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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  GREAT CAR - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By jon6558 - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car, I have had BMW, VW, Acura and the feel of this car is 2nd to none. It just feels good to drive it. I have only 1 complaint: The brakes on this car are out of control squeaky. Its unreal... I blame this problem more on the local Mercedes dealer than anyone else. They have refused several times to address this issue under warranty. They just say it has 25k on it, it needs new brakes. It clearly does not need brakes, they are 80% still. So like with any other car, you vehicle is only as good as the local dealer (Kansas City).

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  One Beautiful Car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Lou Algieri - July 4 - 9:56 pm

  Mercedes designed the CLS for buyers that wanted something more sporty than an E-Class but couldnt afford AMG series cars. Well, it seemed like they designed it just for me because as soon as I saw it, I wanted one. The car has style, plenty of horsepower and handles better than the E500. I was concerned about the low roofline thinking it would hinder visibility, but that has not been the case. The high performance tires are a little noisy, but not distracting. The jury is still out on the "reliability" category because the car is new. And finally, the CLS has decent cup holders in the front!

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  Great car ! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Jack Taylor - July 4 - 4:23 pm

  The only disclaimer I would say is the air ride can be finicky sometimes but usually does not affect ride quality. It is a heavy car but moves very fast and corners quite well.

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  e320 4m - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By vistab - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Awesome, but Contintental tires hydroplane easily

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  Simply the best - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Catlover - July 4 - 10:00 am

  My 5th SL in 15 years and by far the best. An awesome car with technology that others will take years to catch up to. Braking power is incredible, the ABC feature is the best automotive invention since disks breaks (I experienced it first in my S55). I have a Ferrari 360 and Aston DB7 who, in my opinion, are vastly inferior in technology, safety, road holding and braking. No contest, besides, when the SL55 comes out they are toast anyway. Great looks and while not a real exotic, it is the first exotic SL coming out of Stuttgart. A marvel.

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  My Retirement Gift - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Rays Dream Car - July 4 - 7:56 am

  I could not be happier with the purchase of my 2003 500SL. Its performance, luxury appointments, and over all wow factor is amazing. I never thought that a retired school teacher would be fortunate enough to own a car of this quality.

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  Whats your problem? - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Gperson - June 30 - 10:00 am

  We bought this used with just 6,000 miles on it and a Starmark warranty after owning two new Pathfinders. What a difference. This is a great SUV. Comfortable, fast and, I have to risk saying reliable. We havent been let down once in 65,000 miles. I marked it down a little on build quality because we have had a couple of stupid switch type problems but thats it. Our average gas consumption of 18 is pretty darn good for a V8 of this weight. We just had the brakes replaced for the first time and are on our first set of replacement tires. Not bad for a vehicle now at 71,000.

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  2005 E320 CDI - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Pierre Louis - June 30 - 10:00 am

  First 6000 miles are uneventful. The attention to detail is amazing. I need to make excuses to not drive this car all the time. Getting an average of 29.5 mpg (60% highway) is a little disappointing but has been improving with time. The ride is not too soft but soft enough for the horrible roads around here, especially for my neck problems. The acceleration is more like a big block V8 with the fuel economy of a Corolla. Handling is very confident and I dont even need to slow down on highway entrance ramps. I love the safety features, which include very refined brakes, head curtain airbags, and standard yaw control. The computer is easy to use.

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  Family Car?? - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Hercedes - June 29 - 12:40 am

  We have had this vehicle for just over a year. Overall we are happy with it with the exception of a few things. The biggest issue we have is rear seating for kids. Many of us buy these vehicles because of its safety and frankly it rates phenomenal at the tests.The issue we have is with 2 small children(6 & 8) leg room is non existent due to us having to move our seat back (6 ft 2) but their legs do not hang over the seat. Parents may want to keep this in mind. Service at MB is horrid here in South Florida.The car is a canon, feels safe, turns on a dime, overtakes with no hesitation, turns heads, again it is safe. I would certainly recommend this vehicle to any of you.

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  after 5 years and 50k miles - 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By amiraqeel - June 28 - 5:16 pm

  I bought the car with 6k miles on it. I am still amazed with car after 5 years, the way it obeys drivers command. Body style is great. Only changes made to this car are 20inch giovanni rims which makes it look even greater.I heard complain about having one cup holder only. There are actually two cup holders. I own four different vehicles and believe if you keep up with the maintanance and make small changes technology wise to your car, it will give you years of enjoyment, specialy to clk500