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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  Not worth the $$$$ - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By DLB19 - October 11 - 10:00 am

  Generally, it is an "OK" vehicle. Having said that, "OK" is not good enough for a MB vehicle. Based on the brand and the price, I am very disappointed in both my MBs. Our E-Class had to have a part in the heater replaced, which was several hundred dollars. That repair was shortly followed by the front suspension wearing out, which cost a couple thousand dollars. All these repairs were needed prior to 80,000 miles. I wouldnt expect these type of issues from "any" high end luxury vehicle, much less a Mercedes. The seats are extremely firm, liken to sitting on a cinder block. We also own a ML, which has spent most of its life in the garage, costing us thousands of dollars.

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  C55 Amazing Power - Everything else???? - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By flatout7 - October 2 - 5:40 am

  Nothing else can compare this this cars power. That is about where it ends for me. Within two weeks of delivery the remote access FOB features quit working and the radio was in a constant state of static and random on off behavior. A warranty trip to the dealer and the radio was fixed and they said the keyless access was fixed as well. The keyless access quit working two days later and this was followed by a HUGE transmission fluid leak in my garage and a mysterious flapping sound coming from the engine compartment. Back to the dealer again. They advised they leak in the tranny was a common problem and they could not find the mysterious noise after numerious attempts.

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  an over-priced hunk of junk - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By jon doe - September 29 - 10:00 am

  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR! The AMG engine, navigation system and handling are all excellent. Beyond that, you had might as well buy a ford festiva. The glove box, sun roof, elec. seat adjuster, optional rooftop cargo container have all malfunctioned or broken. The alignment has needed repeated repair. We had a flat, tire was patched. Patch gave way within one week. Dealership customer service is nonexistant. Brakes now sqeak and car stalls out frequently. A complete POS.

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  Mercedes should be ashamed of their internal build quality - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By daiku - September 28 - 8:59 pm

  First, the engine, and ride have been great, but the internal comfort features on this $60K have been terrible. 4 front cup holders replaced @$80 each Keyless go doors dont work and need repair and redesign Replaced thee rear DOOR latch on the right passenger side so my daughter could get out of the vehicle $685!. Rear sunscreen not functioning (MB are notorious for this problem, yet the still dont have a better design from Bosch). First and Last MB. I bought the car for my wife who always wanted one, but never again. Toyotas are much bettter built. As a person of German heritage, I am ashamed at this vehicle! Embarrassment to not stand behind these problems out of warranty

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  Disappointed - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By DB - September 13 - 4:50 am

  I leased my first M-class in 2001 enjoyed it very much. End of lease purchased a 2001 M-class. Currently I have 85,000 on this M class with a easy care 100,000 mile warranty. Good thing, fuel pump (towed), gas/air mixture filter, sun roof air vents, electric window control, ESP and anti lock brakes. These were all covered by a warranty with a $100 deductible each time. Normal maintenance expensive. Oil changes $200 - $300. Rotors and pads for all four wheels $1,200, plugs and wires $800. I am thinking of trading it..

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  THE GLK 350 MYTH- EDITH - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By EDITH - September 11 - 9:07 am

  This is a great car until you become familiar with it. It has looks,style and attractiveness,but the pros generally stop there. None of the controls are intuitive. The voice commands only control the nav system. My 2014 Honda Accord Touring could make calls,turn on the air, ch ange the temperature and several other things. This car is luxury in name only,because it has the Mercedes name tag. In my personal opinion, the cost to value ratio is about 75%. I would not buy this vehicle again

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  Unhappy with 2006 Mercedes ML500 - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By mseriesqualityproble - August 13 - 10:30 pm

  After 8 days of happy ownership and only 200 miles, our ML500 had serious transmission problems, couldnt be driven and it spent the next 4 days in the dealers shop. All this, after waiting an extra 2 months for delivery so "Mercedes could be sure of no quality problems". This was our departure from 15 years of owning Lexus...and we are going back to Lexus. It is a shame because the car is a beauty and rides incredibly well. Too bad the Germans have forgotten how to design and manufacture a car for reliability. By the way, the Mercedes navigation compared to Lexus is far inferior....Lexus makes it so easy to use. When your emotion grabs you to go for style...think quality/reliability.

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  I got a Lemon Mercedes - 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By mercedes16 - August 13 - 5:05 am

  This is my mercedes car No 5. Leased on 2-27-12. Ondrive home from dealership open hood signal was on It took some effort by 3 people to shut hood. next week A/C was not working, took it to dealership they fixed it. Some leaky valve I was told. on 3-21-12 dead battery.Car was towed to dealership on 3-22-12 new battery installed. Car is still at dealership we are trying to work with them. Road side service is overloaded with calls asking to call back unless it is an emergency. Looks like Lots of lemons on road. One review on cars.com is very alarming.

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  Worst car ever bought - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By sonya - August 4 - 12:26 pm

  We have spent over 6,000 in the last 10 months for problems we shouldnt have. some repairs started at about 65,000 and I mean major repairs. This year, front end, sensors of all kinds at about 90,000. Just keeps on. Cant buy another car for awhile since were retired and the crooks at the Feds did a good job of evaporation of our IRA. Our other Merc was just fine. A 1998. We thought this Mercedes would last us awhile.

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  2011 MB S63 - 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By cuni - July 16 - 7:54 am

  The only way that I could possible love this car is if I had never owned a 2008 version. The "ecco" drive system is a bust. Luxury sports sedans with this much power should not have to be coaxed out of the starting blocks. Add to all of this the fact that I have to add a quart of oil every other month and Im so mad at MB that I could holler!. Why would you take a perfectly fine luxury sedan(2008-2010) and ruin it like this. Im also tikced off at the three delaers who told me that there was major differences between the 08 and 11.(I live in a smaller market and none of the local dealerships had a car I could drive prior to purchasing the 11). Future S-63 buyers--Save your money!