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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  Great Ride! - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By bhaggie - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for 8 years and am the first owner. All the major components have been ultra reliable. However, the light bulb socketing technology is the worst in the world. Ive had 20+ light bulbs (headllamps, foglamps, dash lights, brake lights, running lights, etc) fail to light because of contact problems. A little persussion maintenance usually, but not always, fixed the problem.

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  Great car with such a size - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By great dane - March 25 - 9:43 pm

  Good mileage for such a heavy vehicle. Absolutely quiet and smooth in switching gears. Enough space for even a six-footer in the third row. Takes a while to get used to the brake assistant.

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  "02 Merc Benz C320 Sportwagon - O.K. ? - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By soflor1 - March 25 - 10:00 am

  Car is pretty solid, drives well, good power and speed for size. However, nagging problems with computer - mirror controls dont hold, ESP program shorts - and dealer cant find the origins of the problems - "wait for MB service bulletins", they say. Transmission seems to go hunting at times. Bose "bass" is non-existant. I also own a 99 CLK320 - much better quality materials in and out. MB seems to be catching up to Chrysler in quality control - too bad!

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  Solid Performance But Few Thrills - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By JNT - March 23 - 5:40 pm

  I have owned the car since new. In mainly city driving with some long distance trips, I have averaged 21.4 mpg over 13,500 miles. The only repair was a fuel filler door that did not lock. The car has been very dependable and is a comfortable long distance cruiser (up to 28 mpg on the highway). 4matic is great in the snow even with the standard all season tires. My main complaint is that the engine lacks low end punch. Once on the highway, performance is acceptable but not thrilling. If you want performance, dont buy the 240, move up to the 320. (I did not like the 230 because of the compressor whine; simply a matter of taste.) Headroom improves significantly without the sunroof.

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  Fun in the Sun - 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Olav - March 23 - 8:26 am

  I love my little drop top. Zippy and easy to park. Fun to drive and extrememly comfortable. The dealership has been very helpful w/ regular services and on of the rear windows had to be replaced due to mechanical problems. The car is getting older now and I will truely miss it. With this car your not just happy driving it but also standing in a traffic jam is no problem thanks to the great sound of BOSE. I love it.

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  Very Poor Electonics Undermine Reliability... - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Jim - March 22 - 10:47 pm

  ... and Customer Satisfaction/Retention. All electronics in my GL63 are terrible with Navigation and Voice Recognition poorer than any car I own. Unrealiable, Inconsistent, Quirky, freeze and just dont work. Dealership makes excuses but they are terrible. Voice recognition is the worst of the 5 cars I own. Can not get into vehicle as auto door unlocking doesnt always work. Navigation will take you to Mongolia often and I have no confidence in. Options, electronic just dont work more than half the time. Taken to dealership numerous times but they seem resigned to there is no fix. I dont think they even log in my visits any more. My second but last MB. Others are better. Just not enough for the money $130K. Sticking to American and Japanese as I have experienced better reliability and value. MB has been a disappointing brand for me. Looking elsewhere for my next car purchases.

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  Mercedes should add more optons - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Fay - March 22 - 12:53 pm

  I own two Mercedes trucks. One 2001 ML430 and a 2006 ML350.The ML430 came with more options like a giant sunroof(sky view top),it came with a designer colors option, heated seats came standard, navigation came standard, the Ml430 is slightly smaller but still came with a 3rd row seat package(Ml350 didnt)it also came with a safe under the passengers seat. I think Mercedes needs to bring back those options and come up with more because Mercedes-Benz is suppose to be extraordinary mine looks extrodinary on they outside but its really ordinary under its flashy outside and Mercedes-Benz logos.

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  c32 - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Ron Smith - March 22 - 11:50 am

  Have had no problem so far with 11,000 miles on car.

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  Loads of fun drive - 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Steve - March 22 - 11:40 am

  Great car. Lots of fun to drive. No major problems with the car though have had a good number of small items.

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  Mercedes - 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By persian man - March 22 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is one of a kind. I have never experienced such a maginificent car. I have owned BMWs and Jaguars, but Mercedes is in a league of its own. Mercedes is by far makes the best sedan under 150000 dollars.