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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  Terrible Service from Mercedes - 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By tracy97035 - May 24 - 8:36 am

  In 2012 I researched purchasing either a Mercedes or Acura. I had exceptionally great service with Acura in the past but chose Mercedes and assumed their service would meet the same expectation. I was wrong. I ordered running boards over a year ago and still have not received them. I now had to take my rubber drivers side mat into dealership due to a recall and am told not to hold my breath for the new one. Mercedes called me to say I would be put on their "preferred" list...but still have not received these items and they could not give me an eta on them. Waiting over a year for parts is insane. I wonder what the future will hold when I need service/parts ordered. I looked at Acura today..

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  Nice at first, but... - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By BP - May 21 - 7:20 am

  Bought this car new in 2006. Was torn between the 650 BMW and the CLS500. Both seemed to purr but thought I would go for the lesser horsepower but try for the Mercedes badge. Test drove each for a weekend, and found the BMW to be more appealing, faster, and over all a better head turner, but thought the MB was a better buy. Lets just say I had the Mercedes for 2 months and traded it for the BMW 650. The MB sqeaked, knobs cracked, just poor quaility I missed all this at the begining during my test drives. I guess if I wanted a Chrysler product, I should have bought a Chrysler. Never again. I learned my lesson on this one. Maybe once they stop sharing parts on $20,000 Crossfires, I may be back

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  A sturdy German Car, but overcomplicated controls - 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Royal Barnard - May 19 - 2:19 pm

  Everything you always wanted in a great driving machine, but riddled with confusing controls. Navigation system overly complicated and difficult to use. Sound system has not on/off button. You can silence it, but its not easy. MBrace is supposed to work for in car WiFi. Had the car for 6 months and still doesnt work. Trial period now run out. I live far from a dealer and they say I have to go there to fix it. Meanwhile no more trial period. So thats out. But, of course, MBrace keeps calling and sending emails trying to sell me subscription services. NOT.... until they show me it can actually work. Passenger seats sit low in the chassis and make it a bit clumsy to get in and out.... and Im not a weakling. Final negative is the "eco" fuel saving mode. It turns the motor off every time you stop and keep your foot on the brake. Then it automatically starts the car again when you hit the accelerator. Supposed to save fuel and put the car in a better "mileage" category. The system can not be permanently shut off, and it comes on automatically every time you start the car. Giant pain. Having said all this its a nice driving and handling touring vehicle with all the blood and guts of a tough German luxury vehicle.... and its quite comfortable. Dont think I would buy another one of this exact year and model.

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  Faulty Electrical - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Beau - May 18 - 3:03 am

  The car has been in the service department to replace control unit for radio. Problem continued and another electrical part was the problem. Cost to repair is excessive. Also the remote door locks failed and a sensor for hood latch failed. Fun car to drive when it it not in repair shop.

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  Stay away! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By earbon - May 15 - 3:20 pm

  As a starter the value of that car is dropping like a rock in a lake with no bottom. The real trade in value is between $25000.00 and $31000.00 at best. I was lucky to buy it with a POC on it otherwise I would have left my wallet at the dealer. Lots of squeaking and annoying noise coming from the chassis. Lots of problem with the electronic, seat wont recline and suddenly they do, the lighting. The air ride suspension is nice but unreliable and can collapse at any time. They had to replace the whole rear end at 48000 miles. Please stay away from Mercedes benz and leave MB where they deserve to be, in bankruptcy.

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  Poor Reliability - 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Anonymous - May 12 - 2:00 am

  Initial impressions were good. But then came the problems. Heres a breakdown: 1. Cylinder head replaced due to valve going bad at, get this, 23,000 miles. 2. Left my wife stranded as the fuse box blew a circuit preventing the car from being started. This at just over 26,000 miles. Had to get the car towed to dealership. 3. Left me stranded when the cam positioning sensor went bad at 40,000 miles. Had to get the car towed to dealership. 4. Left me stranded AGAIN when the fuel pump went out a month later. Had to get the car towed to dealership. 5. Found out during this repair I would need to replace both front rotors as they were worn down. At 41,000 miles?

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  Good not Great - 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By ageorge - May 4 - 12:15 pm

  We currently have a 2009 Mercedes Wagon with 15k miles on it. Also for context we have a Toyota mini-van and a Prius. This current wagon only seems special when you are on the highway. There it is in its element. Extremely smooth, quiet yet with the classic German feel. Other than price it isnt much different from the Toyotas. Overall build quality actually seems to be less than the Toyotas I am sad to say. We have had a number of minor problems with the electrical and mechanical systems. The CD player still doesnt work. The right windshield wiper stopped working etc. In general it seems as the though the car is several years behind the competitors in features.

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  1998 ML320 - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By p_iyer - April 19 - 2:00 am

  The good: relatively quiet interior easy entry/exit in spite of being a tall vehicle The bad: poor build quality brakes wear out prematurely poor transmission, jumps in and out of gears at low speeds Excessive wind noise at highway speeds

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  I want my money back - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mustang95 - April 8 - 10:00 am

  What a piece of good looking crap. We are in the process of trying ot get our money back. I have never owned a car with so many problems. Shock problems, electrical problems, broken plastic truck liner, sun roof sticking, rattles, We were looking forward to getting this car and now we look forward to getting rid of it.

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  Excellence?? - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By babypope - April 2 - 2:00 am

  After 1900 miles on my new $60,000 vehicle, I ve had to have the front end replaced due to failure in cross arms and bushings. I thought maybe I it was an unusual occurance. Im now at 4800 miles and 45 days later. Oh Im on my way back to the dealer with the same problem. I m wondering if anyone else has experienced the same problem???