The 8 Most Unsuccessful Mercedes-Benz Vehicles Ever Sold

Mercedes-Benz is as old as automotive history itself. Karl Benz made the first automobile in 1885, the Patent Motorwagen and since then, the company has become one of the most influential automakers in the world. Mercedes-Benz produced many successful models in its long history and continues to showcase its engineering prowess even today.

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However, the famous automaker also had a few mishaps along the way. Often these came because it wanted to be innovative and open itself to new market sectors, but sometimes because of unfinished work, Mercedes-Benz produced vehicles that flopped spectacularly, despite high expectations. Lets take a closer look at some of those models, sharing all the specifics on why they have floundered.

A quick note: Some of the models here were sold in high numbers. However, they hurt the reputation of Mercedes-Benz as an industry leader and were ultimately scrapped because of that. Not every car is worthy of the three-pointed star, after all, which is the case for most of the vehicles on this list. So, from clumsy-looking minivans to graceless luxury sedans, here is our list of the most unsuccessful Mercedes-Benz vehicles ever made!

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Back in 1997, the biggest news in the automotive landscape was the launch of the A-Class, Mercedes-Benz’s first-ever front-wheel-drive passenger car. To say that expectations were high would be an understatement. Mercedes-Benz was still the brand to beat in engineering, and its prowess showed with the sandwich floor, wherein the engine was placed at an angle between the wheels and the cabin. As a result, the A-Class was very roomy, and also safe during a frontal crash.

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However, the first-gen A-Class proved to be a nightmare. On October 21, 1997, Swedish journalists rolled over an A-Class during a standard moose test at 37 mph. The news took the world by storm. The German automaker was hesitant to accept blame at first, but less than a month later halted production. All sold cars were recalled, and equipped with ESP as standard; same with all new A-Class models. The suspension was reworked, too, though the changes ultimately resulted in a poor ride.

The move restored Merc’s dignity, as the A-Class was the first compact car ever with ESP as standard. As a result, in the next seven years, Mercedes-Benz built 1.1 million units. However, the automaker also lost 2.5 billion euros on the A-Class project. The moose test misfortunes were mainly to blame, but the woeful reliability also played its part. The car’s revolutionary sandwich platform lived for another generation, but in 2015, Mercedes-Benz introduced the W176 A-Class, which followed a more traditional, Golf-like hatchback body style.

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Although the sandwich had a rough start, Mercedes-Benz wasn’t ready to give up on the idea just yet. So, in 2001, the automaker introduced the Vaneo — a minivan version of the A-Class. Designed to ride on the waves of the MPV craze in Europe, the Vaneo had every ingredient to succeed: a very roomy interior, seven seats, practical bits like a passenger seat that could become a picnic table, sliding rear doors. Heck, the longer wheelbase even made it more stable than its smaller brother.

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However, all these genius features hid a bitter reality — the Vaneo didn’t feel like a Mercedes-Benz once it started rolling. Inside, it was a patchwork of low-grade plastic, which rattled almost constantly. The suspension was super-harsh, too, which didn’t help matters, and the engines were unrefined. These deficiencies would’ve been fine in a commercial van, but not in a costly Mercedes. Oh, yeah, and the Vaneo cost as much as the bigger and better Opel Zafira and Renault Scenic.

Basically, the Vaneo was a cash grab, playing on the three-pointed star’s cachet to lure buyers. It didn’t work, though. Mercedes-Benz sold a meager 15,555 Vaneos in 2002, the first full year of production, which has fallen to just 6,417 units in 2005. Predictably, the weird-looking MPV was canceled after only three years in production, making it one of the shortest-lived Mercedes-Benz models during the modern era.

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The 170 H was like the Vaneo of an older era. Imagined as the car for the people, the 170 H was developed with low price and fuel economy in mind. Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive. A traditional “bug” shape. Yup, it looked a lot like the Beetle, which interestingly appeared two years after Mercedes-Benz showed its rear-engine concept.

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Mercedes-Benz chose the rear-engine concept to streamline the 170 H’s body and increase aerodynamic efficiency. As a result, the bug-shaped car got 30 mpg, reaching 72 mph. You might say that’s not much, and you’d be right, but keep in mind that the 170 H (Heckmotor, or rear motor) was powered by a measly 1.7-liter inline-four unit producing 38 hp.

The 170 H also featured an independent front suspension with a swing axle and hydraulic drum brakes on all wheels. Still, the heavy engine positioned behind the rear wheels made the 170 H a bit tricky to control at the limit. Hardly surprising, as even the modern Porsche 911 can be tricky at times.

Despite all these advancements, Mercedes-Benz sold only 1507 units. To put it bluntly, people simply favored the front-engine, rear-wheel drive 170, which had the customary Mercedes grille upfront, not the weird bug-eyed face of the 170 H. Well, at least it gave birth to the Schlörwagen, developed by engineer Karl Schlör in a wind tunnel to achieve an exceptional drag coefficient of 0.11.

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Mercedes-Benz has one of the most coveted commercial trucks globally, with models for each scenario, but its first attempt at the pickup truck market was a fiasco. This time, Mercedes-Benz didn’t try to reinvent the wheel like it did with the A-Class. Instead, it went to Nissan for help — the X-Class was essentially a Nissan Navara underneath.

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Sure, it looked a bit more sophisticated on the outside and had higher-quality materials inside, but some of the interior switchgear of the Navara was carried over, and so were most of the engines, and yet Merc’s pickup truck cost an arm and a leg. The automaker tried to sweeten up the deal later on by putting its own 3.5-liter V6 diesel from the E-Class in the X 350 d, but that model was even more expensive.

