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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  2004 SL55 AMG - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By winflow - March 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is the perfect sports car. It handles extremely well, I average 18.5 mpg. I have had no problems with this car.

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  Mind of its own? - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Mark4091 - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Weve only had our 320E for 5 months, (2400mi) and do not like the way the transmission downshifts at low speeds. Its as though someones putting on the breaks. Its a really odd feeling. Also, there is a hesitation starting off in forward or reverse. You have to make sure the "coast is clear" before entering traffic. The engine is louder than we anticipated. We really like the car, but these issues take the joy out of owning a Mercedes. Whats with all the break dust on the wheels? Seems like Im washing them every other day.

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  Turn Heads - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By mytimetochirp - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Black on black. Beautiful and turns heads. Fast off the line, top operation works flawlessly. Transmission is smooth and operates without any notice. Trunk space is limited, especially with the top down, but adequate for this class car. With top up road noise is less than our E430.

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  Consumer Review - 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jeff Devine - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car...I will buy another MB when I look for a new car.

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  Proceed with Caution - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Read it - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Overall I love it. Style,comfort are superb,yet the reliablility of the engine & pc syst. are something to be reckoned with. It sporatically hesitates. The phone system,(which by the way was worth every penny)sometimes acts up and I need to turn the car off like rebooting a pc. Same thing happens with the malfuntion instrument panel, again rebooting seems to work. Had the auto in the shop MANY times at the beginning finally got most of the problems tweaked. Was kind of embarrassed to say,its in the shop AGAIN. Although the service dept. was awesome.

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  C230 is Better Than The C240 - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Mcurrie682 - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I purchased a C240 first in 2003 and then realized the features of the C240 2004 and traded.

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  1992 600SEL+1999 S600 - 1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By wmikemarshall - March 19 - 11:26 pm

  My first W140 experience was with the first year, 1992 600 SEL with 72K miles in perfect condition. I put 5,000 miles on it over 3 years and had $8000 in repairs! Avoid the early years! As of 6/2011 I decided to give the last year model (1999 S600 with 48K miles) another chance because of my fondness of this body style and incredible interior. Took in for basic oil change/tranny service. Back window bracket broke at $425 and another $1200 in adaptive dampening system. A beautiful and awesome car, powerful, incredible options but only great as a "Sunday driver" as they are just not dependable and extremely expensive to repair and maintain. So it is a "Love/Hate" relationship. 400 miles added

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  I miss my BMW 750iL - 2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By motts71 - March 19 - 9:06 am

  I miss the quick warm ups, the handling, and the performance of my BMW. The Mercedes rear window defroster works very slowly, the car takes a long time to warm up. It is strictly a luxury car. I do like the fact that it has had fewer trips to the dealer than the BMW, but it is not as enjoyable to drive. Oh yes, the windshield washer tank keeps leaking so I always have a malfunction showing on the dash, and when that shows, you cannot access the other features of the cars computer.

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  Great Car - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Touchdown Tony - March 17 - 5:10 am

  I bought this as an expired lease vehicle with 27500 miles. Was concerned at first as Consumer Reports stated reliability problems. After 5 months and 6000 miles, I can say without reservation that I love this car. To put this comment in perspective, my last car was a 528i BMW that was always in the shop. While the BMW was nice, the Mercedes is much more refined. Feel like a grown-up driving this car versus a 50 year-old in a midlife crisis when driving the BMW. No problems what-so-ever. Fantastic mileage. Beautifully designed. However, a few quirks as loud cold starts till lifters get lubricated. Also, the Germans likely show their contempt for Americans by poor design of the cupholders.

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  Great for the money - 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Alex - March 17 - 2:10 am

  I bought this car in November of 2008 and about 2 weeks after I bought it the crank shaft positioning sensor got knocked out of place but the dealer ship fixed it without any problems because the car was under complete warranty. It runs great it lacks a little in power but it will move compared to some of the other sport sedans Ive driven, and it rides great, the interior is very practical and the dark wood looks nice. Love the rear sunshade. The cupholders also are pretty good considering the kind that are on the BMW 3 series that just pop out of the dash, they work good and hold a pretty big cup.