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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  Much Better then my 1999 ML - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Bottedi - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I leased a 1999 ML and got this new 2002 version after my lease ended. I liked the 99, but was really upset with the overall poor fit & finish. This car is entirely different! Much better quality and feels like a luzury car! Still a few complaints - not like a German made MB, but its great!

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  love this car - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By eugene - January 29 - 2:00 am

  incredible ride, very comfortable seats and view

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  Best Buy - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By The Bear - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Just upgrade from clk to the eclass. They did a great job with this e. The car is very comftorable. The redisgned interior is unbelievable as well as the exterior. It also moves for a 222hp V6. If you are thinking about purchasing it all I can say is go for it. Black and charcoal is the best combination for this car. There is alot of chrome on the interior and exterior.

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  Mercedes Baby ! - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By CoffeeCup - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I have moved up over the years fron a C Class to an E Class and now the real deal. Every purchase has been great but I have finally met my baby. Every other car in this class is just a copy. (especially the Lexus, which is the biggest knock-off ever)

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  Severely disappointed - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Carlos - January 28 - 5:13 am

  Bought this car used from the original owner in 2002, with only 16,000 miles on it, and thought "what could go wrong with such low mileage". Plus my intention was to only drive this car to and from work, which averages about 8,000 miles/year. Well, first the electrical wires to the drivers side front headlights kept "coming lose", which cost $400.00 to fix. Then the A/C went out, along with oil leakage and transmission problems, which totaled to $5,000.00. I wish I have stayed with buying Toyota or Subaru, which are far more reliable.

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  MY BENZ - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By cdbu2 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  It is a bit uncomfortable to get in and out of the rear seats but hey, I drive not ride. I love the car. I am still working on all the toys as Mercedes are not known for their toys. I am trying to det the DVD to show a picture.

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  King of the road - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By Jimnatlga - January 27 - 10:00 am

  This is arguably the finest super coupe on the road. Period. The CL600 is sleek, sexy and the craftmanship is suberb. Awesome power, sporty yet luxurious. I cant even imagine how Mercedes could improve this car. Simply gorgeous...king of the road.

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Luchie - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I used to drive E 300 before and I wasnt impressed at all w/ the comfort of driving it. I didnt like Mercedez not until I drove S 500 4 door sedan.The comfort and power is really good it gives the power I needed when I need it.Bose sound system is excellent and the heated/cooling seats I loved it.I also loved the size of it sleek not too wide.

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  Fun to drive - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Micki - January 27 - 10:00 am

  My car is so much fun to drive. This is my fourth MB, no other car Ive had has matched the performance of a MB. Comfortable, on long trips no more backaches. Reliability and dealer service has been great in the past. Stability and control excellent. Had an incident on I20 to come face to face with a deer. The deer and my husband missed each by mere inches, after a swere to miss the deer the car straightened out and we preceding on. Lucky for the deer and us that we were driving a MB! I am certain.

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  Waste your $100K on something else - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By DRJ - January 26 - 11:33 am

  This is a beautiful car to look at and thats about it. I sold a 911 and bought a new 05 SL500 six months ago. I have owned many cars and the SL ranks amongst the least fun to drive. It is also not a well-built vehicle. All the stuff you read about Mercedes Benz being unreliable is true. The roof has been rattling since day one and the dealer has not been able to fix it yet. The engine sounds like a diesel under 40 mph, apparently they all sound like this. The 7-speed transmission is not very smooth and affects the cars performance. The A/C blows cold air all the time. Radio and other instrument controls are poorly designed and hard to figure out. It only has 10 FM presets.