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125 years ago yesterday, Carl Benz was granted the first patent for his Motorwagen, marking the birth of the automotive industry, as well as the company that would become Mercedes-Benz. Both have come a long way in the last century and a quarter, and the mind boggles at what might be in store for the next 125 years. Especially if they keep building the kinds of cars that outshine everything else on the road for decades after they’re built.
14 Comments on “Happy 125th To Mercedes-Benz!...”
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Happy 125th to someone who has almost never built a car I liked. Allthough I dream of a 300sl Gullwing, I’m quite sure I would not like that either if I were to (how unrealistic) try one one day.
I still dream of an E or S class but if I was going to take a gamble on a really expensive German auto I’d buy new and dump when the waranty was up. (Given that I don’t buy new cars, this becomes a very small possibility.) Maybe as a retirement gift in A.D. 2035 or so. (Wonder what cars will be like then?)
I won’t mind those BlueTEC Benz.
Mercedes used to build cars that would outshine everything else on the road for decades. Sadly, they no longer build this kind of car. The reliability and durability of a Mercedes, together with their high resale value, used to make them a relative bargain despite the high cost of acquisition. This ended as the last roundeye rolled off the assembly line, maybe even before then.
Mercedes used to build cars that made Volvos feel light and cheap. And made Fords look like cars from the future, and made American automatics feel like drifitng on a cloud, not to mention making East europan manual gearboxes feel like Hondas. On a more positive note, they made cars that still felt like they were cast from concrete after driving a million miles. They made Lexuses… only without the user friendliness and modern designs….Now they just make ordinary good looking Fords filled with sound insulating foam and giant engines.
The last car that MB built that impressed me was the W126 S-Class. Everything since then has seemed….well, cheap.
+1. For me the zenith for M-B was the W123, though admittedly I haven’t sampled a W126. I do have experience with 2001+ Benzes of several stripes; IMHO, the brand still hasn’t fully rid itself from the stink of Chrysler-esque cost-cutting.
The W124 E-Class (1986-1995) was just as well built as the W126. I’d say the 1990-2002 SL was in the same league.
Today, Benzes seem tinnier and flimsier than their BMW and Audi counterparts. A W220 S-class has inferior interior materials to my E46 3-series or a B6/B7 Audi A4. For a car that was double the original MSRP of my BMW, that’s shameful.
Loved my AMG!
Working at a MB dealer, I have a unique perspective on the cars they build. I am starting to be bit less harsh in my criticisms than I was when I first started there. I have come to the conclusion that the biggest problem with Mercedes-Benz vehicles is the fact that the company’s management and marketing personnel are trying to sell a high end luxury car similar to Lexus. This would be all fine if the engineers weren’t trying to build an aggressive sports sedan. The suspension and brake systems are very aggressive. Very good handling and braking, that results in a harsh ride and squeaky brakes. Low profile wide tires which also destroy ride quality and cause high levels of road noise. They then add in a slush-box and traction/stability control systems that hamper driving pleasure and the result is a car without a true customer base. The guy who wants a good sports sedan that is a blast to drive buys a BMW. The guy who wants a very comfortable luxury car buys a Lexus. It only leaves the poser whose most desirable trait on a vehicle is the three pointed star on the hood he can show off to his neighbor.
Never the less, 125 years is a long history, and the last 15 or so years of building less than the best cars possible will likely only be a blip on their timeline. That is if they wake up soon and don’t pull a GM.
The headline is misleading, it states “Happy 125th to Mercedes Benz”, when in actual fact Mercedes Benz is a relatively young car brand with the first model being thus branded in 1926.
If you are talking about company lineage, then TATA with it’s ownership of both the Rover and Daimler brand is older.
I gotta admit that the new C-class really appeals to me. Of course I’ve never even seen one that I would actually buy (manual, low option), but I’d have to consider it if I was looking at new BMW’s at least. The E-Class no longer does anything for me, the S-Class can’t be disrespected but isn’t as classy as the A8, and the SUV’s are blah blah blah.
That being said Mercedes still makes the best American style luxury muscle cars on the planet. I’m sure they wouldn’t really appreciate that observation though.
The last Car they made that appeals to me would be W126.
Now some of the Commercial Vehicles represent a great value on the used market.
A Sterling L9513 with a 10 speed and Series 60 Detroit would be my first choice.
I’ve always been pretty much a BMW owner and still have an E46 that I really like. I also have had a few 911 versions (964, 993) and thought they were great sports cars.
But I bought a new 2009 E63 AMG almost 2 years ago which was a real deviation from the norm for me. It was the last of the W211 body style which I find to be more a classic style then the new W212 E63. I got a great deal with a major model end discount.
The biggest surprise is that it turned out to be the nicest car I’ve owned. It handles quite well considering the weight (it feels pretty agile for a large sedan) is super comfortable, and it goes like snot. And surprisingly it’s been the most reliable car I’ve owned (and I’ve racked up a LOT of miles on it so far.) I realize the depreciation is high on them and I knew that going in. But I intend to keep it for a while, and I even bought an extended factory warranty.
I never thought I’d ever be in a Benz in my life. But this car is great fun to drive, and it feels solid and safe. It’s an ideal long distance highway cruiser. Yet non-owners complain about these cars all the time. I admit I did too until I decided to try it on for size. Turns out it fits really well. And nowadays I don’t see the BMW 5 series being really any better, yet it gets more positive comments (also by non-owners.) There’s reality and then there’s perception. Owning this car has radically changed my perception.
What MBella said above is nonsense. I didn’t buy the car for a three pointed star on the hood (in fact I took it off and replaced it with a flat badge.) I bought it because it had what I was looking for: safety, ride quality, nice V8 motor, and comfort. His reply is so stereotypical and it’s what I mean about reality versus perception. Plus his description is also erroneous and not factual whatsoever (and despite what he claims, I can turned off traction control with an in cabin button or turn the nannies off 100% in dyno mode through the diagnostic menu in the car.)