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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  wait for 2004 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By tom bouquet - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Wait for Mercedes to work out the bugs. As of March 2003, Mercedes was unable to install the navigation system, voice activated telephone, or massage seating they had advertised. (Mercedes is buying back some of these cars, but only if customers pre-paid for the features.) I had problems with my radio and dash lighting; the shop said this was "common."

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  Big Let down - 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By lcole - January 26 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my GL for three months and have really been let down by the events over the past 4 days. So far, I have a broken strut, failed air suspension system, and peeling clear coat. Total cost of repairs: $1200. Is my dealership as happy to see me now as they were when I purchased? Of course not. My dream car has turned into a total nightmare for me. I loved it because it is one of the few SUVs with a comfortable third row, but now, I see that I can live without a third row and a Mercedes.

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  Great Car, when it is not at the dealer - 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By Joe - January 12 - 10:20 pm

  Incredible comfortable mile eater. More rear legroom that an S class. 3.5 l engine struggles a little with the weight of the vehicle but performance is fine. Bought a CPO 2 years old with 25,000 miles on the clock . In 12 months has been back to the dealership 5 times for unscheduled visits. Crankshaft Position sensor , running out of fuel while indicating at least half a tank 3 times, both axles replaced due to noise on turning. Officially Mercedes Benz has refused to but back the vehicle because 5 visits in a year is acceptable. And I thought I was buying a premium German Vehicle! And guess where the car is today, back at the dealer to have the ball joints replaced.

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  Beware the New C Class!!! - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By germancar - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I am very fond of German cars, but my experience with the 01 C240 has been a disappointment. This car has spent more time at the dealership than all my previous Benzs (3) and BMWs (5) combined. The dealership has been wonderful and most problems have been covered under waranty. However, it is a hassel finding the time to take car to dealer for repairs. My 99 C230 has been much more dependable. The only time it has seen the dealer is for routine maintance. If you want to drive a "Baby Benz", do yourself a favor and find late model W202 (older C Class)and save yourself alot of trouble and money.

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  Poor quality - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By uro doc - January 8 - 10:00 am

  This car has been in the shop several times. It has cut off in the middle of the road as well as a separate instance where the steering wheel locked up - both very dangerous situations. Plastic pieces have broken. The power windows broke on the night my son was born and I had to run back and forth from the delivery room to the parking lot so the repairman could get the window back up. It a fun and practical car but simply is not reliable considering it 2 years old.

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  Does not live up to its name - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Tom Williams - January 5 - 2:30 am

  This is a great car when it works, but we have had tons of suspension, braking and electrical problems. Fixing anything costs at least an arm and a leg. This is my very last Benz. German engineering just means "expensive to fix".

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  At 100K miles, hello headaches - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Frank G., Lexington, KY - December 29 - 7:36 pm

  Once these cars age, they eat parts like a kid eats candy. I bought mine a year ago at 90K miles and it has been a constant headache and very unreliable. Always heard MB cars are good to 300K miles, but doubt that now. I thought I was getting a bargain, but its not. Most parts online are reasonably priced but take days to get; local parts stores charge as much as twice what online parts dealers get, but often dont have what I need. I do much of the work myself and luckily have a reliable independent shop that works on European cars to handle what I cant; if I didnt do much of it, I couldnt afford this car. These are complex cars and you pay extra for the experience it takes to fix them. Plus they can have hard-to-solve problems. For instance, I have a voltage "leak" that drains the battery if not driven in two days, and the shop cant figure it out. Mercedes dealers are notorious for charging seriously outrageous prices for parts and service (most car dealers make more money from service than new car sales), so get ready for a shock when they hand you a bill. My car performs very well, is super comfy and the tunes are awesome ... when I can drive it. I love it when its working right but so glad I have a second car. In short, its a real love/hate relationship. Buyer beware.

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  1998 ML320, 175,000 miles - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Vicel - December 27 - 1:23 pm

  I have to agree with most of the reviewers. This is one bad MB. Ive owned 3 MB but this is worst of all! From the day Ive picked-up this car, Ive had so many problems for next about 5-6 years. Ive made so many trips to dealers. Luckly, many of the problems were fixed under warrenty. Many times, dealers would fix additional items without telling me though. Real poor build quality. However, I have to tell you that after all those repairs (all done at the dealership), my car has been "Finally" running real nice. I now have 175K miles and really runs very nice. I think it was after about 90K miles this car runs nice. I still would not recommend any one to buy any Mercedes models!

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  the truth - 2004 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  By ricknyce1 - December 15 - 10:00 am

  the truck is a top of the line truck well built but the body style is UGLY plan and simple use somemore sporty features and lower it a bit inter is perfict!!!

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  Bad MBZusa service and warranty - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By John Wang - November 20 - 2:00 am

  I have believed MB but so disapointed this time when the engine blowed out at 31000 miles, a screw linked gear and oil pump got broken then oil pump stopped working......... while there is no engine oil pressure indicator! I got a lemon car with poor assembling quality but MBZusa didnt want to be responsible for their design failure as well as manufacturing failure. Buy BMW!, it is much better in quality and service, I have had a 525i since 1990 and have no problem.