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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  Wonderfully Powerful 550!! - 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By B1Mario - April 11 - 11:36 am

  Bought a certified CLK550 Coupe with all the options a few months ago. Absolutely love the car, great power, decent handling and nice interior. Came from an 01 Corvette and the CLK550 is every bit its equal in power. Handling is a little on the softer side but much easier to live with every day. Drove 06 M3 and 08 335 before choosing the CLK. Basically went on features and power the BMWs could hold up. 335 might have a little more speed here at altitude (CO - 6000) due to the turbos; but overall like the CLK much better and am very happy with my choice.

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  Quality is back - 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By CBM - April 11 - 6:43 am

  I traded my 07 GX 470 Lexus in on this and have been very happy. I get 25 mpg, which is not bad for a large suv. With diesel at 4.50 a gal. it costs to fill the tank, but it is money well spent. The GL is a true pleasure to drive, comfort and ride of a lux car. I have pulled a large boat with out any problem. The little V6 offers plenty of power. It is not a corvett, but fast enough.

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  Reliable and fun - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jeff - April 9 - 11:10 am

  Ive had a 2005 C230 Sport Sedan for 2 years now and love the car. With the AMG styling and upgrades the sport sedan has its a real head turner. I have had zero problems with the car and I drive it about 30000 miles a year. Ive only brought it in for scheduled maintanence and had a couple recall problems fixed. Id buy this car again and would recommend it to anyone. My friend has a BMW 325xi and my Benz is much more fun to drive

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  Best ever - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By tandan - April 8 - 11:06 pm

  Is it a coupe or is it a convertible? It is both and the best ever of each. After 4700 mi. I am a happy camper. It is safe, it is solid, and it is beautiful. If I put my foot into it, it is faster than my Viper. If i dont, it gets the same mileage as my Lexus. If you can afford it, this car is the true pinnacle of design and performance.

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  Amazing car - 1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By daba_west - April 8 - 10:00 am

  This must be one of the best convertibles for 4 ever built. Very quiet, no rattles at all. Handling is better than the weight and skinny tires would suggest. Engine and transmission are plenty strong and very smooth. If there are only 2 in the car, put up the wind blocker and talk quietly with the top down. Youll be amazed.

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  MB BURNER - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Whisper - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Accelerates strong through three numbers, tight cornering with no sway, fantastic braking and abosolutely a blast to drive. There is nothing on the road that drives as nice. Strap your kids in the back and have them wave to the porsche as you pass him on the highway.

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  I want my money back - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mustang95 - April 8 - 10:00 am

  What a piece of good looking crap. We are in the process of trying ot get our money back. I have never owned a car with so many problems. Shock problems, electrical problems, broken plastic truck liner, sun roof sticking, rattles, We were looking forward to getting this car and now we look forward to getting rid of it.

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  Ask me Again in 10 Years - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Dave - April 8 - 8:00 am

  Bought the car new 20 months ago. Absolutely love it, but I only have 9,000 miles on it. Did this coming off of 18 years of Toyota ownership. Have replaced the amplifier on the premium sound system and a malfunctioning key fob under warranty. Dont know if this is standard operating procedure for pricy German cars. Not a sports car as much as it is a muscle car with 21st century refinement. Bought it after deciding I was too old and too fat to climb in and out of a 911 Cabriolet at the Porsche dealership. Went to the MB dealership expecting to buy an SL. Test drove both CLK 500 and an SL 500. Decided to get a back seat and pay $30,000 less than what the SL would have cost.

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  Better and Worse than my 07 - 2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By carlspackler1 - April 8 - 7:52 am

  I previously owned a 07 CLS with the AMG sports package. After looking at the Mercedes E 550 coupe, Jag XF Supercharged, and BMW M3, I purchased an identical CLS because I felt it offered a nicer interior, and better styling for less money. . So far we have put 6,000 miles on the car with no problems. The first thing I noticed on the test drive was that the interior seemed "cheaper" over the 07. Front seats did not offer the bolstering, and the leather seating surfaces did not exude the feeling of quality like the 07. The car rides,and handles much better than the 07 despite shocks on the most firm setting. Its not an M3, or XF, but thats OK with me.

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  Stunning But Big Problems - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By B. Dirnsa - April 7 - 11:16 pm

  Ive had my 2015 for a full year. This car is loaded, only a couple of options not purchased. Ive really put this car through its long distance paces. Mountain driving, desert driving. Trips as long as 15 hours in a single day. The car is stunning inside and out. Seats are very comfortable. Never got a sore back, even on those super long trips. Handling is excellent, as is the fuel mileage. The haptic touch pad is a pain in the you know where. I just ignore it. Big problems with repairs, including a rear master seal leak on the transmission, a defective home link system (mirror assembly replaced), a plastic part breaking inside the front passenger door causing the door handle to come off, and several other problems. Fortunately all warranty. Consumer Reports rightly gives it a solid black circle, its lowest reliability rating. Has some crazy quirks with navigation software. For example, if I want turn by turn directions, the nav screen does not show the upcoming turn, but the second and third turns. That makes it confusing and useless. MB corporate knows about this and they agree that is how it functions. Ive been waiting for a map update to fix this and other nav problems. Still waiting. July 2016 UPDATE: I have the base car, not the 4matic. OEM Pirelli run flats. Just over 18,000 miles on the car. Front tires have 70% tread left. The rear tires, for this rear wheel drive car, have have only about 8,000 miles left. I will have to replace the rear tires after about 25,000 miles. Cost out the door at Costco will be over $500 for the two tires. The tires are regularly rotated and properly inflated. The tires are wearing evenly. There is no misalignment issues. December 2016 UPDATE: The car is still a joy to drive. This year since my last update, I drove the car in one day over 500 miles from my home to high altitude in the Sierra Mountains and back. Superb gas mileage--34 mpg overall. Coming home (where I had the downhill, I got 37 mpg). Wonderfully comfortable seats. No back pain. The car remains stunning inside and out. Nothing in its class compares, especially the inside. The new Audi A-4 lags. Next year, BMW will release its redesigned 3 series. Time will tell. Downside: Ongoing mechanical problems, mostly small, but still . . . Yep, I had to replace two tires after 24,000. Almost $500 out the door, a little cheaper than I thought in my last update. In my original review I wrote about poor navigation software performance, which corporate confirmed. Although with my lease I got free navigation updates, there have been no updates in the two years Ive had the car. The software problems persist. The climate controls are a bit anemic. There is a 10-20 second lag from the time I set the fan (heat or a/c) until the fan fully kicks in. The a/c in hot climates (I live in an area where this past summer there were several 100 degree days) is OK and kept me reasonably comfortable, but the a/c is not as powerful as Lexus or Infiniti (Ive had both makes). I have one year left on the lease, then I will need to make a decision whether to turn in the keys or buy the car. The upside is the cars design and luxury, best in class by far, handling, comfort and gas mileage. The big downside is the mechanical problems. While the car is in warranty not a cost issue, but Benz repairs are very expensive once the car is out of warranty. This is huge. Then there are those awful run flat tires, which make for a less comfortable ride and very short tread life. Sadly, they are becoming common in luxury cars, although the new Audi A-4 has a compact spare. Right now, if I had to make a decision, Id turn in the keys. If the car was as reliable as any of the several Lexus Ive had, Id get it and live with those awful run flats, but the continuing mechanical issues probably not. Fortunately, I have a year to make my final decision.