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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  ABS Pump noise issues - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Radman - April 3 - 10:00 am

  The car is nice but for over $50k MB should do something about the noise from the ABS pump. The car can’t tell when is out of control and every time you take a curve it activates the ABS pump for the stabilizer unit. BAD design.

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  Mercedes Benz, a complete waste of money - 2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Heidelberg - February 28 - 5:20 am

  First off, I call myself "upgrading" from a 1998 Lexus GS300, but soon found out that I actually "downgraded" myself in this German problem. The air conditioner failed 2 times - one time it failed as soon as I picked the car up from being serviced. The brakes are an ongoing problem - they dont last more than 3 months and the brake dust that accumulates on my wheels (in the course of 1 day after cleaning them) is completely out of control. The fit and finish with the car is horrible: the interior door handle is peeling on both doors, bulbs constantly go out, the dashboard illumination is failing (which means no clock), etc. My advice, get a Lexus - when my lease expires, I certainly will!

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  Do not buy the 98-99 model! - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Crazy4U - February 14 - 5:10 pm

  This car is awful! Bought it at 82k and now has 115. At 85 had to change oxygen sensors. 100$ each. So $400. Engine coolant started leaking at 88k, had to change the radiator. 120. This car is just awful. Good comfort.

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  Buyer Beware - Please read - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Stephen L. - January 17 - 4:44 am

  Ive been a Mercedes owner for 10 years now, and loved my cars. I started with a C class and then three E classes after that. I just picked the 2017 E300. Ive never been so disappointed... First, let me say that Im a very experienced technology consultant. The COMMAND system is way too techie. Many features take multiple actions, sometimes 6+ if everything goes right, and it frequently doesnt because of the swipe action. This makes it incredibly distracting to the driver, I hate to say it, but I feel unsafe changing the song in my car while driving. There are way too many inconsistencies in the rest of the electronics to spell them all out, but I highly encourage any potential buyer to take the car for a minimum of a couple of hours and really test it out, especially the COMMAND system. A few small things to note. There is no CD player. The engine is a turbo charged 2.0, I was told 3.0. Voice control is fair at best, Id call it poor myself. On three separate occasions, the COMMAND system went blank, froze, and was completely blank. The dashboard clock continued to work and the COMMAND clock stayed at the same time. Remote features via MB mbrace, a whole slew of problems, again, too many to list. The dealership told me that its not uncommon to have some problems with a new car, but I strongly disagree. I bought a Mercedes Benz. There is an expectation that I have as a customer that they are providing a superior product, in this case, my expectations were not meet; not even close. Ive never any problems with my other cars, not even close to this. Last, but not least, my check engine light came on with less than 100 miles on the car. I would say buyer beware for sure, and trust me, I hate to have to say that.

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  More problems than you would expect - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By rsingr - January 15 - 4:26 pm

  I purchased 4 Mercedes in 2003, (2) ML500, (1) 500S and (1) E500 The ML500s had fuse box fans that squealed for a half hour in the morning. Serious brake and tire problems. Each ML required new tires at 25,000 miles. Each has had the brakes replaced twice in 46,000 miles. ($1,400 for brakes) At 53,000 miles the brakes squeal so bad they are embarrassing to drive. Each has been in about a dozen times for various repairs. Top dollar, inferior quality, design problems and miserable service. Avoid these automobiles.

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  Poor quality throughout - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Alan Weinberg - January 4 - 2:00 am

  Its common for the front bumper grill to pop off and get lost on st - $400 to replace; MBnz "leather" is cheap, ext thin and easily torn/punctured vinyl; mini spare tire; interior windshield woodtrim placed where it can fade; outrageously designed & fragile cup holder;idles rough and loud - my 91 Lexus w/206,000 miles is smoother/quieter. Poorly placed frt seat belts - difficult to retrieve while std. Many horror stories heard from other owners at the Service Dept. "Chryslerization" of Daimler/Benz. Cheapness.