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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  MBE350 Sport - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By tomboy - May 13 - 10:13 pm

  Loved the appearance of as the new E Class. Test drove the car in Florida where the roads are relatively flat and in good condition. Drove the car to the Midwest where roads are rough. Liked the ride in Fl, dislike the ride in WI. Suspension too stiff on the sport and frankly very noisy on bumpy roads. Tires may be a factor. Liked my C300 ride better! MB must change the suspension or lose customers in the future. I have a three year lease but will try to trade out come fall. Our second car is a 2010 Passat. I rather drive the Passat. Better ride at half the price. Go Figure.

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  My Ride - Benz 280c 1998 - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Noggi - May 10 - 10:00 am

  One service call in 4 years which was my fault - left lights on. Nice to drive, looks good, good mileage,zippy enough (its a six) unless you are a racer - Only bad is "check engine" light comes on intermittently (this means only check the air pollution system). Benz mechanics will say usually"tighten gas cap" or forget it etc - doesn`t mean much. This is a very good car - my 5th mercedes and I love them but concerned about coming years since they bought chrysler and are making some big changes in the Benz line.

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  Perfect Ride - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By kst823 - May 4 - 2:00 am

  We bought the car used from a MB Dealer in Boston, MA. After I drove the BMW 325i & 330i, I decided that comfort style & quiteness make-up for the less power. We love it.

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  C 240 Review - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By blazing1120 - May 4 - 2:00 am

  The car has a terrific ride, fantastic manumatic feature, pretty good amount of interior space, and Tele-aid feature leaves you almost worry free when you need assistance for your car. The interior presentation is simple but very bland for a car this price. The CD- changer should be in-dash, not in the glovebox, and the mirrors are a joke for this size of a car.

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  Great SUV - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By godboles - May 3 - 10:00 am

  Great car overall. Test drove the ML and Acura MDX. MDX is very bland. ALmost like a honda. MDX is very noisy inside, even more than my Camry. ML drives really great. Very comfortable. Powerful enough for me. Lot of goodies inside

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  C230 Sport Sedan - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mike - May 3 - 2:46 am

  What a car and what a change from the 2005 C230 and C240. The new 2.5l I6 is wonderful, smoother and quieter than the previous 240 and of course a whole lot different than the 230 4 cyl Supercharged. I took a 2005 C240 as a loaner during routine maintenance for comparison and you could not give me it compared to the 2006. Much quieter, smoother and the fuel economy. We are getting near 32MPG on the road at 75mph. The 7 speed takes some getting used to as you the driver seem a bit disconnected to it compared to the 5 speed in the 2005. This is our first MB and it wont be our last! Now if they would just bring out an ML320D!

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  Expensive with Chrysler Quality - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Eds - April 28 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for just under 3 years. Next week it goes back in again for service, I have a total of 18 defectives, more than 3 other cars combined over 10 years. I think Mercedes has recreated the electrical system problems that Jaguar was known for in the past...... This car needs to be sold before the warranty ends. My impression is Mercedes does not care.

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  Best and Sexy Convertible - 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By JimmyD-MDRT - April 28 - 1:53 am

  Comparing to 06911S, its slower but more modern interior features. Command System in 09SL is so old to same year in LS460. Exterior and interior of this SL550 are so sexy in Red/Tan. Im really loving this 09SL better than 05SL,560SL,380SL and 280SL I had before!

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  Economical car, but weak horsepower - 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Michael L - April 26 - 1:00 am

  This car has been very reliable and never had it towed to the shop as of yet now that it has 168,000 miles. This glossy black car looks very classy and luxurious at all levels. It drives well when the speedometer is over 60 MPH+ on the freeway, but from the get go it is slow because of the car is heavy and the engine is a sohc inline-4 with 148 horsepower. My cost of repairs on this car has been reasonable because the C220 had less features. Now the car is 14 years old and there are some wear and tear items that need to be addressed, but as long as it drivable and safe it should be no problems.

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  Very Pleased - with fingers crossed - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By DGS49 - April 25 - 5:36 pm

  This car is a HOOT to drive! It corners, brakes, and accelerates very nicely. It has just enough power to be fun, yet gets great mileage with the 6M. Although the interior is not spacious, the seats are comfortable and supportive. Im not a stereo buff, but I think the sound system is great. My only criticism of the driving experience is that the steering is over-assisted and lacks feel. Ive had no reliability issues thus far, and the dealer even replaced a hard-to-get-at bulb under warranty. I am using 4 snows and it has gone great in snow and ice, despite being RWD. There is some flexibility in tire sizing, and I was able to get 17" snows very reasonably from Tire Rack.