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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  Fun to drive - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By HansP - December 15 - 2:00 am

  A car that will run 152 mph, gets 33 mpg highway, great looks, and a Mercedes to boot. Look no further than the C230. One drive and my wife and I were hooked. Driving a big SUV took the fun out of driving. This car is a blast.

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  CL55 is Incredible! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By N$aneRacing - December 12 - 3:10 pm

  Excellent features, feel, handling, power and comfort. Nice body style in the Mercedes line up. I am very happy with this car overall and would rate it A+.

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  My CLS - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By Jeff - December 10 - 7:16 pm

  Mercedes has really created yet another piece of art with this machine. Not only does it look good, but handles like a charm and is very comfortable to drive. This car is also very well built. Not the usual creeks and rattles you can sometimes experience with a new car. This one stays solid and rides very smooth. One of the other great things is all the bells and wistles. Theres a button for eveything.

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  I Love It - 2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By uscplaya - December 10 - 7:53 am

  The minute the car was driven into my garage by the dealership I was blown away. Next to the 2008 black M6 and even the cl550, the E63 is absolutely beautiful. Interior styling beautiful, simple, functional and elegant. Idrive is outdated and difficult to figure out, especially when you have different models of BMW. I Love the analog clock next to the speedo, even more so than the faux television screen display on the cl. AMG rocks over the M, just listen to the exhaust.

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  10 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By guest - December 9 - 2:00 am

  solid, fast and reliable...

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  I bought 2014 e550 coupe with 19k miles - 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By john chong - December 8 - 4:15 am

  2014 E550 coupe white is my first Mercedes trade in with Corvette,, this is so awsom car drives powerful,, I did modified lot, ( exhaust, ecu up grade )

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  Diamond metallic CLK cabrio - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By jim - December 6 - 8:40 am

  I took delivery in July 2005 and the car has been perfect in every way. I owned a 1999 CLK cabrio and never had a problem with it in over six years of ownership. The new engine and transmission are a vast improvement over the 320 CLK.

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  Ive been waiting for THIS car! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By mta - December 3 - 3:30 pm

  I knew this beautiful car was coming for about 2 years. When I finally saw it, I had to buy it. It is an amazing car in style & performance. Everyone notices it on the road & it has so many updates over the E320-4 matic I traded in. I did not want another boring looking M.B. I bought the "Launch Edition" which had a list price of $74,500. A limited # of them were produced.

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  Two years later and still loving it! - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By carbuff50 - December 3 - 3:47 am

  We have driven it 14,000 miles so far over the past two years-it has been flawless in every way. Feels solid like it was carved out of one piece of steel, handles great and looks terrific. Average about 19mpg in town-highway is a better.

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  Its no BMW, but excellent car - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Ed - November 30 - 10:23 am

  Coming from an 06 330i. This car is feels like its built like a tank. It has such a heavy feeling my wife feels really secure with. I think it feels too heavy, and a bit too soft, but not like a Lexus at least. You can feel the road below you, just with a filter whereas the BMW lets you feel everything. The engine is quite good, lots of torque in low RPMs. Fuel economy is not as good as a BMW, but respectable. Dealer installed Continental ContiSport3 tires. Wish they used something else -- they are really loud. And the navigation really is terrible -- only can direct you to a number range on any given street. Welcome to the 21st century, Mercedes!!