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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  Love this car! - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Judy Spooner - November 3 - 10:00 am

  We picked up our car in Germany and had a ball driving it on the autobaun. We did the Mercedes-Benz Black Forest trip which was excellent! Ride is great, trunk space is spacious, everyone loves the interior halo lights. Minor complaint is the light interior, that was the only choice at the time. All in all we get a lot of compliments on this car. Our previous car was a Jaguar XJ8 and it received a lot of compliments on looks, but this car gets a broader scope of compliments!

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  More car than I expected - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By nwmind - November 3 - 10:00 am

  This Black On Black CLK500 Cabriolet is a pleasant surprise. The new engine and transmission with the paddle shifter is very slick and gives the driver great control when performance is needed. The leather is superb and the top is of the finest quality available. Top is very fast up and down 17 seconds and looks great both ways. The car is very quiet with the top up, quieter than my accura 3.2TLS sedan. I got this car because it has two personalities. One that it looks like a black coupe with a sporty business appearance with the top up and a fun sporty runabout with the top down. Rear seat is very comfortable and has more headroom than the coupe. T

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  a geat car - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Victor G Zilinskas - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I have owned, in the past, BMW M3 and 540i, MB S500, etc. By far, this is my favorite car. Great balance of performance, luxury, size, and it is beautiful. I believe that the time of 5.8 seconds of 0-60 is accurate. The cornering ability, with maximum stiffness of suspension, rivals the BMWs. The fun factor is the tops. All in all, my favorite car of all times.

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  Mercedes C240 AWD - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By KDH1114 - November 3 - 10:00 am

  You cannot beat this car for the price. It is safe, handles well, looks good and is fun to drive. And best of all, its a Mercedes!

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  Awesome car... - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mconde01 - November 3 - 12:43 am

  I test drove the BMW 3 series, Lexus IS300, and the Acura TL and none could compare to the overall package. This car has the right balance of luxury and sport. The car drives like a dream and the new 2005 updates make the car flawless. The 189 hp drives like a 6 cylinder and the car gives you awesome gas mileage. This car was well worth the wait, I had to order my car so it took me almost 3 months to get my baby. The Mercedes feel and quality is by far unmatched. Even driving at 130 mph the car is so silent and smooth. The brakes are awesome other than the frequent brake dust, but the rims are so easy to clean.

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  Better than Lexus - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Mario - November 2 - 11:53 pm

  More power than the Lexus RX300 and 330 combined. Feels like the SUV is glued to the road and you feel safer than the Lexus. Imangine, 7 gears in its class, it runs better than some 8 cylinder SUVs.

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  Coupe/Sedan Combo - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Factoid Junkie - November 1 - 7:43 pm

  Fabulous drive - handling is terrific - interior appointment sumptuous - love the sound system - keyless go is a must - unanticipated extra in the changing hydraulics - Nappa leather is soft!

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  Nice Car - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By John - October 31 - 10:20 pm

  I have had my C230 for a year now with no trouble. The performance has been enhanced by the addition of a K&N air filter. This simple install has given me a little more low end power and much better gas mileage. I am getting 32 MPG very easily. For the money I do not know how you could do much better. Had an Audi A4 3.0Q and like the Benz much better.

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  Fun crossover/hatchback but not an SUV. - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
  By nomorelexus - October 30 - 8:56 pm

  Ive had it for a few days, very good car, fun and easy to drive. I would not consider this an SUV since its sedan height. I am short and if you move the seat up you have very limited headroom. Also, wish the keyfob had a hatch close button on it and not just open. You can only close from hatch or in car. Other than that so far so good. Back seat roomy. Front seats comfortable. Small side mirrors wish they were alittle bigger. Very fun to drive. Good on gas.

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  Sprinter 4x4 Family Hauler - 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Eric Hibma - October 29 - 6:34 am

  We sold our 2012 Mercedes Sprinter, which we loved, for a 2015 Sprinter 4x4. We needed the 4x4 as we live on a hill that gets icy and snowy in the winter. With 2wd there is so much torque coming from the turbodiesel that even with Blizzak snow tires we had trouble getting out. With the 4x4 this is a true go-anywhere vehicle! We have 7 children, so our family vehicle options are very limited. We drove Chevy express vans and they were horrible! This is the best van available for this size family. It is definitely far from perfect, but still the best available. Pros: -strong, efficient motor -4x4!! -each seat has a head rest -rubber flooring that is easy to clean -comfortable impact-absorbing front seats. -the HID headlights are wonderful for night visibility -heats up quickly in the winter with the auxiliary heater. With the roof height it is ideal for getting the kids coats off and buckled in their car seats -the crosswind assist is definitely a nice feature that has made driving this on the highway much nicer compared to our 2012 model. -decent towing capacity -good backup camera -great side mirrors with blind spot mirrors. -pass-through cabin so that a parent can get back and forth to help the kids on trips. -finally a USB connection so I can plug in my iphone -excellent gas mileage for such a large vehicle -excellent storage capacity inside the van. Carry-on luggage items fit under the seats! -You can slide large items all the way through the van under the seats (I did have to build a divider to keep our groceries from sliding all the way to the front of the van, but I love that I can fit lumber along the floor of the van even with all the kids loaded up) Cons: -the 4x4 system is quite an antiquated system. When engaged it is awesome, but very hard to get engaged unless the van is on level ground. You need to be going less than 5mph while moving before it can engage (no on-the-fly engaging really). Once engaged this is awesome and we even took this off roading to one of our favorite hikes. It made it through some incredible ruts and washouts that I was not expecting. -the brakes squeal (our 2012 model had the same issue). It is intermittent and not terrible, but still annoying. -only one intermittent setting for the wipers which is just dumb. -there are some rattles as we go down our dirt road. It sounds like a cargo van at times on our dirt road, but still much better than the Chevy did. -radio and sound quality are so-so. Better than the 2012 model. -a very sensitive traction control system. Trying to go through deep snow the vans computer wants to apply the brakes to avoid even the slightest wiggle from the rear end. I want to keep up my speed and maintain forward progress and have to fight the van to go in deep snow sometimes. Now with 4x4 this is much better, and not really an issue any more unless I leave the van in 2wd. Even when turning off traction control if there is rear slippage it will automatically re-engage. This is horribly annoying. -no automatic headlights -I still cannot remove the last row of seating, which is the one you would want to remove the most. The first 2 rows of passenger seating is easily removable with 2 people. The seats are heavy, but they come out through the large slider door well. -we have had intermittent issues of the slider door mechanism freezing in severe cold here in Michigan. It is easy to correct, but it seems like that could be improved. -dealerships are often far away unless you live in a city. The nearest dealerships to us are 1-2.5 hrs away.