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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  Half & Half - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By GC - December 12 - 10:00 am

  I always wanted an E320 4-Matic - Bought it as a leftover and was satisfied with the price. 6 months after the purchase is when it started to cause headache after headache. Heated seat stopped working, radio stopped working and had to be replaced, passenger window goes down by itself and the transfer cas had to be repalced because of knocking noise and leaking oil on my garage floor. Have had it back 8 times to the dealer since purchased, what a hassle. For the price you pay for a Mercedes you should get a quality piece of machinery.

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  Great car - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By K Howard - December 10 - 5:03 pm

  I just went to a few dealerships considering a replacement for my C280 Sport. I am not going to do it! New cars are nice but nothing I drove in the 18K-20K range even compared to the Benz. Safety, stability, performance, fuel economy, reliability, craftsmanship. This Benz makes the Accord, Maxima, Passat, and others look like second class citizens. She might be getting older but I have decided to not put her out to pasture yet. If you can find a low mileage C280 Sport-BUY IT

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  Ill keep itfor 20 years! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By Roxydad - December 9 - 1:43 pm

  After about 2,500 miles, the G500 is perfect: comfortable, extreemly capeable off road, built like a tank and civilized enough that I have to fight my wife for the keys. On road performance is adequate in all respects with acceleration good, braking very good and handling, surprisingly, also very good. Moreover, it has remarkably good NVH isolation. The COMAND system is complicated, but I like having access to a GPS.

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  NA - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Secret - December 9 - 10:00 am

  Nice German Car. Simply GREAT!

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  One of M-Bs best cars - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By llllouis - December 9 - 10:00 am

  its a terrific car

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  Excellent buy. - 2004 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By jalfaro - December 9 - 10:00 am

  Excellent quality and price. I look a lot of different SUV and for this price it beats all the competitors.

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  I love this car! - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By d4jls7 - December 9 - 10:00 am

  I upgraded from a Mitsubishi Eclipse to the C320. I absolutely love this car. Its comfortable to drive and has many safety features. What I really love most is that oil changes and road side assistance are free for the life of the car.

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  AMG S 55 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By andrew - December 9 - 12:06 am

  This is the best vehicle it is so powerful and roomy

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  Experienced Mercedes Man - 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Alan - December 7 - 7:00 pm

  I have owned several Mercedes in the past. I mostly prefer AMG models over the standard ones. This car is just gorgeous. I could have opted for the SL55 amg or the SL65 AMG, but to be honest they were very expensive. This car is not exactly cheap, but it sure is beautiful!

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  Cool Week in Florida with a GLA 250 - 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
  By Dirk Durstein - December 7 - 3:16 pm

  Rented a GLA 250 4-matic to drive from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine and back for a wedding. The front seats were exceptionally comfortable and supportive, and the rear cargo area was plenty for two and our gear. Not much room in the rear for passengers - which was irrelevant to us. Performance - acceleration, handling, braking - was exhilarating. Ride was firm but not harsh while cruising. Fuel economy was excellent. Used sport mode around town and economy on the highway, with sport steering setting. Cruises easily at 100 mph with little road noise and full control. The engine stop/start feature was an aggravation, with hesitation, so I disabled it. The transmission was smoother in sport mode than in economy or comfort. There is a custom feature available too. Audio was good but not great, and no equalizer controls. I would opt for the Harmon-Kardon upgrade for $750 (can be ordered separately from various packages). Burnished aluminum on dash was ugly and reflected too much sun. Opt for wood. Electronics were a steep learning curve indeed; but this was a rental with insufficient time to study the manual. Not intuitive. I agree the central screen looks like a cheap add-on. Visibility is limited due to the small windows all around. I normally drive a Ford Focus hatch with manual tranny, so the outstanding performance and solid quality build was impressive. Missed the clutch; but there are paddle shifters. Did not take it offroad; but doubt it would make it over the dune on the Outer Banks. More of a slick-handling sporty AWD hatch with tremendous performance for the price. Cannot even imagine driving the AMG version.