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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  Electronics - 2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Fred Thacher - April 16 - 8:42 am

  Gizmos far from intuitive. Ride harsh during normal highway driving.

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  Traded in 2010 Infiniti FX35 for 2012 Mercedes ML350 - 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By julia2010 - April 14 - 7:03 pm

  Miss my FX35! After Infiniti, ML350 feels like a big bulky bus - plush and comfortable yet a bus. There is nothing fun or sporty about driving it. The engine is powerful and the car drives well but its just lacking that sporty feel you get from driving FX. On the plus side, visibility is a lot better than FX and the cabin gets a lot more light. On the down side, my 4 yo keeps pointing at Honda minivans and yelling - look, thats Mommys new car. The backup camera view is fuzzy compared to Infiniti - dont know if mine is defective or thats how it is. Not too thrilled with my purchase so far but hope it will grow on me.

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  I will only drive a Benz now! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Dashery - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this car a day before my 37th birthday. I previously owned a 2006 Chrysler 300 Limited which was destroyed in the flood. The MB has a nice comfortable ride and I like the comfort mode versus the sport mode. However, the transmission responsiveness is not my favorite. Also, MB needs to make the iPod hookup, memory seats, navigation and CD Changer standard equipment.

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  Not the same MB of old - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Disgusted with M/B - April 10 - 11:26 pm

  Purchased 2000 E320 to replace 1991 E class. Initially the car was fine, but soon to discover poor paint, easily chipped with instant rust and elect problems. Changed more bulbs in this cars than my past 4 cars in total. Never rust on 2 prior MBs, every chip, no matter how small rusts. Spent over 2K to date on repairs. Found out later, car had been damaged and part repainted before sold. Internet is full of paint complaints on this series. Only 56k to date, cant affort to get rid of it. Worth only half what I got for my 91 at 9 yrs. old. Cant even contact zone svc mgr. MBUSA says the dealer is my only contact. MB=junk

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  2001 ml 320 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By benantioch - April 7 - 10:00 am

  9000 miles on a new 2001 ml320 has been uneventful. no service of any kind has been required.

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  A Fun Drive - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Molly - April 2 - 10:00 am

  Would like to see more convenient "handles" to help you get into the car (like the Navigator has).

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  They could have done better - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By ML 350 - March 31 - 12:13 pm

  I want to love Mercedes but they always go wrong. Mechanically is where this car falls. $310 for an normal service is way too much and cost for other small repairs are ridiculous like $20 for a new key battery. We only have about 40,000 miles on ours and every morning on a cold start there is a clicking noise coming from under the car. Also the steering vibrates a little on the highway and shakes when your ride over a pothole.

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  Get One! - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jaymazik - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I just bought my 99 C230 Kompressor Sport, black on black. I have a 120 mile round trip commute that I make a couple times a week. I am tired of cars falling apart with routine maintenance and not having any resale value at all. My last three American cars resale value has been abysmal. What a joy it is to drive again. I havent had this much fun since my 1997 Maxima SE, just now Im in a much more solid car. Five years old and still turns heads. None of the Mercedes maintenance horrors others predicted. Research the models on edmunds, consumer reports, etc. and youll see the 99 C Class scores above average in most categories. Im hooked now!

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  Maintenance Beware - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Tru Facts B4 U buy - March 24 - 3:33 am

  Extremely happy with vehicle: performance, feel, handling, etc. Very unhappy with hidden maintenance. I expressed early concerns about this and all is not what it seems. 24k miles on vehicle atm 2 services A & B $700 (with discount coupons) need pads $230-$250, rotors $500-$650, 3 Tires (cant rotate uses dif. size on front and back) $270 Each For a total of $2410.00! When i said this is a bit much to service manager for a $30k car was told its normal maintenance. That adds minimum of $10K to cost of vehicle over a 6 yr period thats insane. When I said that the tires are warrantied for 50k miles or 48 months was told not against wear and tear only defects? Beware buyer get it in writing

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  Mixed Review - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By FrostyPaw - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Drives wonderfully, but in 1 year weve replaced the wiper motors twice, had the driver window fail, the electrical system short out and had a rupture to the power steering fluid hose. Starmark doesnt cover much of anything and the service department is second class compared to BMW, Audi & Acura.