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:

• 

  You Wont Believe This - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By ex-E500 Owner - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I got my E500 in October 2003. It was a beautiful and incredibly fast sedan. By February 2004 it would spend a month at the dealer with a bum transmission and audio system. My dealer was terrific and allowed me to trade the car for another E500. The first one I ordered came in with a bad ignition system. Then, finally, Mercedes swapped cars and another car was ordered. This one came in with a bad brake system. By now I had it with no confidence in the E class. Any chance of a refund was between me and M-B. So, with no desire to be David vs. Goliath, I accepted the car after it was repaired and then the next day drove it to my Jaguar dealer for an S- Type.

• 

  superb quality - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By gyndoc - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Very solid car. The seats are in my experience some of the most comfortable out there. The build quality is first rate (as it should be). Finally, Mercedes reputation for safety and durabilty sold us on this car for our family.

• 

  Sad story - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By DC-10-30 - January 21 - 10:00 am

  In 1998, after watching Jurassic Park featuring the original ML320, we headed towards town to wait-list and buy it. Big mistake. They were so rare that we werent able to test drive. Only through broshures. Our #1 ML was full of problems, so Mercedes offered to trade us to a 99 ML320. The instrument panel (lower) collapsed mysteriously, and the trunk hinge rattled like crazy. Traded in for a 02 ML320. The new bumpers look worse. I should have got an X5 or RX300. I currently also own a 2002 S430, and its WORSE than the ML

• 

  work of art - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By speedo - January 21 - 10:00 am

  beautuful design from any angle. very confortible and solid. handles well with precise response. excellent brakes and smooth transmission.

• 

  Bad judgement - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Deutscheland-fan - January 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is really scary and annoying. The cupholders work when it feels like working; sometimes it jams. Also, the designers did a lousy job designing the cupholders and seats. The passenger front doesnt have an armrest because the cupholder is there. and, the seats are so big that i tend to slide from side to side while changing lanes on the freeway. The COMMAND system is really disapointing, compared to ones on Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, even Honda and Toyota (all these cars are CHEAPER), and all offer touch screen capability, and most with DVD based GPS systems. The value on this car is really disapointing. Overall, I am not pleased with the car.

• 

  Ok car - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By StarTech3000 - January 21 - 10:00 am

  One of the things i hate about this car is that the engine noise is really loud and frustrating (so is the wind noise). I am both shocked and disapointed at this. acceleration is very slow even on 4th gear.

• 

  I love my wifes car. - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By C ME GO - January 21 - 10:00 am

  I warm up to cars slowly but this latest C-Class by MB with the big 3.2L twin-spark V6 won me over quickly. And, its big enough for 95 percentile males to drive and has many comfortable seating positions. The engine just loafs, even on the biggest hills, and the whole package delivers comforting feelings of security, competence and value.

• 

  My drive - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By mercedes - January 21 - 12:30 am

  I enjoy driving my Mercedes CLK. It has a lot of pickup and often I dont realize how fast I am going until I check my speed. Obviously it was made to drive on the Autobahn in Germany. My only problem is that there are so many controls and I drive so infrequently based on the weather that I am often stumped as how to operate.

• 

  love my new ml320 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By dakotahjoe - January 20 - 8:20 am

  My new ml320 is everything I expected it to be. The ride is solid. Mercedes qulity from front to back. Dont believe the whiners. Its a great SUV.

• 

  Best of the Best - 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By MarkB - January 19 - 6:56 pm

  This is the best car ever sold to the masses. The exterior styling is what an auto should be. It is not like those cookie cutter automobiles that we see on the road. The handling is superb and the aceleration is outstanding. The dynamic seats makes driving long distances more comfortable. This is the type of car Detroit should try to make.