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:

• 

  E320 CDI Review - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Scott - May 1 - 12:10 pm

  I purchased my 2005 CDI in March. Its a great car! Powerful, great mileage and range, and very quiet at cruise. I get bored with cars quickly, but can see myself driving this one for a while. I wish it had bluetooth - Mercedes needs to get busy with this option. I thought I would not appreciate the dynamic seats, but wow...they really help with support taking aggressive corners. If you are going to purchase an E-Class, this is the one to get.

• 

  My Mercedes Turbo Diesel - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By My Turbo Diesel - April 30 - 2:56 am

  Luxury car, hot rod performance, and great fuel mileage, sounds like an oxymoron, but its true. This car will effortlessly out accelerate many so called high performance cars to 60 mph. Very comfortable inside with all the latest gizmos. Super sound system that rocks the car. Rear sunshade is great for those tall trucks with their headlights in your rear view. Lots of storage space. Folding rear seat option is great for those trips to the hme improvement sore. Navigation system is easy to use and the voice control system is a super feature for hands off operation of the Nav, CD, pone, stellite radio, etc.

• 

  Piece a crap not a van, Not reliable - 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Stan - April 29 - 10:03 pm

  Braking down all the time. i have 30 k and first engine light 8 k they replaced engine and gas paddle wiring connectors, 17 k was driving without power barely making 45mph on freeway for the whole month, replaced water pump and thermostat, now both rear doors holders a not working, Bluetooth stop working at 4.5 k what can i say STAY A WAY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE!!! U buying new car for one reason:( so u hoping drive 100 k without problems).

• 

  Believe it! - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Believe it! - April 29 - 12:16 pm

  Virtually no problems with this car. I purchased it used five years ago. Brakes and battery had to be replaced right away, but other than that, routine maintenance is all she needed. I once spilled juice down the gear shifter, costs $1700 to replace transmission control unit and gear shifter That is the ONLY problem Ive had in FIVE years. At over 171K, I hate to lay her to rest, but shes lived her life and half of someone elses. Oh yeah, just recently the wiper motor and A/C blower went out. Shes probably dying. Goodbye Bessie!

• 

  2010 E63 - 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Mike - April 29 - 11:43 am

  stunning acceleration, very good handling, comfortable and luxurious interior, under-cover and stealthy supercar

• 

  E320 - nothing more than a Chrysler - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By GregM100 - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Car has been nothing but problems. Back Window has fallen down twice already and required a $500 repair each time. Dealership says MB very aware of the issue and all E320s will have this problem at some time or another. Poor Build quality!!

• 

  c-230 compressor - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By wallsise - April 29 - 10:00 am

  The c-230 has great interior features and is most comfortable. The front end has not been in alignment since the day I bought the vehicle. I have taken it in twice and the Mercedes dealer can not get the car to run straight.

• 

  Well See - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By MTBDAD - April 29 - 10:00 am

  We just got the car and so far, I am very impressed. For a 1.8, it has alot of power. We were given a loaner while we waited for the car, which I thought was very nice. My wifes Z-28 died on her and we were short a car. We tried a short list of the Maxima and the 325i and overwhelmingly picked the C230. I am alittle worried about reliability because the C240 loaners sensors kept telling me the ABS, BAS and the ESC were out. "VISIT WORKSHOP" Flashed all the time.

• 

  500SL - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By JXR00 - April 29 - 10:00 am

  A GREAT CAR REALLY TURNS HEADS!!!

• 

  foul smell in mercedes - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By jjzachs - April 29 - 10:00 am

  my car has been in shop for over 120 daysin one year.now there foul smell from a defect in the door design in the designo version. it supposidly leaked glue and caused a foul smell.we heard of other cars with same problem.mercedes has to date not told the exact nature of the problem or the chemical that leaked.my car still stinks