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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  Pre-Safe....NOT - 2013 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By benzboy3 - December 14 - 3:31 pm

  I purchased this ML 350 new in August 2012...could hardly wait to get it on the road.....took 3000 mile trip in October and vehicle performed flawlessly......no problems.....then took another 3000 mile road trip in March 2013.....wife and I were almost involved in major accident due to the "map-functioning" of the pre-safe system.....we were in high speed traffic surrounded by about 20 cars....all going in excess of 70 mph.....we were in the middle lane and a car in the lane closest to the side of the road swerved generating the need for an emergency avoidance maneuver on my part.....I stepped on the brakes , which disengaged the cruise control and also swerved to miss the other vehicle this

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  Beware Mercedes doesnt have parts for this car - 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By 2014e350 - December 7 - 11:45 am

  I purchased my brand new 2014 e350 in May 2013. Unfortunately someone rear ended it two weeks later. It has been over 2 months and Mercedes is unable to replace the rear bumper on my car. They cannot give me an answer to when they will have the part. I did not expect this from Mercedes. Beware people before you buy Mercedes. Are they going bankrupt?

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  ML320 Overengineered - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By pickaxpete - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Car had most unusual things go wrong. Replaced 2 Windshield washer containers, rear end and shocks, all audio failed on 700 mile trip, sunroof leaked, A/C leaked all over front passenger compartment.Rear seats difficult to work. Storage area had angled floor so luggage forced against rear door and cracked the door panel.

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  mechanical piece of junk - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By harbor905 - December 1 - 10:00 am

  three recalls -- one of which could have allowed serious injury or death -- and now the drive train is gone -- 26,000 total highway miles. the dealership has been outstanding -- but i guess they would have to be with this piece of junk. German kwowhow...ill take japaneese quality.

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  Nice, but costly to maintain - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Abraham - November 30 - 2:15 am

  The performance of my GL350 is unacceptable at any level of quality standards. The Oil Cooler, AdBlu Heater, and GPS unit have all failed, within 5-8 thousand miles of the warranty. The costs to fix all these items are > 10% of the original purchase price of the car, at >$7,000. No one would offer that this performance meets or exceeds the most basic expectations. While MB national and local discounts were offered and accepted (20% off), I told the MB national representative, Andrea D., Case Manager, [contact info removed] that I doubted if that discount was near the profit margins enjoyed by MB on parts and labor, making the ENTIRE cost remediation of these issues on my shoulders. We didn’t SHARE the remediation, I paid for it ALL. I’ve purchased 4 Mercedes since 2008…I’ll not be an eager return MB buyer for my next auto… UPDATE - (9/16) Since this above, Ive had the motor on the autolift tailgate fail and need to be replaced. Another $500 down the drain...

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  great car eats expensive front tires evry 8k miles - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By tam - November 28 - 11:09 am

  We have a 2015 c 400 that eats the outside edges in 6-8 k miles, inside edge still has 85% tread left . Take it in at 10 k miles when we first noticed outside edge of tires down to cords. I am told out of alignment , even when it tracks straight as a arrow, I have to pay for alignment that proves it is spot on factory settings, Then they say driving habit. Wife drives the car on the same freeway route as she did with our previous c 250 that got over 40k miles on original set of tires. Car currently has 40 k miles on it , brakes are at 70% life left , so not a hard driving issue. .Have been through 4 sets of front tires that I toss with over 85% of tread left on inside edge and centers at 8/32 tread depth and outside edges worn to cords .Only on 2nd set of rears that wear consistent from edge to edge and gave life expected of a super summer tire of 20 k miles If it was a hard driving issue rears would wear faster as well. Run flats at 20 inch size are 500 each !! Car is a poor design and MB will do nothing about it Every service writer knows it is a issue but mercedes usa will not address it and will not do anything about it. Very poor customer service from mercedes usa. ANYONE ELSE WITH A C SERIES 4 MATIC OR ANY OTHER 4 MATIC HAVING SAME ISSUES ??

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  Electrical nightmare - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Michael Drake - November 18 - 4:50 am

  Car has been and electrical and mechanical nightmare. Dealer had car for almost 2 months trying to fix charging problem. Software upgrades and failures galore. The dealer has been fine, but the overall quaility is terrible. I have owned Mercedes for over 20 years, and this thing is a lemon.

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  Transmission Problems Right After 4 Years - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By itsats - November 6 - 3:16 pm

  This was the first time that I purchased a brand new car. It has been nothing but problems since owning it. In addition to costly regular maintenance, I have had to replace brakes, rotors twice, tires need to be replaced often, the power steering pump went out, and shortly after 52,000 miles I began having transmission problems. It continues to start in a higher gear creating lag when I push on the gas. Other times, it will not automatically upshift and stays in first gear. In ordet to override the problem, I pull over, turn off the car, and then restart again. I will NEVER purchase a MB again.

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  TOO LITTLE FOR TOO MUCH - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By SCENIC - October 20 - 10:00 am

  NOISY TAILGATE LATCH ON MY WAY HOME AFTER PURCHASE, AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. ANNOYING CREEKING SOUND DEVELOPED ON PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD FRAME POST.DEALER KEPT VEHICLE 3 WEEKS. AFTER TAKING MOST OF THE FRONT END AND DASH APART THEY FOUND A SPOT WELD WHICH NEEDED TO BE RE WELDED. VISIT TO CAR WASH, THE WINDOW SWITCH WOULD NOT CLOSE WINDOW AND HAD TO RETURN TO DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT. POWER STEERING HOSE BROKE AND LEAKED ALL OVER DRIVEWAY BECAUSE OF FAULTY DESIGN. WOUND UP HAVING RECALL ON THIS FAULTY DESIGN.TOP HEAVY FEEL WHEN DRIVING ON WINDING ROADS.

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  Dont Do It! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By eisaveggie - October 20 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2002 MB C240 19 months ago and it has been in the shop over 20 times. This car has had every electrical function replaced, many times more than once, and were still counting. MB has stated that as long as there is a cure for the problem, I have to deal with bringing it to the shop all of the time. If you value your time, dont buy this car!!!