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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  Help - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By sick/and tired - February 15 - 2:00 am

  I am utterly disappointed with Mercedes Benz. I spend $46K CDN on this car and on average I make a warranty claim every 6000KM. I have had alignment problems that have ruined my tires and now the dealership wants me to pay for new tires due to uneven wear, when they claimed I never had an alignment problem. My key stopped working once, and I change a headlight every month due to alternator problems. My dealership will do nothing for me. I am really going to trade this car in for another brand.

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  Used to love the car, but so unreliable... - 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By meg711 - February 12 - 8:21 pm

  I used to love the car until recently, but I now cannot wait to get out of my lease. It is the perfect size for me, comfortable, easy to navigate, and have everything I need. However, I clearly got a defect car with a bad ignition system. The car is only 15 month old, and I got it as a brand new. I have less than 5,300 miles on it. Everything was fine for the first 1 year. Then in this April, I drove 30 miles away from my home, and parked on the side street for coffee. When I came back, I was not able to turn on the engine, and MB Roadside Assistance told me that the key didn’t recognize my car. I had to wait for 3 hours to get my car towed. It took 2 weeks for MB to replace the igni

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  S-class, no I mean F-Class - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Benzocrazy - February 10 - 10:00 am

  This car is the most expensive and lousy car in my life. I am (was) a loyal Lexus owner, and I decided to break away from the Ls430 and switch to the prestigious S-class. The biggest mistake in my life. The day I bought the $80,000 car, the power seats did not work, GPS freezes . (not to mention the worst GPS system in history. ) the power trunk closer and doors did not work, sunshade not going down, the brake pad and ABC had an light on the display the pick up speed is slow, The only good thing on this car is the style/ride. After the experiences with this car, I will never get another benz

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  Steering Wheel Module - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
  By kdonde - February 9 - 6:57 pm

  When I first bought this car, I was in love with it! Within the first 2 months of driving it, an error popped up on my dash. The dealership told me that my steering wheel module was not working and that the part was on back order, coming from Europe (30 days). You can imagine my disappointment. If that part is on back order you think to yourself, this must happen a lot! Im almost second guessing buying a Mercedes.

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  Seduced by the shining star - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By MCJ - February 8 - 12:20 pm

  My wife thinks this car is beautiful and loves it because of that. I can only see the horrible reliability, expensive purchase price, and the crippling maintenance costs. Recently had an alternator go bad at 68K for a $900 surprise. No power, mushy ride, cheap stereo where 2 of 4 speakers dont work. Very high TCO in both money and frustration. Even the salesman admitted the C240 line had major quality problems and offered to sell us a newer model. No thanks!

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  S500 - 1995 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Sharvan - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car with approx 87,000 miles on it believing that it was a quality car that would hold a reasonable value. In the two and a half years that I had it, it cost over $6,000.00 in repairs and had to be towed back to the dealer twice. I would not recomend buying a Mercedes of any type unless there was a full warrantee on the car. Do not expect to get any thing for it on a trade. When the car runs it can appear to be a great car, but be sure to have a lot off money in the bank if you buy one used. Especially if the warrantee has run out. I sold it with 122,000 miles on it.

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  Another Mistake - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Bill - January 22 - 9:00 pm

  After having numerous problems with an 02 ML-320 we decided to try the new ML and to step up to the 500. Within 2 weeks the car began to "shudder" at lights and the headlights dimmed. The dealer kept the vehicle for another week and changed some electronic component which cured nothing. The car is very powerful and gorgeous.

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  Dont buy Mercedes S500 - 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Abi Vahdatinia - January 1 - 12:30 pm

  I am sick and tired of having problems with my S500 all the times. I took my car to a Mercedes dealer for oil change and inspection, the estimated cost for repairs is over $11,000. $1,600 for a headlamp replacement, $1,600 for replacing spark plugs and wires, $2,400 for replacing a leaking ABS pump, and so on. The estimate does not include the broken moonroof and tire pressure system. I dont recommend this car to anyone.

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  Dont be fooled - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By lglegl - January 1 - 3:33 am

  Dont be fooled by the fact that the emblem says Mercedes Benz. The car is poorly designed and poorly built. Interior is cramped; upgraded sound system is tinny; radio reception is awful; climate control is poor, navigation system is impossible to use. At least 5 service visits in less than a year due to defects. This is more like a Reliant K than a Mercedes Benz!

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  Wheel Spin, Torque Steer, and Bluetooth Disconnect - 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
  By Michael Shea - December 27 - 9:36 am

  I got this car from SIXT rental car in San Francisco and spent the week with it. I really wanted to like this car but every time you accelerate (even lightly) the wheels want to spin or you get torque steer around a turn. The engine is peppy but not so much that it should be spinning one of the front wheels. This car only had 5K miles on it so it was pretty new. The interior was nice, although the seats were pretty firm for a small SUV. The ride was firm but this doesnt other me because I like sporty cars. The other annoying thing about the car is that my bluetooth kept disconnecting randomly while on phone calls. I have an iPhone 6S Plus so there is no reason for this (and it does not happen in other cars). I think I would have given this car 4 stars if I had the all wheel drive version. I would not recommend the front wheel drive version.