Mercedes is a large German manufacturer owned by the Daimler-Benz corporation that also owns Maybach and Smart, and was for a period owner of the Chrysler group. It produces a range of luxury cars right from small hatchbacks to £100,000, 20 mph saloons and sports cars, and is also well known for its range of commercial vehicles and vans.
UK Mercedes Models:
Mercedes A Class
The
Mercedes A Class is the smallest car Mercedes produce under its own brand (they also make the Smart) and it is a 5 door hatchback with a unique design that has a twin floor, allowing the engine to be sandwiched at an angle at the front of the car between the 2 floors. It was criticised at launch for poor handling and failing the famous elk test that involves swerving one way then the other at speed, but changes to the suspension have improved things a lot on this most recent model.
Mercedes B Class
The Mercedes B Class is of a similar design to the A Class and is positioned somewhere between a conventional hatchback like a VW Golf and a compact people carrier, as its high roof allows easy access. It has been criticised for having high prices when compared to its rivals, but the luxury image of the Mercedes brand allows it to get away with it to an extent.
Mercedes C Class
The
Mercedes C Class is the second biggest seller in the Mercedes range, and is a direct competitor to the BMW 3 Series - its main rival. the C Class is front engined and rear wheel drive, and its cornering dynamics have vastly improved on this latest model, putting it almost on a par with its BMW rival. The C Class is a big seller to company car fleets.
Mercedes CL
The Mercedes CL is the largest and most expensive of all of Mercedes Coupe models. It is a big 2+2 front engined rear wheel drive GT car that is set up for power and comfort rather than sporting ability, and competes mainly with the likes of Bentleys, although as the Mercedes badge doesn't quite have the prestige of some of its £100k rivals, depreciation on this model can be savage.
Mercedes CLC
The Mercedes CLC is a heavily face lifted and renamed version of the Mercedes Sportcoupe, essentially a cut down 3 door hatch version of the previous generation C Class saloon, but updated with the current more angular styling trend rather than the smaller round lights of its predecessor. Despite being a coupe, it is more dynamically limited than the new C Class, as the previous generation chassis does not quite have the capability the new C has.
Mercedes CLK
The Mercedes CLK is not long for this world. It is a coupe and cabrio version of the previous generation C-Class, and competed with the BMW 3 Series Cabriolet and Audi A4 Cabrio. It is not directly being replaced, as Mercedes is introducing an E Class Coupe in the next generation model - out in the summer.
Mercedes CLS
The Mercedes CLS was codenamed the Jaguar Killer during development, and it is one of the first saloons to receive the 4 door coupe look - it has a curvy roof-line and styling that more resembles a coupe, but has most of the space of a standard saloon. It is based on the E-Class and has a similar but restricted range of engines.
Mercedes E Class
The
Mercedes E Class is the mainstay of the Mercedes range - a mid size executive saloon, front engined and rear wheel drive that is the car of choice for business executives. It competes with the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Jaguar XF for sales, with most popular engines being the diesel versions in Europe.
Mercedes GL
The Mercedes GL is the biggest of Mercedes 4x4 off road cars. It has a separate ladder chassis and can easily carry 7 people with plenty of room for luggage. More popular in the US than the UK due to its bulky size, the GL mainly sells with big diesel engines in it.
Mercedes M Class
The Mercedes M Class is the mid size 4x4 SUV in the range, and competes with the BMW 5 series, Audi Q7 and Range Rover Sport for sales. first generation cars were considered rather poorly made, but the new second generation are faring much better.
Mercedes R Class
The Mercedes R Class is a rare sight on UK roads, due to lack of demand - it is an executive people carrier, giving its rear seat passengers individual chairs. It was hoped to be popular in the Limo market, but execs preferred to be seen in the more prestigious S Class.
Mercedes S Class
The Mercedes S Class is the largest saloon in the range without considering the S Class based Maybach models. t has proven to be the car of choice in recent times for business owners and directors, and sells mainly against the Jaguar XJ in the UK, and to a lesser extent the BMW 7 series and Audi A8.
Mercedes SL
The Mercedes SL is a big 2 seat convertible with a folding hard top roof. It has a range of large engines, and sells against the Jaguar XK and Porsche 911, but is softer and more comfort focused than either of those - more designed for road cruising rather than cornering ability, and ha recently been face lifted to the model you see here.
Old Mercedes SL
The Old Mercedes SL is also on sale in small numbers until stocks tun out. Known as the SL Series, it is sold as a budget alternative to the new model, and some say is better looking than its replacement.
Mercedes SLK
The Mercedes SLK is the smaller version of the SL, and the first car in production with its novel folding hard top roof, now much copied on other models. The roof design is clever, but does add weight, making the SLK more of a cruiser than a sports car. BMW has recently copied the design for its competitor, the Z4.
Mercedes Viano
The Mercedes viano is a modification of one of the range of Mercedes vans - not covered here, into an 8 seat people carrier, used more for corporate and taxi work rather than as personal transportation.
