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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  Ho-hum - 2005 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By RT - October 25 - 11:06 am

  Id have to say that overall I am not that happy with this MB product. It is my first and probably last. The cost cutting features become obvious after the cache of driving a Mercedes wears off. Too many typical MB luxury features were cut out of the "special edition" which would have been more aptly named the "lower class" edition. More enjoyable to own and drive that the comparable ford explorer, but I have also experienced the quick wear of dunlop oem tires and the 25k mile brake job. Should not have to replace ball joint and drive train bearings/valve in under 50k miles. Reliability very disappointing for a $40K plus vehicle. Handling better than expected for a virtual road tank!

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  Diesel is nice - 2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Bob Coin - October 24 - 1:06 am

  We ordered a 2009 R320 to replace our 2006 R350 coming off lease. The diesel is giving us exceptional fuel mileage, 24 city, 29 highway in the first 800 miles. The turbocharger fixes the woeful under torque in the R350. The steering is too numb, giving little feel of the road. The command system is a bit improved over the older system, but the screen is too small and the navigation presentation poor and behind the competition. The sunroof is nice and the interior build quility superb. Benz remains far behind the Japanese competition in features and price, but they do not have competing vehicles with the R. It is ridiculous that xenon headlights and push button starting are not standard.

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  Solid Car - Great Value - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Dizzle - October 23 - 11:53 pm

  Bought a 07 CPO E350 Sport/ Premium 1, Blk/Blk with 21,000 miles for $31k Aug 09. The car is very solid and well-built - no chassis flex, creaks, or rattles, very stable (runs likes its on railroad tracks - smooth, stable and tracks very straight even at high speeds). Great value for a car with an MSRP of $55k. Acceptable performance; but its no rocket or track-day thrill ride. I also own a 06 BMW 330 w/ sport package - the E350 cant match the 330 in terms of performance but it is certainly a very comfortable, solid, spacious, safe and prestigious (if that sort of thing matters to you)car. Very happy with the purchase, a top-of-the-line Accord will run you about the same money!

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  IMPRESSED - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By bh - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I have owned most high end sedans and 2 other E Class automobiles. This is a totally different experience than any of the others. It has the size and comfort of the Lexus LS 430, the style of a staring value of my 911 and that tried and true Mercedes quality. If you drive an E 500- you will have to have one.

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  incredible - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By - October 22 - 2:00 am

  just incredible, handles great, quiet and fast. edmons says its too hevey, but i like the feel of a hevey car. it feels safe.

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  Makes other sedans seem unworthy. - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Scott - October 21 - 4:46 pm

