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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  WARNING, I got a lemon(READ THIS) - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By adrian cox - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This has been the worst car that I have purchased. I am 24 years old I finally was able to afford a mercedes and look what I got.I have 16 problems with the in 6 months.I had to a lawyer.I only can use 700 characters that is not enough for me to exlpain all of the problems I which I could.Lots engine, fuel problems, and sunshade failures.

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  Beware, it lokks good on paper, but is very disapp - 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By VandyJody - July 21 - 10:37 am

  Hard seats, mediocre brakes and dreadfully rough transmission shifts. Driving "in town" is awful due to the way the transmission is always slamming down or up, very clunky. Hard braking is terrifying because the front end goes down and tge rear end lifts just like our 1972 Ranch Wagon witg rear drums. With 9300 miles, I had the car shut off due to transmission failure, but even woth that fixed, the hard as wood seats still give me pain. And tge brake rotors are already warped. Truly a mix of astonishing engineering (the bi-turbo V6 is terrific), terrific space and cheap cost cutting combines into a mediocre SUV, I will buy Lexus next.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE! - 2004 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By JP122 - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Absolutly without equal the biggest piece of junk I ever owned in my life. Was in the shop at least once a month. Mercedes service stinks. Couldnt figure out the electrical problems after numerous visits. Problem solved, traded in on a Lexus RX330 and there is no comparison between these 2 vehicles.

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  My C300 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By nruss - July 7 - 8:51 am

  The c 300 runs well and handles niclley on the rough New England roads. We have 27,000 on ours and it makes a thumping souond in the brakes now so it is going into the shop.

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  This car was created as a joke from MB - 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By yelis - June 29 - 1:15 pm

  Its like a cardboard......falls apart probably as I wright this just standing in parking lot.....What broke: transmission at 100k, cooling fans, airmatic pump, gear box shifter, navigation system, tape player, 1 door locking mechanism, and thats after i bought the car used, I would imagine previous owner had nightmares too. One of my friends had 00 or 02 model and had to lease Honda Accord because this MB was simply NOT drivable due to constant breakdowns

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  Nightmare - 2005 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Sam - June 28 - 6:16 pm

  This car has been the worst car I have ever had. The vaccum assist has gone bad 5 times and so has the GPS. Driver side seat has been repired more than 4 times. Above all, I lost complete power stering fluid at 65mph and no warning light came. I nearly died controlling the car. Tire pressure sensors have gone bad, battery, alternator, dvd on the gps. Music dvd cartridge. The only saving grace has been that the dealers repiring the car have been polite and agreed to fix the items. Now as soon as the car is out of warranty i needed engine mounts, trans mounts and control arms. German cars are not only very poorly made, they are also very, very expensive to maintain.

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  Dont Buy - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By CJA - June 3 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a MB. Big mistake. C240 was cheapest of the fleet but this car still cost $39,000 and has been nothing but trouble. Constant electrical problems. Car has actually died at stop lights. We were going to start with the C240 and move up to and E- Class. We are now looking at the BMW 5 series.

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  Ongoing safety issues with my 2014 E63S - 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By 83zx83 - May 25 - 1:42 am

  Real safety issue unresolved after 6 months and 6000 miles. My wife and son will no longer get in the car, forget about them driving it. Wild/out of control bucking when accelerating after cold start. May be limited to this specific car/vin. I am trying to resolve with MBUSA and my dealer - frankly I dont trust the car anymore

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  Chrysler quality- M Benz price - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Rocky Mtn Madness - May 24 - 10:00 am

  This SUV has been very disappointing.The quality control is lacking. Numerous shop visits without satisfaction and a dealer who cannot get it right. I will never buy a MB product again.

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  Look somewhere, anywhere else - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Candalerio - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Poor reliability, serivce, design and material quality sum it up. Endless trips to the dealer for repairs and each requires 4 days while they get parts. Requests to fix things are ignored because "its supposed to be like that". Resale value is a joke: it seems word is getting aorund. I dont understand how MB can have a good reputation producing cars like this. Obviously, I will never buy from this manufacturer again.