but their rep told us, you paid for a phone, you got a phone. Then there are the windows. Ask anyonw who has owned one. The switches are bad. On at least five separate occasions the windows wouldnt roll back up. the cupholders, the Service Manager at Towson Valley Motors said, "Oh,they all fall out!" Oops. Almost forgot the glue that comes up from the window and makes a mess that can only be cleaned by the dealership. Another, "it happens all the time!"

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  Terribly Unreliable - 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By rchampaneri - November 4 - 9:43 pm

  never ever in my life would i have thought to recieve such a TERRIBLE car. 1 month after owning it, the headlights wont turn off. then the battery died. seeing as im in high school i was ok with it sitting for a day or two. but once i bought a new battery none of the electric component were working. (radio, speedometer, gas gauge, windows, door locks) i bought the car at 139k

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  E300 was not ready for production. - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Steve K - November 4 - 1:59 am

  Bought a 2017 e300 with P3 package, complaint. It is awful. Its been in the shop 4 times. Transmission issues, back up camera problems, climate control, HD radio does not work. Doors had to be slammed shut. Home Link did not work. There is still not a fix for the HD radio. It was in the shop for 2 weeks, with no resolve. It is back in the shop now for rear view camera intermittently working, climate control turning off and again to look at the HD radio. The transmission was fixed, and the body shop reset the doors on the third try. Ive asked the dealer to buy it back and they wont. 12/2016. Mercedes finally agreed to buy back the car due to its inherent suspension problem. Strangely the service records say no problem found.

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  Big Name, Little Performance! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By BlueSuedeJay - October 20 - 11:20 am

  I have had my 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Coupe for 2 1/2 years, after only one year the gas tank leaked in my garage, and my car needed to be towed out. At 9,500 miles they had to repack the wheel bearings and tighten sunroof. Now with 21,000 miles they need to be replaced again the sunrrof squeaks. My car makes a horrible sound until it warms up, everytime you start it. The dealership service manager said that this is normal for this model. It sounds like a diesel, or a 12 year old car. The supercharger lacks performance and consistency in its output (six speed). The cloth seats stain if any water touches them. I traded up from a 1997 Ford Mustang GT. In every aspect of performance, the Mustang was better. This is a horrible car hiding under a Mercedes Benz Logo. I will never own another Mercedes again.

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  Disappointed - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By N/A - September 26 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has been a huge disappointment to me. It broke down and had to be towed in 20 degree temperatures when it had 1,100 miles. It needed a new gear shifter and the part took five days to find. Then the check engine light came on when it had 5,700 miles and it had a defective charcoal canister (a fuel problem) which had to be replaced. That part took three days to find. Fortunately the vehicle is still under warranty. I am going to be getting rid of it because I cannot trust it and I will never get another Mercedes-Benz again.

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  not competitive with other suvs in class - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By jadwin - September 10 - 10:00 am

  Mbz Doesnt hold its value at trade in time. Kind of tank like in ride and handling. Cheap interior and parts inside will fall off and dont feel good to the touch. Tiresome ride after 30 minutes.