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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  Great to drive, but ... - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By djdj - April 1 - 2:00 am

  Responsive engine, fun autostick, reasonable gas mileage (if youre careful), wonderfully comfortable seats, great sounding stereo. But every six months its back in the dealer for something else, window switches (of course), rattles, CD, radio, paint (dealers fault). The build quality is dismal

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  Great Overall Car - 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By Thomas H - April 1 - 2:00 am

  My purchase of my CLK 430 was an impulse buy. All the right pieces came together (price, availability, desire, etc.) and I purchesd the vehicle with little forethought. My first reaction was a bit of buyers remorse because of downsizing from a sedan and that I already own a convertable. After the first week however, this has become my primary vehicle and I love to drive it. The styling is great and the performance exceptional. My only complaint is the lack of amenities unless you puchase a vehicle with factory Navigation, phone, etc. all of my Audis have more interior bang for the buck. MB should work on this.

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  good but not great - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By da baker - April 1 - 2:00 am

  first MB. not overwhelmed by quality. hit bottom of fender paint off on ordinary curb. should be all rubber under front. temp. controls should be where stereo is access to CD player should be higher. too much road noise on concrete. Milage good even when new. awkward for six two guy to get into. looks sharp. desperate need for pro- tective covers over fog lights. they get broken by rocks quickly and there are no new replacement lenses avail- able anywhere, unbelievable!

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  it is so fun to drive! - 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By swixz - March 31 - 12:13 pm

  its a K.O.! when i test drove it for the 1st time,i was so impressed the way it drives and hugs the road. pretty solid!i didnt bother to go to audi and bmw. it makes a sweet thug noise every time i gently close the door and makes me smile. its too sporty and too low. beware! i didnt realized that until i hit a parking concrete barrier just few days after getting the car and if you have a passenger that has a problem bending down, its a little hard for them to get in and out of the car.

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  Yea, it is fun - 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By bill ihle - March 28 - 6:56 pm

  This is my third SL. Yes, they are fun, and expensive. I like the retractable roof. So much better than lifting the other hard tops off. After spending nearly $90K for this car to have me pay for regular maintance is a joke. Really irks me and thus this will probably be last Benz.

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  Very satisfied - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By nmotb - March 26 - 8:40 pm

  I am just weeks ahead of my 2nd year of ownership and this has been a great car, and I have not had any troubles with it that required a dealer visit. Its my first Mercedes Benz and I am impressed with how solid the car feels, it feels as though it will feel new and perfect for a long time.

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  So far Im not overwhelmed - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By chitownmb - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Generally pleased but having wheel alignment problems that could be tire problems after two balances and two alignments. Otherwise ride is not as smooth as I would like but cant tell until I get this alignment thing cured. Watch the Continental tires!

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  MB as a rugged family car - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By off_road_family - March 19 - 6:06 pm

  I needed a car in the AWD category which was suited for rough off-roading trips in the country and daily suburban mom, and which wouldnt embarass my husband when he had to park it next to his super-status-concious coworkers. For the money, this car fit the bill. Remembering there wasnt much out there in the smaller 6+passenger SUV category at the time and that this car was originally priced considerably less than the other entries in this category, like Lexus and Toyotas, I can forgive many annoying flaws. Im still a loyal owner, but I havent had any of the reliablity issues the other reviewers had, and I wouldnt tolerate them if I did.

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  Love it - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Dev - March 18 - 12:46 pm

  I traded my Honda in for an 06 C230 last May. I love the looks of the car, it has a very intimidating "aggressive" looking stance, and when its clean (i got black) it looks amazing, Im constantly getting looks from other drives checking the car out. However, I wish I would have gotten a Kompressor, this vehicle is too slow in stop and go traffic and around town driving, its hard to explain but it would almost feel like a "turbo lag" you are flooring the pedal and its not going no where fast, but at freeway speeds its very responisive. I have never driven a vehicle that handles as well as this car does...Mercedes hasnt sacraficed anything in reguards to handeling and braking.

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  EPIC FAIL!!! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By randy - March 17 - 10:56 pm

  I owned this car for 6 months. it was good for a while until the compressor, traction control, stereo, moonroof, transmission all went out at the same time! otherwise it drove like a real sports car with extremely good interior comfort before the probs. i traded it in for a mazda6 and glad i did