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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  CLK350 convertible Mercedes - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By laura gilder - December 15 - 8:56 pm

  The air conditioning in this car takes too long to get cool. Also, 2 cupholders would be nice. This car is fun to drive and I enjoy it. Dont know if I would buy another because of the air and I live in Florida.

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  Even better than my 1982 240D(220K)! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By a. macree - December 15 - 10:00 am

  Dead solid perfect automobile. Five- speed auto "bat" R/L instant downshift- upshift. Man, my brake-pads are gonna last 50K mi. at this rate. Getting consistently 20-21mpg in-town, or with the occasional Houston trip, upwards of 26mpg. Only two problems in 32 mos.(Both warranty--no cost): 1. Replacement horn. 2. New left front turn-signal lamp.

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  Mercedes-Benz are great by me. - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By skyhighbillg - December 15 - 10:00 am

  Best handling car I have ever owned and Ive owned plenty of them. Was pleasantly surprised with the gas mileage.

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  A big dissapointment - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Carol Braester - December 15 - 10:00 am

  My car is C240 Elegantmodel 2001. The troubles I had with this car were: After one year I had to change the original battery. After driving 30,000 km only, had to change the very expensive controlers M 209 545 07 01 and M 203 820 15 85. After a total of 40,000 km I had to change again very expensive parts: the pedal complet sensor M 203 300 01 04 and the oxigen sensor M 001 540 46 17. DaimlerChrysler AG70546 Stuttgart (Möhringen)Germany, the manufacturer, avoided replying to my complains and directed me to the dealer.

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  Great car - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By daedalus - December 15 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. Its sleek, fast, comfortable, and handles well. Fuel economy is good for a V-6 (premium fuel). The only things I would change would be the cup holders that are too small and flimsy and it would be great to have the manual transmission available. The centre console is not a lot of use if you dont opt for the Mercedes phone.

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  Amazing car, lots of fun to drive - 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By Ranjeet Sodhi - December 15 - 12:46 am

  Managed to convince the lady that we wanted this car. All her initial resistance disappeared post the test drive at the dealership. The car feels like a tank - a very very light footed tank. The build quality is miles ahead of all its competition (BMW, Infinity, Lexus etc). The ride quality is amazing; feels like you are riding on a cushion of air - not a sports car like rough feel. That said, its no slouch... it easily overtook a BMW 6 series that was trying to race. Braking is the part that needs to be highlighted - the brakes on this car are amazing, stops very quickly without lurching all the passengers out of the windshield. if you have the dough, this car will satisfy fully.

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  Pre-Safe....NOT - 2013 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By benzboy3 - December 14 - 3:31 pm

  I purchased this ML 350 new in August 2012...could hardly wait to get it on the road.....took 3000 mile trip in October and vehicle performed flawlessly......no problems.....then took another 3000 mile road trip in March 2013.....wife and I were almost involved in major accident due to the "map-functioning" of the pre-safe system.....we were in high speed traffic surrounded by about 20 cars....all going in excess of 70 mph.....we were in the middle lane and a car in the lane closest to the side of the road swerved generating the need for an emergency avoidance maneuver on my part.....I stepped on the brakes , which disengaged the cruise control and also swerved to miss the other vehicle this

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  Poor Quality At Mercedes - 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By robert tabb - December 14 - 12:36 pm

  Love the look and the concept. Hate the hassle. Have clk 500 with all the options and 26k miles. So far communications computer failed, blinker lights on panel failed, brakes squeak, fan sounds like jet engine, paint on hood and other places is blistering, stalk for cell phone broken, seat seam is coming lose. Car is nightmare and this is not unusual from what I read. When you lay this on top of "normal" maintenance you are into serious dollars.

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  Just a happy ML 350 owner - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By JOSH - December 13 - 3:03 pm

  I got it back in Nov/05 and since that date I normally drive it on the weekends, smooth ride, powerful, etc. I just love it and I agree that once you drive a MB you can not drive anything else. My best friend daughter saw it and the expression was: "What a Beauty"! and ask his Dad to trade his new Ford Exp. 2007 for the new ML 350...(by the way; He did not look so happy)

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  C320 Rating - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Davis - December 12 - 7:53 am

  I am dissapointed with the quality of the C320 overall. For example, the driver and passenger seat control module failed resulting in an out of warranty cost of $827.00. The valve cover gaskets need replacing at 55K miles. The drivers window switch needs replacing. The thrust arm bushing is cracked. The drivers grab handle needs to be replaced. This car is driven by my wife and only has 55K miles. In fact, last year we only put about 5K miles on the car. We have had 2 other Benz and this may be the last one we own. The quality lacks a lot to be desired from what we experience in our other 2 Mercedes Benz.