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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  Fun to drive but low reliability - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Andrew Lam - July 16 - 5:13 am

  For the last four years, this car was under warranty work for not less than ten times. The problem includes suspension, engine oil leaks, BAS and ESP lights on, engine back fire and requires new oxygen sensors . I would strongly advise potential buyers to purchase extended warranty before similar problems happen after the warranty expires.

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  Problems! - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By dale - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought the vehicle used with 30K miles. Ive had it for 3 years and its been in the shop 16 times. Everything has been replaced on it. Oil changes average $100, brakes are good for about 30K miles and cost $400 to replace ($800 for front and back). VERY HIGH maintenace costs. It rides a little rough for my tast. Gas milage is good but your paying $.20 per gallon more for premium so that cancels out the good gas milage.

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  Problems! - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Dale - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought the vehicle used with 30K miles. Ive had it for 3 years and its been in the shop 16 times. Everything has been replaced on it. Oil changes average $100, brakes are good for about 30K miles and cost $400 to replace ($800 for front and back). VERY HIGH maintenace costs. It rides a little rough for my tast. Gas milage is good but your paying $.20 per gallon more for premium so that cancels out the good gas milage.

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  Be flexible for reasonable request - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By WonderBuyer - July 1 - 10:00 am

  It is waired as it is: If you order a E without Sport Package, you can only pick Burl Walnut woodtrim; If you order a E with Sport Package, you cannot change to pick Burl Walnet woodtrim, you have to get the ink-like Black Birdeye Maple even you dont like it. The dealer can do nothing since the manufacture do not provide the change option. It just let me feel not confortable.

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  Disappointed in my Mercedes GLC - 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
  By Karen - June 29 - 7:33 pm

  My biggest disappointment with my GLC is that it does not have Apple/Android Play and cannot be retrofitted. The car doesnt even allow me to voice to text when I receive a text. I have to select command and then tell it to send a text to ... I would not have bought this car if I knew the technology was so antiquated. In addition Ive had to take my car in twice in the first 90 days, once to have the transmission adjusted because it was skipping gears and once to have the brake pads replaced because they were squeaking so bad in cold weather.

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  E300 fit for taxis in Europe not a luxury vehicle - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Francois - June 25 - 5:44 am

  Styling and interior design is great. Smaller version of S class, however the 4 cylinder engine sounds tinny and the interior materials are getting cheaper. The MBTex doesnt even wrap around the entire front seats, with no audio on, the engine noise is loud and reminds me of a smaller import, seems like MB has put in cheaper materials and lighter materials to save costs and fuel efficiency. I drove this car for a week as a loaner while they were fixing my 2014 E350. Which is much more luxurious then this newer version. I would say in Europe they use smaller engine MBs as taxis and this reminds me of one. I would not purchase this newer model and will look to others when I replace my car

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  Junk - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By da fred man - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Bought it used, love driving it, been in the shop 8 times, getting rid of it before the warranty runs out. What a disappointment!

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  Big Mistake! Least Reliable Car Ive ever owned! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By nolemonsplease - June 15 - 6:14 pm

  Just bought this car in March 13. The car is a 2006 with 68K miles. During the test drive everything was running smooth and we fell in love with the car, (more the interior than the exterior) The car almost looks like a Minivan but it grows on you. After 3 months of driving this used car the Transmission pooped out on us. It cost $1,500 to fix and we did not take it to the dealer (this was the cheaper mechanic option) Now the car randomly drops the left side suspension. Apparently the air shocks deflate overnight or while parked for a long time and it tilts to one side. Cant wait to find out how much new air shocks will cost but Im assuming it will not be cheap. Gas guzzler too!

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  Only MB not built in Germany! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By AlexSeng - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my ML320 for 6 months and its been at the shop for 4 times. The problems were 1. Gear shift Stuck, 2. Back seat could not unfolded. 3. Low range malfunction. 4. strange siren sound from under the foot well (MB dealer could not find the cause). I just got a letter from MB that there is a recall so I need to take my car in for the fifth time. The service advisor at the dealer told me shes seen a lot of ML320s with poor quality and said it might be because they are built in Alabama instead of Germany to cut cost. One of my friend bought a Acura MDX at around the same time and used to envy my MB, but now I regret that I bought my ML320.

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  Bought it and returned it in 2 days - 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By Steve - June 6 - 1:03 pm

  Traded 2001 Porsche 911 Carerra4 convertible in on this.1st mistake was to buy this car,as my past cars,w/o really testing it,even though the dealer offered to let me drive it over the weekend. Mistake 2 was thinking that since Chrysler & Mercedes have now divorced, there would be no longer any residual parts from one division to the other...wrong.Basically it is the quality of the Crossfire. Plastic cheap parts,great engine,shoddy body part fit & overall...basically a glorified Chrysler. I guess if I wanted a Chrysler..I would have bought one. I am in no way trying to bash this car,& feel owning a Mercedes, BMW & Ferraris in the past,I know cars.Ended up buying a BMW 650i,and love it.