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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  Black leather seats discoloring - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By anthony814 - April 18 - 3:29 pm

  I was about to enter my car this morning when I looked at the back seats I was shocked to see seats covered with white faded stains . Then I looked at front seats and saw the same . The back of both head rests are covered with same stains .Looks like mil dew stains. I was wondering if anyone else had same problem. I am shocked that this could happen to Mercedes benz .

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  Excellent build quality - 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By ap - April 14 - 3:50 am

  Great car..if you lie performance in a good looking package, then this is your car. i upgraded my heat exchanger, intercooler pump, and my crank shaft pulley to really make the car a BEAST!!! you can easily add an ECU upgrade and make this car a monster to drive! have fun

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  Better and Worse than my 07 - 2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By carlspackler1 - April 8 - 7:52 am

  I previously owned a 07 CLS with the AMG sports package. After looking at the Mercedes E 550 coupe, Jag XF Supercharged, and BMW M3, I purchased an identical CLS because I felt it offered a nicer interior, and better styling for less money. . So far we have put 6,000 miles on the car with no problems. The first thing I noticed on the test drive was that the interior seemed "cheaper" over the 07. Front seats did not offer the bolstering, and the leather seating surfaces did not exude the feeling of quality like the 07. The car rides,and handles much better than the 07 despite shocks on the most firm setting. Its not an M3, or XF, but thats OK with me.

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  Stunning But Big Problems - 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By B. Dirnsa - April 7 - 11:16 pm

  Ive had my 2015 for a full year. This car is loaded, only a couple of options not purchased. Ive really put this car through its long distance paces. Mountain driving, desert driving. Trips as long as 15 hours in a single day. The car is stunning inside and out. Seats are very comfortable. Never got a sore back, even on those super long trips. Handling is excellent, as is the fuel mileage. The haptic touch pad is a pain in the you know where. I just ignore it. Big problems with repairs, including a rear master seal leak on the transmission, a defective home link system (mirror assembly replaced), a plastic part breaking inside the front passenger door causing the door handle to come off, and several other problems. Fortunately all warranty. Consumer Reports rightly gives it a solid black circle, its lowest reliability rating. Has some crazy quirks with navigation software. For example, if I want turn by turn directions, the nav screen does not show the upcoming turn, but the second and third turns. That makes it confusing and useless. MB corporate knows about this and they agree that is how it functions. Ive been waiting for a map update to fix this and other nav problems. Still waiting. July 2016 UPDATE: I have the base car, not the 4matic. OEM Pirelli run flats. Just over 18,000 miles on the car. Front tires have 70% tread left. The rear tires, for this rear wheel drive car, have have only about 8,000 miles left. I will have to replace the rear tires after about 25,000 miles. Cost out the door at Costco will be over $500 for the two tires. The tires are regularly rotated and properly inflated. The tires are wearing evenly. There is no misalignment issues. December 2016 UPDATE: The car is still a joy to drive. This year since my last update, I drove the car in one day over 500 miles from my home to high altitude in the Sierra Mountains and back. Superb gas mileage--34 mpg overall. Coming home (where I had the downhill, I got 37 mpg). Wonderfully comfortable seats. No back pain. The car remains stunning inside and out. Nothing in its class compares, especially the inside. The new Audi A-4 lags. Next year, BMW will release its redesigned 3 series. Time will tell. Downside: Ongoing mechanical problems, mostly small, but still . . . Yep, I had to replace two tires after 24,000. Almost $500 out the door, a little cheaper than I thought in my last update. In my original review I wrote about poor navigation software performance, which corporate confirmed. Although with my lease I got free navigation updates, there have been no updates in the two years Ive had the car. The software problems persist. The climate controls are a bit anemic. There is a 10-20 second lag from the time I set the fan (heat or a/c) until the fan fully kicks in. The a/c in hot climates (I live in an area where this past summer there were several 100 degree days) is OK and kept me reasonably comfortable, but the a/c is not as powerful as Lexus or Infiniti (Ive had both makes). I have one year left on the lease, then I will need to make a decision whether to turn in the keys or buy the car. The upside is the cars design and luxury, best in class by far, handling, comfort and gas mileage. The big downside is the mechanical problems. While the car is in warranty not a cost issue, but Benz repairs are very expensive once the car is out of warranty. This is huge. Then there are those awful run flat tires, which make for a less comfortable ride and very short tread life. Sadly, they are becoming common in luxury cars, although the new Audi A-4 has a compact spare. Right now, if I had to make a decision, Id turn in the keys. If the car was as reliable as any of the several Lexus Ive had, Id get it and live with those awful run flats, but the continuing mechanical issues probably not. Fortunately, I have a year to make my final decision.

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  Best car so far! - 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
  By Al - April 6 - 11:30 pm

  Recently traded in my 2 year old Infiniti G35 (which I loved) -- just not a convenient car to shuttle our 5 & 6 year old around. First Benz for our family. So far I absolutely love it. I thought Id miss the power performance of the G (which I do a little), but this truck is surprisingly nimble -- much more than the Acura MDX my wife drives. The build quality & solid feel is absolutely exceptional -- better than any car Ive driven. On the road, it drives remarkably similar to a sedan (albeit with the comfortable feeling of sitting up higher).

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  Used to love the car, but so unreliable... - 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By meg711 - April 5 - 2:58 am

  I used to love my car, but not anymore. It is the perfect small size for me, and easy to navigate. However, I clearly got a defected car with a bad ignition system. In this April, all the sudden I was not able to turn on the engine on the street parking, and MB Roadside Assistance told me that the key didn’t recognize my car. I had to wait for 3 hours to get my car towed, and it took 2 weeks for MB to replace the ignition. The first day I drove after the repair, again the key didn’t recognize my car, and I spent another 3 hours to get it towed. The car is at MB for repair now, but I am so afraid of driving it anymore. I am very surprised that MB manufactures such an unreliable car.

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  Most disapointing car I have ever seen!! - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By S430 - March 31 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my 2002 Mercedes Benz S430 in L.A., and 3 hours later, i found out that my key would not lock/unlock the doors. Worse, i could not open my trunk! So now, i have to lock/unlock manually by pushing up each locking switch on each door.(the inside automatic-locking button wont work either) I really should have gotten (for a lower price) the Lexus LS430 ultra-lux. But if you like the outside/inside style and the name, go ahead. But I do like the outside styling and the interior room (and rear legroom)

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  Not as impressed - 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By greg - March 26 - 5:00 pm

  I went from an Audi S4 to my E55 and have to say I am really disappointed with the MB. It is a great car, fast as can be but doesnt compare with the Audi. The handling and build quality of the MB arent up to the Audi standards which was a let down.

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  "02 Merc Benz C320 Sportwagon - O.K. ? - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By soflor1 - March 25 - 10:00 am

  Car is pretty solid, drives well, good power and speed for size. However, nagging problems with computer - mirror controls dont hold, ESP program shorts - and dealer cant find the origins of the problems - "wait for MB service bulletins", they say. Transmission seems to go hunting at times. Bose "bass" is non-existant. I also own a 99 CLK320 - much better quality materials in and out. MB seems to be catching up to Chrysler in quality control - too bad!

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  Needs a New Stereo System - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By M Owens - March 20 - 10:00 am

  The car is enjoyable to drive. It responds well to the throttle. Nice size for carrying groceries and making trips to the beach. Controls are fairly easy to use. Good commuter car.