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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  A Car for All Season - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Albert Fairchild - April 22 - 6:36 pm

  Weve had this car for 7 months now, and it is our all time favorite vehicle. Elegantly designed and mechanically superb, we have driven it with pleasure and in comfort on snowy roads and in Washingtons steam-bath summer. The fuel mileage is not great (about 19 mpg), but that seems to be an inevitable tradeoff for cars of this class.

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  Charles Review - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By CHARLES - April 21 - 2:30 am

  I have driven the car 13,000 miles since September. Car has been a joy to drive. Handles great with great gas mileage, esp highway (32 MPG). It is a great looking car with the AMG package. Could use a little more power off the line but has good acceleration past 25 mph. The base stereo system is better than expected.

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  awesome, awesome car! - 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Brian T. - April 17 - 10:00 am

  I got mine 4 months ago. Absolutely awesome car. Bought it with 47K miles on it. Everything works perfectly. Timeless classic design. I get an unbelievable 22 mpg, with using cruise control a lot. I live in Florida, and comute about 25 miles to work. We also have a Mazda Protege, and the car insurance on the SL, is only $7.50 more per month than the Mazda. :-)) If this is the car that you are longing for, go for it! You will not be disappointed! Mine is red with shell interior. An awesome color combination. The ride is a little bit stiff like on most of the German cars.

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  Vinyl vs Leather - 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By dj - April 16 - 4:30 pm

  Addressing the vinyl vs leather for such expensive vehicles, please note that Mercedes has a long history of offering the best vinyl seating ever made, which is better than most cars leather. For some reason Americans equate leather with luxury. In Europe many of the Mercedes sold have cloth/velour seating. A final note on the vinyl, youll be very happy to have the vinyl 30 years from now when your E class interior looks almost as new. History and tradition are alive at Mercedes.

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  Hot, Fast, Agile Cayenne Turbo Killer. - 2008 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By frankthemerc - April 15 - 6:23 pm

  Great fit and finish. Fast 0-60 mph 4.4 sec. Rides like it is on rails. Handles like my M5. Solid with great corning on the twisting roads. Great seats and Harmon Kardon sounds system. Passing and power unlimited.

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  Mercedes C240 - 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Jungmel - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Car was purchased by my wife. It is not too big to handle in small spaces. The car performs well and has very good acceleration given relatively low horesepower. It handles almost as well as our BMW 326ic with more comfort and more amenities. It holds four adults comfortably and the trunk is big enough for two sets of golf clubs and some luggage. My opinion is you get a lot of car for the money and this car is underrated....or more appropriately..never rated. Why they call it a 240 I will never know..it has a 2.6 liter engine. Perhaps they were afraid of a lack of marketing distinction between the 240 and the 320. This car is solid.

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  Best car we ever owned - 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
  By mk - April 11 - 10:16 pm

  Always been Audi fan but when CLS got out could not resist - and have no regrets despite rather high price tag. Starts a bit slow but then jumps like its power has no limit; holds road very well, unsurpassed comfort and attention to details, and last but not least - real head turner

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  Got what I was looking for - 2008 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  By NSIM - April 8 - 2:50 pm

  We were looking for a vehicle which could accommodate a 6 member family. Test drove most of the vehicles and finally ended up on the best one. We just love the class and comfort of Mercedes. Though I am bit skeptical about the Mercs notorious reliability, everything is fine so far. Its absolutely quiet inside and got decent accelaration for such a heavy vehicle. Overall I give it a 95% score

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  Best car ever built - 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  By Frank Girardi - April 8 - 2:00 am

  Best Mercedes ever built

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  Mercedes Benz C350 Sport AMG package - 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By ck - April 6 - 11:00 pm

  I first saw the C350 on TV late 2007 i wanted to trade in my 05 C230 for a new car. I was also test driving 3 series BMW, Saab, infinty g35 and even the Nissan 350Z a much sportier car. I tallied up the plusses for each car including the c350 to come up with the best decision, by this time I have test driven all cars including the Benz which was stuningly beautiful in person.. The ride interior quality, over all quality, styling, mpg w/c is fairly good. And room. The Benz was the clear choice. On top of that I added the amg package, navigation, Sirius, oh and I have a 4gig hardrive pcmcia which was hard to find. I dont have to use my ipod no more. Best deal for the buck