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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  get out before warranty expiration - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By redfearn - October 24 - 10:00 am

  my truck handles like a sports car, and runs like the wind. however i who am notoriously light on the brakes go through a set of disc and rotors every 22000 miles. the dealership used regular oil instead of synthetic in the a and b services and it uses a good bit of oil. i have replaced the electrical controls for the windows every year. and the a and b services have increased in price from 79.00 for a and 179.00 for b. to 179.00 for a and up to 500.00 for b. i have noticed that the trade in value of this model hasnt held up as i thought it would for a suv that consumer reports rated as the best.

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  Mercedes S550 - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By K. OBrien - October 23 - 11:13 pm

  The S550 is a great looking vehicle. However, my vehicle has been in the repair facility three times in less than two months of ownership and its still not fixed. The vehicle is on its third set of tires since I purchased it in June. It is also next to impossible to put fuel in the vehicle at a rate above a trickle.

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  Got Transmission? - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Maggie - October 9 - 5:00 am

  I am compelled to write a review on this car after a year and a half of ownership because it has been a series of non-stop transmission problems which Mercedez cannot seem to fix. I do not know if they have fixed the 2007 model but you really need to thoroughly test-drive this car and ask around. Also, the back tires needed replacement after just 20,000 miles which seemed a little too soon. This car also has a totally unusable cup holder, something you think is just a small thing but turns out to be huge for us commuters. I am thoroughly disappointed in my $70,000 purchase and wish I had stayed with a Lexus, a car I thoroughly enjoyed for ten years.

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  Slow Car - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Jeanne - October 4 - 7:46 am

  Not a sports car at all. Dont be fooled by Mercedes in order for them to sell the car. Automatic trans and low horsepower add up to a boring car. BMW 3 series would have been a smarter purchase! This is definitely an old lady car.

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  Complete disapointment - 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By og4delta - September 30 - 11:08 am

  This is the worst premium car i have ever had. Seriously, it is almost comical that you set the expectations so high in such a "high end car" to be right back in the dealer every 2-3K miles and drive a loaner car. Be ready for constant check engine light on, break problems, ac problems, just to mention the most annoying and apparently commun troubles with the S-550. Last time that i took the car back for a break problem, dealer told me that MB is preparing a "permanent" solution for this situation due to the high frequency of this occurrence (rotors)... really?, at this point, one year after rolling out this model, they dont have a solution for a break fall out? Bummer!

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  MAINTENANCE NIGHTMARE - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Orlo Dietrich - September 24 - 10:00 am

  First, mine ia a 2001 model. We have had electrical problems,cooling problems, power steering problems, air bag problems, and the car is now at the dealer to have the fuel pump replaced. All in only 18 months! We live in the mountains and the 4 wheel drive system is the worst I have ever used. The worst indictment of all is that MERCEDES does not seem to care.

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  Bought used C240 4matic - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By borisbad - September 18 - 1:27 am

  I got the C240 with about 89000 miles. Only had one prior owner who supposedly took good care of it. I have had the problem at the shop almost weekly with small problems, like sensor problems, new plugs and coils. Had to get a new AC compressor, rotors, and had many other issues. Now I was told that a problem I had with the climate control system (after getting the compressor and a new climate control unit) is due to some SIMM computer module that controls the programming for the A/C, but also other things like the programming of my second key fob. They say the new unit is $1,200 plus labor and that might not even solve the problem.

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  Engine Fire - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Beth K - September 15 - 8:43 am

  I will never own another Mercedes. My 2006 C230 caught fire. As it turned out it was still under warranty as I had purchased the 5 yr/100,000 mile extra. I had it towed to Hoehn Mercedes Carlsbad. Adding insult to injury I was told it was their opinion the car caught fire because I ran over a cigarette butt so the warranty was void. I contacted Mercedes directly. They were equally as insulting and unconcerned. They told me it could take months to ever really figure out what started the fire and in the meantime the warranty was void. Needing to move on with my life, I filed an insurance claim. They intend to get to the bottom of this. This experience has been most disappointing.

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  First one will be the LAST one! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By flamingo25 - September 6 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car expecting to receive a quality automobile, and it has been nothing but one problem after another. Of the 6 vehicles in my drive way this one spends more time in the shop the the other 5 combined. They obviously need to revamp the electrical system, brakes and train the service departments to deal with complaints instead of ignoring them completely. I have never been more disappointed in a vehicle in my life. What a waste of money, time and effort. Resell value is a joke.

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  !st time Mercedes owner - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Karl Boye - August 30 - 10:00 am

  As a first time owner of a Mercedes, I am not impressed. The seating is not comfortable. No adjustable lumbar support and Im still trying to figure out what component of the seat frame is either loose or in need of replacement The seat "Pops" upon acceleration, deceleration or cornering. Im glad I didnt dish out the big bucks for a new model. This is 5 yrs. old. Next car will be a Lexus.