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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  Great fun little toy, enjoy - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By GI Tiger - September 27 - 5:30 am

  It was a bumpy ride at first. I bought a dealer/loaner C230k from the dealership. That said, Ive only had one problem with it, a blown oil line which leaked all over my garage. The maintenance is kind of costly, but it is the best auto Ive ever driven. Ive driven a lot cars around the world (Military). If you want a fun car this is it. Fast on the draw and will suprise you how quick it is. Sometimes it does sputters when moving at slow speeds on the highwqy trying to dodge in and out of traffic.

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  WOW - 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By cclear - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Unbelievable power, hard or soft ride. I had a 2003 SL500, and an 2000 SL600 what a difference. You cant get enough road with this car...it just goes from one car to another. Design perfect, all options perfect. I LOVE THIS CAR

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  Mercedes Refinement and American Muscle - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Teflonman - September 23 - 6:13 pm

  There is not much I can say that has not been already said about this car. Recap: Blistering acceleration (stock 12.5 quarter mile), Long distance highway comfort, and good looks for a sedan. The main draw for alot of people about this car is the ability to modify it north of 550 HP. Its easily done with a few add ons and a tune. It truly exemplifies class with muscle. I had mine at the quarter mile track and people were checking it out hard in disbelief that a sedan could haul like that. With the massive depreciation that Mercedes experience, you cant go wrong getting a used one and purchase an extended warranty. Its just the cost of doing business. ENJOY!

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  SL 2003 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Harry R. Culp - September 16 - 10:00 am

  I love my SL, but the one thing I miss is room in the trunk.

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  Porsche to G wagon - 2005 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By porsche - September 14 - 7:10 pm

  Robust is not the word to describe this. Steel frame, heavy steel, massive hinges. Youd think it was built for military use. It turns heads everywhere. Ive been wanting one for 2 years, and am not in any way disapointed, except I wish service could be thru MB trucks and not the car dealer.

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  Engineering excellence? - 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By tomel - September 11 - 8:13 pm

  Great car, bought used with 30k miles; strong engine, truly quiet, smooth, amazing ride. But, MB, masters of engineering, why oh why? The black temp adjust clip on rear passenger ventilation is missing. Cant replace $40 clip. You must replace $700 unit (before labor)! Thats engineering excellence? Think you forgot who youre engineering for. I fear for the next minor flaw. Also, cupholder is a bust and console space is nill. Love the car overall, but I marvel that a car originally selling for six figures forgets some basics.

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  less than great - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Gbart - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my SL55 for just 9 months and have had 4 different problems requiring dealer service from the top not closing completely, to a failed electronic display module, et al. I am disappointed at the low end torque - my 2000 E55 was every bit as good. Cornering is far from "Porsche like" and the car is much too loud when you accelerate heavily. As in all MBs the sound system is just OK. The whole package should be better for $125k large. Killer looks and thats about it. This is my 7th MB and likely my last.

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  Super Car Great Fun Car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Car Guy sf - September 8 - 9:50 pm

  Having owned many, many Mercedes and other performance cars, I find my S65 to be the finest. Simply incredible peformance-the engine and exhaust are excellent. Admittedly I am a real fan of Mercedes. I find them and particularly the S class to be an excellent all around value when scoring on the basis of safety, performance, comfort, resale value and maintenance costs-in this order. Maintenance issues have been extremely minor. Just done routine maintenance and very minor warranty work. I just wish I could drive it on our US highways at the speeds this car was intended to be driven. At first going from an S500 to S55 I was leery of moving upto the S65. Now no more!

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  CL 55 review by an owner - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By CL55 owner - September 7 - 10:06 am

  I fell in love with this car, the handling, and the wonderfully powerful and smooth engine. I continue to enjoy the well-crafted and reliable engine (each engine is hand crafted by one person, and signed by him/her) and the excellent ride. And the car looks sharp, inside and out. But I will bot purchase another Mercedes. The "cons" are just far too many for a car that is $140K+. I average 13mpg (city driving), premium gas only. I have had to buy new tires on three occasions now (with less than 15,000 miles) They are fat tires and pick up all nails and cannot be patched. And tires are $500+ each. And reliability of non-engine components (electrical system especially) is awful.

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  Great but not perfectly reliable - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By MLPerson - September 7 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is great with the exception of subpar reliability. I bought it new after being on a list for a while, instead of an Expedition (~ same price). I cant think of an SUV currently on sale that I would rather own. It drives wonderfully, has an exceptionally smooth and quick shifting transmission, returns 18-24 mpg in varying conditions...Interior is very spacious and it tows a 4000 lb. boat without breaking a sweat while getting 16 or 17 mpg in the process!! The closest M-B dealership is fantastic.