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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  CL63 AMG - 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By LG - June 10 - 7:50 am

  Phenomenal car. A beast to drive. Driving stability is incredible thanks to ABC. The front is aggresive and the rear tends to grow on you after a while.

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  S-500 Solid, Reliable, Fun to Drive - 2005 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Brent Johnson - June 10 - 2:56 am

  This is the 6th S body I have owned in the last 3 years. Great car!

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  STAY AWAY - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Juan - June 10 - 1:33 am

  Purchased in March of 2006 w/98,000 miles on it. Now I have 190,000 on it. Only got stranded once out of town. You better have some deep pockets for this bad boy. 1,000 on suspension just for the front driver side and the passenger is going any minute, leaked oil rapidly since day one, put oil in like buying gas! Lights always need replaced at 20-30$ a pop. Need radiator 700, need tie-rods 7 once the body starts to rust goodbye! Got my money worth by using it for work, if not for that would be angry. Plus this model looks so outdated since new models have came out... Got me a 2003 BMW 530i and it runs circles around this car in every category. Go BMW, if you got this car sell it now! Today!

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  Delivered unit not equal to the test car - 2007 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Daniel Fraser - June 9 - 2:33 am

  The car wanders & needs to be constantly corrected - the steering is dead/sloppy in the center position. Steering wheel will not return to center and must be pulled back. The engine idle is rough & goes up and down and causes a vibration in the cabin at the low idle point. Braking at times hits a sticking point that can be pushed through but then the brakes comes on hard and fast. At 5000 miles and multiple trips to the dealer I recieved no help from the dealer or MB USA. I asked them to purchase back the car the answer was NO My advice - dont purchase this car. It is not the quality product I expected. The dealership was pompous when I tried to explain my concerns and dissatisfaction.

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  Not bad - could be better - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By exV70R driver - June 8 - 5:16 pm

  I have 4 small children and I needed a car that would seat all of us. I must admit I wasnt thrilled with the looks of the car and considered it only because it would hold everyone in relative comfort and because the 2008s were on the way and the dealerships had boatloads to get rid of in late July. Having come from a Volvo V70R, I had to have the V8 and not the V6. While the R500 is a great choice for someone with 4 kids, it is nowhere near as responsive or fun to drive as the Volvo. To be fair, the V70R is the Sport version and the R500 has never pretended to be remotely sporty - unless you want to lay down 80 large for the AMG version. After all, its a glorified minivan/station wagon.

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  Happy-Despite the Break DOWN - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By MzDoubleR - June 6 - 11:13 am

  Overall the car is nice, I just purchased the vehicle less than a week and it cut off on me, now I do have a loaner, but why should a brand new car cut off especially on the highway. I think actually the new cars are too loaded with the new space age devices, which probably caused my car to cut off. I still love the car though, but Im hoping I dont go through the horror stories that has been issued pertaining to the other models.

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  Whats Up with the ML320? - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Carl Chappell - June 5 - 7:33 am

  Easy to enter the vehicle. Good, firm, fronts seats with good adjustments for different sized people. Do not like the CD player being in the back of the vehicle. Good fit and finish. Engine noise not too bad, wind noise is negligible. Fuel economy is near 20. Good view from from seats, fair from the back. Transmission is smooth and responsive. Auto shifter is fun. Pulls 2000 lb. trailer with relative ease. Sound system is good with above noted exception.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By TNTPALMBEACH - June 4 - 9:26 pm

  I have had 4 Mercedes Benz vehicle in the last 10 years ( C280 Sport, E350 Sport, C230, R500 AMG) This is a great little luxury sport sedan. Very German like, great handling, looks, quiet, bulid quality is superb, Harman Kardon sound system is fantastic. I like my new little toy very much.

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  What a wonderful car - the E420 - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By dcweeks - June 3 - 11:40 am

  A lot of the reviews here seem to be based on whether you get a good one or bad one. But I think your odds of getting a "good one" are generally good. Perhaps the "bad one" people are more vocal. I didnt intend to buy a car to fall in love with when I happened to buy the E420, but wow, have I fallen head over heals. This is an amazing piece of engineering. I would say that the one I bought was in about the worst shape, but I still found the car amazing. I just put on new shocks, engine mounts, cats, and OMG this car is like brand new and better than I could have imagined. Just writing about it makes me want to go out for a drive.

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  Terrific - 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Hank Goldstein - June 2 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my 1996 320 SL for for 4 years and 20,000 miles. I have never been more pleased with a car. Performance, reliability, etc. are superior. It gets 24 mpg. and is serviced by an after market shop. If I ever sell it, I will buy another.