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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  I am loving it. - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By RaleighMB - November 23 - 6:00 pm

  I have had this car for over a year and absolutely love it. It is a solid built car with a super smooth drive and transmission. The audio system is simply outstanding and the gas mileage has been great. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the purchase.

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  Still the best - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jake - November 23 - 5:23 pm

  What an impressive value! The styling is fantastic- they really did it right with the wheels and tires combination. Even the brake clipers say Mercedes on them (my friends $70,000 Audi doesnt). Ive only put 1,500 miles on it in 4 months and it lives in the garage, but is an absolute joy to drive. Pickup with the 6sp manual seems pretty good, but I havent seen the economy on the sticker yet. Nicely equipped too, with lots of standards like the power seat, rain sensing windshield wipers, automatic headlights, sunshade, etc. Great value- I looked at the IS250, but Mercedes is still the best.

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  Sadly, Poor Reliability/Quality - 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By unhappyOwner - November 21 - 10:30 am

  Bought the new 2006 ML350 in April. Same complaint as a lot of other owners, the transmission is erratic at low speed, it would sometime downshift hard at low speed for no reason. The service guy said this is fixed with new programming. However have not have chance to verify it, since the car is still in the shop for major repair. After driving for 3600 miles, the low engine oil indicator came up. Brought the car to shop and found engine oil leaks in multiple places. The car is in the shop for about 3 weeks now, requiring parts from Germany. Would very much like MB to take the defective ML350 back. This is all too sad, the car is high performance and fun to drive without doubt.

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  Didnt miss my Passat for long! - 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By juelladeville - November 21 - 2:00 am

  Never have felt so secure on the road. Bought it when my daughter started school in next county.Great on highway. Yeah, cupholder is actually a better cell phone holder, but Ill deal! Bought it used with 29000 miles on it, saved a bunch over new and it still feels like new.

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  GL550, multitude of small problems undermines confidence in the brand - 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By cargourmet - November 20 - 10:37 pm

  Just got this family mover four months ago. It is no doubt a beautiful truck, and is loaded with all kinds of technological gizmos. However, that may be it downfall because a multitude of annoyances keep cropping up and sending us to the dealer: LED lights not working, tire sensor failure, power seat failure, etc. Finally, one morning the car was dead in the garage. A $100K car that would not give any sign of life or start with only 4000 miles on board. Had to have it towed to the dealer where they are still "trying to figure out what happened".

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  Cruiser - 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By gvitalik - November 20 - 7:00 am

  Bought it because looks different than anything on the road. Switched from Infiniti FX which I loved and what a difference in Mercedes. Less sporty, but a lot more stable, user and practical. Always correct people from calling it a minivan as I am too young for one. Mercedes had great deals in May on these because of slow sales and I could not refuse when I got a payment of $20 more vs. FX with less down on a vehicle that cost $61K. Memorial Day weekend took it from SF Bay Area to Southern California and enjoyed the whole ride with airmatic. With speeds over 85 it just glides comparing to my FX where every bump was felt. Panoramic roof is outstanding

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  C300 Sport - Nice! - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By egmdx - November 20 - 12:46 am

  Beautiful car! The only complaint I have is I wish it had more horsepower. I have a G35 coupe which has 280HP, and going down to 228HP is a little change. The ride is awesome.

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  I hate my C350 quality - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By harizo - November 19 - 9:42 pm

  I bought a mercedes C350 brand new in 09 hoping that buying a new car would save me any car trouble. Unfortunately, I returned the next day to the dealer ship with a fuel engine issue. The car stayed over night to get some engine part replaced. A month later, I had break lights turn on due to corrosion. Another issue was a delay with car taking off, as i would press down on the accelerator the RPM would shoot up but the car wouldnt go. I took the car several times the first year, the dealer ship wasnt able to fix a few things until i escalated the issue to the dealer ship manager at Beshoff in San jose.I have taken in my car over 15 times due to repeating problems. BMW quality is much better

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  My BABY BENZ - 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Tara - November 17 - 1:16 am

  My first MB and I will never own anything else. So much fun to drive. I get excited when its time to drive it. My husband at first didnt like the idea of a Benz but he drives more then I do now. We are already planning on getting another MB.

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  MY ML 500 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By BUDDY - November 16 - 10:00 am

  FUN CAR TO DRIVE, IT IS VERY FAST AND A VERY GOOD RIDE. THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH MY ML500 IS NOISY BRAKES, REAR TIRES WEARING OUT PREMATURLY AND BAD CUP HOLDERS. DEALERSHIP STATES THERE ARE NO CURRENT FIX FOR ABOVE PROBLEMS BUT THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF THEM. ALSO IT SEEMS THE PAINT IS VERY THIN. IT CHIPS VERY EASY.