Manufacturer website:
www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk
Mercedes is a large German manufacturer owned by the Daimler-Benz corporation that also owns Maybach and Smart, and was for a period owner of the Chrysler group. It produces a range of luxury cars right from small hatchbacks to £100,000, 20 mph saloons and sports cars, and is also well known for its range of commercial vehicles and vans.
UK Mercedes Models:
Mercedes A Class
The Mercedes A Class is the smallest car Mercedes produce under its own brand (they also make the Smart) and it is a 5 door hatchback with a unique design that has a twin floor, allowing the engine to be sandwiched at an angle at the front of the car between the 2 floors. It was criticised at launch for poor handling and failing the famous elk test that involves swerving one way then the other at speed, but changes to the suspension have improved things a lot on this most recent model.
Mercedes B Class
The Mercedes B Class is of a similar design to the A Class and is positioned somewhere between a conventional hatchback like a VW Golf and a compact people carrier, as its high roof allows easy access. It has been criticised for having high prices when compared to its rivals, but the luxury image of the Mercedes brand allows it to get away with it to an extent.
Mercedes C Class
The Mercedes C Class is the second biggest seller in the Mercedes range, and is a direct competitor to the BMW 3 Series - its main rival. the C Class is front engined and rear wheel drive, and its cornering dynamics have vastly improved on this latest model, putting it almost on a par with its BMW rival. The C Class is a big seller to company car fleets.
Mercedes CL
The Mercedes CL is the largest and most expensive of all of Mercedes Coupe models. It is a big 2+2 front engined rear wheel drive GT car that is set up for power and comfort rather than sporting ability, and competes mainly with the likes of Bentleys, although as the Mercedes badge doesn't quite have the prestige of some of its £100k rivals, depreciation on this model can be savage.
Mercedes CLC
The Mercedes CLC is a heavily face lifted and renamed version of the Mercedes Sportcoupe, essentially a cut down 3 door hatch version of the previous generation C Class saloon, but updated with the current more angular styling trend rather than the smaller round lights of its predecessor. Despite being a coupe, it is more dynamically limited than the new C Class, as the previous generation chassis does not quite have the capability the new C has.
Mercedes CLK
The Mercedes CLK is not long for this world. It is a coupe and cabrio version of the previous generation C-Class, and competed with the BMW 3 Series Cabriolet and Audi A4 Cabrio. It is not directly being replaced, as Mercedes is introducing an E Class Coupe in the next generation model - out in the summer.
Mercedes CLS
The Mercedes CLS was codenamed the Jaguar Killer during development, and it is one of the first saloons to receive the 4 door coupe look - it has a curvy roof-line and styling that more resembles a coupe, but has most of the space of a standard saloon. It is based on the E-Class and has a similar but restricted range of engines.
Mercedes E Class
The Mercedes E Class is the mainstay of the Mercedes range - a mid size executive saloon, front engined and rear wheel drive that is the car of choice for business executives. It competes with the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Jaguar XF for sales, with most popular engines being the diesel versions in Europe.
Mercedes GL
The Mercedes GL is the biggest of Mercedes 4x4 off road cars. It has a separate ladder chassis and can easily carry 7 people with plenty of room for luggage. More popular in the US than the UK due to its bulky size, the GL mainly sells with big diesel engines in it.
Mercedes M Class
The Mercedes M Class is the mid size 4x4 SUV in the range, and competes with the BMW 5 series, Audi Q7 and Range Rover Sport for sales. first generation cars were considered rather poorly made, but the new second generation are faring much better.
Mercedes R Class
The Mercedes R Class is a rare sight on UK roads, due to lack of demand - it is an executive people carrier, giving its rear seat passengers individual chairs. It was hoped to be popular in the Limo market, but execs preferred to be seen in the more prestigious S Class.
Mercedes S Class
The Mercedes S Class is the largest saloon in the range without considering the S Class based Maybach models. t has proven to be the car of choice in recent times for business owners and directors, and sells mainly against the Jaguar XJ in the UK, and to a lesser extent the BMW 7 series and Audi A8.
Mercedes SL
The Mercedes SL is a big 2 seat convertible with a folding hard top roof. It has a range of large engines, and sells against the Jaguar XK and Porsche 911, but is softer and more comfort focused than either of those - more designed for road cruising rather than cornering ability, and ha recently been face lifted to the model you see here.
Old Mercedes SL
The Old Mercedes SL is also on sale in small numbers until stocks tun out. Known as the SL Series, it is sold as a budget alternative to the new model, and some say is better looking than its replacement.
Mercedes SLK
The Mercedes SLK is the smaller version of the SL, and the first car in production with its novel folding hard top roof, now much copied on other models. The roof design is clever, but does add weight, making the SLK more of a cruiser than a sports car. BMW has recently copied the design for its competitor, the Z4.
Mercedes Viano
The Mercedes viano is a modification of one of the range of Mercedes vans - not covered here, into an 8 seat people carrier, used more for corporate and taxi work rather than as personal transportation.
Manufacturer website: www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk
