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 first and last M-B - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By peanut - May 12 - 3:16 pm

  I am very disappointed with my first M-B. The wind noise at highway speeds is terrible, have to turn radio up 3-4 notches just to hear, dealer says nothing they can do. The placement of the cruise control lever is a joke, dont know how many times I end up signaling a right turn and not turning on the control. My bluetooth phone worked fine in my last car, but will not connect in the M-B. The navigation system got me the first time I needed it with the "Prepare to turn right". At the next street I turned and as I did it then says "In 800 feet turn right onto bla bla street". Wouldnt it have been just as easy to say "In a quarter mile, right turn etc".

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  First and last MBZ - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By DisappointedInMBZ - May 10 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a huge disappointment. The car has had problems since day one. It continues to have problems on a regular basis. Command Center failures for the first 18 months, radio, phone, airmatic pump,faulty warning indicators, steering three times, battery discharge (4 visits to fix correctly), both front windows quit working,numerous trim and molding problems, numerous electrical problems. This is not what I expected from MBZ. This is clearly the most expensive car and the worst performing car I have ever owned. Dealer also struggles to get repairs right the first time. Seems too sophisticated for their mechanics.

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  Mercedes Benz The Company and MBUSA - 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By never_mb_again - May 7 - 11:57 pm

  I had some issues when I bought this car which were never addressed by the dealer. This is a CPO car which was never put through the CPO paces and months later I had to spend $1000.00 out of my own pocket to fix it. Ive tried to contact MBUSA to help me with the situation and they have refused to even look at the case. Letters, documents, proof of repair (and solution) by another MB dealer have been completely ignored. Good luck if you run into a problem and need MBUSA, or Mercedes proper, to even listen to the case, much less trying to fix the problem. Volvos, BMWs and Mazdas never had a problem with any of them; Advice, run away from this brand...run away fast and far...

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  A disappointing surprise - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By George 166 - May 6 - 5:30 am

  I have previously owned three MB E-Class cars, with complete satisfaction. Now comes the new E-Class with impressive design and high tech features, but a very disappointing engine. The acceleration is poor and it runs out of steam above 80 mph. The options list is large and can bring the price, with a V-6, to the mid eighties. I ended up buying a Lexus LS 460, a far superior car in every way, for a lot less money.

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  Bad decision from start to finish - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Victoria - April 29 - 8:53 pm

  I purchased a certified pre-owned 2005 E320 from a VERY reputable Mercedes dealership in North Carolina. It was the worst decision I have ever made. I fell in love with the appearance of the car, the dynamic Italian leather seats, navigation etc. Unfortunately, it doesnt run properly. In addition to regularly scheduled maintenance, the Mercedes service department (at two separate dealerships) has had my car in for "repair" EIGHTEEN times. In two years. No joke. It has a stalling issue that Mercedes trained and qualified service technicians cannot fix. It supposedly does not generate any error codes when it does this, so Mercedes cant fix it and Im stuck with it. BEWARE!

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  Mercedes M-Class - 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By ahalkidis - April 27 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my ML320 for 16 months and have had numerous problems that have resulted in numerous trips to the dealer. The only saving grace has been the awesome treatment from the servicing dealer. I also had noise problems emanating from the dash area. The dealer had to actually take the dash apart and repair spot welds in the A-pillar! That was the only way to get rid of the noises! Besides the noises, Ive had faulty power window switches, noisy power door locks, faulty light switches, noisy blower, and the list goes on. All these faults resulted in parts having to be replaced.

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  Beauty & the Money Pit - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By raven11 - April 22 - 8:00 pm

  This was MBs attempt at wooing the younger generation to become MB owners. Unfortunately, once you get past the great looks and supercharged fun driving and look at what you got, you become very disappointed - cheap, ugly cloth seats, plastic pieces that break easily, cheap looking faux-carbon dash and frequent trips to the mechanic for problems they just cant seem to chase down because its all computerized. Just avoid them. I tried to love it, I really did but its just not reliable.

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  Great car when not being repaired - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Tom - April 22 - 6:06 pm

  This is my first and last Mercedes. Ive owned this care for maybe seven weeks. In that time it has been in for repairs on three different occasions, because the engine light was on. It is still in the shop and has been for the last 15 days with no end in sight. Told it is a gas problem, then no compression in one cylinder, then cam shaft slipped causing scoring. They have no clue. I own a Mercedes and ride the bus.

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  One month in a GLK - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By Dr. Sunumo - April 11 - 2:56 pm

  Traded in our BMW X3. Overall, the GLK is a better SUV. It holds more cargo, has good power and never feels heavy. The biggest problem to report has to do with electronic problems- from the power seats to the rear latch to the A/C controls which shorted out. Already needed additional oil and the system check light alerted us of engine/EC problems. Build quality is low to average. The COMAND info system is good but not great:the knob is placed in a very odd position behind shifter. Why? The brakes are soft and fade from highway speeds. It needs premium gas and at 14.1 MPG average, it needs plenty of gas. There is no place for cell phones- only in small cup holders. Little back seat room.

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  Worst Benz EVER - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Ovi - April 11 - 10:00 am

  An ML500 Insp.(03)loaded. At 1,500mi the "check engine" light came on, Im told the gas cap was not tight. The problem persits. Took it back wks. later & dealer changed something. The light went off & later came back on. Called dealer & car kept for two days. I picked it up & light was out. Two days later on, take it back & it is now the catalytic converter. (at 4000Mi). Ask dealer & MB rep.what about when car is out of warranty? The MB rep & MB service mgr. say theyll "monitor" vehicle. I went home to find out next a.m. in my garage a leak (washer fluid).