  Ive owned my 99 E320 for 15 months now and could not be more satisfied; I purchased it used with only 78k miles and now have 86k on it. This sedan is a testament to the quality of German engineering and performance! People may claim the car is expensive to repair, but show me a car from this era or later that isnt (and Ive had great luck with getting parts at reasonable prices from Rock Auto). The 3-valve V6 has excellent power - it will leap to 60 in 7 seconds flat while returning 25mpg (30+ on the highway). Laser-accurate cruise control, great seats, a 21-gallon fuel tank, and typical German highway prowess enable it to leap tall states in a single bound. The suspension has the magic ability to soak up road imperfections and then firm up in the curves - body roll is almost nonexistent. I was also lucky enough to get a fully-optioned model with heated leather seats, moonroof, Bose audio, Xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, etc. All this for a car that only cost $4200, Ive put about $2500 additional into it to make it nearly perfect. Despite all these hosannas, there are a few problem areas with the 96-02 E320s you should know about when purchasing one. 1) Rust - the MB/Chrysler merger resulted in paint quality issues due to the move to water-based paint; check for rust around the wheel arches/door edges. ALSO - early E320s also have a serious issue with rust in the front suspension spring perches - check this especially if the car has lived in the snow belt. Mine was quite obviously garaged by the POs (an elderly couple) and has neither of these issues. 2) Rear window regulators - like VWs and BMWs, the rear window regulator guides are plastic and are prone to failure. I havent had this issue either, but I rarely use the rear windows. 3) Valve cover gaskets - these will eventually leak, and may or may not be synonymous with clogged breather passages in the upper part of the left-side valve cover (it literally has a second cover on top of the valve cover). This usually results in leakage onto the exhaust system and a lovely burning-oil bouquet wafting through the ventilation system. I did enjoy this problem and had it repaired for around $500. 4) Transmission - the 96-99 models use the 722.5 transmission which is known to have issues at higher mileage; be sure to check the transmission shifts smoothly before purchasing the car and CHANGE THE FLUID & FILTER ASAP. FYI, when you first drive the car, its designed to not shift out of 1st until about 2500rpm to ensure the cats are at operating temp. But excessively harsh shifting or the car hanging onto gears longer than normal is a warning sign. The 00-02 models use the 722.6 transmission which is essentially bulletproof. Also the tranny electrical connector (a $10 part) is known to leak through its O-rings causing erratic shift behavior (and if left unattended, can eventually cause the fluid to wick up the wiring harness and destroy the TCM), this is a simple and inexpensive fix but often masquerades as a much more serious issue - mechanics that are not familiar with the car can mistakenly advocate replacing the entire transmission. 5) Dash displays - on the 00-02 models, the separate left/right displays on the instrument cluster for the clock and PRNDL indicator WILL fail - check the dash photos for any 00-02 model for sale online and 90% of them will have this problem. The dash display on the 96-99 models are centrally integrated and immune to this issue. Its caused by the ribbon connectors inside the cluster separating, can actually be fixed for $0 by pulling the instrument cluster and wedging a small chunk of solid foam into the ribbon connectors to force it back together, but its a fiddly business and many shops will advise to just replace it. 6) Oil leaks - the 96-97 E320 uses the M104 (straight-six) 4-valve motor which is highly prone to oil leaks; stay away from these for this reason alone. The 98-02 models with the M112 (V6 3-valve) motors are simply superior - more power, 100lb lighter, better mileage, lower emissions, and better flexibility. 7) Catalytic converters - these are known to fail around 80-100k or so, they disintegrate inside and cause horrible rattling noises at lower engine speeds. I destroyed one of mine blowing away some moron in a brand-new Infiniti who (incorrectly) thought he could jump me at a light from the left-turn lane. His expression when I shut the door on him was nearly worth the $1200 bill for 4 new high-flow Bosal cats (to be fair only 1 failed, but to be prudent I replaced all 4 and put in 4 new Bosch oxygen sensors, which is why it was so $$$ - I could have just replaced 1 cat for around $200-$300). With a timing chain instead of a fragile belt, the 3.2 V6 is known to go 250k+ miles without a rebuild. What you cant put a price on is how this silk-turbine powered LearJet glides over the road like a puck on an air-hockey table. Youll soon forget whatever you used to drive.

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  One great Sedan - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Jorge Paplos - October 20 - 3:04 pm

  This was a pick between the C class and E class. I was so impressed at the comfort and design difference, I went with this older car and never felt sorry. It is an awesome car, comfortable, great ride, incredible stereo and all around, ac, lights, seating, just great!, greatly recommend it.

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  The car not enough people know about. - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By BKNYC - October 19 - 11:53 pm

  The interior and exterior work well. Seats in the back are awesome for my 2 young children. The ride is as good as any other Mercedes on the market. Could be one of the best all around family automobiles on the road today.

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  A lot of car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By williebegoode - October 19 - 7:03 am

  I was pulling out of a parking lot onto a busy street, and a pickup truck was bearing down on me; so I gave it some gas—it let out a low roar and went into hyper space. I did not expect that kind of performance, but it was there when I needed it. Ive always liked the design of this model on the outside, but the inside is gorgeous too. Im using a car cover—my last Mercedes Benz (bought new in 1983—240D) lasted me 16 years; and I hope this one does too. The car cover helps keep the nicks and scratches down and protects it from UV rays-- looks like new for life!

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  Great car - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By rick350 - October 18 - 6:23 pm

  Overall a fantastic car! The ride is smooth, yet without the disconnected feel. Whatever you do, get vented seats! Navigation kinda dumb sometimes when it comes to choosing the best route. Love the multi-language option. Engine is powerful enough. 7 speed transmission is a disaster. Downshift takes too much time, you really need to floor it to get "instant" shift. Im used to driving a stick, automatic has always been a drag for me. Gas mileage stinks. I get about 20 avg reading on the highway, vs. advertised 27. Breaks work brilliantly. Sound system has a weird frequency response curve, the louder you make it, the less highs you hear, and the mid sticks out like a sore thumb. Fast!