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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  Terrible Windshield Wipers - 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By John Hudson - August 30 - 10:00 am

  The 2011 Mercedes Benz C300 luxury is nice to look at. You can get many options (at a cost),but the windshield wipers stutter and are very noisy. The auto wiper sensor is terrible and has no consistency. Its hard to believe Mercedes has made such a huge mistake.This problem destroys the whole car.

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  Poor workmanship & Dealer service - 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Poor workmanship - August 28 - 3:46 pm

  I have owned Mercedes for the last 40 years, and this car is absolutely the most poorly built and least reliable. All others were fine. With 9500 miles, mine has loud squealing brakes, a backup camera that is unusable due to poor optics, Nav map display "jumps" constantly, worse than my hand held $80 Garmin E-Trex. This is the most irritating item of all, and Map must be turned off at night to prevent annoying distraction. The car pulls rt. on 95% of the roads.

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  Mercedes Benz C240 (6M) - 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By asimesen - August 25 - 9:50 am

  The only reason I bought this car was it came with a 6-speed manual transmission, the only MB sold with a manual in the USA in 2002,and it was the smallest MB to fit a family of 4-5. The car has excellent ride for it size and fun to drive with 6-speed manual. It has more power than I need with a small V-6. I must say built quality is poor, especially when it comes to electrical components. We had all kinds of problems with those dummy keys, they had to change several times; one time the trunk would not open for weeks until the dealer ordered parts and fixed it; and now the radio is not working properly. If I have to buy another car of this size again, it will be a BMW 3 series.

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  Design Outdated - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Tom S. - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car somewhat reluctantly. Its far less expensive than my first choice, the BMW X5, about the same as an MDX. Frankly, the Mercedes-Benz badge made it the choice over the MDX. Has a simple, somewhat rugged exterior without being pretentious (Lexus RX300 and Mercury Mountaineer). Got just the minimum: Luxury and Convenience package with the Bose sound system.

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  S600 - 1995 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By jonny600 - August 14 - 12:53 pm

  The 95 S600 simply put is one of the most amazing cars you will ever experience. You dont just drive this car. Interior-two toned leather seats, double stitched leather dash board,walnut throughout, brushed seude headliner, not enough words to explain the interior-9 speaker stereo amazing! Double pained windows-no road can be heard with windows up. The fit and finish of the cabin unsurpassed by any car make I know of. V12 400hp engine unlimited performance car offers electronic driving modes, in every way this car boarders on supercar status! drawbacks-8-mp, terribly expensive to repair a simple brake job. Most engine parts must be bought in pairs(the engine are two 6cyl engines)

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  The "Poor-Mans" Mercedes is Gold - 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By David - August 8 - 12:13 am

  Drivers seat is hard to get in and out of because of a low seat and cramped cockpit, right leg annoyingly rests against center console but I eventually got used to it. Transmission went after one year due to "metal shavings" Still not quite sure what that means, but Mercedes replaced it under warranty and gave me an E-Class sedan to drive while it was being repaired, as theyve done for all my service check-ups as well. The steering wheel controls, which offer menu options to change settings on the vehicle, are overly complicated and require too much time to learn that I, or any other working husband and father, has time to learn. I still have trouble with those menus. Truly compared to the BMW 3-series I tested this car is gold. The engine sound is truly invigorating. The back seat is a little small but my kids fit fine and the trunk is spacious. Very intuitive design and very safe. The car has a luxury feel for an affordable price and I would highly reccomend it.

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  Mercedes is likely the worst car company to deal with for a bad vehicle - 1998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By marker513 - August 5 - 10:17 pm

  Ive owned my C230 for 14 years now, and the only reason I still own it is I couldnt sell it in good conscience with its flaws. The transmission was showing problems since new, but there were so many other problems that were more pressing when it was new (many pages in one visit) that I didnt notice that they left that one off. Then when it started to slip big time at 90K Mercedes refused to repair it. A mechanic at the dealership told me confidentially that it is a known problem. I complained to everyone, including the CEO of the entire company, and at every level in between, to no avail. This is my second that I bought new. Never again. Luckily this was not my only vehicle.

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  Mixed Feelings - 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By MetroMike - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Even with all the bad press and reliability problems my wife and I decided to purchase the truck. Its been relatively trouble free, and reliable. Yes, there are some squeeks and rattles, but theyre minor. What repairs we did have were costly, but its a Mercedes. To quote a mechanic that worked on the car... "Youre better off with the devil you know then the devil you dont!" Well keep it for a while longer. (We do like the Highlander though!)

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  Excellent car, but for the little things - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Logikman - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I love the powertrain and the engineering they put into it. I also love the smoothness of the ride. Now, why cant they do some really little stuff and not so much overengineer the car? Baubbles:1. If you didnt buy car with rain sensor wiper... you dont even have the regular car intermittent wiper! 2. The joke of a cup holder in the middle and not even a good one for the passenger.. only cans? 3. Sluggish 20 to 50 mi.accel.. Whats up with such good accel between 50-80 but not 20-50? 4. You pay for MB parts or service. EXPENSIVE.175 $$ key? 58 $$ oil change.go figure! 6. NO LUMBAR Support lever! Anyway, rest of the car.. I love it... :)

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  One-Month In, and No (Major) Regrets - 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
  By jinoc - July 31 - 2:51 am

  This is not going to try to explain that the least expensive Mercedes Benz is comparable to better cars Ive owned. I think the reasons why youd pick this car over its competition (A3, 228i) are mostly a matter of personal taste and priorities: pretty good fuel economy for a gas engine, attractive lines and styling, an overall good amount of features for the money, terrific stereo, and a reasonably fun car to drive. Their Premium package adds a lot of the must-have features in my opinion, so thats probably something to consider. Can you get a loaded VW TDI or Mustang for the less money? Yes of course. Is a 228 or an A3 more fun to drive - probably