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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  My favorite of all times. - 2024 Mercedes-Benz 300
  By Chris - May 19 - 11:23 pm

  Hope I can afford one in 40 years

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  Very good car - 2012 Mercedes-Benz 350
  By Robert. Jewell - December 15 - 7:52 am

  Very dependable car.

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  Neg. Stars if possible - 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cab Chassis
  By Herb Golden - June 28 - 3:43 pm

  I have a 2022 Winnebago view with Mercedes’ sprinters chassis. The customer service telephone line should be called Mercedes disservice is no help. This is the fourth or fifth time attempting to talk to a real person. My Mercedes sprinter has be in the dealer awaiting parts for 3 weeks going on a month with no satisfaction. I’ve been living in a motel for close to a month waiting for answers about repair since the sprinter is in UT and I live in FL In fact the shortest time that I was able to talk to a representative has been 40 minutes with no help in the end. As I write this, I’ve been on hold for 21 minutes and holding. I’ll let you know how long it takes to talk with someone at the end of this review. My sprinter has been at a Mercedes dealer for over 3 weeks and counting. No one can tell me anything about time frame for completion of a repair or availability of parts. This is a multi-National multibillion dollarvprestigious brand when in fact Mercedes treats its customers like poop. I get no answers only blame pushed on down the line…I get the it’s not my department run around. If you are looking for a luxury reliable car with exceptional customer service DEFINITELY do not get a Mercedes. Think Lexus for an excellent vehicle with outstanding customer service. I would never own another Mercedes product full stop. It took 54 minutes to talk to a representative that was absolutely no help or answers and again pushed the blame on down the line. I’m Frustrated because no one has an answer or takes responsibility for Mercedes. Steer clear because next time it may be you…with no answers or accountability.

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  Sprinter View motor home power loss concern - 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cab Chassis
  By Charles H - February 19 - 12:19 pm

  Loss of power issue has not been diagnosed and solved despite 12 days (so far) in Sprinter shop over two year period. Mercedes “customer care” will not help us with out of pocket expenses due to trip interruption in spite of their inability to fix what they build. This is a serious safety issue, but that makes no difference to them. These vehicles are over-engineered, with 40 computers (they said), providing abundant opportunities for failure. My biggest complaint is the total lack of empathy by MB. My advice is to avoid Benz products altogether unless you are willing to work on them yourself, and if so, good luck!

• Stay away from Mercedes! - 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Steve Walser - November 30 - 5:23 pm

  Just heard from the dealer that, once again, Mercedes is out of the EGR valve that failed over 2 months ago and after sitting at their shop the whole time they now think it will be anothr 6 months!!! before they can get the part. 3rd time we have had this issue and each time we have had to wait at least 2 months for the part while our Mercedes sits in Jail since it is an emissions problem and can't be released. Mercedes has offerd NOTHING! No loaner, no compensation, no NOTHING! They've turned down my request twice to have them buy back the vehicle under our state lemon law without explanation even though we clearl;y qualify so now we must go to arbitration. It's a bad vehicle and a bad company. They have been having this issue for years and they continue to fail to either fix the issue once and for all or, at least, produce enough parts to keep up. Wish I'd known this before I paid them 70K for this POS. If they won't help a rpeat commercial customer why would they help you? Stay away.

• Worst. Decision. Ever. - 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Jeff Barcus - July 14 - 12:18 am

  I purchased a sprinter van brand new off the lot at sticker price. Haggling was not an option. Despite their stuck up attitude, I purchased the van. Fortunately, I did also purchase the extended warranty. I purchased the van as a service vehicle in the Commercial Refrigeration industry. High roof, extended wheelbase, Diesel engine - how could I go wrong? Well, I’m going to tell you. That van was in the shop since day one on average of every 2 1/2 weeks for something different every time. Mind you, everything that went wrong was mostly electrical. Tire pressure sensors, lightbulbs, light sockets, EGR, shifter, instrument cluster, fuse holder, DEF heater, and the list goes on. At 70 K the turbo went out. That is where I was happy I purchased the extended warranty. Two out of four rims leaked. I’ve never in my life had or ever heard of rims leaking. They tried to blame it on me saying that I was overloaded. Both rims that leaked were in the front. Was that a fat joke? I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to warranty the rims. Every time it broke, I had to get a ride back to my shop and use one of my other vans. I lost countless hours and who knows how much money playing this back-and-forth game every time it broke. I finally complained to the manager of the dealership and the best he would do for me is a free oil change. This is the Mercedes dealership in Eugene Oregon by the way. The manager’s name is Ralph and he’s an asshole. I have confirmed that with sufficient data. To top it off, I had left my van there overnight to be repaired the next morning, under warranty, with my keys in their care and control. That evening, a tow truck had dropped off a vehicle similar to mine right next to my vehicle. The owner of that vehicle decided to stay the night in the vehicle and supposedly let the E break off for some mysterious reason, causing it to roll into my van. The dealership was very quick to tell me about the situation but told me they had no interest in paying for the damage. They told my insurance people to piss up a rope. Ralph laughed my insurance lady off the phone. Unbelievable. If the fender wasn’t so cheap, I would’ve sued the hell out of them. This vehicle and the dealership it came from was the worst company decision I have ever made. To this day, eight years later, I still have nothing but problems with that stupid thing. I am so invested in equipping that van that I can’t yet part with it. Yes, it’s definitely the most comfortable van, has the best visibility, and definitely a smooth riding van. But for the love of everything holy, why did it have to be such a giant piece of shit. Please don’t buy one of these. Everybody in the industry that I work around that bought one regrets every day that goes by owning one. All they do is break! All the time! I’ve decided that when the transmission goes out, I will throw in the towel and buy a Ford transit van. Thank you for listening to my rant. And don’t buy a sprinter.

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  Transmission sucks - 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Stan - May 12 - 9:54 pm

  The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has an excellent feel especially power-wise with the torque of the engine being that its a diesel. Thats where the fun stops. The stinky little button that you press for Park makes you feel as if youre not sure if you really put in park or not because these Vans rollback of foot and sometimes almost two feet while youre trying to deliver packages. Anytime you put it in park even on a level ground it has so much rollback that you feel like youre going to lose your van and its going to roll down a hill. If Mercedes could get rid of all the gimmicky button pushing Park on the end of their flimsy little shifter and they didnt rust out like they were sitting on a Shore for the last 2 years they would be good

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  5* - 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLS
  By Rev Limiter father Dr Christmas Carl Dozier - April 19 - 12:29 pm

  Rev Limiter father Dr Christmas Carl Dozier, it is have a Smooth transition ,Ride , and the handling, is at its finest quality, and Consideration of Confidence CLS Class is It Finest quality decision you Can make***** and it is a Car with Beauty and fashion Style Classes that will Turn your Heart disease , Life Style Beauty Changes,

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  Dont buy any sprinter - 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Brian Parks - December 29 - 2:48 pm

  I bought a sprinter powered vehicle only to find that most Mercedes dealers wont service them. I had no service within 300 miles of my home even Thursday there was 10 dealers closer.

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  Sprinter - 2013 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  By Sébastien taillefer - June 1 - 6:04 am

  I have three sprinters and at 60000 Kim’s all of the three vehicles needed over $6000 of repairs on exhaust system. The dpf and nox sensor needed to be replace or the vehicle shuts down and only a Mercedes dealership can do the work. What a disappointment you think you buy a good quality vehicle but it’s garbage