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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  After a month - 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By J. Clark - November 19 - 2:00 am

  The car is well built with great safty features, great style, and great options (if youre willing to pay for them). The only problem I am having is with the braking system. Every time you let off the brakes a computer humming sound happens for a couple of seconds. Mercedes says that is normal. The problem is sometimes the humming is so bad that it rattles the dash. Will soon take in to service for a second time. I have noticed the computer system sometimes misreads but hopefully very minor and not too often. Other than that it is a great car.

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  E63 - 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Bernies Car - November 19 - 1:23 am

  Very nice car. I had a E55 prior to this car and it was also very nice. I did like the twin turbo in my e55 but I like the seven speed transmission quite a bit better than my old car. Plenty of power but gas mileage is terrible. All in all a great car.

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  Attitude of MB Corp. - 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Autoboy - November 18 - 9:23 pm

  The overall quality of the MB 220 series has suffered from the lack of pride and attention to details that MB engineers had on previous marques. My experiences range from 4 leaking valves on the brand new car,off centered pulley, faulty command system, leaky air suspension, steering wheel that extends itself at some strange times. Most of the problems were fixed by the dealer and MB, however, they make you feel like that youre taking advantage of them. My god! Im just trying to get problems that should not have been there in the first place.

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  Great long-term runner - 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Bus Man - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Excellent fuel economy, 30MPG average. Good reliability once bugs were worked out. Motor runs like new with 134,000 miles, and the car still feels very solid, with shock & brake/rotor replacement.

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  Love this car. - 1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By BrentStanfield - November 12 - 10:00 am

  Comfort is top notch. I took mine in for the 105000-mile service and the dealership loaned me a 2002 C-class . My 95 E rides much more smoothly that the new C. Transmission could be better. I sometimes leave the transmission in 2nd in heavy traffic. If I stop and it shifts back to 1st, it will not shift again until I move the selector to 3rd. Then I must shift back to 2nd. 1st gear is otherwise unpredictable. 1st is used when I dont need it and is never available when I need to take off. Braking is excellent wet or dry. Easy steering with normal body roll. Interior is quite and very comfortable. I will be happy with this care for years to come.

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  Bad compressor at less than 50,000 - 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
  By cberk74 - November 10 - 3:15 pm

  My compressor has gone bad 49,582 miles. The car may be 6 yrs old but at that low mileage it should not have a compressor leak. It has been properly maintained at Mercedes dealerships and garage kept. I am the fourth owner. Had it for two years and average 10,000 a year in mileage. I have only had to visit the dealership twice for service and apparently do not have enough "loyalty" to get a decent repair rate on something that should not be broken. I spoke with the head of the Post Warranty at MBUSA and he spoke with my local service center. The best deal they could offer me was 15% off the $1500 repair bill. I am very disappointed in the quality of the car.

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  Ride is great. Reliability is horrid. - 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By sj wooten - November 8 - 12:23 am

  Its in the shop as we speak. $650 sparkplug wire. If its electrical it is broken or has been repaired in the past. Lighted interior mirrors are $300. Over a $1,000 quoted to fix exterior temp reading LCD. I am 51 years old and owned many cars in my life, but this one has been towed and in for repair more than all the others combined. My other 3 vehicles are Toyota products. I will be buying another one soon and fortunately will shed my Benz before I am handed a $4,000 bill for something unexpected. Just incredible. Benz-Chrysler wont last long producing such a low reliability auto. Fool me once shame on you...but you wont fool me twice.

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  Disappointed owner - 2001 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
  By jsloan - November 7 - 10:00 am

  15 visits for repair, most on computer issues. 1 suspension failure. If the car was reliable, it would be my favorite car of all types I have owned. There appears to be no end to the computer issues with this car.

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  ML320 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By rsa0 - November 6 - 8:23 pm

  Great german engineering. Some minor details had failed during time (navigation unit) but were promptly replaced by the dealer. Overall experience is great, and I am now a returning buyer for ML. MPG is not the greatest, but hey, is an AWD! Excellent ABS and stability control that not many SUVs have. With the exception of the GPS unit, I had nothing to fix or repair on this car since 2001.

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  Spent Too Much! - 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Sorry I bought! - November 5 - 2:00 am

  Bought this vehicle and spent the money thinking I was purchasing quality. Have had the car back to the shop at least 6 times for leaking anti freeze - cant seem to fix properly. Customer ervice totally rots once you buy the car - Treated with little respect as a female owner - would I do it again - NO WAY - even though I do like the car and even spent the $$$$ to purchase the extended warranty thinking I would keep until I got my monies worth. Even the brakes dont last - I have under 24,000 miles on this car and really try to keep it up but this is definitely high maintenance!!!!!