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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  Second Time a Charm ... New C300 Sport is Great. - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Stan Holz - October 20 - 9:34 am

  This is my second 2015 C300. Why did I own two? Because the first one, an early 8/14 build, had so many issues that I worked out a deal with MB-USA and my dealer to trade it in and order a new car. I lost some money, but did wind up with a very fair deal and a much better car. I have owned my new C300 Sport since April, now have over 15, 000 miles on it, and it has been truly exceptional. Whats good? Well, the front seating is very adjustable and easy to find a sweet spot in. Headroom and legroom are excellent, the huge display screen is always visible and free from glare, the controls ... once you get used to them ... are very usable. The Burmester sound system is much better than average, but can be a bit heavy on bass response. The touchpad is unique, and not always the easiest way to navigate the interface. Luckily, a more conventional control wheel is right under the pad and works well. The quality of the interior is truly impressive, with nice touches and decent storage, especially under the large console storage compartment. That console is large because theres no shift lever there. Mercedes opts to place the shifter on the steering column. This is strange but, after you get used to it, very simple to use. The glove box is large, but very awkward to access due to the design of its door. I need AWD where I live, and the 4Matic system works seamlessly. Fuel mileage with the turbo 4 easily tops 30 mpg on most roads. Even local driving nets me high 20s .. and the cars computer readout is actually accurate. The little 4 is quick as well, turning 0-60 times in the low 6 second range. Quite impressive. The trunk is reasonably large, but not best in class. There is no spare tire or jack in there, since the car uses run flat tires. The rear seats can be folded flat, and break into three sections. Visibility is fairly good all around. I have the blind spot assist, and it works very well on this car. It will beep if you put on your turn signal while a car is in its range, and always gives a visible alert when it detects a car to the side. The rear view camera is effective with the usual array of guidance lines. It does not however, provide any audible warning if youre too close to an object. As far as warnings, this car has no open door or open trunk warning light display. It will give a confusing alert about putting the car in Park when you start driving, but nothing else. I find this very odd. Another odd feature is the lack of an odometer readout on the digital speedometer screen. If you want to see the odometer, you have to scroll to another screen. Ive never had a car that didnt display the odometer by default. Headlights are very good. I have the LED lights, but Ive been told the adaptive lighting is even better. Windshield wipers are effective, and the washers use a three nozzle system which is much better than most other cars. Ride comfort is not one of this cars strong points. Whether you have the base or sport suspension package, the ride is stiff and can feel harsh over rough surfaces. It takes pavement breaks or potholes to unsettle the car, but there isnt much suspension compliance when the road gets coarse. The run flat tires are at least partially responsible for this, and I have been told that switching to standard tires makes a big difference. Handling is very good, with minimal body roll through tight turns. The steering is fairly quick and light, with some feedback through the wheel. Agility control can be used to alter the cars responses; by changing throttle mapping, transmission shift points, and steering feel. With the Airmatic suspension option, it will also alter the feel of the suspension ... but this doesnt work with the standard steel suspension. I have the Keyless Go key fob system. Touch the inside of any door handle and the car unlocks, touch the outside and the car locks. Touch the ignition button, and the car starts or turns off. With a Mercedes smartphone app, you can also lock or unlock remotely, and even send navigation points to the car from your phone or computer. (This requires MBrace, which cost extra after a 6 month trial period.) I had some problems with intermittent operation of Keyless Go, and on both cars I owned. Sometimes the fob just would not be recognized, leaving me standing beside the car unable to get in. After a minute or so, the system would reset itself and work normally again. Finally, after many complaints, Mercedes came up with a software upgrade which I had my dealer install in July. Since then, I have had no further issues with Keyless Go. With all these advanced electronics, Mercedes still will not link the key fob to the memory, so opening the car with the fob will not trigger the seat or radio memory functions. Overall, this is an attractive and excellent performing car. It has its quirks, but it is a heck of a car.

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  Great car. But poor engine quality - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By mbzpain - October 19 - 12:43 am

  Love this car, great cruiser, comfortable, great mileage and power. BUT, Mercedes has delivered a car with a poorly designed engine. At 62K, I got check engine light and taking to the dealer was informed that I have to replace the balance shaft of my engine for a cost of close to $6K. According to the advisor and validated by the many articles you can find on the web. Mercedes, E350 engine (this affects E350, ML350 and many other C class cars using the same engine) was built using a balance shaft that was not tempered properly. This affects 10% to 15% of the cars between 2006 and 2007 Worst of all Mercedes will not stand behind the poorly manufactured engine !!!

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  2014 GL450 - 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Mohamed Jalloh - October 18 - 6:46 am

  Smooth ride with luxury package.

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  1999 C230 Kompressor - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By stinker99 - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Trouble-free ownership experience. Good-looking, comfortable and well- powered at any speed. Great handling and very good highway ride. At start- up, engine is quite noisy, though after 30 seconds, it quiets signficantly. For a near-luxury class car, engine noise should still be lower than it is.

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  Best Ride! - 1997 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By accumulator - October 18 - 2:00 am

  This car drives the best of any comparable cars! Smooth and stable cornering, solid feel, and impressive acceleration. Having owned Lexus for many years, I believe the quality of the details are more superior on the Lexus but the LS400 cannot compete with this one on the quality of the ride. Get used to more stares and attention driving a Mercedes compared to other luxury cars!

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  Needs an update - 2004 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By nateNJ - October 18 - 2:00 am

  The car is showing its age - limited features and dated functionality.

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  Buy the BMW or Lexus - 1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By LLT - October 17 - 2:40 pm

  Overall, its a fun car to drive, but quality is poor. Its had much lower quality than any other car Ive owned (Pontiac, Jeep, Buick, Datsun) and maintenance costs are significantly more.

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  spend elsewhere - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By errand boy - October 16 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for about 15 months and been to the repair shop 5 times with problems. Including a one week siesta for my benz with no loaner.The car is slightly underpowered. Since my wife and I wanted manual, the 320 was not an option.She drives it most of the time. The most serious problem was when the car stalled suddenly.They claimed it was the ac compressor disengaging the clutch. We got it back the first time and it drove fine, but the ac still didnt work. Nowadays I pretty much only drive the car when it has to go in the shop, which is about every 2 1/2 months. I drive a 2001 passat v6 and have no problems. One would expect some quality control from mb.

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  Unique classy ride - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By dtam - October 16 - 4:33 am

  This is a beautiful car, it gets looks wherever I go. The interior is functional andclassy. The head room is excellent (Im 61"). I was surprised with the amount of rear leg room, I am comfortable riding back there (when my wife insistn on driving). The top is great and easy to use, I have opened it while sitting in traffic, I was so quick,I didnt get beeped at. Quality of construction seem excellent, I beleve Mercedes is back. The stereo is excellent, one of the best I have heard in a car. The engine and transmission are smooth, quiet and responsive. Handles great. The 3.2l has is road tested and should be very reliable. Upgrade seats work well epecially cooling.

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  Not the best choice for a used SUV - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By ml500owner - October 16 - 3:18 am

  I have owned this car since new. It now has 110,000 miles and is still like new since almost every part has been replaced or repaired at least once. I have found the car is easy to work on and most parts are available on line or at local auto parts stores. There are also great web forums to help diagnose problems and instructions for repairs. There have been so many problems I could not begin to list them all, but one positive thing I can say it has never left me stranded. I would only recommend buying this car if you have the ability to do most of the repairs and maintenance yourself, otherwise this car is just a money pit that is best avoided