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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  WHERE IS THE AUTOBAN? - 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By BISON - April 26 - 2:00 am

  CLK 320 IS WONDERFUL CAR FOR UNITED STATES. I LIVED IN EUROPE FOR PAST 13 YEARS--DROVE SL/S-CLASS CARS. CLK 500/AMG55 WOULD BE A MUST OVER THERE.STYLING DONT HACK IT ON THE AUTOBAN.VWS, OPELS, AND FIATS RUN OVER 130MPH.

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  Good job! - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Scottie P - April 26 - 2:00 am

  Drives like a charm

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  MBenz 430 CLK - 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Rockman - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Fun car to drive, but maintenance issues continue to dog it; a refelciton of MBenzs increased model line and production I suspect. Poor choic eo Michelin Pilot on 18" wheels; Ive had to replace six tires in less than two years for wear (at 43K miles?), and for punctures that were not fixable due to the low aspect ratio. Gets expensive at $340/tire... Also had relaibility problems (and dealer problems at MBenz in Pleasanton) for rain sensing windshield, broken sunroof switch, broken climate contorl fan, and broken gas gauge. Sure is great to drive and handles very well at high speed, but cost/mile is very high.

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  2000 ML430 - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By bob_2000 - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Aside from a few minor fixes (rear corner glass piece cracks, etc - al taken care of under warranty) my ML has been great. Its relatively quick, sure-footed, and comfortable (keep in mind - I also own an Audi S4). Sure, it drinks gas like theres no tomorrow, but what would you expect from a V-8? I will be trading mine in for a ML500 in a couple of years.

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  Clk review - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Harry Resis - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Greay car. Dream car.

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  R500 - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Christian - April 25 - 9:50 am

  Bought it in aug of 2009 at 7,300 miles from a private party. Window sticker showed $68k msrp (loaded with options). Personally dont think the car worth that much. But buying it used at less than half what it stickered, it makes it a great deal. My first MB. Have had 3 bmws, 2 Lexus. Was a little worried about reliability but so far its been bullet proof at 20k miles. Car rides nice and smooth (too smooth I think). Great on trips with 2 small children with dvd in back. Extremely comfortable overall. I just hope it stays reliable after warranty. Gets about 14.5 mpg with suburb driving and up to 19 if on hwy all the way. Not too bad for 5.0 motor

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  Love this car! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By K - April 23 - 2:40 pm

  This car drives like it is on air. Ride is very smooth and extremely quiet. Handles beautifully. Great safety features. Accelerates quickly and steadily.

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  An Excellent Car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By William - April 22 - 6:36 pm

  The E320 CDI is top notch and well worth the 50G+ price tag. Acceleration is smooth and effortless, the interior is attractive, quiet, and comfortable. It is literally a pleasure to drive back and forth to work. If the power, ride, and handling dont lift your spirits, the sound system surely will. This car has become my private decompression chamber. I look forward to driving it each and every day. It has that quality of ride and handling only the Germans seem able to pull off - firm yet compliant, and tight yet not punishing or noisy. Its as though the bad elements arising from the road are edited out, yet youre still left with outstanding feel and handling.

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  Mercedes S Class Review - 2009 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By jb68902 - April 21 - 9:40 pm

  Im happy to have it because it is the best car I have ever owned. The interior is plush, glitzy, and a bit ostentatious, but this is required in a huge Mercedes-Benz Saloon car. The sat nav is intuitive, but the COMMAND system takes around a week to fully master. Driving this car is interesting. You feel the huge size, but the 4Matic system, just seems to make it feel smaller. The power is easily accessible an the torque can be accessed in the low rev range. The steering is good, for a huge saloon car, but it takes to many turns of the wheel. The paddle shifters on the side feel awkward and hard to use, they also feel cheap. Overall this car is probably the best car on the market today.

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  Buyer Beware! - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Taryn - April 21 - 4:13 pm

  The sunroof design is an absolute joke. While test driving the car on a gloomy day, I never thought to check how the sunroof closed. Every car I have ever had or been in has a solid screen that closes off the sunroof. Not this car. The sunroof screen is mesh, not solid, and thus lets sunlight in through the roof while the sun is overhead. When I am driving around mid-day I need to wear a hat and I need to blast the air conditioner (even on a cool day) as the car heats up excessively with sun coming through the roof for many hours. I was so thrilled when I bought this car but now I dread to drive it during the day. Mercedes refuses to do anything to help.