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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  Worth every penny - 2004 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By svlasco - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned this SUV for about 2 months now and so far it has been excellent. The attention it draws and the rocks it climbs. Youd feel like a celebrity everywhere you go. It is almost like driving a Ferrari, every car on the road wants to pace with you just to check it out, then they catch up to your window just to see whos driving. Definately one of the vehicles I will keep in my collection. The people who trash on this vehicle are usually the ones that couldnt afford it in the first place.

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  Amazing Vehicle - 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Manohar - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I have traveled in the citty numerous times. It is also my every day driver. I have even used this car on long road trips, from Chicago to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and from Chicago to Niagra Falls. It is extremely comfortable for all occasions and I enjoy it to the fullest extent. It is the best car I have owned in my life.

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  2005 SL55 AMG - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By jason ray - March 21 - 10:00 am

  IT IS TOUGH TO KEEP THIS CAR UNDER 100MPH THE SL55 AMG IS AN UNBELIEVABLE RIDE AND EXTRA POWER TO SPARE WITH ITS SUPERCHARGED 493 HP AND 516 LBS OF TORQUE. THIS VEHICLE NUDGES OUT THE 03- 04 VIPER STOCK ON THE TRACK BUT IS STILL COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE ON A FEW HOUR TRIP UNLIKE ANY OTHER CAR IN THIS CLASS. THE BEST $125,000 EVER SPENT....

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  2004 SL55 AMG - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By winflow - March 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is the perfect sports car. It handles extremely well, I average 18.5 mpg. I have had no problems with this car.

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  Turn Heads - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By mytimetochirp - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Black on black. Beautiful and turns heads. Fast off the line, top operation works flawlessly. Transmission is smooth and operates without any notice. Trunk space is limited, especially with the top down, but adequate for this class car. With top up road noise is less than our E430.

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  Consumer Review - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jeff Devine - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car...I will buy another MB when I look for a new car.

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  Proceed with Caution - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Read it - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Overall I love it. Style,comfort are superb,yet the reliablility of the engine & pc syst. are something to be reckoned with. It sporatically hesitates. The phone system,(which by the way was worth every penny)sometimes acts up and I need to turn the car off like rebooting a pc. Same thing happens with the malfuntion instrument panel, again rebooting seems to work. Had the auto in the shop MANY times at the beginning finally got most of the problems tweaked. Was kind of embarrassed to say,its in the shop AGAIN. Although the service dept. was awesome.

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  1992 600SEL+1999 S600 - 1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By wmikemarshall - March 19 - 11:26 pm

  My first W140 experience was with the first year, 1992 600 SEL with 72K miles in perfect condition. I put 5,000 miles on it over 3 years and had $8000 in repairs! Avoid the early years! As of 6/2011 I decided to give the last year model (1999 S600 with 48K miles) another chance because of my fondness of this body style and incredible interior. Took in for basic oil change/tranny service. Back window bracket broke at $425 and another $1200 in adaptive dampening system. A beautiful and awesome car, powerful, incredible options but only great as a "Sunday driver" as they are just not dependable and extremely expensive to repair and maintain. So it is a "Love/Hate" relationship. 400 miles added

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  Great for the money - 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Alex - March 17 - 2:10 am

  I bought this car in November of 2008 and about 2 weeks after I bought it the crank shaft positioning sensor got knocked out of place but the dealer ship fixed it without any problems because the car was under complete warranty. It runs great it lacks a little in power but it will move compared to some of the other sport sedans Ive driven, and it rides great, the interior is very practical and the dark wood looks nice. Love the rear sunshade. The cupholders also are pretty good considering the kind that are on the BMW 3 series that just pop out of the dash, they work good and hold a pretty big cup.

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  BEST CAR IVE EVER OWNED - 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By EVERALDO - March 17 - 2:00 am

  I love this car, it has to be one of the most beautiful cars on the road. Even now after 3.5 years people still stop and stare. The car is very reliable, Ive taken it in for every scheduled maintenance call, (the computer makes it easy to remember) and if it wasnt for the fact that my kids are getting to big to fit in the back seats, I would keep this car forever.