Here’s What Mercedes Benz’s Most Popular Model Names Mean

The first letter in a Mercedes-Benz model name denotes the class; with a couple of exceptions, vehicles get larger as you move through the alphabet. A and B class vehicles are subcompacts, C class designates a compact, E class is for mid-sized, and S class vehicles are full-sized. G class indicates a luxury off-road vehicle, and Mercedes reserves the GL prefix for SUVs. Four-door coupes all start with a CL in their model name, roadsters use SL, and concept and electric vehicles all have model names that begin with EQ.

If you see the letters “AMG” on the rear of a Mercedes model, that is an added designation the automaker uses for high-performance vehicles. AMG is a company that made its name in the 1970s and ’80s by modifying Mercedes vehicles to boost performance. The letters in the company name honor the founders, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, and Aufrecht’s birthplace, Grossaspach. 

Mercedes and AMG officially became partners in 1990, and their first model produced jointly was the 1993 AMG C36. The AMG-tuned 3.6 liter I6 engine in the C36 produced 276 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque and could haul the sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. Currently, Mercedes-Benz offers more than three dozen AMG models, including vehicles from nearly every class listed above.