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 Uber car! - 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By GP - July 10 - 6:10 pm

  Phenomenal vehicle! Total pleasure to drive even after nine years. I still get asked about it by strangers. Be aware that under warranty ( i got an extended warranty) repair and maintenance is OK. It is extremely expensive to repair outside the warranty.

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  My Benz- - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By joncab - July 10 - 2:53 pm

  Well built, strong automoblie. Also, has very high resale. The bose stereo is wonderful! I still cant beleive the great MPG I get, 22-25. On a V6, 215 HP, almost full size sedan. Not too bad. Rear wheel drive is the only way to go!

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  Tons of torque and great fuel economy - 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By thebayesian - July 9 - 12:10 pm

  I traded in an MDX looking for something a bit smaller. I had looked at the 2012 GLK but was really put off by the cheap interior. I was happy to see that Mercedes really improved on the interior quality for the 2013 GLK. I was a bit skeptical at first about the engine seeing as though its a 4-cylinder, but it has an amazing amount of torque and when you hit the gas youll feel it. It has plenty of passing power at highway speeds as well. The 7 speed transmission is very smooth.

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  My CLK320 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Gary Evans - July 9 - 7:56 am

  Simply stated, the best of nine Mercedes I have owned.

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  LLM, Our Sprinter - 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Moji - July 9 - 4:47 am

  We were comparing the Sprinter with the Transit Van. Both vehicles offer much for the money. We read that if you stay below 65 mph, your mpg would be fine. We purchased our Sprinter from Nelli, she is great, at MB Laguna Niguel. We checked highway mpg at 60 mph from Laguna Niguel to Oceanside, CA and averaged 29.8 mpg...gotta love that. The Transit diesel on an 18 mile loop averaged 23 mpg. The Transit passenger van includes rear hvac and can be ordered for around $900.00 for other style vans. The Sprinter rear hvac is $3600.00. We purchased a crew van and will put a Dometic 15,000 btu Brisk II heat pump on the roof and carry a portable generator for when we may need it. Also installing two MaxxAir vents to help circulate air while driving. Front air conditioning in Sprinter is more than adequate for first two rows of people. When we finish we will have a very nice travel van. Regarding sleeping in the van or camping out, my wife has told me she is happy to continue camping out at the Hilton. The travel van will make our travels much more comfortable and allow us to take our dog with us. Will be able to sleep in Sprinter if in pinch.

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  Perfect truck but poor technology - 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Gurmeet Singh - July 8 - 9:36 pm

  It is a pleasure to drive this car with comfort seating and the excellent engine it has - very quite and smooth/gliding ride which we love. However, on technology and interior space usage, it is quite poor - My Sienna 2006 had better technology and interior space usage than this truck.

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  EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS!!! - 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
  By dale - July 8 - 7:36 pm

  Mercedes offers several maintenance programs; a 6 year extended warranty, full scheduled maintenance for 5 years at a greatly reduced price, (if you sit down and calculate the actual cost of individual items and required fluid replacements and such it really adds up; this not only schedules everything to keep the vehicle in top shape but saves money over the long run), and my favorite the "ding & bump repair" program, (for only a few hundred dollars Mercedes Benz will repair all the unsightly little dings and bumps that happen in parking lots and elsewhere each time you bring your car in for service, how cool). We purchased our 2016 GLA250 4dr SUV from Park Place of Plano in North Texas. They were terrific. In fact we probably will purchase from them again shortly. I cannot say enough good things about our salesman, the managers, everyone involved.

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  Love it "of course" - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By of course - July 8 - 12:13 am

  I absolutely love my 240,the way it handles,and the comfort of course I never have to sit in the back seat but for the dollar spent and the reliability you cannot beat this car and hwy mileage best yet 28.9 mpg and that is not doing 55.

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  Stock price for AMG look! - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By jamesvtm - July 5 - 10:36 pm

  Its my first MB. Previous car was a 96 BMW 328i. So my comparison is 2 top notch performers. After almost 6000 miles I have no complaints about MB.

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  My first Benz! - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By d1benz - July 5 - 9:33 am

  Extremely slick and smooth ride! My first Benz and I am certain, it will not be my last!