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Mercedes-Benz car reviews

A-Class

2005 on

Hatchback 2005 on
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
  • Decent interior space, most affordable Mercedes, easy to drive in town, good diesel economy
  • Artificially light steering, noisy at speed, harsh ride, some weak petrol engines

1998 to 2004

Hatchback 1998 to 2004
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
  • Interior space, compact body, badge.
  • Firm ride, high price.
B-Class

2005 on

Hatchback 2005 on
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
  • Extremely versatile, plenty of interior space, decent diesels, low-emissions versions available
  • Ungainly styling, wooden to drive, only five seats, expensive options
C-Class

2007 on

Saloon 2007 on
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon
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  • Great choice of engines, spacious interior, comfortable and refined, classy image
  • Plain cabin doesn't feel particularly premium, dated foot-operated parking brake
Estate 2008 on
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate
  • Refined comfort, good choice of engines, versatile, great equipment levels, decent boot
  • Fiddly audio-navigation system, cabin doesn't feel particularly premium
AMG 2008 on
Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG
  • Storming performance, wonderful engine, understated looks, forgiving ride
  • High running costs, incredibly thirsty, almost too fast to appreciate on public roads

2000 to 2008

Saloon 2000 to 2007
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon
  • Prestige, brand image, slow depreciation
  • Earliest petrol engines were thirsty
Estate 2000 to 2008
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate
  • Stylish design, practical
  • Lacks the space of bigger estates
Sports Coupé 2001 to 2008
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupé
  • Pretty looks and great engines
  • Overpriced, servicing is expensive

1993 to 2001

Saloon 1993 to 2000
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon
  • Prestige, quality, V6 engines, slow depreciation.
  • Audi A4 makes C-Class look expensive.
Estate 1996 to 2001
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate
  • Prestige; quality; V6 engines; slow depreciation
  • Audi A4 makes C-Class look expensive
CL

2007 on

Coupe 2007 on
Mercedes-Benz CL
  • Immense power, engineering masterpiece, unique styling, luxurious interior
  • Huge running costs, lacks the aura of an Aston or Bentley
AMG 2007 on
Mercedes-Benz CL AMG
  • Astoundingly fast, thunderous engines, luxury cabin, superb build quality
  • Expensive to buy and run, hardly understated, lacks sophisticated image of alternatives

2000 to 2007

Coupe 2000 to 2007
Mercedes-Benz CL
  • Prestige, presence, pace
  • Price, maybe a bit too discreet
CLC

2008 on

Coupe 2008 on
Mercedes-Benz CLC Coupe
  • Good looks, comfortable interior, well-equipped
  • Restricted rear visibility, not great value for money new, wooden steering, cramped rear seats
CLK

2002 on

Coupé 2002 to 2009
Mercedes-Benz CLK Coupé
  • Stylish image, excellent build quality, good choice of engines including excellent diesels
  • Cramped rear seats, expensive options, not as desirable as convertible
Cabriolet 2003 on
Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet
  • Looks great with the roof up or down, very refined, strong performance, good to drive
  • Expensive to run, no diesels in the line-up, poor manual gearbox
AMG 2002 to 2009
Mercedes-Benz CLK AMG
  • Sublime performance, great sounding engines, handles well, available as a soft top
  • Expensive to run, poor fuel economy, rather brash image

1997 to 2003

Coupé 1997 to 2002
Mercedes-Benz CLK Coupé
  • Well built, safe and stylish
  • Dull steering
Cabriolet 1998 to 2003
Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet
  • Quality; safety; style
  • Dull steering
CLS

2005 on

Coupé 2005 on
Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupé
  • Unique styling, extremely comfortable and refined
  • Compromised space for a four-door saloon, not as good to drive as the styling suggests
AMG 2005 on
Mercedes-Benz CLS AMG
  • Elegant and understated style, superb performance, wonderful engine sound
  • Not as driver focussed as some high performance four-door alternatives
E-Class

2009 on

Saloon 2009 on
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon
  • Exceptional refinement, solid feel, roomy interior, range of tax-efficient diesels, excellent on the motorway, sharp styling
  • Slightly noisy four-cylinder diesel
Coupé 2009 on
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé
  • Upmarket image, strong and frugal diesel engines, solid feel, extremely comfortable and refined
  • Not as involving to drive as some alternatives, some expensive options
Estate 2009 on
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate
  • Elegant styling, enormous luggage volume, quality feel, well laid out dash, superb refinement
  • Four-cylinder diesel seems noisy
Cabriolet 2010 on
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
  • Classy styling. clever AirCap means al fresco driving without the buffeting
  • AirCap looks ungainly when raised; lifeless steering feel

