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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  I love my Mercedes - 2007 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Nathan - October 29 - 6:40 pm

  Although I only purchased this vehicle one month ago I have been out on two road trips (over hill and dale) of 600 miles or more each. I have owned a number of quality vehicles over the past 35 years and SUVs in particular for the past 7 years. I have found the ML320 CDI Turbo Diesel to be far superior in every category to our 2000 Toyota 4 Runner Limited (gold edition).

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  Unreliable M - 2007 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By DisappointedMFan - October 29 - 3:36 pm

  Just got my 2007 ML350 less than a month ago, and I am already experiencing problem with the vehicle. The passenger seat gets soaking wet everytime after a carwash. After taking the car to the dealership, I found out the seal on the windshield was not tight enough and the water was accumalated down through the side door and squirt it to the seat. They have to end up taking the windshield off and reseal the leak. I have not had any carwash since I got the car back, and I will keep you all posted. For the money I paid for this truck, it was sure a big disappointment. No wonder the consumer report rated the ML350 as the most unreliable SUV in its class this year.

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  CLK350 Coupe - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By mbuser1 - October 29 - 10:53 am

  MB Reliability ??? Just got a CLK350 four wks ago. Transmision broke down at the first 300miles. Car stayed @ MB shop twice for 2+wks. Was told by MB Tech. that this is the 4th occurrences of transmission failure/defect for this year (2006) (C, E, ML and my CLK).

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  Love it - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Loven the mb - October 29 - 9:26 am

  We bought this car with high hopes, well it has by far passed them all. We bought it new and it has never failed. Only regular maintaenance and oil changes. It now has about 100k on it and it still run strong. I now upgraded to a E500, but my daughter just got her license and she got the C230. Oh and the mileage is great! I get around 33 on the highway and 25 in town. I would buy this car over and over gladly.

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  Fanstic car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Dee - October 27 - 2:26 pm

  Bought the car new in Feb,2007 because of great deal. My 3rd MB just love it. Great for road trips so comfortable especially love the 2nd row seats having same room as front seats. Have not had any problems with car just regular check ups.

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  My Brand New Toy! - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Robert - October 27 - 9:46 am

  Ive only had my brand new black 2006 C350 luxury sedan for one week but wanted to give you my very first impressions. I bought it on a whim, giving up a car I loved (BMW 325i), so I was more than a little hesitant. However, my initial reaction is Im currently very pleased and hope it continues. The car is roomy, beautiful inside and out, and the 268hp engine gives it plenty of get up and go. You can hardly feel the steering its so smooth. So, Ill write again in a few months to let you know if the love affair continues...but my first impression is that this is a very nice car!

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  Worst car Ive ever owned - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Ruined by Chrysler - October 26 - 10:00 am

  When I bought this car I thought Id own it for 10 years. Problems started 6mos. into owing. Hands free phone then CD player failed, followed by fuel tank gauge, leak in air conditioning system, LCDs in instrument panel, vanity mirror several times, rear windows and too many others to list( which are identical to most other peoples complaints). Paint chips and scratches too easily. My husband has never had a single problem with his car which was half the price. Only thing worse than the car is the customer service at the dealers and MB of America!!!! Just traded it in for a Honda Accord. Happy Day for me!!!!!!

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  Radio problem - 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By thesetter - October 25 - 9:46 pm

  Driving the S500 is fun, however I have been having problems with the radio. It sometimes freezes at a particular station and when yor press the preset buttons, nothing happens. I have taken this car in to MB 5 times and finally they will replace the head unit (as recomommended by an MB factory tech). Im hoping that this will solve the problem and not cause other problems in the car. Other than the radio, the car is fine.

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  Overrated car - 2008 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By johnny - October 25 - 1:43 pm

  Its a fun car, I would not think of buying another though. I truly think its overrated. For an SUV its too fancy, but it has great on road handling.

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  Excellent car! - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mike W - October 25 - 12:16 pm

  This is my first luxury car. My previous car was a 2007 Toyota Camry which served its purpose for a while but was incredibly boring and slow. After a few months of research I was between the C300 and the Infiniti G35/37. The G37 is an exceptional car, and definitely more performance-oriented than the Mercedes, but there was something just too similar to Nissan/Toyota about it that turned me off. I went with the C300 and am very happy with it. I decided to opt for the multimedia, p1 and ipod connector, while I was considering the p2 package for the xenons and fold-down rear seats it just did not warrant the added cost. Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase and have no complaints.