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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  My Mercedes C400 is the Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jennifer - January 15 - 3:57 pm

  Ive owned my Mercedes C400 for less than a year. Best car Ive ever driven. But like anything with astounding beauty and pedigree, its simply too high maintenance, too cold, and now, too unreliable to be practical. From issues with components not properly installed on delivery, door seals unraveling a week into ownership, two recalls, a lack of comfort in the cabin so extreme I don’t drive the car long distances, an engine stall in the street (sans key), service issues, and finally, total unreliability and failure; my C400 experience has been pretty disappointing. Id wait at least a few more generations before touching this model-- the glitches can be severe! Intuitive? Its smart enough to drive without a key within twenty feet, and stupid enough to stay in start mode and drain your battery, without any active attempt to start the car or even be present in the car for up to five (5) hours. How smart is that. Dont let your kids touch that button! I found out. After meter parking the car in NYC, and returning several times to re-load the meter and re-display my ticket inside the car’s dash window, locking the car every time, yet the car remained in active start mode until the battery died, with no error or warning message. Smart would be something different. If there is no active start (after pressing the start button) after a period of time--perhaps this super smart car should inform the occupant, via its intuitive messaging system (no one but Mercedes can decode your car— so they tell me-- hows that for transparency), that if no ignition is attempted within X period of time, the power will terminate, and preserve battery life. Now, that would be smart. The C400 is not that smart. At less than 3500 miles, the battery died and two attempts (one of which was by Mercedes) failed to remedy the problem without dealer interference, some 60 miles and three days away. Think about that. You are stuck in the middle of no where (to you, anyway), with a dead battery-- which can happen to anyone. Mercedes roadside assistance fails to charge the battery or offer any other diagnostics on the car, and leaves you to tow to their dealership, where only they can remedy the issue. Why? The C400 apparently needed an extra long charge, longer than another motorist, a tow truck or their own roadside assistance could seem to achieve when they attempted to jumpstart the car-- the electronics wouldnt even activate but to unlock the doors and leave them disarmed. A stalled battery is one thing-- and arguably my own fault. But who wants a car so smart it wont take a charge from anyone but Mercedes? While I believe the battery had, in fact, juiced itself into a coma, I also believe something went array with the car’s electrical and computer system, and the error was one that only Mercedes could clear. How’s that for holding yourself accountable. I had another safety issue with my Mercedes C400. One morning as I was rushing to work, I got in the car (kids in tow), started her up, and reversed into the street when the car stalled. Realizing I forgot my key, which was some twenty feet away, inside my house, it dawned on me how incredible it is that I was able to start my car and pull into a busy street, with no key in close proximity. After a recent trip to the dealership, this was corrected, it seems but the service manager refused to disclose it had been an issue to begin with. My dealership (the worst luxury dealer Ive ever encountered) insists there is nothing wrong with these cars and sales are robust, yet I have never seen another C400 on the road in my area. Seems to me Mercedes has some work to do in refining this model. I hope Mercedes will proactively recall any C400s with a safety issue and correct any defects in its messaging/electrical systems, if found, of course. Safety should be their top priority. Back to Audi. Tail between legs. Sigh. BTW, I offered my C400 back to the dealership (with less than 3500 miles). Not surprisingly, they passed.

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  Do Not Consider - 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Paul H. Bass - November 16 - 1:52 am

  Between my wife and I we have at least 8 Mercedes. On or about late August we both leased and had delivered two 300E sedans. Hers was fine, mine with 40 miles on it got caught on a parking bumper and the entire front came off. When I picked it up at the body shop I learned there was already the same model in the shop for the same reason, the model could not have been out more than three weeks. I was out of pocket $600 and my insurance company out $3000. I measure the front of my car and it was just under 3" from the ground. My wifes was 6", when I inquired from the dealer I was advised that warning lights come on when the car comes to a bumper. It happen again at a 1000 miles and again towed to Mercedes. Mercedes Financing and USA refused to do anything about my second event and advised from Maria at USA the warning lights come when something in front of the car; but, not as low as three inches. So there the car sits at a dealer building storage charges and on my way court.

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  ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEMS - 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By James - September 14 - 10:21 am

  I bought a sprinter RV 2011 MB chassis with 14500 miles on it . And on the drive away from buying it the engine light came on got towed and MB replaced EGR valve out of dealer @14608 miles drove 823 miles to next dealer they replaced nox out @15345 miles drove 3454 miles to next dealer they did IQT out @ 18799 miles,..Now I sit at another dealer with about 20689 miles waiting for a engine light problem to be fixed so I got 1890 miles on the last fix ..This is from March 17th 2017 to Oct 5th 2017 I am at my 4th Dealer visit in 6 months and drove only 6189 miles Totally MB needs to fix this issue

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  I cant be happier.....I just sold mine. - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By chong - September 11 - 10:00 am

  Engine and transmition problem, electrical problem, window wont open, doors wont lock, lost power steering two times within a year, dealer charge me $1500 to replace a light bulb in the running broad, cracked rear side panel, change break pads three times in the first 30,000 miles, low feul light blinks and no dealer can fix it and many more.My EX-ML almost killed me three days ago when it lost its power steering. And I just fixed the power steering two weeks ago because I got a recall from Mercede. THE RECALL LETTER SAID THE ML CAN LOSE IT POWER STEERING SUDDENTLY AND MAY CAUSE DANGEROUS SITUATION. This really happened but after They FIXED the problem!

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  Dont buy used - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By mbpoorquality - August 11 - 7:00 am

  A used Mercedes, who brags about quality, should not need a new cylinder head at 65,000 miles. Running rough? When they do a compression test, dont be suprised if it is number 2 or number 4 on the passenger side. It will cost you $5000 and you can forget about warranty coverage. The electronics are way out of date. Save yourself money and frustration...do not buy used. And dont be misled when you get a call from Mercedes "corporate". It is some hourly employee who gets paid to tell you how special you are but they wont do a thing about their crappy motors. I will never buy another one. My AUDI Q7 is much better all the way around.

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  Nightmare tri star - 2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By dcs - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Do not buy this SUV, what do you get for a 40K SUV: plastic, problems, bad customer services, everything could go wrong will go wrong from the engine to trans, window, etc. Shop around for your money, dont pay for the name

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  LEMON - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By tm1 - March 18 - 10:00 am

  This car would be in the shop every three weeks. It had a full range of problems too long to list. The MB dealership and MB of North America arent very friendly or helpful, they are horible to deal with. Please stay away from this SUV, its truely a lemon.

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  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

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  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.

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  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.