The best Mercedes class is mostly dependent on the needs of a specific individual. Mercedes offers a large variety of many different models for pretty much any usage scenario you might want. You can choose from multiple different commercial vehicles, vans, sedans, hatchbacks, sports cars, SUVs, or even buses and supercars.
If we only take non-commercial Mercedes offerings, the best Mercedes Class would probably be the one with the widest breadth of ability. A model that encompasses what a true Mercedes ought to be, without sacrificing much in the process. To do this, we need to divide the model range into multiple categories.
Best Mercedes SUV class
Mercedes offers 9 different SUVs, ranging from smaller hatchback crossover SUVs like the GLA, all the way up to the cavernous GLS as the highest luxury offering, with many in between. One could immediately conclude that the GLS is the best SUV Mercedes currently offers, and maybe it is.
But, a 2020 GLS starts at around $70-80k without any add-on options, and that’s a lot considering that the GLE offers almost everything the GLS does, but at a more modest $50-60k. The GLS and the GLE are both great options, but you should only opt for the GLS if it truly makes sense financially.
While the GLS and the GLE are amazing SUVs, a G-Class is a legend. The G-Class was first introduced in the 70s for military purposes, and only recently got a thorough redesign. While the pre-redesign G-Class was an incredibly desirable automobile, it was far from being considered “the best” in anything, besides maybe off-road capabilities.
But the new G-Class might be one of the best SUVs on the market. The G-Class offers iconic design, plush interior, ample performance, space, and off-road abilities. All of which is a step above any other Mercedes SUV, but at a hefty price tag of around $130k.
Best Mercedes sedan class
It’s fairly obvious that the battle for the best Mercedes model would be one between the best Mercedes SUV and the best sedan, because these two segments offer the widest breadth of ability, and are the most popular and most important Mercedes models.
The Mercedes sedans list consists of the C-Class, the E-Class, and the S-Class. The C-Class is the smallest of the bunch, a compact sedan offering decent practicality, interior space, and build quality. The E-Class is the mid-size sedan and certainly does feel like a step above the smaller C-Class cousin.
But the best Mercedes sedan class is undeniably the S-Class. Mercedes came out with the new 7th generation S-Class not too long ago, and it’s an amazing automobile. The S-Class is certainly the best sedan Mercedes has to offer, because it offers all the bells and whistles of a state-of-the-art Mercedes.
The S-Class starts at around $110k. But you will hardly find any other full-size sedan that offers as much as the S-Class does without stepping into $200k+ realms. The S-Class is only at the beginning of its life-cycle, and if history is anything to go by, the S-Class will probably remain as the best Mercedes sedan for a while.
The G-Class vs. the S-Class
After a close up on the best Mercedes SUVs and the best Mercedes sedans, concluding which of these two is more deserving of “the best class” of Mercedes title might be a thing of preference.
But, if being objective is the sole goal, you could easily say that the S-Class is the most comfortable, most technologically advanced, most spacious, quietest class of Mercedes and that the G-Class is the most capable, safest, and most desirable class of Mercedes. So, the answer to the best Mercedes class lies in what you deem as more important.
Mercedes classes: FAQ
What is the most expensive Mercedes class?
The most expensive Mercedes classes are the aforementioned S-Class, the GLS, and G-Class in various trims offered by AMG and Maybach. The starting price for the newest S-Class Maybach is about $185,000, and a Maybach GLS costs around $200k base price.
The “standard” G63 costs at around $150k, but Mercedes tends to make special versions of the G-Class such as the Maybach Landaulet or the 6×6, both costing well over $600k.
What is the sportiest Mercedes class?
Mercedes has a long history in various motorsport divisions, and many innovations founded in those motorsport divisions trickle down to more attainable Mercedes sports cars.
The AMG department of Mercedes makes sporty versions of regular Mercedes cars. So, a regular E-350 also comes in a sportier edition, called E63 AMG. The same goes for pretty much any Mercedes hatchback, sedan, estate, or SUV.
But the sportiest cars Mercedes makes are not the AMG Versions of regular Mercedes cars, but cars that have specifically been constructed by AMG from the ground up. The AMG GT product range is made entirely by AMG, and at the moment these models, led by the newly released Black Series model, offer the most thrilling driving experience.
Mercedes is soon to release the Project 1, which is a multi-million-dollar hypercar driven by F1 technology offering the highest levels of street-legal performance. The Project 1 is expected to set a new standard of what a next-gen hypercar is truly capable of.
What are the worst Mercedes models ever?
Mercedes hasn’t always delivered on the “best or nothing” philosophy. Throughout history, even Mercedes had to compromise on delivering the best products.
One such car was the W220 S-Class made between 1998-2005. This car was a technological marvel when it first came out, just like any other new S class.
What sets this S-Class apart from all the rest is that, during this period, Mercedes decided to lower the production costs of new models. This resulted in a quality gap between the previous S-Class and the new one. The same can be said about the C-Class from this era, as the quality cutbacks were even more apparent.
