By Al Vinikour
MotorwayAmerica.com

(March 11, 2012) JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Across most of the United States the snowfall this winter has run the gamut from fairly heavy to fairly nonexistent. Thus when Mercedes-Benz sought a location to demonstrate its 4MATIC all-wheel drive system to several waves of journalists it wasn’t about to take chances of it “maybe” snowing in an interesting locale. It gave itself a guarantee.



Jackson Hole is known as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park. It’s also known as one of the country’s best skiing areas. In 2011, for instance, the area produced 700 inches of snow.  Bingo! And neither the weather nor the technology disappointed.

For decades Mercedes-Benz, arguably Germany’s best-known builder of luxury vehicles has been the technology leader in all-wheel drive (its work on all-wheel drive actually began 100 years ago). Its 4MATIC system is in no fewer than 21 vehicles across 10 different model ranges and practically 50 vehicles worldwide.

4MATIC technology was actually debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show and the concept went on to make its initial appearance in the current E-Class. It’s now in its fourth generation and is available in MB’s purely road-going vehicle; the C, E, S and CL and CLS-Classes. The M and GL-Class offers a 4MATIC that not only delivers safe and refined on-road performance but also incorporates first-class off-road technology.

Mercedea G550 in the snow

As a matter-of-fact, because of the split-second interplay between the differentials and traction-control braking action, 4MATIC is one of the very few systems that can keep the vehicle going even when three wheels have lost traction.

Over one million vehicles equipped with 4MATIC have been sold to-date in the United States. Now the company is offering the system in three coupes — the C350 Coupe, the E350 Coupe and the CLS550. The latter is truly for the high-performance enthusiast as it is powered by a 4.6L V8 that pumps out 402 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.

There’s nothing like experiencing a life-saving system such as 4MATIC in a real-world situation. Mercedes-Benz laid out a route for us that encompassed everything from flat stretches of highway (albeit an icy sandwich, what with a layer of snow, a layer of ice on top of that and another layer covering the ice — a frozen “Oreo” if you will) to twisty mountain roads (with little in the way of side protection) to a man-made winter obstacle course that tried its best to make us look like fools in front of our colleagues.

Driving the speed limit on an icy straightaway isn’t for the faint of heart but 4MATIC brings out the best in providing confidence for a normally-skittish driver and while not allowing him to go nuts at least provides a noticeable degree of matching the vehicles capabilities to his own. In other words it allows the driver to speed up to a higher level than normal, thus avoiding carrying a “tail” of 20 vehicles.

The 4MATIC really cinches up on mountain roads and struts its stuff.

Mercedes CL55

High winds on slick, twisty roads tends to send a vehicle’s rear-end swaying like Chubby Checker doing the Twist. However, once the system detects the minutest slippage in one of the wheels it immediately transfers the power to another wheel or even set of wheels to smooth out the direction of the vehicle.

The system’s mechanical core splits the drive at a ratio of 45-55 percent between the front and rear axles and has a multi-plate lock in the central differential with a base locking force of 37 pound-feet. This fundamental concept enables a high degree of traction with the rearward transfer of dynamic axle load under acceleration used to deliver more driving force to the road.

The multi-plate differential lock can also vary the front to rear load distribution up to 30:70 in either direction when faced with the challenges presented by a slippery road surface. While this is the simple explanation the complete description is quite technical and well-beyond my meager understanding of safety technology. Suffice it to say that whether you understand its underpinnings or not, 4MATIC is there to help save your life in the event you need it and you’ll know it when that time comes.

Speaking of examples the snow track Mercedes-Benz built was more fun, and educational than a barrel full of roller coasters. The company set up a series of hair-pin turns that would be almost suicidal if attempted on elevated, public roads. Taking the vehicles into the turns at high speeds, feeling the vehicle start to slip away and then realize the 4MATIC system is taking control to quickly stabilize the vehicle is an awesome, yet comforting feeling. This is no “Big Brother” that’s taken over your car; rather, it’s “Big Lifeguard.”

There’s an old adage about technology not being worth anything unless you use it. The first time Mercedes-Benz 4MATIC saves your life — and you may not even be aware of it — you’ll consciously…or unconsciously realize it’s worth everything.