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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  The worlds greatest sedan - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By amgunit - October 7 - 2:00 am

  The Mercedes E55 AMG is the most amazing driving machine ive ever lived with !!!!

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  E5004matic - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By pjnewman - October 7 - 2:00 am

  The car is great!

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  The REAL ultimate driving machine - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By BoughtABenz - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Even though I have only owned my MB E500 for 2 weeks, I can tell you that it is an amazing automobile. I have been a faithful BMW buyer for the last 15 years, and after owning my first "benz" Ill never buy anything else. What a well built automobile this is. And if you need trunk space, look no further, huge amount of trunk space, unbelievable. Just an all around extremely well built automobile, and a very safe vehicle to boot. You couldnt ask for anything more.

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  awesome - 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By andi - October 7 - 2:00 am

  this car is a great car to drive

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  c240 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By carrie m - October 7 - 2:00 am

  good so far....i love it, sporty good reaction response from such a small car. love it.

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  Better than best - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Frederick C Neubert - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Owned a 1999 ML320. This vehicle has been totally updated for comfort and enhanced drivablility.

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  So Far So Good - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By benzi - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I purchased a 2002 C240 with Automatic Trans in Oct. 2001, after looking at VW Passat, Volvo and BMW. I am very surprised at the reviews Ive been reading, because so far this car has been wonderful. No problems what so ever, it drives great, it shifts extremely smoothly, it is very quite and I still love the way it looks in the inside and outside. Maybe I got lucky. You have to get used to the controls and the complex computer, but so far I have nothing but praise.

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  Numerous Problems! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Mica - October 4 - 3:10 pm

  I have had my CLS500 w/ AMG sport package, keyless go, satellite radio etc. for going on 8 months and it has been in the shop numerous times already. On average, once every 2 weeks and one time for more than a week.

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  C55 Amazing Power - Everything else???? - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By flatout7 - October 2 - 5:40 am

  Nothing else can compare this this cars power. That is about where it ends for me. Within two weeks of delivery the remote access FOB features quit working and the radio was in a constant state of static and random on off behavior. A warranty trip to the dealer and the radio was fixed and they said the keyless access was fixed as well. The keyless access quit working two days later and this was followed by a HUGE transmission fluid leak in my garage and a mysterious flapping sound coming from the engine compartment. Back to the dealer again. They advised they leak in the tranny was a common problem and they could not find the mysterious noise after numerious attempts.

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  C240 is nice, not stellar - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mr. RDV - October 1 - 5:13 pm

  Got my C240 to use mostly for commuting on So Cal freeways to work. Love its quietness, build quality, ride quality. Performance is tepid with the 2.7L V6. Wish I had bought the 3.2L V6 but cost was $5k more. Mileage is not a good as I thought it would be - freeway is okay - 29MPG, but city is more like 20MPG and combined is usually 24-25MPG. My friends E320 gets same mileage and is bigger. Problems included lower front roll bar links replaced, crankshaft balancer replaced and transmission control module. STRONGLY urge you to buy extended warranty - cost of these three was over $2k in repairs (all covered by EXTENDED warranty that cost me $1k at time of purchase).