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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  BMW BEATER - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By BMW BEATER - February 28 - 10:00 am

  OMG!!! THIS CAR HAS BEEN THE BOMB!

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  Mercedes Benz, a complete waste of money - 2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Heidelberg - February 28 - 5:20 am

  First off, I call myself "upgrading" from a 1998 Lexus GS300, but soon found out that I actually "downgraded" myself in this German problem. The air conditioner failed 2 times - one time it failed as soon as I picked the car up from being serviced. The brakes are an ongoing problem - they dont last more than 3 months and the brake dust that accumulates on my wheels (in the course of 1 day after cleaning them) is completely out of control. The fit and finish with the car is horrible: the interior door handle is peeling on both doors, bulbs constantly go out, the dashboard illumination is failing (which means no clock), etc. My advice, get a Lexus - when my lease expires, I certainly will!

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  A Perfect Commuter - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Tom - February 28 - 12:20 am

  My commute is 60 miles of highway against the traffic flow and I fill this CDI up once every two weeks. My 2001 E320 required refill once per week. Composed and comfortable, the integrated iPod system is a delight. Seat comfort is much improved over older models. No clatter or smoke and plenty of low end torque when you apply the right foot. Most passengers wont know it is a diesel till you tell them.

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  Overall, not too bad - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By MP - February 27 - 4:00 pm

  This was my first Benz when I bought back in 06. It did pretty well for the first year, but then the car started to have numerous problems. The wind sheild wiper stopped working, the CD player broke (and still is broken today), and some various other things seemed to not work the way they should after a while. We ended up spending about $6000 overall in the past 4 years. However, Im not really the kind of person that treats their car like a baby or even owns a garage, I also ignore regular servicing a lot. After we got all this fixed though, the car seemed to really work well and has continued to do so so far. Im not totally sure Id buy another Merc but Id definitely buy another German car

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  E55 Review - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By MP - February 27 - 10:36 am

  One of the most versatile vehicles I have ever owned. One day its a road warrior with incredible performance. The next day its a family vehicle that seats 5 comfortably.

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  Noise from SUV is Loud and not Smooth - 2004 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By campbell - February 27 - 2:43 am

  This SUV is designed and built like you might expect from Mercedes, but the one I own sounds loud and isnt smooth because of a "wobble" sound in rear that Mercedes can identify and correct. I will try again to get this problem resolved soon. The warranty Mercedes service center said the warranty expired for tires balance and alignment. I have only 14,600 miles (about the time for an oil change in Mercedes); dont get fooled by the 4 year general warranty; service will come out of your pocket for things you do not expect after paying the sticker price. They should correct the mechanical or tire sound coming from the rear of the SUV, but they are asking me to pay for it...last MB for me.

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  Best quality /price ratio - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By christophe - February 27 - 2:36 am

  Got this car for one year. Computer system easy to use not like the Idrive (cancelled the purchase of an M6 convertible due to this stuff). Even the night vision is usefull mostly at suset and dawn.

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  WE LOVE IT! - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Rudys! - February 26 - 4:10 pm

  An absolute great car! Weve had a few problems with the steering mechanism, plastic on driver side seat cracked at 40,000 miles, and a lot of flat tires. Weve never used the spare tire, because we dont know how to release it from its holder... Other then those mishaps, WE LOVE IT!

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  2005 C240 4matic - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By cnyc - February 26 - 12:33 pm

  Ive had the car for about 4 months, and its a great ride. Acceleration from a stop could be a little quicker, but once you get up to speed, this car rides nice. The 4Matic works great in the snow, and heavy rain. The car feels extremely solid for a smaller luxury car, and it handles very nicely. The interior design for 2005 makes a big difference, and looks much better than Audi, or BMW.

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  Benz SL 500 - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Alex Steinberg - February 25 - 6:33 pm

  A very heavy German car. What is not to like about that?