2002 to 2010

Saloon 2002 to 2009
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon
  • Elegant styling, superbly comfortable ride, luxurious cabin, refined
  • Poor manual gearboxes, slightly soft in corners
Estate 2003 to 2010
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate
  • Great load carrying ability, elegant styling, superb long distance cruiser, luxury cabin feel
  • Early electrical reliability problems, poor manual gearboxes, other estates handle better
AMG 2002 to 2009
Mercedes-Benz E-Class AMG
  • Storming performance, understated looks, available as an estate, refined cabin
  • Expensive to buy, very high running costs

1995 to 2003

Saloon 1995 to 2002
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon
  • Prestige, longevity, integrity, low depreciation
  • Most expensive choice in the class
Estate 1996 to 2003
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate
  • Prestige; longevity; integrity; low depreciation
  • Most expensive choice in the class
GL-Class

2006 on

Estate 2006 on
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  • Cavernous interior, extremely comfortable and practicality, superb build quality
  • Huge dimensions make it tricky to manoeuvre, thirsty engines
M-Class

2005 on

Hatchback 2005 on
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  • Stylish looks, outstanding diesel engines, superb interior quality, commanding driving position
  • No seven seat option
AMG 2006 on
Mercedes-Benz M-Class AMG
  • Strong performance, comfortable, high standard of fit-and-finish, great engine sound
  • Punishing running costs, woeful CO2 figure, ML500 does a similar job for less

1998 to 2005

Station Wagon 1998 to 2005
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  • Refinement, space, image.
  • Minor niggles.
R-Class

2006 on

Estate 2006 on
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
  • Seats six in superb comfort, luxury cruising ability, excellent diesels
  • Bulky around town, poor seat position for rearmost passengers, ungainly looks
S-Class

2006 on

Saloon 2006 on
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  • Exceptional refinement, the pinnacle of luxury travel, superb performance, sophisticated cabin
  • High running costs, expensive to service

1999 to 2006

Saloon 1999 to 2006
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  • Solid, sleek, bags of road presence, extremely comfortable
  • Expensive to run, only one diesel choice

1991 to 1999

Saloon 1991 to 1999
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  • Pedigree, quality, engineering.
  • Size, sky-high running costs, fat-cat image.
SL-Class

2002 on

Convertible 2002 on
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  • Sleek and purposeful styling, effortless performance, coupe feel with roof up
  • Expensive to buy and run, 2008 facelifted models not as elegant
AMG 2002 on
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class AMG
  • Stylishly understated, storming performance, wonderful engines, metal folding roof
  • Incredibly expensive to buy and run, extortionate servicing costs

1989 to 2002

Convertible 1989 to 2002
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
  • Status; quality
  • SLK is prettier, less costly and less pretentious
SLK

2004 on

Roadster 2004 on
Mercedes-Benz SLK
  • Neat styling, good quality interior, refined with roof down
  • More powerful models are expensive to run, poor manual gearbox, no diesel option
AMG 2004 on
Mercedes-Benz SLK AMG
  • Thundering performance, AMG styling, superb engine, sharp handling
  • Not as nimble as a Porsche Boxster, slow-witted manual mode

1996 to 2004

Roadster 1996 to 2004
Mercedes-Benz SLK
  • Clever roof, strong image
  • Firm ride
SLR McLaren

2003 on

Convertible 2003 on
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
  • Incredibly exclusive, engineering integrity, blistering pace
  • Extortionately expensive, lack of real driver engagement, neither a luxury GT nor a hard-edged supercar
Vaneo

2002 to 2005

Estate 2002 to 2005
Mercedes-Benz Vaneo
  • Interior space, usefully practical, easy to drive in town
  • Rattly trim, ungainly styling, firm ride
Viano

2004 on

Estate 2004 on
Mercedes-Benz Viano
  • Capable of carrying eight in comfort, massive and versatile interior, superb diesels
  • Sheer size makes it difficult to manoeuvre, can't hide commercial vehicle origins
 
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