The Navara has always been a capable truck, and so was the X-Class. But its practicality and off-road ability were never in doubt — the fact that you paid Mercedes money for a Nissan truck was the real problem. Quite predictably, this cash grab attempt didn’t work, although the global pickup truck market has grown significantly while the X-Class was on sale. Only 16,700 models were sold during the first full year of production, globally. And sales only went downhill from there, forcing Mercedes-Benz to quit the project after only three years. Maybe the X-Class would’ve had different fortunes if it was sold in the U.S., but that never materialized.

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Grand sports tourer. Quite the nickname for a premium minivan that honestly looks like a hearse in black. Yet, like with many pioneering models in its modern history, Mercedes-Benz tried to fix what wasn’t broken. Seven spacious seats. Potent engines, including an R63 AMG version with a naturally-aspirated V8 producing 503 hp. 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. A luxurious sporty minivan may sound nice, particularly to deep-pocketed buyers. But buyers still looked the other way. 

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Mercedes-Benz discontinued the R-Class after seven years of average sales. It simply looked too much like a minivan to be taken seriously — an exorbitantly expensive minivan, mind you. But when you have a lot of money lying around, you want to fulfill your dreams. And at the turn of the century, people were dreaming about big SUVs, not minivans.

The 2011 refresh made the front end more palatable, but design wasn’t the only issue the R-Class had. Sure, Mercedes-Benz imagined it as a grand sports tourer, but its handling didn’t earn that designation. It drove like a minivan. And during the 2000s, at least, the market was flooded with practical minivans available for a fraction of the price of an R-Class. Most of them are also not around today, despite being quite popular among families, so maybe the fate of the R-Class was influenced by external factors too.

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Imagine a lightweight two-seat sports car. Chances are, you are imagining a gas-powered engine, turbocharged or not. But can you imagine a turbodiesel engine in a sports car? Mercedes-Benz tried that recipe in the R172-generation SLK (later SLC) roadsters. The automaker wanted to give its customers a more economical solution, rather than a sportier one.

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Equipped with stop-start technology, the SLK 250 CDI was good for around 36 mpg. It was quite potent, too with the four-cylinder 2.1-liter engine producing 201 hp. Still, like with most turbodiesel engines, it’s the 368 lb-ft of torque that’s more impressive, available at just 1,600 rpm. As a result, the SLK 250 CDI sprinted to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds with the six-speed manual; not bad for such an economical roadster.

However, anyone who’s driven a boosted four-cylinder diesel knows it’s simply not a good fit for a sports car. Press the gas pedal. Wait for a bit. Wait for a bit more, and then — boom! All the torque is available to you instantly, overpowering the rear wheels. The experience is as non-linear as it gets. I’ve driven this engine in the W204-generation C-Class, and that’s exactly how it felt. It was great for the highway because of the amazing torque, but struggled on twisty roads. To no one’s surprise, the SLK 250 CDI faded into obscurity and never reached the status of the gas-powered alternatives, like the V8-powered SLK 55 AMG Black Series rocket.

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Ignited by the rising popularity of Tesla, Mercedes-Benz went all-in launching multiple EVs since the beginning of this decade. The “Ambition 2039” offensive was going to ride the wave of EV popularity and position the company as a world leader in luxury EVs. Its biggest move was the launch of the EQS sedan in 2021 to replace the S-Class as the new three-pointed-star flagship. Instead, it may become the automaker’s biggest failure yet.

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During the first full year of sales (2022), Mercedes-Benz sold 23,400 EQS units globally. Not bad for an upcoming EV, but next year, sales 40%. Shouldn’t a new, pioneering model be gaining sales at least for a decade? Turns out, people aren’t buy electric cars as much as companies had expected.

In our first drive of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS, the luxury EV impressed us with its technology and serene ride. But just look at it! Mercedes-Benz went the efficiency route with the styling, aiming to maximize range, but the EQS is just so forgettable. It’s overly bulbous, unmemorable in the front, and weird in the rear. It just has zero presence.

Clearly, even Mercedes-Benz realized this, as it started offering the EQS with a regular S-Class front grille. The market research team at the company might’ve had a hiccup (most automakers did), but the design team needs some serious introspection. And they don’t need to look far — the Audi RS e-tron GT shows that EVs can be seductive.

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Want the most luxurious car with the smoothest ride and most exquisite craftsmanship? Rolls-Royce’s most excessive cars are a great choice. You can also go the Bentley route, or maybe try Japan’s only V12 car, the Toyota Century. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz would like to lure you into its Maybach world, which consists of heavily reworked Mercedes models. Unique these cars aren’t, but they are at least luxurious. An AMG, but for luxury instead of sport.

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At the beginning of the millennium, Mercedes’ parent company Daimler launched Maybach as a standalone brand, in response to BMW’s and VW’s acquisition of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, respectively. Maybach launched with two models — the 57 and 62. Different in length (5.7 and 6.2 meters), but similar in design, Maybach’s land yachts spared no expense. Inside, they featured the highest-quality materials, super-comfortable chairs, and powerful, yet quiet 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12 engines. Predictably, celebrities, particularly rappers, quickly splurged on them.

Unfortunately, there was an underlying problem that ultimately killed these cars — they were based on the W140 S-Class. That car was launched in 1991, for crying out loud! And yet, Daimler was okay with basing its most advanced cars such an old platform. Besides, the dashboards of the 57 and 62 were a carbon copy of Merc’s at the time. Put simply, Maybach couldn’t shake off the “Mercedes-ness” of its cars. When you pay north of $350,000, you want something more unique. Something like a Rolls-Royce, perhaps.

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