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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  Brass tacks - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Brent - September 27 - 7:20 am

  Having owned the C300 for a year now i wanted to review it based on the experiences i have had. First of all i want to list all the good things about this car. The exterior is perfect in every way. The interior with the exception of the cruise control lever is designed very well. I do enjoy the fact that everything has worked like a charm without one problem...well done. Now for the bad. The seats are downright uncomfortable in every way. Too hard and cramped. The steering is just plain boring and unattached to the road. The car is just not fun to drive. I feel i should just buy a Honda next time and forget it if i want reliable and boring. A good car but not what i expect.

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  2013 GL550 - 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By jpk112 - September 23 - 4:32 pm

  At the end of October 2012 we traded in my wife’s 2008 Mercedes 4matic (station wagon) for a new Mercedes 2013 GL550. We love the exterior design of the car and the flexibility on the interior design with the third row seats. The acceleration of the car is incredible-no problem merging onto the freeway or passing. Gas mileage is not the cars strong suit but I did not expect it to be. Now the bad, at 4000 miles the car needs new front rotors which are not yet a stocking item at my dealership-10 day wait! A In addition both side view mirrors are defective-drivers side is frosted and the passenger’s side has two stripped bolts off its backing plate.

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  Classic - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Kareem - September 23 - 7:46 am

  I purchased my E320 at 81,000 miles and i love it to death. Ive had some minor problems such as a bad MAF which i replaced by myslef, also a bad o2 sensor. Ive saved thousands doing these mechanical jobs myself instead of taking it to the dealership. As for the car, it drives beautifully and feels like its brand new. ive had it up till now which has 98k on it and its been good to me.

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  An excellent economic german luxury car - 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Doug S. - September 19 - 2:20 am

  I bought my 1996 C220 in April of 2005 with 121,000 miles, for $4,600 as my first car. Within in the first year I spent a few thousand in repairs for things like air conditioning, suspension, emissions electronics, but it never has left me stranded or not started right up. The car now has 152,000 miles and drives like a dream. I love the car great gas mileage, 30 mpg highway and mid 20s around town even considering i floor it nearly every time i drive it. The 4 cylinder is a little slow off the line, but is surprisingly peppy at highway speeds. Even though the car is now more than 12 years old, in black with tinted windows it still looks amazing, and gets second looks all the time.

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  very fun to drive - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Rick Neith - September 9 - 2:00 am

  you will love this car!

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  ML320 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By ML320MB - September 7 - 10:00 am

  Poor dealer service. Dealrs dont treat this vehicle/ customers the same as they do for their cars.

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  Probably not worth the investment - 2008 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By spicoli2 - September 4 - 10:23 am

  I bought this car new in October 2007. I have general dislikes about this vehicle and the cost of ownership. First, the SUV has 37k miles on it and I am on my 3rd set of tires at $1100 per set (including mounting and balancing). MBUSA says its due to the weight of the vehicle and that the tires available are soft (whatever you do DO NOT buy Continental 4X4 contacts for this car). Second, there are many, many little things that for a MB are un acceptable like, front defroster only has one setting, which is high, then you need to play the on/off game with it when the windows fog up, the radio does not display the song or artist, the alarm makes no audio sound to indicate it is alarmed, ect

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  fuel injectors and pulling to right - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Dr. David - September 4 - 10:00 am

  My wife drives this car and seldom notices any variation in performance or handling of the vehicle. When I finally drove the car, i noticed rough idling and it pulled to the right. The net result was replacement of all the fuel injectors, injector rail, and spark plugs were replaced . A bolt kit and alignment took care of the pulling to the right. Thank goodness for warranty services.

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  Consumer - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By tuanh - September 2 - 10:00 am

  My vehicle was purchased after market. I thought that I inspected the vehicle well but found out later that the vehicle had a little defect. The aligment was set so off that the interior of its both rear tires worn out. The vehicle had only 9,500 miles on it even though the previous owner owned it for 18 months already. Its was so clean and drive pretty much normal, nobody would suspect something like that would happened, only a visual inspection under the vehicle would show.

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  Great car with some nagging issues - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By android45 - August 25 - 8:50 pm

  Have been driving the R350 for a year now. Consistently getting 23-24 mpg with my daily commute at 70-75 mph. Great highway cruiser with good comfort (AC/Interior). Fold down seats work quite well. Car has had a crown steer pulling problem since new which they tell me to live with. MB nickel and dimes you on the options as well. Sliding rear doors and backup camera would be a big improvement as well as standard park distance (it is big and difficult to park).Decent value with $5000 incentive and Employee discount. Overpriced as compared to others in this segment. Great looking car with decent fit and finish.