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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  My new MB diesel - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By grumpy - April 7 - 5:03 am

  Great car, much improved over previous MB diesel, much quieter, no smoke, plenty of power from a dead stop.

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  Reliability poor - 2007 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Chris - April 7 - 3:43 am

  I have this ML350 for just over two years. Juat in the past month, I had three incidents with lamps. First, one headlight lamp went out I replaced myself. Then two weeks later, the breaklights went, and the dealer had to replac the lamp and sockets. This week I had a problem with the parking light. When I had my 2002 ML320 for 5 years, I only had to replace a single haed lamp. It lokks like that MB started to use cheap components in their car to save money. This is a very unhappy customer due to the inconvenience. I called MB to request they do a preventive maintenance, replacing the remaining lamps. I was told they can not do it. My next car will be an American made car.

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  A satisfied CLK owner... - 2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Kevin - April 6 - 5:40 pm

  I feel very safe in the CLK320. Ive owned the car for 5 years and have approx 63,000 kms on it. My family of three fits well in the car. I am 62" and I have my seat all the way back, which makes it easy to reach back and put my young daughters seatbelt on. As she grows into her teens, we will probably go to the S class sedan.

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  Best sport sedan on the market! - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Hal - April 6 - 12:46 pm

  I drove the BMW 3 series, Acura TL, Lexus IS300, Volvo S60 but none compare to the 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan. I really thought I wanted a BMW, but the dealer was awful and the car was plain with no options. The Mercedes dealer was WONDERFUL and the 2005 C-class is beautiful and feels much more expensive than it is (vs the BMW that feels cheap). My wife immediately said "this is the one" when we went on the test drive. The console lid was broken on delivery but the dealer offered to come to my house the next day to fix it. Ill be a Mercedes driver for life!

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  Excellant Car - 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Tom S - April 6 - 10:00 am

  I cant beleive I waited this long to buy an E Class. What a dream!

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  THE BEST OF THE BEST - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By CARDENROBERT - April 6 - 10:00 am

  ABSOLUTELY THE BEST IVE EVER OWNED, AND IVE HAD EM ALL. STUPENDOUSLY FAST PASSING GEAR; AMAZING MILEAGE FOR A V- 8. IN SHORT: ITS EVERYTHING ONE WOULD WANT IN AN AUTOMOBILE

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  wow 2003 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By luddin - April 6 - 10:00 am

  This car is the best i have ever driven $ for $.

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  ML350 Exceeds All My Expectations - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By SilverML350 - April 6 - 10:00 am

  My Brilliant Silver ML350 has exceeded all of my expections. I read that these trucks were so unreliable taht I was prepared to have some problems. I have not had any problems so far.

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  great ride - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By fuji - April 6 - 10:00 am

  handles like a dream and solid as a rock!! gas mileage could be better but a lot of truck. bose sounds great but needs controls on steering wheel. third seats are really jumper seats but if you have small children they work.

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  sick of Mercedes - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By cheapBenz - April 6 - 10:00 am

  In shop for warranty work @ 7000, 12000, 17000 miles and heading back @ 28000 miles. Factory tires wore out at 22000. Sunshade and sunroof problems. Noisy brakes. No power brakes upon cranking. Items replaced so far: front sun visors, wipers, steering wheel switches, vent grille, front & rear sunshade, cd player. I have a BMW 325 with 33000 miles, tires still in great shape, NO PROBLEMS EVER! When I asked dealer why tires were wearing so fast and so irregular, they stated this car will just do that! Would have traded long ago but obviously dealers know this is a CHEAP MADE car. Resale/ trade value is horrible.